DaMU Presents: The Best Horror Films of the Decade

[Dead & Messed Up]

I couldn't resist. The list proper starts tomorrow. Today, I'll give you my summary of the past decade and five honorable mentions.

Suffice to say, it was a great decade for the genre.


THE BEST HORROR FILMS OF THE DECADE

FOREWORD: HORROR ON THE EVE OF ARMAGEDDON (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231428&postcount=5)

THE MINI-LISTS

FIVE HONORABLE MENTIONS (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231450&postcount=7)
FIVE WOMEN WHO KEPT DISTRACTING ME FROM THE MOVIE AT HAND (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231679&postcount=34)
FIVE VILLAINS WHO DESERVE ANOTHER ROUND OF INFLICTING MISERY (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232172&postcount=63)
FIVE SLOW CUTS (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232648&postcount=88)
FIVE NOT-SO-HONORABLE MENTIONS (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233684&postcount=136)

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS
Dog Soldiers by JenniferoftheJungle (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231729&postcount=44)
Rogue by The Mike (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232254&postcount=68)
Fido by Megladon8 (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232697&postcount=93)
Martyrs[/b] by Rowland (]THE LIST
25. The Call of Cthulhu / Cthulhu (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231480&postcount=11)
24. The Last Winter (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231499&postcount=13)
23. Three Extremes (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231542&postcount=25)
22. The Eye (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231669&postcount=32)
21. Slither (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=231677&postcount=33)
20. Ginger Snaps (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232030&postcount=55)
19. Drag Me to Hell (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232045&postcount=56)
18. Hostel (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232050&postcount=58)
17. The Devil's Rejects (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232057&postcount=60)
16. The Devil's Backbone (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232057&postcount=61)
15. May (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232313&postcount=72)
14. Rec (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232423&postcount=75)
13. American Psycho (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232451&postcount=78)
12. Bug (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232552&postcount=82)
11. The Host (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=232569&postcount=83)
10. Frailty (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233035&postcount=101)
9. The Orphanage (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233294&postcount=112)
8. 28 Days Later (http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=2685&page=4)
7. Battle Royale (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233560&postcount=125)
6. Session 9 (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233630&postcount=130)
5. Let the Right One In (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233701&postcount=145)
4. The Mist (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233709&postcount=147)
3. The Descent (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233757&postcount=154)
2. Shaun of the Dead (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233767&postcount=156)
1. Pulse (ttp://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=233768&postcount=157)

[Dukefrukem]

Nice. I'll be away, but looking forward to reading this when I return. I already know two of my top horror films of the decade you hated, but i expect my other two to be on here.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I can't wait, Jim. :D

[megladon8]

Awesome possum!

Can't wait, DaMU. Should be a great list.

[Dead & Messed Up]

FOREWORD:
Horror on the Eve of Armageddon

Apocalypse. The death of the world, the death of others, the return of the dead, the extinction of the living, the destruction and revenge of the natural world. Despite all the disparate subjects. Despite all those peculiar American filmmakers with their own idiosyncrasies and virtues. Despite such diversity, I couldn't shake the feeling: there was something in the ether. Millennial fears and doubts about the human race pervaded. Influence from tragedies like September 11th and Hurricane Katrina merged with classic horror tropes, and the artistic reaction to the Bush years provoked horror filmmaking both blunt and insinuating. Everyone saw the end-times in their own way.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/ESSAY-Pulse.jpg

No doubt advances in computer imagery played a vital role in the increase of apocalyptic visions once unimaginable. But even smaller pictures like The Signal and Cthulhu presented the idea of a world in disarray, crumbling under the weight of emotional chaos and confusion. If the seventies depicted an America reeling from the senseless, inexplicable violence and cruelty of the Vietnam War, the aughts widened that nihilism, showed an entire world balancing on a precipice, a world so enormous and out of control that the smallest push might send it careening into the abyss.

Yes, this idea is all well, and good, you might say, but were the films good? Were they scary?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/ESSAY-28DaysLater.jpg

Some were. Stephen King once said that terror was the finest emotion, horror less effective. Lovecraft concluded that the most potent fear was the fear of the unknown. And yet, graphic violence never seemed as present in the public eye. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake led this charge in America, right as films like Saw and Hostel were formulating in the minds of their creators. The combined success of those features led to a flood of explicit violence. In the movie mainstream, suspense was gradually replaced by an emphasis on the dread of inevitable, graphic slaughter. Some films managed to make this an asset, while others wallowed in their base effects on the viewer. Terms like "torture porn" and the "splat pack" defined American horror, despite the presence of more extreme (and sometimes more complex) films from countries like Japan and France.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/ESSAY-DawnoftheDead.jpg

Despite the boundaries pushed (and occasionally crossed) by such films, the more careful viewer might notice a small resurgence of the classical suspense/mystery, the type of film that began the horror genre. Filmmakers across our continent and across the world produced haunting, involving features based on the tension of the unknown, the quiet hints of another world. Films like The Eye, Session 9, and Wendigo shared elements of a similar ethos. I confess my bias: I prefer the mastery of tension to the mastery of the grotesque. And while some films gracefully merged those two approaches, there seemed a definite split.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/ESSAY-LandoftheDead2.jpg

This was no problem for fans of the genre. If horror was ever a restricted, one-track genre, the aughts destroyed that notion. Here was a decade like a cornucopia. Genre mixes flooded rental stores and Netflix queues, as Asia, Europe, and America shared traits, borrowed interests, fused horror into preposterous combinations. Frankenstein/zombie/alien/comedy Slither. Satire/melodrama/thriller The Host. Meanwhile, the Internet furthered not just the availability of horror, but the history of it, the heritage, the films available abroad and overseas. Because the Internet blurred the boundaries of nations, film was now global, and so was horror. We were all separate and all together, and a film like Let the Right One In or Rec could find success anywhere, and everyone knew to stay away from Captivity. To paraphrase Bill Watterson, there was a big world out there, and it was time to go exploring.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/ESSAY-Cloverfield2.jpg

And it is with such global thoughts that I come back to the idea of apocalypse. Yes, it's accurate to say the decade was about apocalypse, especially in America. The premise holds water. It makes sense. After all, any horror fan worth her or his salt knows that the fifties were about our fear of nuclear disaster, be it on a major (Godzilla) or very minor (The Incredible Shrinking Man) scale. But while that's helpful for a graduate student, what makes it useful knowledge? Horror films are informed by the fears of their time. Okay. So what?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/ESSAY-Cthulhu.jpg

What can we gain from this way of approaching the decade in horror? Are the horror films of our day a warning? And if so, what do they suggest we do? Truthfully? Not much. Most of the horror films of the past decade avoid the causes and solutions to true global disaster. Most settle for intimate drama like family crises to avoid the looming shadow of the end. Think of War of the Worlds or The Happening, or think of how 28 Days Later always felt a bit too sunny at the end, right after we all seemed so close to the eve of destruction. Think of the tragedy of films like The Mist, Pulse, or the remake of Dawn of the Dead, which goes in the opposite direction of its inspiration's reserved optimism.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/ESSAY-TheMist.jpg

I don't know that any sort of answer or conclusion can be successfully drawn; indeed, one might counter that there's not even a question being asked. After all, films are reactive, not predictive. As art, they are mirrors, first and foremost. Their goal is to frighten, and that frequently includes taking inspiration from (or exploiting) the fears that we carry within us today. Perhaps I'm looking at this from the wrong perspective altogether, and instead of producing an idea of some kind of over-arching contemporary fear, the decade's uber-phobia, it would be wiser to sit back and simply appreciate the diversity of the aughts, the unique filmmakers and their fascinating stamps, and, most of all, the various ways I was safely terrified. As I enjoyed these films, I felt the way a person feels when they whistle past a graveyard. When they speed up and feel the wind in their face after slowing for a car crash. When they laugh with friends and shared a pint while, outside their blessed little pub, the world balances on a precipice.

[D_Davis]

Nice.

[Dead & Messed Up]

FIVE HONORABLE MENTIONS:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/HM-BehindtheMask.jpg

SO VERY CLOSE:
I secretly wish this was the last slasher ever made. Mostly because I hate slashers, but also because Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is so smart about them. Playing as a faux-documentary, Behind the Mask both satirizes and reveres the slasher tropes that inspired it, matching and sometimes surpassing the ingenuity of Scream. Nathan Baesel, charming as aspiring sociopath Leslie Mancuso, kickboxes in his backyard and gasps, "You have no idea of the amount of cardio you need."

SO FAR AWAY:
The bummer is that all the cleverness leads to a way-too traditional final act. It's not without its pleasures, but the finale feels unworthy of the ingenious leadup.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/HM-FinalDestination.jpg

SO VERY CLOSE:
Teeny-boppers somehow escape Death, and Death doesn't like that. James Wong's underrated chiller (30% at Rotten Tomatoes!) stands as an uncommonly thoughtful film about mortality. Take the film's standout sequence, when Carter (Kerr Smith) piles everyone into his car, and then speeds through stoplights, terrified and furious at the prospect of his own death, ready to end it right then, and not really ready at all.

SO FAR AWAY:
What keeps it from greatness is the ending, which chooses cheesy kills over a more thoughtful tack - indeed, a more interesting ending was deleted after test screenings.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/HM-Repo.jpg

SO VERY CLOSE:
In no way was I prepared for this. Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of the crushingly dull Saw II (and III, and IV), adapts a rock opera about organ repossession and Shakespearean family drama, and he directs with complete confidence; there's none of the ADD editing that so thoroughly permeated his earlier cinematic farts. Admire the combination of elegant camera and production design that complements "Legal Assassin," or the ethereal effects of "Chase the Morning," or simply sit back and revel in the pounding thrash of show-stopper "Zydrate Anatomy."

SO FAR AWAY:
Some of those comic book interludes go on too long, and due to the sheer number of songs (there are over sixty in this beast!), there's a lot that doesn't impress and quickly disappears.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/HM-TwoSisters.jpg

SO VERY CLOSE:
A gorgeous, evocative reworking of a classic Korean folk tale, A Tale of Two Sisters succeeds primarily at enrapturing the viewer with its melancholy, which is formidable. Director Kim Ji-Woon also succeeds at presenting a curious, quiet type of family dysfunction. There are long stretches here which work purely as minimalist melodrama.

SO FAR AWAY:
However, that success doesn't quite translate to the ending, which ties the creepy goings-on together...and then tears it all apart. It's still a very good film, especially with its rich use of color. But it coulda been great.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/HM-Uzumaki.jpg

SO VERY, VERY CLOSE:
Of the five listed here, this one nearly made the top 25, and that's mostly because it's so goddamned weird. The story, based on a manga by Junji Ito, condenses the story into a series of incidents where people are tortured by spirals. Any kind of spirals. Like, some people turn into snails and slide up the sides of buildings. Or someone digs out their ears because the coriolis is shaped like a spiral. Or someone just starts twisting and twisting, until they look like a human churro. There's nothing of importance happening, and yet, the constant invention is all strangely compelling.

[Bosco B Thug]

[b][center]After all, films are reactive, not predictive. This is very right. And the horror genre has diversified in the 00s, it's true. Most of it is horror being faddy/fad-driven (with exceptions like the genre-bending you mention), but it's diversification nonetheless.

Looking forward!

[Scar]

So very, very, very subscribed.

I'm sure you'll be getting plenty of rep outta me for this one. You already would have, but my birthday thread sucked up my rep for 24.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Neat.


What a way to begin, Jim. :D


I had a flashback to the day when Mr. Pink made a great horror thread and the first person to respond (fabfunk, I think) wrote "neat."

[Dead & Messed Up]

Oh hell, I can't wait till tomorrow.


IT'S A TIE!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/25-Cthulhu-Titled.jpg
(Andrew Leman, 2005, USA)
(Dan Gildark, 2007, USA)

WHAT THEY ARE
A cheap effort by me to add one extra film to a restrictive list of twenty-five.

WHY THEY'RE HERE
It's only in the past couple of decades that filmmakers have really angled to bring Lovecraft to the screen. Sometimes with brio (Re-Animator), others under the radar (In the Mouth of Madness), but the end results are most often the same: underwhelming if noble efforts to translate a singular voice of literature into a visual medium. Of those adaptations, two chief methods emerge. Either they keep true to the material slavishly, creating period pieces, or they reinterpret for the modern era, keeping loose situations.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/25-CallofCthulhu-Pic.jpg

So it's surprising that we got two great Lovecraft films in the past decade, one arch and formal, the other modern, sexualized. The Call of Cthulhu is a terrific example of the former, with its intentional retreat to silent film convention. Grandiose acting, expressionist makeup and set design, and that beautiful stop-motion at the end. Also, at forty-odd minutes, the film stays true to the length of the original, keeping the events well-paced and involving.

On the other end of the spectrum, Cthulhu updates "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" as a slow-burn thriller centering on gay professor Russ (Jason Cottle), whose return home involves confronting his cult-leader father. Director Dan Gildark wisely jettisons most of the exposition, focusing instead on the dichotomy between Russ's desire to love Mike and his need to fulfill a sickening birthright. The beautiful minimalism recalls Japanese master Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

WHY THEY'RE NOT HIGHER
The Call of Cthulhu's effects reveal its cheap video origins during some of its more vital special effects, hampering the otherwise plausible (if not convincing) film aesthetic. Meanwhile, Cthulhu's gay subplot occasionally overwhelms the drive of the mystery (a late-film tryst is especially circumspect), and Jason Cottle, as the main, delves a little too much into Method mannerisms.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/25-Cthulhu-Pic.jpg

OVERALL
Alternately delightful and eerie ventures into the imagination of horror's most divisive poet.

CROWNING MOMENT(S) OF AWESOME

The Call of Cthulhu

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/25-CallofCthulhu-Moment.jpg
The stop-motion Cthulhu, evoking warm memories of Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen.

Cthulhu

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/25-Cthulhu-Moment.jpg
It's gotta be the amazing long shot at the end that swings from a close-up of the ocean to a delirious wide shot of people walking into the sea. Stunning.

OTHERS SAY

The Call of Cthulhu:

While it stumbles in places, both in terms of storytelling and presentation of its “gimmick," it’s such a unique project, and the love for the project by all involved is so contagious, that it becomes one of those special hidden secrets that you can’t wait to introduce to your friends.
- David Cornelius, EFilmCritic.com

A very worthy effort. The silent film aesthetic was well suited to the paranoiac nature of the writing.
- Spinal

Cthulhu:

Everything I thought that was going to make Cthulhu not work actually ended up making it a stronger, more horrifying experience.
- D. W. Bostaph, DreadCentral.com

Well made movie with a crazy-cool ending, but ultimately not really my cup of horror tea.
- balmakboor

[Russ]

This is going to be good...


http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8122/scarjopopcornl.gif

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/24-TheLastWinter-Title.jpg
(Larry Fessenden, 2006, USA)

WHAT IT IS
The Thing with elk spirits subbing in for tentacle dogs.

WHY IT'S HERE
Here's the thing about Larry Fessenden. He's an intellectual horror filmmaker. He uses his films as a way to explore philosophical ideas like subjective perception (Habit) and the random cruelty of life (Wendigo). His movies are frequently atmospheric and involving, and while the gulf between the visceral and cerebral can be awkward, I find his films consistently exciting.

That admiration continues with The Last Winter, which is his biggest film yet, his most ambitious, and, at times, his best. This time, Fessenden has oil on the mind, and his way of adapting such a contemporary fear into the horror sphere is brilliant: since oil is composed of dead animal and plant matter, it's not much of a stretch to suggest that humanity's living on the ghosts of the ancient dead.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/24-TheLastWinter-Pic.jpg

The topical story will be especially appealing to those "going green," but even if one disregards the message, the film is gorgeous and creepy, its icy environs as imposing as in classic horror tales like "Who Goes There?" and "At the Mountains of Madness." The enormous white landscapes emphasize the loneliness of the main characters, their conflicts playing as a mix of tragedy and farce. They cannot overcome their differences, and the world doesn't care.

WHY IT ISN'T HIGHER
Because for all its careful attention to building plausible characters, the film goes for too obvious a final act, where the specter of ages past reveal themselves. As one of the only current horror directors exploring the "fantastic" genre (where the narrative can be either supernatural or merely uncanny), Fessenden does himself a disservice by so clearly picking a side.

OVERALL
A mostly-successful genre piece on arguably the most horrific of modern concerns.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/24-TheLastWinter-Moment.jpg
In the most striking sequence, a body is found in the snow, and a quiet piano plays an elegy as our "heroes" cart the corpse back to camp.

OTHERS SAY

The Last Winter delivers a much more frightening warning about global warming than any superstar-hosted documentary.
- Bob Strauss, The Los Angeles Daily News

A wicked atmosphere of claustrophobia materializes through Fessenden's cunning sense of widescreen spatiality: nightmarish empty corridors and elegantly swirling aerials ominously gazing down from the skies.
- Aaron Hillis, Premiere

This movie was stupid.
- Winston*

[Rowland]

My favorite moment in The Last Winter was the hallway hallucination, and I enjoyed both Fessenden's expressive formal eccentricities and how thoughtfully the characters were written/performed, standards upheld from Fessenden's superior Wendigo. The nosedive in quality (bordering at times on camp) taken by the last act is quite unfortunate however, and all the more so for wasting a lovely moment where a character's last moments before death are shown to be a utopic vision from his childhood.

[Spun Lepton]

You're losing me, DaMU.

Cthulhu was ... blecchhh ... and Fessenden's Wendigo was wankery at its finest. Admittedly, I haven't seen The Last Winter, but I hate Wendigo so much I could never subject myself to another one of his pretentious piles.

[D_Davis]

A Tale of Two Sisters is top 10 for me.

