THE VAULT OF ILX Top 100 HORROR Movies Poll Voting Thread (voting closes May 9 *~*~*~*2012*~*~*~*)

was decided early in the nom process that horror film does not necessarily equal scary film

What does "horror film" mean, then? Any movie with a supernatural element? Is that why movies likes like The Isle or Stalker, which have absolutely no scary scenes at all, are on the list?

...except that The Isle doesn't have supernatural elements either.

it's a movie where the primary conflict is resolved through gory setpieces

or devil babies

also creepy music

Glad Paperhouse is on the list. Another sort of unconventional horror movie, but really unnerving. I first saw it with about a dozen friends in college at my girlfriend's apartment, and I remember a few scenes where everybody in the room jumped at once.

also, is testament the 1983 film about nuclear war?!? i guess that it must be, since threads is also on the list.

Testament is possibly the scariest movie I've ever seen

I have no idea why Stalker was nominated either, unless it was a different one than the Tarkovsky movie. Or maybe the final shot (SPOILER ALERT?) tipped someone off into Carrie territory?

this is gonna be tough. watched Fulci's "The Beyond" as, uh, "research" for this thread last night. pretty silly. plotless gore! loads of great setpieces tho. and the painting motif was a good touch.

― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, April 16, 2012 12:51 PM (46 minutes ago)

the beyond is kind of like suspiria's slow brother, it tries to leap over yr aesthetic concerns by going for a similar pervasive atmosphere of terror, which translates to an almost poetic surrealism in some scenes, and a final sequence that is truly haunting. but it is a deeply stupid movie.

I love The Isle by Kim Ki-Duk, but who the hell thinks it's a horror movie?

i nominated the isle because it's suspenseful, grisly, disturbing and it maintains an atmosphere of dread. a lot of contemporary "horror" focuses more on ordeal than scariness. nominated ming-liang tsai's the wayward cloud at the same time for similar reasons, though that one's got more genuinely unnerving scenes (e.g., the porn basement). mostly just wanted to throw in some outliers.

it's a movie where the primary conflict is resolved through gory setpieces

If that's enough to make a horror movie, then why didn't anyone nominate Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

xp Its going to place for me on the final scene alone. Also my inherent weakness for foamy, pink blood.

re: The Beyond - it's funny how the plot is so non-existent, characters are established but then they do things and go places for no apparent reason, there's no discernible logic to the sequence of events etc

xp

edward III otm re: the beyond. i nominated it for its reputation, gore and atmosphere, and for its terrific conclusion, not cuz it's a conventionally good movie.

that was a joke Tuomas

xp

it's funny how the plot is so non-existent, characters are established but then they do things and go places for no apparent reason, there's no discernible logic to the sequence of events etc

this is actually a good description of a lot of horror movies from the 1980s onwards ...

The Beyond might be the only Fulci film from that era I love, much less like.

(xx-post)

To me the Isle just felt melancholy and beautiful, I can't remember any suspense in it. Sure, there's that one icky scene, but if something is horror because of an icky scene, regardless of the context, that sounds like a way too technical definition to me.

interesting that The Sixth Sense wasn't nominated. I guess it it technically more of a thriller or whatev, though there is enough spooky haunted house stuff, zombie-ghosts and what not, to qualify it imo. Personally, I do like it, but I prob wouldn't have voted for it in this. That's valuable real estate!

yeah, that does seem like a pretty surprising oversight. i'd meant to nominate it, but forgot. it's certainly not that i wouldn't be willing to rep for it. i love that movie.

The Beyond might be the only Fulci film from that era I love, much less like.

yeah, that was the other reason i nominated. i felt that fulci deserved representation on this list, and the beyond is the only film of his that i've ever really enjoyed.

The City of the Living Dead is awkward. Zombie is lugubriously paced and then there's a shark vs. zombie battle that's awesome in concept but *yawn* in execution. New York Ripper is grimy without being truly disturbing like Maniac.

oh come on contenderizer, Zombie is plenty entertaining. a zombie punches a shark! underwater!

lol xp to Eric

only saw the sixth sense once in the theaters and I have to give it props as a well-done horror film, I think most of the resistance to it is actually horror at what shamalama did afterwards

There's a few grindhouse nasties I forgot to nominate but probably that's for the best. Goodbye Uncle Tom is definitely some *kind* of horror movie, but maybe not this kind.

it's funny how the plot is so non-existent, characters are established but then they do things and go places for no apparent reason, there's no discernible logic to the sequence of events etc

every italian horror film

The Grim Reaper with Tisa Farrow probably should've been at least given a mention tho.

