Bah! Videodrome rules. Totally innovative and ahead of its time, both in concept and execution. The practical effects alone could've been revolutionary in the sense that they challenged the sense that those techniques could only be used for creatures and gore. There were a few films in the 80s that followed suit (including a few Nightmare on Elm Street sequels), but the idea never quite took off and was eventually cul-de-sac'd.

One of my favorite films, although I can understand why people wouldn't like it. It's more heady than scary, more strange than sinister, and despite some of the grotesqueness in his films, Cronenberg can be a little dry. I don't think its status as a classic can be disputed though. I don't like Scream (in many ways, I think it helped ruin the horror genre even today) but it's still a classic and I can't do shit about it.

I saw Videodrome in the theaters with friends, back in the day.  We all left disappointed and actually laughing at several of the scenes.

I saw Scream in the theater by myself, and left thinking it was a great flick.  I still feel that way, and other than Scream 3, liked them all, but I did like the opening segment in Scream 3.

I used to get scared watching horror films... and then I grew up.

Will definitely check Videodrome out as that’s actually one I have not seen.

Did enjoy most of the Scream movies, but this post was more about horrors that people may not have been aware of, so not the mainstream type stuff.

Who wants to grow up, that doesn't sound like fun at all!

Hi James,

So I just finished The VVitch.

Read lots of reviews before going into this and it seemed people either loved it or hated it. Not many inbetween.

Got to say I loved it. What an amazing, well crafted horror. Definitely no cheap tricks just a constant building of tension and a feeling of impending doom.

This is exactly what I was looking for.

I'm calling it early. This writter/director is going to make this genre great again.

Thanks for recommending this one.

Glad you liked it, man. Definitely an unexpected surprise for me. I saw it by myself. Fifteen minutes in, I was like, fuck, this is actually creeping me out a little. Nice to see a recent horror movie actually employ some elements of the obscure, in that you never know entirely what's going on and that in and of itself is a tactic of the evil at play.

Also, I feel like a lot of the best films these days split audiences right down the middle. Not always, but often it's the result of filmmakers taking big chances that pay off big for half their audience. Neon Demon is garnering similar reactions. Can't wait to see it this weekend.

Saw The Witch last year at a local Horror Film Fest, went down really well and I think it proves that there is still room in the genre for new and inventive stories.

Ooh. I got a goodie for you. Check out Ghost Story. Came out in 1983 or '82. Remember seeing it in theaters and then countless times on VHS when I was younger.

Thanks for the suggestion Steven, will look into it.

James, I watched the shorts for Neon Demon, not sure it's for me but please let me know what you think.

Anthony, agreed, I see good things for horror in the future.

Just watched unfriended. Anyone seen it? Thoughts?

So obviously it was pretty cliche' in parts but I really liked this concept/new sub genre of horror.

I mean the scares were pretty lame but overall I was entertained.

Saw Neon Demon and The Shallows back to back last night.

Neon Demon was more straightforward than I expected with the most overt camp I've seen in a Refn film since Bronson, but not without loads of symbolism and occult imagery to unpack, even though it perhaps doesn't hold together entirely. Also, visually speaking, Refn's most rich, virtuosic direction to date, but also his most glacially paced. Probably won't win many ex-Refn fans back, but might be worth a look for particularly daring newcomers. Personally, I am totally down with Refn's style in all its gleeful indulgence, so I loved it.

The Shallows is a perfectly effective meat-and-potatoes thriller full of terror, suspense, pathos and beautifully, at times immaculately shot visuals, especially underwater (with perhaps *a little* too much slow motion in the first half). I read the script a few months ago. There are several marked changes from page to screen, and I found all but two to be improvements, especially during the climax, which drew massive applause from an audience that was initially somewhat hard to engage. No remarkable complaints of note, despite some minor issues with realism and over-direction that are to be expected. Not a bad way to sink 87 minutes, especially for genre fans.

Thanks for the update, will check them both out.

So much to see and so little time!

Thanks for the update, will check them both out.

So much to see and so little time!

Quoted from Warren Just watched unfriended. Anyone seen it? Thoughts? So obviously it was pretty cliche' in parts but I really liked this concept/new sub genre of horror. I mean the scares were pretty lame but overall I was entertained.

An interesting thing about this film that no one really brought up is that it's the closest to a genuine slasher film made since the 80s. When you look past the unorthodox way it was shot, it hits all the notes -- opening with the killer's tragic backstory and going straight into a love scene, then introducing a band of bantering teens who are all connected by a "sin" from their past.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I'm a fan of slashers and I liked how the filmmakers embraced such a rigid story structure and still managed to pack in some genuine suspense at parts.

Quoted from James McClung Saw Neon Demon and The Shallows back to back last night.

I've only seen Drive from Refn, and I thought Neon worked in kind of the same way... Refn delivers the goods, but not exactly the viewers' initial idea of "the goods". I went in expecting vampires and much more blood. I loved what it ended up being, though. And goddamn, that score!! I'm going to see it again this week.

I didn’t pick that up straight away, but now that you mention it, I think you are right. It did feel very familiar.

So two votes for Neon Demon then.