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10 Flicks: Horror Movies With Great Stories

I love horror films. There’s nothing like genuinely being scared at the movies.

It’s like riding on a roller coaster: You’re terrified to ride it but in the end you’re always happy you did.

Note: Except the rides that spin. Those shouldn’t exist.

Many non horror fans complain that most horror films are too gory or pointless. That the stories are never good. They say that characters only exist so the killer can fold them in half.

I agree that some horror films are like that.  They simply don’t give you a chance to connect to the characters before they meet their gruesome end. Stories merely exist to get you from one kill to the next.

However, there are fantastic horror movies out there that have incredible stories to back up the thrills. That’s why this post exists.

Here are my top 10 horror movies with great stories:

The Ring

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

Every once in a while a movie comes along and does things differently.  There are so many ‘messed up demon kid’ stories out there. (Some are classics)  The Ring came along and put a modern spin on it and scared the crap out of me. Something about that horse going crazy still gives me the creeps.

Exorcist

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

You can’t make a list like this and not include one of the greatest horror stories of all time. I saw this movie for the first time in college simply because I avoided it until then.  Needless to say, it still terrified me but it was the story that resonated…  Okay I’ll admit that girls messed up face did as well.

The Shining

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

So many people adore this film.  Horror fans especially.  How can you not be pulled into a story featuring a crazy Jack Nicholson and made by the legendary Stanley Kubrick?

Alien

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

Alien is a phenomenon.  Those acid filled jerks have terrified millions of people for years and inspired so many films since it’s release.  Alien made the list for pairing a great story with one of the scariest creature designs in movie history.

Scream

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

When I was asking around for people’s ideas on this list, many turned their noses up at Scream.  I think they’ve blended all three together in one film.  I told all of them to think about how much fun it was to watch the original for the first time. I didn’t know who the killer would be.  Did you?  The mystery was also wrapped up in countless movie references and nods.  Scream deserves to be on this list.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

This movie stuck with me long after I left the theater. Films that deal with this subject have always fascinated me and this one stood out because of it’s court room premise.  It’s a horror movie but also a drama that forces you to choose who you believe.  Audience participation in a horror film.  Genius.   Also, when she speaks as 6 different people at once I almost cried.  Just saying.

Silence Of The Lambs

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

Arguably the best film on this list with Uncle Oscar backing it up.  Who knew delving into the mind of a psychopathic killer would be so much fun.  It’s truly fascinating to watch the exchanges between Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster on screen.  They are filled with intensity and fuel the horrifying scenes to come.   Brilliant flick.

Jaws

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

I’ll be honest.  When I made this list, I completely forgot about Jaws and then kicked myself for my lack of respect for one of the greatest movies ever made.  People who haven’t even seen the movie are afraid of it.  That’s how powerful the story is.  Thankfully, I smartened up before posting and avoided any hate mail it may have caused.

Saw

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

The moment the big ‘twist’ is revealed my face dropped and I actually yelled “What!” in the theater. Normally that’s rude but people around me were just as shocked.  All of the sudden the death traps, gore and mayhem meant more than just the usual ‘horror candy’ we love.  This movie is on this list purely because of how much fun I had watching it and learning about Jigsaw’s world.

The Sixth Sense

10 Flicks: Horror movies with great stories

Speaking of incredible twist endings.  This film was ruined for me and yet I was still captivated by the story. It’s a shame that M. Night Shyamalan is too afraid of being type cast as I would gladly welcome his talent back into the genre.  He’s not making too many friends in the other genres anyways.  Come back Night!

10 Flicks Movie Lists

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INSIDIOUS Demons Are Scary | Insidious Movie Review | Movie Blog

I’M TERRIFIED OF DEMON DARTH MAUL!

Insidious is the type of movie you don’t realize you’re enjoying because you’re too busy trying to predict the next time something gruesome will jump out at you.  If you’re a fan of horror movies there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

We decided to catch a 6:30 show because the film is rated 14A and we wanted to avoid all the punks that tend to ruin movies like this.

XTRA: Paranormal Activity 2 was awesome AND I told someone to shut up.

Unfortunately, it didn’t matter.  It was unavoidable.  It’s tough to get excited for a movie when you spend the first 10 minutes begging for people around you to shut up.  However, two oblivious women continually made me laugh.

The first woman entered the packed theater and literally stormed up the stairs looking for 2 seats.  She entered the aisle in front of us 2 minutes before show time and rudely demanded answers.

