Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012) (go in spoiler-free with this one) are both good comedy horror.
Alien is my favorite horror movie by far. I really dig Hellraiser too. I watched Pontypool recently and was surprised how good it was. And The Shining is fab.
*Doug Bradley Hellraiser movies.
I've watched Alien as much as any movie excepting Aliens, so I kinda lost appreciation. My wife had never seen it so we watched and I payed close attention for the first time in years. Absolute master class in the genre.
Pontypool Changes Everything by Tony Burgess was also a NUTS book. Definitely check it out. The scope is much wider than the flick and as a result it’s a lot more uneven. I still really dig it.
Pontypool pairs well with 30 days of night (and Tusk pairs well with The Substance).
The Thing (1982) has basically consistently been my favorite horror movie
To this day, in response to something awful / revolting I like to shout "Childs, get the flamethrower!!!"
Signs (2002) is my favorite horror movie to watch during spooky season. While it was mocked so perfectly in Scary Movie 3, I feel like the atmosphere it creates is still so unnerving. The humor in the movie adds an element of B movie campiness to an otherwise serious movie.
Cabin in the Woods (2011) disassembles the horror tropes in a hilarious way. Inspired by the Evil Dead movies.
After I saw Signs the first time, I started carrying a steel mop handle around my apartment and next to my bed at night.
Aliens really get to me from when I watched X-files as a kid, and this movie did it nicely.
Cabin in the Woods is top tier. Everytime I watch it I see something new. It's a blast to watch with people who have never seen it, and even more fun if they're going in blind.
The Witch (2015)
Since you asked the favorite, i will have to describe it, trying to avoid the spoilers.
It is a masterpiece on many aspects at the same time. It is a historical movie, focusing on an isolated devout settler family living on the frontiers in the beginnings of US history. It is a dramatic and heavy movie with believable people, showing their realistic hardships in everyday living, how they really live and think the world through their strict religion, and how they react realistically to the supernatural events that unfold. It is a Horror movie that gradually builds the mystery, tense and fear thorough the relatively long stretch of time it takes (months i guess), and the actual terror moments felt deserved (i.e. not a cheap scary gag).
For all that, it is considered one of the more 'artful' horror films out there, and i'm sure it will (or already is?) considered one of the Greats in the genre with Dracula 1932 and The Exorcist 1973. It however leans on being slow and heavy, not good if you seek a lighthearted film.
The language is brilliant. At first you have to pay very close attention to understand them, but as the movie progresses you quickly get in the groove. And Anya Taylor-Joy, my god.
One way I like to describe it is that They took one this witch trials account/documents, took it at face value and just recreated it as an historical movie.
I really enjoy Event Horizon, especially with the 40K theory in mind.
Oh baby, time to proselytize the masses of Lemmy and introduce a whole new set of suckers to "Fido". It's zombies with big Fallout vibes and is unironically one of the best C to B tier movies I've ever seen. It's the kind of movie where it looks like everyone involved was just having fun with it, ya know? Check it out and make sure to let me know what you think!
Bonus points for Billy Connolly.
I just read the description on IMDB, and good lord what a fever dream. But the real selling point for me is the disembodied head of Billy Connolly being a loyal companion to a family. Consider me signed up.
Event Horizon
John Dies at the End is a good b/c/campy movie. It is absolutely not 1:1 to the books (which are good) but its a weird fun movie.
'This door can NOT be opened!'
It Follows
I like that it's such a simple concept for a horror movie, but it's still highly engaging for the audience.
spoiler
Early on in the movie, it (quite literally) teaches you a set of rules that the monster operates by, and the rest of the film feels almost like an interactive game.
Beyond that, the writing and cinematography just let the audience play along. The characters are deliberating their plans on how they would deal with the monster, letting you also think about what you would do in their situation. And the camera likes to slowly pan around the people talking so that all the while, the audience is scanning the background looking for the monster. It can look like anyone, and they constantly, and deliberately put extras in the background walking directly toward the camera just to make you go "oh shit! Is that it right there? Hey, pay attention, we need to move!"
It's just such a fun, unique experience. I don't know of another horror movie experience quite like it.
Hereditary is my favourite supernatural horror film
The thing is my favourite Sci fi horror film
The shining. I watch it every year at the first snow. I'm afraid I won't get that chance this year.
Braindead/Dead Alive is always in my top horror movies. Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn is a really good movie too. Both have an amazing number of fantastic one liners.
28 Days and 28 Weeks Later are great zombie movies that are less camp and humor.
I'm a huge Bruce Campbell fan. The 28 pair is a good call, too. I'd take 28 days over 28 Weeks Later.
Originally i really disliked 28 Days, it was not until i begrudgingly saw 28 Weeks and really liked it that I went back and rawatched Days and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rec (2007) . A slow night where a novice news reporter shows a day in the life of the local firestation turns into so much more.
