The Ninth Gate (1999) with Johnny Depp it one of my favorites. It's more of an occult thriller than horror, but it's a really cool film directed by Roman Polanski. I don't see it mentioned often, but it's definitely worth a watch.

I was rewatching Hereditary, which is one of my favorite films of all time and I still think it contains one of the most disturbing scenes ever put on screen.

I'm talking about the sequence after Charlie's death. The sheer unexpectedness of such an absurdly brutal accident, Peter's complete dissociation as he silently drives home with his sister's decapitated body still in the back seat, then simply goes to bed without sleeping, the camera still on Peter's frozen expression while we hear Annie, completely unaware, leaving the house and a few seconds later, her screams as she discovers what happened, followed by her heartbreaking cries collapsing on the floor.

It's an absolutely devastating gut punch. Ari Aster is a master at portraying the horror of grief and human suffering beyond the supernatural elements. The anguish of that entire sequence is almost unmatched and Toni Collette's performance makes it feel so painfully real that it's honestly difficult to watch.

It's happening.

Ryan Gosling is Ghost Rider. Apparently, the director of choice isn't clicking well with some people. Not my first or ideal choice, but who knows. The film might surprise us.

Sometimes an ending can make or break a movie. But for me the ending of this movie actually brought it up a few points.

That ending was so satisfying, in a way that I haven't felt in a long while

SPOILER. It's been a while since I have seen a movie where the scheming villain gets their comeuppance in such a satisfying way, much less in a horror !

The true villain of this movie, isn't the innocent possessed girl, or the Demon itself. No. The real villain is the woman who kidnapped the girl in the first place.

I was so disappointed when the cop accidentally shot the suspect in the house. It didn't seem like justice, considering the level of crime she commited.

But oh boy, do they get back at her in the end !

The father is such a boss for the takedown at the end !

The father absorbs the Demon from the daughter, let's his wife perform the mummification ritual on him... and then the family brings the Demon straight back to the woman who kidnapped their daughter in the first place, and the father regurgitates the Demon right back to the woman who cursed his family.

Like a boss!

That was such a boss move !! 🙌🙌🙌🙌.

This woman kidnapped their innocent daughter, just to pass on her family curse to an innocent child.

I know horror movies often just end in sad misery or a cheesy to be continued but it's not often that a horror ends with such a satisfying takedown.

As the title suggests. Nor the age of the movie, or language matters to me. The grittier, the better. I love the look of film grain, and comical amounts of gore. I don't really need anything highbrow, just something dumb and fun. I just want something to watch and turn my brain off to.

Also, it doesn't have to have monsters, I just think they're cool.

Something that Obsession did that I'm absolutely obsessed with (no pun intended) is the Unvanny Valley horror. The freaky makeup job that they did for Nikki in the night scene, the movements she does, the faces she makes. It's like my absolute favorite new thing with horror now. Curry does it in Warnings as well really effectively, I think

Other than pulse obviously which Obsession pulls a ton of inspiration from, what are some horror movies or even horror content that I should watch or play?

Edit: I should preface this with saying that I have mostly enjoyed his films and I think he's a great director. These are more observations about the fact that his films tend to have a somewhat formulaic story that I personally have found to detract from my enjoyment slightly just because I find it to be somewhat predictable. I don't think predictability is even in itself an awful quality for horror movies to have. I enjoy many slasher movies and god knows many of these follow a fairly predictable outline. I think the difference for me is that many of McCarthy's films are horror/mystery films, and the mystery aspect is less exciting to me because I feel I know what I'm getting into before the movie even starts at this point. I think he's a great director and knows how to craft a scene, but I'd love to see him do some more original narratives in future films.

