Lurker > Snake5555555555

27. Surreal dreams (24 points)
Nominated by: Shonen_Bat (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 5
Snake: 9

We've had that amazing pleasant dream that make our awakenings pleasant and positive. We've had that intense, horrific dream that left us waking in a cold sweat, breathing heavily, silently telling ourselves it's all over, it wasn't real. Then, there's the other type of dream. The unexplainable. The nonsensical. The fleeting. Welcome to the world of the surreal dream. Dreams by nature are not rule-bound and even the most light of dreams can contain elements of surrealism. Maybe you're having dinner with your dad, you're having a conversation, and then the furniture in the room suddenly floats up to the ceiling, leaving you both upside down, and that's before the scene suddenly transitions to the local supermarket with nary an explanation of how it occurred. Dreams are entirely made up our collective subconscious; every image, every thought, every desire, every sound, every sensation, if it's in your brain it can appear in your dream. One of my most intense brushes with surrealism came in a nightmare I still remember to this day, wherein I woke up from my bed and walked to the bathroom, looked into the mirror, and slowly noticed my skin tearing apart from my fingers all the way up my arm until nothing but bone was left on them. Then, I walked out into my living room like normal and my parents didn't even think anything was wrong. That's still a dream that gives me the chills to this day. I can't really recall any other totally surreal thing I experienced, besides the typical stuff associated with dreams. Everyone will have different experiences with the surreal dream, and I'd love to hear if anybody reading this had a particularly memorable one.
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Damn that is really cool!
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Ellie
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Dante
Chun-Li
Aya
Leon
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-
Kyle
-
Mordin
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28. Dracula (Just in general) (24 points)
Nominated by: Anagram (1/6 remaining)
https://imgur.com/gallery/lCh7rxo

Importance: 10
Fear: 6
Snake: 8

There's hardly a name out there as ubiquitous to horror as Dracula's. Originally introduced in 1897's Dracula written by Bram Stoker, Count Dracula set the archetype for the entire vampire genre to follow. In addition to inspiring countless vampires, Dracula himself has seen millions of different interpretations over the years and is one of the most widely adapted characters in history. The first to come to mind for many people however is probably Bela Lugosi's definitive performance in 1931's Dracula. Lugosi commanded audiences with a chilly gaze and a slow, deliberate speech pattern that many Dracula's and vampires since have replicated over and over again. Also established was the Count's ability to hypnotize others, need to sleep in a coffin during the day (in Transylvanian soil I may add), as well as transform into animals including a wolf and most famously, a bat, which all do come from the novel but popularized visually in pop culture through the film. Lugosi became so synonymous with the role of Dracula that in the 1932 film White Zombie he was even billed as Bela "Dracula" Lugosi. However, it wasn't just Lugosi who established key aspects of Dracula and vampires.

Christopher Lee's portrayal, first seen in 1956's Hammer version of Dracula, actually helped popularize the idea of fangs showing in vampire characters. Christopher Lee brought an even more intense Dracula portrayal to the screen, bringing across a deep sense of loneliness that comes with immortality, but also commanding the inherent evilness that comes with the Count. Lee almost rarely speaks as the Count, but it's his excellent visual performance that makes the portrayal so effective, and for some, the definitive Dracula.

Christopher Lee portrayed Dracula in 10 different films, while Lugosi had 6 under his belt. After Lee and Lugosi, there has never been another long-running Dracula portrayal like them, but there's still plenty of iconic Drac's none the less. In 1979, Nosferatu the Vampyre starred Klaus Kinski as the Count, modeled after Count Orlok of the 1922 silent classic, with the rights fully intact this time. This Dracula had a creepy, ghastly, pale appearance, a far cry from the gentlemanly, high-class personas of Lee and Lugosi. 1992 gave us Gary Oldman as Dracula, and more introverted, love-stricken take who only yearns for his lost love Elisabeta. Oldman's full vampiric form has become an iconic Dracula look in its own right. Finally, there's also the Dracula in the long-running Castlevania video game series, which you can almost say is akin to the long running Dracula film series of yore. Dracula has even seen the front of cereal boxes and cartoon parodies like Count Duckula.

Dracula's influence on the horror genre is undisputed. A best-selling novel, unforgettable films, and a wide-range of performances, genres, and mediums make Dracula not only one of the most well-known characters worldwide, but also one of the most varied and nuanced. The amount of stories you can tell with the Count means limitless potential, and that can only be good for both horror and the wider range of fiction.
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jcgamer107 posted...

