Board 8 > Board 8 Watches and Ranks 80s Horror - The Rankings

(+) Yeah! (+)

The fun police can't let Henry keep getting away with this!

12. Re-Animator (1985 / 181 points)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/cd935b3f.jpg
Why Its Significant - While perhaps not the biggest box office success story ever, Re-Animators outrageous gore, gruesome reanimation sequences, witty dialogue, and slapstick humor found a devoted following on home video and became a quick cult horror hit. Its hard to believe with how prevalent Lovecraft adaptations have become, but Re-Animator is not only one of the first full-length adaptations of a Lovecraft story, but also one of the rare few that isnt obviously low-budget or completely obscure. Re-Animator also became an unlikely franchise with two sequels, thematic successor in From Beyond (another Lovecraft adaptation with the main creative team from Re-Animator), Italian remake, comic books, & musical.

The Rankers
Fortybelowsummer - 3
Seginustemple - 7
Inviso - 8
Jcgamer107 - 8
Bitto - 9
Karo - 9
Mythiot - 12
Rockus - 16
Lightning - 17
Johnbobb - 21
Plasmabeam - 22
Snake - 23
Evilordexdeath - 26

Fortybelowsummer - Re-Animator is a movie that perfectly caters to my tastes, with copious amounts of gore, dark humor, and a delightful B movie presentation that is hugely entertaining all the way through. It doesnt waste any time introducing us to Herbert West and what hes all about with a gnarly eye-popping opening followed by one of the coolest opening credits ever. Its a wild ride from there, with a disembodied head ordering around its former body, a flying zombie cat thats so blatantly a puppet (the funniest moment in all of our movies), lots of naked zombies, and a number of creative kills. Its all bolstered by some good to great performances from established theater actors, including everyones favorite scream queen Barbara Crampton (maybe not everyone, but anyone with good taste). Im delighted to get Re-Animator in my top 3 because it is top freakin notch.

Seginustemple - Jeffrey Combs is a pure delight as the insufferable know-it-all Dr. West, giving the face of scientific hubris a shit-eating grin. And Bruce Abbott's more sympathetic Dr. Cain doesn't get enough credit as the foil, his kindness grounds the movie emotionally so it's not totally suffocated by snark and cynicism. West has the dominant personality but the narrative is really about Cain's good intentions helping him pave the road, and I think that's what makes it land with real tragedy. The sunk cost rationale to their madness is both unnervingly plausible (I wouldn't put it past an Elon) and hilariously over-the-top. The zombie acting is some of my favorite in the genre, feral and jerky, it really gives the action a berserk intensity. Once the professor is beheaded and revived the craziness gets cranked, everything to do with him is great. The fellatio gross-out scene, the physical comedy of the body/head acting duo, the dad zombie popping the head and flinging it at the wall like a deflated dodgeball, the overdosed body's intestines constricting Dr. West like a snake, man it's such a delicious finale. A good doctor knows when to quit!

Inviso - This movie is absolutely gross, with a lot of gore effects given that the subject matter is a chemical formula designed to reanimate deceased lifeforms and bring them back to life with a certain degree of cognizant thought. I think if the movie had tried to play it straight and gone the route of a very serious, Frankenstein-style plot, it wouldnt have been as enjoyable. But with the more comedic tone, you can go over-the-top with some of the films sequences, and still find them enjoyable to watch. West himself is the kind of insane, camp character that elevates a movie just by chewing the scenery with his insanity. But beyond him, you have this hilarious exploration of a very morbid storyline.

But yeah, you have the perfect heroic everyman in Dan Cain; hes introduced as this guy who desperately wants to save lives, even when its clear hes fighting for a lost cause. And he gets wrapped up with West because he needs a roommate, and slowly he gets wrapped into Wests orbit because WEST wants to prevent death as well. Its a great way to justify why a straight-laced guy like Cain would EVER want to get involved with a psycho like West, especially after West has some straight-up cat murder on his resum. But yeah, this ONE relationship completely tanks Dans life and his efforts to get Wests work recognized wind up setting in motion the rest of the film.

