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

martyrs seems much more honest about wanting to get to the same place as lvt tbh

like i think if lvt was honest with himself he'd just end with [HORRIBLE ACT REDACTED] to bring his female characters to "enlightenment."

We watched Breaking the Waves like... eleven years ago? and I still remember watching this movie, and being like, well, this woman is a fool but let's see where it all goes, and the end happened and I spent about an hour sobbing on the couch and probably wasn't right again for a couple of days and since then, I've had a strict no LVT policy.

otoh i think contendo *does* have a bit of a point. visitor q and martyrs are probably the only two films that will make my list that i wouldnt recommend to anyone who wouldnt be down with what they're gonna get, and maybe its not coincidental they're both 21c flicks.

Okay I just read the Wikipedia summary for Visitor Q and that is completely batshit.

actually i recommend visitor q to the whole family.

lol

martyrs seems much more honest about wanting to get to the same place as lvt tbh

otm I think its essential honesty to theme and form is the main reason why Martyrs is more effective than lvt and also seedier genre nasties like Human Centipede and what not.

Obviously this is Eric's and Pillbox's call, but my own feeling on stills: atmospheric/moody rather than bloody corpses/exploding heads. I know many would strongly disagree.

― clemenza, Thursday, April 19, 2012 10:45 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

RE: Stills - Wherever possible, I would like to use thematically appropriate, tho non-iconic screengrabs taken from the films themselves. I mean, this IS a horror poll, but if images should neccessarily be kept SFW, I can stay w/in said parameters if that is the general consensus?

Not sure what it is that makes me respond well to LVT when I usually can't tolerate Haneke.

Nah, it's a horror poll, come on.

xpost

seedier genre nasties like Human Centipede

Human Centipede really wasn't that bad. I mean, the very premise is dire and I admit I left the room for the few minutes depicting the actual surgery (so I don't even know how graphic that was) but compared to, say, Last House on the Left*, it was pretty benign, almost campy. I actually liked it a lot and like I've said, movies with brutality as a central theme are not my cup of tea.

*asterisk to nowhere

there's actually nothing that explicit in the human centipede, one of the things I loved about it was that tom six managed to terrorize, scandalize & traumatize audiences with 3 naked people and a couple of pieces of gauze. as with most great horror films, it's works based on the implication of something more than the graphicness of it.

and the fact you were driven from the room based merely on the description of something is a great success! </dr heiter>

*it works*

Oh that was no success. I'm a huge wuss and scenes of forced medical procedures are one of my big freak out buttons. Getting me to leave the room on the threat of sewing three people together mouth to anus is about as hard as startling a sleeping house cat.

But I agree w/ you completely about the movie.

The episode of How It's Made with a piece about laser eye surgery was far, far more horrifying than anything in Human Centipede.

Here's a list of everything from the nomination list that appears to be currently streaming on Netflix:

Antichrist (2009)

Atrocious

Audition (1999)

Baby, The

Beast Within, The (1982)

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Black Belly of the Tarantula, The

Black Sabbath

Blue Sunshine

Bucket of Blood, A

Burn, Witch, Burn

Butcher, The

C.H.U.D. (1984)

Candyman (1992)

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

Carrie (1976)

Child's Play

Creepshow (1982)

Creepshow 2 (1987)

Dahmer

Dark Half, The

Daughters of Darkness
Dead and Buried (1981)

Dead End (2003

Deadgirl (2008)

Deathdream (1972)

Deep Red (1975)

Dust Devil (1992)

Eaten Alive (1977)

Evil Dead, The

Exorcist, The

Faust (1926)

Fido

Fog, The (1980)

Friday the 13th (1980)
Friday The 13th Part II

From Dusk Til Dawn (1996)

Funny Games (1997)

Fury, The (1978)

Gate, The (1987)

Grizzly Park

Hatchet

Hellraiser (1987)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Host, The

Hour of the Wolf (1968)

House (1986)

House of the Devil, The

Human Centipede 2: The Full Sequence, The

Human Centipede: First Sequence, The

Inferno (Argento)

Initiation of Sarah, The (1978)

Interview With The Vampire

Isolation (2005)

Keep, The

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Lifeforce (1985)

Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane, The (1976)

Lost Boys, The (1987)

Lost, The
Maniac (1980)

Maniac Cop

Mimic (1997)

Nightmares (1983)

Nosferatu (1922)

Parents

Pet Sematary (1989)

Phantasm II (1988)

Pit and the Pendulum, The

Pontypool

Prince of Darkness

Pulse
Rubber

Scream, Blackula, Scream (1973)

Severance

Squirm (1976)

Tale of Two Sisters, A

Them (2006)

To The Devil... A Daughter (1976)

Tremors (1990)

Triangle (2009)

Trick r' Treat

Ugly, The (1997)

Videodrome 

Village of the Damned (1995)

whoa, thank you!!

