Great horror films, of late? Anyone? Suggestions for late-night viewing? John’s teaching this, so I’m assuming he’ll pipe up.
The original “Ringu” films make no sense but are very scary.
“Audition” (Takashi Miike) is unnerving.
“The Others” was very good.
“Open Water” was dull. I wish the yuppies had gotten eaten quicker; even at 80 minutes the film dragged.
movie that scared the shit out of me (maybe even literally): session 9. the website is down now but that was almost as scary as the film.
For me, people eating people is the quintessence of Horror. “Silence of the Lambs,” obviously–though I think “Hannibal” did a much better job at aestheticizing cannibalism. It’s a truly beautiful film. And the climactic image of Hannibal preparing Ray Liotta’s brain (perfect casting, here) is an image more repulsive and shocking than anything I’ve seen in a while. Worse than anything I’ve seen in the goriest Italian zombie film. It’s a powerful scene, and I remember, after seeing it the first time, replaying it in (of all places) my head for several days afterwards.
Oof, that was long-winded! This is going to take longer than I thought.
I liked “Shaun of the Dead.”
how much scarier than the american remake are the japanese “ringu” films? i found the american one to be pretty scary. as i’ve said before though i scare very easily–i don’t even know why i watch horror movies. i made sunhee watch “the village” during the afternoon yesterday so i wouldn’t have to be up late by myself after we got done with it.
but i absolutely do not enjoy gore–will not watch “hannibal”. speaking of hannibal michael mann’s “manhunter” was hyped to me by many, including, i think, some who blog here now–it didn’t scare me at all–and as i think i might have mentioned, i scare easily. is “the audition” gory? i put it on my list after seeing it in your list on the netflix friends thing.
hi, my name is arnab–will you be my friend? i like you, do you like me?
Ringu is scarier than “Ring”–it’s just less interested in narrative clarity, and so it’s just freaks you out more. (One caveat: the scene with the horse on the boat is only in the American version, and it’s pretty good.)
“Audition” does get a little gory at the end. But not in a slasher kind of way.
I too liked “Session 9.” Did anyone see “The Machinist?”
I taught _Hannibal_ in a comedy class.
Dog Soldiers isn’t particulary scary but it’s a great werewolf movie. Mike–I can see why you might teach Hannibal in a comedy class; I think it’s specifically a screwball comedy. Imagine if Cary Grant had been able to slice open and eat part of Ralph Bellamy’s brain.
so, has anyone seen “saw” yet?
Saw “Saw.” Not terribly impressed. It had some style, but it was more histrionic than horrifying.
quoth reynolds:
a little gory? a LITTLE gory? what the fuck is wrong with you? we watched this last night–this is what the highbrow critics refer to as a fucked-up film. compelling the whole way through, but if this is miike-light, i’m never watching anything else him.
also, i have no idea what to make of this film.
Has anybody seen Miike’s Visitor Q? I’m curious.
I take my Miike in occasional doses, and Q is one that’s always intrigued me, but haven’t seen it yet. I have Happiness of the Katakuris much higher on the list–a musical comedy. Sort of.
Arnab, maybe for the most part you should avoid Miike in his horror mode. That said, you may very well enjoy the loopier exaggerations of his action films, like the Dead or Alive series. Whatever genre he’s raiding, when he’s on (a very conditional qualification, given how many damn movies the guy makes each year), he unsettles and dazes and even sometimes dazzles me more than any other filmmaker working.
Arnab – Try Miike’s “The Great Yokai War” I know I blabbed about it a while ago. It’s funny, and wild, but almost never horrible.
And stay away from his ‘Andromedia’. I thought his Yakuza Horror Theater: Gozu wasinteresting, though a little slow.
We’ve talked about his quite good “Imprint” as well.
This sounds cool:
“Sukiyaki Western Django” – A western set in the 1100s.
It looks like nothing of his has seen a US release since Yokai War, except for the DVD of the Showtime Masters of Horror thing, even though he’s made half a dozen features since then.
mark, i was tempted by gozu but then read that it features an extended scene of dog killing. i don’t do well with dog killing. even the off-camera dispatch of the beagle in audition was hard for me. and don’t get me started on no country for old men.
I can’t help myself, though I do wonder if three cups of mustard is taking things a bit too far.
I hate animal cruelty in movies too. I don’t recall the scene in Gozu, but I probably just fast forwarded though it as I do with any movie that shows such stuff.
—
Oh yeah, Steve Ericson’s new book Zeroville. Highly recommended to everyone here. Esp those that used to live in L.A. Lots of old hangouts mentioned (I was surprised the Stillwell Hotel and the bar across the Embassy weren’t mentioned), and lots of fun with “identify the Hollywood character.”