Underrated Horror Movies

[Adrift]

Those are some great picks, Adrift. Can't go wrong with Lord of Illusions. I saw Cemetery Man once and thought it was interesting. I don't know, but there is just something about Italian horror I just can't get into. I started out with Dario Argento's films, but can't place why they do nothing for me.

Argento and Saovi come from a strange line of Italian horror that, through atmosphere alone, they can get away with being completely nonsensical. A lot of their films sort of defy conventional storytelling, with characters that can't seem to use common sense. Like a character in a dream, a lot of their characters seem to often be stuck to whatever script they're preordained for. Ever have one of those dreams where you feel like you're on rails and you're just watching it unfold unable to make practical decision, or if you are able to, they're to no effect? Like running in place, or turning left instead of right, or desperately turning a doorknob to no effect. There's something frustrating, but very dreamlike and surreal about their films. Personally, most of Argento's films frustrate the crap out of me, but the lighting and the colors and some of the scenes in films like Suspiria and Inferno are so fantastical that, even though you know it's nuts, it draws you in. I just try to watch them like I would a Lynch film for the first few times. Just get the feel of the film instead of trying to make sense of it. That said, one of my biggest annoyances about Italian films is the overdub, which is prevalent in all of Italian films until relatively recently. It's offsetting if you're not used to it.

Speaking of House (I have to check out the Japanese version), anyone here thinks that the William Katt version is greatly underrated like me? To see him go from The Greatest American Hero to that movie turned me into an instant fan of his.

Yeah, I love the American House. And The Greatest American Hero was one of my favorite shows as a kid, so I was already a huge William Katt fan. If I recall correctly, the sequel ain't half bad either.

[Adrift]

Hey, Adrift, wanna know what John Carpenter's favorite horror film is?

Absolutely!

[Adrift]

Adrift, I loved Cemetary Man. I thought I was the only American on the planet who knew about it!

It's a fun little film.

Barker is way too much for me.

Yeah, his sort of fantasy horror is laced with a lot of sexual overtones and just plain grossness that I can see would turn a lot of people off. I think Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions are tamer than something like the Hellraiser series (of which only 1 and 2 are worth watching in my book). I don't know where I'd put them in comparison to something like Candyman (which I wasn't a fan of). More on the fantasy side of Barker horror than the gruesome side I suppose, but there's scenes in both films that are pretty gross.

[Adrift]

If it's no gore and atmosphere you are after, I would highly recommend Pulse from 1988. I think it's not only an underrated Sci-Fi horror film, but an underrated film of the entire 80's. It's about a suburban family that gets terrorized by electricity. If you haven't seen it, I can't recommend it enough.

I don't think I've seen that either (though I'm familiar with the terrible 2006 American version of the 2001 Japanese film of the same name). I'll have to add it to my list.

[Teallaura]

I never saw nor ever shall see Candyman, but from my limited knowledge it sounded like a darker, not as good, version of Beetlejuice.

[Adrift]

I never saw nor ever shall see Candyman, but from my limited knowledge it sounded like a darker, not as good, version of Beetlejuice.

I thought it was dumb, and not particularly scary. And yeah, I suppose it's similar in some regard to Beetlejuice, but that does a huge disservice to Beetlejuice. More like "what if Bloody Mary was real". A lot of people liked it though, and it's arguably Barker's most famous film creation. I saw it in the theater, and sort of left feeling meh.

[Jesse]

Just added it to my Amazon watchlist. Had to be careful not to select the 2008 film of the same name which, although it looks exceedingly inane, has at least 2 sequels.

Yeah the 2008 movie is pretty crappy. Didn't even know there were sequels. I was dumb enough to watch the first one, thinking it was a remake of the original .

Barker is way too much for me.

I can see how the Hellraiser series would be a bit much, but Lord of Illusions and Sleepwalkers weren't so bad if I remember correctly.

Argento and Saovi come from a strange line of Italian horror that, through atmosphere alone, they can get away with being completely nonsensical. A lot of their films sort of defy conventional storytelling, with characters that can't seem to use common sense. Like a character in a dream, a lot of their characters seem to often be stuck to whatever script they're preordained for. Ever have one of those dreams where you feel like you're on rails and you're just watching it unfold unable to make practical decision, or if you are able to, they're to no effect? Like running in place, or turning left instead of right, or desperately turning a doorknob to no effect. There's something frustrating, but very dreamlike and surreal about their films. Personally, most of Argento's films frustrate the crap out of me, but the lighting and the colors and some of the scenes in films like Suspiria and Inferno are so fantastical that, even though you know it's nuts, it draws you in. I just try to watch them like I would a Lynch film for the first few times. Just get the feel of the film instead of trying to make sense of it. That said, one of my biggest annoyances about Italian films is the overdub, which is prevalent in all of Italian films until relatively recently. It's offsetting if you're not used to it.

You hit the nail right on the head for me. The word I was looking for is frustrating. No doubt that the films are beautifully shot, but the films themselves just seem to go nowhere for me most of the time. I guess I really didn't notice the overdubbing, since I was too busy staring at the TV hoping something exciting might happen.