I am simultaneously cursing and thanking you for cutting off the nom process eric

Paperhouse! I totally need to rewatch that. I remember renting it from my local video shop as a kid and thinking I was all smart and fancy b/c a blurb on the box advertised it as 'the thinking person's Nightmare on Elm Street.' I don't remember much about it at all, save for that it creeped me out sufficiently, despite there not actually being some intellectually sophisticated version of Freddy (lol which I guess is what said blurb made me envision back then).

I consider something horror if some supernatural element or unexplained phenomenon is intrinsic to the plot, or the movie was designed to invoke a sense of horror (even if it doesn't). The only controversial nomination I made was Fire Walk With Me, but I stan for that as a horror movie because it is full of supernatural/unexplained things, it succeeds in evoking horror, and also it scares the bejeepers out of me.

it's funny how the plot is so non-existent, characters are established but then they do things and go places for no apparent reason, there's no discernible logic to the sequence of events etc

every italian horror film

― diamanda ram dass (Edward III), Monday, April 16, 2012 5:55 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yes! I kept trying to reply with "That's so Fulci!" but I was getting xposted into oblivion.

I know I know, it just seemed especially pronounced in this case. I kept laughing every time someone went down under the house by themselves just to, y'know, wander around.

I have no idea why Stalker was nominated either, unless it was a different one than the Tarkovsky movie. Or maybe the final shot (SPOILER ALERT?) tipped someone off into Carrie territory?

― jungleous butterflies strange birds (Eric H.), Monday, April 16, 2012 1:46 PM (9 minutes ago)

this was a carry over from darin's yearly horror polls, which were awesome and comprehensive but sometimes too broad in their inclusions. pretty sure I bitched about the stalker nom at the time.

see also: equus. one of my fave films but in no way a horror movie. unless you're a horse.

also, is testament the 1983 film about nuclear war?!?

Yup.

Testament is possibly the scariest movie I've ever seen

And yup. It's going to be very high on my ballot. I'm gonna limit my hardcore nominee stumping to Testament and Possession. If at least some of y'all made a point of seeing those two before voting, I'd be over the moon.

I can't decide if the fact that I can't bring myself to watch it as an adult means I should include it or not.

I meant to make this point on the horror thread, but I think if a future sci-fi poll is a "sci-fi and fantasy" poll, that will allow for some glaring misses to be rectified (e.g. king kong, godzilla).

*horror nom thread*

I mean, as weird as The Beyond is, the House by the Cemetery is completely incomprehensible. But should have placed in the comedy poll for the Little Bob's voice dub acting.

also, still finding movies missing from the nom list that have a shot on the lower echelons of my ballot *sniff*

burnt offerings (1976)

Zombie is lugubriously paced and then there's a shark vs. zombie battle that's awesome in concept but *yawn* in execution.

Is Zombie the one where the girl has her eyeball impaled on a jutting wooden splinter in super slow-motion, or was that COTLD? Either way, that is one most harrowing death scenes ever iirc.

I can't decide if the fact that I can't bring myself to watch it as an adult means I should include it or not.

I will tell you this: I found it just as horrifying and devastating as an adult as I did when I saw it as a kid. Feel free to take that as a recommendation or a dissuasive argument.

If I were going to vote in this*, I'd put Testament at #1 and fill the rest of the ballot out with 19 films I didn't think would get any votes.

(*which I'm not; I don't like horror films and haven't seen many)

What does "horror film" mean, then? Any movie with a supernatural element? Is that why movies likes like The Isle or Stalker, which have absolutely no scary scenes at all, are on the list?

― Tuomas, Monday, April 16, 2012 1:40 PM (25 minutes ago)

any movie nominated which eric h allowed as "horror" is a horror film for purposes of this poll. thank you and have a nice day!

I'd recommend you to vote, then, WmC! Do it for Testament's sake!

I thought Testament was a very powerful movie and all, but am a little weirded out at how many people are calling it one of their likely top vote-getters.

Is Zombie the one where the girl has her eyeball impaled on a jutting wooden splinter in super slow-motion,

Yeah! It's great!