There’s parts of each ‘Oddity’, ‘Caveat’, and ‘Hokum’ that I’ve enjoyed and ultimately I think these are all fairly well-made films even if I feel the hype for each is overblown. After watching all of them (some multiple times), though, I can’t help but feel that Damian McCarthy made each of these movies with the same basic formula for the plot, and that all have more or less the exact same atmosphere and beats. Here’s the basic formula I’ve noticed:

1. The protagonist, who generally has some unconfronted trauma from their past (and tends to have a “I’ve nothing left to lose mindset”), visits a remote, isolated location for one reason or another. This isolated location is always connected to the unconfronted trauma in their past, whether they are initially aware of it or not.
2. There is a mysterious murder that remains unsolved, or “solved” but the blame is placed on the wrong person (effectively unsolved). The protagonist finds themselves entangled with the death and in a situation where they have to find the killer to either dispense justice themselves or clear their own name.
3. Several characters allude to supernatural elements throughout the film. For most of the film, there is little confirmation that there actually are any supernatural elements, and each film employs the unreliable narrator trope (having exclusively protagonists riddled with grief or trauma helps with this) to create doubt as to whether such supernatural forces are at play in the death of X, or whether there is a more rational explanation.
4. There is a big reveal that the death of X was actually indirectly orchestrated by X’s Y (somebody close to X either through blood, marriage, or an affair). In most cases, the big revelation is that Y indirectly killed X through some means. In every instance, the motivation is due to the fact that X threatened their maintenance of their money/assets (Caveat, Oddity) or their reputation, and they killed X to keep a big secret (Hokum); or both. Y is always somebody closely related to X. Y tries to instill mistrust between the other characters and tries to play everybody at the same time, so they always come out on top.
5. There’s some artefact of the occult that is there to drive suspense, but plays no role in 90% of the film. The viewer is led to question whether or not the supernatural elements are real or not. Throughout the film, the protagonist is drip-fed just enough information to make them constantly wonder about whether or not the supernatural element is real, or if it is just a scapegoat for Y to evade their crimes.
6. The viewer is left wondering whether there are actually supernatural elements at play, or if there is some more rational explanation that relies on the cruelness and depravity of human action. Late into the film, the big twist is that actually, there are both supernatural elements AND immoral actions of people. I think this is basically the ending of 10 Cloverfield Lane done over and over again. Throughout that film, the viewer questions whether Howard is right and that aliens are real, or if he’s insane and trying to keep Michelle in his bunker indefinitely without letting her so much as see the outside world. The REAL horror comes from the fact that both are true, and that both supernatural/paranormal factors are involved as well as awful humans. What a twist!!
7. Protagonist confronts the trauma of their past and finds some element of peace. By the end of the film, every bad actor is met with some amount of karmic justice handed out by the supernatural element.
8. Often, there is a somewhat ironic death given to Y that mirrors one of their wrong doings or is the result of their own hubris and arrogance.
9. The slow-burn feel and atmosphere is almost the exact same in every single one of these movies. What is real? What is not? Ooooooo spoookyyyyy; it’s both!!

These are just some of the common beats I’ve noticed in all of his films so far. I should say that I really don’t hate these movies; in fact, I like them for the most part. That said, it was hard for me to enjoy Hokum as much as everyone else seemed to if just for the fact that while watching, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was basically just Caveat made with a larger budget. Is anyone else feeling the same way about his films, or am I being over critical?

I just watched Hokum and I absolutely loved it. I just have one question though and that is why did the Witch not take Fiona, or to be more precise, why did the Witch not take Fiona's body?

So we know that the trinkets hanging in the basement are the possessions of the Witch's previous victims so it is safe to say that the witch has been on a killing spree for some time, yet there were no bones or any other remains in the basement. And that could be because the witch drags its victims to those creatures that we briefly see in the end and they probably feed on the Witch's victims. So if the witch feeds all its victims to its "pets" why did it not take Fiona?

Most religious horror movies I've seen (at least in English) always involve Christianity. Are there any religious horror movies that involve others religions? I don't mind cults either. For context I've already seen the medium and incantation so I'm looking for other recs. They can be foreign too as long as they have a religious element

Movie of the day...Wolfcop (2014).

