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neon-green-reagent · 3 years

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50 More Underrated Horror Films To Watch If You're Still Bored and Stressed Out

Last year, I made this list to try to provide entertainment during a bad time. Honestly, we still in this, and it might be time to recommend some more movies.

Eyes of Laura Mars : Faye Dunaway plays a photographer that has psychic visions where she’s seeing through the eyes of a killer. Brad Dourif and Tommy Lee Jones and Rene Auberjonois are there, too, and all great. This movie has been illustriously dubbed a Disco Giallo, and if that doesn’t convince you, nothing will.

The Vagrant : A pitch black comedy that pits Bill Paxton against a vagrant that he believes is trying to ruin his life, but no one will believe him. Does that sound kind of insensitive? Wait for the twist ending, wherein nothing is as it seems. And when I said pitch black, I wasn’t kidding. VERY dark humor, just to warn you.

Antiviral : David Cronenberg has a son! Who is taking after him quite well. Celebrity viruses are a fad in this world, and the body horror happens, and watch it.

Party Line : Do you like psychosexual thrillers full of neon and big hair? This is a big recommendation if that sounds as delightful to you as it does to me. Also, Leif Garrett was a surprisingly good actor in this?

Beyond the Door III : No, you don’t need to watch the first two. That says most of what can be said about this. The rest that can be said is there’s a train and some weird religious stuff and a lot of gnarly deaths.

Pretty Poison : Early Anthony Perkins, playing to type... in a way. There’s a big difference between this and Psycho, and it’s the addition of Tuesday Weld. As much as I love Perkins, she steals the show.

The Editor : If you’re like me and have ventured deep into giallo territory already, then this is what you need. A giallo parody. That’s as wonderful as it sounds.

Absentia : Mike Flanagan’s first film. I might be making this sound more simple than it is, but the story can be boiled down to this premise: what if fairy tale bridge trolls were REAL? Turns out that’s absolutely horrifying.

Banshee Chapter : From Beyond meets MK Ultra. With Ted Levine doing a Hunter Thompson impression the whole time. *chef’s kiss*

Death Machine : You had to see this one coming. Killer robot on the loose. It’s Brad Dourif’s robot, and he’s super weird about it the whole time. This is a love letter to all those action-packed horror movies we love.

Dream Demon : This is the most Sapphic film I’ve ever seen where the two women don’t simply hook up during the course of the film. It’s glorious. I admit I barely noticed anything else. I was just so happy it was so gay. Please watch.

Visiting Hours : Michael Ironside is a killer on the loose. Some other stuff happens, but mostly Michael Ironside happens. William Shatner is there? But who gives a damn! Michael Ironside!

The Unborn : The ending to this. This is one of those movies that keeps one-upping itself, and you’re like it can’t go any farther. They wouldn’t dare. And then they dare. They go there. Pregnancy horror gone hog wild.

Jennifer : Carrie rip-off, but we loves those in this house. Only Carrie is Jennifer, and she has some God-given power to control snakes. Fantastic dismount at the end.

Satan's Slave : Religious horror. BUT. Not Judeo-Christian. Muslim. I love seeing other cultures get in on the religious horror trend. Let’s all be super scared of the evils that can befall us together!

Eyeball : Another good ole nasty giallo. Umberto Lenzi was super prolific, kind of workman-like, but he always delivered on good exploitation. Also, the title means lots of eyeball gore, be aware.

Splinter : Body horror turned up to eleven. The whole point of this movie is to introduce a creature that takes over your body and uses it to locomote, and in doing so, hurts ya real bad. The effects look absolutely cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and will burn itself into your brain.

Alone in the Dark : This is only a rare watch because no one has released it on blu-ray yet. *taps watch* Donald Pleasance and Martin Landau get to have a lot of fun. But my fave was a character known as Bleeder. Watch and you’ll see.

