HDC Presents: 100 Years of Horror

[hammerfan]

Sounds good.

[Straker]

Fine with me. :cool:


I'll add honourable mention backings to;

Inside
Hard Candy

and also remind people not to forget about some of the quality horror flicks that are going to miss out, like; Pulse (Kairo) and Thirst (Bakjwi) actually really surprised the latter hasn't received more support if I'm honest.

[Sculpt]

agreed

....

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by Giganticface

That depends. Personally, I do like Inside more than Haute Tension, but I also like Martyrs better than Inside. All three are loved by some, hated by others, and have achieved some level of notoriety, depending on who you ask. I like Haute Tension, and think it's a nice choice for this list for the reasons I've already stated, but any of them are good candidates for their own reasons. I'm glad to back any of them, and I've already backed Inside, so unless V lets me vote twice, I think that's all I can do. ;) If you choose to back Inside now, I suspect someone might match it to make it tied with Haute Tension.

Just a head's up, if you're making a decision on any of these films based purely on research, keep in mind that these films are all controversial to some degree, and not just for being explicit. Many of them redefine horror formulas is ways that horror fans may not like. Any film that stirs controversy or breaks the rules will cause a wide variance in opinion. I wouldn't trust any RT or IMDB ratings for any of these films, and I certainly wouldn't be overly influenced by any single reviewer's opinion. For instance, a horror fan may choose to watch Trouble Every Day hoping to see a fresh take on the vampire subgenre, but be utterly disappointed because not a single fang is to be found in the entire film. When I first watched In My Skin, my own preconception negatively influenced the experience. I was hoping for some cool body horror that might rival Cronenberg, and instead got a woman's psychological battle, seen through an arthouse lens. The second time I watched it, I was blown away.

What I love about this group of films is that, although they disrupt the tropes, they don't come across as pretentious, as if they're better than the classic concepts they're both drawing from and mutating in the process. They treat their predecessors with a great deal of respect, and don't attempt to hide or satirize their influences. I've read plenty of less-than-insightful reviews about how such-and-such a film is just a copy of some other film. (Frontier(s) / TCM is a common one.) Almost always, however, those reviewers are not looking close enough.

Running with the Trouble Every Day example, here's a quote I like from one particular review:
That reviewer is paying attention, and clearly so is director Claire Denis.

I agree this film is less "horror" than the rest, and it's also the the one I'd be least excited to back based on its subject matter. However, to me, that entire first scene -- not just the final 1 minute of it -- is horror. It's a brilliant conveyance of confusion, pending doom and uncontrollable bloodlust by Gaspar Noe, heavily driven by the swirling camerawork and throbbing sound design. It's true that the majority of the film is dramatic setup, although with the story told in reverse, the "setup" ends up playing more like a slow reveal. However, since all of those scenes directly reference those two disturbing scenes, IMO, it all "counts." That's the whole movie. :) This film is definitely experimental, so it will never fit cleanly into the boundaries of any genre. It's basically a unique, brutal arthouse film.

Say, Gigan, let me say, I not only enjoyed reading your insight into the films, genre and general reviewer idiosyncrasies, I think you write well too. IMO has good flow, subtle humorous references, and conceptually succinct use of adjectives, as here:

"For instance, a horror fan may choose to watch Trouble Every Day hoping to see a fresh take on the vampire subgenre, but be utterly disappointed because not a single fang is to be found in the entire film. When I first watched In My Skin, my own preconception negatively influenced the experience. I was hoping for some cool body horror that might rival Cronenberg, and instead got a woman's psychological battle, seen through an arthouse lens.For instance, a horror fan may choose to watch Trouble Every Day hoping to see a fresh take on the vampire subgenre, but be utterly disappointed because not a single fang is to be found in the entire film. When I first watched In My Skin, my own preconception negatively influenced the experience. I was hoping for some cool body horror that might rival Cronenberg, and instead got a woman's psychological battle, seen through an arthouse lens."

[_____V_____]

Okay, majority are in favor so the top 24 are sealed.

The front runners for the Honorable Mentions are highlighted in BOLD at the top under their separate section. In addition, those films with 2 backings have been underlined as well.

http://www.horror.com/forum/showthre...57593&page=120

We have SIX films with most backings for our Honorable Mentions. Do we go with them by default, or is there more scope for debate?

Have your say. If the majority agrees, the SIX in bold will be passed.

[Sculpt]

I'm fine with the 6 (in bold & below) that have the most votes. All of these have a lot of support. I might like to change-out a few, but I know there aren't votes for it.

Battle Royale (2000)
Final Destination (2000)
The Orphanage (2007)
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
Hard Candy (2005)
Inside aka À l'intérieur (2007)

NOTE: But if we vote not to go with the 6 leading films, than I'm not backing all of these films.

.

[neverending]

Pulse (Kairo)
Mum and Dad - a really savage British horror film and satire on family life. The Christmas scene pushes things way over the top.
Battle Royale
Hard Candy
Ils
Frontier(s)

[The Villain]

Battle Royale
The Orphanage
The Devils Backbone
Hard Candy
Inside
Julia's Eyes

[metternich1815]

I'm fine with those six.

[Straker]

I'm backing The Host.... Didn't even realise it hadn't already made the cut, massive over sight, at least on my part. Made my original list with ease, awesome movie and really should be recognised on our list. Great group of characters with a family driven story that is rare to see these days. Action packed entertainment pretty much from the get go. Sorry I didn't get behind this movie sooner and really hoping it can make a late surge and knock Final Destination out of the running. :cool: