TR's Top Ten horror flicks of all time

[Lick Ness Monster]

Oct 23, 2008 19:00:06 GMT -5 erisi236 said:

I always liked the Ju-On flicks more then the Ringu ones, except for Ju-On: Curse 2 which was pretty odd to say the least.

I was quite smitten with Takako Fuji who played the ghost girl Kayako in all the versions and I was ticked pink when I got to get her autograph when they were doing the rounds for Grudge 2.

I like Ju-On a great deal as well - it was hard putting TCM above it.

The series itself is quite confusing - the two direct-to-video ones followed by the two theatrical ones. By Ju-On: Curse 2, are you referring to the first sequel that ran 74 minutes, about 30 of which was the final scenes from the original, DTV Ju-On? (takes breath)

[erisi236]

Oct 23, 2008 19:07:33 GMT -5 Lick Ness Monster said:

Oct 23, 2008 19:00:06 GMT -5 erisi236 said:

I always liked the Ju-On flicks more then the Ringu ones, except for Ju-On: Curse 2 which was pretty odd to say the least.

I was quite smitten with Takako Fuji who played the ghost girl Kayako in all the versions and I was ticked pink when I got to get her autograph when they were doing the rounds for Grudge 2.

I like Ju-On a great deal as well - it was hard putting TCM above it.

The series itself is quite confusing - the two direct-to-video ones followed by the two theatrical ones. By Ju-On: Curse 2, are you referring to the first sequel that ran 74 minutes, about 30 of which was the final scenes from the original, DTV Ju-On? (takes breath)

Ha, yeah, that's the one. Curse is the DTV series and Grudge is the theatrical.

I think the deal with Curse 2 is that the first one ran long and they just packaged what they cut plus the last half of 1 into a "sequel".

Sort of sounds a bit like Silent Night Deadly Night 2.

Oh, and here's a random picture of Fuji-san just 'cuz

[Paul]

For my fellow fans of Psycho; pick up the new 2-disc "Legacy Edition" re-release on DVD. It's packed with some really great extra features.

[Lick Ness Monster]

Oct 23, 2008 19:14:54 GMT -5 erisi236 said:

Ha, yeah, that's the one. Curse is the DTV series and Grudge is the theatrical.

I think the deal with Curse 2 is that the first one ran long and they just packaged what they cut plus the last half of 1 into a "sequel".

Sort of sounds a bit like Silent Night Deadly Night 2.

Oh, and here's a random picture of Fuji-san just 'cuz

I didn't know that was how they shot Curse 2 - I just always figured that Shimizu was just lazy! (lol)

Seriously, though, Ju-On 1 and 2 are pure awesome.

[Rorschach]

Oct 23, 2008 19:01:30 GMT -5 amsiraK said:

It's a classic for a reason. Anthony Perkins was completely perfect in this role - nervous and almost endearing and ultimately psychotic. That look at the end said it all.

Hitchcock was the master.

YES....and that's almost exactly the reason that Vince Vaughn was so GODDAMN wrong for the role. He reeks of smarmy, sick perversion. Someone innocent and sweet looking needed to be cast if they were going to remake it...someone that audiences like INSTANTLY. Someone like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, or Edward Norton, or even, hell....Kevin Spacey would have been AWESOME in that role.

[erisi236]

Oct 23, 2008 19:33:24 GMT -5 Lick Ness Monster said:

I didn't know that was how they shot Curse 2 - I just always figured that Shimizu was just lazy! (lol)

Seriously, though, Ju-On 1 and 2 are pure awesome.

Hell, part 2 has a killer wig, Kayako "being born" and an evil little girl version of Kayako, it's made of 100% win.

[amsiraK]

Oct 23, 2008 19:49:43 GMT -5 Rorschach said:

Oct 23, 2008 19:01:30 GMT -5 amsiraK said:

It's a classic for a reason. Anthony Perkins was completely perfect in this role - nervous and almost endearing and ultimately psychotic. That look at the end said it all.

Hitchcock was the master.

YES....and that's almost exactly the reason that Vince Vaughn was so GODDAMN wrong for the role. He reeks of smarmy, sick perversion. Someone innocent and sweet looking needed to be cast if they were going to remake it...someone that audiences like INSTANTLY. Someone like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, or Edward Norton, or even, hell....Kevin Spacey would have been AWESOME in that role.

