Good New Horror Films

[Fried Egg]

Please can I hear your recommendations for good new horror films.

By "new" I mean anything in the last few years.

I would also like to futher limit people's recommendations by my preference for horror with surreal/supernatural or futuristic/sci-fi leanings. I don't like "slasher" or movies who's emphasis is on extreme violence, blood and guts and making you jump.

I'm really out of touch so no recommendation is too obvious!

 

[Foxbat]

If you're talking 'the last few years' I quite like Werner Herzog's remake of Nosferatu (German with English subtitles). Then there's Guillermo del Toro's Cronos (Spanish with English subtitles)- an interesting take on the vampire story. And staying with the vampire theme...howabout John Carpenter's Vampires - perhaps a bit too violent for you but good entertainment nonetheless. There's also Carpenter's Ghosts Of Mars - perhaps not the best horror on the planet but by no means the worst.

There's also some fine Anime out there that deals with your horror cravings...Vampire Hunter D for example

 

[Nesacat]

I'll second Cronos. A very lovely little film that. There's also Shadow of the Vampire with John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe.

From Asia you might wish to try Thailand's Nang Nak and Japan's Dark Water. There's also Ringu.

 

[Fried Egg]

Thanks for the recommendations...keep them comming!

I'm not actually adverse to violence; but merely wish to avoid films where the emphasis is on the violence, particularly sadistic or excessively gory violence.

For instance, films like "Saw" or "Hostel" simply don't appeal...

 

[ravenus]

Nosferatu is more like a few decades away, Foxy

What can I think of?

The Host - Korean movie, my vote for best monster movie after the original Gojira.

The Eye - Another Korean film, something like the Ringu-style Japanese horror flicks, but better


Dagon - Adaptation of HPL's The Shadow Over Innsmouth, excellent!

The Descent - Somewhat violent but very atmospheric and good dirty underground mutant mayhem from the man who also made the very enjoyable soldiers v/s werewolves movie Dog Soldiers

More as I recall

 

[Nesacat]

A huge yes for Dagon. I was going to suggest that at the beginning but was not sure if it would appeal. Yes, it's superb and grows better for being watched because then you start paying attention to the detail.

 

[Fried Egg]

A huge yes for Dagon. I was going to suggest that at the beginning but was not sure if it would appeal. Yes, it's superb and grows better for being watched because then you start paying attention to the detail.

Well, I am a Lovecraft fan so I would be naturally pre-disposed to watch this...

 

[Nesacat]

Goodness yes you are Fried Egg. I knew that too. Apologies.

I'll admit that I didn't like the movie the very first time I watched it. But have since become hooked on it once I realised how much trouble went into the detail. It then becomes obvious that the makes of the movie had read and understood the story.

 

[j d worthington]

I'll toss in a big second for Nang Nak -- a very understated piece, with some very nice dimensions to it emotionally, blending both the fear and pity... with some delightful performances and very nice cinematography as well as a charming legendary feel to it.

Dagon is a good film, though it is also quite bloody in spots. But, as Nesa said, it does grow with each viewing, as one realizes just how carefully thought-out various aspects really were, and how well they captured the essence of the tale on film.

I'd also recommend Ju-On (the original Japanese version of what became The Grudge), as well as Uzumaki (2000) -- which is a rather odd film, but fascinating... and doesn't shy away from blending the humor and horror quite nicely. These in addition to the original Ringu (which I find much creepier than the American remake... the way she moves at the end simply gets the hairs on the back of my neck up... it's just so very unnatural.... It is also much better thought out and subtler with the characterization and, frankly, the performances are much more nuanced and deeper. Oh, and that last shot... sooooo much nastier than the American version!)

For a very odd little film (in fact, about half-an-hour into it, you'll think I was deranged for suggesting it... then it suddenly begins to all click together): Sangre Eterna (2002). Again, a bit bloody in spots, but this is definitely a film with some imagination and wit... and a nice take on certain fears that have surfaced the last few years again....

