Need recommendations on a certain genre of horror

[Psykopat89]

Hello, I just registered here, because I love horror movies and like to discuss them, but primarily because I need help on finding some interesting movies of a particular genre.

Now, I am not exactly sure of the genre's name, but I know it simply as "survival horror". Now, it's not as simple as that. So let me explain.

I am searching for movies which, in one or more (preferably more) ways are similar to any of the following:

-The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The first (from 1974 or 76 I think), and the two new ones from 2003 and 2006)
-Wrong Turn 1 & 2
-The Hills Have Eyes 1 & 2 (The two new ones from 2006 and 2007)
-Wolf Creek
...And a little bit Rest Stop (though that is one strange movie, it reminded me, in many ways, a lot of the TCM style)

What *I* mean by this "survival horror" genre, is the kind of movie where the victim(s) are being hunted in the middle of nowhere, by one or more hostile humans/creatures/whatever. The point is, there is no mystery whatsoever, to who the killer is; the viewer might even have seen his face, and heard his voice. But that still doesn't change the fact that the victim is in danger, and that he can either choose to run or fight; he just needs to get out of this alive. Thereby, survival horror.

And speaking of survival films, I am *not* speaking of zombie films, which, when you think about it, also *is* survival, like e.g. Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead. PLEASE. Let it be just somewhat realistic. I like the idea of inbred, deformed cannibals, or, in general, just the whole outback-pscyho concept. But I don't like it when it actually is a so-called "monster movie" or "supernatural movie". The killer should have some human resemblance, something you can relate to. So, if you're going to recommend some movie, please take that into account.

So, I think at least some of you are getting a picture of where I'm going at, what kind of horror movie I like...

If you have read of all this, and can think of a movie (or more) that is similar to some of the aforementioned, or a movie that can fill these criterias, then please, speak up! :)

And, not to be rude, arrogant, or anything, but I would just like to make it clear (as I have tried getting recommendations elsewhere online): I am not asking for your personal likings of films or genres, but what you think with your knowledge of horror films, could satisfy these criterias.

I thank you very much for your time!

[ChronoGrl]

I generally throw these movies into the slight exploitation / borderline torture-porn sub-genres (though they are not completely torture-porn, I'm not sure if I'd necessarily call them "survival" myself).

Have you watched any Rob Zombie? The Devil's Rejects (http://imdb.com/title/tt0395584/) might be something that you're looking for. I feel as though he completely draws most of (if not ALL) of his influence from TCM, so if you like those movies, there's a big chance that you will LOVE the Zombie.

Also, even though I hated it, you might enjoy Captivity (http://imdb.com/title/tt0374563/), as it definitely has aspects of all of those films that you named.

Maybe try the remake of House of Wax (http://imdb.com/title/tt0397065/). It actually wasn't all that bad, though you might consider the setting and deaths to be a bit too elaborate (again, considering your below films).

Wonderful little tortured indie horror film (new take on the hitchhiker mythos), check out Penny Dreadful (http://imdb.com/title/tt0454224/).

Oh, and if you liked Wolf Creek, then you most definitely have to see Touristas (http://imdb.com/title/tt0454970/) (everyone compared it to Hostel, but I thought it was better).

[Roderick Usher]

It isn't technically a horror flick, but Straw Dogs is not only horrifying but is also a GREAT film that fits your criteria. You should seriously check it out.

[newb]

Not classified as horror but "Southern Comfort" fits the bill ...as does "Judgement Night" or even "The Warriors"


In the Horror genre

Just Before Dawn

Dog Soldiers

The Descent

many more if I had the time

[Psykopat89]

Chrono:
Thanks, that was an interesting answer!

I have already seen House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and the new Halloween - and to the best of my knowledge, that is all which Rob Zombie has done in the movie business, so far. So I am familiar with his works. :)
And you are right, I actually like Devil's Rejects a lot. Although I thought House of 1000 Corpses was extremely lame and boring. So you've got a pretty good idea of my taste.

I've also seen the remake of House of Wax. It was okay, a bit intense at the ending, but nothing special. Had some pretty decent nasty effects, though. But not the kind of thing I was looking for, hehe.

As for the three others, which I haven't seen; they all do sound pretty interesting, especially Turistas. I am checking it out as soon as possible. All of them, in fact.

Many thanks for your time and recommendations!

