Topic: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

I really can't believe it but I can actually make a list of mainstream Horror movies I liked that have come out in the last 2 years.  By Mainstream I mean released in theaters.

First of course Cabin in the Woods.  This will be the newest Horror movie I own as far as date released is concerned.  I did buy Scream 4 and My Soul to Take.  Closest to that would be 1408 and then probably Grindhouse.  I like a lot of movies and I buy what I like which shows I haven't liked much since 1408.  This movie is simply the new Scream but instead of focusing on Slashers, it focuses on basically the horror genre as a whole.  Best Horror movie to come out since Grindhouse, and maybe even since the original Scream.

Prometheus.  Had almost as great of a time in theaters watching this as I did Cabin in the Woods.  If these two movies alone were my list, it would be a pretty satisfying year for horror.  These movies did something similar and that is pay homage big time of what has come before.  A funny and scary movie that I will also be purchasing when released.  Besides Cabin in the Woods, Prometheus is my favorite mainstream horror since Grindhouse.

Scream 4. I do really like this movie a lot, but it has some flaws.  For one it is a really bright film, and though there are some scary moments, I tend to watch it more for the eye candy.  Love the opening scene, love the dialogue, love Craven.

Am I really still going here

The Grey.  YES.  This is horror in my book because it was about as intense and dark as any movie can be.  What a fun fucking film.  Not the best ever but definitely recommend, and if you are a Liam fan you are in for a treat for real.

Fright Night - Gave this one a chance one night when I was sort of in the mood.  I realized "this might actually be good."  It ended up being a lot like Distrubia mixed with a vampire story which turned out to be damn good.  Had low expectations but in my opinion this remake tops Last House, NOES, F13th etc with ease.  Had some pretty decent actors in it.

Paranormal Activity 3.  I don't like these movies enough to add them to my collection but I have enjoyed sitting down and watching basically all 3.  3rd was pretty darn good though I don't remember it all that well.

I wasn't terribly excited with Silent House.  Insidious had his moments but I only watched about an hour.  I also haven't seen The Thing which is supposed to be a solid remake.

What are your favorite mainstream horror movies from the last couple years, and do you feel mainstream horror has made an improvement with quality of movies as of late compared to the first 10 years of this century?

Last edited by PrinceofDarkness (2012-08-22 10:13:09)

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Good idea for a topic, you've created a good few in the past few days. Anyway, I can agree with you on some of the Horror movies you named. Like, Cabin in the Woods is one of the best Horror movies we've gotten since 2000 I'd say. I'm going to run through a few of the movies you named yourself, but then name my movies.

Promethus - I had such high hopes for this movie and maybe that was the problem, I just was so excited that this movie was coming and of course I seen it on opening day with a friend of mine and...I disliked the movie heavily. It was only, and mean only the very last scene that made me like the movie a bit more. It just didn't do anything except gave us more questions to be answered and now Ridley said that we will get the sequel in 2014 or something? Even they need to find a way to fill the plotholes they made.

Paranormal Activity (the francise) - I don't know what to say about this francise really...since the first movie I've said (and will keep saying), these are Horror movies for people who don't watch Horror movies regurally. They are boring (hey I don't mind a big build up in movies) but you just never see anything, all just camera tricks and the same forumla movie after movie with stupid characters. It's gotten old now and I can tell there will be more movies to come. I like Found Footage movies but these are just...silly, silly movies that shouldn't be getting the amount of attention and praise they do already. The new trailer for #4 you could mistake for any of the old movies. Milkly milkly milkly.

I'll edit my post later and add in the good movies big_smile

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Mainstream horror has been pretty god awful the last couple of years, but there are a few that I like.

Cabin in the Woods
Fright Night
Scream 4

Thats about it, but there some I've yet to see. Mainly want to see Promethus and Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

Last edited by Suspiria_89 (2012-08-22 12:59:11)

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Recent mainstream Horror that I enjoyed in the theatre...

Cabin in the Woods
Woman in Black
Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter
Insidious

Prometheus was very good,  but I wouldn't consider it Horror.  It's good Scifi though


Indie Horror is where it's at smile

DirtyGirl's Website

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Prometheus is horror/sci fi just like Alien. Both scare the absolute SH*T outta me.  And yea the reason I left out Indie horror in this thread is because it is definitely a lot easier to name underground films. 

Alien is definitely horror/sci fi.  You could be right about Prometheus being strictly Sci/fi but there were some terrifyingly intense moments very similar to Alien in that film.

Last edited by PrinceofDarkness (2012-08-22 15:18:20)

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

What makes Promethus Horror? I'd think it's Sci-Fi.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Yeah it's sci-fi to me, still a great movie.

