Board 8 > Board 8 Ranks 2010s Horror Movies - Chapter 2 - *THE RANKINGS*

(+) Yeah! (+)

I dont think I could argue that The Lighthouse wasn't horror. But I could definitely argue that it was bad at it.

Inviso posted...

There's nothing extraordinary about their assholery to make them stand out as memorable horror movie characters. Likewise, they're never so aggressive assholish that I'm rooting for them to die a horrible death. They're just in that gray area that Survivor fans would call MORN (middle of the road negative), which is one of the worst ratings to me, because it's basically saying "you're not likable...but you're also not interesting enough for that unlikability to translate to being a fun character to root against".

Damn, I'm glad I read this post. "MORN" characters are something I see in a lot of stories nowadays, horror or otherwise (Jurassic World comes to mind). This might actually be my biggest problem with Split... Kevin was interesting, but everyone else was a total MORN.

Wow Johnbobb needs to tell us all the great things about Lighthouse to offset all the hate it's getting

I did not see that coming. I think I'll go back to betting on A Quiet Place being next.

v_charon posted...

Like I said with Creep, that movie and The Lighthouse are hard for me to critique. For Lighthouse, I mean the acting is phenomenal there's little debate about that I would think. But I was left missing the elements which I associate with horror. Those elements are ones I feel define the genre, and that if you remove them the film becomes lost without them.

What specific elements?

plasmabeam posted...

What specific elements?

I mean the main idea of a horror film, at least in my eyes, is to be frightening. Whether you achieve that that through tension building, unsettling mood or setting, jump scares or a presence of some sort that's an antagonist I really feel it has to be there in some way. The closest The Lighthouse really comes to that is with the isolation factor in the setting, but that doesn't necessarily make a horror film. Castaway isn't a horror film.

I know Wikipedia is obviously subject to public edits and I haven't gone through all the films individually, but checking out The Lighthouse's page it isn't even listed as a horror film completely. There's even some debate whether or not it's actually just a thriller or perhaps a survival film, or a character study as it says there. But yeah, I mean that's the main element of horror to me; to be frightened by it. If it's not going to do that then I'm not sure how it can really classify itself as part of the genre.

v_charon posted...

But yeah, I mean that's the main element of horror to me; to be frightened by it. If it's not going to do that then I'm not sure how it can really classify itself as part of the genre.

you werent afraid of Willem Dafoes farts?

im the only one here in the camp of liking but not loving the lighthouse. Definitely needs a rewatch one day though.

I have so many thoughts I don't even know where to start

Snake5555555555 posted...

Never go full Dafoe. Or... maybe do? This is definitely peak Dafoe though.

nothing bad comes from going full Dafoe unless you're Lars von Trier intimidated by the size of his almighty hog

Gauntlet crew ranks every Willem Dafoe film is up next right?

The Lighthouse is great and the mermaid is scary. Also I will keep saying Tucker and Dale.

I'm gonna guess Hereditary, now that the dam has burst with Lighthouse.

ok so first off, everyone in the Academy is a fuckin coward and not giving even nominations to Dafoe, Pattinson, or the cinematography or set design is despicable

so I get someone not being taken by this movie as much as I am. This movie appealed to me in every way, from the two best-in-their-careers performances of the leads to the dark paranoia devolving into supernatural horror to the goddamn incredible cinematography in what was easily the best use of black and white I've personally seen in a movie, emphasizing the overwhelming power of the light in contrast to not only the drabby darkness of the lighthouse and cliffside but also the inherent darkness that comes from doing dirty blue-color work in weathered conditions. Aside from the comments about being boring (which I just for the life of me cannot imagine being bored with the sheer amount of constant batshit insanity going on at all times) the comment that caught me off guard the most was

Vis: "the nearly two-hour runtime of what could reasonably have been a short film instead."

because, sure, you're not entirely wrong. Perhaps you could do a 20-minute short film about two guys in a Lighthouse going insane. Sure. But to limit to that misses out on the subtle dominance Dafoe imparts, the drawing out of the madness, the dread of emotional and sexual repression, the homoeroticism, the paranoia over lighthouse custom, the mystery of the identities of the competing leads, the betrayal and deceit, the suggestion of the supernatural through the mermaid, the weather seemingly driven by an ungodly force, and the overwhelming power of the light itself, the delicate balance between adoration and contempt when forced into close quarters with someone over time, and on and on.

