LA Magazine: Sammy's Top 20 Horror Movies

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   With the new layout and in the spirit of Halloween I'm gonna do a "Top" list. This one will be horror films. The thing about the horror genre is that,  at times, it tends to be drawn with blurred lines...steadily pacing l between "horror" and some other genre...most notably the "Thriller" genre. Some would even consider horror a sub-genre of Thriller or vice versa. But for the sake of simple, normal reading entertainment, i've merged anything associated with spooks, spirits and slaughter into one category. As far as this list goes, there are many criterias to my top list, but at the very top are two very important factors. The first is the all important factor: ENTERTAINMENT! It can be the most sophisticated of plot or the most memorable of characters or cast but if it's not entertaining...it's pretentious. Another huge factor is the "Scare" factor, cause after all...this is 20 best horror movie, right? Finally, another reminder; This is MY list of 20 best horror so DO NOT be upset if ur movie did not end up on the list. Sometimes personal nostalgia/sentiments can influence my pick also. With that said...

20-16

20. It Follows
This is the most recent movie on the list. “It Follows” tells the story of  a girl who, after a sexual encounter with her boyfriend, is trying to elude an omnipresent evil that was seemingly created by the trist and will not relinquish its pursuit of her. The obvious allegory here is STD but there are multiple reasons why this movie deserves to be on this list. For starters, the overall homage to horror films of the 70’s and 80’s was so on point that u actually thought it was a Carpenter or Hooper film! Even the “It” was a throwback trope to supernatural-like characters such as Jason Voorhies and Michael Myers, where they would pace slowly but is always within distance.
Memorable moments
*Spoiler* convinced that someone or something is in the house, we see a hysterical protagonist trying to explain to her friends that something is wrong. Moments later a knock on the door. They opened to find the third friend. Moments later, with the crescendo of an otherworldly string sound, a huge slim figure seemingly emerges from the darkness behind the girl at the door! Dope!

 http://youtu.be/HkZYbOH0ujw

19. The Fog (1980)
I like fogs. There's something magical and cool about it. Its very moody. So combine that with my favorite film genre...and you get John Carpenter's super ill movie: The Fog. The Fog stars a young Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau and Janet Leigh with the story taking place at some ficitional town off the coast of California call Antonio Bay. The town-folks are prepping for the centennial celebration of the town's existence. The festive mood would quickly diminish as a fog bank rolled in from the ocean. But this aint just some sissy fog, we're talking about the kind that glows...and has ghost of dead pirates in it! 
Memorable moment
*spoiler alert* At the film's conclusion, the priest, father...something or rather, stepped inside the church, wiping his sweat after that hard fought battle with the spirits. What he didn't anticipate was that...there was one thing that wasnt taken care of. As he enter the church, a fog bank rolled in and within the bank was a clan of spirit....

http://youtu.be/nOZwnivtLbc

 18. Dead End
A very obscure but AWESOME movie!! If you've never seen this movie, do it. DO IT NOW!! There's something about a small cast in an isolated setting that really appeals to me. I don't know what it is, but it makes the movie that much better. The plot tells of a family, on route to a family Christmas gathering but wound up lost in some desolated highway with no other car in sight....except one. The story utilizes dark humor well. Despite the crazy shenanigans there's a thick air of apprehension looming, making you, the viewer, think "oooohhh, something is gonna happen!". I love this movie, not just for the solid story but the amazingly cast. In particular Ray Wise and Lin Shay as the parents. The majority of the setting was inside the car where the family fought and bickered and even revealing some surprisingly(and often shocking) secrets. This is one of the most fun movie to watch. Watch it! If not for nothing else, the very high entertainment value.
Memorable moment
*Spoiler* After a series of incidents, the family stopped at the side of the road. As they worry about the crazed-out mother, played by Lin Shaye, they turned to her as she looked out into the woods and uttered: Who are those people? when asked "who" by her husband, she replied saying: the people....in the woods(ghosts). That gave me chills!! sick-ass movie!

