-
Welcome to Talking Time's third iteration! If you would like to register for an account, or have already registered but have not yet been confirmed, please read the following:
- The CAPTCHA key's answer is "Percy"
- Once you've completed the registration process please email us from the email you used for registration at percyreghelper@gmail.com and include the username you used for registration
Once you have completed these steps, Moderation Staff will be able to get your account approved.
Just Keep Telling Yourself It's Only a Thread: Talking Time's Top 50 Horror Movies!
- Thread starter Dracula
- Start date
Semi-related to another film I hope isn't on the list: I just saw that A Serbian Film is getting an uncut blu-ray release and... no. Just no.
(NOTE: If you don't know anything about A Serbian Film, please do yourself a favor and DON'T look it up, not even a plot summary. Every possible CW/TW that could go here goes here, I wish I could un-know the plot of this movie.)
MEANWHILE...
Oh jeez, another triple feature?
No. 38 TIE
Event Horizon (1997)
Points: 75 | Lists: Neo Skimbleshanks (#13); Zef (#12); Kirin (#24); Octopus Prime (#24)
“Where we're going...we don't need eyes to see!”
Event Horizon (1997)
Points: 75 | Lists: Neo Skimbleshanks (#13); Zef (#12); Kirin (#24); Octopus Prime (#24)
“Where we're going...we don't need eyes to see!”
Event Horizon is a 1997 science fiction horror film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and written by Philip Eisner. It stars Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan and Joely Richardson. Set in 2047, it follows a crew of astronauts sent on a rescue mission, after a missing spaceship, the Event Horizon, spontaneously appears in orbit around Neptune. Searching the ship for signs of life, the rescue crew learns that the Event Horizon was a test bed for an experimental engine that opened a rift in the space–time continuum and left our universe entirely, allowing a malevolent entity to possess the ship.
Drac’s Notes: One of my absolute favorite tropes in science fiction, which usually bridges to horror, is the exploration of the derelict ship. Event Horizon is one of the best expressions of this trope, featuring a ship with a portal to hell. I first saw this movie only a few years ago, and the scattered footage the explorers turn up showing what happened to the original crew actually chilled me, enough that I had to turn the movie off and finish it during daylight hours. I don’t really scare too easily at horror movies, so I’d say this is pretty high praise! I think this film was mostly ignored during its original run, and it’s well worth revisiting.
Gojira (AKA Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 1954/1956)
Points: 75 | Lists Dracula (#24); Kishi (#7); Beta Metroid (#5)
“I can't believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species... But if we continue conducting nuclear tests, it's possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again.”
Points: 75 | Lists Dracula (#24); Kishi (#7); Beta Metroid (#5)
“I can't believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species... But if we continue conducting nuclear tests, it's possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again.”
Godzilla (Japanese: ゴジラ, Hepburn: Gojira) is a 1954 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the first film in the Godzilla franchise and the Shōwa era. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. In the film, Japan's authorities deal with the sudden appearance of a giant monster, whose attacks trigger fears of nuclear holocaust during post-war Japan.
Drac’s Notes: The '50s were lousy with radioactive monster movies, but Gojira stands head and shoulders above the rest. The original Gojira is one of the few of the 30-plus films in the Godzilla franchise to treat its monster with an air of dread. When Honda came up with the monster, Japan wasn’t even 10 years distant from its own nuclear horror, and that made this movie a far more honest and personal look at this particular type of horror. In American films, the mutant monster appears and is always treated as an othered threat to be quickly and swiftly destroyed by scientists, cops, and the military. But in Gojira, the threat instantly destroys its opposition, and the only thing Tokyo can do is stand transfixed as the monster flattens the city and bathes it in radioactive flame. The SDF utterly fails to repel it. The only hope is an experimental weapon which, the inventor fears, will only result in more wars and destruction if he uses it. And the movie ends on an uncertain victory. It’s a somber and powerful film, and even the monster itself is treated with a sort of sadness.
I could go on and on about the fascinating elements that went into this movie’s production, and I may say more in the thread. As a final note, it’s worth mentioning that Godzilla’s black and bumpy flesh was an intentional reference to the appearance of radiation burns originating from an atomic detonation.
Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Points: 75 | Lists: Dracula (#10); Vaeran (#6); Beta Metroid (#20)
“Let’s carve a scary face this time.”
Trick 'r Treat is a 2007 American anthology horror comedy film written and directed by Michael Dougherty and produced by Bryan Singer. The film stars Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. It relates four Halloween horror stories with a common element in them, Sam; a mysterious child trick-or-treater wearing shabby orange footie pajamas with a burlap sack over his head. The character makes an appearance in each of the stories whenever one of the other characters breaks a Halloween tradition.
Drac’s Notes: Now here’s another favorite of mine. At the time, the early aughts felt like a really bad era for horror movies, especially if you were a person like me who enjoys the fun and colorful stuff that came out of the 80s. Trick ‘r Treat was a breath of fresh air. It’s yet another amazing horror anthology featuring lots of cool practical effects, punchy storytelling, and a memorable mascot who has since become somewhat of a minor Halloween icon in the years since. I only found out about it a few years after it came out, and it’s been a frequent rewatch for me since. My favorite segment is probably the one with the werewolves.
Oh hey! I know that Godzilla guy! Or at least some of his cousins, I think. Man, I never knew I was friends with so many famous people.
I hadn’t considered Godzilla to be in the running because, while he’s scary, he’s not creepy. Apparently others felt differently and thank goodness for it. Love that nuclear dad.
Trick r Treat, on the other hand, is another movie I am kicking myself for forgetting.
Trick r Treat, on the other hand, is another movie I am kicking myself for forgetting.
If I had any complaints to level at Godzilla, and my only ones are extremely slight it’s that the suit (puppet?) they use for the close up shots looks pretty goofy and also, while it’s one of my favourite movie themes ever, Godzilla’s theme song sounds rousing and heroic, both of which work against the unstoppable otherworldly horror of nature pointing out the folly of man
For a long time, it was pretty hard to track down the original version of Gojira!
Back in high school, I got most of my information about Godzilla from a book called The Official Godzilla Compendium, which came out just before the Roland Emmerich film hit theaters. Growing up, all of the G films I saw were on VHS, usually with washed-out transfers, blown up to full-screen, and with middling-to-terrible English dubs. In the book, I saw beautiful production photography of every Godzilla movie made up to that point, and learned about quite a few I'd never heard of.
I also learned that the American version of Gojira, retitled Godzilla: King of the Monsters, added in footage Raymond Burr, an American actor who portrayed a news reporter covering the Godzilla incident in Japan. The American cut of Gojira isn't terrible, but it does lose some of its weight, and I really wanted to see that original version.
Well, it turned out I couldn't! At the time, every easily accessible VHS release of the original film was the American cut, and usually a very low quality cut of it, to boot. Even well into the DVD era it was still pretty hard to see that original version. By 2006 I was in college and I was invited to visit a couple of friends who lived in Tokyo. While there, I paid a visit to a rental store and rented Toho's DVD release of the original Godzilla (along with every other G film which didn't have a good US release), and burned them to my computer, later adding subtitles and putting them on my own DVDs. And that's how I first saw that original version!
Later, Classic Media would release a fantastic DVD of the film which contained both cuts of the movie and would be the first official version of it I owned. Criterion later released a very good DVD and Blu-Ray, both individually and as part of their breathtaking Godzilla set they released last year.
Back in high school, I got most of my information about Godzilla from a book called The Official Godzilla Compendium, which came out just before the Roland Emmerich film hit theaters. Growing up, all of the G films I saw were on VHS, usually with washed-out transfers, blown up to full-screen, and with middling-to-terrible English dubs. In the book, I saw beautiful production photography of every Godzilla movie made up to that point, and learned about quite a few I'd never heard of.
I also learned that the American version of Gojira, retitled Godzilla: King of the Monsters, added in footage Raymond Burr, an American actor who portrayed a news reporter covering the Godzilla incident in Japan. The American cut of Gojira isn't terrible, but it does lose some of its weight, and I really wanted to see that original version.