Yeah, I love the American House. And The Greatest American Hero was one of my favorite shows as a kid, so I was already a huge William Katt fan. If I recall correctly, the sequel ain't half bad either.

Oh same here. I didn't really get to appreciate his work until I got older though. I wasn't a big fan of the sequel, and the third is a no go for me entirely.

[Teallaura]

I actually liked William Katt from the made for TV Perry Mason movies.

[Jesse]

I never saw nor ever shall see Candyman, but from my limited knowledge it sounded like a darker, not as good, version of Beetlejuice.

I wasn't a fan of it either. Seemed way too forced to me. Like Adrift said, it was like a worse version of Bloody Mary.

[Teallaura]

I'm not regretting the decision not to see it then.

[Adrift]

I can see how the Hellraiser series would be a bit much, but Lord of Illusions and Sleepwalkers weren't so bad if I remember correctly.

Yeah, Lord of Illusions is pretty tame comparatively. Sleepwalkers is a Stephen King film though (a not very good one at that).

[Jesse]

Yeah, Lord of Illusions is pretty tame comparatively. Sleepwalkers is a Stephen King film though (a not very good one at that).

Oops, really? I have no idea why I thought that was a Barker movie. My bad. Yeah, If you are looking for the Barker mind trip, without all the blood, Lord of Illusions is a good one. I don't remember if Nightbreed was all that bloody or not.

[Adrift]

Oops, really? I have no idea why I thought that was a Barker movie. My bad.

I can see how you could make the mistake. Early 90s horror film from the mind of a popular horror author with a fantasy-type theme.

Yeah, If you are looking for the Barker mind trip, without all the blood, Lord of Illusions is a good one. I don't remember if Nightbreed was all that bloody or not.

Nightbreed isn't too heavy on the gore, not like Hellraiser anyways. There's more implied than shown.

[JardinPrayer]

Absolutely!

Interesting you guys were discussing Argento. The answer is "Suspiria." He showed me the film on laser disc (laser disc!) in his living room. Sat on the edge of his chair the whole time, pointing at the screen, going, "Look at that!" Giggled at me when I hid my eyes when the screen was filled with maggots. I hate maggots.

Yeah, his sort of fantasy horror is laced with a lot of sexual overtones and just plain grossness that I can see would turn a lot of people off. I think Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions are tamer than something like the Hellraiser series (of which only 1 and 2 are worth watching in my book). I don't know where I'd put them in comparison to something like Candyman (which I wasn't a fan of). More on the fantasy side of Barker horror than the gruesome side I suppose, but there's scenes in both films that are pretty gross.

I saw "Hellraiser" in the theater when it was new and hot. It's something I regret to this day. Just...so...uneccesary! Right around then, I was at a World SF con in England. A small group of pro writers were invited to have a private tour of the local horror wax museum. I managed to tag along as a plus 1 of a friend, Barker was with us. He was young and irreverent and very funny. Kept climbing over the felt ropes into the displays, mugging with the murder victims. I enjoyed that a lot more than his film! He was publishing a lot of short fiction in the major literary magazines then. I did enjoy some of those.

[Adrift]

Interesting you guys were discussing Argento. The answer is "Suspiria." He showed me the film on laser disc (laser disc!) in his living room. Sat on the edge of his chair the whole time, pointing at the screen, going, "Look at that!" Giggled at me when I hid my eyes when the screen was filled with maggots. I hate maggots.

Wow, that's wild! Do you feel Suspiria inspired any of his subsequent work? I could see it in some of his more surreal sequences. Maybe some of the lighting and staging in films like Prince of Darkness or The Fog.

I saw "Hellraiser" in the theater when it was new and hot. It's something I regret to this day. Just...so...uneccesary! Right around then, I was at a World SF con in England. A small group of pro writers were invited to have a private tour of the local horror wax museum. I managed to tag along as a plus 1 of a friend, Barker was with us. He was young and irreverent and very funny. Kept climbing over the felt ropes into the displays, mugging with the murder victims. I enjoyed that a lot more than his film! He was publishing a lot of short fiction in the major literary magazines then. I did enjoy some of those.

That sounds like something a younger Clive Barker would do. Sounds like a lot of fun! I was 12 when the first film came out, so the only thing I remember about it were the cutouts at the local video shop when it eventually went to video. When I started my horror phase in 91 or 92 I couldn't get my hands on enough Barker. He was my favorite author, and I loved the first two Hellraiser films. Unnecessary is a fair criticism, but that's true with a lot of horror. I feel he toned it down a bit for the sequel, which, again, was more fantasy than horror. I actually like the second film better than the first. They all go down hill with three. The short stories you're referring to are probably the ones that were collected into the Books of Blood series. I watched every film that he was associated with that I could get my hands on, including his earlier Transmutations and Rawhead Rex. I think I slowed down on reading his stuff with Sacrament. I rarely read fiction at all anymore, but I would like to check out The Scarlet Gospel which is supposed to be a show down between Pinhead and Harry D'Amour. I'd still love to watch a film based on his book Weaveworld which told the story of an entire civilization living between the complex weave of an Oriental Rug.