Nice mention with Uzumaki. Such a fun little flick.

[D_Davis]

I still think that the most successful attempt at bringing a Lovecraftian mythos to screen is Marebito. Totally otherworldly.

[The Mike]

I like horror movies.

[Dead & Messed Up]

You're losing me, DaMU.

Just hang on, dammit! HANG ON!

http://www.sptimes.com/News/052401/photos/wk-VERTICAL.jpg


I still think that the most successful attempt at bringing a Lovecraftian mythos to screen is Marebito. Totally otherworldly.

I rewatched this due to multiple people on this site making such claims, and I just don't see it.

[Rowland]

What I remember most about Marebito was the descent into the underworld that I found effectively creepy and atmospheric, only for the Mountains of Madness to look ridiculous.

[megladon8]

I would count Marebito among the best Lovecraft-inspired films, but I think DaMU's two choices do trump it.

And I love Larry Fessenden. Both Wendigo and The Last Winter were fantastic. Cool guy, too. Had an e-mail exchange with him. Very "I'm just a regular guy who likes to make movies, and if you have an ego go away". I appreciate that.

[D_Davis]

Marebito perfectly encapsulates the theme of insanity so prevalent in the mythos fiction, a theme that seems to be lost in many other attempts (Dreams of the Witchhouse is also pretty good). I really felt as though the main character was losing his mind, and his insanity was due to an otherworldly discovery. I haven't seen the 2007 Cthulhu film yet, so I can't comment on it. However, whenever I read any mythos fiction, or play Arkham Horror, or the Cthulhu card game, I recall images from Marebito, and I think that the director really tapped into something Lovecraftian with that film.

[megladon8]

I agree, D, and that says perfectly what I loved so much about the movie.

2007's Cthulhu is basically a re-telling of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth", incorporating a gay man into the story as the protagonist.

I was a little worried going into it because the film is funded by a company that creates films where the narrative and art of the filmmaking are second to promoting gay rights and culture, but luckily the writing has the gay aspect incorporated into the film in a very meaningful way.

In short, it's great.

[lovejuice]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/24-TheLastWinter-Title.jpg

the parts are better than the whole. certain scences are really tense. they are just not very well put together. while i think over all the film's merely ok, the fact that it's made ultra-cheap wins me over.

love this thread already.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/23-ThreeExtremes-Title.jpg

("Dumplings" - Fruit Chan, 2004, China)
("Cut" - Chan-Wook Park, 2004, Hong Kong)
("Box" - Takashi Miike, 2004, Japan)

WHAT IT IS
Tales of terror from the mystic Orient!

WHY IT'S HERE
Who doesn't love a good horror anthology? When I watch one, it takes me back, however briefly, to when I was nine years old, devouring Edgar Allan Poe one nasty little tale at a time. Since then, I've felt that same kind of magic from movies like Creepshow, Kwaidan, Dead of Night...and Three Extremes. It edges out the enjoyable Trick 'r Treat as the decade's best omnibus.

Technically a sequel to a similar project entitled Three (which featured A Tale of Two Sisters director Kim Ji-Woon), Three Extremes by having three of the most prolific and well-regarded of Asia's directors tackle horror short subjects. Surprisingly, it's Fruit Chan who leaves the strongest impression, thanks to his taboo-crushing "Dumplings." Poe never wrote anything quite like this.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/11-ThreeExtremes-Pic.jpg

A pitch-black excursion into vanity and sacrifice, "Dumplings" kicks off the film's emphasis on the ways in which sin can haunt us, as "Cut" and "Box" also touch on the ways that past mistakes have a habit of turning back up. Each short showcases a different method of filming, a different way of telling an "extreme" story, be it perverse, goofy, or subtle. If they're not all on an even keel in terms of quality, they remain vibrant, evocative, and distinct.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Mostly because of "Cut," Chan-Wook Park's segment, which is frequently funny, often ridiculous...but mostly wonky, thanks to that head-scratcher of a conclusion, which doesn't resolve a damn thing. The other two segments - "Dumplings" and "Box" - more than compensate.

OVERALL
I can't think of a better primer for those new to the "Asian Wave." Watch it, see what you like, and go from there.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/11-ThreeExtremes-Moment.jpg
Oh, boo. Boooooooooooooo. That's not right.

OTHERS SAY

Are Asian horror movies really all that scary? All too often they feel a little too stylized and preassembled to be truly unnerving, especially considering how outlandish the stories typically are.
- Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly

Though the two-to-three-reeler may be a lost art commercially, this sample platter's a bracing sign of the short form's vivaciousness and succinct pleasure.
- Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice

I really liked "Dumplings," didn't care for "Cut," and "Box" is striking but random.
- Bosco B Thug

[jenniferofthejungle]

Just started reading and I love that The Call of Cthulhu is in here. I have not seen it in several years, but I agree with you on the awesomeness of that shot. That whole scene was a great throwback to silent horror and the like.

I was not wild about Cthulhu, but I didn't dislike it or anything like that. I just felt it sidetracked a bit too much and didn't show enough of the overwhelmingly dreadful things to come.

RE Marebito:




I rewatched this due to multiple people on this site making such claims, and I just don't see it.

Agreed. I'm due for a re-watch soon, but I didn't get that at all.

[megladon8]

I actually think "Box" might be my favorite segment from Three...Extremes.

I've also heard that Three...Extremes 2 (which was actually made and released before number 1) is not really worth watching.

[Spun Lepton]

I've also heard that Three...Extremes 2 (which was actually made and released before number 1) is not really worth watching.

Uh ... whaaa?

[Scar]

Not a fan of that Winter movie.....

[megladon8]

Uh ... whaaa?


Yeah, the explanation is - from what I've heard - that it wasn't 'til the second Three...Extremes movie that there were more recognizable names both in front of and behind the camera (at least more recognizable here in North America), so this is the one that was released first here.

It was popular enough that the studio bought the rights to the first movie to be released here, but called it Three...Extremes 2.

[The Mike]

Uh ... whaaa?

Same thing happened with Missing in Action.

*insert Chuck Norris joke here*

[/relatedyetrandom]

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/22-TheEye-Banner.jpg
(THE PANG BROTHERS, 2002, HONG KONG)

WHAT IT IS
With great eyesight comes great responsibility.

WHY IT'S HERE
The Eye feels like a classic Twilight Zone episode. Its combination of high-concept ideas and low-fi budget fits in perfectly with Serling's mode. Instead of creating expensive monsters, he would focus on his characters, making the episodes more psychologically engaging. Here, Mun (the lovely Angelica Lee), a classical violinist, gets an eye transplant, and, because this is the horror genre, she can now see the dead.

There's more to the story, including an interesting subplot circling around the eyes' original owner, but what makes the film exemplary is how the Pang Brothers demonstrate a mastery of classic suspense tactics. Mun looks in the distance, sees a shadow. But wait, it's gone. She thinks it's gone. Is it?...yes, it must be. Suddenly, the ghost screams and reaches for her! Sure, it's traditional horror, even cliche, but rarely is cliche done so well.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/23-TheEye-Pic.jpg

The Pang Brothers also made the formidable dark fantasy Re-Cycle, although that film jumped genre, tricking the viewers into thinking they were watching a horror film. By comparison, The Eye is relentlessly focused, the sequences of suspense toying and graceful and suddenly awful. Which explains, in a way, why Mun plays the violin. The Eye is another instrument that can swing instantly from a murmur to a shriek.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
I find Angelica Lee beautiful and convincing, so I don't mind that fully one-third of the film is devoted to her bug-eyed reaction shots. But you might. As for the subplot with a hospitalized child, I recall a famous line from Roger Ebert: "The results will be shocking to those who have never seen a movie before."

OVERALL
A well-crafted, haunting jaunt through familiar territory.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/23-TheEye-Moment.jpg
The elevator.

OTHERS SAY

Plot threads are introduced and then dropped, Mun and her love interest Dr. Wah (Lawrence Chou) pop their eyes and look horrified, and everyone is way ahead of the "surprise" twists.
- C. W. Nevius, The San Francisco Chronicle

The movie is unremarkable: not terrible, but not original or even remotely scary.
- Michael W. Phillips, Goatdog's Movies

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/21-Slither-Banner.jpg
(JAMES GUNN, 2006, USA)

WHAT IT IS
A gem of a horror-com made in the 80's, but not released until now. I think. I'm pretty sure.

WHY IT'S HERE
Sometimes I don't want slow-burn ghost movies or timely diatribes on global warming. Sometimes I want to have some goddamn fun. And Slither is fun. Boy howdy, is Slither fun. It's a gruesome grab-bag of body horror, zombie horror, Universal horror (ah, the monster and his bride), served up with the perfect amount of silliness. The film's stunning quality, praised by critics, was matched only by its colossal failure at the box office.

Nathan Filion and Elizabeth Banks are perfectly cast, bringing a barely-there grin of self-awareness. As the main couple, it's their job to fall in love and face the "queen bee" alien that possesses Grant Grant (Michael Rooker). His role must've been hell to play, caked under ridiculous amounts of makeup and prosthetics, but that glint of humanity becomes all the more important as the story unfolds. It grounds the ridiculousness in genuine (if misguided) emotion.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/22-Slither-Pic.jpg

There are successful horror films where the filmmakers didn't intend to make a horror film. There are successes where the filmmakers restrained themselves. But James Gunn's joy is exuberant. Contagious. He sets up his situation with such good cheer that he makes the overly familiar seem fresh, and the worn-out seem robust. Hell, the film opens with someone poking at a meteor with a stick, and yet, I can't wait to see what happens next.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Its replay value isn't quite as high as the best of these films, and its derivative yanking of other ideas from eighties flicks like The Brood, The Fly, and Night of the Creeps, while unabashed and loving, is still derivative. And Mayor MacReady isn't quite as funny as Gunn seems to think - Pardy's dry commentary is much superior, as when he candidly assesses a naked fat man absorbed by a mountain of flesh: "That is some fucked-up shit right there."

OVERALL
Disgusting, hilarious, heartwarming. By horror fans for horror fans.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/22-Slither-Moment.jpg
Pitiable, house-sized brood mare Brenda admits, "There's something wrong with me." A pretty big signpost of how crazy things are going to get.

OTHERS SAY

Slither isn't for everyone. In fact, it's probably only for a select few - those who revel in this sort of Troma-inspired, bloodsoaked offering and understand what it's trying to do.
- James Berardinelli, Reelviews

The film grows wearying in its later scenes, and there's a grating performance from Gregg Henry as the bug-eyed mayor. But at his best Gunn displays a witty visual streak.
- Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

It was like the movie was wired into my wildest dreams and knew exactly what I wanted to see at every moment.
- balmakboor

[Dead & Messed Up]

And just to keep things adult and serious,


WOMEN WHO KEPT DISTRACTING ME FROM THE FILM AT HAND

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BB-Johansson.jpg

My first horror crush of the decade hit when Scarjo came out of the shower and dried her hair. I kept thinking of how much more realistic the film would be if she had trouble, you know, keeping it on.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BB-Caplan.jpg

Those big Deschanel-looking eyes rendered me helpless. I think there was a monster in this movie or something.


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The first film looked like a cornball Blade ripoff, but I saw it anyway. The second film looked no better than the first, but I saw it anyway. That is because Kate Beckinsale is drop-dead gorgeous in that tight leather. Makes things all the more frustrating in the sequel when she gets nekkid, but we only get to see her side. Lame!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BB-Brightman.jpg

Looking like nothing so much as Tim Burton's ideal woman, Sarah Brightman handled my favorite song in Repo ("Chase the Morning") and looked foxy as hell in process. In a film full of repossessing organs, Brightman repossessed my heart.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BB-Banksy.jpg

As an actress, she's a remarkably adept comedienne, with her convincing Southern accent and remarkably upbeat attitude. But when she's rocking that Hitchcockian blonde hair and plunging a pitchfork into a slug-zombie, my mind just melts.

[Spun Lepton]

Yay, for Slither and The Eye. I thought MacReady was actually quite funny throughout. The "Praise Jesus?!" line and the tirade in the back of the car over the missing Dr. Pibb were quite funny.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Yay, for Slither and The Eye. I thought MacReady was actually quite funny throughout. The "Praise Jesus?!" line and the tirade in the back of the car over the missing Dr. Pibb were quite funny.

:lol:

"Praise Jesus?! That's fuckin' pushing it!"

[Raiders]

I think MacReady is as funny as the film thinks. Gregg Henry is the best part of that film, and this is coming from a Fillion fanboy.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think MacReady is as funny as the film thinks. Gregg Henry is the best part of that film, and this is coming from a Fillion fanboy.

This.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Surprised by the love. I find him enjoyable for a while, but then I'm tired of him by the time he hits his Mr. Pibb tirade.

[megladon8]

I, too, find Lizzy Caplan incredibly beautiful.

You know who would have made my list?

Katie Featherston from Paranormal Activity. I dunno what it was about her, but she is cute as all heck.

[Scar]

I, too, find Lizzy Caplan incredibly beautiful.

Yep yep.



Katie Featherston from Paranormal Activity. I dunno what it was about her, but she is cute as all heck.

Eh, I just wanted to see her tits.

[megladon8]

Eh, I just wanted to see her tits.


She's just generally curvy, which is super duper sexy.

[Ezee E]

She's got those Gianna Michaels tits.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Now, JenniferoftheJungle gives some lycanthropic love to a film absent from my list. And here's why she thinks it's great.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/TCF-DogSoldiers.jpg

(NEIL MARSHALL, 2002, UK)

One of my favorite new classics is Neil Marshall’s film, Dog Soldiers. It is a wonderful combination of horror, comedy, and action, a blend of genres not usually done successfully...but Marshall is able to pull it off and make a damned fine movie in the process.

Marshall introduces us to a genial squad of soldiers who are unwittingly used as bait by a Special Operations group ordered to catch a werewolf terrorizing the countryside. Unfortunately for the Special Ops forces, led by the sinister Captain Ryan, there is more than one werewolf, and he and his team are soon overrun by the pack. The injured Ryan is rescued by the very soldiers used as bait, and the men, led by Sgt. H.G. Wells (one of many in-jokes given here), are soon on the run for their very lives as the wolves return. In a cute inversion of "Little Red Riding Hood," the men are rescued by a spirited zoologist named Megan, who drives them to a cottage where the men decide to fight and make a final stand until morning arrives.

The characters are what I love most in this film. Yes, the laughs, action, and rampant werewolf attacks are fun, but Marshall takes the time to present us with a cast of characters we can root for. I want Cooper, Sarge, Spoon, Sam, the dog, and perhaps Joe, the football enthusiast, to live happily ever after in a beautiful Scottish glen, where Sarge’s wife can cook dinner for them. I loved these guys. I believe it is important to build characters we can like, relate to, hate, or just plain love.

If I watch a horror movie with typical teenage idiots, ignorant hillbillies, or urban assholes I really don’t care what happens to any of them and so I have nothing invested in the movie save for the desire to kill time. With Dog Soldiers we get to know a little about the men by their interactions with each other during a rather boring night, and also during times of extreme crises. We see that they use humor in order to get through painful situations, as some of us do in real life, and we see them risk their lives in order to save each other, as we’d like to think we’d do in real life. We’re thrilled when they get ahead in the fight and sad when they don’t.

Dog Soldiers is a fun horror romp which proves you don’t need tits, CGI, or teenagers to make a great horror film. You just need a good writer, a great cast, and some kickass thrills.

[Grouchy]

Keep up the good work! I'm reading.

[megladon8]

She's got those Gianna Michaels tits.


What? Not even close.

She's busty for sure, but she's not mountainous.

[lovejuice]

Dog Soldiers is a fun horror romp which proves you don’t need tits, CGI, or teenagers to make a great horror film.
i put this film on my to-see list until i read this sentence. so you mean, Dog Soldiers has no tits? :sad:

j/k. now i really want to see it.

[Scar]

"Hooters, hooters, yum yum yum. Hooters, Hooters, on a girl that's dumb."

http://page24.ch/editor/userUploadFiles/1010/images/al_bundy_vs_chobot.jpg

[Scar]

i put this film on my to-see list until i read this sentence. so you mean, Dog Soldiers has no tits? :sad:

j/k. now i really want to see it.

Dog Soldiers is great fun. I highly recommend it. And if you haven't seen The Descent, see that too. But then skip the third Marshall flick.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Love the Slither write-up and the fact that it made the list.

I had the pleasure of listening to the commentary track and Gunn says the so-bad-it-doesn't-even-need-its-MST3K-track-to-make-it-awesome Squirm was a big influence on Slither, too.

I loved Slither, but it really did have a touch of something that stopped it from becoming wonderful. I can't quite remember what it was that bugged me besides the young woman in the tub learning all about the space creatures when they unsuccessfully tried to invade her. That was too convenient.

Anyhow, great stuff there, and yes, I still love The Eye, though I'll never be frightened by it again.

[lovejuice]

Dog Soldiers is great fun. I highly recommend it. And if you haven't seen The Descent, see that too. But then skip the third Marshall flick.
it's kinda sad since i'm not a horror fan, so it's actually his third flick that i always want to check out. at this point Dog Soldiers sounds really pleasing though.

[Scar]

it's kinda sad since i'm not a horror fan, so it's actually his third flick that i always want to check out. at this point Dog Soldiers sounds really pleasing though.

I was sooooo disappointed with his third flick. Dog Soldiers is great fun and The Descent is awesome horror, with one of the most claustrophobic scenes that I've ever seen.

[Bosco B Thug]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BB-Brightman.jpg

Looking like nothing so much as Tim Burton's ideal woman, Sarah Brightman handled my favorite song in Repo ("Chase the Morning") and looked foxy as hell in process. In a film full of repossessing organs, Brightman repossessed my heart. She was one of things that made the movie tolerable, yes. She had the best bit (Chase the Morning) - but she also had the worst (her very unceremonious [and tactless] demise scene).