http://youtu.be/WOKRauvfkUU

17. The Thing
Similar to the last movie on this list, The Thing was a product of John Carpenter. John Carpenter is one of the greats of American horror. He has a number of classics under his belt and this is list alone will include 3 of them lol.  The Thing stars kurt russell, as a US arctic researcher, and along with his crew of men, is stationed in the bitter cold of antarctica. One day a shot was fired alarming the men who ran outside to find a helicopter chasing and trying to shoot down a dog. From then on, things began to get interesting. The antagonist of the film is an alien organism that could shape shift and before you know it, a game of "who is it" ensues as the researchers point fingers at one another over who is really an alien undercover, lol. 
Memorable moment
*Spoiler* while growing increasingly apprehensive over who the alien might be, the remaining researchers decide to do a blood test. Because the alien are apprently reactive to fire, they would use heat to conduct the test. When the culprit was finally exposed, it came out with a bang...or rather..."EEEEEKK"

http://youtu.be/5ftmr17M-a4

16. The Woman in Black ('89 version)
This is one of those movies that i would have never known about if it werent for the internet, lol. And bless the internet for that one! The Woman in Black is a ghost story adapted from a novel of the same title. The defining technique of the film is more subtle than the loud approach that was popular with horror films at the time. The story opens up with a young lawyer or solicitor or something summoned to the estate of a dead elderly woman. Unfortunately for him, the estate is haunted. this movie was beautiful, not just in term of story, but settings as well. The huge mansion was located on an english moorland, complete with fog and wet marsh. 
Memorable moment
*Spoiler*While in bed asleep, Arthur Kipp, the film protagonist, would toss and turn, indicating some kind of nightmare. And when he woke up...he was "FACED" with another kind of nightmare!!! OMG! Watch this movie with a good sound system. Its the only way to watch it.

http://youtu.be/KwtFRXWIGK8

Edited by Sammy - 27 October 2016 at 4:31pm

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Sammy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Site Moderator Beacon of Light Joined: 24 October 2015 Status: Offline Points: 2227 Crew: Elision Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 1-1-1 Form: LNW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sammy Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Topic: Sammy's Top 20 Horror Movies Posted: 27 October 2016 at 4:25pm
	With the new layout and in the spirit of Halloween I'm gonna do a "Top" list. This one will be horror films. The thing about the horror genre is that, at times, it tends to be drawn with blurred lines...steadily pacing l between "horror" and some other genre...most notably the "Thriller" genre. Some would even consider horror a sub-genre of Thriller or vice versa. But for the sake of simple, normal reading entertainment, i've merged anything associated with spooks, spirits and slaughter into one category. As far as this list goes, there are many criterias to my top list, but at the very top are two very important factors. The first is the all important factor: ENTERTAINMENT! It can be the most sophisticated of plot or the most memorable of characters or cast but if it's not entertaining...it's pretentious. Another huge factor is the "Scare" factor, cause after all...this is 20 best horror movie, right? Finally, another reminder; This is MY list of 20 best horror so DO NOT be upset if ur movie did not end up on the list. Sometimes personal nostalgia/sentiments can influence my pick also. With that said... 20-16 20. It Follows This is the most recent movie on the list. “It Follows” tells the story of a girl who, after a sexual encounter with her boyfriend, is trying to elude an omnipresent evil that was seemingly created by the trist and will not relinquish its pursuit of her. The obvious allegory here is STD but there are multiple reasons why this movie deserves to be on this list. For starters, the overall homage to horror films of the 70’s and 80’s was so on point that u actually thought it was a Carpenter or Hooper film! Even the “It” was a throwback trope to supernatural-like characters such as Jason Voorhies and Michael Myers, where they would pace slowly but is always within distance. Memorable moments Spoiler convinced that someone or something is in the house, we see a hysterical protagonist trying to explain to her friends that something is wrong. Moments later a knock on the door. They opened to find the third friend. Moments later, with the crescendo of an otherworldly string sound, a huge slim figure seemingly emerges from the darkness behind the girl at the door! Dope! http://youtu.be/HkZYbOH0ujw 19. The Fog (1980) I like fogs. There's something magical and cool about it. Its very moody. So combine that with my favorite film genre...and you get John Carpenter's super ill movie: The Fog. The Fog stars a young Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau and Janet Leigh with the story taking place at some ficitional town off the coast of California call Antonio Bay. The town-folks are prepping for the centennial celebration of the town's existence. The festive mood would quickly diminish as a fog bank rolled in from the ocean. But this aint just some sissy fog, we're talking about the kind that glows...and has ghost of dead pirates in it! Memorable moment spoiler alert At the film's conclusion, the priest, father...something or rather, stepped inside the church, wiping his sweat after that hard fought battle with the spirits. What he didn't anticipate was that...there was one thing that wasnt taken care of. As he enter the church, a fog bank rolled in and within the bank was a clan of spirit.... http://youtu.be/nOZwnivtLbc 18. Dead End A very obscure but AWESOME movie!! If you've never seen this movie, do it. DO IT NOW!! There's something about a small cast in an isolated setting that really appeals to me. I don't know what it is, but it makes the movie that much better. The plot tells of a family, on route to a family Christmas gathering but wound up lost in some desolated highway with no other car in sight....except one. The story utilizes dark humor well. Despite the crazy shenanigans there's a thick air of apprehension looming, making you, the viewer, think "oooohhh, something is gonna happen!". I love this movie, not just for the solid story but the amazingly cast. In particular Ray Wise and Lin Shay as the parents. The majority of the setting was inside the car where the family fought and bickered and even revealing some surprisingly(and often shocking) secrets. This is one of the most fun movie to watch. Watch it! If not for nothing else, the very high entertainment value. Memorable moment Spoiler After a series of incidents, the family stopped at the side of the road. As they worry about the crazed-out mother, played by Lin Shaye, they turned to her as she looked out into the woods and uttered: Who are those people? when asked "who" by her husband, she replied saying: the people....in the woods(ghosts). That gave me chills!! sick-ass movie! http://youtu.be/WOKRauvfkUU 17. The Thing Similar to the last movie on this list, The Thing was a product of John Carpenter. John Carpenter is one of the greats of American horror. He has a number of classics under his belt and this is list alone will include 3 of them lol. The Thing stars kurt russell, as a US arctic researcher, and along with his crew of men, is stationed in the bitter cold of antarctica. One day a shot was fired alarming the men who ran outside to find a helicopter chasing and trying to shoot down a dog. From then on, things began to get interesting. The antagonist of the film is an alien organism that could shape shift and before you know it, a game of "who is it" ensues as the researchers point fingers at one another over who is really an alien undercover, lol. Memorable moment Spoiler while growing increasingly apprehensive over who the alien might be, the remaining researchers decide to do a blood test. Because the alien are apprently reactive to fire, they would use heat to conduct the test. When the culprit was finally exposed, it came out with a bang...or rather..."EEEEEKK" http://youtu.be/5ftmr17M-a4 16. The Woman in Black ('89 version) This is one of those movies that i would have never known about if it werent for the internet, lol. And bless the internet for that one! The Woman in Black is a ghost story adapted from a novel of the same title. The defining technique of the film is more subtle than the loud approach that was popular with horror films at the time. The story opens up with a young lawyer or solicitor or something summoned to the estate of a dead elderly woman. Unfortunately for him, the estate is haunted. this movie was beautiful, not just in term of story, but settings as well. The huge mansion was located on an english moorland, complete with fog and wet marsh. Memorable moment SpoilerWhile in bed asleep, Arthur Kipp, the film protagonist, would toss and turn, indicating some kind of nightmare. And when he woke up...he was "FACED" with another kind of nightmare!!! OMG! Watch this movie with a good sound system. Its the only way to watch it. http://youtu.be/KwtFRXWIGK8 Edited by Sammy - 27 October 2016 at 4:31pm


Cuba Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Moderator Legendary Assassin Joined: 14 June 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 12332 Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 47-22-0 Form: WWWWLW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Cuba Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 27 October 2016 at 7:25pm
	Dope idea...I've thrown it into the Mag as feels as much like a 'feature' as a discussion. Not a big fan of horror movies though, so I'll duck out of the chat!!