I love the doofus deans death scene as well, because the idea of reanimations being psychotic and overpowered is lovely. We get a whole scene of a naked dead guy straight-up murdering the dean, and then the DEAN gets reanimated and he turns into a mindless zombie himself. But this all leads to an investigation into why the dean is acting so crazy, and Professor Hill gets involved to try and steal Wests workonly to get murdered for his arrogance. But then HE turns into the villain because HE reanimates with some actual brainpower. And HE has goals: namely getting everything he wants by stealing Wests formula and trying to screw Meg as a severed head. Its all fucked up, but it MAKES SENSE in the context of what it is.

My ONLY problem is thatI GET the ending. I get the ending of having Dan Cain succumb to the dark side and personally use Wests formula to resurrect Meg. But JUST before that, we have a callback to Dans first scene where hes trying to CPR and defibrillate a dead patient, and then he gets a second chance to rescue Meg. I almost wish hed gotten that hero moment to kind of show that he was still a good guy, even if West was a lunatic. But I get the ending is meant to be more in line with the tone of the rest of the film. I just wish I could see a second cut with a more heroic tone.

Jcgamer107 - 7/10

Bitto - Rating: B-

If I had to show someone one movie to explain the appeal of shlocky American horror movies, it would be this one. It's really got it all and it does it well. Cornel West is such a fun character to watch. He really carries the movie for a while, because man, everyone else is bad. Then Dr. Hill gets re-animated and he also does a great job. There's obviously a lot of fun with having a guy that's both a head and a headless body. It also leads to some insane scenes like a decapitated head performing oral on a woman, which is just...wow, they really had an imagination, huh. Meg and Dan really bring the movie down, unfortunately, especially as they continue to gain a really prominent role in the movie. Meg, especially, because she's kinda the connecting force between all the characters in the movie and she's just...nothing.

Also, I really like the main theme song of this movie.

Karo - A mad doctor trying to cure death discovers way to move some dead bones, the secret of which involves injecting corpses with glowing green ooze straight out of the ninja turtles. Radical, dude.

Thus begins a journey featuring copious amounts medical malpractice and corpse desecration across the board which makes me wonder about the vetting process for employment at this hospital insomuch as they seem to keep hiring obsessive psychopaths with a god complex.

Unfortunately, the movie repeatedly violates not only basic logic, but also the established rules of its own world. One minute you're killing a reanimation instantly by stabbing it through the heart, next you have one surviving for hours being nothing but a fucking head. You might need to re-animate some consistency here.

It is a movie that is fun, if not really great, but honestly I prefer the song.

Rockus - A pretty clever modern Re-Imagining of Frankenstein as two med students try to conquer death by developing a serum to bring the dead back to life. Im a big Star Trek fan so Ive always really liked Jeffrey Combs but this has to be the defining performance of his career. His obsessive and detached turn as Herbert West is the backbone of this movie, a horror comedy that balances its humor while still retaining what makes it a great horror film as well. In the last act it goes off the rails in the best way imaginable, a pretty good movie elevated with a terrific finale and a brilliant performance from Combs.

Lightning - You killed him! / No, I did not. I gave him life.

Author HP Lovecraft these days is mostly known for his cosmic horror work (and all the racism) that became so influential on the genre. However, aside from that, he also wrote some incredibly pulpy, more down to earth horror stories including Re-animator, which is secretly one of the most influential zombie works of fiction out there. It is interesting that despite not being as well known or as often regarded as his best work, Re-animator is probably the best HP Lovecraft adaptation to date.

On reflection I suspect that part of the reason that this film is so much better than other attempts at HP Lovecrafts other work is its simplicity. There is not as much to mess up in this story, and it is immensely filmable whereas cosmic horror is much harder to get right (and it has been said that while there have been some very good cosmic horror films like The Endless, there has not yet been the big defining cosmic horror film), this however is a very straightforward zombie plot executed with an appropriate amount of gore and guts. It is not doing a whole lot in terms of depth, but it keeps you with it and executes every aspect well.

The effects are really strong here, yet dont push it too much into being just unpleasant. The cat is likely the most disturbing it gets. However in terms of unpleasantness the whole sexual assault and nudity aspect felt gratuitous. Despite that we get a good turn from Barbara Crampton with what she had, alongside memorable performances from Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott. There is some good comedy too, often involving the doctor carrying his own head. A film that is relatively light on content but not on value.

3/5

Johnbobb - I've been a little torn on how to rank this one. It's super campy and feels kind of exploitative, but it's still a pretty iconic and original take on the idea of the living dead in horror. Herbert was surprisingly effective as the lab student turned crazed scientist causing his own destruction, and there were a lot of small decisions made her that really made it stand out compared to some of the other dumber camp movies from the period. Definitely takes a hit for the weird, rapey severed head scene though.

Plasmabeam - Theres a cool concept here, but the execution was too B-movie to do it justice.

Snake - One of Re-Animator's biggest strengths is its ability to seamlessly blend outrageous gore with laugh-out-loud moments. The special effects are amazing, the splatter is plentiful, the dismemberment delightfully cheesy, and the reanimated body parts move with an uncanny twitch that's both unsettling and comical. Jeffrey Combs' performance as Herbert West is nothing short of iconic. He portrays the character with a manic energy and unwavering conviction that is both terrifying and strangely endearing. West is utterly consumed by his research, willing to break every ethical code in the pursuit of his goal. Not a fan of the sexual content here, which ventures into deeply bizarre, unsettling territory that is gross as fucking hell and not funny at all.

Evilordexdeath - After so many films involving that hack Stephen King, it's nice to shake things up with an adaptation of noted racist H.P. Lovecraft's work. This is probably the least faithful adaptation of any movie on this list - I mean it even includes a heterosexual romance and a sex scene! Lovecraft was more terrified of those things than any of the horrors he wrote about and the only emotional connections between characters in his work were a sort of respectful camaraderie between male fellows in some kind of scientific or scholarly field. So of course the love interest is an entirely new character to the film, and by extension the minor subplot about trying not to piss off her dad who is also one of the teachers at the main character's school. I'm not about to say that Lovecraft's writing is sacrosanct, and in fact Herbert West: Reanimator has shocking racism and overlong silly descriptions even for him, but I do think this movie dumbs down the weird tale in a way that's detrimental. In the original, Herbert West is the most horrific figure, a mad scientist who gradually becomes a twisted murderer - in this he's a sort of plucky antihero whose worse qualities are overshadowed by a corrupt teacher who gets reanimated as a separate head and body and tries to sexually assault the love interest girl. While the original story does eventually get to the idea of an independent head and body that can command other re-animated corpses, there is ambiguity as to whether this really takes place or if the narrator is insane and hallucinated it - while himself murdering Herbert West. It also loses a few little details that made the text feel more scientific like West's formula needing to be modified for different species and individuals or embalming fluid preventing it from working. I can see the movie being funny to some people - I mean the big bad doctor man eventually strangles Herbert West with his tentacle-like spinal column - but for me it wasn't, it was just loud and dumb where the original story's best moments were a sense of paranoia and certain startling revelations that take place in the narrator's head.

Seginustemple posted...

The fun police can't let Henry keep getting away with this!

This also reminds me, how was Manhunter not chosen? It's heck of a lot more of a horror flick than Beetlejuice! Could have also been chosen over something like The Dead Zone or Predator.

Noooo

Why don't you all get a job in a sideshow.

Outler
Fortybelowsummer - 171
Evilordexdeath - 143
Jcgamer107 - 137
Inviso - 130
Karo - 126
Johnbobb - 112
Snake - 112
Seginustemple - 109
Plasmabeam - 98
Bitto - 97
Mythiot - 90
Lightning - 86
Rockus - 82

Exdeath gets life and a big boost here

I simply can't believe Possession is still in.