Zombi's the only Fulci film i rate that highly, although Lizard In A Woman's Skin is better from a technical perspective.

xpost In a horror movie poll.

also as eric pointed out on the nom thread, "scary" is a terrible barometer for what is a horror film, since he's only ever been frightened by a handful of films

maybe wikipedia can help

Horror films are a movie genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus they may overlap with the fantasy and supernatural genre. Horrors frequently overlap with the thriller genre.[1]

Horror films deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden worst fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown. Although a good deal of it is about the supernatural, if some films contain a plot about morbidity, serial killers, a disease/virus outbreak and surrealism, they may be termed "horror".[1]

Plots written within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Themes or elements often prevalent in typical horror films include ghosts, torture, gore, werewolves, ancient curses, satanism, demons, vicious animals, vampires, cannibals, haunted houses, zombies, sadism and serial killers. Conversely, stories of the supernatural are not necessarily always a horror movie as well.

yay

xps

So are results rolling out tomorrow then?

Also I will have to be out of the loop on Friday, but that is because I will be hanging out at the site of one if minnesotas most infamous murders so I will be here in spirit

I think all systems are likely go for a Wednesday launch imo.

Set your alarm for 5:00 a.m.: you must start it up sometime during the hour of the wolf.

(Which, by the way, I think the images Pillbox has worked up are gorgeous. He's going to deserve the lions share of credit for the success of this poll.)

― jungleous butterflies strange birds (Eric H.), Tuesday, May 15, 2012 4:05 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

the procurement of thematically resonant and illustrative visual materials is something this poll, of all polls, deserves especially - i have simply tried to rise to the occasion, the process of which has been frankly a blast, if also rather exhausting. But make no mistake, Eric. I am but a bit player to your cackling ringleader in this Grand Guignol of delirium and atrocity!

I think all systems are likely go for a Wednesday launch imo.

yay! hopefully during Vargtimmen too!!

Just need to get on my feet at work and then I can begin.

The Haunt Of Fear: ILX Top 100 HORROR Movies Poll Results Thread

YESSSSS

crowhaven farm was one of my late ballot cuts, feel like when this is over we need to have a TV horror movie poll
― diamanda ram dass (Edward III), Thursday, May 10, 2012 3:10 PM (four years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes, then sybil and harvest home can finally get the respect they deserve
― former personal denim advisor to the mayor, (La Lechera), Thursday, May 10, 2012 3:12 PM (four years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Found Crowhaven Farm on YouTube; transferred it to a USB and watched it on TV. Another one, like Something Evil, I vaguely remember watching when it originally aired. Rosemary's Baby pilfering notwithstanding (mixed in with a bit of The Lottery), still creepy--and a little confusing, and almost borderline pedophiliac at times. Between this, Rosemary's Baby, Something Evil, and The Exorcist, why did kids suddenly become so terrifying in the late-'60s/early-'70s?

Going to watch The People with Kim Darby next.

FYI: http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/12/04/monster-fest-2016-are-you-in-the-house-alone-is-a-mighty-tv-movie-tome

Thanks. Recognized the Trilogy of Terror still right away...There are a bunch of these on YouTube, although the quality varies: She Waits with Patty Duke, The Horror at 37,000 Feet with a big airplane, When Michael Calls, etc.

Hope Lange sure was beautiful. Never knew she was married to Alan J. Pakula.

Shame The VVitch isn't on the list

Also - Braindead is on here twice.

Anyway - I voted, and pretty happy with my ballot :-)

The Witch wasn't out 4 years ago

oh... didn't realise newer titles weren't included

I complained at the time about films from the future being ineligible. I still think it's a shame that 2023's The Terror Pit of Madame Hate wasn't recognized as the masterpiece it will be.

Lol @ dog latin

just out of interest (I wasn't there during the initial discussion), why are we not including newer films?

Because this poll happened four years ago?

No excuse.

The VVitch was robbed

I have helpfully updated the title for the hard of thinking.

I think dl is horsing around. Either that or he's in need of emergency medical services.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Either I fell through some sort of portal or I genuinely got 2012 and 2017 mixed up. Like, what is wrong with me? I voted and everything... :-O :-O

wait... we haven't done a different horror poll since have we?

Nerp. I'd be down, though. I've seen 45673862839 horror films since then (although relatively few that have been produced since then) so I imagine my ballot would be quite different.