Don't Look Now is a film that demands multiple viewings. Unfortunately, I've only seen it once. The fragmented editing and its effect on the viewer's psyche is the aspect of the film that has stuck with me the most. I prefer other Roeg films but I think my enjoyment/appreciation of
Don't Look Now will rise with repeated viewings. I still run in the opposite direction anytime I see someone dressed in a red raincoat.
I won't deny that
The Babadook has its share of creepy moments, and I'd likely possess an irrational fear of pop-up books had the movie existed in my youth, but I spent most of the movie wishing bodily harm to that annoying ass little brat while also shielding myself from the movie's blunt barrage of heavy-handed symbolism. Instead of repeating its name in drawn-out fashion, the "monster" might as well just keep uttering, "
Metaphor . . . Metaphooorrr . . .
METAAAAPHHHHOOOOORRRRR." F**k you, Babadook. All monsters in horror movies represent something. You don't have to be so god damn obvious about it.
Friday the 13th isn't as fun to me as some of its sequels, but you can't deny its legacy. It also features a strong contender for best jump scare ever:
I haven't yet seen
A Quiet Place. Even if it's great, I think it's way too new to place this high on the countdown. (Although I feared it'd be even higher.) In its defense, the movie has already spawned several copycats, so perhaps I'm underestimating its impact on the genre. I haven't seen
The Witch, either. According to MoFos, we're living in the golden age of horror.
Angst is a nasty little flick with amazing camerawork. It's no surprise that Gasper Noè has gone on record with his love of the film, since it clearly influenced his own levitating, constantly moving, ungoverned-by-physics camerawork -- although I'd argue that
Angst uses that technique to much better effect than Noè ever has, as it essentially forces viewers into a similar state of mania as its psychopathic lead. An awesome surprise to see it appear on the countdown, and it goes to show just how unpredictable this countdown is turning out.
Having already seen the American remake stripped away some of the surprises and likely softened the impact of certain scenes, but even with that handicap, I found
[REC] to be an intense, in-your-face thrill ride. Without a doubt, one of the best found-footage horror films. I liked
[REC] 2 a lot as well. The third and fourth movies are crap.
Hausu is like a Japanese version of Scooby-Doo on a bad acid trip. Visually, it's unlike anything I've seen, and I admired its playful spirit, its manic energy, its use of color and its innovation, but ultimately I found the movie just too childish and annoying. The barrage of crazy visual effects became too much for me. It's possible that I'd enjoy the movie more with a re-watch, or a sudden diagnosis of ADHD, but I doubt it. As of right now, it's my lowest rated film to appear on the countdown. With that said, I still think it's cool that it showed up, and it gives me an excuse to include some of the wacky .GIFs, which are better than the movie itself, in my opinion.
Closed Thread