Well, it turned out I couldn't! At the time, every easily accessible VHS release of the original film was the American cut, and usually a very low quality cut of it, to boot. Even well into the DVD era it was still pretty hard to see that original version. By 2006 I was in college and I was invited to visit a couple of friends who lived in Tokyo. While there, I paid a visit to a rental store and rented Toho's DVD release of the original Godzilla (along with every other G film which didn't have a good US release), and burned them to my computer, later adding subtitles and putting them on my own DVDs. And that's how I first saw that original version!
Later, Classic Media would release a fantastic DVD of the film which contained both cuts of the movie and would be the first official version of it I owned. Criterion later released a very good DVD and Blu-Ray, both individually and as part of their breathtaking Godzilla set they released last year.
I like all of those movies! They weren't on my list!
The Burr cut of Godzilla does stand out as being a pretty unique example of localizing Japanese content; rather than being just a dubbed over copy of the movie with Perry Mason slapped in willy-nilly, it’s more like a companion piece to the original giving a different character, not in the original work, a perspective on the story. It’s certainly not as strong of a version, but I’d honestly still put it above most of the Showa Zillas, and the vast majority of the kaiju genre from the same time.
The Burr cut of the original is better pulled off than the Burr cut of 1985.
Trick 'r Treat is a Halloween delight from start to finish. There's been intermittent talk of a sequel ever since it came out, but I don't think it's even far enough along to be considered to be in development hell. Probably never going to happen... but in a way, isn't that the scariest part of all? (No.)
Event Horizon is probably one of the most actually-horror things on my list, and I only saw it (in theater) because a summer job I was working during college had corporate ties to the main special effects house that worked on the film. I don't remember really liking it much at the time, but given Drac's praise I wonder if it's actually better than the picture my fuzzy memory paints.
Piggybacking off of this, there's a very good horror film-focused podcast called The Faculty of Horror, which was suggested many moons ago to me by our own @Dr. Nerd . It's hosted by two Canadian women who frequently discuss feminist and queer readings of horror films and lots of other interesting stuff. They have a very good episode on Event Horizon (paired up with a lesser-known sci-fi horror film, Solaris, which I still haven't seen). Check it out sometime, maybe!
Nerdy Godzilla music time! It's interesting how these two themes have come and gone from the series. Ifukube didn't return for the immediate sequel, and neither did either of these themes. Then he scored five of the next seven films, and the latter is used to represent Godzilla in all of them (many of them using an intro fanfare that wasn't in the original movie). He didn't return until the very last film of the original series, and neither did this theme for the most part (except in vs. Gigan, which was not only largely reliant on recycling for special effects, but its soundtrack as well). Then in the original series finale, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Ifukube returns, but Fury of Godzilla is absent, and Attack Godzilla makes its first appearance since the original movie, now serving as Godzilla's theme instead of the military opposition.
Both themes were frequently used as Godzilla's theme throughout the '80s and '90s films, with the opening fanfare now frequently preceding either one (and Attack Godzilla elaborated upon in general). Ifukube's last turn as composer for the series was in '95, but the Millennium series continued using his themes (usually one or two instances at the start or end of each film, in a tribute sort of gesture). Attack Godzilla really seemed to supplant Fury of Godzilla at this point (plus Godzilla would typically be represented by a theme by the given film's respective composer). I think Fury's last iteration was in vs. Megaguirus (2000). The 2019 Legendary Pictures film and even the Mechagodzilla appearance in Ready Player One use Attack Godzilla.
My personal favorite version of Fury is a toss-up:
Favorite version of Attack:
Last edited:
I've yet to watch any of the Heisei or Millennium films, so that's interesting to learn!
The first Ifukube Godzilla music I ever heard was "The Electrocution Plan" from Mothra Vs. Godzilla, linked by Beta Metroid on the old Talking Time before I'd ever watched any of the original films. The overwhelming gravity of it made an indelible impression, which extended to "Fury of Godzilla," upon which it's based. It's still my favorite.
