this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2024
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It's horror movie season in the US and my favorite type is zombies. I also love campy B movies. Watching Dead Snow 2 right now and I think it ranks up there with Shawn of the Dead and Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness.

What is your top pick for whatever genre?

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012) (go in spoiler-free with this one) are both good comedy horror.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I was not prepared for how good Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

"Well uh, howdy do, Officer! We've had a doozy of a day!"

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Alien is my favorite horror movie by far. I really dig Hellraiser too. I watched Pontypool recently and was surprised how good it was. And The Shining is fab.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

*Doug Bradley Hellraiser movies.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

I've watched Alien as much as any movie excepting Aliens, so I kinda lost appreciation. My wife had never seen it so we watched and I payed close attention for the first time in years. Absolute master class in the genre.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Pontypool Changes Everything by Tony Burgess was also a NUTS book. Definitely check it out. The scope is much wider than the flick and as a result it’s a lot more uneven. I still really dig it.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Pontypool pairs well with 30 days of night (and Tusk pairs well with The Substance).

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The Thing (1982) has basically consistently been my favorite horror movie

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

To this day, in response to something awful / revolting I like to shout "Childs, get the flamethrower!!!"

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Signs (2002) is my favorite horror movie to watch during spooky season. While it was mocked so perfectly in Scary Movie 3, I feel like the atmosphere it creates is still so unnerving. The humor in the movie adds an element of B movie campiness to an otherwise serious movie.

Cabin in the Woods (2011) disassembles the horror tropes in a hilarious way. Inspired by the Evil Dead movies.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

After I saw Signs the first time, I started carrying a steel mop handle around my apartment and next to my bed at night.

Aliens really get to me from when I watched X-files as a kid, and this movie did it nicely.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Cabin in the Woods is top tier. Everytime I watch it I see something new. It's a blast to watch with people who have never seen it, and even more fun if they're going in blind.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Oh baby, time to proselytize the masses of Lemmy and introduce a whole new set of suckers to "Fido". It's zombies with big Fallout vibes and is unironically one of the best C to B tier movies I've ever seen. It's the kind of movie where it looks like everyone involved was just having fun with it, ya know? Check it out and make sure to let me know what you think!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Bonus points for Billy Connolly.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I just read the description on IMDB, and good lord what a fever dream. But the real selling point for me is the disembodied head of Billy Connolly being a loyal companion to a family. Consider me signed up.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

I really enjoy Event Horizon, especially with the 40K theory in mind.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (4 children)

The Witch (2015)

Since you asked the favorite, i will have to describe it, trying to avoid the spoilers.

It is a masterpiece on many aspects at the same time. It is a historical movie, focusing on an isolated devout settler family living on the frontiers in the beginnings of US history. It is a dramatic and heavy movie with believable people, showing their realistic hardships in everyday living, how they really live and think the world through their strict religion, and how they react realistically to the supernatural events that unfold. It is a Horror movie that gradually builds the mystery, tense and fear thorough the relatively long stretch of time it takes (months i guess), and the actual terror moments felt deserved (i.e. not a cheap scary gag).

For all that, it is considered one of the more 'artful' horror films out there, and i'm sure it will (or already is?) considered one of the Greats in the genre with Dracula 1932 and The Exorcist 1973. It however leans on being slow and heavy, not good if you seek a lighthearted film.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The language is brilliant. At first you have to pay very close attention to understand them, but as the movie progresses you quickly get in the groove. And Anya Taylor-Joy, my god.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

One way I like to describe it is that They took one this witch trials account/documents, took it at face value and just recreated it as an historical movie.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

Event Horizon

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Difficult to pick one, but Annihilation is up there.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (6 children)

The books are fantastic as well.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

John Dies at the End is a good b/c/campy movie. It is absolutely not 1:1 to the books (which are good) but its a weird fun movie.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

'This door can NOT be opened!'

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hereditary is my favourite supernatural horror film

The thing is my favourite Sci fi horror film

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The shining. I watch it every year at the first snow. I'm afraid I won't get that chance this year.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

It Follows

I like that it's such a simple concept for a horror movie, but it's still highly engaging for the audience.

spoilerEarly on in the movie, it (quite literally) teaches you a set of rules that the monster operates by, and the rest of the film feels almost like an interactive game.

  • the monster is a shapeshifter
  • it has stack (as in the data structure) of targets
  • it's always walking straight towards the target at the top of the stack (peek())
  • the target can have sex with someone else to make them the new target (push())
  • if the target at the top of the stack dies, the previous target is the target again (pop())

Beyond that, the writing and cinematography just let the audience play along. The characters are deliberating their plans on how they would deal with the monster, letting you also think about what you would do in their situation. And the camera likes to slowly pan around the people talking so that all the while, the audience is scanning the background looking for the monster. It can look like anyone, and they constantly, and deliberately put extras in the background walking directly toward the camera just to make you go "oh shit! Is that it right there? Hey, pay attention, we need to move!"

It's just such a fun, unique experience. I don't know of another horror movie experience quite like it.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Braindead/Dead Alive is always in my top horror movies. Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn is a really good movie too. Both have an amazing number of fantastic one liners.

28 Days and 28 Weeks Later are great zombie movies that are less camp and humor.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm a huge Bruce Campbell fan. The 28 pair is a good call, too. I'd take 28 days over 28 Weeks Later.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Originally i really disliked 28 Days, it was not until i begrudgingly saw 28 Weeks and really liked it that I went back and rawatched Days and thoroughly enjoyed it.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Rec (2007) . A slow night where a novice news reporter shows a day in the life of the local firestation turns into so much more.