I'll admit Katie in PA was very watchable (which is important for a movie like PA).

[Adam]

Of all the people I want to have sex with, Lizzy Caplan is one of them

This is a very, very good list

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/20-GingerSnaps-Title.jpg
(JOHN FAWCETT, 2000, CANADA)

WHAT IT IS
A very special movie about that time of the month.

WHY IT'S HERE
Brigitte and Ginger are sisters and best friends. Their survival through high school depends on one another. Their bond is unbreakable...up until a werewolf bites Ginger and throws their lives into turmoil. That's the story behind Ginger Snaps, and it's a great one, a realistic tale of teen girls facing change as well as a nasty little treat for horror fans. This is a werewolf movie with some real meat on its bones.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/21-GingerSnaps-Pic.jpg

Of course, there's plenty of sly humor in the correlations between werewolfism and puberty, particularly in how Ginger grows hair where she least expects it. However, this story is really about the relationship between these two girls, and Katherine Isabelle and Emily Perkins completely sell it. With their frumpy hair and frumpier coats, they hide from reality. Their hunched posture suggests the weight of a thousand schoolyard insults.

So when Ginger's new desires provoke her to let down her hair and suck face with nearby hotties, the film creates a fascinating look at that most basic of teenage desires: to learn who you are, independent of others. In that regard, this film feels like that other horror classic of teen feminism, Carrie. Both movies present us with the awful, familiar sight of teenage girls getting kicked around like dogs. And the pleasure of seeing them bite back. Hard.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Mostly because of the exhausting climax, which goes on too long, to too clear of a predetermined conclusion. In almost any other movie, it'd be just fine. But given how well the previous ninety minutes fused comedy, character, and scares, it's a let-down.

OVERALL
The best werewolf picture since David Kessler backpacked through Europe.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/21-GingerSnaps-Moment.jpg
Awesome, but in a subtle way. Ginger and Brigitte regard a wall of tampons in a grocery mart for what it is: a tombstone for their childhood.

OTHERS SAY

Ginger Snaps takes its premise seriously (which does not mean humorlessly) and mines the central metaphor to make it seem inevitable rather than obvious. Fawcett works with real tact.
- Charles Taylor, Salon

It's one of these little flicks that come out of nowhere and prove that you don't need a big budget or fancy CGI to cook up a thrilling ride.
- Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal

Never been a huge fan of films depicting the teenage years. Heathers and Ginger Snaps excepted.
- Philosophe Rouge

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/19-DragMetoHell-Title.jpg
(SAM RAIMI, 2009, USA)

WHAT IT IS
Mostly an excuse to shoot gross stuff into Alison Lohman's mouth.

WHY IT'S HERE
I wonder if this was therapeutic for Sam Raimi. The man never considered himself a fan of horror movies, and it shows in his Evil Dead films, which eventually turned into farce. With this film, however, Raimi revels in horror tropes, delivering a "spook-a-blast" assault on the viewer, full of shocks and belly-laughs, reminding us of his creative peak with Evil Dead II. Drag doesn't quite hit that same kind of home run, but it does round the bases.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/20-DragMetoHell-Pic.jpg

Just to prove he's playing for keeps, Raimi opens the story with a flippin' kid falling into an abyss of eternal damnation. Afterward, we switch to Christine Brown (), who denies an old gypsy a bank loan, which results in a three-days-long curse that culminates with a one-way-ticket to Hell. The curse seems gratuitous, since Christine's headed south anyway, but it's invaluable in how it offers Raimi plenty of excuses to play around.

Much of that play is familiar. The bludgeoning shrieks preceded by absolute quiet. The mix of ethereal threats and corporeal blows and punches. The way the horrific (an eye in a piece of cake) can suddenly turn hilarious (a fork-stab does little). And with his scenes in the parking lot and the seance room, Raimi constructs two of the most successful horror set-pieces of the decade. They're vivid, expertly realized. Masterful.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Because its nature - a string of sequences only loosely tethered - renders it less effective on repeat viewings. Raimi's overreliance on LOUD NOISES doesn't help either, although he's usually courteous enough to let things get quiet before he hammers your eardrums.

OVERALL
It's fun as hell, goofy as hell.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/20-DragMetoHell-Moment.jpg
Hell-draggery commences. Poor Justin Long. Personally, my suspicion is that once Christine hit Ground Zero, she started searching immediately for Ganush, and their throwdown was epic.

OTHERS SAY

The first rule in spook films is “If you want to hold the audience’s attention, make them believe the horror could really happen”—a rule Drag Me to Hell ignores at its own peril.
- Rex Reed

As the film bounces along, from a delicious appearance by Babel's Oscar-nominated Adriana Barraza to an inspired final twist, its sheer energy and enthusiasm proves infectious.
- Christopher Kelly, The Dallas Morning News

On a technical level, I like it, but it makes me feel bad. It's far too cynical, a downer, and I just don't like subjecting myself to this kind of thing now.
- Daniel Davis

[Philosophe_rouge]

Love the last two entries. Ginger Snaps gets better in many ways each time I see it, but I have to agree that the climax is still somewhat underwhelming.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/18-Hostel-Titled.jpg
(ELI ROTH, 2006, USA)

WHAT IT IS
A film that not much of anyone likes.

WHY IT'S HERE
Pornography implies that the audience is titillated or excited by what's happening. Eli Roth's Hostel attacks that notion head-on. His film offers three guys - Paxton, Josh, and Oli - who long for titillation at every turn. They do drugs, have sex with sluts, wander around Europe looking for the next cheap thrill. But if their natures aren't initially sympathetic, they're positively heroic once confronted by the agents of Elite Hunting.


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The film takes its time before approaching the sequences of horror, giving the audience opportunities to gain genuine empathy for Paxton and Josh. Roth is in no rush, offering a discomfiting view of Slovakia. Grey, crumbling, uninviting. There are scenes here that echo classics like Don't Look Now and The Vanishing. It isn't until halfway through that the film hits its more infamous moments.

But even those moments aren't presented as some cheap effort to titillate. Like Takashi Miike's Audition, Roth's film evokes a sense of dread, not anticipation. We don't want the situations to come to their seemingly inevitable fruition. We don't want them to cap off violently. We want our expectations to be subverted, and when we're lucky, they are. When you think about it, Hostel is the opposite of pornography.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
There's one instance of Roth actually reveling in the horror of the situation: the gruesome impromptu eye surgery. It's disheartening to hear the commentary where he and others laughingly dub it the "eyegasm" scene. Also, it's a little too convenient to see both the prostitutes and Alexei together in the street.

OVERALL
A smooth blend of differing genres that emerges as one of the defining American horror films of its time.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/18-Hostel-Moment.jpg
Character actor Rick Hoffman puts his motor-mouth persona to incredible use, portraying the American Businessman who's a little too excited to be killing someone. All talk, no gore, unsettling stuff.

OTHERS SAY

Yes, Hostel is dizzying in the violent acts it depicts, but it's also surprising in its ability to garner sympathy for its characters, who seemed so obnoxious in the beginning.
- Christy Lemire, The Associated Press

Roth, by presenting his characters as victims of the same world of flesh-for-fantasy they were grooving on in the first place, digs deep into the nightmare of a society ruled by the profit of illicit desire.
- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

I'll never see Hostel.
- Madman

[megladon8]

LOVE the inclusion of Ginger Snaps (and Drag Me to Hell, of course).

Ginger Snaps is one I re-watched not too long ago and still find great fun, and crushingly honest not only about the "growing pains" for young women, but for young adults in general.

Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed was a surprisingly decent sequel. Never saw Ginger Snaps Back.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/17-DevilRejects-Title.jpg
(ROB ZOMBIE, 2005, USA)

WHAT IT IS
Fun for the whole family.

WHY IT'S HERE
Rob Zombie's peculiar brand of Southern Fried Cruelty comes into sharp focus with The Devil's Rejects, a film that justifies its title more than once. Elevating the dysfunctional Firefly clan to the dubious position of protagonists, Zombie repositions his epic saga of serial killers as a gruesome black comedy. What the Fireflies do is unforgivable...but how they do it is kinda funny. Okay, not really. But maybe a little.


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The film begins with the Fireflies ambushed by the police, narrowly escaping, leaving behind boxes and boxes of traumatized victims. But it's not long before they get bored, needing to entertain themselves with both roadside ice cream and torture of the innocent. Meanwhile, William Forsythe gives a gripping performance as a sheriff all too eager to take the law into his own hands, leading to a standoff where torturers and victims reverse roles.

As much a reinvention of Sam Peckinpah as it is a horror film, The Devil's Rejects is mostly a story of morality, and how, past a certain point, the entire notion of morality is a sick joke. What makes this not just tolerable, but effective, is the way the Fireflies behave. They truly enjoy torturing and killing innocent victims. This is their bliss. These are their interests. Like Zombie, they are brazen, joyful, unapologetic.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
There's a motel scene here that's incredibly rough stuff, as Otis goes out of his way to sexually humiliate the women and emasculate the men. Even on repeat viewings, it feels too far, and it takes a while for the film to rediscover its wavelength.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/19-DevilsRejects-Moment.jpg
Haunting. Otis forces a dying man to pray, hilariously fakes a religious experience, then wipes his hair aside and quietly growls: "I am the Devil, and I am here to do the Devil's work."

OTHERS SAY

The Devil's Rejects doesn't just deserve to be rejected, but to be buried in a hole so dank that no one will discover it. Only there will it be at home.
- James Berardinelli, Reelviews

A little of this will go a long way, and besides, who wants to see someone torturing Three's Company's Priscilla Barnes in a roach motel?
- Mike Clark, USA Today

I'm rewatching The Devil's Rejects. Masterpiece? Masterpiece.
- number8

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/16-DevilBackbone-Title.jpg
(GUILLERMO DEL TORO, 2001, MEXICO)

WHAT IT IS
A stylish, involving dark drama from genre maestro Guillermo Del Toro.

WHY IT'S HERE
Apart from Martin Scorsese, Guillermo Del Toro is the only director who has never disappointed me. Even his weakest efforts display an amazing command of cinema, formally if not emotionally. But with The Devil's Backbone, he's firing on all cylinders, delivering something unique: an emotional, moody horror picture with rich historical context. The only movie I can immediately compare it to is The Spirit of the Beehive, a film Del Toro regularly cites as one of his favorites.


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The ghostly goings-on in Backbone function as perfectly acceptable pulp elements, but Del Toro integrates them so carefully, so slowly, that the film develops mostly as genuine drama first, horror second. The film takes place in 1939 Spain, and it seems like the Spanish Civil War's ramifications extend even to orphanages, as we get extensive scenes dealing with the strife splitting the movie's cast in two.

Through this, what emerges is Del Toro's obsession with the way sins descend through the generations. Cronos and Pan's Labyrinth similarly saw children lose their innocence, if not their resolve. Here, the failings of the grandfatherly Dr. Casares embolden the selfish Jacinto, whose own weaknesses manifest as the ghost haunting the children. It is they who must rise to the challenge of adulthood...but, of course, they too must one day pass along the ghosts of their mistakes.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Honestly, the film's not that interested in being scary. Del Toro offers a few token moments, but they feel half-hearted. He's much more interested in developing the elegaic mood and setting the people against each other.

OVERALL
Good horror movie, great all-around movie.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/17-DevilBackbone-Moment.jpg
I know, another quiet moment. But who doesn't love genuine romances between older people? And how crushing it is to see this low-key union perverted and destroyed.

OTHERS SAY

He works with a painter’s brush, creating a Gothic horror story in the bright sun of the Spanish desert. The film builds with equal parts of fear and anger in the supernatural story as well as the political history behind it.
- Jeffrey Bruner, The Des Moines Register

There isn’t a single shot, set piece, design or line of dialogue in The Devil’s Backbone that isn’t completely deliberate and full of meaning.
- Jovanka Vukovick, Rue Morgue

My favorite [of Del Toro's], and the one that showcases more of his usual themes.
- Grouchy

[StanleyK]

I really wish I could rent The Devil's Backbone somewhere.

Also, I half-agree with you on Hostel; I think it's a good movie up until the torture starts. After that, not so much.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I've listed another five films, so I feel it's time to step back and enjoy...


VILLAINS WHO DESERVE ANOTHER ROUND OF INFLICTING MISERY

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BV-Mahogany.jpg

Welcome.

I think that the film is an enjoyably nasty excursion into Clive Barker Country, and I suspect that you disagree. But can't we agree that Vinnie Jones in his proper business suit, with his suspicious man-purse, and that gigantic silver hammer...that he's awesome? Adding to the immediately iconic look of the villain is his sadness, which peeks through even when he's clubbing Ted Raimi's eyes right out of their sockets. You may not want more of Bradley Cooper crying while he takes pictures of his wife, but can you honestly say you don't want more Mahogany?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BV-Stuntman.jpg

Now look, I ain't stalking you, but I didn't say I wasn't a wolf.

Why? I'll tell you why. Because it's B-movie king Kurt Russell as a villain who kills teeny-boppers with a fucking car. That's why.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BV-Ganush.jpg

You...shamed me.

A bank assistant denies you a bank loan. Do you (a) move in with a relative until you get your affairs straight or (b) damn the bank assistant to Hell? Ganush picks the latter. Which leads to a series of shocks and set-pieces that involve staplers, embalming fluid, napkins, and goats. It's a testament to Lorna Gaver that, despite a considerable absence after the first half of the film, her spirit lingers over the remainder of the film. I would love a prequel that details the other unfortunate souls who crossed her path.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BV-Vernon.jpg

It's going to get wet in here tonight.

The one thing that Leslie never quite gets around to saying in Behind the Mask: slasher villains are the heroes. At least in all those sequels that established the "rules" of the genre, which, if you want my opinion, were stupid, Puritan codes that harbored a lot of buried misogyny. But I love Leslie, because he holds so much respect for his situation, its implications, the buried symbology...he's really a philosopher, at heart. The creators hinted recently at more of Vernon's escapades. If he can find another willing camera crew, I'm in.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/BV-Driftwood.jpg

Stop?...bitch, I have just started.

Otis emerges victorious over a hundred other horror aggressors, and why? Because I can't think of one that takes so much joy in what they do. Otis was born to viciously murder. I swear, it must be coded in his DNA, because he just throws himself into it. Bill Moseley got so good at the role that he actually took Zombie aside and asked if he really had to go that far. Zombie's answer ("Art is not safe") is dubious, but what's not in doubt is Otis. Like Hannibal Lecter, and Harry Roat Jr., and Hans Beckert, this guy is pure evil.

[Bosco B Thug]

You know, I'd love to see a sequel to Drag Me To Hell. See more of the exploits of Christine and Mrs. Ganush... however they'd come up to do that.

[megladon8]

I definitely want more Mahogany, but Midnight Meat Train was one of the most disappointing movies in years. Maybe even of the whole decade.

The story was so, so awesome, blending Barker's blatantly sexual style of horror with Lovecraft references and a total Cthulhu mythos ending.

The movie was boring, terribly written, poorly acted and lost everything that made the story so great.

[Grouchy]

This is an awesome read. Love the separate Top5 mini-lists.

[MadMan]

Call ofCthulhu is a movie I'm glad I got my hands on, as it is truly something special. I can't say I've seen most of your list DaMU, so I'll be using this for recommendations on what to dive into when it comes to 2000s horror, as I'm quite behind the decade's contributions to the genre.

Also DaMU reminded me why I prefer Dog Soliders over An American Werewolf in London: the characters. Spoon rules.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Now, The Mike will be our tour guide as we journey down under for a film that didn't make my list...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/TCF-Rogue.jpg

(2007, GREG MCLEAN, AUSTRALIA)

Somewhere between Jaws and Anaconda in style, Greg McLean's giant crocodile flick Rogue packs a lot of bite.

OK, I had to get that out of the way. On with the review.

Giant crocodile/alligator/snake/lizard films are a surprisingly hot commodity in the thriller world, and it's never easy for even the most astute horror connoisseur to tell the difference between them. Some are Hollywood B-flicks with big stars (like Lake Placidor Anaconda), some are direct-to-video stinkers (like Crocor Python), and some hit the "so-bad-it's-awesome" plateau (like Boa vs. Python). But I don't know if there's ever been one as exciting as Rogue.

The plot is simple and not very noteworthy. A wildlife tour group (led by Silent Hill's Radha Mitchell, who's very comfortable slipping back in to her native Australian accent) gets into the middle of nowhere and a giant crocodile attacks. This leaves the stranded tourists and locals, including future Hollywood stars Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation) and Mia Wasikowska (the upcoming Alice in Wonderland), and Michael Vartan (Alias), to fight for survival.

What impresses me most about Rogue is its focus on building tension. Unlike most of the films I mentioned earlier, McLean borrows from the likes of Hitchcock and Spielberg in building slowly while giving us ominous looks at what might be out there while developing sympathetic characters, hooking the viewer's interest in their survival. He also brings a string-heavy musical score that sets the mood for impending terror, and parallels the characters' fears perfectly.

Of course, this all comes crashing down when we finally get eyes on our gigantic killer, which is a sight to behold. To say that the effects are top-notch is an understatement, especially in the final act when we see the croc full-on. There's little that would make you think this isn't a real giant crocodile, except of course the fact that giant crocodiles like this might not cooperate with the filming of a movie about them.