was Hatchet actually any good? I always think of it as "the Newbury Comics horror movie" because of how it was promoted here

regarding recent trends in horror.... I've been a horror fan for over 30 years, I've seen a lot of subgenres come and go, and the past 10 years have been an embarrassment of riches. anybody complaining about the current state of horror needs to check themselves. yea, torture porn has been a dominant (and sometimes tiring) force, but there's also been asian ghost stories, zombie innovations (I'll reel off my standard list - the 28 movies, pontypool, deadgirl, the signal, the end of the line), and plenty of quality outliers (sauna, home movie). plus extreme horror has delivered its own set of triumphs among the copycat gruelfests, and at a higher rate than slasher films or 90s-meta ever did. jjjusten has a point about torture porn being a useless pejorative - everybody hates torture porn, and if you like one of the films falling under that rubric you're suddenly in a position of explaining why it's *not* torture porn, or how it distinguishes itself from its own subgenre.

that so much of modern horror is based on a knowing helplessness (e.g. a victim strapped into a torture dungeon) rather than on fear of the unknown accurately reflects our 21st century position. we know everything now, an enormous world of information is available to us with a brief swipe of our fingertips, yet terrorism and war abound and our daily happiness is at the mercy of global economies and market forces beyond our control. as our collective roles in society are defined as passive consumers of information, the terror is not some ancient unknowable evil, or in the suspense of being hunted - it is in "how much will I be shown / how much can I endure?" the tools are laid out on the table in plain view, the straps unsubtle, the ritual inevitable. the fact that a number of directors have been able to extend this trope beyond its inbuilt limitations is something to celebrate imo.

for example, I'll defend martyrs as being a thoughtful, self-reflexive hall of mirrors. the torture on display is not for sadistic pleasure or kicks, which is what we assume when the film begins. as its characters' motivations become clearer, our own motivations for watching are called into play. and laugier doesn't shove it down your throat, or pull any aesthetic dirty tricks like a haneke or von trier. he constructs a plot to keep you guessing but doesn't lead you around by the nose, never tries to seduce you into enjoyment or complicity, and - this is critical - doesn't patronize the audience or his characters. it's interesting how the film revels in grotesque intensity but never feels cheap or sordid, and how that overtly arty and clinical approach still manages to remain squarely in the horror genre.

Thanks for the list, Darin! The Nightmares on Instant isn't the one that was nominated, though. And I'm guessing you consulted instantwatcher, because Hellraiser II is available on Instant but doesn't show up on that site (which isn't the first time I've noticed stuff missing from instantwatcher).

i've been meaning to watch fido for a while now ... also, just got ferrera's the driller killer (thanks for the recommendation, kjb!) so i'll see what's up w/ that one.

Oh, wait, nobody nommed "Jeepers Creepers," did they? That should've been on the list. Unexpectedly good.

Here's a list of everything from the nomination list that appears to be currently streaming on Netflix:

Daren, you are awesome, thanks!

Haha, Phil, I thought Jeepers Creepers was awful.

yeah, I used instantwatcher for reference, but you're right - I don't think it's 100% accurate.

thx darrin! you've been the secret mvp of this poll...

if you missed any of these classics, get at 'em

Carrie (1976)

Evil Dead, The

Exorcist, The
Nosferatu (1922)


these are all worthwhile watches

Audition (1999)

Black Sabbath
 (if only for "the drop of water")
Blue Sunshine

Candyman (1992)

Daughters of Darkness
Dead and Buried (1981)

Deadgirl (2008)

Deathdream (1972)


Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Host, The

Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Human Centipede: First Sequence, The

Inferno (Argento)

Initiation of Sarah, The (1978)

Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane, The (1976)

Pontypool

Pulse
Tale of Two Sisters, A

Them (2006)

Videodrome 


xxp But Jeepers Creepers kills off Justin Long! What's not to like?

You have to admit it's probably the best horror film directed by a convicted child molester, though.

sorry that honor goes to rosemary's baby

OTM

Here's a list of everything from the nomination list that appears to be currently streaming on Netflix:

Thanks, Darin!!!

you all can talk about how awesome it is until you're blue in the face but I am not watching Deadgirl

You have to admit it's probably the best horror film directed by a convicted child molester, though.

I did not know this. My first instinct was similar to EIII's, though I'd say Repulsion rather than Rosemary's Baby, but didn't he abscond before conviction? Or was he convicted but not sentenced? Though let's not turn this into another ethics of Polanski thread.

just wanna thank e3 for his dropped science, and not just cuz i agree with him.

was Hatchet actually any good?

Not really. Just about watchable but you might as well be viewing any lousy eighties comedy horror franchise effort.

you all can talk about how awesome it is until you're blue in the face but I am not watching Deadgirl

i recommend not watching deadgirl. it's well-made, smart, challenging and awful.

and hatchet is a complete POS with one all-time great gore moment

Hatchet was mildly diverting, but I was fairly squicked to learn after the fact that the vomiting scenes in the movie were (completely unnecessarily) real.

the most amazing thing about deadgirl is jenny spain's performance. she doesn't let the makeup do the acting, and if she had gotten it wrong the whole thing would've gone down the tubes, so easy for that to go laughable or intolerable. also perhaps an influence on mckee's the woman?

ps fistbump to strongo

We watched Breaking the Waves like... eleven years ago? and I still remember watching this movie, and being like, well, this woman is a fool but let's see where it all goes, and the end happened and I spent about an hour sobbing on the couch and probably wasn't right again for a couple of days and since then, I've had a strict no LVT policy.

