Recommend a *relatively obscure* horror movie!

[Alexander JL]

By obscure, I don't mean Troma. No Troma. Troma is bad. Die Troma, Die.

I mean movies that haven't necessarily wandered into pubic... I mean public concious as a collective whole.

I'll start off by recommending The Eye. Its an Asian movie with a multicultural flavor, and I avoided this movie like the plague after hearing Singapore had a hand in it, but after seeing it, I was pleasantly surprised. It reminds me alot of Mothman Prophecies though, but I suppose the similarities were coincidences given that they were released in the same year.

[crom]

Session 9

[Doofy Gilmore]

"The Convent".

[IdahoMR2man]

It's not really a horror movie, but it is fun. I would recommend Deathrace 2000.

[smokiechimp]

Originally posted by crom
Session 9

Very underbudgeted!!!! could have been a great movie!

[Tardumb]

I don't know how publicized this was because it's older, but I don't hear it talked about much...The Entity

[ouroboros]

Stacy.
*snickers*

[necronon99]

How to get ahead in advertising

[necronon99]

Bad Taste

[Danzig]

most of the movies listed here are NOT obscure

[IdahoMR2man]

Bad Taste DEFINATELY is. What about Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town?

[Danzig]

Bad Taste & Chopper Chicks in Zombie town are better known to the main public as "that film by the Lord of the rings guy" & "you know..that crazy flick with that sling blade guy, ya know, the one who married the tomb raidel gal..man o man,she's hot" So they are NOT obscure, where as if you ask someone if they've seen any Santo movies, they look at you funny (or mishear & give you Mentos)

[Danzig]

& oh yeah Alex said not to mention any Troma movies by the way

[IdahoMR2man]

Originally posted by Danzig
Bad Taste & Chopper Chicks in Zombie town are better known to the main public as "that film by the Lord of the rings guy" & "you know..that crazy flick with that sling blade guy, ya know, the one who married the tomb raidel gal..man o man,she's hot" So they are NOT obscure, where as if you ask someone if they've seen any Santo movies, they look at you funny (or mishear & give you Mentos)


Geez Danzig...:applaud: I thought I was a movie buff. You know more than I do.. Props.

[Tardumb]

I saw Bad Taste in the Family Video the other night, almost got it. I had never heard of it before though, so? OF course, I'm not that big of a movie buff, at least not like some of you...

[necronon99]

Steel

[Ronin]

Bill Paxton's FRAILTY
John Frankenheimer's SECONDS
Adrian Lyne's JACOBS LADDER

Japanese Horror:

AUDITION
FREEZE ME

Other foreign gems:

DEVILS BACKBONE
OPEN YOUR EYES

[IdahoMR2man]

How about Bill Paxton in Near Dark? Pretty good flick.

[Danzig]

Near Dark was the superior of the Lost Boys in many ways except for the crucial aspect of marketing.

[Kevin Roegele]

The Guardian. By William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist. Very disturbing movie.

[Longshanks]

Well, for the US viewers I'd offer Dog Soldiers - had a very limited release in the States, and 28 Days Later (although I suspect that had a slightly larger release so may not strictly count as 'obscure'?)

to be honest I think the term obscure is pretty much dependant on who you're talking to - maybe Night of the Demon (original B/W) would be obscure to those brought up on a diet of hacker-slasher movies?

[Xorply]

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

[DangerMouse]

It's not really a "Horror" movie per say, but "Parents" with Randy Quaid is a VERY disturbing flick about cannibalism.

[Danzig]

Phantomias> Yes they are, but gaining a lil'more popularity, for some reason.

[Longshanks]

Ravenous - very funny, very nasty

[IdahoMR2man]

Originally posted by Longshanks
Ravenous - very funny, very nasty


"HE WAS LICKING ME!!!!!"

