Lanz, fuck you for showing that slenderman stuff. I got curious and looked up stuff. Without watching any videos or seeing more than two pictures, I am still thoroughly freaked out. Asshole.
The other, "Welcome to the Ark" can only really be viewed by getting it off megaupload now that they pulled it. Not sure what the rules are though for posting links there (any thoughts, Jeffe?). It's not too hard to find though now.
Yeah, not really a good idea.
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NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
Lanz, fuck you for showing that slenderman stuff. I got curious and looked up stuff. Without watching any videos or seeing more than two pictures, I am still thoroughly freaked out. Asshole.
I can link you to the origins if you think that might help.
AstaerethIn the belly of the beastRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
Decided to watch a bunch of horror movies in the run up to Halloween, mostly off of the two "Bravo Scariest Movie Moments" lists, which are really quite good (full lists here). They've got a good range from the accepted classics (Jaws, Alien, Psycho) to the more obscure arthouse stuff (Wait Until Dark, Don't Look Now, Peeping Tom) and the schlocky grindhouse stuff (Zombi, Re-Animator).
Last night I watched Fatal Attraction, which is freaking terrifying (no idea how well it works for women, though). Now I'm on the 1950s "The Haunting", which is faithful to the original novel, but kind of stilted, although I'm not sure whether it's the time period or the lack of Jackson's smooth, chilling prose to fill in the gaps between shock and psychological drama. Still, it's better than Rose Red, and nobody in it is Owen Wilson.
Irreversible, the worst movie anyone could have ever taken a date on.
Ever.
Ever ever.
Shoulda read up on what it was about first.
You actually did this?
Holy crap.
I thought seeing Splice on a date was bad. Though to be fair, she wanted to see it. It was still pretty awkward.
Not a horror movie, but on a first date we watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind thinking it was, as advertized, a comedy. Some very very awkward things in that movie for a first date if i do say so myself.
Yeah, I wasn't really recommending anyone actually watch Irreversible - least of all with someone of the opposite gender - even least-er of all with someone of the opposite gender that could be romantic. I would down-right suggest you don't do this to anyone else thinking this might be a good idea. The only other movie I can think of that has even as close to a notoriety level of Irreversible is Salo, and let's not get into that right now...
Anyway, I loved those Bravo scariest movie specials they did a couple of years back. They really opened my eyes to a lot of good stuff.
For instance - you want something incredibly freaky like PA? Wait Until Dark. Go get it right now and watch it in the dark. Don't read anything else about it and you will not regret it. It's a classic that I would absolutely adore seeing in its original on-stage theatrical format. Soooo suspenseful.
Looking at that list, there are definitely others to recommend:
Blue Velvet - Lynch's best work. @ElJeffe: I wasn't impressed or really creeped out by Eraserhead either.
Re-Animator - this one isn't scary but it is right up there with Evil Dead 2 for pure comedy/horror splatterfest. It's also legendary horror actor, Jeffrey Combs' break-out role as Dr. Herbert West.
Near Dark - a very cool vampire western starring some great actors (it's a mini-Aliens reunion). Same director as The Hurt Locker but obviously very, very different.
The Vanishing (the original version, not the English version) - I got the criterion collection version of this a couple of years ago and it is just creepy. Kind of reminds me of Silence of the Lambs at parts but is completely different. It does a lot of things other horror movies try to do but does it all without jump scares.
The Game - an over-looked David Fincher film. Just so creepy and head-trippy. It's very meta and shares many things in common with Fincher's other work.
Jacob's Ladder - oh God, this movie, you know? I don't even... any other meme to show extreme discomfort. If you like Silent Hill, you need to see Jacob's Ladder.
Manhunter - I mentioned Silence of the Lambs above, while this is the first movie with Hannibal Lector (expertly portrayed by Brian Cox). This can go a little bit long and is definitely a product of the 80's, but it gets so creepy and under your skin at times - overall very good.
Looking at those lists there are some movies I still really need to see including Play Misty for Me, Night of the Hunter, The Changeling, and Cape Fear.
Return to Oz scared my seven year old self. A desert that turns you to sand if you touch any part of it?
I've never seen Return to Oz, but I had a book version of it with pictures from the movie. The entire cabinets full of screaming heads was great for a 9-year-old.
Return to Oz was... man, I'm kinda surprised it was supposed to be a straight-up kids movie. The original was so light and happy, with songs and whatnot. Then we get Fairuza Balk (not hot at the time) running around apocalyptic Oz.