Goryo. Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 28 June 2016 Status: Offline Points: 431 Crew: Tha Syndicate Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 4-4-0 Form: LWLWLW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Goryo. Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 October 2016 at 3:01pm
	Nice. Looking forward to seeing the rest. I love the cringey low budget horrors of the 80's/90's.

Sammy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Site Moderator Beacon of Light Joined: 24 October 2015 Status: Offline Points: 2227 Crew: Elision Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 1-1-1 Form: LNW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sammy Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 29 October 2016 at 3:47am
	^^thank you, sir :) 15-11 15. Paranormal Activity there are two types of horror fans. On one hand, there's the group that appreciate the visceral. On the other hand, there are those that appreciates creepiness and atmosphere. I remember when this movie came out, the consensus were pretty nasty. "This movie sucked!" "Overrated!" "Wasnt even scary!"...lmao, yea i've heard'em all. I suppose the hype was a little too much for any movie to handle. PA was a very small budget film shot a couple years prior to, what would be, a nationwide theatrical release. Incorporating some clever marketing strategies, the film drew in millions of curious viewers. The consensus was divided right through the middle, and i was on the side that actually liked it. Why? As i've stated before, i love subtle horror. This film was not about computer generated blood or gore, it was about two disturbed couple...dealing with a spiritual haunting that intensify as their domestic problem worsen. Memorable moment spoilerThere were very awesome scene. One was when the girl was dragged out of her bed. The other was the final scene of the movie. Yes people, i love this movie!! 14. The Devil's Bakcbone Guillermo Del Toro has directed many great films in his span as a filmmaker, but my absolute favorite of his is, without a doubt, The Devil's Backbone. TDB tells the story of a little boy sent to an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War. The film documents his situation as he struggle to define the world around him and come to term with the terror of the outside world(war) and the psychological terror that exists within. On the surface, the movie was simply a tale of ghostly haunting, however, beneath the surface, for all the film nerds out there, it was an examination on the real source of all terror...WAR. memorable moment spoilerWhile exploring, or hiding(i forgot the situation) from bullies, Carlos the protagonist went down to a basement/cavern. As the camera track to the right, we catch a glimpse of Santi, the ghost of the dead boy haunting the orphanage. And man...that is was creepy. 13. Insidious/The Conjuring I lumped them together as they are both product of James Wan and about even in terms of quality, imo. So suffice to say, Wan's my favorite horror director of the moment. As ne of the young horror directors in the group of emerging horror directors, aptly labeled the Splat Pack, Wan likes to take eastern style influences and merge them with western sensibility. My fav thing about Wan's style is his ear for sound and music. He makes creepy ethereal sounds that jus thits all the right notes (no pun intended). In his two trademark series, Wan displays his knack for camera work as well as his understanding of HP Lovecraft's aphorism on "true" horror. The conjuring (part 1 and 2) has one of the most effective execution of lights and shadows i've seen onscreen! 12. Ju-on: The Grudge saw this many years ago with a few friends. I smiled at the end. It was a nervous and tense smile. Long hair ghost is not anything new in Asian folklore, but this one captured the imagery exactly! When we hear stories about these ghosts...Kayako is what we picture! JTG is about a curse house (or haunted house, i guess) that will not let go of its victim....no matter what!! The curse haunts as a cat, a naked blue boy and a lady ghost with laryngitis issue. The movie created such a buzz in japan and around the world that it caught the attention of legendary film director/producer, Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spiderman). This resulted in a few American Remakes. The tag line for the movie was something along the line of: “when someone dies a violent death, their rage lives on”....or something like that, lol. Along with Ringu, this film help usher the long-hair Asian horror experience. However, the interesting thing about this film is in it's dealing of time; It’s not your typical linear narrative. Instead, it chooses to operate on fractured timeline, creating a beautiful, chaotic piece of cinema. I simply love this movie! Many will be confuse by the execution(the timeline thing), but that only adds to the surreal landscape of the movie. Ju-on: The Grudge is a bad dream...a NIGHTMARE...in the best sense of word! Memorable moment spoiler there were a few but my favorite has to be the final scene! When all the tensions and story build ups and that croaking sound entered the fray! OMG! Crazy stuff. The under-the-blanket segment was cool too. 11. The Innocents The most primitive emotion to man is fear. Carl Jung feels that one of the most common types of fear is fear of the unknown. Some horror movies understand this concept and knows that, sometimes, scariest thing in the world are the things you can't see! The Innocent is one of the solid testament to just such notion of filmmaking. Based on the Henry James novel, Turn of the Screw, The Innocent, a psychological horror, tells the tale of a caretaker played by(Deborah Kerr) and the children she was left in charge with. As you can expect, things begin to grow increasingly strange as she starts seeing mysterious figures throughout the house. Along with that, one of the child she was left in charge with has been undergoing some strange personality change. The filmmaker’s preference for tiight shots and shallow depth of field effectively emphasized on the true dilemma of the film: Was she seeing ghost or was it all in her head? The Innocent represents everything i love in a horror movie. memorable moment spoilerWhile on a lakeside picnic, Deborah Kerr looked out into the water to find a figure....just staring at her. It was very subtle and the figure never really came to focus...and that just made it that much more creepy. Good shit!