And then that last shot, the gruesome violence of it, but also the tranquil weather around it and the way the cliffside and lighthouse itself are asserting themselves as the true dominance over the man who thought he could take it for himself and just goddamn this film is nothing short of a fuckin masterpiece

Yeah, I think when I was trying to finish my write-ups I mentioned that I had a much harder time talking about films I didn't like than I did for films that I loved but I think you and thesmark touch on a lot of things about The Lighthouse that I love.

I use to try my hand at writing reviews, especially for end of year favorite films lists, but I didn't really like what I wrote so I pivoted to doing a couple countdown videos. One of which, linked in my sig, includes The Lighthouse as one of my favorite films of that year.

Johnbobb posted...

ok so first off, everyone in the Academy is a f***in coward and not giving even nominations to Dafoe, Pattinson, or the cinematography or set design is despicable

It did get a cinematography nomination at least, but I agree Dafoe especially should have been nominated

Yeah, I don't know how The Lighthouse works anywhere near as well as a short. So much of it is the ebbs and flows in their relationship with the shifting power dynamics, everything just keeps building and building with each one fucking around with the other until complete destruction.

Johnbobb posted...

ok so first off, everyone in the Academy is a fuckin coward and not giving even nominations to Dafoe, Pattinson, or the cinematography or set design is despicable

so I get someone not being taken by this movie as much as I am. This movie appealed to me in every way, from the two best-in-their-careers performances of the leads to the dark paranoia devolving into supernatural horror to the goddamn incredible cinematography in what was easily the best use of black and white I've personally seen in a movie, emphasizing the overwhelming power of the light in contrast to not only the drabby darkness of the lighthouse and cliffside but also the inherent darkness that comes from doing dirty blue-color work in weathered conditions. Aside from the comments about being boring (which I just for the life of me cannot imagine being bored with the sheer amount of constant batshit insanity going on at all times) the comment that caught me off guard the most was

because, sure, you're not entirely wrong. Perhaps you could do a 20-minute short film about two guys in a Lighthouse going insane. Sure. But to limit to that misses out on the subtle dominance Dafoe imparts, the drawing out of the madness, the dread of emotional and sexual repression, the homoeroticism, the paranoia over lighthouse custom, the mystery of the identities of the competing leads, the betrayal and deceit, the suggestion of the supernatural through the mermaid, the weather seemingly driven by an ungodly force, and the overwhelming power of the light itself, the delicate balance between adoration and contempt when forced into close quarters with someone over time, and on and on.

And then that last shot, the gruesome violence of it, but also the tranquil weather around it and the way the cliffside and lighthouse itself are asserting themselves as the true dominance over the man who thought he could take it for himself and just goddamn this film is nothing short of a fuckin masterpiece

Thought I didn't like The Lighthouse, your input here was awesome. Had the movie clicked with me, I probably would've gone nuts over all these great details.

When it comes to watching movies, I have something like a "Hierarchy of Needs" that needs to be fulfilled. Before I can appreciate finer details, symbolism, etc., I first need to satisfy my need for an engrossing plot, tight pacing, and intriguing characters. The Lighthouse didn't meet those basic needs for me, so I wasn't as receptive to the things you mentioned.

Speaking of 90s horror, did you guys do Bram Stoker's Dracula? I'm extremely curious how the "plot and character over everything else" kind of people would receive that film.

Johnbobb posted...

best use of black and white I've personally seen in a movie

Bergman alone has some of the best looking films, and getting into other films of the era, there is no way The Lighthouse compares.

If you mean strictly in terms of modern films that are using black and white stylistically, just off the top of my head, 2021's The Tragedy of Macbeth is an easy choice.

