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Favorite classic horror movies

Craig Robertson

One of the Regulars
Messages
179
Location
boston
Baron Kern said:
Oh anything from Hammer Horror! Anything with the oh so wonderful Peter Cushing!
Dracula has Risen from the Grave

I have the poster for this show. It has one of the best tag lines ever "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave...it's hard to keep a good man down."
 

zeus36

A-List Customer
Messages
392
Location
Ventura, California
Since you said "classic" and not vintage, I'll go with:


YOUNG FRANKENSTIEN

It's a must-see for Halloween.
Mostly comedy, but had some jumpy scenes when I was younger.
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
Another favorite of mine is Rosemary's Baby, which will be playing at the Film Forum from 10/31-11/06!
http://www.filmforum.org/films/rosemarysbaby.html
rosemarysbabyheadcol_02.jpg

(1968) Despite their fab new Upper West Side apartment in the venerable Dakota (doubling for the infamously storied “Bramford”), complete with eerily avuncular neighbors Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon (the latter in an Oscar-winning performance by turns hilarious and chilling), nice kid Mia Farrow’s career-obsessed actor husband John Cassavetes is still looking for that big break. But then a Broadway lead looms when the star mysteriously goes blind, and Farrow gets in the family way after an evening of wild love-making — but wait...was that hubby, or some sort of horned beast? Suddenly every harried mom-to-be’s nightmare seems true, with Farrow getting no help even from her obstetricians, 30s fifth-wheel legend Ralph Bellamy (here beardedly creepy) and weasly Charles Grodin. Horror-gimmick-meister William Castle (The Tingler, Homicidal, Macabre) took his one shot at bigtime producing when he bought Ira Levin’s bestseller, then only got to kibbitz when Paramount studio chief Robert (The Kid Stays in the Picture) Evans handed the directorial reins to Polish wunderkind Roman Polanski, who brought his penchant for no-exit situations and crumbling sanity amid banal settings (Knife in the Water, Cul-de-Sac, Repulsion) to mainstream, big-budget horror. Revitalizing and legitimizing a once-B-grade genre, Rosemary paved the way for future blockbusters like The Exorcist, Jaws and Alien. “Supremely intelligent and convincing... Sexual politics, urban alienation, and a deeply pessimistic view of human interaction permeate the film, directed with a slow, careful build-up of pace and a precise sense of visual composition. Although it manages to be frightening, there is little gore or explicit violence; instead, what disturbs is the blurring of reality and nightmare, and the way Farrow is slowly transformed from a healthy, happily-married wife to a haunted, desperately confused shadow of her former self. Great performances, too, and a marvellously melancholy score by Krzysztof Komeda.” – Geoff Andrews, Time Out (London). “Pregnant women should see it at their own risk.” – Motion Picture Herald. Approx. 136 min.
 

just_me

Practically Family
Messages
723
Location
Florida
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Haunting (original)
Rosemary's Baby
Ghost Story
Island of Lost Souls

I know there are more, but I can't think of them right now. :)
 

Mr. B

New in Town
Messages
10
Location
Corning, NY
The legend of hell house and The changling are two good old haunted house movies. I have to check out the original "The Haunting" this Halloween.
 

mike

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,000
Location
HOME - NYC
Baron Kern said:
Oh anything from Hammer Horror! Anything with the oh so wonderful Peter Cushing!

You think? I think Hammer can be really hit or miss. Personally the first of their Frankenstein and Dracula series were their high points. But the subsequent Brides of Dracula and Kiss of the Vampire were classics aswell, even without the real star power of Lee and Cushing! Even though in my opinion Hammer horror's golden era was in the late 50's-early 60's they still made some surprisingly good films later on, including Hands of the Ripper and the Devil Rides Out!

I go through rages for different eras and various filmmakers. Val Lewton's horror cycle and the films that are homages to him are some of the creepiest ever. The homages I refer to are the Haunting, Burn Witch Burn (Night of the Eagle), Night of the Demon/Curse of the Demon, the Innocents and even Day the Earth Stood Still. It's all about teasing the audience so their imaginations run wild.

Earlier than that, in no particular order I'm a big fan of Murders in the Zoo, the Old Dark House, Vampyr, the Mummy, Mad Love, White Zombie, Dracula (esp. with the Phillip Glass score!), Svengali and many many more!

Earlier still! One of the first known horror films, the (approx) 1913 Paul Wegener film, the Student of Prague everyone should see! Nowadays it's easily found and super cheap. It's the tale of a man who sells his reflection (read: soul) to the devil and an evil doppelganger (his reflection) runs around town killing, causing havoc and raising hell! Anyway there's plenty more but this one never gets enough attention :)

Beast Witches for a Happy and Howlthy Holiday :D
 

reetpleat

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,681
Location
Seattle
Night of the living dead.

forty years ago this week, a new kind of movie opened. Night of the Living Dead. According to co writer, they started with some kind of space aliens invading the earth, then made them into undead. But it didn't really pop till they decided that they should eat human flesh.

Old vintage zombie movies don't do much for me. they choke or hit you. But Romero zombies just make me all squemish inside. But of course, the movies are not about the zombies, they are about the people who are left.

I am working on a theory that people tend to favor either vampire or zombie movies, and which one says a lot about them.
 

KY Gentleman

One Too Many
Messages
1,881
Location
Kentucky
"THE EVIL DEAD" (The first one) was a great, great horror movie.

"Trick or Treat" is a cool B-movie from the '80's that featured Ozzy Osbourne and was really good also.
But the original "Halloween" is hard to beat in my book.
 

Kermez

A-List Customer
Messages
441
Location
Houston, Texas
John in Covina said:
There was a "House of Wax" type movie a while back where the youths get into the Wax Museum after hours and find if they step into the set of wax scene it becomes their reality. It was pretty wild.

I believe you are referring to Waxwork. My brothers and I enjoyed it, as well.
 

Panache

A-List Customer
Messages
344
Location
California Bay Area
zeus36 said:
Since you said "classic" and not vintage, I'll go with:


YOUNG FRANKENSTIEN

It's a must-see for Halloween.
Mostly comedy, but had some jumpy scenes when I was younger.

Not in the same league as Mel Brooks wonderful film (actually the first DVD I ever bought was Young Frankenstein), but for those fans of very cheesy SCI -FI / Horror B movies I highly recommend ...The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra!

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Skeleton...=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1223420532&sr=8-1

It's absolutely hilarious!

Cheers

Jamie
 

Lorena B

Practically Family
Messages
566
Location
London, UK
Nosferatu, i also love Frankstein's saga but these ones always gets me sad, i feel that the monster is treated badly, as i see it he is like a little boy who doesnt understand wrong or right and just try to defend himself to the people who try to hurt him:(
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
In the spirit of the season I watched Isle of the Dead and I Walked with a Zombie.

Last night I started watching Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey and it is really interesting film. An atmospheric mood and awesome use (or lack of) sound. Considering the film follows on the heels of silent film the director could have taken advantage of the sound medium and overwhelmed the film with sound but he did not.
 

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