The Caller : The only reason I’m able to make these lists as varied and deeply cutting as I am is because of Vinegar Syndrome, and I owe them everything for bringing this one to my attention. I don’t dare say a thing about it. Watch this movie, take the journey, and get your mind blown.

Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice : Oh boy. I went through a whole thing where I watched every Children of the Corn film, and believe it or not, I don’t regret that at all. They’re a lot of fun. This one, though, is the MOST fun. My favorite is the church scene where a guy gets a nose bleed. Oh so nasty.

Grim Prairie Tales : Brad Dourif and James Earl Jones in an old west horror anthology. They meet up and tell each other weird stories through the night. Including one where a man is eaten by a woman’s vagina. Hmm.

Amityville 1992: It's About Time : Amityville as a “true” haunting is... bullshit. I hope we all know that by now. But these sequels where hapless families inherit cursed objects that absorbed the house’s ghostly funk... These are great, and this one has the added bonus of Stephen Macht.

Ladromes de Tumbas (Grave Robbers) : A Mexican slasher made by Ruben Galindo Jr. America isn’t the only place where you can get a nasty movie where an undead Satanist chops up screaming teenagers. Thank God.

Memorial Valley Massacre : I’m taking a real chance recommending this one. Some people might find this as dumb as a bag of hammers, but I thought it was charming in what it clearly wanted to be. A killer is loose at a campground, but things are not as simple as they seem on the surface. If only it’d had the budget to really tell the story like it deserved.

Blue Monkey : A bug... that grows really giant... and a disease caused by the bug... get loose in a hospital. So it’s medical horror. And a giant bug movie. With Steve Railsback whipping ass the whole time. Good stuff.

So Sweet... So Perverse : Twisty and turny giallo starring Carroll Baker and directed by Umberto Lenzi. That keeps twisting until you’re like IS THIS THE ACTUAL ENDING? Those are my faves.

Diary of the Dead : Romero! We all know and love him, but this movie got a bad rap, and I’m here to say it deserves a second look. His entire zombie oeuvre is great, and this one is no exception. The man had a lot to say, and now more than ever, it all rings pretty true.

Black Mountain Side : The Thing rip-off, but if you love The Thing, don’t you want more The Thing? Plus, slightly different bend, but with just as much of those paranoid mind games we love.

Turkey Shoot : Maybe more exploitation than horror, but adjacent enough to mention it. This movie starts with a lot of world building, and if that bores you, please stick it out. You don’t want to miss the over-the-top kills and the very satisfying ending.

The Shrine : Folk horror with such a wonderful twist to it. You think you’re watching one kind of movie, then it becomes a whole other beast. A great beast. I won’t spoil it, so just watch it.

Mikey : Killer kid movie. But one of those that doesn’t rely on powers. It’s all about a child exhibiting the early signs of being a psychopath, and the kid they got for the lead is as solid at pulling that off as he’d need to be. Also, Ashley Lawrence appears as a concerned teacher.

The Wind : Meg Foster has the bluest eyes on earth. Also, Wings Hauser chases her around and is completely off his rocker, as usual. Great cat-and-mouse thriller.

Pulse (Kairo) : Japanese apocalyptic movie that kept shocking me and making me shudder in my seat. I can’t express how hard it is for a movie to get that reaction from me and what a feat it is that this one did. It haunts me still.

Martha Marcy May Marlene : Speaking of haunting. I just watched this one, and it feels burned into me. Elizabeth Olsen plays a young woman escaping from a cult, but is she really? Fantastic slow burn.

The Attic Expeditions : This movie is not bad. Stop saying it’s bad. It isn’t. It’s a wonderful mind fuck that will have smoke coming out of your ears. And I’ll just list some people in it: Ted Raimi, Jeffrey Combs, Seth Green, and Alice Cooper.

Primal Rage : Monkey bite man. Man go rabid. Girl go rabid. Shit hit fan.

Night Owl : Early 90s club scene vampire flick filmed in black and white with dark, nasty sex, and I just loved this. Give me that 90s techno arthouse vibe and let me live in it.