Re-Animator is an incredibly fun, ridiculous gorefest (who will ever forget the uhhhh......'giving head' scene). Deserved top 10 imo but I guess 12th is decent.

Gremlins a little high I think, but I've never been into 'evil little critter' movies.

LinkMarioSamus posted...

This also reminds me, how was Manhunter not chosen? It's heck of a lot more of a horror flick than Beetlejuice! Could have also been chosen over something like The Dead Zone or Predator.

I agree Manhunter would've been a good inclusion, definitely would've made my top 10

LinkMarioSamus posted...

This also reminds me, how was Manhunter not chosen? It's heck of a lot more of a horror flick than Beetlejuice! Could have also been chosen over something like The Dead Zone or Predator.

I would never budge on Predator in a million years.

Manhunter has no influence in the horror genre, not that much anyway. Manhunter is WAY more influential in the realm of forensic investigation fiction. Michael Mann as well is more associated with action / heist / gangster movies than anything else. The Dead Zone meanwhile is a Stephen King / Cronenberg collaboration that won the Saturn Award for best horror film when it was released. Beetlejuice is directed by Tim Burton with huge ties to the Gothic scene and culture and tons of horror work under his belt.

Everyone is going to choose different films for a list like this and I respect that! But I stand by my choices.

PAYOUTS! Exdeath, JB, and Vis all reanimate their bank account balances.

VEGAS ODDSBOARD:
+650 Possession (1981)
+800 Videodrome (1983)
+900 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
+900 Hellraiser (1987)
+1000 Evil Dead II (1987)
+1000 Beetlejuice (1988)
+1250 A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

+200 Any Other Movie (+2000 if guessed correctly)

Current Leaderboard:
1) Bitto $4100 (Poltergeist 2000,Creepshow 650, Tetsuo: The Iron Man 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
2) Inviso $3850 (Re-Animator 600, Gremlins 850, Creepshow 650, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
3) Johnbobb $3750 (Re-Animator 600, The Changeling 2000, Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650)
4) Lightning $3300 (Christine 800 The Changeling 200, Creepshow 650, Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
5) Exdeath $3000 (Re-Animator 600, Creepshow 650, Friday the 13th 500, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
6) Seginus $2550 (Fright Night 700, Phenomena 1000, An American Werewolf in London 200, Sleepaway Camp 650)
7) jcgamer $1200 (An American Werewolf in London 200, Tetsuo: The Iron Man 600, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600)
8) fortybelow $1050 (Gremlins 850, Poltergeist 200)
9) Karo $650 (Sleepaway Camp 650)
9) rockus $650 (Creepshow 650)

The House Won On:

• +1000 Pet Sematary (1989)
• +1000 Prince of Darkness (1987)
• +2000 Childs Play (1988)
• +2000 The Lost Boys (1987)
• +1250 The Dead Zone (1983)

Snake, you have JB listed at 11 for both Reanimator and Pet Sematary.

As for my placement of Basket Case/Tetsuo, the critical difference there is that Tetsuo doesn't bore me. I put that one at 5 precisely because it has a high "fun to watch" watch value, not because of any high-brow meaning or metaphor. This is a movie where a guy gets stop-motion rocket boots

Henry is unkillable, let's go with Videodrome

Espeon posted...

Snake, you have JB listed at 11 for both Reanimator and Pet Sematary.

Thanks, just a typing error!

This was a good movie! I like fun and more serious films!

And yeah going with Videodrome next.

Im genuinely worried for Predator at this point, because I look at the remaining 11 movies, and its the only one that doesnt feel like it has either a deep, mature tone (Shining, Possession, Henry, Hellraiser) or a very strong and distinctive directorial vision (Thing, Videodrome, Nightmare, Fly, Evil Dead, Beetlejuice).

Im gonna hope for the best and predict that Evil Dead II is similar enough to Re-Animator to end up just one point higher.

Small hint for the next one - I'm the highest ranker for it!

Espeon posted...

