Horror films - are the oldies the best?
By oldchem1
@oldchem1 (8132)
September 7, 2010 5:32am CST
I must admit to enjoying a good horror film!!
"No one is ever born evil" is a famous quote, however if you watch the 1978 slasher classic - Halloween - you will surely agree that Michael Myers is actually evil incarnate!
When it comes to horror films I do not think that there is any need to rely on the blood, gore and shock tactics that so many modern films in the horror genre do; in fact in my opinion there can be no better horror film than this, directed wonderfully by John Carpenter. At the time of its release it was considered to be one of the scariest films ever – in my opinion -over 30 years later it remains so.
I know that we have all the 'Saw' films etc but there is just something about Halloween I love. The theme of the film is so simple and yet brilliant - it is quite simply about a psychotic killer who does the deadly dead on a gloomy Halloween night whilst hiding behind a sinister Halloween mask. It is this simplicity and the lack of twists that adds to the horror of this film, in this film Carpenter manages to scare us with the fear of the things that we don’t see and of undistinguishable shapes and shadows that move in the dark.
This was a low budget film and Carpenter directed and co wrote the film as well as composing the fantastic musical score to it, perhaps because of the low budget Carpenter managed to get the understated tension that keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats and to produce a film that will always be remembered as one of (if not THE) scariest films ever!
Which is your favourite horror film and do you think that the older ones ARE better than the newer ones or is it just nostalgia that makes me prefer this one?
3 people like this
11 responses
@Memnon (2170)
•
15 Sep 10
I always enjoyed 'Hammer House of Horror'- not just the Dracula stuff, but the more off beat films that were often shown as a series on the likes of a Saturday night. Films with Vincent Price always had a mixture of horror and dark humour.
'The Devil Rides Out' is one of my favourites.
I'm really not keen on the mass murder 'Friday 13th' style films.
More recently I liked 'Dog Soldiers', and found the black and white version of 'The Ring' much better than the US colour version.
1 person likes this
@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
18 Sep 10
Big Hammer Horror fan too. You know they are back making films again but I doubt they will have the same style or craftsmanship as the Hammer greats. Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, what class actors they were. There are still some excellent horror movies coming out of Britain and there are some very talented directors with Dog Soldiers being an example, that something fresh can be brought to an old genre.
@devijay78 (1573)
• India
7 Sep 10
Hi oldchem. I just remember watcing The Exorcist few years back and that was terrifying. I do not like horror movies and this was at the compulsion of my sister. I vowed I would never watch another horror movie again. And I have avoided watching one since.
@devijay78 (1573)
• India
7 Sep 10
My husband likes horror movies but since i freak out when he even thinks of watching one, he watches it rarely. And only when I am not there with him:-)
@Phaedra_Scythe (3325)
•
25 Sep 10
I love, love, love horror films. Last night we watched Boris Karloff's The Mummy. No that is a classic!
I also love John Carpenter's Halloween. It established so much in the horror genre that has been so often imitated, it's part of the psyche of making a good slasher movie.
Have you seen Rob Zombie's remake of it? I thought it was really good. His sequel not so much though. It was a good, modern homage to the original.
I'll watch anything from black and white to the latest Saw film. I've also seen some real clunkers in my time too though!
@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
25 Sep 10
I think Halloween was a film that did not really need to be remade, then again I am not big on many remakes. I am a big fan of Rob though and he definitely put his stamp on it. It was not as bad as some people made it out to be and there were certainly some great scenes. I liked the way he fleshed out the character of Michael Myers a bit but then I think the mystery of him was a lot of the appeal in the original. I picked Halloween II up on DVD recently but I have yet to watch it. I do agree it was a good homage to the original.
1 person likes this
@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
11 Sep 10
Halloween
Halloween has to be one of my all time favorite horror films. I think we seem to watch it every Halloween whether it be shown on TV and if not the DVD is popped in. Halloween will always be one of the first true slasher films along with the Friday the 13th but I think Michael Myers always seemed more menacing than Jason. You are right, it is the simplicity of this film that makes it what it is, everything is spot on. I think the score is one of the most memorable in horror history, I still use it as a ringtone sometimes. I am a big horror fan and the oldies are some of the best. I just don't know why they bother remaking some of them, case in point the "Halloween" remake, why mess with perfection
Carpenter has such a unique style and he definitely created a horror masterpiece with Halloween in my opinion.
Halloween has to be one of my all time favorite horror films. I think we seem to watch it every Halloween whether it be shown on TV and if not the DVD is popped in. Halloween will always be one of the first true slasher films along with the Friday the 13th but I think Michael Myers always seemed more menacing than Jason. You are right, it is the simplicity of this film that makes it what it is, everything is spot on. I think the score is one of the most memorable in horror history, I still use it as a ringtone sometimes. I am a big horror fan and the oldies are some of the best. I just don't know why they bother remaking some of them, case in point the "Halloween" remake, why mess with perfection
Carpenter has such a unique style and he definitely created a horror masterpiece with Halloween in my opinion.
@sender621 (14893)
• United States
8 Sep 10
I prefer to watch the old horror films over some of the new ones. Some of today's horror films are just about special effects. They are not so much about the fear that makes your heart race, That's what a horror film should do. Some of today's filmmakers could take a lesson or two from the older ones. They just might learn how to keep an audience.
@franne32 (694)
• Philippines
21 Sep 10
The old horror movie that I've always loved is "The Exorcist" Director's Cut. I've never seen anything like it afterwards...the others are just copycats and nowhere near this masterpiece. I like the old horror movies because they jump started the whole genre and no matter how low budgeted they were, they always remain in our hearts or guts forever. I also loved those horror series like Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Really, really original concepts.
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
7 Sep 10
I am not a big fan of horror movies either! I can watch a few now that I am older, however when I was younger there was no way I would watch a scary movie. My kids all watch the really scary ones and it doesn't bother them...but not me! I would have nightmares.
@JayJay45 (157)
• United States
7 Sep 10
I love horror films as well. I'm not much of a blood and guts person either. I love Stephen King and Alfred Hitchcock. I have a few favorites. "Misery", "The Birds", and "The Shining", and "Psycho." I like the older ones better too, at least those had a bit of a plot and weren't just all blood, guts, and screaming just for the sake of blood, guts, and screaming...
@The_Mechanical_Turk (208)
• United States
8 Sep 10
Maybe the most oldest scariest movie that I watched until now is The Exorcist! The theme of the movie and how they created it adds up the scaty factor!