The Mortuary Collection : This one is up on Shudder, if you’re so inclined. Highly aesthetically pleasing anthology with Clancy Brown as the “Cryptkeeper” of this particular set of stories.

Death Warmed Up : Australian-made splattery, melty movie that goes all out. If you want to deepen your knowledge of the film movement in that place at that time besides just watching Mad Max, this is a good place to continue your journey.

Kiss of the Damned : If Interview with the Vampire was more... girls. Which means I dug it so much. Particularly the character of Xenia. More Sapphic horror!

From Dusk Til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money : If the first film had been filmed even MORE like Evil Dead. And starred Robert Patrick. RIGHT?

Scissors : Sharon Stone goes insane. That’s the movie. But also this was wild and the ending made me stand up and clap. And Steve Railsback plays twins. I just.

Crimes of Passion : Ken Russell directs Anthony Perkins and Kathleen Turner (both of whom apparently did a LOT of drugs during filming) in an erotic thriller. I feel I don’t need to say more.

Wer : Some murders happen, and everyone believes it’s this one guy, but his lawyer is like oh no it can’t be. But... he’s a werewolf. And it’s fantastic.

The Keep : Michael Mann’s second masterpiece outside of Manhunter. Nazis attempt to occupy a keep that houses an ancient evil, and they all get slaughtered. It warms my heart.

The Fury : Brian de Palma made TWO movies about psychic kids killing everyone in sight. This one has more of a political thriller edge to it, but it’s just as good. Just as fun. Just as in need of attention.

The House of Usher : Specifically the 1989 version. With Oliver Reed. And Donald Pleasance. You read that right. Both of them chewing scenery. Maybe that’s what was actually wrong with the house. The two of them chewed it up until it collapsed.

The Perfume of the Lady in Black : It starts off like any other giallo. And then it ends in a place where you ask yourself, much like David Byrne, how did I get here? It’s magnificent.

Fire in the Sky : Alien abduction! And I mean fucking scary, too. If you ever thought, “that wouldn’t scare me.” Well! I challenge you to watch the ending of this movie and not SHIT EVERYWHERE.

Deepstar Six - Do you like The Abyss? And Leviathan? And Underwater? Watch this. Just go do it. What are you waiting for? Sea monster! And also Miguel Ferrer says of some porn, “is it hot? Is it wet? DOES IT RIDE!?” And I want to say that about everything now.

Oh my God, that took a long time. Now go watch! Enjoy!

#horror #horror movies #horror recommendations #horror recs

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warwadaw · 3 years

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filmista · 7 years

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Vintage horror: Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960)

In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock decided to make a different kind of film than he had ever made. US censorship had become more relaxed and B movies gathered thanks to their rotation in drive-in theaters many times their cost. This gave him the opportunity to experiment with the horror genre and to display his versatility to the world.

To cut costs, he used instead of his usual film crew team of the popular television series Alfred Hitchcock presents, lesser people. Only composer Bernard Herrmann, and his personal assistant Peggy Robertson were allowed to participate.

Hitchcock managed to complete the film for one million dollars. However, he was not convinced of the quality and even toyed with the idea to shorten the film and use it for television. But as so often his wife Alma had a positive influence on him and the film was brought into cinemas.

Psycho became a huge success in no time and one of the first so-called hypes. The influence that the film has had on the horror genre, shouldn’t be underestimated. In 1998, Gus Van Sant made an exact remake of Psycho; The film was butchered worldwide under the motto "if it ain’t broke, then don’t try to fix it."

Throughout film history there probably hasn’t been committed a murder that is as famous as the one in Psycho. Almost everyone knows the iconic scene in which the character Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is attacked while showering with a knife. In the 45 seconds that the attack lasts, director Alfred Hitchcock used more than seventy angles. When the attacker flees and the horrible violins on the soundtrack die down a little, Marion collapses and takes the shower curtain down with her in her fall.

