tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post8646824041915160923..comments2024-03-19T05:48:34.142-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Frighten MeJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80668357174693403452010-11-14T23:33:38.037-05:002010-11-14T23:33:38.037-05:00I just thought of another good one: Eyes of Fire (...I just thought of another good one: <i>Eyes of Fire</i> (1983), a horror movie set in colonial North America. Very atmospheric. Sadly, it has never been released on DVD, so it's difficult to find now.Gordon Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907319916602597979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-25110173828096611592010-11-14T11:23:44.476-05:002010-11-14T11:23:44.476-05:00I also avidly recommend 'House of Leaves' ...I also avidly recommend 'House of Leaves' by Mark Z. Danielewski. The friend who introduced me to this book years ago is still somewhat disturbed by the book, and could only read it once. My girlfriend's brother could not finish it. My girlfriend and I occasionally get into arguments about what the book was really about, but we both loved it. I personally think it's one of the most original explorations of a mythic theme I've ever read. I cannot recommend this strongly enough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-65533010416107978052010-11-14T09:52:45.244-05:002010-11-14T09:52:45.244-05:00Noone mentioned Ghost Story....Peter Straub.Noone mentioned Ghost Story....Peter Straub.Chris Malerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16072107873801833922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-76426636209484666972010-11-13T22:55:53.323-05:002010-11-13T22:55:53.323-05:00books: thomas ligotti, who's been mentioned m...books: thomas ligotti, who's been mentioned multiple times already, and drood by dan simmons, for gaslight horror vibes. <br /><br />movies: i was surprised to see no one had already recommended frailty, which is probably still the most recent film that actually terrified me--and yes, i've seen almost every other film already recommended. also, last house on the dead end street (NOT last house on the left, which was good, too) is rather terrifying, if somewhat disjointed and hard to find.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11596989164598781029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37097634826958287092010-11-12T13:59:23.801-05:002010-11-12T13:59:23.801-05:00Steven King wrote that most of his stories are not...Steven King wrote that most of his stories are not scary if you read them in your living room on a sunny Sunday afternoon. He suggests finding an abandoned location reading his stuff there. And he is right, context is everything. That is why House of Leaves is genuinely scary. It takes place in the sunny Sunday afternoon setting (sort of). Also you can read "Whisperer in the Darkness" in the woods at night, or "Rats in the Walls" while vacationing in Europe. Additionally, you could watch "Blair Witch" and then go camping, alone. Also there is a short film called "The Visage" which is very simple and very scary.Steamtunnelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02597332921872904036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24711026718502637972010-11-11T04:54:27.510-05:002010-11-11T04:54:27.510-05:00For a film, I second the recommendation of Don'...For a film, I second the recommendation of <i>Don't Look Now</i>- it's genuinely unsettling, and the Venice locales are simply amazing.<br /><br />The scariest book I have ever read is Edith Wharton's <i>Ethan Frome</i>. When I read it as a high-schooler, it didn't make much of an impression, but re-reading it as an adult was an entirely different experience. You want a book about a man's helplessness in the face of an indifferent cosmos? Read <i>Ethan Frome</i>.Scallop Skulled Skaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09614954870582728737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-34143334162289162572010-11-11T04:15:55.153-05:002010-11-11T04:15:55.153-05:00I know it's been said, but Ju-On is genuinely ...I know it's been said, but Ju-On is genuinely very, very frightening. The more observant and introspective you are - and I've read your archives, we share that bent - the more certain background details will disturb you. The Grudge looses a great deal of the subtlety and the atmosphere, but has much tighter pacing. The same goes for Ringu and The Ring.<br />Jacob's Ladder has a creepy atmosphere and ugly implications.<br />Higurashi (When they Cry, When Cicadas Cry) is a long and complicated series that mixes vicious gore, of which I'm not that much of a fan, with a subtle psychological horror and an amazing mood. The hero also confronts the very real possibility that he's going mad - because being sane means what he's heard and seen would be real. There's also a neat element in that the story reiterates from multiple points of view, but each time the hero retains some knowledge from the last iteration...