There are several frightening moments in Rogue, something that's so rare in movies today. Even if they are simple jump scares, they're executed perfectly by McLean and crew. After being branded as a member of the new-horror "Splat Pack", it's also notable that McLean's Rogue is relatively low on blood and guts, except for a couple of moments in the final reel. There are no one-liners, nor is there gratuitous nudity/drug use/irresponsibility. This is a pure thrill ride that doesn't pull punches, and I have to recommend it as one of the most enjoyable horror films of the new millennium.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Also DaMU reminded me why I prefer Dog Soliders over An American Werewolf in London: the characters. Spoon rules.

Technically, that was Jen, and she did a great job reviewing the flick. I'm not as nuts for it, but I agree that it's an enjoyable flick, and the characters are well-drawn and funny.

[megladon8]

Also DaMU reminded me why I prefer Dog Soliders over An American Werewolf in London: the characters. Spoon rules.


:|

That's...nutso-insane-crazy.

[MadMan]

Technically, that was Jen, and she did a great job reviewing the flick. I'm not as nuts for it, but I agree that it's an enjoyable flick, and the characters are well-drawn and funny.Ah. Cool.


:|

That's...nutso-insane-crazy.Both movies get the same rating, I just have a slight perference for Soldiers. And neither one cracks my Top 20 Horrors film list anyways.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/15-May-Title.jpg
(LUCKY MCKEE, 2002, USA)

WHAT IT IS
Trash legend Pieces reworked into a legitimate, involving tragedy.

WHY IT'S HERE
May dreams of meeting a friend who might embrace her for who she is. When that fails, she gets a scalpel, which suggests that who she really is might render friends an impossibility. Such is the darkly funny paradox of May, the debut of Lucky McKee, who's yet to match the promise of this initial plunge into weirdness. Here's a movie that's clearly a slasher film, and yet, it isn't for about sixty minutes.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/16-May-Pic.jpg

That's okay. The buildup works as a fascinating character study of a social misfit embodied perfectly by Angela Bettis. A thin bundle of nerves, she's not unattractive, but she's definitely odd - why does a grown woman still talk to a doll as if it were alive? That oddness attracts outsiders like goofy lesbian Polly (Anna Faris) and indie filmmaker Adam (Jeremy Sisto), before they realize the true depths of her despair.

The film's success is due to the connection between actor and director, and McKee and Bettis went on to film Roman and "Sick Girl" together. Here, she offers a performance that, in its suggestion of tragic youthful neuroses, ranks with Sissy Spacek in Carrie and John Amplas in Martin. McKee films her descent with love and care, warmly enough that, while we don't forgive her sins, we understand them, and we sympathize.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
I can't justify McKee's poor handling of a sequence where blind children completely ignore the sound of shattering glass and simultaneously, zombie-like, they all kneel down and start crawling through it. Uh, Lucky, blind doesn't mean mentally challenged. In fact, I'm pretty sure even the mentally challenged know that broken glass doesn't feel like moonbeams and happy.

OVERALL
A creepy character piece that's oddly funny, then oddly touching.

CROWNING MOMENTS OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/16-May-Moment.jpg
Perfect instance of how this movie works. The first slashing - poor Polly - is precise, quick, and deeply sad.

OTHERS SAY

The writer and director, Lucky Mckee, never turns back from his story's implacable logic. This is his solo directing debut, and it's kind of amazing.
- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

If there’s a slight whiff of student-film obviousness coming from McKee’s labor of love (rife with metaphorical glass-cracking and eye-scratching), it at least feels like classical student-film obviousness.
- Jesse Hassenger, FilmCritic

It's more dark comedy than horror methinks, but no matter ... outstanding film.
- Spinal

[Qrazy]

Yeah I didn't like May much.

[Grouchy]

If this list were mine, it would be Numero 1.

As it is, I'm expecting the next 14!

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/14-Rec-Title.jpg
(JAUME BALAGUERO AND PACO PLAZA, 2007, SPAIN)

WHAT IT IS
Night of the Living Dead, Cloverfield style.

WHY IT'S HERE
Cause it's scary as hell. That's why. That not enough for you? You need some reason beyond the fact that you're stuck in this claustrophobic apartment, this enormous, welcome new horror setting, with murderous, ravenous zombies reaching out for you, the viewer? Yes, they're reaching right for you, thanks to the point-of-view camerawork. That not doing it? You want more from your horror flicks?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/15-Rec-Pic.jpg

Oh, I know what it is. I bet you don't appreciate long, convincing takes that follow the surprising action that leads us from the bottom to the top of this bloody, nightmarish complex. Oh wait, they're amazing. Yeah, amazing. But that doesn't appeal to you, does it? Does it? Got no interest in the fast-paced story that finds logical-but-unexpected ways to utilize its characters? Why would you?

And given all that, I would assume that you don't want a jaw-dropping climax that surpasses everything previous, do you? That takes the already-formidable premise to the Nth degree? That stands as one of the scariest finales of the decade...if not the scariest? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I guess this is a little too real for you. Hey, you know what? Fuck you. You don't deserve Rec.

WHY IT'S #14
Frankly, that rush of excitement is all there is. None of the characters are interesting, and the situation doesn't have the staying power or subtext of the classics, despite a final-act revelation that's admittedly nifty. This is lightning in a bottle, no-frills entertainment. I guess we'll all just have to make do.

OVERALL
A fast-and-furious zombie flick that will leave viewers breathless.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/15-Rec-Moment.jpg
The discovery of the thin girl. Earlier hints had me waiting for a final confrontation in the attic, but I didn't know what I'd be seeing. So when I saw what was up there, my jaw dropped and stayed down till the credits rolled.

OTHERS SAY

Once the mayhem starts hitting the apartment walls, Rec is a shock-a-minute mini-masterpiece of sound design, tricky jolts, and wonderfully distressing tension.
- Scott Weinberg, FearNet

What Rec has going for it is its lean, mean remorselessness; it's in for the grim long haul from the outset and never pulls its punches.
- Maitland McDonagh, MissFlickChick

A decent zombie horror movie, but it seems kind of unsubstantial.
- StanleyK

[megladon8]

YES!!

Such a great choice and entry, DaMU.

And I agree with your Crowning Moment. Jen and I were terrified - no hyperbole here, we were both squeezing each other's hands so hard we left marks.

What an incredible final sequence.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The final bit of [rec] was ridiculously terrifying.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/13-AmericanPsycho-Title.jpg
(MARY HARRON, 2000, USA)

WHAT IT IS
I'm still not entirely sure, but there's a killer with a chainsaw, so I'm counting it.

WHY IT'S HERE
When Bateman says he's involved in "murders and executions" instead of "mergers and acquisitions," nobody flinches. Nobody even notices. That's the basic premise behind American Psycho, which is deeply disturbing and deeply funny. What makes it disturbing is the perverse, misogynistic, oppressive awfulness of Bateman, one of cinema's truly terrible people. What makes it funny is how easily he fits into Wall Street.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/13-AmericanPsycho-Pic.jpg

As his place of business, where he never seems to actually do work, he's surrounded by a cast of actors playing the right amount of ignorance. Credit is obviously due to Bale, whose sleazy exterior hides an absence of interior, but this story is as much about the people around him. Like his meek secretary (a terrific Chloe Sevigny), his flippant wife (Reese Witherspoon, appropriately vapid), or the cohort (Matt Ross) who stupidly sees Bateman's homicidal impulses as a gay come-on.

It's their shallow impulses and desires that help mask Bateman, help allow him to be, as he engages in classical serial killer situations. Animals. The homeless. And, of course, prostitutes, which leads to a scene of nearly unbearable suspense, as Bateman chases one of his hookers through the clandestine hallways of his apartment. Despite later indications that all is not necessarily real, the situation is viscerally realized, haunting long after.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
The ending suggests that all is not as it seems. Without going further, I will simply make the observation that the film works better on literal terms, taking the supporting players' vital obliviousness to perverse new heights.

OVERALL
Smart, horrific, sly, repugnant. This film's got all that and a head in the fridge.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/13-AmericanPsycho-Moment.jpg
The most terrifying sequence in the movie is also wickedly clever, with this chainsaw none-too-subtly perched between Bateman's legs. Director Mary Harron's clearly having some nasty fun.

OTHERS SAY

This film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' controversial novel is one long, mediocre metaphor about the greed-driven Reagan era of the 1980s.
- Paul Clinton, CNN

If anything, Bale is too knowing. He eagerly works within the constraints of the quotation marks Harron puts around his performance—taking an ax to a colleague while Huey Lewis sings "Hip to Be Square."
- J. Hoberman, The Village Voice

I'm thinking it's an American Psycho day after a bit of job hunting.
- Scar

[Dead & Messed Up]

YES!!

Such a great choice and entry, DaMU.

And I agree with your Crowning Moment. Jen and I were terrified - no hyperbole here, we were both squeezing each other's hands so hard we left marks.

What an incredible final sequence.


The final bit of [rec] was ridiculously terrifying.

There are only a couple of movies from the decade as scary as that one, and when I was culling review quotes for it, damn near every single one says something like, "But that's nothing compared to the finale."

[Qrazy]

American Psycho is so much fun.

[Adam]

American Psycho is probably one of the top ten funniest films I've seen. Glad to see it here, although I think you misread the ending, DaMU

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/12-Bug-Title.jpg

BUG (WILLIAM FRIEDKIN, 2006, USA)

WHAT IT IS
A different type of horror from the director of The Exorcist.

WHY IT'S HERE
The title and the director may prepare you for one type of movie, so it's a real experience to put Bug in your DVD player and watch the story unfold. There's nothing supernatural here, nor is there any theatrical imagery at all. In a sense. For while this is based on a theater play, the film's inspiration is dominantly a character study, an evaluation of two broken souls clinging to each other as their minds sink into the abyss of insanity.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/12-Bug-Pic.jpg

This movie is cruel, unflagging in its depiction of contagious madness. Ashley Judd gives the performance of a lifetime, or maybe many lifetimes, as Agnes, a woman who lost her son not long ago and needs something to fill that void in her life. Judd, who is a beautiful actress when she wants to be, abandons makeup, wears ragged clothes, and makes her character move beyond caricature and into the realm of genuine human experience.

Her performance is raw, captivating, even surpassing Michael Shannon, who performed this role many times on the stage. His character convinces Agnes that he's a refugee from a government program that may have planted bugs in his body. And so their downward spiral begins, as the two of them have complete bug-related meltdowns. This may make the film sound like a drama or tragedy (Friedkin describes it as a black comedy), but I can't imagine calling it anything but horror.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Because Friedkin makes no effort to hide the stage play this is based on, rendering the film utterly dependent on its cast. But if you read the previous paragraph, you know that wasn't such a bad gamble.

OVERALL
A cruel, truly horrifying journey best followed up with a shower and a Pixar.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/12-Bug-Moment.jpg
Most horrifying is Peter's improvisatory removal of a tooth, supposedly bug-filled, which provokes Agnes's chilling point-of-no-return appraisal: "...millions..."

OTHERS SAY

It is as stagy and airless as a five-character movie about self-mutilating obsession demands, but it's also smart, spare and hypnotically nasty.
- Amy Biancolli, The San Francisco Chronicle

Bug's relentless unpleasantness, which Friedkin bogs us down in instead of crystallizing it into what might have been a stylish head trip, can get to be a chore.
- Carino Chocano, The LA Times

I thought Bug was good.
- Winston

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/11-TheHost-Title.jpg
(BONG JOON-HO, 2006, SOUTH KOREA)

WHAT IT IS
Dysfunctional family versus slimy eel/fish/tadpole monster.

WHY IT'S HERE
The Host is a horror movie. Has to be. Its titular creature is a nasty bit of ocean-spawn that chases down passers-by, gobbles them up alive, and plops them into a creepy underground lair. The film's heroes, even together, provide too little of a threat to this beast, itself a marvelous fusion of design and effects integration. There's a reason this was one of the most expensive South Korean productions ever, and one of the most successful.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/14-TheHost-Pic.jpg

No. Scratch that. The Host is a family melodrama. Its heroes mentioned earlier consists of a kindly grandfather, a slacker dad, his plucky daughter, and her uncle and aunt, both of whom stay away from their family...up until a crisis brings them all together. As they frustrate each other and strike off on their own to defeat the Host, it becomes clear that they do much better as a team of monster-slayers. Not much better, but at least they're trying.

Wait. The Host is a satire. I mean, this thing is as obvious in its indictment of modern threats as Godzilla must've been to the Japanese. Here, Americans create the monster by dumping formaldehyde into river water, and the Host is named so because it harbors a deadly virus that could contaminate the entire country. Imperialism and pandemic-phobia get mocked with vicious skill: director Bong Joon-Ho simply displays them as they are. What else needs to be said?

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Notice how this part of the review keeps getting smaller and more inconsequential? But I must admit that the film feels about ten minutes too long, and some of the humor just ain't that funny (the squid-leg jokes). We're approaching the realm of nitpickery.

OVERALL
Despite (or because of) the tonal jumps, this creature feature turns into something very special.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/14-TheHost-Moment.jpg
Lots of candidates, especially the endgame pole-through-the-mouth, but I fell in love with the first monster attack, which begins hilariously (it's just barreling down the wharf!), becomes involving, then takes a sudden, sharp turn into the tragic.

OTHERS SAY

Actually, you won't want them to kill the monster, not right away, since it has lots of its own eccentricities. The creature is less vicious than playful...
- Richard Corliss, TIME

The Host concerns chaos, so let's cut it some slack. Sometimes being overwrought can be agreeable.
- Bruce Westbrook, The Houston Chronicle

Really strange mix of moods, great music, loved the slacker dad character...too many slow parts to the movie.
- Dillard

[Raiders]

The Host is an awesome, awesome movie. I should see it again so I can love it even more.

[Bosco B Thug]

May has an uncanny ability at being both precious yet entirely sophisticated. I admire it greatly. That crowning moment is wicked.

Allow me to meh REC again, but your other three last choices are solid.

[Grouchy]

I didn't expect Bug on the list. Despite Friedkin's complaints, if it has to be any genre, it's paranoid Horror. Great film.

[Spun Lepton]

I really need to give American Psycho another shot.

Bug is that good, eh? I'll put it in my queue.

[Dead & Messed Up]

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE EXTREMELY GORY AND UTTERLY PREPOSTEROUS. THEY MAY BE NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

And now...


THE SLOW CUT

slow cut n. The moment in a film (esp. horror) when someone is sliced so quickly and neatly that, similar to the Wile E. Coyote Theory of Gravity, they often must be told they have been cut before they start falling apart.

Here are the top five slow cuts of the past decade.



THIRTEEN GHOSTS (2001, STEVE BECK, USA)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Thirteen-1.jpg
I got this tickling feeling along my sides...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Thirteen-2.jpg
That's two panes of sharp glass.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Thirteen-3.jpg
Ohgoddamnit.


RESIDENT EVIL (2002, PAUL W. S. ANDERSON, USA)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Resident1.jpg
My neck feels kinda stiff..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Resident2.jpg
Ohgoddamnit.


UNDERWORLD (LEN WISEMAN, 2003, USA)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Underworld1.jpg
I'm gonna kill you, bitch.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Underworld2.jpg
Dude, I sliced your head in half. Look at how bloody my sword is.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Underworld3.jpg
Ohgoddamnit.


SLITHER (JAMES GUNN, 2006, USA)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Slither1.jpg
Wow, my nose has just cleared right up...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Slither2.jpg
Ohgoddamnit.


GHOST SHIP (2003, STEVE BECK, USA)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Ghost1.jpg
Did anybody else feel that breeze?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Ghost2.jpg
I'm the evil wire. I've doomed you all! Bwahahahaha!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Ghost3.jpg
Ohgoddamnit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Ghost4.jpg
It's okay, I'm good, I'm good.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Ghost5.jpg
Plop.

[Spun Lepton]

Slither FTW.

[Winston*]

I laughed so hard when I saw that Ghost Ship scene. Pity the rest of the film isn't so funny.

[Russ]

DaMU, I do not wish to derail your most excellent thread into a state of off-topic randomness, but someday, on some thread, I'd be quite interested in knowing what your favorite horror movie soundtracks are. Again, this wasn't raised so everyone would start listing theirs here -- start a new thread or something -- but given your passion for and knowledge of the genre, I think I'd enjoy reading what you have to say on the topic.

[D_Davis]

Ghost Ship's intro is, like, the greatest thing ever.

Pure brilliance.

TWANG!

[Dead & Messed Up]

And now, Megladon reminds us of a gentler time in America's history...with zombies...


GUEST PICK #3:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/TCF-Fido.jpg

(ANDREW CURRIE, 2006, CANADA

With so many admirable traits, it's hard to pick my favorite part of Canadian zom-com Fido. Like any zombie-related movie (comedy or otherwise) it sports biting layers of satire and social commentary, and of course the requisite revelling in shots of ooey-gooey gore. It also features exquisite set and costume design - its brightly coloured houses and Carrie-Anne Moss's lush red lipsticks and dresses both compliment and contrast the images of rotting flesh and decaying architecture outside the safe townships of this Leave it to Beaver-esque happy-go-lucky 1950s town. The whole production has such charm to it, and its well-rounded cast and smart writing show it's a beauty with brains.

In a nutshell, Fido is a retelling of the classic boy-and-his-dog story of Lassie...except with a zombie instead of a dog. Young only-child Timmy is bullied at school and ignored by his parents, but finally finds companionship when his mom buys them a servant zombie in a bid to impress the new neighbours. The zombie, which Timmy aptly names "Fido", does everything from play catch and run through fields in hilariously dramatic scenes of joyful frolicking, to defending Timmy from the bullies that torture him both in and out of the school yard. But when his father's obviously irrational fear of zombies poses a threat to their friendship, Timmy is forced to figure out who in his life truly cares for him.

