The Ring

[Premezilla]

Hail all,

Dearie me. I'm not a "horror" movie fan, which has kept me from seeing "The Ring" all this time. But, the other night, I decided to bite the bullet, invite a few dozen friends over, and watch it in darkness. I must admit, the movie itself was very thought-provoking. The director certainly knows how to use the basic elements of fear to scare the living daylights out of people. From the grainy, black-and-white videotape, to the eerie, spooky disposition of the little boy, every scene of the movie glistens with a shiny gloss of scare-paint.

But the real fear also had to do with the females in the audience at the time. Let me put it this way:having girls scream at 10pm generates fear, horror, at the occasional noise complaint. In actuality, the actual fear from the movie didn't hit me until tonight, as I sit here at my computer, desperately trying not think of the twisted expressions of the victims to the gruesomeness of the tape. So, if anyone knows a good cure to the common case of insomnia, feel free to share! :ph34r:

Well, thanks for listening to the ramblings of a tired being who's computer crashed, which caused all programs to be uninstalled, and only realized it when the Diablo II LoD disk refused to load, then realizing that the original Diablo II disks were somewhere else, and finally, accepting the fact that he would have to play extremely shoddy online computer games. Buenos noches!

[Taem]

Half awake but just had to reply to this one!

The Ring is by far one of my favorite movies. While I don't find it scary for some reason, I find it to be an intense mystery full of intrigue and danger. I've already seen it 4 times and actually find it more interesting with each viewing. An American version of Ringu 0 should be out sometime soon, or was it Ringu 2? I'm dying <pun> to see it.

[WarLocke]

I'm in agreement with all of that. The Ring is one of the few movies I truly consider a 'horror' flick (unlike the Freddy/Jason/cheap zombie/Wrong Turn nonsense that new 'horror' movies offer).

And I know exactly what you mean about the fear sinking in later on. The Ring was one of the few movies that managed to spook the living daylights out of me, to the point I had trouble sleeping that night. :ph34r:

There was another film I thought was quite good, but I can't remember the title and I can't seem to find it by browsing IMDB. It involved a guy who (seemingly) goes psychotic and keeps this surreal diary about how the 'shadows' had marked him and were going to come back and get him, then after he disappears three friends of his find his diary and note that they're 'marked' as well... Yeah, that description could be for just about any horror flick, but the one I'm thinking of was really done well. :angry:

[LemmingofGlory]

The director certainly knows how to use the basic elements of fear to scare the living daylights out of people. From the grainy, black-and-white videotape, to the eerie, spooky disposition of the little boy, every scene of the movie glistens with a shiny gloss of scare-paint.

It was certainly better than most fright flicks they put out, but it wasn't quite enough for me. People die after looking at a waterlogged lass whose biggest problem is lack of soap and a scrub brush? Please. The "Creep Factor" was there, but it didn't plunge me over the edge.

It was fun using the pause and slow buttons on the DVD remote to closely inspect each of the "creepy" scenes, though.

But the real fear also had to do with the females in the audience at the time.

Just as a comedy becomes funnier when people laugh with you, a horror becomes more creepy when others jump and shiver with you.

... as I sit here at my computer, desperately trying not think of the twisted expressions of the victims to the gruesomeness of the tape. So, if anyone knows a good cure to the common case of insomnia, feel free to share!

Ah, I've the perfect thriller/horror to cure insomnia: rent "The Mothman Prophecies." From that point in your life onward whenever somebody repeats the phrase "Anyone want to see 'The Mothman Prophecies?'" you'll run screaming from the room, if you take my meaning.

[o: *LEMMING* :o]

[Omni]

It was certainly better than most fright flicks they put out, but it wasn't quite enough for me. People die after looking at a waterlogged lass whose biggest problem is lack of soap and a scrub brush? Please.

It's been a while, but my understanding is that people died after said waterlogged lass climbed out the TV and killed them... :unsure: That, or she enacted scenes from Ringu and they died laughing.

Ah, I've the perfect thriller/horror to cure insomnia: rent "The Mothman Prophecies."

@ @

[LemmingofGlory]

It's been a while, but my understanding is that people died after said waterlogged lass climbed out the TV and killed them...&nbsp;

My comment was directed toward her method. How did she kill them? Death scenes involve the camera performing an extreme zoom on her face and, presumably, the people die from looking at her or some silly thing. Okay, sure, she's having a bad hair day, but some shampoo will clear that right up. It's nothing to die over.

@ @

What's the meaning of two oversized at symbols?

[o: *LEMMING* :o]

[Medicine Man]

There was another film I thought was quite good, but I can't remember the title and I can't seem to find it by browsing IMDB.&nbsp; It involved a guy who (seemingly) goes psychotic and keeps this surreal diary about how the 'shadows' had marked him and were going to come back and get him, then after he disappears three friends of his find his diary and note that they're 'marked' as well...&nbsp; Yeah, that description could be for just about any horror flick, but the one I'm thinking of was really done well.&nbsp; :angry:

Sounds like a good flick... if you manage to remember the title, please make sure to post it.

Does anyone else have any suggestions for finely crafted horror films?