<br />Devil Woman has a good short story, and there are a number of other good Japanese short horror film anthologies, but they tend to be really hit-or-miss in the individual films. <br /><br />For American films, the first half of Signs develops an amazing mood, but then squanders it with the TWEEST. <br />Event Horizon is also very, very good in the beginning, and looses little at the end by going gorier and less subtle, but the explicit Hellish imagery is impressive.<br />Other than that, I really can't think of an American picture from the last 20 years or so that got me truly freaked the way Ju-on and Higurashi did..Schottenjaegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171270090207201326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-13645408784955483102010-11-11T04:07:27.284-05:002010-11-11T04:07:27.284-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Schottenjaegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171270090207201326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-11743923967558234972010-11-11T00:34:39.574-05:002010-11-11T00:34:39.574-05:00Ok, so this is an odd coincidence. You and I share...Ok, so this is an odd coincidence. You and I share the same Oct 29th Birthday and I have been needing the Fright lately too. I have actively sought out scary fiction, either book or movie. It started a week before our Birthday and I'm still in that mode. I recommend "The Terror" by Dan Simmons, Ghostwatch Mocumentary and Room 1408. <br />Is it the Birthday/Halloween proximity that brings it out?Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01213481870704579199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28362739498367299082010-11-10T23:54:39.073-05:002010-11-10T23:54:39.073-05:00What passes for "horror" nowadays really...What passes for "horror" nowadays really isn't very scary. It's all about visual shock and gore. What you don't see is always scarier. I would have to say that "The Blair Witch Project" is one of those what-you-don't-see movies. I think that what really lent to the atmosphere of the movie (besides the lack of a sound track, and the documentary style of it) is that the associated website at the time presented the story as true fact and supported it with a lot of detail that was not in the movie. Another interesting effect is that the crew didn't give the actors the full script; they would tell them where to be at certain times and then they would proceed to scare the hell out of them and let them film it. Very cool.toddroehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05668825555921002430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-19383011823389986802010-11-10T22:28:36.353-05:002010-11-10T22:28:36.353-05:00FWIW, Stephen King once said that the only time he...FWIW, Stephen King once said that the only time he actually became frightened while writing one of his own books was during the Room 217 scene in <i>The Shining</i>. <br /><br />As for movies, the original Japanese version of <i>Black Water</i> gets my vote, especially the final scene.Matthew Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17343263539473683579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43052657947491565852010-11-10T21:07:20.213-05:002010-11-10T21:07:20.213-05:00House of Leaves, without question or hesitation - ...<em>House of Leaves</em>, without question or hesitation - among other things you'll get a kick out of its merciless spoofing of critical theory jargon.<br /><br />Read it <em>in your home, alone</em> of course.Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-9445284216262590792010-11-10T19:17:31.217-05:002010-11-10T19:17:31.217-05:00Del Toro is probably the creepiest new(ish)directo...Del Toro is probably the creepiest new(ish)director around. While not exactly frightening, I thought the Devil's Backbone had some genuine creepy moments. <br /><br />James, if you want to truly be frightened, you will click on this youtube link....SCARY! <br /><a rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wusGIl3v044</a><br />:)Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01378805534826189399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-54689958492698712082010-11-10T18:26:15.457-05:002010-11-10T18:26:15.457-05:00Movie: Don't be Afraid of the Dark. (1973)
Th...Movie: Don't be Afraid of the Dark. (1973)<br /><br />The thought of tiny red demons lurking in my fireplace creeps me out. Guillermo del Toro (Pans Labyrinth) is remaking it.Moorhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07859537118710762813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-51147904557645029582010-11-10T17:24:40.893-05:002010-11-10T17:24:40.893-05:00I recommend Kaïro de Kiyoshi Kurosawa.I recommend <i>Kaïro</i> de Kiyoshi Kurosawa.L. M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06172360793421666463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86536709116300202752010-11-10T17:14:00.310-05:002010-11-10T17:14:00.310-05:00Book: I second the works of Junji Ito. Uzumaki is ...Book: I second the works of Junji Ito. Uzumaki is splendidly disturbing.