[Snake Spirit]

Originally posted by Longshanks
Well, for the US viewers I'd offer Dog Soldiers - had a very limited release in the States, and 28 Days Later (although I suspect that had a slightly larger release so may not strictly count as 'obscure'?)

to be honest I think the term obscure is pretty much dependant on who you're talking to - maybe Night of the Demon (original B/W) would be obscure to those brought up on a diet of hacker-slasher movies?

Dog Soldiers kicked ass in a big way, and it had the benefit of Sean Pertwee, son of one time Doctor Who John Pertwee! This movie was one huge block of action when it took off, and I was suprised that Sci-Fi Channel showed it completely uncut with all the head chewing, gut spewing gore of the DVD release! The makeup needed a bit more work but what you did see of the monster was pretty fair.

And Shanks, I've developed a new respect for you, my hero! Night of The Demon is NOT obscure to me-I have the DVD with both versions under the title "Curse Of The Demon." This is the one about the cult leader who summons a huge demon to kill all the people who stand in his way. This was a great movie, and you have great taste as far as classics go. Big pat on the back for that one, mate. :)

[Snake Spirit]

I'd like to take British horror a step further and offer Psychomania as an obscure offering-it's about a motorcycle gang called The Living Dead, and has a scene where one of the undead bikers runs over a baby carriage with his bike.

Also, 'The Undertaker And His Pals' is another good one. Very violent in a Monty-Pythonish sort of way, and a cult classic in it's own right. Chronicles the adventures of an undertaker and the motorcycle gang he hangs with.

Also, anyone who has missed out on Spanish horror-
Do NOT miss Amando De Ossorio's Tombs Of The Blind Dead or any of it's 3 sequels, Return Of The Blind Dead, Ghost Galleon, and Night Of The Seagulls. All concern the exploits of a centuries dead coven on Templar Knights who return ater 700 years to once again kill for flesh and blood. A very different and unique look at the living dead.

AND, do not miss Jorde Grau's Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, a 1974 obscurity also known as 'The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue" and "Don't Open The Window." Has FX by Lucio Fulci man Giannetto Di Rossi.

[Longshanks]

The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue.

And Snake, not surprising we have similar interests - we are the same generation.

I grew up on old Universal and Hammer films - Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Reptile, The Haunting (my all-time fave), The Innocents, Abominable Dr Phibes, Quatermass and the Pit (another fave - probably known to you as 20 Million years to Earth or something like that), The Blob, Fiend Without a Face, The Tingler, Cat People, Children of the Damned, the list goes on and on. - and I presume you know the demon in Night of the Demon was only put there when the original director Jacques Tourneur died and another director stepped in to finish it? The flaming footprints through the woods is still one of my all-time favorite scenes in a horror film. Less is always more in my opinion.

[Danzig]

'The Undertaker And His Pals' is not good, unless your tastes run to "Bloodsucking freaks" type movies

[Snake Spirit]

Originally posted by Longshanks
The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue.

And Snake, not surprising we have similar interests - we are the same generation.

I grew up on old Universal and Hammer films - Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Reptile, The Haunting (my all-time fave), The Innocents, Abominable Dr Phibes, Quatermass and the Pit (another fave - probably known to you as 20 Million years to Earth or something like that), The Blob, Fiend Without a Face, The Tingler, Cat People, Children of the Damned, the list goes on and on. - and I presume you know the demon in Night of the Demon was only put there when the original director Jacques Tourneur died and another director stepped in to finish it? The flaming footprints through the woods is still one of my all-time favorite scenes in a horror film. Less is always more in my opinion.

Yep I was aware of that change after Tourneur's death, 'Shanks. I'm aware of Dr. Quatermass, he was played by Brian Donlevy I think. 20 million Miles To Earth was an old Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animated film, so the one you're looking for I think is 5 Million Years to Earth or 5 Million Miles To Earth and had to do with Quatermass and friends trying to open a huge spaceship they found in Britian somewhere.

'Shanks-you would have loved it here in America in the late 60's-early 70's-the old movie you mentioned above played on EVERY station Friday and Saturday nights-I have many fond memories of The Tingler and House On Haunted Hill, 2 of William Castle's greatest flicks. I could goon forever but I'd take up too much space with old film names.