Ed Norton definitely. 'Primal Fear' was the perfect example of that, I thought. He's such a poor little sweetie-pie... right up until he isn't. Same thing with Norman Bates. He's such a meek little puddin'... until he's stabbing you and dumping you in a pond.

And don't start me on the remake. Never remake Hitchcock. You'll never actually get it right. Vaughn was so wrong - I expected the police to pick him up just on general principles. "Well, folks are dyin' out at the motel... let's pick up the skeevy guy. He's GOTTA have some hand in this."

[Dr. Marzvon Zombie M.D.]

Oct 19, 2008 23:55:23 GMT -5 Lick Ness Monster said:

And here we are - in honor of the single best two weeks of my entire year - horror films constantly on TV, the spooky ambiance at my very workplace, the falling leaves - the very last fully-themed TR reviews thread. The format for this will be a little different from what we're used to, but I think you'll all be able to figure it out.

And now...

#10.



THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
1974
Director: Tobe Hooper

Brief, brief plot synopsis: A group of perfectly normal (well, with the exception of one) teenage kids head off across the very, very rural areas of Texas in search of one of the teens’ grandfather’s grave. And man – do they ever pick the wrong route. First picking up an incredibly creepy hitch-hiker, the kids eventually stumble upon the ultimate nightmare house – and the secret of the beef jerkey that they bought at a cruddy gas station.



TR’s thoughts: smurf the remake – this is where it’s at. The story is far from a masterpiece, the special effects are far from polished, and the acting is far from refined – and that’s just the way I like it. Director Hooper makes this crap look like somebody’s home movie, and as an ungodly story of cannibalism, homemade meats, and some crazy guy who walks around with human skin covering his face unfolds, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre feels like something that just might be going on at this very moment – or likely in a nightmare starring you.



Villain ruminations: What makes Leatherface immortal is that the script paints him as someone who is totally at peace with what he’s doing – unlike Freddy, he doesn’t deliberately pause or make grand gestures, as if he knows what he’s doing is incredibly evil and/or badass. He just does them – and that just makes his actions that much more unsettling and disturbing.

Why it deserves to be in this spot: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reminds us of the power of hindsight – scorned by critics during its first release, it is now lauded a masterpiece by many in the very mainstream media that derided it as “trash” upon its initial release. While not overtly scary, the original TCM has an incredible raw, cruddy ability to get under your skin every time you see it - particularly during the very harrowing final twenty minutes as lead heroine Marilyn Burns screams herself crazy.

This movie has the best line ever in a horror movie....


LOOK WHAT YOUR BROTHER DID TO THE DOOR!!!!!

[Jiren]

Do know what movie doesn't get enough respect



I love this flick, yet no one ever mentions it.

[Big DSR Energy]

Oct 23, 2008 19:49:43 GMT -5 Rorschach said:

Oct 23, 2008 19:01:30 GMT -5 amsiraK said:

It's a classic for a reason. Anthony Perkins was completely perfect in this role - nervous and almost endearing and ultimately psychotic. That look at the end said it all.

Hitchcock was the master.

YES....and that's almost exactly the reason that Vince Vaughn was so GODDAMN wrong for the role. He reeks of smarmy, sick perversion. Someone innocent and sweet looking needed to be cast if they were going to remake it...someone that audiences like INSTANTLY. Someone like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, or Edward Norton, or even, hell....Kevin Spacey would have been AWESOME in that role.

I certainly think Vaughn was the wrong guy for the part. I wouldn't particularly call him "skeevy" but I feel like, while he's a funny guy, there's definitely an obvious undercurrent of violence to even his comedic performances. When a fight breaks out, you sorta expect him to throw the first punch.

The thing about your picks though, is this: the Psycho remake was made in 1998. By that point, most of the actors you mentioned were just getting out of darker roles: Pitt was in Seven (as was Spacey) and Twelve Monkeys, Norton had already done Primal Fear. Damon might've been something of a curveball as Norman Bates. But I sorta had this idea the other day: What about Owen Wilson?

In 1998, Wilson was far from a household name. He had a few indie hits, but was mostly under the radar so to speak (at a time when people were quoting Vaughn's performance in Swingers). Even when he was in action movies, he wasn't the star, he was more of a comic relief guy.