<br /><br />Movie: Begotten by E. Elias Merhige.Mattiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09580203525646012614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-61101600749491829452010-11-10T15:32:30.628-05:002010-11-10T15:32:30.628-05:0028 Days Later is genuinely scary.28 Days Later is genuinely scary.Simon Brunninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11012816105795393796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-78827759910983458262010-11-10T15:25:34.572-05:002010-11-10T15:25:34.572-05:00Salo by PasoliniSalo by PasoliniMurat Başekimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048841259995274122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-81995675879250769062010-11-10T14:17:45.926-05:002010-11-10T14:17:45.926-05:00Turns out The Eye is actually HK-horror. My bad.Turns out <i>The Eye</i> is actually HK-horror. My bad.huthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502682297320819595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52929653121694131832010-11-10T13:46:50.247-05:002010-11-10T13:46:50.247-05:00I'll add another vote for the 1963 The Hauntin...I'll add another vote for the 1963 <i>The Haunting</i>. Talysman's mention of the Brothers Quay's animation (which I do find quite creepy) made me think also of Jan Svankmajer's <i>Alice</i>, which you might find eerily disturbing if not actually frightening.John Harper Brinegarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17592827787099084705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-12499281954529221212010-11-10T11:48:56.731-05:002010-11-10T11:48:56.731-05:00Some of Gene Wolfe's short stories are uncanny...Some of Gene Wolfe's short stories are uncanny in their creepiness and slowly-building horror. Unfortunately, they aren't all bound together under a single volume and I can't recall the specific names of a few of the more affecting. One I can though: "The Friendship Light" from the volume <i>Innocents Aboard</i>.Duglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04952607750940479779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38219751891998443682010-11-10T11:41:48.774-05:002010-11-10T11:41:48.774-05:0070 comments and no one mentioned Don't Look No...70 comments and no one mentioned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Look_Now" rel="nofollow"><b>Don't Look Now</b></a>?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-8803260854018647112010-11-10T10:50:45.004-05:002010-11-10T10:50:45.004-05:00I see a few others have also recommended Ti West&#...I see a few others have also recommended Ti West's film HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, which is the first thing I thought of. There's roughly forty minutes in that film where you know something terrible is going to happen, and you pray it doesn't, but yet you hope it does so it can release you from this terrific frightening tension, and yet you're still praying that that terrible shoe doesn't drop.Tom Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01943912870055113512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86966685900546096242010-11-10T10:50:01.928-05:002010-11-10T10:50:01.928-05:00I am stunned Laird Barron has not yet been mention...I am stunned Laird Barron has not yet been mentioned. He is a short story writer and cites favorite writers like Lovecraft, Howard, and Vance. He has won quite a few horror and fiction awards, and his writing is the sort of creepy and horrific I think you are looking for.<br /><br />I recommend starting with stories like "Hallucigenia," "Proboscis," and "The Procession of the Black Sloth" to get an idea of his flavor.<br /><br />Wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laird_BarronUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04215429799115719993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-57029783299763065002010-11-10T10:44:09.521-05:002010-11-10T10:44:09.521-05:00"If you don't mind Manga, try Junji Ito&#..."If you don't mind Manga, try Junji Ito's works, especially Uzumaki. There is a film adaptation of another of it, but it's rather lackluster. (So I'm writing my own script in hopes of getting it remade!)"<br /><br />I'll second this, Junji Ito's work is really good. Comics, I think, are an extremely hard medium to pull off horror with, but some of his stuff is genuinely creepy. Several of his stories, but Uzimaki in particular, have a pretty Lovecraftian vibe to them. His Museum of Terror anthologies are quite good, though they include some of his earliest work which is a little rough, but I found them really interesting because you can really see his growth as a creator. There are 3 volumes in MoT, but they're all pretty much self-contained stories so you can just pick up one if you want to give him a whirl. I also enjoyed Gyo quite a bit, it gets really messed up toward the end. It seems a little silly at first, but somewhere along the line you just realize it stopped being silly a while ago and now it's just disturbing. Great stuff. <br /><br />Please don't be put off by the word manga, I know a lot of people are. The art style is very mature, tends toward the realistic. Basically if you like horror and you like sequential art as a storytelling format there is a lot to like in Junji Ito's work, and it's probably one of the only mangas I would recommend without reservation to even a die hard manga hater.Joshua Caynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962863971789126204noreply@blogger.com