Classic Horror Lovers discussion

I know we've talked about a bit about classic horror movies in the past, but I wanted to ask a more focused series of questions.

Here are my questions for you...

Which is the best Dracula movie to you and why?


How about werewolves? Why?


Ghost movies?


Any movie made based on a classic horror work?

Hello:
Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula will always be my favorite. His spidery hand gestures and his thick accent just add a lot to the character. Also, his regal way of delivering his lines lead people to believe he was of some old and noble lineage.
Werewolves and Wolfmen to me are very different so if we're talking werewolves my favorite is "The Howling," part I. The Werewolves were sinister, creepy, and downright vicious.
For ghost movies it's a toss-up between "The Uninvited," and the original "House On the Haunted Hill," with Vincent Price. Both movies were very well done and very eerie in atmosphere.
As far as favorite classic adaptation, well, that would have to go to "The Thing," adapted from the story, "Who Goes There.
That was fun. Have a Great Day and...Pleasant Screams!!!
The "Creature"

I love Lugosi's turn but inevitably I love Copola's Dracula for its heart and beauty. There's something more in that film that still draws me in even now.

Werwolves just never quite caught my interest like vampires have but I do love Lon Chaney in The Wolfman.

The Haunting of Hell House which actually doesn't have any real ghosts in it but manages to be very interesting all the same.

Here are my questions for you...

Which is the best Dracula movie t..."

For just weird action and plus pounding thrills, I liked the "Lost Boys"

Werevolves, the Underworld movies have been fun, especially the middle one which takes place in the past.

Ghost movies. An incredible movie made in 1963. It is called The Haunting (1963). No major special effects but a true psychological thriller until the last frame of the movie. Just a true delight.

For werewolves, I still love American Werewolf in London. For ghost stories, I agree with David, The Haunting is a masterpiece. It still gives me the willies when I see it.

For creepy Vampires remember seeing a clip years ago of Nosferatu, the shadow moving up the stairs....Aaahh!

For Werewolves it has to be Dog Soldiers, makes me laugh everytime I see it.

For Ghosts it's The Others, missed some of it as I was hiding behind a cushion.

I have to agree with Deanne, Dog Soldiers always makes me laugh too and The Others is another really creepy movie with an ending that took me by surprise. Wonderful stuff

do you mean a movie featuring Dracula or any vampire movie? For the first, I'd suggest that Bela Lugosi is the best Count Dracula though the movie is somewhat weak--I have a liking for the Frank Langella version of Dracula made in the 1970s. For other vampire movies, I love The Hunger (though Tony Scott is a dreadful director otherwise)---please, Catherine, bite me. Near Dark, also terrific.

werewolves: I'd agree that Dog Soldiers is a terrific movie. I haven't seen Wolfen in quite a while but I remember liking it.


ghosts: The Haunting, yes.

oh, on an additional note--I also appreciate Count Floyd a great deal. Kids, you don't think that's scary? a-ooooooh!

Karen wrote: "I have to agree with Deanne, Dog Soldiers always makes me laugh too and The Others is another really creepy movie with an ending that took me by surprise. Wonderful stuff"

I watch The Others about once every week. Seriously. I can't get enough of that film. Hmmm . . . Dr Freud . . .

Michael wrote: "oh, on an additional note--I also appreciate Count Floyd a great deal. Kids, you don't think that's scary? a-ooooooh!"

"Bloodsucking Monkeys From West Mifflin, Pennsylvania"... trust me kids, that would have been really scary.. uh... uh... (cups hand)...aoo ...aoo ..aooooowwwwwww!"

My favorite "Ghost" movie is The Innocents, based on The Turn of the Screw. It's an great movie to watch late at night, really creepy. "Peter Quint, you Devil!"

I saw The Woman in Black yesterday. I enjoyed it very much--very atmospheric. Creepy, but not terribly frightening. No great character development--just a good old fashioned ghost/haunted house story. For me, The Haunting is a 10, The Others a 9, this one a 6. I did enjoy the ending--it is different than the book and the first film version--but I liked it. Daniel Radcliffe was just fine in the lead role.

I saw The Woman in Black Sunday & loved it. It made people in the audience jump & scream (not me, i'm a tough audience). Victorian toys remain the creepiest objects of all time, with tranced out kids coming in a close second!

I'm looking forward to watching The Woman in Black and reading the book. Looks like something I'll enjoy. I love a good, old-fashioned ghost story.

The two movies are much better than the book IMO.

Naima wrote: "I saw The Woman in Black Sunday & loved it. It made people in the audience jump & scream (not me, i'm a tough audience). Victorian toys remain the creepiest objects of all time, with tranced out ki..."

I am amazed at how Hollywood can come up with all that neat Victorian stuff . . . maybe they were all reproductions . . . but the set was pretty convincing. I vote for the fog as the creepiest element.

MountainShelby wrote: "The two movies are much better than the book IMO."

Do you mean The Turn of the Screw or The Woman in Black?

The Woman in Black--it reads more like a screen treatment--very short and sparse in details (too sparse for a "Victorian" novel). Turn of the is one of my favorites.

Okay, that makes sense. I don't own the book for The Woman in Black, so I may end up watching the movie first anyway.

You could skip the book IMO. The interesting thing (for me anyway) is the book has one very clear ending, the 1989 movie another version of the ending, and the Radcliffe movie yet a third version. Just an observation.

Interesting!

Yes, mountain Selby, the fog would have had me crawling out of my skin. And the long hallway leading to the dark room was the worst! A long hallway leading to a dark room is creepy in ANY house. Noting the victoriana, they must have crews working to age reproductions, you think? What a great job that would be!

