Modern horror ideas: What would actually terrify you today?

I just found myself thinking back to this one horror flick that isn't necessarily terrifying in a jump-scare sort of way, but it’s just so deeply unsettling that I still get the chills whenever it crosses my mind http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/. Honestly, haven't I already mentioned how much ghosts can actually get under my skin? Take something like http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/
for example.

casualskipper8 said:Honestly, the last time I saw a truly great horror flick, it was In the jaws of madness back in '95. Everything that’s come out since then feels like a total waste of time. It’s like modern directors have completely lost the plot on how to actually tell a decent story, so they just resort to dumping buckets of blood on the screen to hide the fact that there's zero substance underneath.

Then again, you clearly haven't seen 1408:



🙂

Look, sure, there might be some ghost stuff going on, but it isn't exactly terrifying. When you look at all his absolute descent into madness movies, I’d say this one is easily his best work alongside >, mostly because he actually nails the atmosphere here.

Christian Taylor3 said:Then again, you clearly haven't seen 1408:



🙂

Pretty weak flick if you ask me, just zero pacing and nothing else to show for it.

driftingeagle27 said:Pretty weak flick if you ask me, just zero pacing and nothing else to show for it.

A hundred different people, a hundred different ways to be disappointed... 🤷

placidmarlin3 said:In my book, the whole point of a horror movie is to actually strike fear into the audience.
Personally, I find disaster films way more unsettling.
Take something involving CERN accidentally triggering the creation of a black hole—obviously played up in a massive Hollywood fashion, of course.😁
Then you have the darker realities like human trafficking, exploitation, or child abduction.

Or even those creatures from other dimensions that slip through temporal rifts to snatch people away.
The usual suspects like vampires, UFOs, and the like.🤷

You already have that. 😁 Angels & Demons.

Everyone’s afraid of something different. You can basically split it into two camps: people who fear things that could actually happen, and those who go for the supernatural stuff.

I actually really loved the Japanese horror flicks "Ring" and "Ju-on." To be honest, ghosts in Western movies don't really do anything for me. They just don't scare me.

Christian Taylor3 said:Then again, you clearly haven't seen 1408:



🙂

Yeah, I've seen it. It’s decent enough, but honestly, it doesn't quite hit that top-tier level for me.

I can't believe we're still talking about this, honestly. It’s like when you're watching a classic thriller and you see that one tiny, subtle clue that everyone else misses, but you just *know* it's going to lead to something massive later on. You know what I mean? It feels like we're standing on the edge of something big, almost like that tension you get right before the opening credits roll in an old noir film. I've been sitting here thinking about how all these different threads are starting to weave together, much like how a complex plot thickens in a great mystery novel, and it really makes you wonder where the whole thing is actually headed. kaže:
I still find myself thinking about this even today:

I’ve gotta say, I think the series actually outdid the movie by a mile.

That one scene where the kid flips through the photo album, and then—bam—blood drips right onto his brother's picture, only for that clown character to pop up and start twitching around like something out of a fever dream? Man, talk about a chill down your spine. Absolute nightmare fuel.

casualskipper8 said:

I can't believe we're still talking about this, honestly. It’s like when you're watching a classic thriller and you see that one tiny, subtle clue that everyone else misses, but you just *know* it's going to lead to something massive later on. You know what I mean? It feels like we're standing on the edge of something big, almost like that tension you get right before the opening credits roll in an old noir film. I've been sitting here thinking about how all these different threads are starting to weave together, much like how a complex plot thickens in a great mystery novel, and it really makes you wonder where the whole thing is actually headed. kaže:
I still find myself thinking about this even today:

I’ve gotta say, I think the series actually outdid the movie by a mile.

That one scene where the kid flips through the photo album, and then—bam—blood drips right onto his brother's picture, only for that clown character to pop up and start twitching around like something out of a fever dream? Man, talk about a chill down your spine. Absolute nightmare fuel.

Which movie are we talking about? They only seem to be making films these days... anyway, the series is pretty decent—got a few solid hits in there if you're looking.

When you’re looking for pure, gritty realism, I always go back to that opening sequence in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake—man, that part is killer. You’ve got this journalist coming down the stairs, the whole thing shot in black and white, giving it this heavy, antique vibe... then you've got water up to your knees and spiders everywhere crawling around skulls. It feels less like a movie and more like some ancient, cursed crime scene footage you weren't supposed to find... brrrr.

I’m actually a fan of Downfall; looks like the sequel is dropping soon too.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1073105/

briskhound2 said:Which movie are we talking about? They only seem to be making films these days... anyway, the series is pretty decent—got a few solid hits in there if you're looking.

When you’re looking for pure, gritty realism, I always go back to that opening sequence in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake—man, that part is killer. You’ve got this journalist coming down the stairs, the whole thing shot in black and white, giving it this heavy, antique vibe... then you've got water up to your knees and spiders everywhere crawling around skulls. It feels less like a movie and more like some ancient, cursed crime scene footage you weren't supposed to find... brrrr.