I especially like the disembodied dancer legs. Did you "unlock" the final boss to get the full ending? The King of Infinite Space? (not the Old King, this would be the 4th boss)

I didn't but I planned to go back at some point!

I like the Ritual comparison with The Babadook, that's actually an interesting analogue!

jcgamer107 posted...

Snake5555555555 posted...
will surely leave a mark

if you did that on purpose that's genius lol

I always do those on purpose ;)
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Haven't yet, I'd see it just because!
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5tarscream posted...

I always imagine snake as the guy from scream that knows everything about movies but across the whole horror genre not just movies

That feels... accurate! XD
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SuperNiceDog posted...

Snake5555555555 posted...

Ashe looks so fun! Great design too.

wait isn't that a league of legends char too?

Yup
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Cindy
Yoshimitsu
Guybrush
Jecht
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Ryu
Shepard
Ellie
Quiet
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Objectively, Skarsgard is probably better. There's a lot of subtle things he does with Pennywise that are pretty great.
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29. Pennywise - IT 2017 (character) (23.5 points)
Nominated by: GANON1025 (2/5 remaining)



Importance: 8
Fear: 7.5
Snake: 8

I appreciate the fact that Bill Skarsgard brought his vision of Pennywise to the screen and didn't just ape off Tim Curry. Skarsgard imbued his Pennywise with a Renaissance and freak show flair as opposed to Curry's modern day clown antics. Skarsgard's Pennywise writhes and squirms and contorts to his evil heart's content, crafting an otherworldly performance with a huge payoff in scares. Skarsgard also plays Pennywise with a sense of child-like whimsy, which can switch off a moments notice to create a chilling result. The scene with Georgie and the sewer is the quintessential example here. Pennywise also uses fears a lot more effectively in this film too, really delving deep into these poor kids' minds and tormenting them every step of the way. The presence of Pennywise is felt in nearly every scene, often times in the background just lurking behind a less attentive's viewers gaze. As a result, Pennywise 2017 is a horror icon all his own that can stand along Curry's performance. And a horror icon he most definitely is. IT is now the highest grossing horror film of all time and that kind of exposure doesn't come easy. 2017's Pennywise also came along at a time in the culture when evil clown attacks were becoming commonplace in the public, further heightening the public's fear but also interest in clowns. Pennywise could very well be the top icon in horror at the moment.

I still find Curry scarier though!
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Dead or Alive
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Wesker
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Ashe looks so fun! Great design too.
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Rikku
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30. Scream (series) (23.5 points)
Nominated by: V_charon (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 6.5
Snake: 7

I don't believe there's been a horror movie franchise as iconic and widespread as Scream has been since its release in 1996. Saw and The Conjuring franchise may build strong cases, but they don't match the ubiquitous iconography, star power, and memorable satire the Scream franchise packed in spades. Ghostface has practically become synonymous with the Halloween season. I like what Ghostface represents in the series; any person could literally be Ghostface. He's not a character with deep backstory and lore like Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees, he's a disguise that's a reflection of our inner evils. Even more importantly however, the Ghostface identity is a commentary on how horror icons end up under the ownership of their fans and even become "real" in a sense. This is what Craven was getting at in New Nightmare, and its showcased even better in the Scream series.

Scream made Neve Campbell an overnight star, as well as giving huge breaks to actors like David Arquette, Liev Schreiber, Timothy Olyphant, and Rose McGowan. The films' meta discussions on horror films, tropes, and industry practices tore the tired slashers of the 80s and 90s a new one, as Wes Craven built and expanded upon his ideas found in New Nightmare to offer up a reflection of sorts for the director, who had built his name on horror films. Interestingly though, Scream wasn't just a total mockery of horror; it was also a love letter to the house Craven helped built, that ingeniously reveled in the tropes its characters loved to mock. This is what I think helped make Scream as great as it was.

Like any respectable horror franchise, Scream had a few sequels, each progressively losing the original's vision as it went on and on. There's no way Scream 2 could've been as clever and original as the first, but it does have some good commentary on sequels and some really great performances, especially from the aforementioned Olyphant. Scream 3 has its moments, especially when its colored by the real-life Columbine incident, but it feels extremely tired in comparison, becoming fully what the original mocked so hard. It's also the only film in the series not written by Kevin Williamson, and it shows. Scream 4 is honestly just forgettable, which is an even worse fate. Still, I don't think there's any outright bad film here. Craven's directorial eye keeps the original trilogy mostly level and the returning actors never feel like they're phoning it in. Even Scream 4 may have just been ill-timed; crowd-sourced films like Veronica Mars and the ever increasing relevance of Netflix revivals may have rescued Scream 4 from the doldrums of obscurity if had only come out a few years later, especially if timed with the Scream TV series. (Side Note: I would touch upon the Scream TV series a bit here but admittedly I haven't watched it outside the first handful of episodes.)