In the 60's-70's monsters were mainstream in our society, and the amount of horror comics, fan magazines
and movies and even model kits proved that beyond a doubt.

I agree that less is more also.
Sometimes you can get the same effect with ONE scene or thing instead of 1,000. Like that old saying about ONE picture being worth a thousand words. Right on, brother!

Oh and BTW-Fiend Without A Face horrified me to no end as a kid..those brain things! :eek:

[DangerMouse]

Pretty heavy stuff being reccomended. I applaude you all.

I wasn't sure how we were defining "obscure".

In that case, let me recommed 2 films from Italian Horror director Mario Bava.

Black Sunday (Mask of Satan) and Black Sabbath (w/ Boris Karloff).

These were filmed in the early 60's yet pushed the envelope when it came to horror.

Black Sunday STILL has one of the most brutal opening scene's I've witnessed on film. And Black Sabbath was filmed in sort of "nightmare vision".

Great stuff to watch if you love horror movies and especially if you're a film student. Bava's camera work is incredible. Especially when you consider the times he worked in and the equipment he worked with.

[Longshanks]

Originally posted by Snake Spirit
Yep I was aware of that change after Tourneur's death, 'Shanks. I'm aware of Dr. Quatermass, he was played by Brian Donlevy I think. 20 million Miles To Earth was an old Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animated film, so the one you're looking for I think is 5 Million Years to Earth or 5 Million Miles To Earth and had to do with Quatermass and friends trying to open a huge spaceship they found in Britian somewhere.

'Shanks-you would have loved it here in America in the late 60's-early 70's-the old movie you mentioned above played on EVERY station Friday and Saturday nights-I have many fond memories of The Tingler and House On Haunted Hill, 2 of William Castle's greatest flicks. I could goon forever but I'd take up too much space with old film names.

In the 60's-70's monsters were mainstream in our society, and the amount of horror comics, fan magazines
and movies and even model kits proved that beyond a doubt.

I agree that less is more also.
Sometimes you can get the same effect with ONE scene or thing instead of 1,000. Like that old saying about ONE picture being worth a thousand words. Right on, brother!

Oh and BTW-Fiend Without A Face horrified me to no end as a kid..those brain things! :eek:

I have the video ot the original BBC broadcasts of the Quatermass and the Pit - about 4 hours long - fantastic stuff. Donlevy played Quatermass a couple of times, the usual thing of changing a leading character to an American one so it's easier to sell to a US market.

Famous Monsters, Fangoria (of which I have the first issue still), lots of rubber monsters running around - it's what got me into the industry in the first place.

And those Fiends (and the Tingler) really put the $h!ts up me when I was a kid - :D

[Snake Spirit]

Yeah they changed to having Brian Donlevy as Quatermass the same way they got Raymond Burr to play in the original 1954 version of Godzilla. As well, another great Toho film, Varan The Unbelievable was utterly destroyed by making the whole movie around American actors and not even showing the monster!

The Godzilla film got off WAY better compared to this film.
But you know how it is in America-it has to be 'fixed' before it can be shown :(

I have BOTH subtitled DVD's of the original Godzilla and Varan, and they are VERY underestimated films . And I say films should be seen the original way. In America people have a problem with reading subtitles, I however DON'T. I would rather see the film's original story the way it was meant than having things replaced and redone.

Oh BTW-Wasn't Quatermass in that other film 'The Creeping Unknown'? That was his first appearance I think though I could be wrong, I saw that movie too and it was a good one. Who was the original Quatermass anyway?

Oh hey, remember 'Dr. Blood's Coffin' with that lovely bunch of curls known as Hazel Court? They don't make em' like that anymore (women I mean) ;)

[Snake Spirit]

Originally posted by DangerMouse
Pretty heavy stuff being reccomended. I applaude you all.

I wasn't sure how we were defining "obscure".