Is the book called The Lady in Black? Or are you guys referring to Wilkie Collins' The Lady in White?

The book by Susan Hill is called The Woman in Black . Read a few of her by now, and usually they are short and sweet.

Thanks! I'll add it to my list. You've all made me curious about it :)

Naima wrote: "Yes, mountain Selby, the fog would have had me crawling out of my skin. And the long hallway leading to the dark room was the worst! A long hallway leading to a dark room is creepy in ANY house. No..."

I loved the set decorations in that movie. Very convincing. Another one I want to see is The Raven, although I fear for the reviews. I'll see it regardless.

The Raven looks interesting.

RE: Ghost movies

One of my faves is The Changeling (1980). It's highly underrated, probably because of its slow build type pace. I love the use of sound to increase tension and suspense.

Thanks for the non-spoiler informative feedback on The Woman in Black; I'm going to see it this weekend. (The book was fantabulous!)

Hope you enjoy it! I would see the film again.

My three favorite Ghost movies:

The Uninvited: A 1940's classic. One of the creepiest films ever made.

The Haunting: Early 1960's classic film adaptation of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House

The Innocents: Another early 1960's classic. An adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw

All excellent.

MountainShelby wrote: "All excellent."

Thanks! I just thought of two more I'd put on my Top Ten Ghost Films list. Kwaidan, a Japanese film based on Lafcadio Hearn's collection of Japanese ghost stories, and Ugetsu, another Japanese classic.

Gary,

One thing that tickles me about The Innocents is that the little boy's manner and dialogue make him sound like an adult at a cocktail party. I credit (or blame?) Truman Capote for that because he had a hand in writing the script! It is a great movie, especially creepy toward the end.

Naima wrote: "Gary,

One thing that tickles me about The Innocents is that the little boy's manner and dialogue make him sound like an adult at a cocktail party. I credit (or blame?) Truman Capote for that bec..."

Naima,

I think the boy's manner and dialogue might also be credited to Henry James' original. I recently re-read "The Turn of the Screw" and there's something very insinuating and creepy about a little boy calling his governess, "My dear."

:) I will have to re-read this! Thanks, Gary!

I'd love to see Kwaidan one day.

I agree with you about the boy Miles being super creepy in the story. He had a way of talking like he knew he was intellectually superior to his governess, a grown woman. Ugh!

The Turn of the Screw is definitely worth reading, or re-reading. I believe it influenced any number of modern ghost/haunted house stories including Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Stephen King's The Shining. And it can be read as a Victorian ghost story, a "Freudian" tale about sexual repression and projection, or a religious allegory about the loss of innocence.

BTW, Michael Stephens, the actor who played creepy little Miles, also played the leader of the evil alien kids in the early '60's film, Village of the Damned.

Oh I loved Village of the Damned! I enjoyed watching it with the commentary on also, because it highlighted the methods of enhancing the creepiness, such as their deliberately not using sound at the begiining. The beginning of the story is when the event occurs that drives the plot.

Village of the Damned is a good one. I'll never forget the brick wall, the bomb, and the eyes.

Naima wrote: "I saw The Woman in Black Sunday & loved it. It made people in the audience jump & scream (not me, i'm a tough audience). Victorian toys remain the creepiest objects of all time, with tranced out ki..."

I liked it, but overall found it unsatisfying. Although, it's worth seeing for the wonderfully gothic atmosphere. Those Victorian toys were amazingly creepy. The set designers must have had a blast.

The film turned me onto Susan Hill, and I'm currently reading The Man In The Picture, which is so spot-on gothic, it's amazing it was written in modern day.

For those of you who have read the book The Woman in Black, and have seen the film, is the book different enough to read after seeing the film? The movie left me with a few questions that I don't want to ask here, because I'd hate to ruin it for anyone.

The book ends very differently and I would say that in general the tone is different -- the movie has a lot of "jump moments" and the book isn't like that at all. I think it's well worth reading even after seeing the film.

Ghost movies that I like: the Others, Sixth Sense and The Orphanage.

Love the others and the sixth sense. Also liked when the lights went out and the changeling.

For ghost stories, may I add:

"The Innocents"
"The Haunting"
"The Unforgiven"
"A Portrait of Jenny"

For werewolf movies I have not watched a lot of movies so I cannot give a good opinion about this matter, but I liked The Werwwolf with Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins.

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror by F. W. Murnau
and The Wolf Man, with Bela Lugosi, 1941.
oh yes of course Carmilla or The Vampire Lovers (1970) with Ingrid Pitt .Have a nice good year Horror Lovers!!!

the Wolf man of 1941 was Lon Chaney Jr.

As far as werewolf movies are concerned and since I don't believe it's been mentioned before, may I mention "The Curse of The Werewolf" (perfect casting of Oliver Reed as the title character) from Britain's Hammer films. One of the many great films to come out of this company at, arguably the height their creative output during the 1960's. One of director's Terence Fisher's best efforts.

Michael wrote: "the Wolf man of 1941 was Lon Chaney Jr."

Sorry M, my mistake.it was Chaney Jr. i am not so much onto
werewolf movies as vampire ones but i had also enjoyed The Undying monster and "The Curse of The Werewolf" too.

Which is the best Dracula movie to you and why?
Bram Stoker's Dracula. (Coppola, 1992.)

How about werewolves? Why?
Dog Soldier's. "There is no Spoon." That line alone gives it a gold star. :)

Ghost movies?
The Legend of Hell House (1973).

Any movie made based on a classic horror work?
The Thing (1982), based on Who Goes There by J. W. Campbell Jr. With the exception of Alien (1979) it is probably the best sci-fi/horror hybrid ever made, and so gets my vote on this one.