I recently revisited this classic. It remains a standout achievement in cinema.
It plays out just like a movie. I can't quite recall how they aired it here in the States.

David Price5 said:I recently revisited this classic. It remains a standout achievement in cinema.
It plays out just like a movie. I can't quite recall how they aired it here in the States.

They used to broadcast it in four parts, but the American version is just two feature-length pieces—I actually grabbed a copy recently, each running about an hour and a half. There's a new movie in the works too, but let's be real, they aren't going to squeeze the whole novel onto the screen. From what I read, they might even cut out the childhood stuff and just stick to the present timeline. Apparently, this one is supposed to hit theaters soon...

Richard Wilson4 said:Zombies look pretty gross, but honestly, they can only jump-scare you if they pop out of nowhere. A stray cat could pull the same stunt...

Nowadays, vampires are just hot guys meant to appeal to teenage girls, and those chainsaw horror flicks feel more like a butcher shop festival than actual scary movies...

The Japanese directors had some decent ideas once in a while, but even they get a bit boring for me. Plus, their American remakes are usually total garbage...

What are your picks for new horror movies, and what actually gets under your skin?

Check out the movie The Abandoned. I watched it at night with my speakers cranked up way too high. Let me know what you think after you see it.😁

Richard Wilson4 said:Zombies look pretty gross, but honestly, they can only jump-scare you if they pop out of nowhere. A stray cat could pull the same stunt...

Nowadays, vampires are just hot guys meant to appeal to teenage girls, and those chainsaw horror flicks feel more like a butcher shop festival than actual scary movies...

The Japanese directors had some decent ideas once in a while, but even they get a bit boring for me. Plus, their American remakes are usually total garbage...

What are your picks for new horror movies, and what actually gets under your skin?

That feeling when you know you’re totally screwed and there’s nothing you can do about it. Just pure, raw helplessness.

Megan Thomas46 said:Check out the movie The Abandoned. I watched it at night with my speakers cranked up way too high. Let me know what you think after you see it.😁

I have to say, I completely agree; that film absolutely floored me. Even though it isn't exactly a mainstream blockbuster, I suppose it really managed to hit its mark, at least in my experience and among most of the people I know.

briskhound2 said:They used to broadcast it in four parts, but the American version is just two feature-length pieces—I actually grabbed a copy recently, each running about an hour and a half. There's a new movie in the works too, but let's be real, they aren't going to squeeze the whole novel onto the screen. From what I read, they might even cut out the childhood stuff and just stick to the present timeline. Apparently, this one is supposed to hit theaters soon...

That would be an absolute disaster, though honestly, I have no idea how they'd even pull that off.

It’s getting pretty hard to actually scare me lately—nothing really hits anymore... but honestly, if a horror movie is actually well-made, I don't care what kind of "monsters" they throw at you: ghosts, slashers, demons, zombies... I was terrified of The Langoliers when I was a kid, and I actually dreamed about them the other night and got spooked, so there... 😁The only thing that never worked on me was that whole Victorian horror vibe—vampires, werewolves, mummies, all that stuff

briskhound2 said:Which movie are we talking about? They only seem to be making films these days... anyway, the series is pretty decent—got a few solid hits in there if you're looking.

When you’re looking for pure, gritty realism, I always go back to that opening sequence in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake—man, that part is killer. You’ve got this journalist coming down the stairs, the whole thing shot in black and white, giving it this heavy, antique vibe... then you've got water up to your knees and spiders everywhere crawling around skulls. It feels less like a movie and more like some ancient, cursed crime scene footage you weren't supposed to find... brrrr.

There actually is a movie. It’s about grown adults returning to the small hometown where they grew up—the same place where a clown terrorized them back in the day—to finally take down the evil once and for all.

In the film, those past events are only ever hinted at through subtle callbacks.

Man, screw this clown. He totally caught me off guard. I didn't freak out or anything, but I definitely jumped a little... 😁

driftingeagle27 said:That would be an absolute disaster, though honestly, I have no idea how they'd even pull that off.

Kind of like what Dreamcatcher did. You'd get these quick little flashbacks showing them as kids, but there wouldn't be nearly enough room to actually breathe compared to the series. And yeah, I'm with you—it would probably be a complete mess.

@billie_piton

There's already a movie. It’s about grown adults returning to their hometown where a clown terrorized them as kids, all to finally take down the evil once and for all.

In the movie, the past stuff is only really shown through brief glimpses and hints.

But this is the sequel to the series—it runs about ninety minutes, just like the first one, but the whole second part focuses strictly on the adult characters with just those rapid-fire memories of when they were kids back in the series. If they try to do that with this new movie, it's going to be totally nonsensical...