More to the point, Owen's persona at the time (and even moreso now) is quite the opposite of "serial killer." He's considered more of a smooth-talking, overly relaxed, vaguely surfer-esque guy (there's exceptions, like Behind Enemy Lines, but those exceptions are rare). When a fight breaks out, you kind of expect him to either try to talk his way out of it or find help or something. Which, as is sort of par for the course, serial killers generally don't go for head-on confrontation, opting instead for the element of surprise/sneaky activity. You could kinda see that image subverted into a sort of meak, timid, awkward guy more easily than Mr. In-Your-Face Vaughn.

Granted, Owen did play a serial killer a year later in a film called The Minus Man, but that was so under-the-radar that no one's ever heard of it. Also, a complete verbatim remake like what happened is essentially a neutered experience, as everyone already knows the story of Psycho even if they've never seen the original movie or read the book. It's become that culturally ingrained. But I think Wilson would've at least been somewhat more of an interesting choice.

I dunno, I like when actors go against type.

Wow, that went longer than I expected it to. Sorry, guys.

[Strotha]

Oct 23, 2008 22:21:49 GMT -5 Jiren said:

Do know what movie doesn't get enough respect



I love this flick, yet no one ever mentions it.

I like it, but my favorite by Argento is Suspiria.

[Big DSR Energy]

Oct 23, 2008 23:42:58 GMT -5 Strotha said:

Oct 23, 2008 22:21:49 GMT -5 Jiren said:

Do know what movie doesn't get enough respect



I love this flick, yet no one ever mentions it.

I like it, but my favorite by Argento is Suspiria.

Demons is a Lamberto Bava film. Argento was producer, Bava was director.

[Jiren]

Oct 23, 2008 23:42:58 GMT -5 Strotha said:

Oct 23, 2008 22:21:49 GMT -5 Jiren said:

Do know what movie doesn't get enough respect



I love this flick, yet no one ever mentions it.

I like it, but my favorite by Argento is Suspiria.

Demons isn't an Argento movie, As such (He helped write and produce it).

It was Lamberto bava who directed it (And wrote it).

[amsiraK]

Oct 23, 2008 23:34:00 GMT -5 Big DSR Energy said:

Oct 23, 2008 19:49:43 GMT -5 Rorschach said:

YES....and that's almost exactly the reason that Vince Vaughn was so GODDAMN wrong for the role. He reeks of smarmy, sick perversion. Someone innocent and sweet looking needed to be cast if they were going to remake it...someone that audiences like INSTANTLY. Someone like Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, or Edward Norton, or even, hell....Kevin Spacey would have been AWESOME in that role.

I certainly think Vaughn was the wrong guy for the part. I wouldn't particularly call him "skeevy" but I feel like, while he's a funny guy, there's definitely an obvious undercurrent of violence to even his comedic performances. When a fight breaks out, you sorta expect him to throw the first punch.

The thing about your picks though, is this: the Psycho remake was made in 1998. By that point, most of the actors you mentioned were just getting out of darker roles: Pitt was in Seven (as was Spacey) and Twelve Monkeys, Norton had already done Primal Fear. Damon might've been something of a curveball as Norman Bates. But I sorta had this idea the other day: What about Owen Wilson?

In 1998, Wilson was far from a household name. He had a few indie hits, but was mostly under the radar so to speak (at a time when people were quoting Vaughn's performance in Swingers). Even when he was in action movies, he wasn't the star, he was more of a comic relief guy.

More to the point, Owen's persona at the time (and even moreso now) is quite the opposite of "serial killer." He's considered more of a smooth-talking, overly relaxed, vaguely surfer-esque guy (there's exceptions, like Behind Enemy Lines, but those exceptions are rare). When a fight breaks out, you kind of expect him to either try to talk his way out of it or find help or something. Which, as is sort of par for the course, serial killers generally don't go for head-on confrontation, opting instead for the element of surprise/sneaky activity. You could kinda see that image subverted into a sort of meak, timid, awkward guy more easily than Mr. In-Your-Face Vaughn.

Granted, Owen did play a serial killer a year later in a film called The Minus Man, but that was so under-the-radar that no one's ever heard of it. Also, a complete verbatim remake like what happened is essentially a neutered experience, as everyone already knows the story of Psycho even if they've never seen the original movie or read the book. It's become that culturally ingrained. But I think Wilson would've at least been somewhat more of an interesting choice.

I dunno, I like when actors go against type.

Wow, that went longer than I expected it to. Sorry, guys.

There's no word limit.

And I meant that his Norman was skeevy, not Vince himself. He was just horribly miscast.