I saw Hostel on a first date. It was terrible. Girl's idea.
She was also terrible.
Just got back from PA2. I enjoyed it. Felt more cohesive than the first one, though I was confused at first because the house is similar to the first house, I thought they were the same. Enjoyed having more characters as well. Much improved. Now I want to see the 3rd movie where
Ali goes off and finds hunter and saves him and then it turns into the two of them kickin' demon ass
Wow, I can only remembering seeing bits of Return to Oz on the Disney Channel (it had to have been years ago) right around this time of year I believe, but I never saw the whole thing.
Being reminded of it and with two words being so awesome together, I may have to rent this and see the whole thing through at some point. Of course I also thought The Wiz was pretty creepy at times too.
Wow, I can only remembering seeing bits of Return to Oz on the Disney Channel (it had to have been years ago) right around this time of year I believe, but I never saw the whole thing.
Being reminded of it and with two words being so awesome together, I may have to rent this and see the whole thing through at some point. Of course I also thought The Wiz was pretty creepy at times too.
This would actually be furiously awesome, if they made a movie intentionally based around this concept.
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South hostI obey without questionRegistered Userregular
I read the description for this on Wikipedia. There is no way I could watch this.
There's some generally scary moments and some generally disturbing ones. The acting is pretty bad, though. It definitely will make you uncomfortable and the Brothers Dowdle should be big names in the American horror scene, soon, as no one else is really doing anything too new or interesting.
Much like PA, a lot of the more tense moments just come from the waiting game that you have to play. There's a semi-twist ending, too, which is by far the most effective part of the movie.
Didn't end up seeing PA2 this weekend, which was a bummer.
As for Eraserhead, Lynch's work definitely is circular in terms of accessibility. His shorts and Eraserhead aren't really coherent and it ends up turning into art more than a movie. Once he settles into the studio system, he makes some great stuff. Blue Velvet is awesome as is (my personal favorite) Lost Highway. He got free reign again with Mulholland Drive, which is great but confusing, and then Inland Empire makes zero sense.
As for horror recommendations, I can't make any now, but the Bravo and AMC lists are actually pretty awesome. They have a lot of classic forgotten horror and foreign horror. Anyone should start there.
Probably going to see this before it leaves theaters, because the first one scared the shit out of me.
I'm so tired (not necessarily this board) of all the horror movie posturing. I get it. Nothing scares you. You know its a movie. You're too tough and a door slamming just makes you laugh at the shitty movie.
Paranormal Activity creeped me out, Blair Witch kept me from sleeping well for two days, and The Ring made me legitimately terrified of my television for a good six months.
I freely admit I am a big giant pussy.
Speaking of which, Videodrome horrified the hell out of me, but was one of the few movies that has done so in a long time.
I may bring a chick to this movie as a first date because I dont' want to go to some heavy movie about Palestine and I don't want to go to "It's a funny story". Would this be a good idea, or would My Soul To Take be a better idea?
edit--Ah, reading this page I think I shouldn't. Is this the consensus?
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
Couple of stories... I really wanted to watch "Wait until Dark" based on an old English teacher's suggestion (she even brought it in for us to watch in high school). Unfortunately we couldn't watch the whole thing in the single class period. I caught another part of it later in life on A&E (I think?) but again, had prior engagements that couldn't be broken. Years later, I'm reading Stephen King's Danse Macabre and the bastard spoils the best part of the movie for me.
Also, when I was dating this one girl at the time, her friends told me that she liked horror movies and the only one playing at the time was House of Wax. Luckily, she doesn't hold it against me (we're still friends but no longer dating).
So can we discuss which is scarier? How about this: The shock or the absence of shock, which is worse?
Lately a lot of 'horror' movies just seem to be about the shock value and one-upmanship from other movies, what about films that do the absence of shock? Like something is going to happen...... and doesn't. Granted, you can't do that for too long or too often because it becomes routine, but are there any movies out there that get it right?
The shock isn't what bugs me; it's the bullshit goreporn of movies like what the Saw series has become.
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NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
I don't mind no shock. I hate lame shocks like a cat popping out from a locker (yes I know I love alien but that one scene has always struck me as a lazy shock)
So I saw Zombie Strippers.. don't bother with that lump of dog shit. I was going into it expecting the absolute worst in a movie, and somehow it was worse than I could have imagined.