Craven created a franchise here that rivals and even surpasses his original Nightmare on Elm Street series. Scream captured a particular zeitgeist of the time that makes it timeless, crafting an undeniable formula for success that has never been replicated since. Sometimes scary, sometimes hilarious, Scream has become a top name in horror for all the right reasons.
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Red Mage
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Damn, Heather lost :(

Vergil
Rydia
Kenway
Sabin
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DC2 is a blast for sure! I didn't mean for it to sound like I was bad-mouthing it or anything. I still prefer traditional survival horror over it though.

But yeah, definitely play both!
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I absolutely do too! In Dino Crisis, the most recurring enemy is the Velociraptor, one of the most deadly and lethal of any dinosaur. And the enemies only get harder. Dino Crisis definitely lets you know the danger of its enemies.
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Any: Punisher or Claire Redfield
Realistic?: Leon S. Kennedy
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Wesker
Richter
Amaterasu
Lara
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Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid series)
&
Raiden (Metal Gear Solid 2)

Manny Calavera (Grim Fandango)
&
Claire Redfield (Resident Evil 2)
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31. Rope (1948) (23 points)
Nominated by: scarletspeed7 (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 8
Fear: 7
Snake: 8

This tense and taut psychological thriller from the repetition of Alfred Hitchcock wastes no time in its brisk 80 minute run time examining the morals of human murder. The film opens right away with the murder of a colleague by two individuals who consider themselves "superior" thanks to their ability to take a human life away like that. On the very same day, the two men are hosting a dinner party, and with the now deceased man hidden in a box in the middle of the room, the thought of the murder never leaves the minds of both viewer and criminals. It is truly the centerpiece of the story in more ways than one. The film is famously shot in almost one entire take, minus a few cuts due to film limitations at the time, but these are cleverly masked with unique transitions. This method of filming recalls the original stageplay version of Rope and gives us a very intimate glimpse into the apartment of Brandon and Phillip as we become a guest to the party ourselves. Over the course of the film, Brandon gets more bold in his murder whilst Phillip begins to feel anxious and guilty. Brandon shows off his braggadocio by making the main dinner table the casket where the dead body lies, and wraps up a gift of books in the same rope used to murder the man. Of course, all of these things end up causing his eventual downfall. I find the most interesting part of the film to be where Brandon and his prep-school housemaster Rupert discuss the merits of murder and how society wouldn't miss a few people here and there. That's a scary world to imagine and a very slippery slope, and the way John Dall acts the scene with nervous and erratic enthusiasm for such an outcome really tells you everything you need to know about his character. In a way, I feel like these are even the seeds planed for the modern day Purge franchise, which also explore the morality and effectiveness of legal murder. Rope may only take place in location, but its massive, deeply explored ideas and themes transcend the film's boundaries to create a message that's absolutely timeless.
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GlaDOS
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Red Mage
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Audrey II
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32. Dino Crisis (Game) (22.5 points)
Nominated by: Axl_Rose_85 (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 6.5
Fear: 6
Snake: 10

In the late 90s, Resident Evil ruled. Not just as an awesome series, but as one of the king genres at the time, with all sorts of horror games hoping to cash in on the survival horror formula to varying degrees of success. Made by any other developer, Dino Crisis could've been just another Countdown: Vampires, but under the strong direction of Shinji Mikami and Capcom, Dino Crisis became so much more than just "Resident Evil with dinosaurs". On paper, it's the same: a large, sprawling location, limited ammo and resources, key item hunting, fixed camera angles, everything that made RE famous is all here. Going deeper, you will find however that Dino Crisis amps its survival-oriented gameplay to 11. By nature of being dinosaurs, Dino Crisis' enemies are faster, stronger, and deadlier. Ammo is even more scare than usual, and the addition of tranquilizer rounds here means sometimes the best way to deal with an enemy is not by killing them. Throw in some strategically-placed laser grids to cut some dinosaurs off, and you will discover each enemy encounter is yet another puzzle the game gives you, with the proper solution meaning the difference between life or death. Dino Crisis absolutely punishes every missed shot, every hit taken, even every laser grid not triggered correctly as dinos can stalk you from room to room if you're not careful, making exploration and progressing much more difficult. Even its puzzles, primarily consisting of the DDK system, a code-deciphering game with increasingly difficult keys, are a lot more devious and challenging than RE, which makes the area come to life in a convincing way. It feels like you're actually making you're way through a top-secret lab instead of someone's suburban house who had an affinity for themed keys.