It's fantastic that the filmmakers were able to take this concept (the idea of seeing zombies do society's menial tasks seems like one which could dry up quickly) and stretch it to a feature-length film while maintaining wit and fresh thrills and laughs throughout. Billy Connolly's role as the zombie, Fido, is played without any spoken words (well, a small guttural cry every once in a while) and his expressive face and movements sell it well. Carrie-Anne Moss is also at her very best here, playing the ignorant mother with ease (to be honest, I never found she had much trouble playing a cold robot devoid of emotion) but then turns into a caring mother and charming lover just as sweetly. It was great to see she had more in her than Trinity.

Fido just works so well, and stands up strong next to Shaun of the Dead which is oft-considered the pinnacle of zom-com's (to the point where many feel others shouldn't even bother trying anymore). It's a different beast from Shaun of the Dead, relying more on a straight-faced script with a mixture of subtle and visual gags, as opposed to Shaun of the Dead's thick British sarcastic wit. But I think there's more than enough room for both.

[Spun Lepton]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Ghost3.jpg

Waitaminnit. How are this dude's arms still attached? Was he waving them in the air like he just didn't care?

[MadMan]

American Psycho, although not a brilliant movie, is a movie I have seen way too many times considering its subject matter. I'm actually disturbed at the fact that I can consider such a movie to be one of my favorites from the 2000s, but Bale invests his performance with such gusto and the satire is utterly hilarious I can't help but love every moment. Not to be cliche or anything, but my all time favorite scene is Jared Leto getting axed to death while "Its Hip to Be Square" plays in the background. This is a movie that has Bale working out while the ending to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is on his TV. Wow. Just wow. If only I had actually bothered to type up and post my review of it, maybe you could have quoted me. Actually, that's probably a good thing.

The Host, although suffering from some weak moments (a few near the end, actually) is still a highly effective and well made horror/monster movie. Sure Cloverfield may have featured some scarier elements, but it lacked its Korean brother's ability to be frightening/freaky while also retaining social and political commentary that is quite timely. Great choice.

[Skitch]

I think yor American Psycho review was missing the word 'mergers'.

Love this thread!

[Skitch]

Cube didn't make the Slow Cut list?! For shame! :)

[Dead & Messed Up]

Cube didn't make the Slow Cut list?! For shame! :)

It came out in 1997. Otherwise I would've considered it.

[Skitch]

It came out in 1997. Otherwise I would've considered it.

See, I've read the thread, just not the title of it.

<--- failure

[lovejuice]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Slowcuts/SC-Ghost3.jpg

Waitaminnit. How are this dude's arms still attached? Was he waving them in the air like he just didn't care?
that's easy, my man. he's doing some kinda ballroom, so he raises his arm up when that sling passes through.

example:

http://www.reggie.net/photos/dancing/ivdc_2009_winter_gardens_black pool/090228-113401-1305-waltz_throwaway_oversway_ivdc_ 2009_blackpool-600.jpg

i really want to be an extra in that scene. it should be so much fun.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/10-Frailty-Title.jpg
(BILL PAXTON, 2001, USA)

I wanted to give it the feel of a Gothic thriller and give it some of the tension and memorable images that I've seen in other scary movies I admire - films like The Night of the Hunter, The Dead Zone, Wait Until Dark, to name a few.

- Bill Paxton

WHAT IT IS
A religious movie that's not too thrilled with the whole religion thing.

WHY IT'S HERE

One of the key questions in religious thought is how an all-loving God can allow suffering. The easiest solution is simple: God is not all-loving. Frailty follows that idea to its logical conclusion, as a father (Bill Paxton) is firmly convinced that God told him to kill demons...who look like normal people. His son Fenton (Matt O'Leary) says his father is losing his mind. Some viewers may remember that the Old Testament God had a strange fondness for setting family members against each other.

Indeed, whether or not God actually has his Hands in the killings proves less fascinating than the way that divine inspiration tears the family apart. Dad's certitude is frightening. In one fantastic scene, he drops them off at school and casually reminds them to not tell anyone. Fenton stares. As the film develops, he says that Dad might not be "right in the head," but Adam (Jeremy Sumpter) is all too eager. He doesn't understand the gravity of their situation, making his own "list of demons" that includes bullies at school.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/10-Frailty-Pic.jpg

The performances by O'Leary and Sumpter are crucial to the film's success, and, while star power like Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe prove invaluable, the two kids are the real stars, completely convincing us of their own fears and hopes regarding Dad's mission. Their scenes make us believe in these two as brothers, initially trusting, gradually broken by their opposing views. It's sadly plausible that, by the end, one of them has vowed to kill the other.

As for those killings in the film, first-time director Bill Paxton deserves tremendous respect for filming them with restraint, emphasizing reactions. Not only does this point us back toward the children; it also demonstrates Paxton's level of confidence in his suspense. It's that impressive level of craft that makes the film such a successful horror film, in addition to being a tragic family drama, and a reminder that if God exists, he's got some explaining to do.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
The twist (or "flip," as Hanley calls it) takes some unpacking, since it forces serious reinterpretation of the entire film, placing the narrative as conjecture and "best guessing," rather than absolute truth. But the twist also makes the film even more tragic and provocative, so the reward exceeds the costs.

OVERALL
Despite the ax killings, graveyard settings, and supernatural goings-on, Frailty reassembles those standard elements into something wholly unique and unsettling.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/10-Frailty-Moment.jpg
The sun comes out, the camera pulls back, and just as we're left to ponder the kind of God that would allow demons and ruin families willfully...two kids laugh and run by. Masterstroke.

OTHERS SAY

Paxton shows a desire to do good, thought-provoking work, even if the means to achieve it are just slightly beyond his grasp.
- Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Perhaps only a first-time director, an actor who does not depend on directing for his next job, would have had the nerve to make this movie. It is uncompromised. It follows its logic right down into hell.
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Frailty featured some of the best child acting I've seen in quite some time. I was really impressed.
- Madman

[Scar]

I loves me some frailty.

[megladon8]

A wonderful entry, DaMU. Frailty was one of the most surprising films of the decade. It's taut, clever, emotional and surprisingly balanced.

I didn't know Paxton had that in him.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I really need to see Frailty.

[megladon8]

I really need to see Frailty.


You really do, and I hope you like it.

Like I said, it's surprising how balanced Paxton's thoughts on religion (and religious zealotry) are.

Also, it's probably the best performances of both Paxton and McConaughey's careers.

[MadMan]

Wahoo, I was actually quoted. I'm amazed that DaMU would even remember or recall my short review of the movie back on the Axis website.

And yes Frailty is really a well made, dark, and disturbing movie. It really hits hard at the nerves, and I recall after watching it during the day that the sunlight hitting the window shades next to me looked a bit darker. I'm glad that I discovered a copy of that movie for only $5.00 at Wal Mart one day, and trusted the reviews enough to blind buy and watch it for the first time.

The ending I feel a bit mixed about, but overall the final scene works extremely well as DaMU noted. I think in some ways the last shot spells out that God was involved all along, but we are still left to wonder if that really was the case.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The ending I feel a bit mixed about, but overall the final scene works extremely well as DaMU noted. I think in some ways the last shot spells out that God was involved all along, but we are still left to wonder if that really was the case.

I love that ending because I take it as definite proof of God's involvement, but that only raises a thousand more questions about God. Why he would engage in these battles, why he would pit brother against brother, why he would allow demons, why he wouldn't make his signs more overt, et cetera.

Also, I quoted you for Hostel.

[Ezee E]

Great pick.

[MadMan]

I love that ending because I take it as definite proof of God's involvement, but that only raises a thousand more questions about God. Why he would engage in these battles, why he would pit brother against brother, why he would allow demons, why he wouldn't make his signs more overt, et cetera.Okay, you make a good point there. I do agree with your assessment that the God depicted in Frailty is clearly the Old Testment style God. In horror movies it seems, God is often depicted as being as bad as the Devil. And in action/fantasy movies too-see Constantine and the upcoming Legion for more examples, of course.

[quote]Also, I quoted you for Hostel.Ah yes, that quote, and it was true at the time. However over the past year the fact that certain Match-Cut posters actually have defended the movie, plus your thoughts, have made me want to actually watch it. Plus the book How to Survive a Horror Movie listed it in the back of the book as one of the author's horror movies to watch, and I'm determined to finish that list.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Bug? Nooooooooooooooo... :p


I will risk shunning by predicting Spun's dislike for that one.

[ledfloyd]

i love bug.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/9-TheOrphanage-Title.jpg

(JUAN ANTONIO BAYONA, 2007, SPAIN)

There's all these people who write books like Syd Field or Robert McKee who will tell you there's this box you have to fit into. "Act one must finish on page 29." All that stuff. They said it's a mixture of genres and that's impossible. They said horror and drama are like oil and water.
- Juan Antonio Bayona

WHAT IT IS
A brilliant ghost story, genuinely frightening.

WHY IT'S HERE
Long before inventors developed the idea of motion pictures, in the 1700's, the horror genre began in earnest with Gothic literature. While some could argue that horrific stories existed long before, the Gothic was the first time so many of the genre's details were combined, codified, and repeated. In a way, horror defined itself, and many of the tropes continue today, and to see them in use in The Orphanage is to witness a filmmaker renewing the form by retreating further within.

In this film, we have a determined female protagonist. We have an enormous manse, its decay buried under ornamentation. We have hidden rooms haunted by the spectres of the past. And yet, this is all contemporary, with Laura (Belen Rueda) returning to her childhood orphanage with her husband and son Simon, who we learn is HIV positive. She wants the orphanage to resume as it was, but Simon's rebellious spirit interrupts her plans and catalyzes the dormant ghosts that haunt the hallways.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/9-TheOrphanage-Pic.jpg

Those ghosts offer plentiful chills, peeking in and disappearing in that classic way that ghosts are wont to do. They seem to be orphans from long ago that Laura once knew, which makes their presence even more invasive; they impact Simon even more forcefully, leading to a climax that captivates. There's nothing as fierce as a mother searching for her son.

Director Bayona worked with Guillermo Del Toro in securing funding for the picture, and like Del Toro's films, The Orphanage feels like a renewal even as it plumbs the depths of its genre. I can't help but love the presence of artists still working in this form. There's something powerful in these stories, something that began in earnest centuries ago, something that still retains its power.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
I saw it for the first time a few months ago, so I'm still responding to the immediate emotional impact. How successful the film is on a formal level must wait for a second viewing. Given how much I love it, that'll be happening very soon.

OVERALL
Equal to the works of Guillermo Del Toro.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/9-TheOrphanage-Moment.jpg
Laura gets the ghosts' attention by playing a game she used to enjoy as a child. Creepy. As. Hell.

OTHERS SAY

The incomparably intense Geraldine Chaplin shows up as a medium conducting a “psychic summoning,” and her major scene is a slow-building pip—the best on-screen seance in decades.
- Michael Phillips, The Chicago Tribune

Much of the film's success is down to Rueda's performance. Last seen with Javier Bardem in The Sea Inside, she summons up a wholly convincing desperation.
- Sandra Hall, The Sydney Morning Herald

I liked it a ton...the scares serve the story, rather then simply trying to shock the audience or make us feel disturbed.
- Ezee E

[Scar]

FUCK. YES.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/8-28DaysLater-Titled.jpg

(DANNY BOYLE, 2002, UNITED KINGDOM)

It's this idea of a psychological virus. Like road rage, that moment when the red mist descends, if you magnify that a thousand times and experience it to the exclusion of everything else, imagine what that kind of power would be like. That was our monster.
- Danny Boyle

WHAT IT IS
The first of the new wave of zombie movies, despite the absence of true zombies (http://www.edgarwrighthere.com/2009/10/zombie-101-by-matt-zoller-seitz/).

WHY IT'S HERE
Nearly seven years later, what's so striking about 28 Days Later is its intimacy. The film focuses relentlessly on its characters, watching them adapt, evolve, grow, shrink, and otherwise respond to the apocalyptic nightmare gripping Britain. More than the zombies (which still shock), more than the images (which are alternately visceral and ethereal), what I remember is the people. The nervous Jim, the determined Selena, the intensely lovable Frank.

It was a smart move to make the main couple two unknowns. Cillian Murphy managed to become a breakout star with this film, eventually landing diverse roles in films like Breakfast on Pluto and Batman Begins. What comes across so well in this film is a sense of fragility. His wide eyes frightfully take in his new surroundings. His skinny body looks poised to break. A legitimate blank slate, he's the perfect audience avatar for the story.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/8-28DaysLater-Pic.jpg

On the other end of the spectrum, Naomie Harris proves just as talented, just as exciting an actor. She sinks her teeth into the fierce warrior character, gives us hints of the chinks in her armor. There are wonderful scenes here where she and Jim bond quietly, free of their brain-dead pursuers. I get the feeling they could extract a lovely romance out of this film if they wanted to. But since it's a horror film, they're chopping at the raging "infected."

Obviously, the film is successful in other fronts. The smart way it scientifically rejuvenates the zombie. How its collection of images, filmed pre-9/11, nonetheless evoke so much of that awful event, down to the pictures of the missing. How Boyle constructs his suspense with the immediacy of digital video. Of course, none of that would matter one bit if we didn't care so much about these people. Which we do.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
While the last third of the film crystallizes the theme of the ways our primality can control us, it raises a practical question:
why would Jim risk his friends by unleashing the infected soldier?

OVERALL
An immediate, impactful film that finds surprising moments of beauty and reflection.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/8-28DaysLater-Moment.jpg
Seriously, Brendan Gleeson's like a giant fucking teddy bear in this movie, so seeing him accidentally knock some infected blood right into his eye is cruel. And with the twenty-second rule of infection, he has almost no time to tell his daughter how much he loves her. "Keep away from me! Keep away!"

OTHERS SAY

Like Last Night, 28 Days Later works because of the careful attention to character and relationships -- there's nothing like the crucible of death to bring out one's essential nature.
- Eric Harrison, The Houston Chronicle

The characters and activity onscreen are gruesome enough without the added insult of substandard production values.
- Ann Homaday, The Washington Post

I just saw 28 Days Later and liked it quite a bit. I didn't feel like it was a horror film, though. Like it was suffering from genre confusion.
- Mara

[Spun Lepton]

I need to see The Orphanage one of these days.

[MadMan]

28 Days Later is a truly great movie, and for the most part very bleak and depressing. Somewhere in one of my notebooks is a review I wrote on it that better sums up my feelings about it; regardless of whether or not one can consider the rage creatures zombies or not is irrelevent. Because they are frightening. Much like Romero's best movies, Boyle's effort showcases how well horror benefits from infused social and political commentary. Even though the last act heavily borrows from Day of the Dead, but hey that can be forgiven since if one must steal or take, one should do so from a truly remarkable director.

[Morris Schæffer]

Now, The Mike will be our tour guide as we journey down under for a film that didn't make my list...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/TCF-Rogue.jpg


(2007, GREG MCLEAN, AUSTRALIA)



Yes, this fucking rocked! There was a surprising amount of build-up, with tension build through the tiniest of techniques. The FX are really good, the croc looked incredibly real.

[Scar]

I need to see The Orphanage one of these days.

Blu Ray viewing at the Scar Residence?

[Dukefrukem]

i love bug.

me too. So much.

[Dukefrukem]

I think this thread warrants a write up on horror movies that have an excellent premise, but execution prevents it from making this list... Like; Jeepers Creepers.

[megladon8]

Two awesome picks :)

[Scar]

I was loving 28 Days Later, but the last third pissed me off to high heaven.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I was loving 28 Days Later, but the last third pissed me off to high heaven.


This was me for the longest time, but I have since made peace with it. :D


Jim, I am in love with the Orphanage entry. I agree with everything except your crowning moment of awesome. Mine would be the scene down the long hallway, when we first see the ragged child. Ouch.


I can't wait for the director's next film. He is supposed to be tackling Hater, which is based on a book I freaking loved, and I am just dying to know what's up with that project.

[Scar]

This was me for the longest time, but I have since made peace with it. :D


I shall give it another spin.

Someday.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/7-BattleRoyale-Titled.jpg
(KINJI FUKASAKU, 2002, JAPAN)

During the raids, even though we were friends working together, the only thing we would be thinking of was self-preservation. We would try to get behind each other or beneath dead bodies to avoid the bombs. When the raid was over, we didn't really blame each other, but it made me understand about the limits of friendship.
- Kinji Fukasaku

WHAT IT IS
Teenage angst as a literal battlefield.

WHY IT'S HERE

40. Because it's a movie about classmates killing each other. 39. Because it's difficult to find on DVD... 38. ...because of Columbine. 37. Virginia Tech didn't help. 36. Because director Kinji Fukasaku was 71 years old when he directed the film. 35. Because the operatic heights of "Dies Irae" neatly match a teenager's inflated self-perception. 34. Because it's darkly hilarious. 33. Maybe I wasn't clear earlier. It's about classmates murdering each other.

32. Because of Kiriyama. 31. Because Beat Takeshi plays a temperamental teacher. 30. Because Fukasaku got it right the first time; ignore the special edition. 29. Because of the suicide pact. 28. Because of Mitsuko. 27. Because there's no place like the jungle for going primal. 26. Because the weapons include nunchucks. 25. And crossbows. 24. And pot lids. 23. Seriously. Pot lids. 22 and 21. Because of the convincing work by Fujiwara and Maeda as central couple Shuya and Noriko. 20. Because of the lighthouse.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/7-BattleRoyale-Pic.jpg

19. Because it's coming-of-age-romance-action-satire-horror. 18. Because these are teens playing teens. 17. Because the hackers rule. 16. Because the tension can be unbearable. 15. Because the gore effects stay just shy of ridiculous. 14. Okay, sometimes they cross the border. 13. Because Kiriyama volunteered. 12. Because I said so, goddamnit. 11. Because these teens behave plausibly, given the circumstances. 10. Because of what happens to the hackers. 9. Because its implications are genuinely unsettling.