I think The Tragedy of Macbeth looks terrible compared to The Lighthouse, it looks extremely digital and the blacks don't look very good. The only B&W movie from last year that I thought looked good was Passing

All-time it might be Night of the Hunter for me

Dracula got 31/40. I ranked it 30th.

sigh...

Dracula would be like, a top 3-4 movie for me in that decade list

v_charon posted...

I mean the main idea of a horror film, at least in my eyes, is to be frightening. Whether you achieve that that through tension building, unsettling mood or setting, jump scares or a presence of some sort that's an antagonist I really feel it has to be there in some way. The closest The Lighthouse really comes to that is with the isolation factor in the setting, but that doesn't necessarily make a horror film. Castaway isn't a horror film.

"Frightening" is subjective though. That's where it gets tricky. Very few movies on our list frightened me personally, but I'd consider all of them horror films. Some are straight up horror (Halloween, Terrifier, etc.) while others might have horror as their second or third genre (Green Room, The Purge), but I would still consider them horror because they contain horror tropes.

I know Wikipedia is obviously subject to public edits and I haven't gone through all the films individually, but checking out The Lighthouse's page it isn't even listed as a horror film completely. There's even some debate whether or not it's actually just a thriller or perhaps a survival film, or a character study as it says there. But yeah, I mean that's the main element of horror to me; to be frightened by it. If it's not going to do that then I'm not sure how it can really classify itself as part of the genre.

It did get nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, which is the highest award in the horror community.

Here's something to think about... Would a movie containing ALL of the following be considered horror?

• A cursed town
• Heroes seeking refuge in a haunted building
• Jump scares
• An underground cult
• Drinking blood
• Voodoo magic
• Human sacrifice
• Body horror--specifically people's internal organs being ripped from their body
• People eating brains
• Rooms infested with exotic bugs
• Magical objects that, if obtained by the cult, could revive a demon god

You would imagine so assuming the tone, curious what movie you're talking about; sounds like Temple of Doom, which I would not consider horror but I get your point.

It's subjective sure, but I don't think any of the other films have real serious debates on what genre the film belongs too. Typically, I don't mind just lumping most psychological thrillers into the horror genre and I would consider this movie to be just that. While I don't mind lumping things together, I also tend to skew away from those films if I'm asked "what's your favorite horror movie?" because to give that answer, to me, seems like I'm breaking outside of the genre to give the answer.

To reiterate other things in Inviso's writeups, if you aren't that invested in the characters in a love or hate way then it does become difficult to like a film. That happened to me with this movie too. As much as I would praise their acting ability, they're simply portraying people I'm not all that interested in and I came in believing I would like the movie. I came in wanting to like the movie more than I did too. As such, when considering I view this film more of a thriller than a horror, if I already dislike the characters the film in which I consider to be more of its own genre than flat out "horror" is not going to get a lot of high rankings out of me in a list format such as this.

I specifically chose this film because of this very reason and it's working out perfectly!

thesmark posted...

You would imagine so assuming the tone, curious what movie you're talking about; sounds like Temple of Doom, which I would not consider horror but I get your point.

Bingo.

Temple of Doom has a TON of horror tropes and was directed by a man who directed one of the biggest horror blockbusters of all-time (Jaws), yet very few people consider ToD a horror movie because of its action/adventure elements and the franchise it belongs to.

Meanwhile, many Indiana Jones fans criticize ToD for being different from the other movies in the franchise. The reason why it feels so different is because it shares plenty of common ground with cult and haunted house movies.

Next Ari Aster film is 3.5 hours long and he is fighting against cutting it down. Yeah...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/8/6/AAS3NhAADRAW.jpg

thesmark posted...

The only B&W movie from last year that I thought looked good was Passing

Faya dayi looks really good.

Did not see that one although I heard good things

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/0/AAS3NhAADRAa.jpg

Will not stand for this Charlie slander.

9. A Quiet Place (186 points)

Why I Chose It: An absolutely MONUMENTAL box office hit, A Quiet Place was that rare blockbuster horror movie that went for suspense and atmosphere over shocks and screams. A theater experience through and through, A Quiet Place made attendees put down their snacks and popcorn thanks to the film's unique emphasis on sound - or rather, the lack of it. It showcases the power group audience horror still has in our modern times, almost harkening back to gimmick experiences made famous by William Castle in the late 1950s-1960s.

