Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

[Guillaume]

i think i posted this before and i think you will know it, but if you don't you have to see "the american nightmare" a documentary about the early movies of carpenter, craven cronenbergm romero and hooper. let's begin with the last. texas chainsaw is brilliant. the sequel is is also very good but has more the ambition to "entertain" and give the audience what they want. and then... i don't know.

I remember about "the american nightmare" but i have yet to see it! Sounds interesting...is it available on dvd, with french subtitles (or at least english subtitles)?
About "Texas"...yes the second is very good, crazy movie, a bit disturbing in its view of the "world gone mad"!...Hooper did it very bloody and "funny" because many critics complained at the time that the first "Texas" was a very gory movie...in fact there is almost no blood in the movie but its mood is very disturbing, insane...so the 2nd "Texas" was kind of Hooper's revenge against the critics.
Others Hooper movies i like: "the funhouse", "lifeforce", "invaders from Mars", the tv movie "Salem's lot", "toolbox murders", "the mangler"...his movies, good or not so good, had always an hysterical, unsettling tone, some impressive use of locations and sound too. 

i bought a box with all the nightmare movies because it was cheap and of coures those directed by craven are superb movies, the others are just a vehicle to show of freddy and some effects. craven has a skill to tell a story that is more than just to shock the audience. to make a movie with the original cast making another freddy movie is just brilliant. he also played with all the expectations to the genre of the audience in scream which i very liked.

Craven...i miss him...the man in his interviews always felt clever, polite, a quiet gentleman...his career was a bit uneven but he tried many things and when he was at his best he was very good!

The first "Nightmare" is one of my favourite movies ever, it's well acted, well written, clever, creepy and haunting...a timeless classic.
The last "Nightmare" is also pretty good...only Craven could have directed another serious Freddy movie because yes, the others sequels were very uneven, too often a special effects showcase and not much story and characters around the effects...

"Scream"...i have great memories of the first one, i saw it on the very big screen, back in summer 1997, it was a preview and i knew nothing about the movie (the good old days before Internet!!  )...so i was thrilled by the fun ingenious plot and twists, and i remember being very impressed, like everyone, by the great opening, tense scene.  The sequels lack the fresh approach of the first one but they were still enjoyable enough, above average slashers because Craven was a skillful director.

haven't seen other movies by him but maybe red eye could be good.

You have to see at least these three ones:

"The serpent and the rainbow": one of Craven's very best films with the first "Nightmare" in my opinion, it has a politic, dreamlike and documentary style about the world of Voodoo in Haïti...haunting movie.

"The people under the stairs": i have good memories of this social fairy tale, a bit like an "Home alone" gone crazy!

"The last house on the left": one of Craven's most famous movies but be careful, it's a rather harrowing movie. True horror. Cheaply made, amateur-like but still disturbing, the kind of movie i don't want to see too often!

"Red eye" is fun, it's minor Craven if you compare it to the "Nightmares" or "the serpent and the rainbow" but it's still an enjoyable thriller, mostly in its first half...Cillian Murphy and the lovely Rachel McAdams are fine in it, too.

the bruiser i found when watching not as bad as everybody said it was but it didn't stay memorable.

I quite liked "Bruiser" too, i even like it more than Romero's last three zombies movies...it's more a bitter character study than an horror movie. My favorite Romero's movies are the first living dead trilogy, i also have very good memories of "Monkey shines", i will give it another viewing soon (the french blu ray has just been released)   

[Master Ray]

So...  Escape From New York... one of my very favourite JC flicks.  True story, I rented it one Saturday night in the 80's and watched it three times, back to back.  One of my favourite films ever, such a brilliant concept!  Great theme as well!  It might look so dated these days thanks to so much dodgy 80's SFX, but balls to that, this film has a great story, great characters, fine actors and a properly heart-rushing, palms sweaty ending as everyone rushes to the wall where they might die.  And, as it true of any decent action flick, most people don't get out of it alive.  Er, spoilers.  Sorry.