Leigh died in early October 2004 at the age of 77. In her career, she has portrayed more than one impressive role. Yet she will always be remembered, for coming to her end screaming in that damned shower.

For her role she got her only Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Leigh became a horror icon as did her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween" (1978), "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" (1998) and 'Halloween: Resurrection' (2002)). In H20 mother and daughter act side by side. Psycho apparently led many viewers to become afraid of the bathroom and Leigh admitted several times that she wasn’t able to shower without fear after seeing the film.

If you look at that particular moment without any context in the year 2017 you’ll find it incomprehensible even silly, why precisely this one murder has become so famous. So many years later, it looks pretty old-fashioned. It’s not so much about the moment itself but rather the impeccable, unpredictable buildup to it: It is a massacre that no one saw coming. And one that by the standards of that time was very intense and in your face.

By the time the Marion Crane comes to her grizzly end, Psycho is a small three quarters of the way…

The film begins with office clerk Marion Crane she works hard but earns too little. She wants to marry her boyfriend Sam (John Gavin), but she also has to survive on a meagre quite miserable salary. One day she receives from her boss the task to take a large sum of money to the bank. In a fit of despair and desperation Marion decides to keep the money for herself and then she flees. After a long journey, she stops to spend the night in the first, completely random motel that she encounters.

It turns out to be the Bates Motel, where the timid and shy Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) works alongside his mother. He has it turns out a weird fascination with mommy dearest, who lives in the sinister mansion that stands behind the motel. Norman and Marion eat something together, and she decides to take a shower. How that shower ends we all know. Afterwards Marion's sister Lila (Vera Miles) and her friend (Sam Lomis) come to investigate, assisted by inspector Arbogast (Martin Balsam). It soon becomes clear that Norman is not quite who he seems.

It’s now almost impossible to imagine how big the shock must have been when Psycho was first released to the public. At the time Marion gets in the shower, there is no reason to not believe that she is not the protagonist of the story. Hitchcock himself had bought almost all the copies of the book Psycho to ensure that no one would know the plot twist. He also made his cast and crew swear to not reveal the twist.

What also helped to increase the shock effect was the marketing campaign of Psycho. In 1960 it was still normal to enter the room after ten minutes or even after the first half of a film. That was different in Psycho. Large posters were distributed to cinemas, Hitchcock claimed that nobody (even though you might have been the Queen of England or the President of the United States) was allowed in the room after the beginning of the film. It caused a real hype and there were long lines at the box office.

Even before the release of Psycho horror films were made, but they were especially made for young audiences. A great director had never ventured into the genre. Hitchcock was at the time a familiar face because of his tv series. His latest film attracted a large audience: an audience that was totally not prepared for the gruesome massacre of the main character. Several reviewers described how visitors began to panic and run through the cinema. The screeching violins on the soundtrack, they would only notice during the second or third viewing, because the music simply didn’t rise above the screams of the audience.

And to think that the scene was almost stopped by the censorship committee. In 1960 several (Christian) clubs had much to say about the content of films. They found the famous shower scene obviously much too explicit. But Hitch convinced them that the violence wasn’t all that bad…

According to him, you do not see a woman being stabbed, that is only the illusion of the assembly. That the film is shot in black and white was a deliberate choice of the director. That would help, according to him to make it less gruesome. For many, the film was nevertheless still too much to handle. Walt Disney famously denied Hitchcock access to his park because he had made “that disgusting Psycho movie”

The Bloody script couldn’t appeal to most studio bosses. Because of this Hitchcock decided to fund Psycho largely out of his own pocket, with his house as collateral. He was by this time sixty years old and wanted to deliver something exciting, something that would shock. He had, had enough of the big stars and expensive films. He wanted make something on a small scale. A bold choice, but one that worked out. Psycho was his most successful film yet and the director made his fortune.