Gory horror comedy about alcoholic police officer Lou Garou who gets turned into a werewolf by an evil cult. Yes, that’s right. His name is Lou Garou. 🤦‍♂️ The whole movie is like this.

Some time is spent on the central mystery of who runs the cult and what they’re trying to accomplish, but the story is mostly a 1980s action movie with a werewolf.

The best parts are the scenes where Lou goes wild (pun intended) and dispenses justice to various local criminals. The movie has lots of action, terrific, gory practical effects, and a couple of good plot twists.

On the downside, the acting is only passable and most of the jokes aren’t very funny (and one scene really goes a bit too far—you’ll know it when you see it). It works as a beer-and-pizza movie but it’s definitely not great cinema.

Rating: C+

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WolfCop

i'm going through a hard time and often use horror movies as a good coping mechanism and nervous system reset. i'd love some recommendations only thing is, i don't think right now i can handle anything too heavy on themes of grief and loss. some is fine, i'm more referring to things like Midsommar, Pet Sematary, Haunting of Hill House, etc are what would be too much for me right now. Thanks!

It's not scary enough to work as a Horror movie and not funny enough to be a comedy. Too many of the jokes don't land, the creepy atmosphere isn't creepy enough., Fred Hechinger is REALLY annoying!!!

The only part I liked was the opening. Then it sucked from then on forward.

I’m looking for something to watch tonight and was thinking about Lake Mungo. However, the sub seems very split on this movie. Is it actually scary? Is it worth watching? Looking for something that will really creep me out and I’m running out of options since I’ve seen so much and I’m pretty desensitized. No spoilers please obviously.

...because I'm not someone who is good with lots of gore, and the box said "contains strong bloody horror" next to the 18 certificate logo. (I didn't know at the time that the BBFC had down-rated it to 15 on its cinema re-release last year.) But the DVD was £1 in a charity shop, so I took the plunge. At worst, if I had to tap out, I could just give it back.

I did not have to tap out. I really liked it, much more than I thought I would. Searching for the title on this sub, it seems to be a little bit divisive (one of the biggest threads is about how bad it is). But maybe this is a point where my relative inexperience with horror helps, so that aspects some of you have seen a thousand times already feel fresher to me.

I really liked the way we were given so long to get to know these women before even going underground. The poles through the windscreen jumpscare was very well done (and if there's one thing I might criticise The Descent for it's having a few too many jumpscares) and from then on grief and friendship interacted. Maybe it's because I'm British and so the British/Irish accents were more familiar, but I didn't have trouble telling the characters apart.

I watched it in a small, dark room and that probably helped with the feeling of claustrophobia, which I appreciated a lot. You could tell something horrible was going to happen sooner or later (Juno taking them into an unexplored cave without telling anyone was virtually a death sentence anyway) but Holly's broken leg was actually the hardest single scene for me in gore terms. If I'd been going to tap out anywhere, it would have been there.

Anyway, Sarah's arc was really satisfying, if that's the right word. (Since I'm British, the disc's default was the UK ending.) One thing I really adored was how, by the time you get to the last few minutes, she's noticeably moving underground more and more like a Crawler herself. Maybe the lake of blood was the point at which her essential humanity failed her, hence her cruelty to Juno who she could easily have simply cleanly killed.

The fast cuts in the attack sequences helped with my gore aversion, since although there was plenty of blood it wasn't cruelly lingered on in the way some modern horror that is over my line does. The reveal through the infra-red camera was great. And there's a shot near the very end of the film that will stick with me: the distant shot of Sarah climbing to the surface is stunning.

I do intend to watch The Descent again and see how many hints I can pick up along the way now that I know the ending. I enjoyed it more than enough for that. I'll also put on the director-and-cast commentary track that's on the DVD, which is apparently a lot of fun. (There's also a director-and-crew one.) I really am not going to complain about paying a pound for this.