One of the last horror movies I saw on the big screen was Paranormal Activity 3. Not an amazing movie but the scares were there. What mostly made it for me was the environment of the theater that night - loads of screams, packed house. Really good fun; I don't go to see many horror movies (probably because there aren't any) on release.

Oh and Cabin in the Woods, really enjoyed it.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

The numerous really scary and tense moments.  When they are first discovering the alien in Prometheus and then it attacks, it was a direct homage to quite possibly the most terrifying scene ever in Alien.

I mean the whole big deal about this movie coming out was that Ridley Scott was returning to the Horror/Sci Fi roots that Alien had, and he delivered...The very last scene showing the Space Jockey is the definition of a horror ending, and the Space Jockey is one of horrors best monsters on almost everybody's list.

IMDB classifies Alien as Horror/Scifi.  Aliens as Adventure/Scifi/action and Prometheus as Adventure/Scifi/Thriller.

Last edited by PrinceofDarkness (2012-08-22 15:26:26)

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Yeah I can agree with you that the last scene is Horror and by far the best scene in the movie. I waited the entire movie just for that scene alone.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Cabin in the Woods
Woman in Black
Insidious

Possibly Scream 4. It was decent, but nothing great. Everything else....meh or it plain sucked.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Sorry POD,  you are certainly entitled to think of Prometheus as Horror if you want to,  But I felt it was straight up Sci-fi to me.  I think they certainly had plenty of opportunities to make it into Horror, but it didn't quite get there.  We will see if the next movies in the series will pack more of a Horror punch.  Having said that, I still enjoyed the movie.  It had fantastic scenery and visuals, a great cast, and an interesting twist on the Alien story.   I agree with Alien being a Horror/Scifi genre.

DirtyGirl's Website

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Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

I guess Cabin In The Woods
Scream 4
Women In Black

JJ's Website

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Cabin in the woods is my favourite so far.
Also like scream 4 but the ending was a real let down.
Insidious had some exciting scares but was a let down at the end.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

The only mainstream horror flick I can think of that impressed me at all in the last several years is Cabin in the Woods.  But then again it's common knowledge 'roundst here that I'm hard to please when it comes to new horror (and even a lot of old horror lol ).  There are probably a couple more, they're just not coming to me at the moment.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

What mainstream horror has impressed you before Cabin in the Woods?  I had to go all the way back to 1408 and Grindhouse to think of a couple I loved.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Well, let's see... I liked the Planet Terror half of Grindhouse.  I liked the Stuntman Mike character from Death Proof but the movie itself...meh.

I'm trying to think of others which left a favorable impression but honestly, nothing's coming to me.  At least, nothing mainstream. hmm

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

I was going to say House of the Devil but that ain't mainstream. I love that movie.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

I liked that one quite a bit, myself.  Had a pretty big lapse in logic at one point, but I forgave it because the rest of the flick is so well done.  Love how it takes its time building up the suspense.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Yeah and the way they used all stuff from the 80's so it gave it that feel worked very well too! Oh about Martha Marcy May Marlene? I loved that movie too, not sure how mainstream it was though.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

If House of the Devil counts then, I will put a vote in for Innkeepers as well!

DirtyGirl's Website

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

The Innkeepers is actually a very fun movie to watch, it takes time to build but it gets good.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

I would have added House of the Devil and The Innkeepers first, but I don't consider them mainstream. I actually liked those more than anything else I mentioned. They certainly deserved a wide release. I'd have loved to have seen them on the big screen.

Last edited by Ms.Gorefiend (2012-08-22 19:39:50)

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Scavenger of Human Sorrow wrote:

Yeah and the way they used all stuff from the 80's so it gave it that feel worked very well too! Oh about Martha Marcy May Marlene? I loved that movie too, not sure how mainstream it was though.

Martha Marcy May Marlene... Not mainstream, but I have to admit, I thought about that one for days after I saw it. So many different ways to perceive what happened in that film. Elizabeth Olsen was brilliant.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Yeah I original was going to add House of the Devil but it's not mainstream, even though both of the movies could of done good on the big screen in my opinion. I would of added Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon too, I really enjoyed that movie. I was backing it's sequel but I don't think it's kickstarter reached the amount in time.

Re: Mainstream Horror (last couple of years)

Ms.Gorefiend wrote:

I would have added The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers first, but I don't consider them mainstream.

I agree. 

Incidentally, while I loved HOTD for its slow build-up, I think that approach actually didn't work for The Innkeepers.  That flick put me to sleep the first time I tried to watch it and when I tried it again a couple weeks later, I realized I didn't miss much.  I'm all for a filmmaker taking his time to build suspense, but jeez, something has got to happen in the meantime.  And didn't anyone else find the ending drastically anti-climactic?

Oh, well.  I'm not ready to give up on Ty West just yet, though.  Plenty of filmmakers blow their sophomore efforts.  I just hope his next flick has a little more going on.