Roderick:
I checked it out on IMDB; I have to say, it doesn't sound much like something I would be very much into. Maybe it's because I am a bit sceptical because it's from the 70's, and I tend to generally not like the production part of those movies (of course the production of that age weren't great, I just very rarely enjoy it), with a few exceptions (Halloween, TCM, etc.); or maybe it's because it said very little about the film at IMDB, and I don't believe it's worth the effort.

But still, thanks a lot!

newb:
I have seen Dog Soldiers, which I really liked. One of the few "supernatural" films I actually enjoyed and got something out of. And it actually gave me a bit of adrenaline during a few scenes, hehe.
I checked out the rest of the, to me, unknown titles, and...
Just Before Dawn sounds really interesting, but it seems to be hard to find anywhere on the web (buying it from an online UK/US store would be too expensive in shipment, seeing as I am from Denmark, and most of the danish online movie shops don't sell that kind of old school gold; guess I'll have to ask around the actual "physical" shops 'round town, hehe)
However, The Descent, I have found; and it sounds interesting, too. Will check it out soon.


I thank you all for your time put into trying to help me, I really do appreciate it! I hope that I have now found at least a couple of titles that would satisfy my needs for this kind of horror enjoyment. I am kind of under the impression, that this kind of movie genre/style/atmosphere is kinda rare, compared to many other horrorgenres (like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends, etc...), which makes it hard for me to find horrortitles that *really* appeals to me.

Anyway, thanks a lot!

Keep 'em coming, please :D

[fortunato]

Roderick:
I checked it out on IMDB; I have to say, it doesn't sound much like something I would be very much into. Maybe it's because I am a bit sceptical because it's from the 70's, and I tend to generally not like the production part of those movies (of course the production of that age weren't great, I just very rarely enjoy it), with a few exceptions (Halloween, TCM, etc.); or maybe it's because it said very little about the film at IMDB, and I don't believe it's worth the effort.

But still, thanks a lot!


it very much is worth the effort, seriously.

[Psykopat89]

it very much is worth the effort, seriously.

Well then, could you please explain why? What is good about it, why would I like it? A bit of info would be nice, if you would care to share.

[knife_fight]

High Tension could fit the bill, if you can stomach the ending.

the Masters of Horror episode from season 1, "Incident On & Off a Mountain Road" fits too, I think. in fact, for some reason that's the first thing I thought of when I saw the words "survival horror."

I know there are tons out there like this, but those are the only ones that immediately popped in my head.


...and Straw Dogs is great, but I don't know if it's specifically what you are looking for.

[Despare]

Human "appearance"? What about From Dusk Till' Dawn? Too supernatural? As far as Masters of Horror season one goes Pick Me Up sounds like it fits the bill too and I thought it was pretty fun for the most part.

[Posher778]

Human "appearance"? What about From Dusk Till' Dawn? Too supernatural? As far as Masters of Horror season one goes Pick Me Up sounds like it fits the bill too and I thought it was pretty fun for the most part.

From Dusk Til' Dawn is an excellent "survival" film.

[Roderick Usher]

Well then, could you please explain why? What is good about it, why would I like it? A bit of info would be nice, if you would care to share.

Straw Dogs is about a mild-mannered man who is bullied by the locals in a small town whom all lust after his hot wife. They see him as less-than-a-man and invade his territory in a horrifying home invasion.

The nebbish must essentially find his inner caveman and defend his home with violence. And when he finally snaps... it's powerful stuff. The violence isn't gory, but it has great impact and is deeply affecting. It is Sam Peckinpah's personal philosophy of manhood is defined by violence played out in all its twisted glory and one of Dustin Hoffman's finest performances.

It truly is a great film. And I must implore you to give "old" films a chance. By ignoring them you're ignoring the reference points from which the newer films originated.

[ChronoGrl]

Chrono:
Thanks, that was an interesting answer!

I have already seen House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and the new Halloween - and to the best of my knowledge, that is all which Rob Zombie has done in the movie business, so far. So I am familiar with his works. :)
And you are right, I actually like Devil's Rejects a lot. Although I thought House of 1000 Corpses was extremely lame and boring. So you've got a pretty good idea of my taste.

I've also seen the remake of House of Wax. It was okay, a bit intense at the ending, but nothing special. Had some pretty decent nasty effects, though. But not the kind of thing I was looking for, hehe.

As for the three others, which I haven't seen; they all do sound pretty interesting, especially Turistas. I am checking it out as soon as possible. All of them, in fact.

