The best decade for horror films

[Jumpin]

SuperRetroTurbo said:
I don't consider myself a horror buff but I can't get enough of them. Midsommar and Hereditary were not only some of the best horror movies of all time but also two of the best movies in general of all time. Cool to see this list and the few that I overlooked.

Might I suggest The Shining to you.

First thing you'll notice is that Hereditary pays homage to it at multiple points; especially the beginning. The influence is also apparent. Unlike most horror films of that era, The Shining almost begins like another genre and gradually morphs into horror. Like Hereditary, it's a slow burn. Like Hereditary, there's also some really fucked up shit in it. I don't recommend Hereditary or The Shining to everyone, because many viewers of Horror are much more interested in the Jaws "Let's get to the killing and fear NOW!" formula. Also, The Shining holds up a lot better than past horror films because I'd say it has had the most profound influence on the genre in the past 10 years... It was ahead of its time in that way, because it took nearly 30 years before it became the biggest influence on the genre as a whole of any film released prior to 2004's The Grudge - hated by some, still revolutionized horror by returning the creepiness factor to the mainstream; although, I think it's 2010's Insidious that really kicks off the current era proper.

While The Grudge did have violence in it, it wasn't a great deal. There were 6 deaths total outside of flashbacks, and most of them were assumed and not actually shown; Slasher films typically showed the deaths in graphic detail and generally in the range of 10 to 30. Insidious created a truly terrifying film with almost no violence in it whatsoever - it was an experiment of James Wan, responding to criticism of his Saw films where critics claimed "People only find them scary because of the violence." Insidious was made to show that the art of horror in his films is more than just violence. It's noteworthy to mention he did the film for under 1 million US dollars, which is incredibly low compared to most films. 1970s horror films often had little violence in them either: look at Dawn of the Dead and the Shining... IMO, Dawn of the Dead 78 still has the best story ever in a horror film (it's basically a rise and fall story, and the 2006 remake, while good, relative to its time, falls WAY short of the original in terms of storytelling and atmosphere; although, admittedly, the 1978 film is actually difficult to call a horror film, it's more of a post-apocalyptic drama with horror themes and strong Verhoevenian satirical elements - its a huge commentary on consumerism).

Hey, Dawn of the Dead is public domain? Anyway, the whole film has been on Youtube since just before Romero's death. IMO, this is one of those must watch films (Although, if you can find it on DVD it'll be better quality, but this one is adequate). Especially in the era of coronavirus.

Last edited by Jumpin - on 14 March 2020