The first Ifukube Godzilla music I ever heard was "The Electrocution Plan" from Mothra Vs. Godzilla, linked by Beta Metroid on the old Talking Time before I'd ever watched any of the original films. The overwhelming gravity of it made an indelible impression, which extended to "Fury of Godzilla," upon which it's based. It's still my favorite.
Ifukube's various marches he composed for the G series have been lodged in my head for the better part of two decades. I love them all.
(A couple of these are not from Ifukube, and in fact one of them is essentially a Dragon Quest overworld theme, because Sugiyama did a score for exactly one Godzilla film in the late 80s)
(A couple of these are not from Ifukube, and in fact one of them is essentially a Dragon Quest overworld theme, because Sugiyama did a score for exactly one Godzilla film in the late 80s)
That's because the early aughts were a really bad era for horror, particularly if you're American. But really, they were just following the '90s, which sucked to high heaven for horror.
Speaking of, I like Event Horizon, but Anderson's not a great director, and it really shows in some of those sequences. Sam Neill really brings the thing together, but I ultimately just find it to be a lesser Hellraiser but in space. (But still better than the Hellraiser that actually takes place in space.)
As for Godzilla, that is a great film, but I guess I just don't think of kaiju movies as horror films, even though that one is pretty damn horrifying. I have the Criterion set, and boy, is it awesome. I need to watch more of the movies from it, as I haven't made my way all the way through yet, but I did rewatch the Japanese cut of this one right away, and it definitely holds up.
This checks out
And ironically, they had to resort to J-horror remakes, and remodel themselves after foreign cinema, to regain their mojo.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Then, as Hollywood does, they quickly overdid it and missed the point most of the time. Apparently the original One Missed Call was a darkly comedic horror comedy and the American remake is... not good. But Gore Verbinski's The Ring is pretty great.
Verbinski's Ring is arguably one of the very few that can lay claim to outdoing the Japanese original.
I'll have plenty to say about both versions of Dark Water if either of them shows up.
Purple
(She/Her)
I am extremely late to this party. Missed all the nominations and I have so muchto catch up on here. So... real quick!
I saw a weird little thing with Edgar Wright who made the observation that as the whole movie is only 99 minutes long, this implies some really terrifying trailers.
What's interesting is that a lot of what the newer film does (honestly I hesitate to call it a remake when they share really just the vaguest outline) is that it makes a real solid effort to actually do something, retroactively, with the world building/semblance of an actual plot the sequel to the original, Inferno had going. In a lot of ways it feels less like a remake of Suspiria as a result and more like taking abetter swing at the third movie in that very loose trilogy, Mother of Tears (which... vaguely remembered it had to do something with the whole Three Mothers thing, but really phoned it in. And also phoned everything else in).
That really is such a wonderful way to describe the whole Stewart Gordon/Brian Yuzna experience. They're gonna go there, without fanfare, and you're not going to have even realized that there was there to go to until you've seen it. And you're also probably going to see some genitals. Like, the only exception to THAT I can think of is the Honey, I Verbed the Children series, and how in the world did those movies ever even happen anyway?
I'm almost certain you're right on those suspicions, I looked it up once. In the process of verifying that it was a totally unrelated script that rather bafflingly had the Cloverfield name slapped on at the last minute. That said though I adore that aspect. It really helps stress the point that even with Goodman's character genuinely having the best of intentions and being completely above-board with everything, he is NOT some kind of misunderstood tragic hero and getting the hell out of there is still flat out necessary.
I saw a weird little thing with Edgar Wright who made the observation that as the whole movie is only 99 minutes long, this implies some really terrifying trailers.
What's interesting is that a lot of what the newer film does (honestly I hesitate to call it a remake when they share really just the vaguest outline) is that it makes a real solid effort to actually do something, retroactively, with the world building/semblance of an actual plot the sequel to the original, Inferno had going. In a lot of ways it feels less like a remake of Suspiria as a result and more like taking abetter swing at the third movie in that very loose trilogy, Mother of Tears (which... vaguely remembered it had to do something with the whole Three Mothers thing, but really phoned it in. And also phoned everything else in).