Im genuinely worried for Predator at this point, because I look at the remaining 11 movies, and its the only one that doesnt feel like it has either a deep, mature tone (Shining, Possession, Henry, Hellraiser) or a very strong and distinctive directorial vision (Thing, Videodrome, Nightmare, Fly, Evil Dead, Beetlejuice).

Im gonna hope for the best and predict that Evil Dead II is similar enough to Re-Animator to end up just one point higher.

I'm tempted to defend Predator on that vibe...because it paved the way for the director's next two even better films, Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October.

Snake5555555555 posted...

Small hint for the next one - I'm the highest ranker for it!

Hmmmm

My gut says Hellraiser here because I can't imagine Snake being the top for Posession

Guessing Videodrome

I'll get in on Evil Dead II

Excellent
1) ?
2) ?
3) ?

Great
4) ?
5) ?

Good
6) ?
7) Phenomena (1985)
8) Pet Sematary (1989)

Didn't Like
9) ?
10) ?
11) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Watched as a teenager, had planned to rewatch before ranking them
Friday the 13th (1980)
Poltergeist (1982)
?

Phenomena was fine. I didn't have a whole lot to say about it but I generally liked it.

I'll go for Hellraiser.

Here are some of my thoughts on art:

- These topics are weird about "Art Films". I've previously participated in two animated film rankings where there was a group (Inviso, Ermine, Red, and sometimes Karo though he would deviate a lot from the other 3 on certain films) who seemed to me to have a very broad definition of what constitutes an "Art Film" and were very hostile to those films. When I think of "art films" I think of things like Jeanne Dielman (4 hours of watching a woman do chores to make a point about Feminism), or anything directed by Tarkovsky (Russians looking sadly into the middle distance for 10+ minutes at a time in between random conversations about philosophy), while in contrast I recall Inviso describing Cartoon Saloon movies like The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea as "Art Films" that get extra credit for being foreign. And while I can understand where that perspective comes from I think it's hard to deny that those movies are several tiers lower than the aforementioned in terms of being inaccessible for the sake of some kind of "artistic" purpose, so for me it was something of a culture shock seeing movies like Anomalisa or Boy & the World get lambasted on these lists. I often felt like films that were in any way challenging where getting unfairly criticized for using things like dialog-free storytelling or characters you aren't strictly supposed to relate to and it was very frustrating for me to see these films land below what I perceived as mediocre shlock like Abominable or Over the Moon. So I am surprised that the "Art Films" of this list (which I presume to mean Possession, Videodrome, and Henry) have yet to be eliminated. This does mean that compared to previous lists, "Art Films" are doing well this time, but that might even be because Red and Ermine didn't participate this time and the sample size among the voters is larger, so the "anti-art bias" of previous lists isn't being felt as much. I only think Possession is Art on this list. Videodrome is structurally a fairly standard Hollywood horror film that just refuses to explain certain aspects of its plot and Henry feels more like an attempt at gritty realism. Dumb fun movies are doing fine too, Le Prdateur, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Evil Dead II are all still in and Gremlins and Re-Animator at 13 and 12 is respectable on a carefully curated list.

- Tetsuo is kind of an oddball. I can see thinking of it as an "Art Film" and I get why one would be confused to see it ranked above certain other movies. I actually think an even more useful comparison than Basket Case for Tetsuo is Evil Dead II. Both are basically one shtick repeated nonstop with very little attempt at plot, characterization, or relief. There's a big gap between these two movies on my list too and I would explain this by saying that I enjoyed the shtick of Tetsuo and not that of Evil Dead II. I would definitely not try to defend Tetsuo by saying it has deep metaphors or anything like that, I just thought Tetsuo's unique brand of stupidity was refreshing after so many movies that were stupid in samey ways.

