MovieMeditation presents... &quot;His Top 50 Favorite Horror Films!&quot;

Friendo.

05-14-15

Thanks for checking in Swan, Cole and Chypmunk!

False Writer - I promise I will give you a proper review/description of the film. This was simply because I was going mad, had a crazy headache, and I just couldn't get anything out at this point. You will see my thoughts on it soon!

MovieGal - I'm not sure I understand, do you see the film as "just one of those with a twist ending"? Because it's not. The ending is a tiny part of the bigger picture. There is so much going on in that film, so much to analyze and interpret. This isn't just you straight up horror film, Jacob's Ladder has layers on top of layers. A thinker's film indeed. You should give it another go, now that you know how it should be viewed. But thanks for checking in though, glad you enjoyed the other two picks!

cricket

Registered User

05-14-15

I thought Sinister and The Devil's Backbone were very good.

Jacob's Ladder was just ok for me.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-18-15

Y'all ready for the Top 20???

Starting later today... Going to be some good and well respected films in this set...

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MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews // Film Diary 2015 // Letterboxd Profile // MovieMeditation's Top 50 Horror

False Writer

NJPW: King of Sports

05-18-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

Y'all ready for the Top 20???

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-18-15

One, two, I�m posting in a few�

Three, four, are you hungry for more�

Five, six, come get your favorite fix�

Seven, eight, sorry for posting late�

Nine, ten, hope you check-in again�

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-18-15

~His Top 50 Favorite Horror Films~
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20. Ginger Snaps (2000)
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Who knew that one of my most recent watches would have the honor of starting off the �fearsome final twenty� on my list? This little overlooked creature feature definitely managed to show its teeth early on, and would eventually leave a bite-mark deep enough to make a recurring impression on me. I truly didn�t expect this to hit its mark as great as it did, but surely I was already convinced by the opening credits. A mesmerizing mutilating montage, consisting of a varied collection of staged sadistic snapshots of dead bodies, all set to some very unsettling and atmospheric music. But what ultimately gives you a solid impression of the atmosphere and style is the shadowing follow-up scene, which shows why those snaps were taking and what they represent. You know right from the start that this is no ordinary werewolf flick, and that the blend of gothic horror and teenage drama is what unexpectedly transforms this beast of a film into the modern day cult classic that it is today�

After setting up the tone for the film, it doesn�t take long before we are introduced to the more hairy explorations of this story. I don�t believe I ever knew the premise before going into this film, but since I managed to successfully stay away from it, I would expect it to be a slight spoiler for people who haven�t seen it and wish to go in fresh; therefore I will warn you that I will now cover the basics of the so-called werewolf-teen-tangle in this film. What separates this flick from all the other beastly offerings out there is a very interesting metaphorical premise, containing a clever cross between the cycle of a werewolf and the stages of teen puberty. This makes for a very amusing storyline, where the sudden mood swings and unexpected growth of hair, which is all known to puberty, all receive a small twist and a little wink on the way to the screen. Wait, you never heard of the connection between the menstrual cycle and the mutilation cycle? Moving on then� All this doesn�t mean it looses points in the horror department though, because it definitely still manages to hold its anxious atmosphere together from beginning to end, while never compromising on the unsettling elements of a true genre film at its finest.
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Why is it on my list?
The undying werewolf genre gets a serious update going into the 21st century, where the metaphoric mix of teen puberty and werewolf mythologies makes for some bloody good fun � however you may analyze that sentence. I like how the director seemed so confident in delivering a fine addition to the creature feature genre, while also granting it with his personal and memorable stamp of twisty teen drama. I really like the relationship between the sisters as well, and it helps create some worthy sympathy for a �werewolf in teen�s clothing�. This is the type of film that cannot be duplicated in my opinion, which is also why I found the sequel to be so extremely disappointing. But that doesn�t change the fact that the first film will forever remain a favorite of mine, period.

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19. New Nightmare (1994)
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After endlessly expanding this franchise far beyond its expiration date, I wasn�t at all sure if the appropriate approach to this would be to jump with sheer joy or just to get it over with. The only excitement to be had around here, was that the master creator himself, Wes Craven, was back in the director�s chair, with the queen of nightmares, Heather Langenkamp, returning as the lead brunette in the film. Oh yes, and of course, the one and only, Robert Englund, was back in the iconic Freddy Krueger role! Despite of doing a very long character introduction here, it wasn�t all done for nothing, because this leads me to the fact that the cast actually plays themselves throughout the film. I have seen people react negatively to this concept, saying that it ruins the scare-factor of the previous films by telling the audience Freddy Kruger is not actually real� You got to be kidding me. Anyways, I personally see this as a fresh and modern twist on a tired franchise, which has been lying dead for a long time, and is now finally brought back to its roots in grand style�

What I really love about �New Nightmare� apart from its original and effective idea is that it is finally trying to create scares once again � and while Freddy appears as a new incarnation of the iconic dream master, both in terms of physical and psychological appearance, he isn�t departing too much from his old self, and I�m not one of those who is turned off by his new updated appearance either. I also think that the only way to create a good sequel at this point, was to come up with something new and extremely original; whether it is in relation to the story, or the refreshing update on returning characters... But of course, the film isn�t only about Freddy being brought into the real world and how he might manage that magic trick � it is also a very witty commentary on the never-dying follow-ups in a successful franchise. What is even better about this, is how the film is never shy on being self-aware either � kind of working in the same vein as Craven himself did more than fifteen years later, with the fourth �Scream�. The only difference here is, that this doesn�t try to adapt to a new and younger generation � this is the Freddy we know and love, appearing as iconic and intimidating as ever, with many references to previous films and a concept that can definitely stand on its own as well.
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Why is it on my list?
The fascinating character of Freddy Krueger looked to be lost forever, right until Wes Craven chose to step back into the nightmarish franchise, upping the originality and former brilliance of the series, by re-shaping and re-sharpening the very idea behind the burned-out killer. The franchise was back to form, and while a lot more scary than the previous few outings, it still remained a whole lot of fun. But there is no doubt that what keeps it interesting is the fact that Freddy is finally back! He was now more evil and more menacing than ever, and basically� a whole new kind of nightmare.