All these things contribute to the legendary status that the film still enjoys. About the production a biopic was made, with Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock. But even without that knowledge in mind Psycho is worth it, as pure entertainment. Of course, the film is slightly old fashioned for modern standards, but the great atmosphere, memorable scenes and legendary soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann are certainly not.

For instance just take the dinner that Marion and Norman have, immediately before she is killed. It is a fairly normal conversation, one we could all have but because of the strange way Hitchcock puts it on screen it doesn’t feel that way. Hitchcock chooses strange, crooked angles and always take the stuffed birds on the wall onto screen. An ordinary dialogue becomes suspenseful even frightening. It’s amongst other things, for that kind of little things that Hitchcock is called the master of suspense.

I read the novel by Robert Bloch on which the film was based a while ago, the book is to put it mildly not a good book, it's even hard to read because it's so poorly written.

Quality wise It’s miles away from what we ended up with in the film. It is essentially a poorly written novel, of the kind you can buy at an airport the scenes are absurd, the horror gorier, absolutely disgusting (in the shower scene, there is talk of decapitation) and far from subtle and even the dialogues are not as sophisticated. And this is not only the merit of the director but also of the talented screenwriter Joseph Stefano.

The actors deliver performances of high calibre. This time, no big stars like James Stewart or Cary Grant, but the back then relatively unknown Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh played the main roles.

Perkins is especially memorable as the nervous, strange Norman Bates a man who is difficult to seize up and get through. A man whose best friend is his mother and with who you can both sympathise and easily feel hatred for. You really care about what happens to him. And that is a rarity in many modern horror films.

One of the characteristics of a Hitchcock film are the strong interpretations of the actors. Anthony Perkins is great. And It’s a mystery why he stayed Norman Bates in the shitty sequels, as he probably could have done so much more. He was the right man to interpret this particular role though.

Unlike in the book where the main character was obese, older, careless and unsympathetic, Hitchock and Stefano made the character likeable, young, slim, sensitive and even attractive in a nonchalant, almost imperceptible way. Although personally I’d never ever go out with a man that looked at me like this:

I like to think I have common sense and not a death wish...

And it works. You're attracted by the intriguing character with his frail voice. You feel compassion for him, you even feel sorry for him, and at times you feel that a relationship with Marion could possibly flourish. Consequently, the film in the first place is a tragedy and then a horror film.

The question of whether It’s Hitchcock's best? Might divide opinions. The American Film Institute for example, once chose Psycho as the most suspenseful film ever made. Anyway Psycho is much more than just one of the films with the most famous murder in film history. It is one of the most influential and best films ever made. And an excellent movie to get acquainted with the work of Hitchcock.

The film was groundbreaking at a time when horror was actually really more something of the past (Frankenstein, Dracula, ...). The shock element in the film has quite naturally become a little less shocking with the passing of time, but the manipulative narrative technique and masterful interpretations continue to impress and strike a chord.

It’s a film that has inspired many other thrillers and horror films (Raging Bull, Jaws, Cape Fear, Halloween, Dressed to Kill, ...) and, moreover, created a new genre that’s still alive and kicking today, the slasher film. It’s a monument of cinema and should be seen at least once, or more than once by any film lover.

“It's sad, when a mother has to speak the words that condemn her own son. But I couldn't allow them to believe that I would commit murder. They'll put him away now, as I should have years ago. He was always bad, and in the end he intended to tell them I killed those girls and that man... as if I could do anything but just sit and stare, like one of his stuffed birds. They know I can't move a finger, and I won't. I'll just sit here and be quiet, just in case they do... suspect me. They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching... they'll see. They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, "Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly..."

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puppet-masters · 6 years

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Psycho drove me psycho!!!

I’m very happy we got to watch Psycho for class, as that I’ve known it’s a classic and have wanted to see it for quite some time. Like most older movies I’ve watched that were technically “horror” or “thriller” (makes me think of Jaws), I found myself unable to contain laughter. The cinematography was humorously bad (not necessarily for the time but just in contrast to now), especially with the stabbing scenes and anything regarding blood. Gigi and I were practically yelling at the screen, pointing out plot holes and impracticalities, in laughter and frustration. It was a different time, I guess.