8. Because it reworks "The Most Dangerous Game" better than Hostel. 7. Because it reworks Lord of the Flies better than the Lord of the Flies movie. 6. Because of the class picture. 5. Because Tarantino called it the best film since 1992. 4. Because Japanese parliament hated it. 3. Because it was nominated for six Japanese Academy Awards. 2. Because of the strangely restful ending. 1. Because no one in America has the balls to remake it.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
It jumps a little too much tonally, especially with the aforementioned ending. The requiem edition makes this self-seriousness into a nightmare - stick with the original cut. After all, what makes the film so successful is how it suggests strong themes without ever losing its propulsive energies.

OVERALL
A frightening look at social breakdown. In this regard, it's of a piece with The Mist and The Descent. Have I mentioned those movies yet?...

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/7-BattleRoyale-Moment.jpg
In the end, this wasn't even a choice. The lighthouse scene encapsulates everything the film is trying to do and say and suggest, in six minutes, with the most adorable group of girls to ever get their hands on automatic weapons.

OTHERS SAY

[The] Fukasakus wrap up with a gratuitous, tacked-on change-of-pace that attempts to deliver a message of empowerment and solidarity. It ends the bang-bang storytelling with a bit of a thud.
- Norm Schrager, Filmcritic.com

This is a heart-stopping action film, teaching us the worthy lessons of discipline, teamwork, and determination, but wrapping them up in a deliberately provocative, shockingly violent package.
- Jason Korsnor, BBC.com

It’s a film I crave to see again, while I can’t help cringing to think of how the action unfolds. It’s a film that works as pure entertainment but also challenges the viewer emotionally and intellectually.
- Philosophe Rouge

[Grouchy]

Awesome pick, but I don't know if it qualifies as Horror. Dystopian sci-fi, maybe.

[Spun Lepton]

I think I'm the only person in the world who was disappointed by Battle Royale. Then again, I watched it only after hearing people rave and rave over it. After it was finished, and I felt let down, I realized that my expectations were probably a lot different than what was actually presented.

So, in summary, I need to watch it again.

[megladon8]

I think I'm the only person in the world who was disappointed by Battle Royale. Then again, I watched it only after hearing people rave and rave over it. After it was finished, and I felt let down, I realized that my expectations were probably a lot different than what was actually presented.

So, in summary, I need to watch it again.


Nope, I'm right there with you.

To this day I watch it and think "what's the big deal?"

[Skitch]

Hell yeah, BR kicks ten shades of ass.

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Titles/6-Session9-Title.jpg
(BRAD ANDERSON, 2001, USA)

We found all sorts of creepy medical instruments and a straightjacket. We also got a sense of the asylum’s history. Even if you’re a very skeptical person about the supernatural, that place is so emotionally heavy.
- Brad Anderson

WHAT IT IS
A spiritual successor to The Haunting and The Innocents.

WHY IT'S HERE
When I was in high school, my friends and I brought a video camera to an abandoned asylum outside of town. Each room was full of old psych manuals and crumbling pipes and sinks. Puddles of rain. On the top floor, there was a dollhouse sitting in a hallway. I'd never been so affected by a location. So I completely buy that there's an inherent "heaviness" to the Danvers Asylum. Even if it's only in the minds of those who walk its halls.

Which is the central paradox and pleasure of Session 9. What's really happening here, anyway? Look at it one way, and we have overextended handymen lost in the labyrinthine halls of the sanitarium, pursued by ghostly occurrences. Another way? They're lost within their own minds. The film offers more than one possible answer, but on careful analysis, I suspect that only one solution survives the film intact.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Pics/5-Session-Pic.jpg

While so much of the film's success depends on its perfect real-world setting (similar to Saltair's effect on Carnival of Souls), an equal pressure settles on the cast, full of faces new and unfamiliar. While the central performance by Peter Mullan is key, Steve Gevedon plays the most relatable role. He finds old session tapes from a former patient with multiple personality disorder. He becomes increasingly disinterested in removing asbestos, more and more invested in these tapes, which graduate from eerie to terrifying.

Without those tapes, the film becomes a reasonable exercise in suspense. With those creepy voices, warbling with the poor audio quality, I'm reminded of how troubled real people can be, how easily they might break. And when so many of them lie broken in the same building, what happens to the walls? I think of the Overlook Hotel. And Hill House. And Danvers. And that asylum that chilled me to the bone as a teenager. The tagline is apt. Sometimes, fear is a place.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
It's deliberate, but there's probably a bit of trimming that could've been done with little lost. Additionally,
there's a cut subplot with a homeless person that hurts the film's ability to be interpreted in more ways than one - the owner-less footsteps now point too clearly towards ghostly goings-on.

OVERALL
A quiet thriller with modest goals, Session 9 becomes uncommonly absorbing with its character-centric plot and confident, minimalist style.

DEFINING MOMENT


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Moments/5-Session-Moment.jpg
The final line is pretty incredible, hitting like a gut-punch, but for real fright, nothing beats the sympathetic, nyctophobic Jeff (Brendan Sexton III) desperately running against dimming lights. Absent of physical threat, but still frightening.

OTHERS SAY

Session 9 is a genre work in the classic, composed style, working mostly with shadows and suggestion.
- Michael Gingold, Fangoria

With all the asbestos wrapping, the billowing drop cloths, and the men plodding around in safety gear, the film doesn't lack for a look, but that's pretty much all it has to recommend it.
- Amy Taubin, The Village Voice

I found Session 9 to be pretty boring actually.
- Ezee E

[jenniferofthejungle]

Yes, dammit.

I'll never forget my first viewing and how I kept shrinking into the couch in order to move away from the feeling that something was going to get me.

My defining moment? The hallway and that voice saying "Hello...Gordon." That scared me so much I got teary and dropped the remote. I went in blind on this one so every moment was a wonderful surprise.

I was thrilled that they lost the homeless kook subplot.

[Grouchy]

I agree with Ezee E. I found Session 9 pretty boring. Sorry.

[Scar]

I certainly do enjoy Session 9.

[Winston*]

I think the ending of Frailty completely undoes anything the film does well over the preceding 100 minutes or whatever and leaves me hating the film.

[megladon8]

The first time I saw Session 9, when the movie ended, I was so terrified I could not get off the couch to take the DVD out of the player.

So yeah, I endorse this pick :)

[Dead & Messed Up]

Aw, we're so close to the end.

Here, enjoy


FILMS THAT SHOULD BE WATERBOARDED UNTIL THEY APOLOGIZE, AND THEN SHOT

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So let's just summarize the film, so I don't have to think about it any more than necessary. A long time ago, this guy named Billy lived in this house with his mom and dad, and his mom decided to make a baby with Billy. She named the daughter Agnes. Agnes has yellow skin. You know how these things go. Billy tries to kill Agnes, settles for killing his mom and dad. He cookie-cutters his mom's skin and bakes them and eats 'em. Are we done yet? Okay, a little more. Some years later, a bunch of idiots get killed by Billy and Agnes. The end. Or is it? Yes. It is. Thank Christ.


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The worst part of this pitiful turd, woefully unflushed by its studio, is that I kinda like William Malone. His House on Haunted Hill remake was creepier than expected, and his Masters of Horror episode "The Fair-Haired Child" was one of the scariest produced for the anthology series. I wish we could all forget this terrible, terrible film happened, but here it is. And so I have to tell you that, despite its occasional good looks, this film apes J-Horror tropes, building a plot that collapses any way you look at it, featuring actors who look even more lost than the viewers trying to decode this steaming pile.


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I don't like attacking this film, since it's clearly one of those low-budget wonders that, despite the execution, is a fun grindhouse idea. I mean, this sounds attractive: Jesus Christ enlists the help of a Mexican wrestler to protect the world's lesbians from a cadre of vampires. Come on. That sounds like a movie we need, now more than ever. Sadly, the film is disastrously boring, as there's no flair to the action beyond its existence, and that ain't enough. Furthermore, the decision to cute Jesus's hair and beard ruins the entire idea. What's the point of Jesus fighting vampires if he looks like a flippin' frat boy?


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This movie's so bad it forced me to re-evaluate Alien vs. Predator, which wasn't good, but, God, it was never this bad. There's not a single character here to root for, as they're all zero-dimensional "types" waiting to get attacked by either Aliens or a Predator. Or a Predalien, which pretty much is just an Alien with mandibles, and, the way the film is shot and lit (or, rather, isn't), you never get a good look at the thing anyway. The Strause Brothers said they would make the film hardcore, and so they did, but I'd much rather they try for sympathy and coherence first.


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I try to view each film with an open mind, and I got a copy of Gutterballs directly from its creator, Ryan Nicholson, who struck me as an affable guy with passion for his work. None of that passion translates into this clusterfuck of terrible choices, from the amateurish actors to the choppy editing to the unprofessional lighting to...honestly, every element here sucks. Playing as a throwback rape-revenge/slasher, the film doesn't homage so much as steal wholesale from Halloween and Last House on the Left, and the nasty snuff-film-esque look makes it feel even more disgusting and shallow.

[Scar]

I actually have a soft spot for Requiem.

[Dead & Messed Up]

And now, Rowland bludgeons us with words until we see the brilliance of...


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A day hasn’t passed since watching this ferocious fucker that it hasn’t wormed its way into my consciousness. Equal measures exhilarating, terrifying, and repulsive, Laugier built this thing to hurt, to provoke, and to linger. Martyrs is a critical deconstruction of so-called torture porn, revenge exploitation, the victimization inherent in these, we as viewers of said genres, and broader philosophical implications both explicitly religious and existential that is staggeringly ambitious in its scope.

Not to make this sound too pedantic, it’s also a sterling example of fierce survival horror, shifting genre influences as deftly as it reverses expectations and realigns viewer sympathies to such an extent that one doesn’t have a solid footing for at least the first half of the film, a distancing technique designed to challenge our assumptions, quash any expectations for catharsis, and heighten our reflective faculties. That it features some of the most lawless, traumatic, persuasively wrought gore I can recall in a horror film without ever coming across as the mere satiation of viewer bloodlust or the collective desire for cheap titillation only further sharpens the integrity and terrible grace of the piece, which is technically proficient in every respect without the vacuously slick, hyperactive veneer that renders so many modern horror films aesthetically facile at best, or condescending at worst.

I’ve been intentionally evasive about its narrative details because Martyrs is best experienced with a clean slate, the better to let it have its way with you. In the end, it's among the most uncompromisingly nihilistic horror films ever made, deeply unsettling in its conclusions and yet simultaneously exciting for how clearly it respects the horror genre and wields it for such thoughtful, impactful purposes.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Jim, Black X-mas is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. Great placement on your torture list.


Rowland's review of Martyrs is making me curious as all hell about a movie I would normally try to avoid.

[Rowland]

I like what DaMu has been doing with the quotes, so I'm gonna offer a few for Martyrs:

[Martyrs] offers up the kind of puzzlebox that should shake the foundation of anyone who's ever contemplated the futility of existence and the fruitfulness of suicide. It's the sort of film, as a good friend of mine once described another film, that makes you want to go home and put a gun in your mouth.
- Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

Instead of peeling flesh from bone, someone, please, peel the emulsion from the base and rid the planet of this revolting piece of shit film.
- Michael Sicinski, The Academic Hack

In both duration and detail, the violence in Martyrs constantly challenges us. In this respect, the film is unflinching, but hardly single-minded. Throughout the course of the film, gore is used to shock, to gross out, to please aesthetically, to make us squirm, and to make us sympathize with the sufferer.
- Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com

Possibly the most cruel, graphic, unrelenting "horror" picture I've ever seen. Quite often I considered simply turning off the film, as the violence seemed to serve little purpose. It's there to revolt, and despite the last-act effort to attach spiritual significance to what's happening, I was unconvinced.
- Dead & Messed Up

I've tried to write something on Martyrs at least several times since seeing it last night, but man, if ever there was a film that defies any kind of judgment of it's quality, this is it. Will try again later, but I'm kinda leaning toward 'gonzo masterpiece' at the moment...
- Boner M

[Dead & Messed Up]

The film is nothing if not firm in its convictions.

By the by, anyone reading this thread should really hit Mike, Meg, Jen, and Rowland with rep. They all contributed great reviews, and I think their perspectives point up the variety of horror in the past decade.

[Rowland]

I think this thread warrants a write up on horror movies that have an excellent premise, but execution prevents it from making this list... Like; Jeepers Creepers.On the evidence of Jeepers Creepers and its underrated (and arguably superior) sequel, Victor Salva is one talented genre craftsman. I'm probably one of the few eagerly anticipating Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral.

[Raiders]

its underrated (and arguably superior) sequel

Explain, please. It is truly one of the most horrid movies I have seen.

[megladon8]

I never really understood the appeal for Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter, either.

It has a RABID fanbase here, and I attribute it solely to the fact that it was filmed in Ottawa with a lot of Ottawa talents involved. It really is a piece of crap.


And Rowland, your write-up on Martyrs is awesome. I still really want to see it. I hope to get around to it soon :)

[Dead & Messed Up]

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(ALFRED TOMASON, 2008, SWEDEN)

I'm not a horror filmmaker at all. I'm mostly famous for doing comedy and stage work in Sweden, really -- I'm totally ignorant about horror films in the world. I just went into this work 100 percent, and tried to do it as sincerely as possible.
- Alfred Tomason

WHAT IT IS
The best vampire movie since Near Dark.

WHY IT'S HERE
Great horror is great tragedy. Let the Right One In is great tragedy. It's also great drama. It's also freaky as hell. It's all of these things because it treats vampirism with respect. No winks. When Eli (Lina Leandersson) says she's "been this age for a long time," there's no smile on her face, just the grim spectre of a life forever on the cusp of adulthood. Sometimes I wonder if vampires age mentally, or if, despite the possible centuries, a girl like Eli still thinks fundamentally like a twelve-year-old. It's a depressing thought.

Besides, she's smart enough to enlist the aid of an old man, who goes out and slices the living, upends them, drains the blood, and gives it to Eli in broken plastic jugs. It's not the classical, romantic way, but it works well enough, until he causes enough problems that Eli must strike out on her own. Meanwhile, she befriends Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), a boy who has problems with bullies at school. Their first encounter is memorable, as, in that classic method of cinema, Oskar turns around and she's just standing there.


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Both of these young actors' performances are laudable because so much is communicated through their behavior. Oskar is meek, twitchy. Eli is slow and deliberate, except when she isn't. They match up like yin and yang. Equally laudable is Tomason's luscious, beautiful vision of Sweden; his chilly exteriors play into the buried emotions both characters feel desperately...but never say explicitly.

The story, based on the novel by John Lindqvist, recognizes how awful it must be to live forever as a child. While all of us might dream of being young again, of staying young longer, this is the latest in a line of vampire stories that find their strongest resonance with children doomed to be children forever. Near Dark and Interview With the Vampire played this angle, but neither fully devoted themselves to the anguish that would come with such a burden. Let the Right One In makes that its focus, takes the premise as far as it could go, and then leaves us.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
A scene with CG cats shows its seams, and an abandoned subplot from the original novel renders one shot nigh-incomprehensible. Suffice to say, there's an androgyny afoot that never really builds up or pays off in the narrative, and it may have been better excised completely. Or maybe not. I'm curious to watch it again and find out.

OVERALL
A heartfelt pre-teen drama that ennobles its subgenre. Rarely has a vampire film felt so legitimate and emotionally involving.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


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You know it. You love it.

OTHERS SAY

John Ajvide Lindqvist's script (from his novel) nails adolescent pain perfectly and is realized by Tomas Alfredson's expert direction. The snowy, frozen landscapes mirror the bitter cold Oskar and Eli experience in their lives.
- Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic

The emotional climate is authentic, while the killings are nice and splattery. Swedish vampires are such a natural I’m surprised there haven’t been more.
- David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Very interesting, very unique. It had great atmosphere. I was literally cold while watching the film, like a deep cold.
- Kurosawa Fan

[jenniferofthejungle]

Second viewing held up and I still love Let the Right One In.


I have no idea what the backstory is as I have not read the book the film was based on, but I thought the old man had probably taken care of Eli since he was a very young man, and that Oskar would end up the same way.

I also thought that, like the kid in Near Dark, Eli was physically 12, but mentally very old.

[Dead & Messed Up]

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(FRANK DARABONT, 2007, USA)

He'd go to me every once in a while, "Have you thought of an ending yet?" And I said, "Yeah, Steve. I actually have had an ending in mind." So I sent him the script and then he read it and sent me an e-mail and said, "I wish I had thought of that ending."
- Frank Darabont

WHAT IT IS
The best American horror film of the decade.

WHY IT'S HERE
Three movies this decade defined the American experience for me. The first was United 93. The second was The Dark Knight. The third was The Mist. In a way, all three are about living in the shadow of the towers. United was the immediate experience. Dark Knight represents the months and years of uncertainty after. The Mist is right between those two, in the days and weeks following the attacks, when everyone was searching furiously for someone to blame.

It's that sense of fearmongering and scapegoating that informs The Mist, which updates and matches King's original classic novella about a fog full of monsters that isolates people inside a supermarket. While King's story was a first-person account mostly about the limitations of a self-doubting father, Darabont uses the omniscient camera to make this into a tale of community struck by shock, divided by class, race, and eventually creed. The sickening part, as in Frailty, is that we're not sure where God sides on this catastrophe.


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Did I mention there's monsters? There's lots of awesome monsters. The tentacles hiding behind the loading dock. The flies with stingers. The four-winged pterodactyls. The giant enemy crab. Designed by Bernie Wrightson and Greg Nicotero, brought to life by Cafe FX (Pan's Labyrinth), these things are creative, terrifying beasts. The film suggests that this was its own ecosystem before a military snafu somehow time-space-warped it into our world. Stephen King acolytes may suspect more.