“Are these seats taken?”

After a quick wave to her boyfriend, who is probably terrified of her, she left to purchase a soda.  Meanwhile, a polite gentleman spoiled our perfect situation with empty seats on either side by asking us to ‘skooch’ over.  The trailers had just begun, we thought we were home free!

His girlfriend joined him and instantly began complaining about all the chatter going on.

“This better not go on for the entire movie.”

Back to the rude girl, who had returned with her soda.  Her boyfriend was in HER seat.  She never sat down, why was that HER seat?  That wasn’t going to fly at all.  She demanded that he move.  This is a girl who isn’t happy unless everything goes her way.  I remembered wondering what would have happened if he didn’t move over.  She probably would have stood there and yelled at him.

So here we are, the trailers are almost over and two angry ladies are annoyed by several loud groups of kids.  The perfect setup.  I knew one of these two grumpy women would tell them to shut up eventually.  I stopped worrying.

INSIDIOUS Demons Are Scary | Insidious Movie Review | Movie Blog

Insidious starts very slowly.  I was actually a little bored at first which didn’t help the restless crowd we were apart of.  I was really hoping the movie would start with a huge scare so people would pay attention.

During this period, the oblivious women demonstrated just how selfish and oblivious they were.

The rude woman in front of us checked her cell phone no less than 10 times in that first half an hour.  She didn’t turn the brightness down or try to shield it.  She just didn’t care.  At the same time she was ‘shhhhh-ing’ people around her.

The woman beside us who we ‘skooched’ for didn’t know how to whisper at all.  She spent more time complaining about the people talking than anyone yet didn’t realize she was adding to the problem.

“This was the worst 20 bucks I ever spent.  I’m leaving.  Are you coming or not?” she asked her annoyed boyfriend.  He didn’t respond by the way.

It appeared hopeless.  People wouldn’t shut up and no one was coming to the rescue.  Until Insidious really got going.

I jumped at least a dozen times wondering where this haunted house/possessed child thriller was going to go next.  Then it was revealed that this wasn’t a typical haunted house movie at all.  It was something entirely different, original and entertaining.  By the time we got to the one hour mark the entire crowd had settled in for an intense and frightening story.

It was at this point, I realized just how much I liked Insidious. The first time you see a demon version of Darth Maul appear you will find yourself nervously wondering when he will show up again.  I liked that the ghosts and creatures in this movie behaved differently than most we’ve seen before.  They don’t just disappear.  They linger for longer and more terrifying moments.

Insidious 2011 horror creepy red guy darth maul

That’s why horror movies are fun. When a premise is established and you think you know the rules yet you’re still shocked at every turn it’s inspiring as a fan of horror.

By the time the whole plot was revealed I was smiling ear to ear after every single scare.  If you love horror, Insidious is definitely one to check out while it’s still in theaters.  Hopefully you get a better audience than we did.  You need a great audience for movies like this to fully experience the atmosphere the filmmakers work so tirelessly to create.  If Insidious sucked we were doomed.  Thankfully it didn’t.

When we left the theater, I spotted both women at the customer service counter demanding their money back.  Some people love to complain.

PS: It’s nice to see a new tale from the brilliant minds behind Saw.  I’ll be watching Saw (the first) and Insidious back to back in the future.


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Movies That Scarred Me For Life: The Human Centipede | Movie Blog

Movies that scarred me for life is all about the movies that keep you up at night.  The horrors you just can’t seem to get out of your head.  But beyond the monsters, ghosts, slashers and aliens, there are also the cringe worthy films you wish you never saw.  Movies that made you wish you had the lost two hours of your life back.  There are tons of ways a movie can scar you for life.  This series will look at 12 of my personal favorites.

The Human Centipede

AND…  I’VE NEVER SEEN IT!

I’ve always loved horror movies though I’m more a fan of thrillers than gore fests and torture porn.  That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy films like Saw every now and then but The Human Centipede takes gore to a whole new level…  I think.

XTRA: Top 10 Horror Movies With Great Stories

A coworker of mine, knowing my love of the horror genre, sent me a link to The Human Centipede’s trailer.  He asked me to take a guess at what the film was about.  97% of the population probably made the same guess that I did.  Giant bug?  I don’t mind creature features.  Maybe this would be a low budget horror film with a massive centipede that crashed through walls and ripped people in half.