The story is batshit insane. The dinosaurs are flooding the facility on Ibis Island because of a military experiment gone awry, sending the dinosuars through a timewarp from their time to the present day. Three military agents and a redshirt are sent to the island to discover what exactly happened there and to also investigate the reappearance of one Dr. Kirk, who was presumed to be dead three years prior to the game. Like any good survival horror, you piece together what happened through files, and there's a choice-system in the game that gets you closer to either of your two allies, Rick and Gail, and also determines how you progress through the game. The game is heavily based in sci-fi and so there's a lot of made up terms and science here, but it's better if you don't take it too seriously anyway. Regina is a really badass protagonist, with a sarcastic attitude to the whole affair, and showing almost no fear even after encountering a long-extinct animal that may have just killed her friend!

Dino Crisis laid the groundwork for an excellent survival horror franchise that could stand alone from its brethren, and... it never really capitalized on that. Dino Crisis 2 went in a more actionized direction and the less said about Dino Crisis 3 the better. Capcom had a franchise on their hands that could've easily lasted until the current generation, maybe not as storied as RE, but as a cult franchise that could've been kept alive by a dedicated fanbase. Fans to this day still clamor for a remake which would be absolutely incredible and could be just to thing to resurrect this franchise. For now, I'll keep replaying this survival horror classic over and over again, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.
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Nathan Drake
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Gimme that Hitman 2
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Wolverine
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Looks absolutely gorgeous!
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Damn I kept pushing this off and off.
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Alex Mercer (Prototype)
&
Maya Fey (Ace Attorney)
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CATS
Heather
Bigby
Haggar
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Tifa
GlaDOS
Ocelot
-
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Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
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Rikku
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33. Alan Wake (game) (22 points)
Nomunated by: V_charon (2/5 remaining)


Importance: 5
Fear: 7
Snake: 10

With inspirations from Stephen King, The Twilight Zone, and David Lynch, Alan Wake still stands as an unfortunate example of a survival horror game that never really got its fare dues in the spotlight. Despite a huge media push including a Machinima web-series, Alan Wake remains a cult classic and fondly remembered by those who experienced it back when it originally came out. Alan Wake was set-up in the same format as a TV series, usually divided between day and night sections, giving the player ample downtime to immerse themselves in the town of Bright Falls before plunging them into the horror setpieces of nightfall. Obviously in the wake of Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, Alan Wake takes an actionized approach to survival horror but its unique mechanics that showcase the duality between light and dark make each encounter tense and cinematic. Shadowy figures known as the Taken nearly always emerge in movie-style slow-mo which makes even the smallest encounters an experience for the player.

Now, let's discuss the story a little bit, because it's up there as one of the best video game narratives ever. Alan Wake is a horror novelist suffering from writer's block, so his wife Alice takes him to the town of Bright Falls under the guise of a vacation in attempt to clear it. One creepy shadow lady and argument later, and Alice is swallowed up by a rising darkness overtaking the town and Alan wakes up a week later with no memory of what happened. Along his journey to rescue Alice and piece together what happened, Alan finds pages of a manuscript he doesn't remember writing, which seem to predict events before they happen. I love the way Alan Wake plays with its meta-elements to craft the story; we're never really sure if what's happening is real, especially as Dr. Hartman diagnoses us with a psychotic break. Yet, the ending makes it clear Alan has the most power over the story; he can write the ending that can make him escape from the clutches of the dark presence. The ending clearly states how authors and creators always have the final say in what happens in their story, and is an important statement on the concept on ownership and the creative process.

In some topical news, Alan Wake was recently put back up on Steam, giving you the perfect opportunity to dive and see what you've been missing all these years!
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Happy Halloween!
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26
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Red Mage
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I know but i guess the nature of the topic threw me off XD
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I don't know why but I thought you were talking about the 2005 Venom film until you said symbiote, and I got confused when you said it wasn't horror.
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Bison
-
Roman
Revan
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-
Frog
Chief
Drake
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Merchant

Is that all, stranger?
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