I think there's something about the intersection between found footage and a foreign (to me) film that makes it so much more believable and enjoyable. This is miles beyond the US remake, quarantine. No big name actors here to ruin the found footage vibe. Just a small town news reporter meandering through a slow night at a local fire station.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Sinister - the home movies and music are so creepy.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

picking a favourite is hard, but In The Tall Grass (2019) is definitely up there, and i never see anyone talk about it. also, Malignant (2021). definitely try to go in blind for that one if you can.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

I also recommend It Follows. It is so different. And the characters don't act dumb. And everything makes sense in the context. Like why they dont get a car or catch a plane, because they are broke teenagers.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

Alright I can think of a few that strangely haven't been mentioned yet!

  • Barbarian - Woman checks in to an AirBnB. But beneath it lies a horrible secret. This one's pretty disturbing in subject matter, actually. But it's solidly eery.

  • Tremors - It's bright daylight! In a small desert town! What's so spooky about that? Vibration-sensitive, man-eating sandworms maybe. This movie is just solidly fun all around. Legendary B-movie monster film.

  • The Descent - Always thought caves were creepy? Want to experience claustrophobia from the safety of your own home? Wanna see how an all-woman horror film cast is done correctly? This one's a treat.

  • Dog Soldiers - The Scottish Highlands are gorgeous for a hike. Less appealing though if you're a squad of British soldiers doing a training exercise in a monster movie. Features reasonably smart cast of soldiers doing their best, but cleverly using the training scenario premise to take away their live ammo so they can't just shoot away their problems. Also, I remember it being very "B movie" in a good way. A well-placed cheesy joke or two had me laughing out loud without it being Marvel-grade snark, but it was still tense and exciting.

  • Pandorum - Guy wakes up from hypersleep on a giant ship where things have gone horribly wrong. His only other awake crewmate is uh...a bit off, maybe? This one feels VERY Deadspace. If you like "Creepy massive cathedral-like dungeon ships" flavored sci-fi horror, this one's pretty good. I'd say maybe much tamer than Event Horizon, but clearly took some inspiration there.

  • 30 Days of Night - You know how in Alaska they get really long periods where the sun is just gone? You know how certain classic horror antagonists hate sunlight? Uh oh.

  • Overlord - A World War 2 horror film. I mean, WWII was full of horror but...like... unbelievable horror. No, like, pulpy mad scientist supervillains and secret experiments horror--No, like stuff that DIDN'T actually happen. It's the closest to a Wolfenstein movie as we're gonna get. (And very "Weird Wars 2" if you've played a good Savage Worlds TTRPG or two)

  • Resident Evil - I liked maybe two or three sequels too, before it got utterly ridiculous to farm cash, but the original is always cited as a horror classic, even among people who aren't fans of the games. (Almost entirely unrelated characters and plot.)

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Suspiria (2018)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Haven't yall seen The Conjuring II, The Nun, or am I an idiot to call these horror πŸ˜’

That nun is something else. Goosebumps every time! And I've rewatched it dozens of times

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

i'm always surprised that most people rank the nun as the worst in the conjuring franchise. i think it's probably my favorite. conjuring 2 is phenomenal too. and they're definitely horror.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Noroi - The Curse (2005, Japan) Supernatural first-person video documentary style POV, but with higher image quality than Blair Witch Project for example. No jump scares, just very creepy and unsettling. Slow burn, but good pacing IMHO. No weaknesses IMHO, hence on top of my list. Just a very unsettling and disturbing, almost real-feeling, horror movie.

Also good:

  • A Tale of Two Sisters (2003, South Korea): less horror, more artistic, intelligent and original. Great story
  • Shutter (2004, Thailand): my favorite jump-scare horror with cool effects
  • Incantation (2022, Taiwan): great supernatural slow-burn horror with a cool twist
  • Hereditary (2018, USA): great supernatural slow-burn horror, original as well
  • Sinister (2012, USA/UK/CAN): great supernatural horror
  • Event Horizon (1997, USA/UK/CAN): great sci-fi horror, very unsettling
  • REC (2007, Spain): one of the best zombie style movies and also one of the most horror-like ones
  • It Follows (2014, USA): kind of a stupid plot but it works. It's original, well executed and unsettling (supernatural)
  • Smile (2022, USA): an even more stupid plot, but also well executed. The ending is bad. But it still terrified me so it works at its core, and that's all that horror films need to do (supernatural)
  • As Above, So Below (2014, USA/France): the weakest one on this list but it's very original as well, I like it because of that
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Try this one.

"Altered States."

A Harvard neuroscientist is experimenting with sensory deprivation and other hallucinogens.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

It’s not a movie, rather a game: Layers of Fear

We played it at a friend (well, he played and we watched) back in… 2018? Or maybe 19?

Long story short, I try to forget it to experience it again later in 2030.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

The Blair Witch Project. Terrifying.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The Devils Rejects.

House of 1000 Corpses and 3 From Hell are alright, but Devils Rejects is my favorite. I can't hear Midnight Rider or Freebird without thinking about this movie.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

100% Nope: A episode from supernatural, where ghouls half way succeed to eat Sam. (I consider it as the most gruesome horror I have ever seen, and I don't think I have the stomach to see it ever again. The blood draining is a ... no.)

Yellow brick road on otherhand hits the weird places spot of SCP, which I can't get enough. (not horror really, but still)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Fright Night (1985)

The Reanimator (1985)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

I watched this recently. Actual not-dumb characters is sooo nice. I'd written this off as just yet another Romero style zombie movie but it has it's own thing going on. I think given how much I liked Tusk (saw it last night) and Dale and Tucker vs. Evil I have a soft spot for R rated horror comedy.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (3 children)
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