As a treat, just in case any JC fans haven't seen it, here's a deleted scene / prologue that should have most deffo been in the movie...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlken5NO7Ew&t=375s

So now we're into 1982 and The Thing and, damn, if anyone disagrees with me that this is one of the finest horror moves of all time, I'll send you a stern internet stare.  Just excellent.  Not a silly fun watch, but a bunch of great character actors in a claustrophobic nightmare with truly revolutionary (and often shocking SFX)  that still stand up decades later.   It was a massive flop but has become a well-regarded classic.  Yay!

Now, in 1983, we get to Christine, the haunted car movie, and it's one I love and somewhat dislike in equal measures...let me explain... I remember buying Christine (the novel) in the early 80's, my summer holidays out of school, and being absolutely OBSESSED with that book!  What can I say, I was a bit of an Arnie at school, wishing he had a Dennis and hoping a Leigh would one day fancy me..  The characters, the story, I loved all of it.  Then the film  came out and... well, it just so left out much out of the wonderful book.  Not an unusual thing as I've learned over the years (heck, ask me about 'The Beach' sometime  )

Yet, despite that, Mr Carpenter delivered a stripped down and skillfully made flick that I somehow remain very fond of.  It's one film that I think might be worthy of a decent and more faithful remake, but I won't put it down too much.

To be continued...

[cthulhu]

So how much of the fact that carpenter is making his own scores does play into your love of his movies?

[Guillaume]

First little scene of SUSPIRIA 2018...enjoy!!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IruXDYtg7I

One question:

If you have to bring 10 or 20 horror movies on a desert island, which ones would you choose??

[cthulhu]

my alltime favourite and the movie that started the interst in filmmaking and horror:
the evil dead

let's see, no particular order, the first come to mind:

dawn of the dead
reanimator 1+2
planet of vampires
the thing
house of 1000 corpses
the devil's rejects
evil dead 2
the last man on earth
the beyond

its difficult, because some movies are so intense, you like them but you don't want to watch the too often, maybe like texas chainsaw or cannibal holocaust

[cthulhu]

and i've seen enough of the trailers of suspiria to know that i'm very interested in. i also just shuttled to the ones before, i don't want to see too much ahead. looking forward to it.

[Master Ray]

First little scene of SUSPIRIA 2018...enjoy!!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IruXDYtg7I

One question:

If you have to bring 10 or 20 horror movies on a desert island, which ones would you choose??

Oh, bloody hell, another list I have to figure out...   

I'll be back to you on that one... and I'll be going for the full 20!

[Guillaume]

Nice list Ctulhu!

Oh, bloody hell, another list I have to figure out...   
I'll be back to you on that one... and I'll be going for the full 20!

ok

My list...one movie per director!:

FULL CIRCLE/THE HAUNTING OF JULIA (Richard Loncraine): My favourite "ghost story"/"haunted house movie", starring Mia Farrow in one of her very best performances...the film is beautifully shot in London and has an incredible, unforgettable piano/synth 70's soundtrack. One of the best closing scenes/shots ever, too...haunting movie. From Peter Straub's novel JULIA.

PHANTASM (Don Coscarelli): great horror/sci fi/psycho drama about loss and childhood fears...haunting movie in many ways.

THE KEEP (Michael Mann): a World War II fairy tale! Haunting visuals and Tangerine Dream soundtrack...a fascinating study of fascism and the meaning of "Evil".

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Wes Craven) : timeless classic! When Freddy was still scary!

PHENOMENA (Dario Argento): i love the ethereal fairy tale mood and Argento's great use of locations, cinematography and Jennifer Connelly's striking; ingenue presence.

WHITE DOG (Samuel Fuller): not really an horror movie but still an heartbreaking, raw tale about the true horrors of racial hatred.

NEXT OF KIN (Tony Williams): Great, moody, scary australian "slasher" movie. Tarantino is a huge fan of this film, praising it as much as Kubrick"s THE SHINING.  It looks a bit like a Peter Weir movie directed by Dario Argento! 
Warmly recommended, especially since the australian blu ray will be available in early October...for those who haven't seen that movie! 