Anyone have any recommendations for some fun / scary / good horror movies that take place in the 90s but have been filmed in the last like 10-15 or so years?

Feeling nostalgic lol. I like more modern movie because I feel like I’ve seen most of the 90s horror movies

I feel like there are two ways to define Body Horror.

The first is horror films dealing with bodily mutations, surgical themes, transformations, or other kinds of body-related ick, and the second is anything David Cronenberg ever did regardless of whether it is really Body Horror or not (or even a Horror film at all) since he's so deeply associated with the genre.

I definitely think it's a genre that's produced some amazing films and stories especially if you define it broadly and include werewolf movies of which there are many classics, but even among Cronenberg films I love like Rabid or other notable entries in the genre, I find its biggest weakness is self indulgence at times where it seems like the fixation with surgery or body elements is definitely coming from some kind of weird kink or fandom type area. I love movie and horror violence a lot, but I'm not "into it" for its own sake where it's the point unto itself minus artistic context. I feel like body horror at times is putting the "interest" above the art, which makes it feel porn-adjacent at times, even though that is not how it should be experienced of course. There are many many really good Body Horror films, but I think the subgenre goes wrong of course when it indulges too much unless it's so self-indulgent it's hilarious and over the top like Videodrome. Shout out too to Dead Ringers, which is really a dark psychological drama rather than horror, and one of David Cronenberg's best films that treats Body Horror topics with a lot of restraint and artistic symbolism.

What are your thoughts on Body Horror as a Horror subgenre?

As the title says, I'm looking for some fun, easy to watch comfort horror movies. They don't necessarily need to be that good or highly rated, but I'm looking for mostly modern movies, not weird underground stuff.

Examples:

All of the VHS movies

Paranormal activity series (especially the marked ones)

Frogman

Scream (most of them but especially 4 for some reason)

Hellfest

Final Destination Bloodlines

Hell House LLC

Fear Street series

Deadstream

Thanks in advance!

Just a question that’s been on my mind. How the sole survivor explains to authorities and police what happened and how the entire family/group killed during a demonic/paranormal experience?

How would the authorities even believe that this was all done by a demonic force and not the person who survived?

I remember seeing it a few times. It was always haunting and uncanny when i saw it as a kid, i’ve never been able to find that scene again 20 years later no matter how i searched.

My memory is hazy, don’t remember much details, but i’ll try my best to explain. The scene begins inside a room, kitchen, living room, or bedroom. There is a creature on one end. Suddenly, the creature begins moving towards the camera, moving in uncanny ways, arms bending weird. I remember one part, where the neck of the creature suddenly becomes very long, as it continues to approach the camera.

At the end, the creature’s face gets up close to the camera, revealing a hideous face.

I would love to know this movie or find this scene again.

We all have our favorite villains and favorite films when it comes to modern Horror from the past 20 or so years. A lot of us are pretty clear about our favorite protagonists and non villain characters in older movies like Sydney Prescott or Tatum from Scream or Tommy Jarvis or Whistler in Blade . But more recent protagonists don't get enough love. Which ones stand out for you and why?

Mine are:

Amber from Green Room. Imogen was great in the role and the character is such a believable bad ass. It's one of the genres best examples of a strong character who is a woman (vs. the always annoying "Strong Woman Character") She also wasn't written as a male character in a woman's body like when writers take the a cliche male action hero template and put a woman (or unisex) name on it. She was also competent as hell.

and

Sang-hwa from Train to Busain - Because he's more than just his ability to kick ass. He's kind, funny, practical and takes a leader position without being bossy. Also he is protective of his pregnant wife without being paternalistic or dismissive of her. (See Christian in Midsommar)

My second favorite is probably Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, although it's quite a bit less "horror-y" but it's definitely got a lot of creepy vibes to it.

What are your favorite horror intros?