The scenes with the monsters are remarkably taut (sometimes literally), with extensive buildup and satisfying action payoffs. Their regularity is unsettling, their impact pushing so many to the passionate throes of Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden, transcending camp). As her sermons get more and more vitriolic, I think of all the responses to disaster I witnessed. The preachers condemning gays, my friends blaming countries almost immediately. How shattered faith can lead us into the unthinkable.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
Mostly because of the gratuitous scene where Mrs. Carmody sings God's praises in a bathroom stall. Better to see her character emerge as she does in the novella. And the special effects don't integrate too well, although the black and white version is a marked improvement. Really, in all ways. Skip the original color version.

OVERALL
A successful adaptation that's undeniably crafty, sure to polarize.

DEFINING MOMENT


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The Impossibly Tall Creature blows the mind, but this scene, created by Darabont, breaks the heart. Sam Witwer's Private Jessup becomes a convenient scapegoat, and Carmody whips her followers into a sacrificial frenzy. I may have to turn in my man card, but I cried the first time I saw this.

OTHERS SAY

It’s all smartly, brilliantly, paced, not just the more traditional aspects of what you’d expect from a horror movie...but the collapse of the civilization as represented by the little supermarket society.
- Mary Ann Johansson, The Flick Filosopher

The Mist doesn't provoke further thought; it provokes active annoyance at being punished in the service of a pulp morality tale with pretensions.
- Ty Burr, "The Boston Globe"

It’s going to be a classic - you can count on that. And you can be the one telling people in years to come that you saw it in the theatre, and “that’s when they made really scary movies."
- Megladon8

[Rowland]

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
A scene with CG cats shows its seams
Damn, I had forgotten all about this scene too. :lol:

[Ezee E]

Ew... The Mist...

[Dead & Messed Up]

Be happy it's in fourth place. There were days when I genuinely thought it should be number one.

:D

And, ugh, first post index has been updated properly. Stupid vcoding can take it out of you.

[Winston*]

I think the ending of Frailty completely undoes anything the film does well over the preceding 100 minutes or whatever and leaves me hating the film.

Ditto, The Mist.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Ditto, The Mist.

I hated the ending first time around. It took a few viewings for me to appreciate it. Now I love it.

[megladon8]

I hated the ending first time around. It took a few viewings for me to appreciate it. Now I love it.


I love it, but it didn't take me any more than one viewing to come to that conclusion :)

[Dead & Messed Up]

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(2005, NEIL MARSHALL, UNITED KINGDOM)

Looking back at Dog Soldiers, I thought it wasn't particularly scary. It came out as a black comedy more than anything else. I still had this fundamental need in me to make a horror film that genuinely terrified people.
- Neil Marshall

WHAT IT IS
The scariest horror film of the decade.

WHY IT'S HERE
With The Descent, Neil Marshall fuses the fear of claustrophobia and the fear of being consumed. It's remarkably easy to do so; caverns look uncannily like the insides of an enormous beast. And facing those two fears are the two dominant players: Sarah (Shauna MacDonald) and Juno (Natalie Mendoza). Their seemingly peaceful world of whitewater rafting is shattered by an event stunning in its random cruelty. A year or so later, they hope to recuperate through cave diving.

Their attempt at fun doesn't last long. Before too long, the spelunkers endure enough suspense for two movies. One terrifying sequence features Sarah stuck in a small shaft; a supporting character must snake back in, help her out, then crawl backwards before a rock collapse kills both. Another features an intense roof-climb across a deep abyss. And when the monsters are due, Neil Marshall's sometimes-maddening editing proves invaluable as a way of disorienting us, since a shocking moment comes from the one of the mains getting disoriented.


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Marshall’s slimy antagonists for the women are suitably creepy. The film insinuates that they’re a concurrently descended strain of humanity that’s adapted to cave-dwelling, similar to Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Bollocks. The film is an evocation of basic human fears, and the beasts are nightmare creatures, pure and simple. They're close enough to humanity to be eerily familiar, but distant enough that they can function as an inhuman threat. What they are is frightening, and that's enough.

Neil Marshall’s no stranger to the genre. His Dog Soldiers was boisterous fun that neatly outran its plot holes, but this film takes a different approach to the horror: equal to the monster plight is the tension between the two leads, who find their emotions heightened under the duress of their search for escape. The Descent rightly observes that all truly great horror films deal with human failings and weaknesses, but while this film references many other films, The Descent coheres into a whole, its story a tale of monsters in all forms, exterior and interior.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
It's probably prudent to move so quickly from the setup to the exploration, but I would have appreciated just a little more character development toward the beginning. Thankfully, the limited cast is still distinctive - much moreso than the sometimes-interchangeable troupe members of Dog Soldiers.

OVERALL
Brilliant in its simplicity, The Descent is a powerful experience, possibly the purest horror outing since Alien.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


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It's gotta be the British ending, where we learn that Sarah didn't escape at all, but is still lost there in the cave, undoubtedly insane. The sounds of monsters increase, the film smashes to black, and wow.

OTHERS SAY

Carefully establishes the psychological relationships...then squanders this calibrated and generally plausible setup with a series of crude, implausible, and scattershot horror effects.
- Johnathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader

Recalls grueling, adrenaline-pumping classics like Deliverance, Jaws, Alien, and Dead Calm. It's that good.
- Jim Emerson, Scanners

I found myself really caught up emotionally and psychologically with the characters' situation and definitely had that feeling of dreading what was around the next corner.
- Spinal

[Ezee E]

Now this I can really get behind.

[Dead & Messed Up]

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(2004, EDGAR WRIGHT, UNITED KINGDOM)

We wanted to make a distinction. It's all too easy-and kind of cheap - to make a spoof and take the rise out of those films, because we love those films! And so ours is very affectionate horror-comedy, in that the horror's horrific and the comedy's funny.
- Edgar Wright

WHAT IT IS
The best zombie film since Cemetery Man.

WHY IT'S HERE

This is not a parody. In many ways, this is one of the most accurate pictures of zombiedom ever. Because slow zombies are not terrifying anymore. Not unless they greatly outnumber our heroes. Back when the sub-genre began with Night of the Living Dead, this stuff was new. But if you'll notice, this decade has seen running zombies, singing zombies, armed zombies, Nazi zombies, talking zombies...basically anything to outrace Romero's original vision. Shaun of the Dead doesn't outrace. It reveres.

More important than the hundred or so nods that horror fans will lap up, Shaun of the Dead reveres the attitude of Romero, which is that the zombies are generally blameless, and what does people in is their emotional baggage. So it's because of Shaun's shortsightedness that their fortress becomes a trap. It's because of Barbara's love that she hides information from the group. David's simmering jealousy of Shaun and Liz rears its head at the worst possible moment. These people are undone by who they are, like Cooper, Peter, Rhodes and Cholo.


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Is that all out of the way? Good. Now I can talk about how much goddamn fun this movie is. There's brilliance in how Wright and Pegg lead their characters to criticize Prince's artistic credibility by deciding which to throw at the shambling undead. There's pleasurable dread in how the zombie threat reveals itself, inspired by the naturalism of Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I adore how the television tries to warn Shaun of the encroaching apocalypse. He flips to a music video channel and sees "panic on the streets of London!"

There's also genuine fun in the finale, where the emotions all brim to the surface just as the zombies become formidable and terrifying. The crowd is a mix of faces we've seen throughout the entire movie, and that's a further nod to Romero's affection for "hero" zombies in distinctive outfits. From the zombie twins to a still-naked buddy of Shaun's, we're reminded of how zombies were once our friends and neighbors. If the thought weighs on you, I suggest you listen to a few Queen songs. Cheers me right up.

WHY IT'S NOT HIGHER
As good as it is, there's a slight sense of retreat towards the end, as the film turns into yet another variation on Rio Bravo. Of course, it's likely Shaun got the very idea from watching old zombie movies. And even with this retreat, there's still remarkable wit (and emotion) to the surrender, as Shaun comes to terms with his friends, his family, and his true love.

OVERALL
Its tone recalls An American Werewolf in London, a film Shaun is equal to.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


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The biggest gut laugh in the movie, when Ed responds to his first zombie.

SOME SAY

The cast make a cosy fit, the patter is still sitcom snappy, but Wright also has the visual snap to carry this saga of backyard apocalypse.
- Derek Adams, Time Out

If there weren't a subtext I would surely enjoy the movie for the surface comedy and horror alone. I might even want to watch it a million times, as I do now. But the symbolism and depth of the movie make me appreciate it as a masterpiece.
- Christopher Campbell, Cinematical

I once predicted Undertow would be my favorite movie of 2004. It ended up being Shaun of the Dead.
- Antoine

[Dead & Messed Up]

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(2001, KIYOSHI KUROSAWA, JAPAN)

Giant monsters flying down from another planet and rampaging through the streets is unarguably scary. People will probably be frightened and flee in confusion, and several among them will even lose their lives...but it isn’t horror. The reason being, this scariness is something that can be conquered.
- Kiyoshi Kurosawa

WHAT IT IS
Okay, I guess.

WHY IT'S HERE
In Pulse, nothing is conquerable, because the antagonist is death. Not the practical joker of Final Destination or the persona of The Seventh Seal, but the decay of life. The premise is that wavelengths from the Internet have somehow cued into those wavelengths of our universe inhabited by dead spirits. They now have a way into our world, and so death itself, as some strange sort of aura and disease, sometimes manifested as ghosts, spreads slowly, painfully, inevitably.

All horror films are about death, of course, but few have so acutely keyed into the looming specter of our own demise. I can think of only a few. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Lewton's The Seventh Victim, Soavi's Cemetery Man. Kurosawa similarly offers up a scenario that terrifies with its totality and its bleakness. All of these people are doomed and, as viewers watching and experiencing their emotions, we all are doomed to die.


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The story focuses on a few people in Tokyo. One day, a boy hangs himself, and his friends reel from shock. Meanwhile, a new Internet user sees a message on his computer: Do you want to see a ghost? The film reveals itself carefully through these, and other, clues. Red tape covering a door. A bag over someone's head. Kurosawa isn't interested in exploring the logic of his premise. He's fascinated by the emotions it inspires, the images it evokes, the colors and the shots and the growing sense of dread. The dread that all of this is ending.

This conceit, which Kurosawa himself called millenial by its nature, didn't influence horror that much, although it inspired a few directly (the Pulse remakes) and at least one indirectly (Dan Gildark cites it as a huge influence on Cthulhu). While it didn't quite penetrate the genre in the way that films like 28 Days Later and the TCM remake did, Pulse remains one of the definitive genre statements of the decade. The film is a stylistic stunner with a horrifying central idea, and it takes its time, just like its ghosts, whose movements are liquid and slow. You see, they have all the time in the world.

And we don't.

WHY IT'S #1
Seriously. Watch the way Kurosawa's working. He builds his world with long shot lengths, and he emphasizes the isolation of his characters by having them occupy the same space, but panning from one to the other, so they never occupy the same frame. Together, yes, but separate. Look at the way his ghosts are slow, disturbing rather than threatening. They move like a foregone conclusion. Look at how gradually the settings grow from small interiors to city-wide visions of disaster.

OVERALL
The best horror film of the past decade.

CROWNING MOMENT OF AWESOME


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Oh Gosh. Well, there's the first "ghost" experience, the specter in the library. There's something deep happening with the Enola-Gay-esque plane crashing. But the defining moment is probably the same for me as many others. The suicide halfway through the picture, where we watch carefully in mounting disbelief, then flinch when the body hits the ground in one unforgettable continuous take.

OTHERS SAY

There are very few moments in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's fiercely original, thrillingly creepy horror movie that don't evoke a dreamlike dread of the truly unknown.
- Anita Gates, The New York Times

The setup proves infinitely more disquieting than the follow-through. Did I mention that nothing in the two snail-paced hours of Pulse makes close to a shred of sense?
- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

I will never tire of hearing about this film. Every time I watch it, I feel compelled to move it higher on my all-time favorites list.
- Raiders

[The Mike]

Strong list. I'll admit to having little to no memory of Pulse, so I need to be revisiting it soon. Shaun was also #2 on my list when I did one like this last year, and The Mist was #1.

Good work, kind sir!

[Rowland]

Dog Soldiers (**)
Rogue (***½)
Fido (n/a)
Martyrs (****)

25. The Call of Cthulhu (**½)
24. The Last Winter (**½)
23. Three Extremes (**½)
22. The Eye (**)
21. Slither (***)
20. Ginger Snaps (**½)
19. Drag Me to Hell (**½)
18. Hostel (**½)
17. The Devil's Rejects (***½)
16. The Devil's Backbone (n/a)
15. May (***)
14. Rec (***)
13. American Psycho (**½)
12. Bug (**)
11. The Host (***)
10. Frailty (***)
9. The Orphanage (n/a)
8. 28 Days Later (***½)
7. Battle Royale (**½)
6. Session 9 (**½)
5. Let the Right One In (***½)
4. The Mist (***)
3. The Descent (***)
2. Shaun of the Dead (***½)
1. Pulse (****)

[Spinal]

I am in the minority in thinking that the cat scene in Let the Right One In is fantastic. It's unjustly maligned.

Top three are fantastic. Nicely done.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Thanks guys! However, I do have one more post to add to this beast. Just a second here...

[Dead & Messed Up]

AFTERWORD: DaMU's Decade of Horror

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/Summary2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/Summary4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/Horror%20Decade%20Various/Summary3.jpg

[Mysterious Dude]

That was quite a good list. I think I would have put Shaun of the Dead at number one. I like the way Pulse depicts its ghosts, but I don't quite gel with the apocalyptic finale.

[Spun Lepton]

Great list, DaMU. You're making me seriously reconsider watching Pulse.

I think The Mist is probably my top pick for best of the decade. I love that crazy Twilight Zone vibe. I still need to see it in B&W.

[Bosco B Thug]

[Martyrs] offers up the kind of puzzlebox that should shake the foundation of anyone who's ever contemplated the futility of existence and the fruitfulness of suicide. It's the sort of film, as a good friend of mine once described another film, that makes you want to go home and put a gun in your mouth.
- Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central It's definitely an existential horror film, that's for sure, which is always nice to have. I'll take Pulse's approach, though. Makes me just want to lie down and die.

Martyrs is all good. ;)


I hated the ending first time around. It took a few viewings for me to appreciate it. Now I love it. Execution is somewhat annoying, but conceptually, yes, I think it's pretty diabolically brilliant (and rhetorically right-minded, mind you (the naysayers, not you)!).


All horror films are about death, of course, but few have so acutely keyed into the looming specter of our own demise. I can think of only a few. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Lewton's The Seventh Victim Yep, those two are definitely ones.


Kurosawa similarly offers up a scenario that terrifies with its totality and its bleakness. All of these people are doomed and, as viewers watching and experiencing their emotions, we all are doomed to die.

The film is a stylistic stunner with a horrifying central idea, and it takes its time, just like its ghosts, whose movements are liquid and slow. You see, they have all the time in the world.

And we don't. Ah, such a scary movie.



I am in the minority in thinking that the cat scene in Let the Right One In is fantastic. It's unjustly maligned. Yeah. I liked the cat scene.

[Grouchy]

Congratulations on the list, man. Awesome listing and formatting powers. I don't like Pulse all that much, but numbers 2 and 3 rock me up.

My list of something like this would look:

1. Let the Right One In
2. May
3. The Devil's Backbone
4. Battle Royale (since you counted it)
5. The Descent
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. Strange Circus
8. Bubba Ho-Tep
9. Dog Soldiers
10. Masters of Horror: Imprint

11. The Devil's Rejects
12. The Mist
13. Dagon
14. Films to Keep You Awake: Baby's Room
15. Nightmare Detective
16. Bug
17. Martyrs
18. Repo! The Genetic Opera
19. Tokyo Gore Police
20. [Rec]

21. The Call of Cthulhu
22. Drag Me to Hell
23. Requiem
24. The Children
25. Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns

HM: I Sell the Dead / Ju-On / El Orfanato / Pulse

[Adam]

Great job - very entertaining read

There's a pretty huge chasm in quality between 1-3 and most of 4-25

[StanleyK]

I've only seen 7 films from this list, so now I have some recommendations; not sure I'd consider Shaun of the Dead a horror movie though.

Anyway, great thread and great write-ups!

[Scar]

I've only seen 7 films from this list, so now I have some recommendations; not sure I'd consider Shaun of the Dead a horror movie though.

Anyway, great thread and great write-ups!

While Shaun of the Dead is hilarious and does send up zombie movies, it's not afraid to sucker punch you in the gut w/ real emotion, plus at least one really gory kill.

[Raiders]

Dog Soldiers (**½)
Rogue (***)

24. The Last Winter (***½)
21. Slither (***)
20. Ginger Snaps (***)
19. Drag Me to Hell (**)
18. Hostel (*½)
17. The Devil's Rejects (**)
16. The Devil's Backbone (***½)
15. May (**½)
13. American Psycho (*½)
12. Bug (***½)
11. The Host (****)
10. Frailty (**)
9. The Orphanage (**)
8. 28 Days Later (***½)
7. Battle Royale (**)
6. Session 9 (**½)
4. The Mist (**)
3. The Descent (**)
2. Shaun of the Dead (***½)
1. Pulse (****)

[Ezee E]

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS
Dog Soldiers by JenniferoftheJungle [***]
Rogue by The Mike [N/A]
Fido by Megladon8 [N/A]
Martyrs by Rowland [N/A]

THE LIST
25. The Call of Cthulhu / Cthulhu [N/A]
24. The Last Winter [* 1/2]
23. Three Extremes [*** 1/2]
22. The Eye [n/a]
21. Slither [** 1/2]
20. Ginger Snaps [n/a]
19. Drag Me to Hell [*** 1/2]
18. Hostel [***]
17. The Devil's Rejects [****]
16. The Devil's Backbone [***]
15. May [****]
14. Rec [****]
13. American Psycho [****]
12. Bug [****]
11. The Host [** 1/2]
10. Frailty [****]
9. The Orphanage [***]
8. 28 Days Later [** 1/2]
7. Battle Royale [****]
6. Session 9 [**]
5. Let the Right One In [****]
4. The Mist [**]
3. The Descent [****]
2. Shaun of the Dead [***]
1. Pulse [** 1/2]

Surprised that Dawn of the Dead remake didn't make it. Was it mentioned somewhere?