In fact, I'd suggest quite a few things coming out of Japan in the supernatural story vein... they've gone to the understated, with broader implications than a simple physical threat, route; which makes them much more imaginatively stimulating....

The Others (2001), directed by Alejandro Amenábar, is quite a nice eerie piece, too. Some flaws, but definitely worth seeing. There is also (if you can find it) The Other (1972), from Thomas Tryon's novel -- he also wrote the screenplay -- which is a very nice piece.

If you can find a copy, you ought to try the silent Call of Cthulhu (2005) which, despite a minuscule budget, does quite well at capturing HPL's story; as well as Rough Magik (2000)... originally intended as the pilot for a television series (which, sadly, never was picked up), it uses the themes of Lovecraft's work to weave its own tale, and does so quite subtly... plus it has Paul Darrow putting in a marvel of a performance. I'd also suggest (though this isn't truly horror, it has got that eeriness factor) Out of Mind: The Stories of H. P. Lovecraft (1998)... Christopher Heyerdahl really does feel like HPL in that thing... and you have that wonderful blurring of the lines between reality, fantasy, and dream....

 

[Foxbat]

If you can find a copy, you ought to try the silent Call of Cthulhu (2005) which, despite a minuscule budget, does quite well at capturing HPL's story..

I'll second that!. I bought this based on the recommendations of folk here (both j.d and Nesa if I remember correctly) and it's certainly worth a look.

 

[roddglenn]

The Sixth Sense is a good atmospheric supernatural horror, but you can only really watch it the once because of the major twist. So if you haven't seen it, it's worth a go. From Beyond is another from a bit further back - based on a Lovecraft tale. The original B&W version of Village of the Damned is very atmospheric (although Carpenter's remake was still good too). Don't Look Now and When a Stranger Calls (original, not the remake) are both top draw as well.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

From Beyond (1986)

Village of the Damned (1960)

Don't Look Now (1973)

When a Stranger Calls (1979)

 

[Nesacat]

Call of Cthulhu is definitely up there for movies based on the Old Gent's works. It's wonderful. All grainy and surreal and made on the tiniest budget.

Was so happy to have found it in that tiny shop in Edinburgh and it was great seeing it on a big screen at the Eastercon.

Very heartwarming seeing how so many people care for the Old Gent's works.

 

[ravenus]

Call of Cthulhu is awesome, indeed. From Beyond (not very new, this movie was what, 80's?) is again an acquired taste (HPL's entire story is covered in the first 10min of the movie after which all is new material with some S&M elements and gore) but I do like it a lot. Jeffrey Combs FTW.

 

[Foxbat]

Call of Cthulhu is awesome, indeed. From Beyond (not very new, this movie was what, 80's?) is again an acquired taste (HPL's entire story is covered in the first 10min of the movie after which all is new material with some S&M elements and gore) but I do like it a lot. Jeffrey Combs FTW.

I'm curious. Was From Beyond released under a different title at some time? I seem to recall a movie called The Beyond that seems to fit the description ....then again....could be that my memory is starting to go

 

[roddglenn]

The Beyond is a different film entirely...

E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldilà (1981) - UK title is The Beyond.

 

[Nesacat]

Kwaidan directed by Masaki Kobayashi. It's actually four different mini movies taken from a book of the same by Lafcadio Hearn. They are all Japanese supernatural myths and legends.

In "Black Hair" a poor samurai divorces his true love to marry for money. The marriage is a disaster and he returns to his love only to find that she is not quite the same.

In "The Woman in the Snow" a a woodcutter meets a snow spirit in the form of a woman. She makes him promise to never tell anyone about her. Ten years later, he forgets.

In "Hoichi the Earless" a blind musician in a monastery sings so well that a ghostly imperial court demands that he perform for them. But the ghosts drain his life and the monks set out to protect him by writing a mantra on his body to make him invisible. However, the forget one tiny thing.

In "In a Cup of Tea" a man keeps seeing a mysterious face reflected in his cup of tea.