- I don't necessarily mind unpleasant things in my movies. Especially when criticizing I try to evaluate whether what the film does matches with what it's trying to achieve. So something like the opening scene with the man inserting metal bits into himself in Tetsuo doesn't really warrant criticism imo. Yes it's disturbing and made me cringe, but it's meant to and that suits the intended tone of the movie. I also don't necessarily mind if the characters are unlikable as long as I feel they're psychologically interesting which is why I think Anomalisa is a great movie even though I agree the main character is a piece of shit. Come and See is basically nothing but suffering and it's one of the greatest films of all time because of how raw its depiction of war is. This goes doubly when we're talking about horror movies, for me. Possession is definitely not my idea of a fun movie but it was an intense experience and I value that a lot more than something like The Dead Zone that was inoffensive and mildly entertaining throughout. I don't really recall being disgusted by Basket Case, I just remember it being dull - which for me is worse.

- I think Deadzone vs. Videodrome might encapsulate a lot of the difference in how Inviso and I think about movies. Both films where I left wishing for more narrative depth, but I value the story in Videodrome a lot more precisely because it leaves things unexplained. I think trying to create a deep metaphorical analysis of what Videodrome and the New Flesh are in the context of the film would probably be very tortured, but because it doesn't spell everything out for you the viewer is still able to come to interesting conclusions on their own: for example, is the "New Flesh" really a preferable alternative to what Videodrome is trying to accomplish, or is James Woods just getting pulled between two equally nefarious and manipulative agendas? Videodrome's ending is one of my favorite scenes in any movie on this project, I found it extremely haunting, but if the movie had gone on for five more minutes either to show you that James Woods does somehow ascend to "The New Flesh" or that he just winds up lying in a pool of his own blood that would've ruined it - and that's basically what The Dead Zone's ending does by showing you the flash of Martin Sheen's political career being ruined. I felt very disappointed by The Dead Zone's tendency to explain everything and make sure you know that Christopher Walken's actions are morally correct. For me, this made for a much shallower narrative than that of Videodrome. It's perfectly valid to see it the other way around and think that Videodrome is just begging empty questions to try and compensate for a lack of substance in its narrative, but I don't really like the assumption that anyone who doesn't think that way must just be giving the movie "a pass" because it seems artsy.

- I like fun movies, Fright Night is my #5 and The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales is one of my favorite movies we've done across all of these lists. They just have to actually be good :p

All great points, I agree with a lot of that but at the same time I never personally put my stock in whether a film is "art" or not. I mainly rank films, especially horror, on visceral impact. Like Tetsuo. It's a chaotic mess, but it punches you right in the gut with its visuals.

Ambiguity can definitely be powerful too. It forces you to engage with the film on a deeper level. That's something I value a lot. Not just being a passive observer.

But ultimately, a good story is a good story. Art isn't about categories or labels for me. It's just about finding something that resonates with me.

Snake5555555555 posted...

But ultimately, a good story is a good story.

I will also touch on this by expanding that a good story doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a good plot.

Going back to Tetsuo for example, which I think is more than just dumb fun or a chaotic mess, I think it's a genuinely brilliant film. There's a Kafka-esque sense of absurdity to it, I think I mentioned earlier relating it somewhat to his Metamorphosis. I understand that some people might be put off by the lack of explanations or even really much of a plot driving it but I find that if a film can express its ideas, what it has to say, through its images, characters, or whathaveyou, then it can still very much be a success.

But as for Tetsuo I think there's something there about the overpowering impact industrial and technological ages have had on Japan in general and you could look at the film in that way to get a lot out of it, not even to mention the psychological sexual layers to it, but still with a kind of sense of humor about it, and it's also just really impressive on a craft level for something that's such a low budget.

But I just mention that because a lot of people will talk about how story, as in a plot, is the most important thing for a movie, and I've seen that lot here in previous topics and if we're just talking about plot, I'd have to disagree. A plot is just one of the many elements that a film will use to communicate its ideas. That's why for example Pet Semetary which has a pretty good plot that does a very good job of getting its themes across about man's ability, or rather inability, to confront mortality probably isn't one of the best movies in this lineup because there are a lot of other elements from the craft of the film, to individual scene writing, and probably the need for some characters with more depth to them that keeps it, for me, on the lower end of the list.

Not to say people who really like Pet Semetary are wrong, that's just the example I was using for my argument on plot in a film.