I was way off…

It’s about a deranged doctor who surgically attaches 3 people face to butt to form a horrific PEOPLE… PEDE..

That was going to be my second guess!

When it comes to deranged people committing atrocities in movies, most of the scares are in the threat of violence.  A horrible fate awaits innocent people who must escape and we cheer them on while experiencing the thrills along the way.  Torture films these days throw out the threat and then follow through for an entirely different kind of scary.  It works for those who love gore filled movies and even I can admit to liking a select few torture films like Saw and Hostel.

This trailer kick started a conversation amongst my friends that lasted weeks.  How crazy could the movie possibly be when you see the 3 unfortunate souls walking around as one in the trailer!  How does the surgery take place?  What the hell was the director thinking!?

I was stunned when I saw the trailer thinking about all the little reasons why the movie would be 100% disturbing.  Eventually, I made my way over to The Human Centipede’s Wikipedia page to learn more about the story.

Movies That Scarred Me For Life: The Human Centipede

That’s when I decided I didn’t really need to see it.  If the trailer grosses me out for all the wrong reasons then why bother right?  Yet, I still have to give director Tom Six credit for creating a film so disturbing that the trailer freaked me out.

I don’t know if I’ll ever have a stomach strong enough to watch people poop in each others’ mouths while an insane doctor laughs.  I’m genuinely concerned for those poor people…  Especially since the actors involved didn’t necessarily know what they were signing up for. (According to wikipedia)

And just when you think it couldn’t possibly get any worse?  Word breaks that a sequel is in the works and rumor is the film centers around a TWELVE-ipede! A film Tom Six promises will be the sickest movie of all time.

Gross.  No thank you.


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10 Flicks: Movies With Rules

There are so many movies that take you to an amazing new worlds you’ve never seen before.

Films that challenge your imagination to believe in the impossible.

Sometimes, there are clear sets of rules to help you navigate these worlds.

  • Rules to survive a horror movie.
  • Rules to pick up women.
  • Rules to stay alive.
  • Rules to keep you safe.

Movies with rules…

Here are 10 of the best:

Saw

Beetlejuice

Wedding Crashers

i Robot

Alladin

Zombieland

Gremlins

Scream

Speed

Fight Club

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Paranormal Activity 2 Hype

The sequel to my favorite film of 2009 is right around the corner.  Paranormal Activity is one of the most entertaining theatrical experiences I’ve ever had. Watching it in a packed theater was the very definition of popcorn movie.

It was a blast.

Yet due to films like Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows and the never ending Saw franchise, a lot of people are skeptical about Paranormal Activity 2.

Some sequels just don’t deliver.

Can it possibly deliver on the incredible originality of the first?

Will it be as frightening?

I think Paranormal Activity 2 will be everything and more.  At least I hope it will.

I’m not saying the film will DEFINITELY be among the greatest horror films of all time but I’m not in it for awards. I just want it to be as entertaining and suspenseful as the first.

When I was sitting in that theater clinching the arm rest, the entire crowd had the same mind set.  Every time the shot of their bedroom graced the screen we all squirmed in our seats.  Something messed up was about to happen.

That amazing level of anticipation throughout made it a classic in my eyes. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time.

I’m sincerely hoping that the second chapter can achieve the same level of terror.  I was afraid to be home alone for weeks and I lived by myself at the time!

I want to be frightened like that again and the second trailer certainly helped feed my craving for more.

Of course, there is a chance the film won’t capture the same magic.  In fact, it’s almost impossible with the amount of hype the first film had behind it.

The way I see it, as long as they don’t simply rehash the same types of scares or go too over the top, I’m good.

Why do I think it will be a worthy successor?

The baby alone shows the studio is willing to ramp up the suspense.  You know people are going to cringe when they see those scenes.  (As long as they aren’t so unbelievably over the top that they become humorous.)

I think horror fans in general have been let down a lot over the years with sequels that basically cash in on franchises that begin with so much promise.

I adored the first saw film.  I gave up after part 4 but that’s the point.  I still showed up for 3 more before I needed something new come Halloween.  The sequels felt rushed and forced but that’s exactly how they were made.  Rushed and forced onto the silver screen with little thought on how to make them better.

I’m always going to root for original horror films rather than sequels and remakes.  It’s always more fun to discover something new.  However, there is also a unique ‘fun factor’ in rediscovering worlds that you love.

I’m putting my faith in Paranormal Activity 2 this year.

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