Comments on: The overrated horror movie checklist

By: Lesley

Lesley — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 23:24:25 +0000

No love for the haters: Rob Zombie can take the twisted and mutilated and make me grin. And I happen to love kittens.

Best all time Horror Movie: The Descent. Neil Marshall is a genius.

By: EricP

EricP — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:31:55 +0000

Someone else appreciates The Craft. Late to this party, but definitely nice to see that l’il tidbit.

By: Ben Boychuk

Ben Boychuk — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:17:21 +0000

Glad to see the prof praised “The Changeling.” Very good ghost story. I know it’s a few days after the fact now, Christian, but here is the list of the movies we discussed on the podcast a few weeks ago: http://blog.infinitemonkeysblog.com/?q=node/6761

By: bob

bob — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:36:51 +0000

When future wife and I saw “The Exorcist” at the theater, we actually laughed out loud at the “horror” sequences. Today, on DVD, the thing just creeps me out, but I’ll agree that the film’s best moments are human, a mother willing to do anything to save her daughter, and a priest sacrificing all for a stranger.

Over-rated “horror” films is the entire array of films that fall into the category of “torture porn.” Making you squirm in your seat from nausea is not the same as making you squirm in your seat wondering what lurks under the bed.

I don’t know if it’s underrated, but my horror touchstone, the one that pops to mind whenever I think of the genre, remains “Curse of the Demon” (alternately “Night of the Demon”; in many ways, “Drag Me to Hell” is a clever remake). Cut off the first five minutes or so and it’s near perfect in building suspense while slowly unwrapping Dana Andrews’ comfortable world of science. If you see it on DVD, just do a chapter skip to where you see Andrews trying to sleep on an airliner. That way, the ending is all the more enjoyable.

By: James Frazier

James Frazier — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:23:12 +0000

Thanks, blackhawk12151. I’m sort of a hard scare, and I never once felt seriously close to being afraid during the whole movie. Seems to really frighten just about everyone else I know, though.

I very nearly picked “Children of Men,” as my pick for underrated horror film, because I was genuinely scared during most of that; the extinction premise coupled with the brilliant camera work had me tied up in knots. But I wanted to pick an actual horror movie, so “Day of the Dead” it was.

By: cftoto

cftoto — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:44:58 +0000

P2? I’ll have to catch up with that one … I remember the tepid reviews so I steered clear of it originally. Good tip.

By: JimmyC

JimmyC — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:41:07 +0000

Not that you asked, but here are my choices:

Most overrated: Halloween. Maybe I just saw it after hearing too much hype, but it just didn’t scare me at all.

Most underrated: P2. One of the best horror movies I’ve seen in years, and it was criminally overlooked by both audiences and critics. Great scares and atmosphere, excellent lead performances by now-popular Rachael Nichols as the heroine and Wes Bentley as the psycho, and probably the best (and most unexpected) use of an Elvis song in any movie I’ve seen.

By: blackhawk12151

blackhawk12151 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:40:20 +0000

I actually do agree with James Frazier re: The Exorcist. It is one of my favorite films but not for the scares. Karas as the priest questioning his faith is what draws me to it. He is one of the most interesting and well-developed characters of all time. It has some creepy scenes but that is not its major appeal for me.

I have been wanting to see The Changeling for a while but it is one of those films I have never gotten around to.