11. Hellraiser (1987 / 180 points)
Directed / Screenplay by: Clive Barker
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/ddb8b47a.jpg
Why Its Significant - Hellraiser seemed to be an instant classic, storming cinema with a unique blend of sadomasochistic imagery, philosophical explorations of desire and pain, and the on-screen introduction of the iconic Pinhead character. Clive Barker had already been a prominent horror writer for a few years before adapting his own novella, The Hellbound Heart, into this memorable film. I think easily one of the most interesting influences this film has is bringing BDSM culture to a more mainstream attention, as Barker frequented the scene and was openly gay and fingerprints of that are all over the novella and film. Hellraisers horror influence can be seen in everything from media franchises like Star Trek to individual films like Cube or Dark City. It could even be considered a sort of precursor to the so-called torture porn genre. Hellraiser was followed by a whopping 9 sequels, a reboot, comics, famous metal song by Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde & Motorhead, references in many forms of media, and tons of canceled projects.

The Rankers
Snake - 6
Jcgamer107 - 7
Fortybelowsummer - 8
Seginustemple - 9
Plasmabeam - 10
Karo - 11
Rockus - 11
Johnbobb - 13
Evilordexdeath - 16
Bitto - 18
Lightning - 18
Mythiot - 26
Inviso - 27

Snake - Hellraiser is a descent into a depraved and darkly beautiful underworld. The story, while deceptively simple, is layered with themes of obsession, forbidden desires, and the inescapable consequences of transgression. Frank Cotton, a man consumed by a relentless hedonism, unleashes a terror beyond comprehension with a mysterious puzzle box. The box itself is a marvel of design, a perverse work of art that hints at the grotesqueries that lie within.

Clare Higgins embodies Julia's simmering discontent. Julia is a woman trapped in a loveless marriage, yearning for a past passion that consumes her. Higgins portrays this frustration with a quiet intensity. Her longing glances and repressed desires hint at a darkness bubbling beneath the surface. When Julia succumbs to temptation and becomes entangled with the forces unleashed by the box, Higgins masterfully navigates the character's descent. She transforms from a yearning wife into a desperate and ruthless individual, driven by an insatiable hunger for pleasure and power.

Ashley Laurence, on the other hand, represents innocence thrust into a horrifying situation. Kirsty is a teenager caught in the crossfire of her parents' troubled marriage and Frank's sadomasochistic obsessions. Laurence portrays Kirsty's initial naivet with a relatable charm. However, when faced with the horrors unleashed by the puzzle box, Laurence delivers a powerful performance of resilience and courage. Kirsty evolves from a terrified victim to a resourceful heroine, determined to fight back against the Cenobites and protect herself and her family.

The dynamic between Higgins and Laurence is a key element of the film's narrative. Julia becomes a twisted maternal figure, manipulating Kirsty while simultaneously yearning for a connection. Laurence holds her own against Higgins' seasoned performance, creating a believable and emotionally charged conflict. Their contrasting portrayals of women caught in the nightmare highlight the film's exploration of desire, consequence, and the fight for survival.

The best part of Hellraiser though lies in its visual aesthetic. Barker, with a background in comics and illustration along with his writing, brings his nightmarish visions to life with stunning practicality. The Cenobites, the demonic engineers of suffering, are unlike any other monsters in horror. Led by the unforgettable Pinhead, with their stitched flesh and piercing intelligence, they are the embodiment of a horrific yet strangely alluring sadomasochistic order. Their world, glimpsed in terrifying flashes, is a labyrinth of industrial machinery and glistening viscera, a place where screams become symphonies and flesh is putty in their cruel hands. Again, like with Tetsuo, industrial horror is M Y A E S T H E T I C and its even better demonstrated and utilized here. The transformations, the eviscerations, they all feel real, uncomfortably real, because they were achieved with a tactile ingenuity that grounds the film's outlandish concepts.

Its still one of the boldest horror debuts of all time to me, endlessly quotable, and filled with fantastically memorable characters and set-pieces. A truly unique marvel of the genre I return to with painful glee every time.