Plasmabeam: 1
red13n: 2
FFDragon: 5
Lightning Strikes: 5
Suprak: 5
Inviso: 8
rockus: 10
fortybelowsummer: 14
thesmark: 15
Snake: 18
BetrayedTangy: 19
Johnbobb: 20
Tom Nook: 20
PrinceKaro: 21
jcgamer107: 23

Plasmabeam - Masterful storytelling. The opening prologue sends the message that nothing is off-limits, and the tale that follows of a family struggling through a unique sound-based apocalypse is well-paced, terrifying, imaginative, clever, and every other positive adjective I can think of. There was not one dull moment in this entire movie, and my only nitpick is that I wish it had more of a proper resolution than the girls getting ready to kick ass in the final image.

I saw AQP in theaters when it first came out, and the theater effect was in full force, with everyone in the audience afraid to shuffle in their seats or eat their popcorn. I had a sore throat that day and felt like a criminal when I unwrapped a cough drop midway through the movie. Cannot deny the films ability to draw you in. It was unreal.

Red13n - A tend to really like good world building, and A Quiet Place is a shining example of world building in a horror setting done with a lot of depth. There is so much attention to detail played to living in a world that has to remain silent. The lights, the communication, the punishment for failure, the threat of monsters in a near silent state. This simply does a great job of making you feel the tribulations of a life with one of the senses forcibly, well, silenced. This was just a fantastic job of putting forth a concept and absolutely sating the curiosity built up in my brain at every turn. The monsters being so easily defeatable was a little bland, but I really appreciated the world that was created here.

FFDragon - The best of the "senses" movies by far. It builds a far better world than any of the others.

Lightning Strikes - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

This is an absolutely stunning example of building tension through a simple premise it explores to the full extent. This is a really stark contrast with Bird Box which has an extremely similar setup and fails to execute on it meaningfully. John Krasinski is a fairly typical actor but here demonstrates a mastery of the craft in terms of directing. Whats even more impressive is that unlike Jordan Peele he does not have any strong experience with or love of the horror genre, he saw The Babadook and Get Out and was simply inspired by those recent films.

The level of detail they put in the world here is terrific, really exploring what would happen if the Earth were invaded by creatures that you had to avoid by not making a sound. For instance, the shops are mostly barren but filled with noisy snacks, and the pharmacy still contains an array of pill bottles with clicky lids. Now, this level of detail does raise some questions (how did they print newspapers without getting killed?) but it mostly serves to further immerse you in its world.

Even without the strong worldbuilding however this is an excellent thriller. From the emotionally stunning prologue to the relentless climax, the film quickly tells you what it will be and doesnt let up on that until the very last shot. Amidst all of this however is a touching story of family, guilt, and what we do to keep our loved ones safe that leads to an emotional conclusion, showing that this is more than just empty thrills.

5/5

Biggest scare: The rusty nail scene is almost unbearable from the moment that nail is revealed, and has made me irrationally worried around wooden staircases.

Suprak - A-
I think this was the movie I was looking forward to rewatching the most, and not just because the timing was great and I was about to stream A Quiet Place 2. There was a decent chunk of films here I hadnt gotten around to seeing yet, but of all the ones I did see, I knew it was either going to be A Quiet Place or MYSTERY MOVIE X that took the top spot of the ones I had already seen. A Quiet Place is a great horror movie, but it is also a great movie, period, irrespective of genre. This is one that had stuck with me for quite some time, and I was excited for a rewatch to see if it would hold up quite the same way. (SPOILERS: it mostly did).

