Ok, despite a vague recollection of a horror-thread ages ago, I decided to start a new one, first and foremost since it is a topic very close to my heart, and secondly, the chances are quite slim that anyone actually will look through the last pages of this forum, stumble upon the old thread, and come up with a fresh answer. If you are an absolute horror-fanatic like yours truly, if you are in the mid-range when it comes to being fascinated by this stuff, or if you are just the casual viewer, bring on the replies!!!
Again, I absolutely love horror films, and I have been watching them since the ripe age of nine. But sadly, it seems to me that the golden era of bizarre and eerie filmmaking has completely disappeared in this day and age. Sure, there are the odd and brilliant exception( "Session 9" and "30 Days Of Night", to mention two of them), but mostly you have Follywood spewing out brainless teen-age fodder, and in the all important name of sellability, recycling the same, retarded story of "four teens are going to a secluded cabin and meeting a knife-wielding madman", or cashing in on the latest, sickening, non-creative trend of the remake.
And who is starring in these roles? All of them, character-wise, as interesting as cardboard, and visually they look like plastic, pin-up models. Yaaawn!! It`s a tired and old clichee, but they simply don`t make them like they used to! In my humble opinion, the most important element in any horror film is a pervasive and creepy atmosphere, atmosphere that almost threaten to swallow you whole, nearly seeping through the celluloid.
It is not the massive special effects, it is not the vomit-inducing plastic faces adorning nearly every cover, it is not the cheap "boos" from the closet, the creaking door, or the thunder and lightning. And last but not least, it certainly isn`t the happy ending. Horror should leave you with an immensely uncomfortable feeling, horror should be about pure, surreal and chaotic dread and disgust. And any filmmaker forgetting this absolutely essential fact, would be better off making a comedy or a romantic drama etc.
Anyway, enough with the ranting, on to my favorite horror films, in no particular order: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre( the original of course, not the absolutely worthless remake), Hellraiser 1 and 2, Nekromantik 1 and 2, The Curse, Desecration, Horror, Rosemary`s Baby, The Omen 1-3, The Exorcist, 1 and 3, Session 9, Beyond the Darkness, Aftermath, Texas Chainsaw Massacre( The Beginning), The Woman In Black( probably the creepiest ghost film in my opinion!!), Subconscious Cruelty, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With me, Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, Society, Cannibal Holocaust, Lord of Illusions, The Tenant, Flowers of Flesh and Blood, Changeling, Ringu, Dead Ringers, Amityville 2: The Possession, 30 Days Of Night, Funny Games, Near Dark, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
So then, what films creep you out the most?