I think there's something about the intersection between found footage and a foreign (to me) film that makes it so much more believable and enjoyable. This is miles beyond the US remake, quarantine. No big name actors here to ruin the found footage vibe. Just a small town news reporter meandering through a slow night at a local fire station.
picking a favourite is hard, but In The Tall Grass (2019) is definitely up there, and i never see anyone talk about it. also, Malignant (2021). definitely try to go in blind for that one if you can.
I also recommend It Follows. It is so different. And the characters don't act dumb. And everything makes sense in the context. Like why they dont get a car or catch a plane, because they are broke teenagers.
Alright I can think of a few that strangely haven't been mentioned yet!
Barbarian - Woman checks in to an AirBnB. But beneath it lies a horrible secret. This one's pretty disturbing in subject matter, actually. But it's solidly eery.
Tremors - It's bright daylight! In a small desert town! What's so spooky about that? Vibration-sensitive, man-eating sandworms maybe. This movie is just solidly fun all around. Legendary B-movie monster film.
The Descent - Always thought caves were creepy? Want to experience claustrophobia from the safety of your own home? Wanna see how an all-woman horror film cast is done correctly? This one's a treat.
Dog Soldiers - The Scottish Highlands are gorgeous for a hike. Less appealing though if you're a squad of British soldiers doing a training exercise in a monster movie. Features reasonably smart cast of soldiers doing their best, but cleverly using the training scenario premise to take away their live ammo so they can't just shoot away their problems. Also, I remember it being very "B movie" in a good way. A well-placed cheesy joke or two had me laughing out loud without it being Marvel-grade snark, but it was still tense and exciting.
Pandorum - Guy wakes up from hypersleep on a giant ship where things have gone horribly wrong. His only other awake crewmate is uh...a bit off, maybe? This one feels VERY Deadspace. If you like "Creepy massive cathedral-like dungeon ships" flavored sci-fi horror, this one's pretty good. I'd say maybe much tamer than Event Horizon, but clearly took some inspiration there.
30 Days of Night - You know how in Alaska they get really long periods where the sun is just gone? You know how certain classic horror antagonists hate sunlight? Uh oh.
Overlord - A World War 2 horror film. I mean, WWII was full of horror but...like... unbelievable horror. No, like, pulpy mad scientist supervillains and secret experiments horror--No, like stuff that DIDN'T actually happen. It's the closest to a Wolfenstein movie as we're gonna get. (And very "Weird Wars 2" if you've played a good Savage Worlds TTRPG or two)
Resident Evil - I liked maybe two or three sequels too, before it got utterly ridiculous to farm cash, but the original is always cited as a horror classic, even among people who aren't fans of the games. (Almost entirely unrelated characters and plot.)
Suspiria (2018)
Haven't yall seen The Conjuring II, The Nun, or am I an idiot to call these horror 😒
That nun is something else. Goosebumps every time! And I've rewatched it dozens of times
i'm always surprised that most people rank the nun as the worst in the conjuring franchise. i think it's probably my favorite. conjuring 2 is phenomenal too. and they're definitely horror.
Noroi - The Curse (2005, Japan) Supernatural first-person video documentary style POV, but with higher image quality than Blair Witch Project for example. No jump scares, just very creepy and unsettling. Slow burn, but good pacing IMHO. No weaknesses IMHO, hence on top of my list. Just a very unsettling and disturbing, almost real-feeling, horror movie.
Also good:
Try this one.
"Altered States."
A Harvard neuroscientist is experimenting with sensory deprivation and other hallucinogens.
It’s not a movie, rather a game: Layers of Fear
We played it at a friend (well, he played and we watched) back in… 2018? Or maybe 19?
Long story short, I try to forget it to experience it again later in 2030.
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Fright Night (1985)
The Reanimator (1985)
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
I watched this recently. Actual not-dumb characters is sooo nice. I'd written this off as just yet another Romero style zombie movie but it has it's own thing going on. I think given how much I liked Tusk (saw it last night) and Dale and Tucker vs. Evil I have a soft spot for R rated horror comedy.
You like em tongue-in-cheek? You might try Chopping Mall (1986). Shopping mall management invests in a killer robot security system. A group of horny teens decides to spend the night there, but a lightning storm takes out the main killer robot controller! It's funny, a little gory, has topless men and women, and it's hilarious. A spook night favorite of mine.
100% Nope: A episode from supernatural, where ghouls half way succeed to eat Sam. (I consider it as the most gruesome horror I have ever seen, and I don't think I have the stomach to see it ever again. The blood draining is a ... no.)
Yellow brick road on otherhand hits the weird places spot of SCP, which I can't get enough. (not horror really, but still)
The Blair Witch Project. Terrifying.
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