And to that end, there were a couple other things that were apparent due to the time of the movie’s release - first of all, just some casual sexism (why am I not surprised), but hey, it’s the 60’s. The thing that really irked me, though, was the antagonization of mental illness coming out at the end of the movie. It was the resolution; ah, everything is okay, the murderer is simply a lunatic. We can all go home now. It’s obvious that Norman Bates has a severe case of split personality disorder - and yet, the psychiatrist who supposedly “diagnosed” him, while he does do a good job of illuminating the mindset of Bates, is painted as such a heroic figure. He has this huge dramatic monologue where he explains exactly how Bates thinks, from talking with “the mother” side of him, as he puts it, the only explanation of how he got to this point was because “he was never the same since his father died.” While it is still terrible, blaming mental illness is slightly understandable: there was so little known about it that it was this sort of scary, evil thing back then. However, what really frustrated me was the fact that the conversation between the psychiatrist and Bates wasn’t even featured in the film. Not only would it have lessened the heroism that the psychiatrist (undeservingly, in my opinion) receives, but it would have been a fantastic move for Hitchcock to have done. It is clear that Anthony Perkins (Bates) was capable of portraying the “psycho” personality disorder, so why not let the acting speak for itself? I don’t know why this decision was made, but in my opinion, it was a very lazy move and a missed opportunity.

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paulrwrites33-blog · 7 years

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The Best New Horror Directors You Need to Check Out

M Night Shyamalan’s new movie Split released recently and even thought the director has come up for some criticism in his career, there is no doubt that his debut movie, The Sixth Sense came out of nowhere. Instantly reinstating the twist as a clever and useful cinematic tool.

Recently, I’ve noticed a trend of similar new directors producing Horror movies that are not only excellent but doing something new and interesting. What makes this all the more exciting is these are their very first movies.

New directors and movies which rely more on creating an uneasy atmosphere and a looming sense that something bad is approaching, rather than the easy go to jump scares that many rely on. I want to profile a few of these new exciting directors from the last few years and the movies you need to check out.

Here are my favorite 3 New Horror directors and their incredible movie debuts from the past few years

1. David Robert Mitchell

It Follows.

So this wasn’t David’s first feature film but it was only his second and his first venture into Horror. I saw this movie in downtown Detroit at a screening with David himself answering questions.

The movie is set in and around Detroit where I live. I’ve left a movie theater once before to go out into the location where the movie was set and it’s an extremely strange feeling. Times Square and Enchanted in case you’re interested. But there was something about driving home through the streets of Detroit with it’s burnt out and derelict homes, just like the ones in the movie.

Then driving through the suburbs of metro Detroit where our main characters lived which was extremely unnerving. I had left the theater but I wasn’t entirely sure I had left the movie. It wasn’t just the setting that made this movie though, it was everything from the amazing score from Disasterpeace, the dreamlike timeless era but especially the director’s smart ability to think of a unique story and creepy ways to create tension.

It would have been so easy to use quick cheap scares in a movie like this but instead David did the work and created interesting ways to create a worthwhile experience. If you’ve seen the movie you’ll know what I mean. Take your pick from the beach scene, the movie theater scene, or my personal favorite, 360 degrees camera shot at the school.

In some instances including the latter, the scare or creepiness isn’t entirely obvious. In fact, you may have missed it and that’s why I loved this movie and am excited by David’s future career, whatever genres he goes into. He decided to not just serve the scares to you on a platter, making a much more satisfying experience that invites you in and earn it.

NEXT PROJECT: Under the Silver Lake (2017)

2. Jennifer Kent

The Babadook

What makes the Babadook, Jennifer Kent’s exploration into grief and loss, so incredible is not simply her ability to take a subject matter everyone deals with and make a fantastic horror movie out of it. But the fact that this was her first movie of any kind, with no formal training.