In that case, let me recommed 2 films from Italian Horror director Mario Bava.

Black Sunday (Mask of Satan) and Black Sabbath (w/ Boris Karloff).

These were filmed in the early 60's yet pushed the envelope when it came to horror.

Black Sunday STILL has one of the most brutal opening scene's I've witnessed on film. And Black Sabbath was filmed in sort of "nightmare vision".

Great stuff to watch if you love horror movies and especially if you're a film student. Bava's camera work is incredible. Especially when you consider the times he worked in and the equipment he worked with.

A BAVA FAN! Yes!!! :applaud:

My stay here at CS.net has been rewarded. I have the DVD's of Mask Of Satan and Black Sabbath, as well as Planet Of The Vampires, all done by Bava. Mario Bava had a thing for being way too hard on himself, and he never liked anyhting he did, but I'm sure if he were around today to know how popular his movies are, I'm sure he'd be a very happy man.

Another film I have is the uncut version of Bava's The Whip And The Body, about a woman who is having a love affair with a ghost, and certain scenes had to be cut for American sensitivities back in the 60's. It stars the always perfect Christopher Lee and Italian-Israeli beauty Dahlia Lavi (yum YUM!!!)

But changes had to be made in Bava's films:In Black Sabbath they had to change the first story around because in the Euro-version the girls were lovers, something else the censors thought America couldn't handle back then. And they changed the title of Mask Of Satan to Black Sunday because the word 'Satan' was deemed too shocking for Americans.. :eek:

[Snake Spirit]

OK, for obscure, how about the Barbara Steele classic "Nightmare Castle" aka 'The Faceles Monster'?

THIS film was Steele's best role and alongside her past
roles in Black Sunday and Castle Of Blood, cemented her position as the first scream queen and the original Goth chick (as well as my fave actress.) Nightmare Castle is LOADED with atmosphere and is one of the scariest "vengeance from beyond the grave' type films in it's class. AND it has a very slick mad scientist who has the answers to everything up until the final moment when he has no explanation for the ghosts that stand before him. SEE THIS MOVIE!

This film petrified me as a kid. It was recently released on DVD as 'The Faceless Monster" and was also released earlier and uncut on VHS under "Night Of The Doomed," it's original alternate European title.

[Longshanks]

The series of films based on the BBC series written by Nigel Kneale:

The Quatermass Experiment - US: 'The Creeping Unknown' (Hammer 1955) - Brian Donlevy

Quatermass 2 - US: 'Enemy from Space' (gimme a break :rolleyes: ) (United Artists 1957) - Brian Donlevy

Quatermass and the Pit - US: '5 Million Miles to Earth' - (20th Cent Fox 1968) Quatermass was actually played by British actor Andrew Keir in this one, it was the Rowney character that was changed to an American from what I remember)

Quatermass (a later BBC series that ran for one story in the 80's I believe, starring Sir John Mills, and culminating in Prof Quatermass's death :( )

I have to say that the script and concept for The Pit is one of the most wonderfully crafted bits of sci-fi storytelling ever, it seamlessly weaves psychic powers, ghosts, human evolution, Race hate, Martians and the Devil himself - beat that Lucas!

There's also a film called Lifeforce (1985) starring Peter Firth and Frank Finlay, which, although not actually a Quatermass film, has all the hallmarks of one, and I kind of think has honorary status in the list in my opinion

[Danzig]

Long> i'm a Bava fane too..you just never asked

[Snake Spirit]

Hi Longshanks!

I knew that Brian Donlevy was Quatermass, but you had me thinking someone else was playing him in the British film while putting Donlevy in for American audiences..so Donlevy WAS the British Quatermass as well then..I remember 5 Million Years To Earth-I catch it on AMC every now and then. That was the one with the Martian spaceship.

So I was right-The Creeping Unknown WAS the first Quatermass film. I remember that guy gettting the stuff on his hands and it took oer his whole body.