CANDYMAN (Bernard Rose): One of the best horror movies of the 90's. Unusual social undertones, a great Virginia Madsen performance and an haunting soundtrack.
 
NEARK DARK (Kathryn Bigelow): one of the best vampires movies...a great film about blood ties and a perfect casting.

 CHRISTINE (John Carpenter): HALLOWEEN would have been the obvious choice but here's a very good adaptation from King that i've seen countless times...great soundtrack, acting, special effects and Carpenter's brillant visuals, as usual.

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (John Landis): a perfect, rare mix of scares, laughs and tragedy...John Landis's best film.

RE-ANIMATOR (Stuart Gordon): i miss Gordon's low budget inventive B movies! RE-ANIMATOR is Gordon's masterpiece, a little gem of horror and dark comedy, perfectly acted.

DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE (Michele Soavi): i could have chosen Soavi's brillant first movie (the slasher STAGE FRIGHT/DELIRIA/BLOODY BIRD) but DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE is a small masterpiece of poetic horror drama comedy! Unique movie.

JAWS (Steven Spielberg): the Spielberg movie for people who usually don't like Spielberg's movies!!

THE ENTITY (Sidney J.Furie): Disturbing scary movie with a fantastic lead performance from the great Barbara Hershey.

THE INNOCENTS (Jack Clayton): a great classic of haunted houses movies. Beautifully shot and acted.

THE HIDDEN (Jack Sholder): great, fun B movie between horror, sci fi and thriller. It has a brisk pace and fine acting.

THE HITCHER (Robert Harmon): one of the best B movies, thrillers from the 80's. Uncopromising stylish movie.

WOLFEN (Michael Wadleigh): ambitious, stylish, clever update on the "werewolf" genre.

LE DEMON DANS L'ILE/DEMON IS ON THE ISLAND (Francis Leroi): one french movie from the early 80's...good intriguing little thriller with some scares and effective shock scenes...maybe the makers of the FINAL DESTINATION series have seen this movie, haven't they?

Now, in 1983, we get to Christine, the haunted car movie, and it's one I love and somewhat dislike in equal measures..the film  came out and... well, it just so left out much out of the wonderful book.

I've read the book years ago after seeing the movie. I'm glad Carpenter did many changes with King's novel...i'm pretty sure a rude, living dead/ghost driving the car would have been kind of silly in the movie...at the time THE THING flopped and Carpenter had enough of the raw, gory violence so he choose to put everything about the car, and not the zombie driver! I think it works nicely in the movie, making the story more elegant, mysterious...a remake would be useless in my opinion, especially because they would make the car effects with less realistic CGI effects, probably. The special effects of CHRISTINE are great i think, even in 2018.

So how much of the fact that carpenter is making his own scores does play into your love of his movies?

His soundtracks are part of the mood of his movies, for sure!
ASSAULT..., HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NY, THE THING, CHRISTINE, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, THEY LIVE, the opening theme of IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, VAMPIRES:

Brillant soundtracks!

[Master Ray]

Hey Guillaumere... several favourites of mine on that list... still working on my list, but a couple of comments...

Soundtracks by Mr Carpenter are one of my favourite things about them, they wouldn't be the films they were without them.  A MASSIVE part of the enjoyment of his films!  I know we've talked about this before, but his 'Lost Themes' albums dearly make me wish that they had movies attached to them!

Fun fact... Christine was given a PG certificate when submitted to the MPAA.  Thinking that it would be the death of it at the box office, (seeing as i was supposed to be a horror film and not wanting to reshoot any scenes) he overdubbed a lot of swearing (C**tingham?) so it would get an adult rating.   

OK, off to think about my top 20 horror films ever... and more about Mr Carpenter... and now we've got another thread about Mr Cronenberg...  I might be gone awhile. 

