MovieChat Forums > Suspiria (1977) Discussion > A thread dedicated to atmospheric, obscu...

A thread dedicated to atmospheric, obscure Horror gems...

posted 9 years ago by DreTam2000
8 replies | jump to latest

Let's play a game. It's basically this: In the list below, choose from the assortment of films you've never seen, and watch at least one of them.

I think this is a good board to do this on. I wanted to do it on a board that gets decent traffic, but not too much or too little. A classic like Poltergeist or The Exorcist might attract unfavorable attention if I posted it over on one of their boards. On the other hand, someplace like The Changeling or 1989's The Woman in Black would have been ideal, but unfortunately their boards are scarce and don't quite garner enough traffic. Suspiria then became the better choice. It seems to get frequent posts but not quite an overabundance of traffic.

So let's dig right in! I think there are obscure Horror films that deserve more awareness, and in the process we will help fans of Suspiria to discover atmospheric spook gems they never knew of before. Everybody wins.

The Stone Tape
Suspiria
The Woman in Black (1989)
A Cold Night's Death
The Changeling
Salem's Lot (perhaps not so obscure)
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home
Casting the Runes
The Sender
Whistle and I'll Come to You (1969)
Legion (The Exorcist III)
The Appointment
Paperhouse

Any of the BBC's "A Ghost Story for Christmas" teleplays:
A Warning to the Curious
The Signalman
A View from a Hill
The Stalls of Barchester
Schalcken the Painter
(to name a few)

Some of these are highly obscure but they are well worth finding. Some can be found on Youtube, while others are available through Stagevu.com (then, of course, there's the torrent route).

And to those of you who decide to track down some of these, your opinions or thoughts on any of them are welcomed. It would be fun to discuss these lost gems and raise awareness of them. Moreover, any recommendations you might have of additional films you think fit the mold, feel free to suggest. I have a long list of them, many of which I didn't even include in the above-list.

I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way

[–] ebossert 9 years ago

I haven't seen much off of your list, but I will check a few out in the future.

Here are a few of my recommendations:

Kairo (aka Pulse) (2001)
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
A Page of Madness (1926)
Spider Forest (2004)
Nosferatu (1922)
Nosferatu: Phantom Der Nacht (1979)
Over Your Dead Body (2014)
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Retribution (2006)
Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975)
Nightmare Detective 2 (2008)
Angel Dust (1994)
Diary (aka Mon seung) (2006)

Asian Film List
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[–] MisterDenton 9 years ago

Those BBC "Ghost Story for Christmas" films are indeed well worth watching. Very atmospheric and very creepy.

Whether or not it's strictly horror is debatable, but I'd also suggest Picnic at Hanging Rock. It's a stunningly shot mystery that I think will very much appeal to fans of, as you say, "atmospheric spook gems."

[–] DreTam2000 9 years ago

Picnic at Hanging Rock is indeed another favorite. I wouldn't call it straight horror but it sure is an unsettling film that is very unique and well done. Good film, masterfully made in its somewhat dreamy delivery.

I recommend it as well as those BBC specials.

I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way

[–] Hurry_up_N_buy 9 years ago

Alright I'll bite, this is my first time viewing all 3 of these films. I'm not particularly a horror fan as I don't scare easily so most films usually seem dull and cliche as opposed to scary or entertaining but I appreciate the genre. I'm more into the psychological thriller/sci-fi/little bit of horror-type films. A few examples of my favorites and also my recommendations for some lesser known gems are:
Take Shelter
Triangle
Pontypool
Open Grave
Starry Eyes
Coherence

Suspiria(1977) - first thing I noticed about this movie was the intense soundtrack and I really liked it, especially the one bit that sounds like it was made using a xylophone. The part of the soundtrack that symbolizes the witch's eyes on the victim and impending doom can become a bit daunting though by the end of the movie. Suspiria was beautifully shot and I appreciated the color scheme. The practical effects were pretty good, to my surprise, as I usually don't have alot of faith in the effects of older films. One of my favorite scenes was when the dance instructor kept pushing the protagonist to dance as she was about to faint, the lady truly had a red, devilish glow about her which made it pretty intense.

Criticisms: I just didn't care for the characters or that final witch battle, it was all too...basic.
rating: 7.5/10

The Exorcist III(1990) - After watching the 1977 Suspiria and switching to this film made in 1990, I was a bit shocked to see that the production value isn't that many steps ahead. Either that says a good deal about Suspiria or not enough to the credit of The Exorcist III. This movie did a good job of creating a bleak atmosphere. Few things I enjoyed about this movie: 'the grumpy old men' chemistry early on between Kinderman and Father Dyer, the scenes between Kinderman and The Gemini Killer in the hospital "cell" are phenomenal- some of the best monologues that I've ever witnessed were in those scenes - Brad Dourif is the man, the receptionist/ 1st nurse's death was also great.

My main criticism is that given that this is a pretty story driven mystery/horror, the 1st two acts are pretty quiet. So, at times I felt a bit bored and at times scenes dragged on. Bore-factor takes away from entertainment value so I had to drop it a couple points in my rating for that alone. The plot itself was decent but nothing mind blowing. Also, I just wasn't too thrilled with George C. Scott as the lead.
rating: 6.5/10 Still some classic moments in this film.

The Sender(1982) - I found the soundtrack atrocious, although I know it was something of the norm for the times, I never understood why anyone one would ever find that style appealing in an auditory sense, even AT that time. I found this one a little disjointed in the narrative, or at the least, in the way they uncovered John Doe's mystery. One minute John wants to die, then midway through the movie, after he finds out others are affected, he doesn't, which is weird logic imo. Certain parts were odd instead of intriguing and then we have a random kiss with that girl at the end. Yeah, overall, great concept, poor execution, there was no real resolution at the end, he was exonerated and then released to go send dreams to other people. Maybe this is one of those instances where a movie can benefit from a remake.
rating: 5/10 That exploding lake house at the end was sweet though and I liked the very last still shot.

People hate what's popular and people jump on bandwagons. The rest of us are in the middle. Done.

[–] mgtbltp 9 years ago

Carnival of Souls

[–] moosefeathers 9 years ago

Let's Scare Jessica to Death....atmospheric and moody vampire movie

Swing away, Merrill....Merrill, swing away...

[–] guigui-paul 9 years ago

FULL CIRCLE (US title: THE HAUNTING OF JULIA) from director Richard Lonctaine, from a novel by Peter Straub (JULIA)
Very moody, creepy, haunting. Beautiful looking movie. One of Mia Farrow's very best performances. One of the best soundtracks and ending scene ever!
Underrated gem of the 70's era.

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[–] svalinanikola 8 years ago

Thanks for the recs 