There was a 50's film sort of along the same lines, called "The First Man Into Space." The astronaut came back as a mass of crusted skin and blood, and he killed for warm living blood, and died when his brother (Marshall Thompson of Daktari fame) puts him in a
de-pressurization chamber. I might add that Marshall Thompson was also in Fiend Without A Face as well.

[Snake Spirit]

I could go on in this thread forever..I LOVE it!

If you want a super duper obscure movie...have any of you heard of Terror Beneath The Sea? A 1966 Japanese offering starring the legendary Sonny Chiba as a government agent who has to stop a mad scientist in his underwater lair, who produces an army of amphibious merman-like creatures to do his bidding.


AND, how about "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things?" Made in 1971, and is known as one of the first films to cash in on the whirlwind success of Romero's Night of The Living Dead, but with a twist, as this is a very weird movie, and a party tape to be reckoned with.

Oh, just for the hell of it-this movie was made by Alan Ormsby and Bob Clark. Clark later directed the holiday classic A Christmas Story and along with Ormsby, wrote the scripts for all 3 Porky's films...sort of like the way Peter Jackson did, going from obscurity to cult status.
Clark ALSO made a very lurid horror film called
Black Christmas that was pretty disturbing as well. And Ormsby also directed the remake of Val Lewtons's The Cat People in 1981, starring Nastasia Kinski and Malcolm McDowell, one of my favorite bad guys.
:applaud:

[DangerMouse]

Albeit probably not that obscure, if you haven't seen it, there's a portion of your life that will go unfulfilled.

That movie is, "Blackula" or its sequel, "Scream Blacula Scream". It doesn't matter which one.

They are both the shizzle mah vampizzle.

:applaud:

[Danzig]

the Cat People remake wasn't that good

[Snake Spirit]

Originally posted by DangerMouse
Albeit probably not that obscure, if you haven't seen it, there's a portion of your life that will go unfulfilled.

That movie is, "Blackula" or its sequel, "Scream Blacula Scream". It doesn't matter which one.

They are both the shizzle mah vampizzle.

:applaud:

I'm your man, DM, I saw these years ago in the late 70's and in the early 80's. Wiliam Marshall with that booming voice..he played a great part, but I couldn't understand the second movie, voodoo and vampires just don't mix. The first part was the best.

As far as obscurity goes, how about "The Deathmaster" with Robert Quarry of "Count Yorga" fame? This was an attempt at a cash in on the Manson craze that swept the U.S. in the early 70's, and had an undead hippie vampire in it, of all things.

Another obscure film not seen much is House Of The Seven Corpses with John Carradine, John Ireland, and Faith Domergue of This Island Earth fame.

Another film not seen much these days is a British offering called Asylum, a horror anthology about 5 people and the stories of how they came to be locked up in a loonie bin-this movie is not for everyone because it's quite graphic.

[Danzig]

Snake knows his flicks.. i wonder if he liked Baba Yaga heh

[Snake Spirit]

Hey Danzig! :D

No I haven't seen Baba Yaga yet but I know of her legend-the old Russian witch who summoned the flying snakes of fire. I've read the legends as much as possible, as well as reading other legends, like the Sandinavian legends of the wizards Vainamonnen and Joukahainen, who, it is said can STILL be heard on the wind bragging to each other about the other's magical accomplishments, just like a couple of big spoiled kids :D

Very interesting things. :applaud:

[Longshanks]

Babba Yaga? *puts on Folklorist hat* The Russian folklore character who eats people and decorates her fence with their skulls. She lives in a hut which walks on chicken legs and flys in a mortar and pestle. *takes off folklorist hat*

They made a film of that?

Checks Google - no, I guess not, sounds more like a lesbian horror flick - seems to have a good review though

[Snake Spirit]

I read a little about Baba Yaga, but not THAT much...now that I know she has a hut that walks on chicken legs, I'll know what to look for and what to guard myself against if she moves into my neighborhood..:eek:

[necronon99]

Brazil


for those under a rock

[Snake Spirit]

Originally posted by necronon99
Brazil


for those under a rock

I saw this a while back, and have to admit I was at a bit of a loss to try to understand it, but then again, some films are so weird that it's best to just watch them and let them happen...