EWom on
Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.
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NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
That was also one of the earlier uses of it, that turned it into a trope (man, I hope that's the right word).
I figured it was one of the first... but I barely even watch horror films (I'm kind of a pussy) and I felt like that cat was not earned. The rest of the movie is, however, pretty much amazing so its really hard to hold it against the film.
That was also one of the earlier uses of it, that turned it into a trope (man, I hope that's the right word).
I figured it was one of the first... but I barely even watch horror films (I'm kind of a pussy) and I felt like that cat was not earned. The rest of the movie is, however, pretty much amazing so its really hard to hold it against the film.
Fair enough. For some reason, that scene can still get a flinch out of me, and I've seen that movie... over a hundred times. It's in constant battle with Ghostbusters for my favorite movie of all time. And, coincidentally, both of those scared me as a kid.
Lately a lot of 'horror' movies just seem to be about the shock value and one-upmanship from other movies, what about films that do the absence of shock? Like something is going to happen...... and doesn't. Granted, you can't do that for too long or too often because it becomes routine, but are there any movies out there that get it right?
I think the most poignant commentary on this topic comes from Michael Haenke's Funny Games. People will tell you the original is better, but honestly, for all intents and purposes they're the same movie. Literally. The same movie.
Anyways, that whole movie deals with the expectation of violence and shock in horror movies. It is an indictment of all things that we enjoy as standard conventions of modern horror and achieves this by continually subverting every possible expectation that modern horror places on the viewer. It even goes as far as to do this by sabotaging a lot of the credibility of the movie AS a movie as well as completely destroying it's own narrative to make a point. The only thing I can liken it to is reading an essay. Don't let someone tell you to watch it like a movie, because it's really not a movie. It's commentary set against the backdrop of a very simple suspense/horror story.
The original Last House on the Left (the sequel failed to understand any of the message of subtlety of the original unfortunately) also deals with shock in an interesting way. You get very graphic violence in moments you most likely wouldn't expect it. The music and aesthetic also play a huge part in it.
I think both of these movies get it "right", as you said, in a much different way. As for more traditional "unexpected" horror, I think the first Paranormal Activity is effective for that reason alone. The times when the camera returns to real time and you wait for 20-30 seconds with nothing happening is far more scary than any one element of actual action in the movie.
Ty West's "House of the Devil" is very conventional, but spends a lot of time not doing the things you'd expect it to do.
The problem with horror that's inherent is that its very difficult to accomplish the unexpected. "If you see a gun in the first act, it has to go off in the third" is the standard of cinema (Funny Games explores this), and subverting expectations becomes very difficult when you follow this rule.
I will second Alien as a movie that succeeds in tension, and I think probably the best example of this is Rosemary's Baby. An absolutely brilliant movie.
Lately a lot of 'horror' movies just seem to be about the shock value and one-upmanship from other movies, what about films that do the absence of shock? Like something is going to happen...... and doesn't. Granted, you can't do that for too long or too often because it becomes routine, but are there any movies out there that get it right?
...snip...
I will second Alien as a movie that succeeds in tension, and I think probably the best example of this is Rosemary's Baby. An absolutely brilliant movie.
After being told Rosemary's Baby was ultra-scary, I saw it as a 9-year-old. Nada. What scares some people doesn't always scare others, but... Rosemary's... did I miss something? That's a serious question. I mean, as a thriller, sure; cuz, I mean, poor girl. But, as a horror film?
Lately a lot of 'horror' movies just seem to be about the shock value and one-upmanship from other movies, what about films that do the absence of shock? Like something is going to happen...... and doesn't. Granted, you can't do that for too long or too often because it becomes routine, but are there any movies out there that get it right?
...snip...
I will second Alien as a movie that succeeds in tension, and I think probably the best example of this is Rosemary's Baby. An absolutely brilliant movie.
After being told Rosemary's Baby was ultra-scary, I saw it as a 9-year-old. Nada. What scares some people doesn't always scare others, but... Rosemary's... did I miss something? That's a serious question. I mean, as a thriller, sure; cuz, I mean, poor girl. But, as a horror film?
also, I'm not trolling. Just discussing.
I saw Rosemary's Baby for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was alright but too slow paced for me. I guess movies have intensified since then. Also the ending didn't horrify me, it was more of an eyebrow raise.