― Polly biscuit face (carl agatha), Friday, April 20, 2012 5:22 AM (5 hours ago)

When it was over, as the light played on the bridge and then the credits rolled, I wept uncontrollably. This wasn't the brief, misty-eyed tearfulness I sometimes experience in response to children's films and other forms of cheap, sentimental uplift. These were full, wracking, heartsick sobs, and they lasted for quite a while. I'd never before and have never since had that response to art of any kind. Afterwards, I didn't feel angry any more. I felt drained, and in feeling drained I felt strangely calm and clear, purged and refined, as though I'd successfully navigated some sort of meditative ritual. It's the only experience I've ever had that even vaguely resembles what people call "catharsis", and it was hugely valuable to me.

I'll defend martyrs as being a thoughtful, self-reflexive hall of mirrors. the torture on display is not for sadistic pleasure or kicks, which is what we assume when the film begins. as its characters' motivations become clearer, our own motivations for watching are called into play. and laugier doesn't shove it down your throat, or pull any aesthetic dirty tricks like a haneke or von trier. he constructs a plot to keep you guessing but doesn't lead you around by the nose, never tries to seduce you into enjoyment or complicity, and - this is critical - doesn't patronize the audience or his characters. it's interesting how the film revels in grotesque intensity but never feels cheap or sordid, and how that overtly arty and clinical approach still manages to remain squarely in the horror genre.

― diamanda ram dass (Edward III), Friday, April 20, 2012 9:16 AM (1 hour ago)

For what it's worth and imo, the way Lars von Trier seduces us "into complicity" with his melodramatic agenda is one of the most brilliant things about Breaking the Waves. We are told up front that we will be manipulated, that we will be made to feel things. The film is very clear about this, and I respect its clarity. It allows us to say, "No, I am not so easily manipulated. I refuse to feel what you so obviously want me to feel." It solicits an oppositional response, and this in turn allows von Trier to play the incredible trick of making us feel exactly what he wants anyway, despite our awareness of the game being played. He manages to manipulate our emotions without playing any "tricks", with all the cards on the table, admitting all along exactly what he's up to. Von Trier even mocks his own appeal to emotion by calling attention the protagonist's fondness for cheap, sentimental, "spiritually moving" bric-a-brac. And the emotional reward (or punishment, if you prefer) he finally offers is profound. Or so it seems to me.

I don't see Martyrs as doing anything anywhere near as clever, perverse or daring. But that's more a matter of taste than relative "quality". I expect that others will see things differently.

yeah lars von trier sucks dude

wow that was long. sry all...

anyway, i was super hungover and depressed when i saw deadgirl, so maybe that affected my judgment. now that you mention it, edward, it is quite similar to mckee's the woman, and i dug that one. should probably see it again, in a less grouchy and sensitive frame of mind.

ignore me on deadgirl until i rescreen

sorry I could not resist punchline

I've been a horror fan for over 30 years, I've seen a lot of subgenres come and go, and the past 10 years have been an embarrassment of riches. anybody complaining about the current state of horror needs to check themselves. ...asian ghost stories, zombie innovations (I'll reel off my standard list - the 28 movies, pontypool, deadgirl, the signal, the end of the line), and plenty of quality outliers (sauna, home movie). plus extreme horror has delivered its own set of triumphs among the copycat gruelfests, and at a higher rate than slasher films or 90s-meta ever did.

that so much of modern horror is based on a knowing helplessness (e.g. a victim strapped into a torture dungeon) rather than on fear of the unknown accurately reflects our 21st century position. we know everything now, an enormous world of information is available to us with a brief swipe of our fingertips, yet terrorism and war abound and our daily happiness is at the mercy of global economies and market forces beyond our control. as our collective roles in society are defined as passive consumers of information, the terror is not some ancient unknowable evil, or in the suspense of being hunted - it is in "how much will I be shown / how much can I endure?" the tools are laid out on the table in plain view, the straps unsubtle, the ritual inevitable.

that's also a pretty brilliant defense of the function of helplessness in contemporary horror. i'm not sure i completely buy it, but it's certainly compelling, and i applaud the construction.

Yeah, I was impressed by that second paragraph. Definitely an interesting way to consider it.

right or wrong, I def see the rise in torture porn coinciding with post-9/11, new american feelings of helplessness. oddly enough, this occurred to me after defending salo for years on movie fan messageboards after criterion reissued it in the late 90s. americans in particular seemed to have a difficult time accepting the film, hated the lack of agency of the characters. unfortunately I don't have the time right now to explicate much further but y'all can prolly connect the dots...