First off, bang-up job already by our host, @
Nostromo87. :up: Hot and ready right off the press. Loving the presentation and graphics.
Lots of cool titles on the one-pointers list (except for the
When a Stranger Calls remake, which is one of the lamest horror movies I've seen). Several of the one-pointers hold a slot on the personal watchlist, with
Split Second,
Fascination and
Spring being the ones I'm most interested in watching. That quote on the poster for
Spring -- "A hybrid of Richard Linklater and H.P. Lovecraft" -- causes a stirring in my nether regions. Or maybe that's just my crabs flaring up.
Surprised that
House of the Devil only garnered one point. 'Twas on the list of potentials with its retro aesthetic and unbearable suspense. It'd be a major personal favorite if the ending didn't land with such a wet fart. Less surprised that
Stir of Echoes landed on the one-pointers list since it's always been underappreciated. It draws a lot of comparisons to
The Sixth Sense, but I think it's a better movie and it holds up stronger on re-watches. That hypnosis scene in the dark movie theater has always creeped me out. Everyone should also be in awe of Kevin Bacon's mad shoveling skills.
So far the list of near-misses is more impressive than the films which made the cut. It sounds like
Near Dark got cheated by the IMDb horror tag not being at the top of the page. Bummed that
The Burning came up just short. I think it's superior to all other summer camp slashers (of which there are many, including the
Friday the 13th series). Hell,
The Burning is one of the best slashers, period. It's exciting, full of believable characters (many in the cast went on to have very successful careers, so the performances are stronger than you typically find in such films), the gore is excellent, the bloody shears are beautiful, and despite being one of the first of its kind, the movie feels surprisingly fresh. It was one of several movies that I debated toward the bottom of my list. I wish now that I had thrown a few points its way.
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As for the actual films to appear on the Countdown so far . . . well, I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty underwhelmed.
I Walked with a Zombie is deserving of a spot. I watched it quite some time ago out of curiosity to see what pre-Romero zombies were like. I wasn't as into classic cinema at the time, so I think I'd appreciate the movie much more nowadays, but I still enjoyed it. I knew that
The Conjuring was probably a lock due to its popularity, but I'm shocked that the sequel also made the list. Both films feel very professional and they're anchored by strong lead performances. The first
Conjuring was pretty entertaining since it seemed to throw every haunted-house cliché at the screen with a surprising degree of success, but I'm struggling to remember much from the sequel despite watching it much more recently. Something about an evil nun?
I haven't watched
The Host in over a decade now, so much of the plot is hazy to me, but I remember being surprised at some of the developments along the way. I also remember a strong emotional connection to the characters. Seems like some of the creature F/X were a bit dodgy. Not crazy about seeing it on a Horror Countdown since I think of such movies as primarily science-fiction, but it's one of the best entries in the giant-monsters-eat-people-and-destroy-a-lot-of-sh*t genre.
I've given up trying to join the Cult of Carpenter, as I just don't love most of his films anywhere near as much as most people, but
They Live is a pretty fun outing. It gave us one of the all-time great movie quotes: "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass . . . and I'm all out of bubblegum." For a campy cult movie it has a surprisingly strong message. And that never-ending fight between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Keith David is hilarious in its ridiculousness. However, I think calling
They Live a horror movie is a bit of a stretch. My annoyance lies with the inconsistency of IMDb's genre tags rather than the voters. I just think it's a shame seeing movies with very few horror elements place on the countdown.
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I'm a fan of his films, but Nicolas Winding Refn strikes me as the sort of pompous artist who shoves paint tubes up his bum, farts colors on a canvas, then pleasures himself to his creation while under the delusion that he's created a true masterpiece. I do that, too, so I'm not knocking the man. I think
The Neon Demon is his weakest film, although I've yet to watch
Bleeder or
Fear X. The film is visually resplendent with nearly every scene trigging multiple eyegasms (or should I say regurgitated eyegasms?), but the script is ponderous and stupid and in dire need of a sense of humor. Without the latter, the movie falls under the weight of its own pretentiousness.
Haven't seen
The House that Jack Built. Von Trier is an audacious, extremely talented filmmaker, so I'm sure that this newest offering is yet another fine entry in his celebrated filmography. However, I think it's ridiculous that a film released just a few months ago is already on the countdown. People can vote for whatever the hell they want, and obviously
The House that Jack Built has made a strong impression on viewers, but I would personally like to see people take a step back and allow brand new films to marinate a bit. Wait and see how you feel once the shine wears off. With the way this list is shaping up, I fear that
A Quiet Place and
Hereditary are going to be top-20 films. Maybe we should re-name this countdown
100 Horror Movies MoFos Recently Watched.