UKC

Any experts on this genre of film out there. I'm not talking about horror / gore for the sake of horror / gore (that's not scary, but is unpleasant).

I'm feeling in the mood for a scary movie.... ...something that makes you jump sky high. I have consumately failed to find any decent such films in the last year: "the innkeepers" was just sh1te, and "the woman" wasn't scary, but was pretty predictable, though searching Guillermo del Toro films found "the devil's backbone", which I thought was excellent, even if not particularly scary.

Please could I have your recommendations?!

Thanks.

In reply to Jimbo W:

I thought the ring was pretty unsettling

And that the remake was better than the original

Ring 2 wasn't much good though

In reply to Jimbo W:

Eraserhead is in it's own genre. I can't recommend it enough.

In reply to Jimbo W:

Just watch The Shining again. Nothing gets close.

Kill List is an interesting horror thing (not supernatural though).

In reply to Jimbo W:

A night out in Scunthorpe.

In reply to Jimbo W:

Jacobs Ladder is a pretty good psychological thriller.

In reply to brokenbanjo:

The sequel is scarier...A day out in Runcorn.

In reply to Jimbo W:

Dorothy might fit the bill:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034306/

In reply to Jimbo W:

The Awakening was overlooked last year, as it was assumed to be a bit derivative of The Others (it's not). Maybe not the instant classic that I hoped it would be, but worth a look. Arguably more a "psychological thriller with a bit of supernatural in it" than a "makes you jump sky high" type thing, but do give it a go!

Also a late 60s Hammer offering, "The Devil Rides Out". The scariest Hammer film I've seen, by a LONG way. Bit of a cop-out finale but up till then it's just great. Mostly thanks to Christopher Lee's performance.

Poltergeist still works well too, even if some plot points are a tad illogical.

If you want something else more recent, last year's "Sinister" had some good scares in it (overall a bit uneven perhaps, but as you might gather, it's hard to find something where everything is perfect!)

A short Spanish feature "El Habitacion del Nino" starts well but loses it in the finale, but again still worth a look. It's about infra-red baby monitors showing a father some sort of ghostly goings-on...

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Thanks for the suggestions. I am generally finding that alot of foreign films seem to do the genre better. Maybe that's not true... ...but looking at your suggestion of "the devil rides out" on imdb there was a link to a film called "Suspiria" which also looks like a good film! Has anyone seen this one?

Please keep the suggestions coming!

Yes, I've seen this one, and agree totally with your assessment. Started well, and went down hill rapidly towards the end.

In reply to Turdus torquatus:


Its on the list cheers.

In reply to Jimbo W: The Orphanage (2007) is worth a watch.

In reply to Steve Perry: I'm still hiding behind the couch in sections of Nosferatu.

In reply to Jimbo W:

In my experience it is not NECESSARILY true. I think there is a bit of an expectation set up, a kind of "ooh this is subtitled, it's bound to be intelligent" when in fact a lot of this Euro-horror is no better than something in English. Remember, it's not foreign in its native country.
The Orphanage was good but not as amazing as people make out.
I think it's a similar effect to when you think some bruschetta you had on holiday in Italy was nicer than a bruschetta made with the exact same ingredients in your own house

In reply to Jimbo W:

Suspiria is a "cult classic" which in effect means that "it's not that good but it's cool to say you like it"

I like it.
But not for its "scariness". It has a nice central performance, some gloriously over the top set pieces, crazy music and beautiful sets. But the story is just silly.
Tenebrae is actually a better Argento film in my opinion.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Well I take the point, but I certainly don't assume that foreign films are intelligent nor that "intelligent" films are better. My French colleague detests French films! In general I have one criterion for what I enjoy watching and that is that it should be entertaining, because I use films to relax and escape and subtitles make for slightly more work. It's probably just a phase, but I've been enjoying a fair few foreign films recently. Particularly French thrillers / crime films like "anything for her", "tell no one" and Spanish horrors. I really like Guillermo del Toro's non comic book / fantasy / horror orientated films. Also, one of my favourite films is a French film called "Swing", from 2002. Have you seem it?

In reply to Jimbo W:

Sorry, I didn't mean to direct my post at you! I had gathered that you aren't one of the culprits

But I do see - often on UKC threads - this broad-brush sentiment being expressed

In reply to Jimbo W: Kwaidan or similar? Good luck.

In reply to Jimbo W:

Rec. was good, and fits arty farty foreign credentials ; )

In reply to Bobling:


That definitely looks like my sort of film.

In reply to Jimbo W:

I enjoyed The Woman In Black, featuring Harry Potter.

In reply to Jimbo W:

Try watching Hellraiser whilst using a Rubik's Cube.