[Guillaume]

several favourites of mine on that list...

most of them are available on blu ray/dvd, save for THE KEEP unfortunately not available anywhere on blu ray/dvd  because it seems, rights issues about Tangerine Dream soundtrack...

also FULL CIRCLE/THE HAUNTING OF JULIA, again, unfair rights issues , poor director Richard Loncraine is desperate about it...but waiting for a miracle, sooner or later, you cand find this 70's gem somewhere on Youtube..:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvirXY31jtM

I know we've talked about this before, but his 'Lost Themes' albums dearly make me wish that they had movies attached to them!

Carpenter is touring this year...coming in Paris next October!
Sound(tracks) is half the power of Carpenter's movies...and horror movies overall!
Movies like HALLOWEEN, PSYCHO, JAWS, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, PHANTASM, FULL CIRCLE...would be less effective without their fantastic soundtracks, for sure!

Fun fact... Christine was given a PG certificate when submitted to the MPAA.  Thinking that it would be the death of it at the box office, (seeing as i was supposed to be a horror film and not wanting to reshoot any scenes) he overdubbed a lot of swearing (C**tingham?) so it would get an adult rating.   

Interesting, i didn't know about this...Carpenter for years didn't like very much CHRISTINE, he thought he failed, that the film wasn't scary...he was still in a bitter, depressed mood because THE THING flopped and met hostile reviews, so he had to find quick, a new job...and it was King's CHRISTINE, a sure deal!
Now Carpenter likes CHRISTINE much more, if you listen to the audio commentary on the dvd, he says that the film is well acted and quite stylish.

[Master Ray]

OK, here's my top 20 horror flicks, although I'm already rethinking it  (I missed out The Beyond, Dracula Prince Of Darkness and Reanimator?) but fook it, we'll be here for days if I tried to narrow it down, so here's my uncensored and 'straight from the brain' list...  and I'm doing it in alphabetical order because trying to put it in a proper top 20 thing would make my brain explode... even though certain folks around these parts think I'm 'brainless'... 

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors (1987)... liked it far better than the original.

An American Werewolf In London (1981) - my favourite horror movie ever. The perfect mix of comedy and horror.

The Cabin In The Woods (2012) - another fine mix of comedy and horror...

Carrie (1976) - When magnificent performances, fine direction and genuine emotion meet in a horror story, THIS is what you get...

Cat People (1982) - Surreal and sexy as heck, great Morodor score as well...

Damien - Omen 2 (1978) - Damn, when I saw this on it's first TV showing, I wished I was the Anti-Christ...   

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) - Gallons of blood and truly hilarious and endlessly-repeatable dialogue.  I can repeat, word for word, the 'Pussy Lovers' bit, if I've had a pint or two.  It might not be something I'm proud of.

Henry - Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986) - Saw it at an arthouse cinema in the late 80's.  Was a bit freaked out by how grim it was. Then, a decade of so later, got hold on the uncut version. Double freaked out.

Let The Right One In (2008) - See my comment about'Carrie'.

Martyrs (2008) - Holy shit, this one is just so 'wrong'.  But wonderfully made and acted.  Proceed with caution.

Night Of The Demon (1958) - Very first horror I was allowed to watch as a kid, I was about 8, late night on BBC2!  And the ending, when the demon shows up, still gives me a shiver!

Phenomena (1985) - one of two Argento entries here.  And, like much of Argento's stuff, it's a bit silly but so beautifully made!  Brilliant soundtrack, too!

Prince Of Darkness (1987) - a somewhat under-regarded John Carpenter flick...

Suspiria (1977) - one of my favourites, a hallucinogenic trip about witches and stuff... the first 15 minutes may be the best example of horror cinema EVER...

Theatre Of Blood (1973) - Vincent Price (the best horror movie actor ever?) in the film he regarded as his best.  Great British cast, imaginitvely gruesome and a gorgeous soundtrack.  Love it.

The Company Of Wolves (1984) - Is it horror or is it arthouse?  Don't care, love this film!

The Thing (1982) - I think we all know how good this film is.   

Zombie Flesheaters (1979) - now this is not anyone's idea of a classic horror movie, even if there is a bit where a zombie fights a shark underwater.  And that is a REAL shark, not sure about the zombie (you never can tell with these Italian horror flicks) but I saw it at an impressionable age and I own an uncut DVD and it's going onto my list, OK?   