Most of the time in Horror movies, the monster is the point and you’d expect that to be the case here but like all intelligent Horror the monster is simply a representation of something bigger. The movies on this list have something to say about something important. One of the reasons I believe that Horror doesn’t get enough recognition is that most people think they are just dumb but that’s the subject for another post.

But The Babadook is not one of those dumb movies. You’ll probably be ok sleeping with your lights off after viewing this but that’s not the goal of this movie. It’s to get us to think deeply about how we hold onto grief and how it consumes us. Why Jennifer Kent’s debut worked so well is because she tapped into something all of us know about but most of us don’t want to admit is real.

Those things that we keep hidden and are afraid to take a look at are what are most terrifying

The shadows are where monsters live after all.

NEXT PROJECT: The Nightingale (2017)

3. Oz Perkins

“The Blackcoat’s Daughter” FKA “February” / I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House”

If the name Oz Perkins sounds somewhat familiar that’s because Oz comes from a great Horror pedigree being the son of the actor Anthony Perkins who portrayed Normal Bates in the Psycho movies.

Perkins gets two movies in this list because his first two movies were horror movies.

These are strange dream like movies that seek to set a tone that feels uneasy rather than make you jump out of your seat. Yet, like all good directors they don’t feel alike and aren’t simply a rehash of the other.

If you’ve seen The Blackcoat’s Daughter you’ll know that Oz uses a common troupe of Horror movies with a twist that plays on a common tactic used in movies like Fight Club or Orphan. Although this one is a little different and may come in for some criticism because of the way it uses the actors. Though for me it actually showed ingenuity and an ability to take something used a million times before and give it a new life.

Showing a creativity that is extremely rare in Modern Horror.

“I am the Pretty Thing” on the other hand is quite a different affair with an incredible performance from Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Luther) but it’s the way that Perkins creates a feeling of isolation and strangeness that left the biggest impression on me. You never quite know what is happening or why, while never falling into the realm of unbelievability.

A sign of a good movie is one where a repeated viewing is not only necessary but desired. Oswald’s debuts both fall into that category.

4. Robert Eggers

The Witch

There haven’t been too many Horror movies that have split opinion in recent years more than The Witch. Is it a Horror? Is it a period drama? Whatever it is, this is a movie that packs a powerful punch.

You don’t make your first movie, “A New England Folktale”, using all authentic dialogue from the time, filming everyday in the middle of nowhere rural Ontario, Canado and with Satanic goats. You just don’t.

But this was a project that you could tell all the actors were committed to. The difficult environment, the dialogue and the subject matter prove how good a director Robert Eggers is alone, if you’re willing to put yourself through what can’t have been an always easy shoot.

The special rule of Horror is to never reveal your monster and Robert Eggers teases us enough with bits and pieces of the titular Witch to both creep us out and keep us interested. Instead of making the Witch glossy or Hollywood, we never get a really good idea of her age or what she looks like. We’re given terrifying glimpses and Eggers allows us to fill in the blanks ourselves.

But love it or hate it, The Witch certainly proves what a daring and ambitious director Robert Eggers is.

What all these movies have in common though is the ability from the director to be patient and resist the temptation to be lazy. These movies won’t be to everyone’s taste because perhaps there are not enough obvious scares but they’re bringing something new and intelligent to the table, giving us space to be frightened while intelligently exploring issues such as loss, religion and our youth.

If you’re looking for directors and movies that will last with you, getting deep into your skin leaving an impression, be encouraged because there are directors out there doing just that.

With film makers like these producing quality work like this, the future is most definitely bright for Horror.

HORROR DIRECTORIAL DEBUTS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

Jordan Peele’s Get Out

Who are your guys favorite new Horror directors and which of their movies have made an impact on you?

You can now catch It Follows, the Babadook and I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House all on Netflix. The Blackcoat’s Daughter will be released on February 16th via DirecT and limited theater release on March 31st.

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