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AstaerethIn the belly of the beastRegistered Userregular
The problem with horror that's inherent is that its very difficult to accomplish the unexpected. "If you see a gun in the first act, it has to go off in the third" is the standard of cinema (Funny Games explores this), and subverting expectations becomes very difficult when you follow this rule.
In my continuing horror movie marathon, I watched Single White Female today, which had an amazing example of this.
Early on in the (uniformly excellent) movie, a character uses a screwdriver to close an elevator door (the tool hangs there by a string for that purpose). Knowing the gist of the movie (ie., eventually this roommate will go crazy), I knew as soon as I saw it that that screwdriver would come back. But it takes alllllllmost the entire film to get there--there's a scene where the two main characters are struggling in the elevator, and I'm yelling at the heroine, "SCREWDRIVER! SCREWDRIVER!" and she reaches for it... and doesn't get it it in time! A brilliant twist on the classic thriller set-up/pay-off. Which was then subverted AGAIN when, after a tense cat and mouse sequence, you find out that she went back for it after all. Awesome stuff.
--
As for Rosemary's Baby... it isn't really about scares; it's more about consistently mounting tension. It also ends wonderfully, without releasing the tension conventionally through an explosion of action, but simply by fading out after a scene of blackly comic resignation.
--
I also just watched House of Wax (the good one, with Vincent Price). An excellent, Grand Guignol horror movie, with a deliciously hammy performance by Price. It has, oddly, enough, the single most pointless last scene in a movie I've ever seen, in which all the surviving characters sit around going, "Golly gee whiz, that sure was scary, wasn't it? Well, all's well that ends well. So long!"
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KayWhat we need...Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered Userregular
edited October 2010
I'm going to reinforce the praise for Rosemary's Baby.
It's not a shock boo argh scary movie, it's the atmosphere, mounting tension, and the realisation of what happened, along with the helplessness of the main character that make it. The last scene just amplifies the horror when you see her reaction to what's happened - that's the horror, rather than a monster-in-a-closet scare.
Slow-dawning horror is something I really appreciate in a movie. The creepy, insinuated horror stays with me far longer than shock-jumps.
I understand that, and I'm all for that kind of movie, but Rosemary's Baby just fell flat in that area for me.
Its mostly not even the plot, its just that 60s style of acting and dialogue that annoys me.
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KayWhat we need...Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered Userregular
edited October 2010
The Orphan is pretty good in that sense then, if you're looking for more modern movies with slow-burn horror. It does have a couple of shocks, but not really huge jumps or anything.
I also found Jacob's Ladder to have an excellent slow buildup, and a movie no-one's mentioned yet. Anyone seen Angel Heart?
Kay on
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AstaerethIn the belly of the beastRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
I found Jacob's Ladder to be really good until the last 20 minutes or so when they decided to explain things and somehow chose the least interesting possible explanation.
In other news, "Them!" was cool if you ignored all the silly (cool, adj., 1. any movie which begins with a murder mystery and ends with GIANT ANTS) and hilarious if you didn't (little girl screaming the name of the movie, Santa Claus from Miracle on 34th Street as the scientific expert whose main role is tell everybody how utterly fucked they are, many many Wilhelm screams). Interesting precursor to a lot of movies (particularly Alien), and honestly pretty good for the 50s.
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KayWhat we need...Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered Userregular
edited October 2010
Which ending to Jacob's Ladder did you see? I think there are three, but I only remember two.
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ElJeffeNot actually a mod.Roaming the streets, waving his gun around.Moderator, ClubPAmod
I understand that, and I'm all for that kind of movie, but Rosemary's Baby just fell flat in that area for me.
Its mostly not even the plot, its just that 60s style of acting and dialogue that annoys me.
I don't even think RB is a horror film so much as a film in which fucked-up shit happens. I loved it, but I didn't think it was really scary.
And in general, I find it hard to be scared by any pre-70s horror movies, precisely because of the acting. I can't really be scared by something unless I can buy into the reality of the situation. And I can't buy into it if everyone is acting like they're in a stage play. I like stage plays, and I like old movies, but they aren't scary.
ElJeffe on
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The negative Rosemary's Baby opinions are valid, though I can't say I entirely agree.
As its not the best conventional horror movie, I think it's the best example of what was asked, which is a movie where the absence of things happening is more of a focal point than the things happening. Watching Rosemary go absolutely insane is eerie, quiet and kind of maddening in its own way.
