Non-splatter Horror

[Wasted]

... Audition...

I was going to recommend that but even though its not high enough on the teen arterial spray to count as a gore-fest...that last half hour is pretty rough.

I also add my vote to the recommendations for 1408, In The Mouth of Madness and Insomnia.

A movie not mentioned so far, probably too close to gore, is Event Horizon.

[Margalis]

I watched Event Horizon again recently (first time since watching it in the theater) and it didn't hold up so well. I still liked the parts I liked about it originally (the concept, the atmosphere, the set design) but the weaker parts were more distracting.

I also recently watched Let the Right One In and I have to say it did nothing for me at all.

[Ironwood]

Seriously, are we talking about the same movie here ?  The one with Cusack as a paranormal investigation type person staying in a shitty hotel where a number of bizare and, frankly, unscary fuck stupid things happen ?

 

[apocrypha]

I also recently watched Let the Right One In and I have to say it did nothing for me at all.

Did you watch the remake or the original Swedish one? The original was far, far superior I thought. Not particularly horrific, more sad than anything, but very good.

[Lakov_Sanite]

ltroi for us lazy people  was not really horror. yeah it had a vampire and all but really it was a suspense movie with slight supernatural elements.

[sickrubik]

Seriously, are we talking about the same movie here ?  The one with Cusack as a paranormal investigation type person staying in a shitty hotel where a number of bizare and, frankly, unscary fuck stupid things happen ?

 

I agree with everything you said. Also, I finally saw Event Horizon a couple months ago. I had not, for whatever reason, seen it yet. I kept hearing how fucked up it was. It's boring. But, I grew up having Jacob's Ladder be one of my favorite films, so fucked up is relative, I guess.

There's a lot of crossover when it comes to Thriller and Horror, especially if you are eliminating Splatter out of it.

Alien (even if it does have a fair amount of blood) is probably still my favorite Horror movie. Beyond that, hard to beat Hitchcock for a lot of that same feeling. Rear Window, Psycho, etc.

Oh another one that I had kind of ignored, probably because I don't like Nicole Kidman generally, was The Others. I still have a lot of love for Poltergeist,Exorcist, Last House on the Left. And in that vein, The House of The Devil is a great fucking throwback film that came out in 2009. One of my favorite flicks of the last 5 or so years.

[schild]

Seriously, are we talking about the same movie here ?  The one with Cusack as a paranormal investigation type person staying in a shitty hotel where a number of bizare and, frankly, unscary fuck stupid things happen ?

 

It's not a masterpiece - hell, it's not even good. It's decent, and has John Cusack. I only said shockingly because I expected it to be total total shit and it wasn't. Mostly because of said actor.

[sickrubik]

That's why I liked "Must Love Dogs", no.. wait, that was shitty too.

[schild]

Finding shitty movies with enjoyable actors is such a tall order I'm shocked you were able to find one.

[sickrubik]

The fiancee loves bad rom coms. Even she apologized for that movie.

[Sky]

This horror invites splatter.

[Ironwood]

Oh another one that I had kind of ignored, probably because I don't like Nicole Kidman generally, was The Others.

Strangely, despite my hating the woman and the film itself being predictable and cliche, I liked this film more than I should have.  It was just.. I dunno, done well or something.

Also, if you want to talk bad Cusack, that fucking one called 'Identity' was the worst film I've ever seen.  Five minutes in, I whisper to the wife 'Figured it out' and it just follows the predictable train all the way to the end, sucking mightily as it goes.

It's billed as a horror, but avoid the fuck out of it.  The only horror is 'Omg, I just watched Identity.'

He really did go through a phase of just paying the rent.

[schild]

Nothing wrong with paying the rent. Nick Cage was doing that also when he made a bunch of shit (and eventually Lord of War).

[Lakov_Sanite]

 Identity.'

Fuck you for making me remember I spent money to see that. Seriously.

[schild]

I'm watching The Bourne Ultimatum while I'm working and the assassin that shoots the reporter is a Treasure Goblin.

I don't even know what Identity is and I'm not looking it up on IMDB.

[Ironwood]

Nothing wrong with paying the rent. Nick Cage was doing that also when he made a bunch of shit (and eventually Lord of War).

Yeah, but Nick Cage has had one good film and that was The Sorcerors Apprentice.

[HaemishM]

Seriously, are we talking about the same movie here ?  The one with Cusack as a paranormal investigation type person staying in a shitty hotel where a number of bizare and, frankly, unscary fuck stupid things happen ?

 

It's not a masterpiece - hell, it's not even good. It's decent, and has John Cusack. I only said shockingly because I expected it to be total total shit and it wasn't. Mostly because of said actor.

