One of my favourite things to do is to stay in on a gloomy night, turn out all the lights & put in a gripping horror/thriller. I'm not talking about those cheap gores or scare tactic films. I mean a real bone chilling, dramatic thriller with actual character development & intense yet intriguing story lines. The type of films that start to make you paranoid & fear of going to the toilet. Those twisted films that make your skin prickle & your chest heave.
The problem these days is the lack of a real build up in ambiance and mood in this genre of film. Horror films always seem to revert to disgusting blood, guts and gore, which tend to leave me feeling sick rather than scared. Or cheap scare tactics with extremely long build ups that by the time the monster/gremlin/ghost/ghoul jump out at you. Your bored and saw it coming about 10minutes ago. Especially if they're American horror films.
Not that I'm being discriminating against Hollywood (because I do enjoy my fair share of Hollywood blockbusters). But I have to say in this case, the foreigners have got it right when it comes to building up the scary atmosphere. It just seems Hollywood always cheapen the thrill of being scared out of your wits or having that lingering creepiness that makes you look over your shoulders (even when your sitting against the wall on your couch). Clear examples are Hollywood remakes like 'The Eye', 'The Ring' or 'Shutter' which already have the basics laid out for them. Yet they always come up short or lacking, can't quite pinpoint the reason.
I've seen all the famous horror hits. The last amazing horror story that I watched was 'The Woman in The Black Dress' Loh and behold, it's a British film. So I went on a hunt to find some more great horror films that aren't as widely promoted. I've composed a wish list of horror films below that I'll endeavour to finish by Christmas. That's a lot of freaked out nights & 5 second dashes to the loo, but stay tuned for my experience on these films!
The problem these days is the lack of a real build up in ambiance and mood in this genre of film. Horror films always seem to revert to disgusting blood, guts and gore, which tend to leave me feeling sick rather than scared. Or cheap scare tactics with extremely long build ups that by the time the monster/gremlin/ghost/ghoul jump out at you. Your bored and saw it coming about 10minutes ago. Especially if they're American horror films.
Not that I'm being discriminating against Hollywood (because I do enjoy my fair share of Hollywood blockbusters). But I have to say in this case, the foreigners have got it right when it comes to building up the scary atmosphere. It just seems Hollywood always cheapen the thrill of being scared out of your wits or having that lingering creepiness that makes you look over your shoulders (even when your sitting against the wall on your couch). Clear examples are Hollywood remakes like 'The Eye', 'The Ring' or 'Shutter' which already have the basics laid out for them. Yet they always come up short or lacking, can't quite pinpoint the reason.
I've seen all the famous horror hits. The last amazing horror story that I watched was 'The Woman in The Black Dress' Loh and behold, it's a British film. So I went on a hunt to find some more great horror films that aren't as widely promoted. I've composed a wish list of horror films below that I'll endeavour to finish by Christmas. That's a lot of freaked out nights & 5 second dashes to the loo, but stay tuned for my experience on these films!
Please let me know what you think of the films on my list. Any reviews, grievances advice would me much appreciated.
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