Horror is hard to define. People think of horror and they watch Halloween, SAW, NoES and Friday the 13th. Essentially, Slashers are what people think of as horror. I don't think everyone needs to like Rosemary's Baby, but I will never concede that it's not a horror movie.
I just watched the first Nightmare on Elmstreet last weekend for the first time. Aside from 80's goofiness, it's a damn creepy movie. It's on Netflix Instant for those who are wondering.
I just watched the first Nightmare on Elmstreet last weekend for the first time. Aside from 80's goofiness, it's a damn creepy movie. It's on Netflix Instant for those who are wondering.
It's creepy until it turns into Home Alone.
When Freddy enters the real world and then falls victim to a series of ad hoc traps.
Slow-dawning horror is something I really appreciate in a movie. The creepy, insinuated horror stays with me far longer than shock-jumps.
This is so true for me too, and it only takes like one good moment to make a scary movie work for me because of it. Blair Whitch catches a lot of flak but I thought it had this, because it's not a good movie but can consistently creep me the hell out. There's just one moment that crystalizes that it's not just these scared kids out in the woods. They've done the whole lost in the woods shit goes bump in the night let's get the hell out of here routine and wandered around one day only to get back where they started, so they decide to follow the river downstream to make sure they don't go in a circle. Good plan. And then, just as the daylight is running out, they come over a hill and arrive right back where they started.
Stuff like that is really, really subjective though - which is why I think it doesn't get done. The movie worked for me because of one moment that I identified with, largely because I'm a hiker and someone who would probably do the same exact thing in that situation. Without that, it'd just be a movie with terrible camera work that made me want to punch a crying girl. 'Creepy' movies are really hit and miss and can go either way from person to person based on minimal shit.
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Full on Agreement. I have faith that Scott can pull it off again with the Prequels. At least, I hope he can.
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Yeah, not really a good idea.
I can link you to the origins if you think that might help.
Last night I watched Fatal Attraction, which is freaking terrifying (no idea how well it works for women, though). Now I'm on the 1950s "The Haunting", which is faithful to the original novel, but kind of stilted, although I'm not sure whether it's the time period or the lack of Jackson's smooth, chilling prose to fill in the gaps between shock and psychological drama. Still, it's better than Rose Red, and nobody in it is Owen Wilson.
You actually did this?
Holy crap.
I thought seeing Splice on a date was bad. Though to be fair, she wanted to see it. It was still pretty awkward.
things in mirrors askew from the camera arent scary, sorry
XBLGT:Banzeye SC2: Apollo.394
Not a horror movie, but on a first date we watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind thinking it was, as advertized, a comedy. Some very very awkward things in that movie for a first date if i do say so myself.
Anyway, I loved those Bravo scariest movie specials they did a couple of years back. They really opened my eyes to a lot of good stuff.
For instance - you want something incredibly freaky like PA? Wait Until Dark. Go get it right now and watch it in the dark. Don't read anything else about it and you will not regret it. It's a classic that I would absolutely adore seeing in its original on-stage theatrical format. Soooo suspenseful.
Looking at that list, there are definitely others to recommend:
Blue Velvet - Lynch's best work. @ElJeffe: I wasn't impressed or really creeped out by Eraserhead either.
Re-Animator - this one isn't scary but it is right up there with Evil Dead 2 for pure comedy/horror splatterfest. It's also legendary horror actor, Jeffrey Combs' break-out role as Dr. Herbert West.
Near Dark - a very cool vampire western starring some great actors (it's a mini-Aliens reunion). Same director as The Hurt Locker but obviously very, very different.
The Vanishing (the original version, not the English version) - I got the criterion collection version of this a couple of years ago and it is just creepy. Kind of reminds me of Silence of the Lambs at parts but is completely different. It does a lot of things other horror movies try to do but does it all without jump scares.
The Game - an over-looked David Fincher film. Just so creepy and head-trippy. It's very meta and shares many things in common with Fincher's other work.
Jacob's Ladder - oh God, this movie, you know? I don't even... any other meme to show extreme discomfort. If you like Silent Hill, you need to see Jacob's Ladder.
Manhunter - I mentioned Silence of the Lambs above, while this is the first movie with Hannibal Lector (expertly portrayed by Brian Cox). This can go a little bit long and is definitely a product of the 80's, but it gets so creepy and under your skin at times - overall very good.
Looking at those lists there are some movies I still really need to see including Play Misty for Me, Night of the Hunter, The Changeling, and Cape Fear.