This is, at its core, this sort of heartwrenching family drama dealing with loss and parenthood and guilt, that happens to have nightmare murder creatures along for the ride as well. The monsters here are great, and theyre used effectively, but Im not even sure that was the most interesting part of the film. Some of those scenes with John Krasinski and his daughter are just so poignant and this along with MYSTERY MOVIE X and MYSTERY MOVIE Y are the three that stand out to me as genuinely emotionally impactful. Not every horror movie needs to have these big sweeping emotional overtones that make you feel like crying, but A Quiet Place is one that does and pulls them off beautifully. It is a bit of a slow burn for the first half of the film where what youre really focusing on is this interesting family dynamics. But the payoff is worth it, and some of these scenes are fantastic. Its crazy how good the acting was in this film, particularly with how little dialogue there is relatively.

Johnbobb posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/0/AAS3NhAADRAa.jpg

We need a Shadow of the Vampire-style reimagining where the goat they get to play Black Phillip is the actual devil.

Damn. There goes one of the artsy-lite movies.

Argento watch update:

The last two minutes of Phenomena might be the best ending of a movie...ever? What a hoot of a film. I understand why some people aren't as keen on it, why they don't like the score or that it should have had even more blue-bathed lighting (that one I agree with), but I had a great time with it as his purest expression of a nightmare fairytale. Top 5 here all rule.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/6/AAMnSOAADRAg.jpg

I freakin' love Phenomena, I'd probably rank it #2 myself.

Outlier
Tom Nook: 219
red13n: 162
Snake: 161
PrinceKaro: 151
Plasmabeam: 150
Suprak: 150
Inviso: 147
FFDragon: 130
jcgamer107: 121
fortybelowsummer: 115
rockus: 105
BetrayedTangy: 97
thesmark: 96
Johnbobb: 83
Lightning Strikes: 82

Shhhh.

Next ranking tomorrow afternoon!

Snake5555555555 posted...

Johnbobb: 83
Lightning Strikes: 82

https://imgur.com/mfhoGc9

It's very close to #3, flip a coin. I think Tenebre is probably the objectively better, more consistent film but Phenoma is like Dario Argento saying "hmmm...the one regret I have with Suspiria is that it wasn't extra enough, too normal." Watched the recently released Synapse 4k and it looks...well, phenomenal.

Speaking of best-ever black & white movies, I think for me it's Psycho, with Lighthouse a close 2nd

Corrik7 posted...

Next Ari Aster film is 3.5 hours long and he is fighting against cutting it down. Yeah...

That's ridiculous - we were promised 4 hours!

My favorite black & white horror movie is Repulsion. I would round out a top 5 with Cat People, Call of Cthulhu (2005), Nosferatu, & Eraserhead.

Top 5 black and white movies offhand, in no particular order

The Lighthouse
The Great Dictator
Eraserhead
Rashomon
Metropolis

of those the only ones that are horror are The Lighthouse and Eraserhead and I probably preferred The Lighthouse

Snake5555555555 posted...

We need a Shadow of the Vampire-style reimagining where the goat they get to play Black Phillip is the actual devil.

I want a frame by frame remake except Black Phillip is played by a man in a goat suit from Party City.

Biggest scare: The rusty nail scene is almost unbearable from the moment that nail is revealed, and has made me irrationally worried around wooden staircases.

Never before has a single nail filled me with such existential dread. That's a Chekov's gun you're just waiting to go off and blow the head off of one of these poor people.

I really didnt like its inconsistent world-building and monster hearing ability the first time around. Actually, I still dont really.

Yeah, I liked this more than you and I was willing to overlook some of the silliness here because I thought the overall package was good enough that it warranted a little benefit of the doubt. Like the family drama was so good and there just happened to be monsters, so even if some stuff with the monsters is a little silly, it wasn't what I was most interested in anyway. But I definitely agree some of the world-building here is a bit sloppy and there were multiple times during the re-watch especially where I was like "...hey wait this doesn't make a ton of sense."

Still, really big fan of A Quiet Place. Glad it managed to crack the top ten.

Hey, Snake, say you let "repeat" movies in and Bone Tomahawk, Black Swan, and Love Witch all made it in. Which movies were closest to getting cut?

So I think we still have Red with his 30, plasma with his 30, FFD with his 30, and me with my 27. All likely different movies but not 100% for certain. Kind of curious which of these will be the last one off the board!