What makes a good horror movie? Many horror elements include spooky atmosphere, loud jump scares, scary imagery or the fear of the unknown. Excellent horror films rely on clever screen play and careful planning, making us recoil in terror. So, today I’ll be introducing some of my personal favourite horror movies and some of my not so scary-scary movies.
The Bye Bye Man is a horror riddled with classic horror cliches & its half-cooked performances and ridiculously cheap effects makes it into the “its so bad, its good” category to watch. Despite this, the somewhat flimsy notion creates actual tension. The few sequences in which an authority figure, such as a detective played by Carrie-Anne Moss, or a loved one who begs Elliot (Douglas Smith), the man who freed the Bye Bye Man, to tell them what’s going on, provided the greatest tension.
The terrified back and forth however between Smith and the audience is extremely unpleasant. Smith is properly mournful and heartbroken by the prospect of unleashing mental anguish and certain death on innocent people, and the panicked back and forth is terribly uncomfortable. It’s something I would definitely not think about it or say it in the future. Although you can’t find it online anymore, you should try looking for the DVD.
The Cabin in the Woods is about a show where five friends goes to a remote cabin in the woods for a classic retreat. What could go wrong you say? Well, everything. Although it has its classic cliches like “We should all split up!” you’ll have to see the movie to understand why without giving spoilers.
All the characters portrays stereotypical behaviours but they are all actually really smart. If you’ve watched the trailers, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that this film is conventional, cliched, and painfully predictable. After seeing that, I can only assume that they did this on purpose so that you would be even more startled when you saw it. Check out the movie here!
Uzumaki by Junji Ito was an instant classic when it first came out as a manga. Although the film doesn’t replicate Junji Ito’s art style, the film is still extremely disturbing. Uzumaki follows the same pattern as a butterfly’s life cycle, only the subjects start off as humans and then morph into huge snails, helpless to stop their bodies from betraying them. Any more information and I would be spoiling the whole movie. If you are interested, do check out Junji Ito’s works as they are all very unsettling and frankly I loved it. The film itself is no longer available online but you can always check out their manga works instead.
Japanese horrors are just different and watching Noroi: The Curse was special. It’s realistic horror vibes and its “found footage” type of recording reminds me of The Blair Witch Project. The systematic storytelling that ignores traditional mood and scare-crafting paired with the lo-fi VHS quality is the wedge that separates those that enjoy the movie and those that don’t. Admittedly, I fell into the latter upon the first watch.
Nearly two hours of movie time is far too long for many horror movies, and the first hour does tend to crawl. The ultimate payoff may not seem worthwhile at first but asecond viewing enhanced my enjoyment of the picture by allowing me to better absorb the subtleties and intricacies. To unlock this film, you’ll need to pay attention to the details, but you’ll also need to be patient. Although you can watch on Shudder do note that it is not available in Singapore and a use of VPN is required.
There are lots of scary movies out there that is jam packed with thrills and the fear of the unknown, but these are my personal favourites to watch when in doubt.
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