[necronon99]

Originally posted by Snake Spirit
I saw this a while back, and have to admit I was at a bit of a loss to try to understand it, but then again, some films are so weird that it's best to just watch them and let them happen...
very true sir it is one of the many reasons i love this film

[zombie1]

Dead Alive :)

[Alexander JL]

Originally posted by necronon99
Brazil


for those under a rock

Please explain how 'Brazil' is either obscure, or a horror movie?

[sniktawt]

Paper House (1989) directed by Bernard Rose comes to mind as great and obscure.

[Snake Spirit]

"Neon Maniacs"- 1986 or 7'. Pretty scary monsters who can be killed in the simplest of ways (sorry no spoilers!) :)

[Tenafly Viper]

Off the top of my head......

Mother's Day
The Burning
Street Trash
Black Christmas
Martin
Brain Damage

Motor Psycho
Don't Torture a Duckling
Twitch Of the Death Nerve
Visitor Q


.....Too name a few.

[IdahoMR2man]

Brain Damage? Did this star Bill Pullman? Or was this the one with the little talking green guy on the dude's shoulder?

[Tenafly Viper]

Originally posted by IdahoMR2man
Or was this the one with the little talking green guy on the dude's shoulder? LOL...yeah the 88' Frank Henenlotter film.... about a hallucinogenic drug producing parasite called the Aylmer, that turns its host into an addict, before forcing him to help it stalk victims who' brains it then eats....

[Asylum Patient]

Donnie Darko, maybe not horror but def atleast sci-fi my faborite movi of all time

[Alexander JL]

*bump*

[Alexander JL]

It resurfaces!

[necronon99]

like a hive or a sperm whale

[Tuco]

I remember a flick when I was a kid called The Video Dead.. I think Zombies came outa the TV... strange...

[Niels]

'Darkness' starring Anna Paquin and Ian Glen. It definately freaked me out and has an amazing subtle ending. Forget the comparisons with 'The Others', 'The Haunting' & 'The Sixth Sense' and just enjoy the ride.

[sniktawt]

This thread will never die.

This is the very first thread I ever posted in on thes boards.

[Inval1d]

Battle Royale

[droidguy1119]

Man I've heard of every movie on this thread.

I have to applaud Inval1d, though, while it's not neccesarily obscure, Battle Royale rocks. I don't know if it's really a horror movie though. It's sort of unclassifiable.

And while you don't want to hear Troma movies, and it's not really horror either, everyone should see Cannibal! The Musical cause it's so f---ing funny.

[JasonLV]

Psycho Cop 2 was really funny movie that I thought was good. It comes on Cinemax this time of year all the time

[sniktawt]

Psycho Cop 1 was great as well.

The Borrower was pretty good.

[A+]

Battle Royale. Japanese kids trying to kill each other on an island. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Though not really horror, and I don't know how obscure it is, I've never heard anybody talking about it.

[droidguy1119]

There are two DVDs of Battle Royale that are worth getting -- one if you have a PAL TV and the other if you know Japanese.

The first one is the Japanese Region 0 import from Starmaker, it has a subtitled NTSC presentation of the film, but none of the features are subtitled.

The second one is mostly the same features, and it's a British Region 0 DVD. It's more expensive, but the features are English subtitled.

[Aztec]

Ravenous is a great flick.

Jesus Chirst: Vampire Hunter
-I'll warn you though it's the most painfully dumb movie ever! The title alone is classic.

[droidguy1119]

Cheers for Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. I want the SE DVD of that, too, which can be bought directly from the studio. Maybe for Christmas...

[KellyM]

dr goldfoot and the bikini machine. :p

[jimhaze]

Happy Birthday to Me

[jimhaze]

That is actually a movie

I am not trying to self-promote my own birthday