This. The movie was goofy and would have been a complete fuckup if not for Cusack, IMO.

I'll also chime in with applause for Mouth of Madness (last good Carpenter movie I've seen) and Insomnia.

The original Amityville Horror qualifies. While there is some gore, most of it is just psychological creepiness. It may not hold up as well as I remember, but I know when I first saw it, it scared the SHIT out of me.

EDIT: I also liked Identity. You people are fucking broken.

[sickrubik]

Nothing wrong with paying the rent. Nick Cage was doing that also when he made a bunch of shit (and eventually Lord of War).

Yeah, but Nick Cage has had one good film and that was The Sorcerors Apprentice.

Wait... what.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Nothing wrong with paying the rent. Nick Cage was doing that also when he made a bunch of shit (and eventually Lord of War).

Yeah, but Nick Cage has had one good film and that was The Sorcerors Apprentice.

Wait... what.

[Margalis]

I like John Carpenter's Vampires a lot...

I saw the foreign version of Let the Right One In. I dunno...I just completely no-sold the movie. It had zero effect on me and I was bored. Neither the main kid nor the vampire was particularly likable and I wasn't invested in them at all, if anything I found the main kid kind of annoying. It seems like the kind of movie I would enjoy and I was looking forward to it but it just didn't work for me at all.

[angry.bob]

Nothing wrong with paying the rent. Nick Cage was doing that also when he made a bunch of shit (and eventually Lord of War).

Yeah, but Nick Cage has had one good film and that was The Sorcerors Apprentice.

Wait... what.

I know, right? Everyone knows the one, single role that Cage hasn't blown shit in was Valley Girl.

[Ironwood]

Haven't seen it.

[Sky]

I know, right? Everyone knows the one, single role that Cage hasn't blown shit in was Valley Girl Raising Arizona.

[Engels]

If you liked John Carpenter's Vampire$, you should really really read the book by John Steakley, because its better. Rich character development, wonderful tension throughout, and a much longer story.

My submission to this thread is a ghost story from yesteryear, but one that stands the test of time. The Haunting from 1963, NOT the 90s remake (avoid like the plague). Its based off The Haunting of Hill House, a short novel by Shirley Jackson

[Samwise]

My submission to this thread is a ghost story from yesteryear, but one that stands the test of time. The Haunting from 1963, NOT the 90s remake (avoid like the plague). Its based off The Haunting of Hill House, a short novel by Shirley Jackson

YES.  Now, admittedly, I was 10 when I saw that, and I haven't seen it again since.  But it was an extremely spooky movie, more so because of its ambiguity.

[Engels]

Its an adult movie, with a bunch of social commentary subtext in it that's of interest, especially from a woman's rights perspective. Still, scary as heck for a 10 year old.

[angry.bob]

No gore makes things a little tough. Hmm, I'd have to add:

The Woman in Black remake. I liked it a lot, plenty of creepiness and suspense the first time through.
Rose Red (uncut). I downloaded the uncut version and I thought it was much better then the version they show on TV. But I'm gay for Julian Sands.
The Skeleton Key. Most people here would figure out the ending ahead of time but it's still worth watching.

[UnSub]

Having thought a bit longer:

 - "The Sadist", based on the Charles Starkweather / Caril Fugate killing spree, the film has three innocents get car trouble in the wrong rural area. It sounds naff (and the film is from the early 1960s, so yes there are cliches) but the villains are mesmerising, the threat feels very real and the good guys aren't stupid, just unlucky.

 - "The Wicker Man", the Edward Woodward version, obviously. It isn't really horror, more thriller, but it's an effective mystery with a neat twist at the end.

[01101010]

The Skeleton Key. Most people here would figure out the ending ahead of time but it's still worth watching.

Oh hell that is the one I was trying to think of. I am a sucker for creepy voodoo.

[Mrbloodworth]

"I sell the dead"

[Teleku]

Ah, thanks a ton for this thread.  I love scary/creepy movies, but hate all the splatter gore and torture porn that gets made.  Will peruse several of these movies, thanks.

Though having said that:

Obvious films from my previous post include Ringu, Audition, and Ju-On.

Ok, going to have to veto that one.  I know its not just something like SAW 6 and is well done, but its still very much a torture porn flick (just well made torture porn).  I think films like that go against the general principle of the thread.

[Engels]

Watched the Skeleton Key on recommendation from this thread and I was not dissapoint at all.

[Mrbloodworth]

The Devil's Carnival

Repo! The Genetic Opera

[Lakov_Sanite]

Repo! The Genetic Opera

...doesn't fit either criteria of this thread.