Many thanks for your time and recommendations!

Not a problem... I figured that I had your tastes pegged. Why? Because as of late I have been renting a myriad of these inadvertently.

See, I'm a huge fan of the Slasher Genre. My boyfriend is a huge fan of the Monster genre. We take turns. He'll rent "The Hidden" and I'll rent "Touristas." However, it seems that a lot of the newer seemingly slasher films tend to be more exploitative and torture-centric.

Everytime a new-to-us movie turns out that way, my boyfriend LOVES to point out, "Thanks for the torture." Because it's REALLY not my thing. I swear. :p Glad my dabblings in the wrong subgenre has been good for SOMEthing. ;)

I thank you all for your time put into trying to help me, I really do appreciate it! I hope that I have now found at least a couple of titles that would satisfy my needs for this kind of horror enjoyment. I am kind of under the impression, that this kind of movie genre/style/atmosphere is kinda rare, compared to many other horrorgenres (like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends, etc...), which makes it hard for me to find horrortitles that *really* appeals to me.

Yeah, that's the trouble with the newer films. I think that a lot of them are drawing from the books of teenie-slashers (what I consider Scream and I Know What You Did) and combining them with the pages of pure torture, which was revived by Hostel (which you might want to check out if you haven't seen it, though it's more pure torture than anything else).

...


Re: The Decent. This is an absolute fantastic movie, but I'm not sure if it really coincides with your above criteria. I classify it more as a Monsters film (with lots of delightful claustrophobia). It lacks the exploitation and torture aspects that you seem to be looking for. HOWEVER, this is definitely in my horror top-10, so I am NOT going to say, "Don't see it."

Re: Captivity. Since you didn't really like House of Wax, you might not like Captivity. Honestly, I HATED the film, but I thought it might be something that you'd like. It's definitely torture-centric, but the Big Bad is SERIOUSLY weak, the settings overly elaborate (you seem to like more of the simple settings, whereas the setting here is a giant mansion torture chamber essentially), and the ending is LAME. But just throwing it out there. In case.

On the other hand, if you're willing to diverge into Monster territory, you might want to check out Jeepers Creepers (http://imdb.com/title/tt0263488/), which I thought was INCREDIBLY underrated. It definitely has aspects of the creepy and macabre torture that you seem to enjoy and definitely emphasizes the concept of the vulnerable hunted. It might be a good Runner Up to add to your list.

Also, you might want to check out Tooth and Nail (http://imdb.com/title/tt0922642/). Again, this was NOT a movie that I liked (actually I HATED it), but you might enjoy Michael Madsen dressed up like a viking (and leading a viking clan) mercilessly hunting down a surviver colony in a post-apocalyptic America. The movie itself was weak, the reasons behind the apocalypse LAME, the ending TERRIBLE, but you might enjoy the hunting scenes (which is a good 2/3 of the movie).

SPEAKING of this year's 8 Films to Die For, definitely see Borderland (http://imdb.com/title/tt0452592/). I would say that, by far, it was the best of this year's After Dark film festival. It starts out as a seemingly cliche Spring Break movie, but it is a lot more complicated than that. It has elements of torture and exploitation, and also really elongated and intense death scenes. It took a while to get into, but I trust you, once you do, you will not regret it.


Straw Dogs is about a mild-mannered man who is bullied by the locals in a small town whom all lust after his hot wife. They see him as less-than-a-man and invade his territory in a horrifying home invasion.

The nebbish must essentially find his inner caveman and defend his home with violence. And when he finally snaps... it's powerful stuff. The violence isn't gory, but it has great impact and is deeply affecting. It is Sam Peckinpah's personal philosophy of manhood is defined by violence played out in all its twisted glory and one of Dustin Hoffman's finest performances.

It truly is a great film. And I must implore you to give "old" films a chance. By ignoring them you're ignoring the reference points from which the newer films originated.

Oooooo, I looooooove seeing the victims become frightening primal... One of the few things that I enjoy about victims-become-victimizers films (not always my favorite genre because I feel, for the most part, it's poorly done). Thanks for the recommendation, Rod. I'm adding it to the Netflix queue now.

[Posher778]

Not a problem... I figured that I had your tastes pegged. Why? Because as of late I have been renting a myriad of these inadvertently.