[FenrisWulf]

@LemmingofGlory
The "waterlogged lass" (heh) had the ability to project (burn) images into other peoples' minds, right? So I figured that she was showing them things far worse than her Thing-style hairdo. :P

[TaMeOlta]

:o You watched the whole movie ?!? ....... Oct 26th ....... :o

[kandrathe]

Most of Stephan King's works are true horror (as opposed to teen slasher films). The 'shadows' and the 'marked' thing remind me of the work of H. P. Lovecraft or August Derleth -- who are my heros of horror. It's unfortunate that little of their writing has made it to cinema. Nyarlathotep and Dagon are more recent (and better) screenplays of their works. Hollywood has seen that good horror films generate box office, so there is some hope for the future.

[duxy]

Haha ok i finaly got a LL account been to lazy for about 2 years but stephan king is one of my favorite the shineing is great um so many others by him
i didnt really get into the ring it was more calming then nerve biteing
for horror i like to stick with the classics it ,the exorsist and like i said the shineing stuff like that
and ive heard and have been told the origanal texas chainsaw is one of the greatest horror movies of all time so check that out

[Taem]

A lot of the originals were better than their newer counterparts. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was by far one of the scariest movies I have ever seen but to my friends, they laughed the entire time because they couldn't understand why a man (overweight at that) dressed up in a mask could outrun a college woman in fit shape (yes, both my friends were in track and field) with a heavy chainsaw in his hand the entire time.

On that note, I have the black and white versions of The Haunting and Night of the Living Dead and boy I tell you they are scary as hell and far better than any color version. I can't say if it’s the black and white or what, but they really made me, and many friends, sleep with one eye open.

Other horror media I liked and found scary were The Howling, Hell House, black-and-white Twilight Zones (like the doll that said, "I'm going to kill you," and the little girl that fell behind her bed into an alternate universe), Resident Evil series video games and Silent Hill.

Personally however, because of the way I view our cosmetology, the stars, the possibility of other dimensions, death and life, demons and angels, I was most frightened of the movie Event Horizon after having seen it. I'll just leave it at that because most people thought it was pure cheese from beginning to end, but I loved every terrifying (for me at least) moment of it.

[WarLocke]

I thought Event Horizon was great. It got a bit cheesy at the end (with Sam David and all that scar makeup) but the rest of the movie was impressive.

I give it two mutilated thumbs up! B)

[kandrathe]

I think the most freaked out I was at horror films was a drive in triple feature, Christine, then NOTLD, then Phantasm. I mean you are in your claustrophobic little car in the middle of the theatre lot at 3AM. Really, very spooky. I wasn't sure if it was the cars, the reanimated dead, or dwarves from another dimension, but I was sure one of the three would finish me off that night. Oh, yes and before I forget the thought, I think another great in the genre would be John Carpenter.

[Omni]

What's the meaning of two oversized at symbols?

Oops, I guess that wouldn't make sense if you weren't used to seeing the @_@ or @.@ emotes. :unsure: It's a reference to the red eyes you see throughout The Mothman Prophecies, in headlights, construction signs, etc. Any time my friends and I see a pair of red headlights at night, in the distance, one of us will turn to the others and whisper "chapsssstickkk". :D

I thought Event Horizon was great. It got a bit cheesy at the end (with Sam David and all that scar makeup) but the rest of the movie was impressive.

I give it two mutilated thumbs up! B)

That's one of my favorite movies. The atmosphere is awesome - so awesome, in fact, that a lot of industrial bands (especially Front Line Assembly) use samples from the movie in their songs.

[Hammerskjold]

>But the real fear also had to do with the females in the audience at the time.


>>Just as a comedy becomes funnier when people laugh with you, a horror becomes more creepy when others jump and shiver with you.

Yes. I'm always frightened by the thought that I just flushed my 8 dollars down the toilet. As soon as I realized I am sitting in close proximity to someone who thinks the theatre is a bigger version of their living room.

"Martha did you see that OH MY LORD!!! THAT LITTLE GIRL IS DEAD! So did you call the Myrtles for this weekend I don't want to just show up and OH SWEET MERCY THAT LADY IS RUNNING!!!! like last time and they didn't have enough crab cakes to go around wasn't that just embarassing for Louise MOTHER OF ALL HOLIES HERE COMES THE CREDITS!!!! ok let's go Martha where did you put my keys?"

Scary! ;)

[pakman]

Another creepy movie I really liked was One Hour Photo with Robin Williams. I don't think I will ever take film pictures again.......

[Superfast Oz]

I didn't really find OneHourPhoto that much of a horror flick. It seemed a little odd to me. I know that was half the intention, but it didn't really seem to cut it for me. The camera imagery was a very basic play on simpleness, and his character transformation was really unrealistic.

As for The Ring, I really enjoyed it. We watched it in the guard room one night, and the phone of course rang right after it showed the video. This was a good play of factors of fear, and although the I found the bit where she finds the house and realises its from the video a little tedious in it's production, it was a great film on the whole.

[Omni]

I didn't find One Hour Photo the least bit scary. Very sad, but not scary.

[pakman]

I never said it was scary...only creepy. I was never scared the whole time I watched it. I thought it was strange that this seemingly normal guy that works at Wal-Mart, could have such a messed up head. Nothing scary about it, just weird twists of events.