That really is such a wonderful way to describe the whole Stewart Gordon/Brian Yuzna experience. They're gonna go there, without fanfare, and you're not going to have even realized that there was there to go to until you've seen it. And you're also probably going to see some genitals. Like, the only exception to THAT I can think of is the Honey, I Verbed the Children series, and how in the world did those movies ever even happen anyway?
I'm almost certain you're right on those suspicions, I looked it up once. In the process of verifying that it was a totally unrelated script that rather bafflingly had the Cloverfield name slapped on at the last minute. That said though I adore that aspect. It really helps stress the point that even with Goodman's character genuinely having the best of intentions and being completely above-board with everything, he is NOT some kind of misunderstood tragic hero and getting the hell out of there is still flat out necessary.
You realize of course you missed a great segue here, as the director of Trick 'r Treat went on to direct Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). Which is also excellent.
I'm a huge Paul WS Anderson fan and Event Horizon is one of his best.
As for Godzilla; gr8 movie. I think my favorite "very serious Honda Kaiju movie" is Rodan. Watched all Godzillas last year and found it worth my time. Each era has something special about it. In my favorite Godzilla movies, he is a problem. I think the very first movie where Godzilla is a friend, he is also reskinned Japanese King Kong, so kind of unbearable.
As for Godzilla; gr8 movie. I think my favorite "very serious Honda Kaiju movie" is Rodan. Watched all Godzillas last year and found it worth my time. Each era has something special about it. In my favorite Godzilla movies, he is a problem. I think the very first movie where Godzilla is a friend, he is also reskinned Japanese King Kong, so kind of unbearable.
I feel so conflicted about King of the Monsters 2019. There is so much good stuff in there: gorgeous shots, phenomenal soundtrack, really fun interpretations of classic kaiju, and some intriguing worldbuilding. I just wish I didn't actively hate some of the characters and dialogue.
Rodan is excellent!
But I risk hijacking the horror list when most kaiju flicks are only very tangentially horror. Perhaps I'll pay the Godzilla thread a visit.
Rodan is excellent!
But I risk hijacking the horror list when most kaiju flicks are only very tangentially horror. Perhaps I'll pay the Godzilla thread a visit.
No. 37 TIE
The Birds (1963)
Points: 77 | Lists: Issun (#1); Beta Metroid (#11); Bulgakov (#22)
“I have never known birds of different species to flock together. The very concept is unimaginable. Why, if that happened, we wouldn't stand a chance! How could we possibly hope to fight them?”
The Birds is a 1963 American natural horror-thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Loosely based on the 1952 story of the same title by Daphne du Maurier, it focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California, over the course of a few days.
Drac’s Notes: Now here we have our first appearance on this list of horror master Alfred Hitchcock. His monsters were usually people - murderers and criminals - and his horrors understated, relying more on atmosphere and dread than outright menace. But he bucked that trend with one of his best films, this 1963 color piece about what might happen if suddenly birds decided to kill everyone. And that’s it, that’s the film! And it’s fucking scary, man!
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Points: 77 | Lists: Kirin (#17); WildcatJF (#9); Adrenaline (#8)
“What hump?”
Points: 77 | Lists: Kirin (#17); WildcatJF (#9); Adrenaline (#8)
“What hump?”
Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and Peter Boyle as the monster. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman. The film is a parody of the classic horror film genre, in particular the various film adaptations of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein produced by Universal Pictures in the 1930s.
Drac’s Notes: Some of you will protest this being on the list. I get it; it’s really more of a straight comedy than horror. And it’s a very funny comedy, probably one of the funniest ever made. Or at least one of the most quoted. But I would posit that its direct through line to the 1930s Universal horror pictures makes it worthy of being here. It may not be scary, but really, neither are those old movies it’s aping - yet they belong here nonetheless. And they share many of the same elements. Brooks and crew did a fantastic job replicating the trappings of the gothic horror films of the ‘30s, and frankly the movie is worth watching just for that.
I thought Frankenstein was the monster.
He was.
But this movie says he was the scientist.
He was.
But you said…
The scientist is the monster.
I didn't vote for The Birds, and I feel like the movie I voted for in its place won't place, and that is a shocking terror for me