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I highly recommend Dracula (1979) with Frank Langella and Laurence Olivier. One of the most atmospheric films I've seen
A now largely forgotten movie, it seems, but it did make some noise when it was new. I watched it many times on The Movie Channel (back when it was called Star Channel).
The Woman In Black (1989)
The Others
A View from a Hill
The Changeling
The Haunting (1963)
Whistle and I'll Come To You
The Legend of Hell House
The Ash Tree
Number 13
The Wailing Well
The Signalman
The Other (1972)
Carnival of Souls (1962)
Turn of the Screw
The House by the Cemetery
The Yellow Wallpaper (1989)
A Christmas Carol
Susperia
The Shining
From Hell
Darkness (2002)
Something Evil (1972)
Nice to see some love for The Legend of Hell House, The Other and Suspiria.
Great thread! For some reason I always start thinking about horror flicks in mid-August; I guess because October/Halloween isn't that far away at this point.
The '70's was an amazing decade for horror films. And, my favorite three from that decade are:
Burnt Offerings (1976): Already mentioned here, superb flick about a family who temporarily moves from the city to a old house in the country for the summer. However, things are not as they appear...
The Sentinel (1977): Extremely creepy film about a model in NYC who moves into a deserted apartment building - or is it deserted?!...
Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1973): Another disturbing film about three people who move to a farm to get away the stress of the big city. Very well-done...
Also, more thriller than horror, but still great:
The Little Girl who lives down the Lane
Agree that Carnival of Souls & The Others are two other great, atmospheric horror films.
And, of course, The Exorcist is the grand-daddy of them all - great film that scared the he!! out of me, and one I didn't see until it was re-released to theaters back in Fall 2000...
Honorable mention:
Blair Witch Project (1999): I know a lot of people didn't like this, but I thought it was an effective & creepy film.
Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows (2000): Extremely underrated sequel, that was almost as good as the original. Though, some may like it better - since it was a more mainstream horror film.
The Sentinel (1977): Extremely creepy film about a model in NYC who moves into a deserted apartment building - or is it deserted?!...
I posted about this one in the Corman thread. This is a horror film everyone should watch at least once. I think it's that good.
Another great one is the original Black Christmas and its famed unconventional ending. I've no idea how the remake is (and I won't bother with it). Modern horror remakes usually don't hold the proverbial candle to their 60s/70s/80s predecessors, two whole exceptions being The Hills Have Eyes and Dawn of the Dead.
Modern horror remakes usually don't hold the proverbial candle to their 60s/70s/80s predecessors, two whole exceptions being The Hills Have Eyes and Dawn of the Dead.
Agreed - both the 200X versions of The Hills Have Eyes & Dawn of the Dead are far superior to the original 70's versions.
In fact, DOTD is one of my two favorite horror films of the 200X's - the other is Silent Hill (2006).
This thread is not for favorite horror films, or even the best ones. This is for those (usually) old, atmospheric films that really set the mood, whether the setting is an old dark house, or a scientists laboratory.
I would recommend The Hanging Woman (1973), also known as "Terror of the Living Dead" or "La orgÃa de los muertos". It takes place in a large house in Eastern Europe with its own science laboratory and underground chambers. It's got a great 70s horror vibe.
The Woman In Black (1989)
The Others
A View from a Hill
The Changeling
The Haunting (1963)
Whistle and I'll Come To You
The Legend of Hell House
The Ash Tree
Number 13
The Wailing Well
The Signalman
The Other (1972)
Carnival of Souls (1962)
Turn of the Screw
The House by the Cemetery
The Yellow Wallpaper (1989)
A Christmas Carol
Susperia
The Shining
From Hell
Darkness (2002)
Something Evil (1972)
You're a horror scholar! I put four of these on my watch list. Thanks!
This thread is not for favorite horror films, or even the best ones. This is for those (usually) old, atmospheric films that really set the mood, whether the setting is an old dark house, or a scientists laboratory. Many of these movies depend on the viewer's imagination to provide much of the suspense since the unseen is usually more frightening than the scene. Following are a few I think stand head and shoulders above the crowd in these respects.
Frankenstein/The Bride of Frankenstein- The old castle and the laboratory settings help make these films special. The films are well done anyway, but the sets and lighting add that little something extra.
Cat People-(1942)- A wonderful Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur film that follows a woman that believes that she will turn into a ravaging beast if her passions are aroused. Full of shadows and suggestion. The unseen here is more frightening that anything they could have shown.
Curse of the Demon-(1958)- Another Jacques Tourneur movie here. A scientist is invited by a colleague to debunk an occultist and finds that he might be in above his head. Once again although a demon does make brief appearances, this depends more on setting the mood and depending on fear of the unknown for it's success. Lots of shadows and suggestion here as well.
Any horror films that you love to watch for how it looks (even if the film itself is not entirely successful)?
I love Curse of the Demon.
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