Hopeless Gamer
I've never seen Return to Oz, but I had a book version of it with pictures from the movie. The entire cabinets full of screaming heads was great for a 9-year-old.
She was also terrible.
Just got back from PA2. I enjoyed it. Felt more cohesive than the first one, though I was confused at first because the house is similar to the first house, I thought they were the same. Enjoyed having more characters as well. Much improved. Now I want to see the 3rd movie where
Being reminded of it and with two words being so awesome together, I may have to rent this and see the whole thing through at some point. Of course I also thought The Wiz was pretty creepy at times too.
Hopeless Gamer
This would actually be furiously awesome, if they made a movie intentionally based around this concept.
There's some generally scary moments and some generally disturbing ones. The acting is pretty bad, though. It definitely will make you uncomfortable and the Brothers Dowdle should be big names in the American horror scene, soon, as no one else is really doing anything too new or interesting.
Much like PA, a lot of the more tense moments just come from the waiting game that you have to play. There's a semi-twist ending, too, which is by far the most effective part of the movie.
Didn't end up seeing PA2 this weekend, which was a bummer.
As for Eraserhead, Lynch's work definitely is circular in terms of accessibility. His shorts and Eraserhead aren't really coherent and it ends up turning into art more than a movie. Once he settles into the studio system, he makes some great stuff. Blue Velvet is awesome as is (my personal favorite) Lost Highway. He got free reign again with Mulholland Drive, which is great but confusing, and then Inland Empire makes zero sense.
As for horror recommendations, I can't make any now, but the Bravo and AMC lists are actually pretty awesome. They have a lot of classic forgotten horror and foreign horror. Anyone should start there.
holy shit man the kool aid is bad
like its just disturbing
XBLGT:Banzeye SC2: Apollo.394
Speaking of which, Videodrome horrified the hell out of me, but was one of the few movies that has done so in a long time.
I may bring a chick to this movie as a first date because I dont' want to go to some heavy movie about Palestine and I don't want to go to "It's a funny story". Would this be a good idea, or would My Soul To Take be a better idea?
edit--Ah, reading this page I think I shouldn't. Is this the consensus?
Also, when I was dating this one girl at the time, her friends told me that she liked horror movies and the only one playing at the time was House of Wax. Luckily, she doesn't hold it against me (we're still friends but no longer dating).
So can we discuss which is scarier? How about this: The shock or the absence of shock, which is worse?
Lately a lot of 'horror' movies just seem to be about the shock value and one-upmanship from other movies, what about films that do the absence of shock? Like something is going to happen...... and doesn't. Granted, you can't do that for too long or too often because it becomes routine, but are there any movies out there that get it right?
I figured it was one of the first... but I barely even watch horror films (I'm kind of a pussy) and I felt like that cat was not earned. The rest of the movie is, however, pretty much amazing so its really hard to hold it against the film.
Fair enough. For some reason, that scene can still get a flinch out of me, and I've seen that movie... over a hundred times. It's in constant battle with Ghostbusters for my favorite movie of all time. And, coincidentally, both of those scared me as a kid.
I think the most poignant commentary on this topic comes from Michael Haenke's Funny Games. People will tell you the original is better, but honestly, for all intents and purposes they're the same movie. Literally. The same movie.
Anyways, that whole movie deals with the expectation of violence and shock in horror movies. It is an indictment of all things that we enjoy as standard conventions of modern horror and achieves this by continually subverting every possible expectation that modern horror places on the viewer. It even goes as far as to do this by sabotaging a lot of the credibility of the movie AS a movie as well as completely destroying it's own narrative to make a point. The only thing I can liken it to is reading an essay. Don't let someone tell you to watch it like a movie, because it's really not a movie. It's commentary set against the backdrop of a very simple suspense/horror story.
The original Last House on the Left (the sequel failed to understand any of the message of subtlety of the original unfortunately) also deals with shock in an interesting way. You get very graphic violence in moments you most likely wouldn't expect it. The music and aesthetic also play a huge part in it.
I think both of these movies get it "right", as you said, in a much different way. As for more traditional "unexpected" horror, I think the first Paranormal Activity is effective for that reason alone. The times when the camera returns to real time and you wait for 20-30 seconds with nothing happening is far more scary than any one element of actual action in the movie.
Ty West's "House of the Devil" is very conventional, but spends a lot of time not doing the things you'd expect it to do.