See, I'm a huge fan of the Slasher Genre. My boyfriend is a huge fan of the Monster genre. We take turns. He'll rent "The Hidden" and I'll rent "Touristas." However, it seems that a lot of the newer seemingly slasher films tend to be more exploitative and torture-centric.

Everytime a new-to-us movie turns out that way, my boyfriend LOVES to point out, "Thanks for the torture." Because it's REALLY not my thing. I swear. :p Glad my dabblings in the wrong subgenre has been good for SOMEthing. ;)



Yeah, that's the trouble with the newer films. I think that a lot of them are drawing from the books of teenie-slashers (what I consider Scream and I Know What You Did) and combining them with the pages of pure torture, which was revived by Hostel (which you might want to check out if you haven't seen it, though it's more pure torture than anything else).

...


Re: The Decent. This is an absolute fantastic movie, but I'm not sure if it really coincides with your above criteria. I classify it more as a Monsters film (with lots of delightful claustrophobia). It lacks the exploitation and torture aspects that you seem to be looking for. HOWEVER, this is definitely in my horror top-10, so I am NOT going to say, "Don't see it."

Re: Captivity. Since you didn't really like House of Wax, you might not like Captivity. Honestly, I HATED the film, but I thought it might be something that you'd like. It's definitely torture-centric, but the Big Bad is SERIOUSLY weak, the settings overly elaborate (you seem to like more of the simple settings, whereas the setting here is a giant mansion torture chamber essentially), and the ending is LAME. But just throwing it out there. In case.

On the other hand, if you're willing to diverge into Monster territory, you might want to check out Jeepers Creepers (http://imdb.com/title/tt0263488/), which I thought was INCREDIBLY underrated. It definitely has aspects of the creepy and macabre torture that you seem to enjoy and definitely emphasizes the concept of the vulnerable hunted. It might be a good Runner Up to add to your list.

Also, you might want to check out Tooth and Nail (http://imdb.com/title/tt0922642/). Again, this was NOT a movie that I liked (actually I HATED it), but you might enjoy Michael Madsen dressed up like a viking (and leading a viking clan) mercilessly hunting down a surviver colony in a post-apocalyptic America. The movie itself was weak, the reasons behind the apocalypse LAME, the ending TERRIBLE, but you might enjoy the hunting scenes (which is a good 2/3 of the movie).

SPEAKING of this year's 8 Films to Die For, definitely see Borderland (http://imdb.com/title/tt0452592/). I would say that, by far, it was the best of this year's After Dark film festival. It starts out as a seemingly cliche Spring Break movie, but it is a lot more complicated than that. It has elements of torture and exploitation, and also really elongated and intense death scenes. It took a while to get into, but I trust you, once you do, you will not regret it.




Oooooo, I looooooove seeing the victims become frightening primal... One of the few things that I enjoy about victims-become-victimizers films (not always my favorite genre because I feel, for the most part, it's poorly done). Thanks for the recommendation, Rod. I'm adding it to the Netflix queue now.

You spelled "Descent" wrong. And it was more than *descent* thank you very much ;)

[ChronoGrl]

You spelled "Descent" wrong. And it was more than *descent* thank you very much ;)

bwahaha...

Oh, I'm sorry. I was referring to the delightfully innocuous movie The Decent. It's about a kind and proper, pious family who happily upholds a high standard of propriety and conforms to society's norms while at the same time being wholly and completely non-offensive. :p

[Posher778]

bwahaha...

Oh, I'm sorry. I was referring to the delightfully innocuous movie The Decent. It's about a kind and proper, pious family who happily upholds a high standard of propriety and conforms to society's norms while at the same time being wholly and completely non-offensive. :p

Now that sounds like a true horror.

[knife_fight]

Now that sounds like a true horror.


yeah, but is it survival horror?

[THE VAMPIRE]

I like pie

[roshiq]

This are some fair/mediocre flicks, you can give a watch at once:

Wilderness (2006)
http://services.windowsmedia.com/dvdcover/cov150/drt900/t916/t91614qj42y.jpg

Joy Ride (2001)
http://services.windowsmedia.com/dvdcover/cov150/drt100/t160/t16037dxgnp.jpg

French/Romanian horror:
ILS-Them (2006)
http://www.dvdspot.com/covers/7/1774611065.jpg


Dutch horror:
Slaughter Night aka SL8N8 (2006)
http://services.windowsmedia.com/dvdcover/cov150/dru300/u353/u35366otukp.jpg