Concrete Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Standard Member Joined: 02 September 2013 Location: Oslo Status: Offline Points: 1424 Crew: Tha Syndicate Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 33-6-0 Form: WWWWWW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Concrete Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 October 2016 at 9:02am
	Props for the initiative Sammy, I really need to step my horrorflick game up

Sammy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Site Moderator Beacon of Light Joined: 24 October 2015 Status: Offline Points: 2227 Crew: Elision Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 1-1-1 Form: LNW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sammy Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 October 2016 at 1:12pm
	Thanks for reading bro.


Crimson Juice Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Site Moderator Joined: 20 December 2015 Location: U.K. Status: Offline Points: 3263 Crew: Lyricist Inc. Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 6-11-0 Form: LLWLW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Crimson Juice Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 October 2016 at 5:56pm
	This is ripe!!,I love me some horror,im a big fan of Hammer House productions (Christopher Lee/Robert Powell/Vincent Price),this is going to sound a little silly, the only film that ever really made me feel scared was the original Jaws, and that's not even classed as a horror..lol..anuways good work here Sammy..peace.
	"You need to learn how to make an exit, before you can dare make an entrance".

Goryo. Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 28 June 2016 Status: Offline Points: 431 Crew: Tha Syndicate Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 4-4-0 Form: LWLWLW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Goryo. Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 October 2016 at 6:56pm
	Ju-On is definitely up there and anyone that's had to google my name for battle purposes will know that I'm a fiend for that shit. The Innocents is something I need to check out, never heard of it till now but movies like that will really play with your head. Never found the overly gory and abrupt stuff all that scary (though they are fun to watch).

Sammy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Site Moderator Beacon of Light Joined: 24 October 2015 Status: Offline Points: 2227 Crew: Elision Text Rank: Unranked Stats: 1-1-1 Form: LNW	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sammy Report Post Likes(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 November 2016 at 4:04am
	@crim, absolutely LOVE the hammer horror! I heard Hammer Studio is associated with Ghost House so i hope to see some revision of the old school hammer style horror. And i'd classiy Jaws as a horror, personally, lol. I call it "stalk" horror haha. @goryo, Innocents was like all about atmosphere and subtlety. loved it!