 

[ravenus]

Gah...so this thread is not really about good NEW horror films? In which case I have several more recommendations:

The Innocents (1961) - excellent Turn of the Screw adaptation and one of the most scary movies evarr...IMO
Night/Dawn/Day of the Dead (yes, ALL of them have to be seen. Yes, they can get gory in parts, but the story, characters and acting are awesome!)
Martin - brilliant post-modern vampire movie, very moving and tragic
Hell House - Adaptation of a Richard Matheson book, quite effective till the end
I Walked With A Zombie - brilliant brilliant brilliant. Val Lewton's films have some of the best dialog in the genre...and use of shadows.
The Body-Snatcher - RL Stevenson's story loosely adapted to great effect, with a thunderously good performance from Boris Karloff.
Picnic at Hanging Rock - more a beautifully depressing film than scary, still it's a horror and a great one.
X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes - Genuinely moving film made by Roger Corman with a brilliant lead from Ray Milland and a super-effective sleazy performance from Don Rickles.

more as I recall...

 

[j d worthington]

Okay... as has been noted, From Beyond is not the same as The Beyond -- and if you're going to watch the Fulci film, for pity's sake, get one of the new, restored copies... they cut the film unmercifully in its original release in the States and -- if I remember correctly -- the UK. It's actually a much, much better film with all the extra things in there (as is the case with most of Fulci's films, you find he actually did know how to tell a story instead of just string together bits of gore, once you see them the way he intended... they may be unconventional in some ways, but they do tell a story... and The Beyond actually has a rather nightmarish atmosphere not dealing with the gore.....) I'd also recommend Fulci's House of Clocks

Casa nel tempo, La (1989) (TV)

This also has some very nice twists and turns....)

From Beyond has also been released as "H. P. Lovecraft's From Beyond"; it's by Stuart Gordon, the director who did Re-Animator and Dagon.

From Beyond (1986)

There has also been a slightly extended version done on cable, replacing footage Gordon was forced to cut in its initial release, though I've not seen it. Perhaps it will be on any new DVD releases of the film.... However, if you're wanting to avoid extreme gore or explicit sexual content, this is not a film to watch.... (I also note there was a 2006 film based on the same short story, with the same title, but I know absolutely nothing about that one... anyone else have any information on this one?

From Beyond (2006)

If so, I'd like to hear about it -- good or bad?) (I know. Stupid question. But we live in hope.....)

Ravenus: I agree with all your suggestions there, except I think the ending of The Legend of Hell House does work -- it's just rather... different. But quite appropriate and, in its own way, effective. I'd also add Land of the Dead to the Romero set, as it continues his use of the zombie film for purposes of social commentary on different levels... and has some very nice things of its own, to boot. I'd also recommend Lewton's other films highly, though some of them may seem slow-paced by today's standards (The Seventh Victim, for example... though that final moment casts a nasty shadow over everything that has gone before... very effectively done.)

And, dammit! I've yet to see Kwaidan.....

 

[Ice fyre]

Teh best two "new" films I've seen recently are

Pans labrynth a strange and dark fary tale set during the Spannish Civil war.

Brotherhood of the wolf (loosley based on true events) a kung fu/monster/period costume drama/gothic/romance. Very intriguing film.

Both are foreign language films (pans in Spannish and Wolf's in French) but enjoyable nontheless.

 

[Foxbat]

Okay... as has been noted, From Beyond is not the same as The Beyond -- and if you're going to watch the Fulci film, for pity's sake, get one of the new, restored copies...

Amazon UK are selling an uncut version of The Beyond for a mere £5.99 (it sounds very interesting so, needless to say, I've ordered a copy) The synopsis is not familiar to me so it seems that it was From Beyond that I saw all those years ago....memory not what it used to be

Back to recommendations - I know it gets quite a pasting from the critics but I have to admit a guilty secret - that is - quite enjoying Event Horizon (although I can't quite work out why)....no accounting for taste I suppose