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18. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
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No matter how much you tweak and turn with an icon you will never match the impact of when it was actually born� The first ever nightmare from the mind of Wes Craven comes in right after the very last one of the series, which is actually totally coincidental. But despite I remember to maybe enjoy �New Nightmare� a bit more than the original, I still think the first film is the best, and the one that got everything right from the start; some of which the latter films never quite captured to the same level of creative brilliance. The incarnation of the sweater wearing mass murderer was presented to perfection in the original, even considering the fact that you sometimes see a franchise sharpening the characters and atmosphere over time (like with �Friday the 13th� for example). And though we later saw some playful death scenes and inventive continuations of the Freddy character and �Nightmare� universe, it never came close to the original in terms of style or substance�

Sometimes I hate to discuss those films, which was either universally acclaimed or widely considered to be cult classics. It is so hard to come up with something new and constructive to say, because everyone and their grandmother have already went over it ten times before. Even considering I always try to spice the actual writings up with diverse language, humorous references, syllables and whatever else might spring to mind, it still won�t make up for it. But screw it � �A Nightmare on Elm Street� came along after the likes of �Halloween� and �Friday the 13th�, two films of which could be categorized respectively as the slasher originator and the one spawning directly from its very success. What was needed here was definitely a re-imagination of the genre, and even though it was rather early in the popularity of the slasher subgenre, a true original idea would be needed for the film to earn more than just tickets at the box office. And this is where Wes Craven came up with the idea of bringing the slasher genre into your most vulnerable and personal place � your sleep. That did indeed work perfectly, and the film does a great job at creating the sense of a visual nightmare actually taking place on screen, using some amazing and unnerving music, and of course� Robert Englund was simply born for the role as fried-skin-Freddy.
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Why is it on my list?
One of the biggest and most influential cult classics in the history of horror� How can I not put this on my top favorites horror list? This cinematic nightmare simply has it all: an awesome villain, a cute leading female character, a �nobody� later turned celebrity, a creepy-ass soundtrack, and of course all those little things like people getting sucked into beds and some quite literal tongue-in-cheek phone sex... I mean seriously, what is there not to like here? Aha, that's what I thought.

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Cole416

I have to return some videotapes.

05-18-15

Came in expecting to see top 20 movies.

Was beyond disappointed.

Will not be following the because of how much of a letdown this was.

just kidding but post them as quick as possible!

Cole416

I have to return some videotapes.

05-18-15

Welp. I feel dumb

Swan

CIA Spook

05-18-15

That's more like it. Ginger Snaps is my favorite of that set, and one of my favorite horrors - as is Nightmare on Elm Street.

Cole416

I have to return some videotapes.

05-18-15

Some nice Wes Craven movies on there. I like it, hurry up and get to the top 10

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

05-18-15

Two of those films are in my 100 and I like New Nightmare, too.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

Derek Vinyard

Fly Eagles Fly

05-18-15

Sinister by far the greatest horror film in years in my opinion and one of my all time favorite!

not seen The Devil's Backbone...

Jacob's Ladder is great

Ginger Snaps is decent in my opinion didn't very like it

New Nightmare is my second favorite from the ''A Nightmare On Elm Street'' franchise

A Nightmare On Elm Street totally brilliant badass horror flick of the 80's.

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MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-18-15

Originally Posted by honeykid

Two of those films are in my 100 and I like New Nightmare, too.

May I consider this another success in honeykid's three-in-a-row winning basket of impossibility?

Gatsby

Master of My Domain

05-18-15

Sorry for being a honeykid but....

...+rep for the effort,

christine

Dreams is freedom

05-18-15

I'm very happy you had The Devils Backbone in your list. Happy with you there but dunno about your 'questionable crap made by director Del Toro' . I like him a lot.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-18-15

Originally Posted by christine

I'm very happy you had The Devils Backbone in your list. Happy with you there but dunno about your 'questionable crap made by director Del Toro' . I like him a lot.

After looking at his films, I was mistaken a bit.

He has been producing and writing on some crap, like Don't be Afraid of the Dark, which i hated. And The Hobbit films, which I also hated.

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

05-18-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

May I consider this another success in honeykid's three-in-a-row winning basket of impossibility?

Yes, you certainly can.

Derek Vinyard

Fly Eagles Fly

05-18-15

Originally Posted by honeykid

Yes, you certainly can.

please HK tell me that you like Sinister ?

Derek Vinyard

Fly Eagles Fly

05-18-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

After looking at his films, I was mistaken a bit.

He has been producing and writing on some crap, like Don't be Afraid of the Dark, which i hated. And The Hobbit films, which I also hated.

I recommend to you the movie ''The Orphanage'' which is also write by Guillermo Del Toro it's brilliant

MovieMeditation