[Strotha]

Oct 23, 2008 23:49:23 GMT -5 Jiren said:

Oct 23, 2008 23:42:58 GMT -5 Strotha said:

I like it, but my favorite by Argento is Suspiria.

Demons isn't an Argento movie, As such (He helped write and produce it).

It was Lamberto bava who directed it (And wrote it).

I make the same mistake with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey.Sorry about that.

Still a good movie.

[Jiren]

Oct 23, 2008 23:51:48 GMT -5 Strotha said:

Oct 23, 2008 23:49:23 GMT -5 Jiren said:

Demons isn't an Argento movie, As such (He helped write and produce it).

It was Lamberto bava who directed it (And wrote it).

I make the same mistake with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey.Sorry about that.

Still a good movie.

No apologies necessary

All the dvd's/Advertising have Argento as the main selling point, so it's easy to think it's an Argento flick

[Big DSR Energy]

Oct 23, 2008 23:51:41 GMT -5 amsiraK said:

Oct 23, 2008 23:34:00 GMT -5 Big DSR Energy said:

I certainly think Vaughn was the wrong guy for the part. I wouldn't particularly call him "skeevy" but I feel like, while he's a funny guy, there's definitely an obvious undercurrent of violence to even his comedic performances. When a fight breaks out, you sorta expect him to throw the first punch.

The thing about your picks though, is this: the Psycho remake was made in 1998. By that point, most of the actors you mentioned were just getting out of darker roles: Pitt was in Seven (as was Spacey) and Twelve Monkeys, Norton had already done Primal Fear. Damon might've been something of a curveball as Norman Bates. But I sorta had this idea the other day: What about Owen Wilson?

In 1998, Wilson was far from a household name. He had a few indie hits, but was mostly under the radar so to speak (at a time when people were quoting Vaughn's performance in Swingers). Even when he was in action movies, he wasn't the star, he was more of a comic relief guy.

More to the point, Owen's persona at the time (and even moreso now) is quite the opposite of "serial killer." He's considered more of a smooth-talking, overly relaxed, vaguely surfer-esque guy (there's exceptions, like Behind Enemy Lines, but those exceptions are rare). When a fight breaks out, you kind of expect him to either try to talk his way out of it or find help or something. Which, as is sort of par for the course, serial killers generally don't go for head-on confrontation, opting instead for the element of surprise/sneaky activity. You could kinda see that image subverted into a sort of meak, timid, awkward guy more easily than Mr. In-Your-Face Vaughn.

Granted, Owen did play a serial killer a year later in a film called The Minus Man, but that was so under-the-radar that no one's ever heard of it. Also, a complete verbatim remake like what happened is essentially a neutered experience, as everyone already knows the story of Psycho even if they've never seen the original movie or read the book. It's become that culturally ingrained. But I think Wilson would've at least been somewhat more of an interesting choice.

I dunno, I like when actors go against type.

Wow, that went longer than I expected it to. Sorry, guys.

There's no word limit.

And I meant that his Norman was skeevy, not Vince himself. He was just horribly miscast.

Ah, I sorta misread you. But..what'd you think of my idea?

[Big DSR Energy]

Oct 23, 2008 23:54:16 GMT -5 Jiren said:

Oct 23, 2008 23:51:48 GMT -5 Strotha said:

I make the same mistake with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey.Sorry about that.

Still a good movie.

No apologies necessary

All the dvd's/Advertising have Argento as the main selling point, so it's easy to think it's an Argento flick

Same thing with Michele Soavi's The Church and "QUENTIN TARANTINO PRESENTS Hostel."

[Jiren]

Oct 23, 2008 23:58:38 GMT -5 Big DSR Energy said:

Oct 23, 2008 23:54:16 GMT -5 Jiren said:

No apologies necessary

All the dvd's/Advertising have Argento as the main selling point, so it's easy to think it's an Argento flick

Same thing with Michele Soavi's The Church and "QUENTIN TARANTINO PRESENTS Hostel."

That's true

Or those "Wes Craven Presents" when he does f*** all in relation to the film.

[Lick Ness Monster]

Just to throw a monkey in the wrench - I enjoyed the Psycho remake. Take my horror fan card away, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. People (rightly) take Rob Zombie to task for making all those changes just for the sake of change to Halloween - so I was all down for a word-for-word repeat with a new cast with Psycho. Hey, if it's not broke, why fix it?