My own top ten would probably be like this:

I didn't consider Battle Royale horror, otherwise that would easily make the list. I'll have to also look over a list of movies in case I missed another.

1. The Descent
2. American Psycho
3. Let the Right One In
4. Dawn of the Dead
5. Frailty
6. Rec
7. Bug
8. May
9. Three Extremes
10. Drag Me To Hell

[Ezee E]

Here's a list of movies not mentioned that I liked. None of them would probably make it into the top ten:

-Exorcism of Emily Rose - Reality VS. Perception. I liked how it handled this, while also having some very frightening images. The shot of the roommate waking up to Emily Rose at the end of an epileptic seizure is one of the more frightening horror images from the decade.

-From Hell - style over substance, but enjoyable throughout.

-Paranormal Activity - one of the few horror movies that actually scared. This, Rec, The Descent, and some of Emily Rose.

28 Weeks Later - superior to the original, but more of an action-war movie a la Aliens.

-The Ruins - probably the best of the "torture porn" era of horror movies. I like this one more and more each viewing, and this has the best chance of cracking into the top ten. May even move up to #7.

-Trick 'R Treat - resonating extremely well with me. It has a memorable villain, great segments, and an original sense of style. I'm surprised this really was direct-to-DVD.

-Dawn of the Dead - Obviously in my top ten, and also what I believe is the real reason for the restart of the zombie genre.

[The Mike]

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS
Dog Soldiers by JenniferoftheJungle - Awesome
Rogue by The Mike - Awesome
Fido by Megladon8 - Solid
Martyrs by Rowland - Unseen

THE LIST
25. The Call of Cthulhu / Cthulhu - OK/Unseen
24. The Last Winter - Solid
23. Three Extremes - Unseen
22. The Eye - Unseen
21. Slither - Awesome
20. Ginger Snaps - Awesome
19. Drag Me to Hell - Awesome
18. Hostel - Not a fan (But I dig the sequel)
17. The Devil's Rejects - Meh.
16. The Devil's Backbone - Unseen
15. May - Solid
14. Rec - Awesome
13. American Psycho - Awesome
12. Bug - Solid
11. The Host - Awesome
10. Frailty - Awesome
9. The Orphanage - Unseen
8. 28 Days Later - Awesome
7. Battle Royale - Unseen
6. Session 9 - Solid
5. Let the Right One In - Solid (Needs a rewatch)
4. The Mist - Awesome
3. The Descent - Solid
2. Shaun of the Dead - Awesome
1. Pulse - Don't remember

[Rowland]

Some more worthy movies off the top of my head that weren't mentioned include:

Cure
Audition (these top two made in '90s, released in US during '00s)
Seance
Inside
The Others
Silent Hill
Dark Water (Nakata, though Salles isn't bad either)
The Dark
The Abandoned
Planet Terror
Splinter
The Ring
Wendigo
The Woods

[jenniferofthejungle]

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS
Dog Soldiers by JenniferoftheJungle - LOVE
Rogue by The Mike - LIKE A LOT
Fido by Megladon8 - LOVE
Martyrs by Rowland - Unseen

THE LIST
25. The Call of Cthulhu / Cthulhu - LIKE A LOT/OKAY
24. The Last Winter - Like
23. Three Extremes - Like a lot
22. The Eye - Love
21. Slither - Love
20. Ginger Snaps - No Like
19. Drag Me to Hell - Love
18. Hostel - NA
17. The Devil's Rejects - It's okay.
16. The Devil's Backbone - LOVE
15. May - No Like
14. Rec - LOVE
13. American Psycho - LOVE, but I wouldn't list it as horror.
12. Bug - Good, but I didn't buy the quick descent into madness, sorry.
11. The Host - LOVE
10. Frailty - Love
9. The Orphanage - LOVE
8. 28 Days Later - LIKE
7. Battle Royale - Love, but it would not be on my horror list
6. Session 9 - LOVE
5. Let the Right One In - LOVE
4. The Mist - Love
3. The Descent - LOVE
2. Shaun of the Dead - LOVE LOVE LOVE
1. Pulse - LOVE, but it would never be my #1 anything


Mike, I am shocked that you haven't seen The Devil's Backbone yet! Sheesh. Get thee to Best Buy on sale day!

[megladon8]

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS
Dog Soldiers by JenniferoftheJungle - 9
Rogue by The Mike - 7
Fido by Megladon8 - 8
Martyrs by Rowland - N/A

THE LIST
25. The Call of Cthulhu / Cthulhu - 8.5 / 8
24. The Last Winter - 8
23. Three Extremes - 7
22. The Eye - 6
21. Slither - 7
20. Ginger Snaps - 8
19. Drag Me to Hell - 9
18. Hostel - 5
17. The Devil's Rejects - 8
16. The Devil's Backbone - 7.5
15. May - 4.5
14. Rec - 9
13. American Psycho - 10
12. Bug - 6
11. The Host - 8.5
10. Frailty - 7.5
9. The Orphanage - 9
8. 28 Days Later - 9
7. Battle Royale - 6
6. Session 9 - 10
5. Let the Right One In - 10
4. The Mist - 10
3. The Descent - 9
2. Shaun of the Dead - 9
1. Pulse - 9


Yep, a pretty darn awesome list :)

[Dukefrukem]

On the evidence of Jeepers Creepers and its underrated (and arguably superior) sequel, Victor Salva is one talented genre craftsman. I'm probably one of the few eagerly anticipating Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral.

They're really doing a third???


Explain, please. It is truly one of the most horrid movies I have seen.

Agreed. Its funny that one of their reasonings for getting off the bus in the first place was because they didn't want to get hit by a drunk driver... so what was preventing them from getting hit by a drunk driver when they were walking on the side of the road?

[Dukefrukem]

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS
Dog Soldiers by JenniferoftheJungle - 87
Rogue by The Mike - NA
Fido by Megladon8 - 89
Martyrs by Rowland - 90

THE LIST
25. The Call of Cthulhu / Cthulhu - 60
24. The Last Winter - NA
23. Three Extremes - 90
22. The Eye - 40
21. Slither -93
20. Ginger Snaps - NA
19. Drag Me to Hell - 96
18. Hostel - 70
17. The Devil's Rejects - 86
16. The Devil's Backbone - NA
15. May - NA
14. Rec - 90
13. American Psycho -82
12. Bug - 80
11. The Host - 95
10. Frailty - NA
9. The Orphanage - NA
8. 28 Days Later - 88
7. Battle Royale - 90
6. Session 9 - NA
5. Let the Right One In - 95
4. The Mist - 84
3. The Descent - 96
2. Shaun of the Dead - 91
1. Pulse - 90

[Dukefrukem]

Disappointed I didn't see Signs anywhere.

[Bosco B Thug]

Dog Soldiers - **1/2
Rogue - **1/2
Fido - n/a
Martyrs - ***

25. The Call of Cthulhu / Cthulhu - n/a
24. The Last Winter - **1/2
23. Three Extremes - **1/2
22. The Eye - **
21. Slither - **1/2
20. Ginger Snaps - n/a
19. Drag Me to Hell - **1/2
18. Hostel - **1/2
17. The Devil's Rejects - ***
16. The Devil's Backbone - n/a
15. May - ***1/2
14. Rec - **1/2
13. American Psycho - ***
12. Bug - ***
11. The Host - ***1/2
10. Frailty - n/a
9. The Orphanage - **
8. 28 Days Later - ***
7. Battle Royale - ***
6. Session 9 - **1/2
5. Let the Right One In - ***
4. The Mist - ***1/2
3. The Descent - ***
2. Shaun of the Dead - ***
1. Pulse - ***1/2

And somma this:

Seance > Pulse (maybe... Pulse is just too damn ambitious)
Wendigo >> The Last Winter
The Others >>> The Orphanage

[Spun Lepton]

GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS
Dog Soldiers by JenniferoftheJungle -- 7/10
Rogue by The Mike -- N/A
Fido by Megladon8 -- 5/10
Martyrs by Rowland -- N/A

THE LIST
25. Cthulhu -- 3/10
24. The Last Winter -- 3/10
23. Three Extremes -- N/A
22. The Eye -- 8/10
21. Slither -- 8/10
20. Ginger Snaps -- 7/10
19. Drag Me to Hell -- 7/10
18. Hostel -- 7/10
17. The Devil's Rejects -- 5/10 (planning to watch again)
16. The Devil's Backbone -- 9/10
15. May -- 6/10
14. Rec -- 8/10
13. American Psycho -- 5/10 (planning to watch again)
12. Bug -- N/A
11. The Host -- 8/10
10. Frailty -- 8/10
9. The Orphanage -- N/A
8. 28 Days Later -- 7/10
7. Battle Royale -- 5/10 (planning to watch again)
6. Session 9 -- 9/10
5. Let the Right One In -- 8/10
4. The Mist -- 9/10
3. The Descent -- 8/10
2. Shaun of the Dead -- 9/10
1. Pulse -- 5/10 (planning to watch again)

[Spinal]

****
May
Pulse
Shaun of the Dead
Let the Right One In

***1/2
The Descent
Battle Royale
28 Days Later

***
Fido
The Call of Cthulhu
Ginger Snaps
Frailty

**1/2
Drag Me to Hell
Rec

**
Hostel
Bug
The Host

*1/2
American Psycho

Haven't seen:
Dog Soldiers
Rogue
Martyrs
Cthulhu
The Last Winter
Three Extremes
The Eye
Slither
The Devil's Rejects
The Devil's Backbone
The Orphanage
Session 9
The Mist

[Philosophe_rouge]

Dog Soldiers NA
Rogue NA
Fido NA
Martyrs NA

25. The Call of Cthulhu NA
24. The Last Winter NA
23. Three Extremes NA
22. The Eye NA
21. Slither NA
20. Ginger Snaps 9/10
19. Drag Me to Hell 9/10
18. Hostel NA
17. The Devil's Rejects NA
16. The Devil's Backbone 7.5/10
15. May 6.5/10
14. Rec 8/10
13. American Psycho 7.5/10
12. Bug NA
11. The Host 6/10
10. Frailty NA
9. The Orphanage 5/10
8. 28 Days Later 7/10
7. Battle Royale 8/10
6. Session 9 NA
5. Let the Right One In 9/10
4. The Mist 8/10
3. The Descent 8/10
2. Shaun of the Dead 7/10
1. Pulse NA

[Dead & Messed Up]

DaMU, I do not wish to derail your most excellent thread into a state of off-topic randomness, but someday, on some thread, I'd be quite interested in knowing what your favorite horror movie soundtracks are. Again, this wasn't raised so everyone would start listing theirs here -- start a new thread or something -- but given your passion for and knowledge of the genre, I think I'd enjoy reading what you have to say on the topic.

Russ, sorry I didn't respond to this sooner.

Honestly, that's something that I don't think about too often, which seems odd, because so much depends on how a soundtrack can build suspense. Out of the soundtracks and composers I can remember distinctly...

Bernard Hermann seems to be the go-to guy for classic horror strings, the shrieking, etc., and his Psycho score is undeniably influential (probably to a fault). I have a couple of his tracks on my computer.

In that mode of soundtracks, James Newton Howard does wonders with M. Night Shyamalan's films. I love how simple and effective his score for Signs is. It's mostly just that three note ostinato - da-da-DA, da-da-DA.

I really like what Joseph Lo Duca was able to do on a low budget for The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II. Especially the latter, which has that wonderfully enormous cue when Rotten Apple Head comes in at the very end and grabs Ash.

Marco Beltrami's scores for the Scream movies have a good overture, but the rest seems somewhat rote. I don't find his Hellboy scores worthwhile or memorable.

I learned to love Goblin's cheesy keyboard-heavy score for Dawn of the Dead, but I sometimes wonder if a classier soundtrack would've worked just as well. However, their work on Suspiria was great.

Oh, John Carpenter of course. And Morricone aping Carpenter for The Thing, which has a score equal to Williams's work on Jaws. Love how the score simulates the Thing's heartbeat. Dun-dun...dun-dun...dun-dun.

I'd have to re-learn a lot of musical terms and study the shit out of it if I wanted to do a thread I'd be proud of, but those are my stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the subject.

Good question! I should really start paying more attention to that.

[Russ]

Interesting that out of all those great choices, you failed to mention two of my favorites (which I'll assume was an oversight :) ): Wendy Carlos', et al.., contributions to The Shining and Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn's stellar work on Ravenous. Of course, we can't forget Carpenter's much-heralded synth score in Halloween...and that was a GREAT call on Morricone's riff on Carpenter for The Thing.

Speaking of The Master (Bernard Herrmann), I absolutely adore Richard Band's "tribute" (or ripoff, whichever way you see it) in the opening to The Re-Animator - great stuff!!

It's easy to overlook horror film scores because our attention is usually attuned elsewhere. I thought it would make for an interesting sidebar discussion. Thanks for your observations!

[D_Davis]

As far as horror/thriller scores go, they don't get any better than tomandandy.

Their work on The Mothman Prophecies, The Strangers, Mean Creak, and The Hills Have Eyes are extraordinary. They work as both stand-alone pieces of music, and in context to the films.

[MadMan]

Disappointed I didn't see Signs anywhere.Its more sci-fi/thriller than a horror movie.

I've only seen 8 movies off of the list. Shaun of the Dead is utterly hilarious, and flat out great, of course. Let The Right One In is fairly good, sure, and gets a strong 90 from me, but I don't think its as amazing as people make it out to be.

Overall, cool list, DaMU. When I finally decide to dive fully into modern horror I'll try and check out the ones on your list that I haven't seen.

[Boner M]

Not a fan of The Others, then? That one really holds up on repeats for me. I also think Dumplings and Wolf Creek belong on the list.

[Rowland]

Not a fan of The Others, then? That one really holds up on repeats for me. I also think Dumplings and Wolf Creek belong on the list.The Others and Dumplings definitely. Also J.T. Petty's awesome Soft for Digging. And his DTV Mimic 3: Sentinel, which I'd argue is superior to Del Toro's original.

[Rowland]

Explain, please. It is truly one of the most horrid movies I have seen.

Agreed.
Oh, poppycock. In formal and technical terms alone, Jeepers Creepers 2 is better made than over 90% of the genre's output. Salva uses lush cinematography to establish a plaintive, dreamlike atmosphere while emphasizing both the depth of field within his images as well as the tension in space within and without the frame to craftily generate tension, and he keeps it all moving through a camera that roves with purpose and dynamic scene transitions.

It's an old-school creature feature that has fun with the genre's cheesier tropes, its creature effects are practically executed, its action set pieces are imaginative and vigorous, its narrative uses dual, complementary plot threads that merge for the third act to sustain interest, it has a wickedly perverse sense of humor without betraying its commitment to playing the silly premise seriously, and Ray Winstone plays a fucking bad-ass with relish. Furthermore, the movie's subtext as I read it (the Creeper embodying Salva's repressed sexual predatory instincts) is both rich and poignant in its naked honest.

[Grouchy]

Where does Rowland find all those WORDS?

[MadMan]

Where does Rowland find all those WORDS?A dictionary? :P

[Dukefrukem]

Not a fan of The Others, then? That one really holds up on repeats for me. I also think Dumplings and Wolf Creek belong on the list.

Isn't Dumplings part of Three Extremes?


Oh, poppycock. In formal and technical terms alone, Jeepers Creepers 2 is better made than over 90% of the genre's output. Salva uses lush cinematography to establish a plaintive, dreamlike atmosphere while emphasizing both the depth of field within his images as well as the tension in space within and without the frame to craftily generate tension, and he keeps it all moving through a camera that roves with purpose and dynamic scene transitions.

It's an old-school creature feature that has fun with the genre's cheesier tropes, its creature effects are practically executed, its action set pieces are imaginative and vigorous, its narrative uses dual, complementary plot threads that merge for the third act to sustain interest, it has a wickedly perverse sense of humor without betraying its commitment to playing the silly premise seriously, and Ray Winstone plays a fucking bad-ass with relish. Furthermore, the movie's subtext as I read it (the Creeper embodying Salva's repressed sexual predatory instincts) is both rich and poignant in its naked honest.

I need a rewatch but non of this is registering from my initial viewing. I can agree that best part of the movie, the first five minutes in the corn field, the atmosphere is established perfectly. It's the rest of the movie that fails to deliver again at that level. Just poor execution all around.

[Rowland]

Isn't Dumplings part of Three Extremes? Dumplings was a full-length feature that was cut down to a short for Three Extremes. I prefer the original myself, it can be found on the DVD I believe.

[megladon8]

Dumplings was a full-length feature that was cut down to a short for Three Extremes. I prefer the original myself, it can be found on the DVD I believe.


Yep, the original full-length Dumplings can be viewed on the second disc of the Three...Extremes DVD.

[D_Davis]

I Like Jeepers Creepers 1 and 2 a ton. The first especially so, and especially the first half.