The problem with horror that's inherent is that its very difficult to accomplish the unexpected. "If you see a gun in the first act, it has to go off in the third" is the standard of cinema (Funny Games explores this), and subverting expectations becomes very difficult when you follow this rule.
I will second Alien as a movie that succeeds in tension, and I think probably the best example of this is Rosemary's Baby. An absolutely brilliant movie.
After being told Rosemary's Baby was ultra-scary, I saw it as a 9-year-old. Nada. What scares some people doesn't always scare others, but... Rosemary's... did I miss something? That's a serious question. I mean, as a thriller, sure; cuz, I mean, poor girl. But, as a horror film?
also, I'm not trolling. Just discussing.
I saw Rosemary's Baby for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was alright but too slow paced for me. I guess movies have intensified since then. Also the ending didn't horrify me, it was more of an eyebrow raise.
In my continuing horror movie marathon, I watched Single White Female today, which had an amazing example of this.
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As for Rosemary's Baby... it isn't really about scares; it's more about consistently mounting tension. It also ends wonderfully, without releasing the tension conventionally through an explosion of action, but simply by fading out after a scene of blackly comic resignation.
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I also just watched House of Wax (the good one, with Vincent Price). An excellent, Grand Guignol horror movie, with a deliciously hammy performance by Price. It has, oddly, enough, the single most pointless last scene in a movie I've ever seen, in which all the surviving characters sit around going, "Golly gee whiz, that sure was scary, wasn't it? Well, all's well that ends well. So long!"
It's not a shock boo argh scary movie, it's the atmosphere, mounting tension, and the realisation of what happened, along with the helplessness of the main character that make it. The last scene just amplifies the horror when you see her reaction to what's happened - that's the horror, rather than a monster-in-a-closet scare.
Slow-dawning horror is something I really appreciate in a movie. The creepy, insinuated horror stays with me far longer than shock-jumps.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
Its mostly not even the plot, its just that 60s style of acting and dialogue that annoys me.
I also found Jacob's Ladder to have an excellent slow buildup, and a movie no-one's mentioned yet. Anyone seen Angel Heart?
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
In other news, "Them!" was cool if you ignored all the silly (cool, adj., 1. any movie which begins with a murder mystery and ends with GIANT ANTS) and hilarious if you didn't (little girl screaming the name of the movie, Santa Claus from Miracle on 34th Street as the scientific expert whose main role is tell everybody how utterly fucked they are, many many Wilhelm screams). Interesting precursor to a lot of movies (particularly Alien), and honestly pretty good for the 50s.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
I don't even think RB is a horror film so much as a film in which fucked-up shit happens. I loved it, but I didn't think it was really scary.
And in general, I find it hard to be scared by any pre-70s horror movies, precisely because of the acting. I can't really be scared by something unless I can buy into the reality of the situation. And I can't buy into it if everyone is acting like they're in a stage play. I like stage plays, and I like old movies, but they aren't scary.
As its not the best conventional horror movie, I think it's the best example of what was asked, which is a movie where the absence of things happening is more of a focal point than the things happening. Watching Rosemary go absolutely insane is eerie, quiet and kind of maddening in its own way.
Horror is hard to define. People think of horror and they watch Halloween, SAW, NoES and Friday the 13th. Essentially, Slashers are what people think of as horror. I don't think everyone needs to like Rosemary's Baby, but I will never concede that it's not a horror movie.
It's creepy until it turns into Home Alone.
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This is so true for me too, and it only takes like one good moment to make a scary movie work for me because of it. Blair Whitch catches a lot of flak but I thought it had this, because it's not a good movie but can consistently creep me the hell out. There's just one moment that crystalizes that it's not just these scared kids out in the woods. They've done the whole lost in the woods shit goes bump in the night let's get the hell out of here routine and wandered around one day only to get back where they started, so they decide to follow the river downstream to make sure they don't go in a circle. Good plan. And then, just as the daylight is running out, they come over a hill and arrive right back where they started.
Stuff like that is really, really subjective though - which is why I think it doesn't get done. The movie worked for me because of one moment that I identified with, largely because I'm a hiker and someone who would probably do the same exact thing in that situation. Without that, it'd just be a movie with terrible camera work that made me want to punch a crying girl. 'Creepy' movies are really hit and miss and can go either way from person to person based on minimal shit.
Gory movies are always gory.