[Guillaume]

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors (1987)... liked it far better than the original.

I like it too, even if it is a more "pop horror corn flick" aimed at teenagers than the first one! Craven in the first one was more serious, darker...the 3rd "Nightmare" is the one where Freddy becomes a star! delivering some punchlines here and there!
Still one the few fine sequels with the second one and the last Craven "nightmare". It helps, i think, that Craven put his stamp on the screenplay and that Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon were back in Freddy"s world!

An American Werewolf In London (1981) - my favourite horror movie ever. The perfect mix of comedy and horror.

Yes, so good! best transformation scene ever, with Rick Baker's incredible work. I also like the casting, the soundtrack and the unsettling tone...often in the movie you don't know if you must laugh/scream/cry! genius! the weird dream scenes for example, or the rotting corpse of the good friend. So many good scenes...the opening, the subway scene, the finale. I don't think that Landis is a "great" director even if i liked most of what he directed...but AAWIL is for sure a great film of the 80's. I liked another entry from Landis in the horror/comedy genre: "Innocent blood"...not as striking as "Werewolf" but still pretty cool.

Cat People (1982) - Surreal and sexy as heck, great Morodor score as well...

I almost put this film on my 20 desert island movies list too!
I really like that movie...haunting, from the soundtrack (i own the cd!) to the production design, dream scenes and moving ambiguous finale...to Miss Kinski of course, who was gorgeous. It probably helped that she was Paul Schrader's girlfriend at the time, he really makes her the star of the movie...have you  seen the original movie Master Ray? very different in style from the remake, like "the thing" released the same year.
Here's the kind of haunting scenes i can watch endlessly..music and pictures working together perfectly!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8vVF4cXlQo

Damien - Omen 2 (1978) - Damn, when I saw this on it's first TV showing, I wished I was the Anti-Christ...   

It's a good trilogy!
The second part has some fine acting (the great William Holden!) and some effective shock scenes...my favourite? probably the death on the road, with the lady vs the crows and truck  And Jerry Goldsmith's creepy soundtrack!

Carrie (1976) - When magnificent performances, fine direction and genuine emotion meet in a horror story, THIS is what you get...

De Palma was good when he let his heart speak...think of "Carrie", the harrowing/heartbreaking "Casualties of war", the endings of "Obsession", "Phantom of the paradise", "the fury", "Carlito's way".

Henry - Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986) -

What do you think of the others John McNaughton movies? I remember liking very much "Mad dog and glory", starring De Niro Uma Thurman and Bill Murray...it's a cute movie if you compare it to "Henry"!


 

Night Of The Demon (1958) - Very first horror I was allowed to watch as a kid, I was about 8, late night on BBC2!  And the ending, when the demon shows up, still gives me a shiver!

Is it the one where the demon is first seen in  a giant cloud in the far horizon, or something like that? If so, i have good childhood memories of this film! Mann did a kind a nod to this film in "The Keep", when the golem/demon appears within a giant "cloud"..

[Master Ray]

G, I'm off to bed now, but before I do, can I say that the original Cat People nearly made my list over the remake... a truly fine film!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ADPSaybusM

[Guillaume]

I've seen it on vhs years ago, i have to give it another viewing...Paul Schrader's remake bombed and was maligned by critics when it was released, like the remakes of "The thing" and "Scarface" at the same time...

[cthulhu]

very interesting read of you lists, many head nodding thinking: yeah, great ones! some inspiration mostly by guillaumes mentioning of some titles i didn't know
but i was asleep under deck when the ship was sinking and had to just grab what came in mind and was in reach before drowning, whereas you had time to think what you want to take to the island;-)

i would add:
from beyond - i like it definately more than re-animator, i think its way better in terms of atmosphere.
the haunting - robert wise b/w thrilling and still really frightening
dead & buried - this one i find has so many levels to it, creepy, atmospheric, strange and weird and totally entertaining at the same time.

and i'm thinking: next time we should be by chance at a concert together somehow, there has to be a video session together!