LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

I was also surprised that no Hammer made it into Barnes' list.

I am inordinately fond of the odd almost Lovecraftian "Quartermass and the Pit".
Sandi picked "The Vampire Lovers"...which is...interesting.

Because Hammer gets its own "Ten Best"!

1) BRIDES OF DRACULA
2) TWINS OF EVIL
3) THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
4) HORROR OF DRACULA
5) THE GORGON
6) FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED
7) CAPTAIN KRONOS, VAMPIRE HUNTER
8) VAMPIRE LOVERS
9) CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF
10) TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA

Honorable mention- QUATERMASS AND THE PIT
Shameful guilty pleasure- LUST FOR A VAMPIRE

Wot? No love for "I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle"? The only horror film that really creeps me out - in the sense of trying to watch it several times and failing to complete it - is the original 1950s(?) The Haunting. Captain Kronos and Quatermass definitely merit the special mentions. Thanks for getting me interested in LTROI, a pity it's not on region 2 DVD yet, guess it's torrent time.

Nice to see other fans of Captain Kronos and Quatermass and the Pit.

I'm going to watch Let The Right One In this weekend.

KRONOS is great- it was written by Brian Clemens, who was one of the writers on THE AVENGERS. Hammer saw it as a potential James Bond-like series, but it never got past the first episode. It's total pulp and a great mix of swashbuckling and gothic horror. I always thought Horst Janson would make a good He-Man.

It's the best of the "twilight years" Hammer films, I think. It's kind of spotty in parts, but it had an energy and verve that was very fresh for the time.

Watched LTROI and have to agree with the general consensus here that it's a good movie. I'd say its more of a drama than a horror though. I liked that they never spoon-fed you vampire lore or winked at the camera with that stuff. Basically assuming that you've seen one or more vampire movies before so you know the drill already. I was also reading about the differences with the book and have to say I think the movie is better for leaving certain details and motivations open to interpretation.

yeah, I totally loved this movie. A solid 10/10 for me. It was my 5th favourite movie of 2008. I was floored. Can't wait to rent it cuz my fiancee has not seen it.

I vaguely remember seeing Kronos a long time ago. Wasn't that the one where they bury a dead toad in the woods? Then if they dug it up alive it meant a vampire walked over it. Something like that, it was kind of cool.

YES, that's it alright.

Michael Barnes wrote:

Yes, CAT PEOPLE likely belongs on there too...I'm inclined to put all of the Val Lewton pictures because I think they're about as classy, sophisticated, and mature as horror films have ever been. CAT PEOPLE is significant because it practically created the concept of using tension, editing, and sound to make the audience jump- the "bus".

THE HOWLING, that's another one that could go on there. And THE CHANGELING.

Ask for your list, then I go on vacation -- how is that for being an asshole

The Changeling is easily my favorite horror movie. It is a gret movie with loads of tension. George C. Scott is great in it and the story is creepy too.

Haven't heard of Cat People, but I will see about renting it soon.

Michael Barnes wrote:

HOUSE...ha ha! I saw that in the theater too. William Katt...whatever happened to that guy.

HOUSE kind of brings up a good point about horror. It's a genre where totally lowbrow trash can be almost as good- even if by different parameters- as the really high end, serious pictures. Like the Fulci pictures, they're total garbage on pretty much every level...but I'll be damned if HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY or CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD aren't great horror pictures. It's always been like that too, if you look at some of the cheapo, crap horror movies of the 1930s-1940s it's there too. HOUSE OF DRACULA- complete crap, but god I love it.

I'm actually pretty forgiving of horror, moreso than any other genre...yet I still almost instinctively rule out almost anything released under that genre tag today.

I love THE GATE. It's a terrible movie. Really freaking awful, really. I'd be ashamed to show it to a room full of fellow Val Lewton fans. But I love it. I remember going into Turtle's after I saw it to see if Sacrifyx was a real band.

Holy Shit! I love THE GATE. I am surprised anyone else remembers it enough to mention it. I haven't seen it in years....maybe something to do this weekend.

I just saw this and thought dudes might be interested to hear about it:

http://iconsoffright.com/news/2009/03/let_the_wrong_subtitles_in_to.html

I finally got a chance to see Let the Right One In last week and it was very enjoyable. The kids in it were so talented and that's really refreshing, too. Whenever I see children in a 'horror' movie trailer it's usually like a big sign saying "stay away, this movie sucks". The movie really looked good, too. I was worried it would have the low-budg treatment but it wasn't like that at all. Pretty slick. But not slick in the stupid current hollywood way. Bleh, I'm not a film expert I can't explain it.

Also watched The Shining again after like... 15 years or more. Something like that with so many classic moments you have to put some distance between it between viewings to really enjoy it. That really works out because it's almost like watching it anew. I totally forgot about the scene with the woman in the bathtub and other details.

I saw about 3/4 of an amusing vamp flick on cable but I fell asleep before it ended. Looked early 70's. Dracula and his servant are out trying to find him a bride who's a virgin. They end up getting invited to this rich estate where four "beautiful young daughters" live. He keeps biting these sisters and ends up puking up the blood because they lie about being chaste. Most of them are fucking the hunky handyman. Drac's servant is super serious and intense and has some pretty funny scenes. It's a shame I didn't catch the beginning OR ending or the title but I was just way tired.

Hex Sinister wrote:

I saw about 3/4 of an amusing vamp flick on cable...

I think this is Love at First Bite, released in 1979. I still remember my parents taking me to see it when I was very young.

MattLoter wrote:

I just saw this and thought dudes might be interested to hear about it:

http://iconsoffright.com/news/2009/03/let_the_wrong_subtitles_in_to.html

Checked this link out and was a little pissed at first that I wasn't getting the proper nuance from the dialogue. But thinking a little more about it, I realized that once I had gotten a feel for the characters the clunky literal translations didn't get in the way at all. This movie isn't really dialog driven and you just need to understand basic human emotions to get the complexity of the characters.