Jcgamer107 - 7/10

Fortybelowsummer - I love Pinhead so much that Ill go ahead and pop Hellraiser into my top 10, even though the entirety of the movie itself isnt the greatest. Its pretty much Julia picking up dudes the whole time and bringing them back to sacrifice to Frank, which is cool, but it does get a little old. Pinhead himself is only in the movie for like 9 minutes, but he still has a huge presence (I know, its an androgynous being but Ill just use he for convenience). Its actually better that he remains somewhat mysterious because in later movies, when he starts appearing and talking more, he loses a bit of his mystique in my opinion. Hes interesting because he isnt built like other horror villains. He's intelligent and articulate but also ethical (I guess?) in that he doesnt just mindlessly kill. For me, as a youngster, when I would peruse the horror section of the video rental store but wasnt allowed to rent them yet, Hellraiser always felt the most forbidden. The leather clad Hell Priest gazing at you holding the ominous lament configuration, then hearing about or catching glimpses of the the sadomasochism, the gruesome vicious violence. It feels like Hellraiser almost has an aura about it even now after seeing all of them (except the new one but Im interested in the female portrayal) and now having finished writing this I feel comfortable with a top 10 placement, hell, I might even bump it up.

Seginustemple - Another childhood favorite, this one I probably saw a little *too* early. The Cenobites have some of the coolest mythology in horror, a party of interdimensional BDSM bodymodders - and though the sequels dig into these characters' backstories more I prefer the unknowability invoked in their brief appearance here. Pinhead isn't even named in this one, he's Lead Cenobite. Where the unknowability doesn't work so well is with the puzzlebox logic, I think the Lament Configuration is kind of a cop-out safeword/MacGuffin that can do whatever the plot needs at any given moment, but the name sure does sound cool. The makeup/sfx work is fantastic, especially for Frank's intial reconstitution scene where he coalesces together. I forgot that there's some cheeky humor to his character, like there's a point where he's still skinless but puts on a dress shirt & tie, and casually smokes a cigarette. And I realllly forgot that he ends up taking his brother's face, completing the whole kinky affair with a layer of incestuous roleplay. Poor Garak. I get his character more now too, he's the inverse of his extremist brother: squeamish, faints at the sight of his own blood, strictly a missionary guy. But Ashley Laurence is the only one I really root for, I love how pissed off she gets at the mind-melting shit that's happening around her. No time for disbelief or despair, she just gets angry and starts barking at demons. The exasperation is relatable.

Plasmabeam - Im not as high on Hellraiser as most, but the creativity is a firestorm and the drama has a sharp, satisfying edge to it.

Karo - A hedonist looking for some experiences that are out of this world activates an ancient artifact and ends up chopped into bits and turned into an unknown creature who lives in the walls, only appearing when human blood is shed (and possibly at scuffed childrens' book festivals).

The mother is the real star here, her decent into madness as she lures into human sacrifices to feed to her grotesque boyfriend while her family remains oblivious.

However, the ending goes completely off the rails in the worst possible way. The Cenobites, who are supposed to be these mysterious and violently hedonistic higher beings, are reduced to lame foddderistic ghouls to chase the main characters around. Plus a random fucking bone dragon for no reason! Yay.

This was something that had such incredible potential that was squandered just for the sake of repetitive horror elements and shifting the focus of the horror from very scary humans to marginally scary monsters just for the visual jerkoff. Though sadly they apparently didnt destroy things enough to avoid making ten fucking sequels to the movie.

Rockus - So compelling that it almost makes you forget that the majority of the action takes place in a single location. Initially feels underwritten as it briskly introduces characters and moves through its setup, but Im more of a themes guy than a plot guy which makes Hellraiser my kind of jam. Like Possession this is another film that will likely unearth more understanding upon repeat viewings with its mix of body horror with sadomasochism and BDSM. An extremely wet and goopy horror film (in a good way!) with some terrific effects, and the cenobites are wonderfully designed and conceived horror icons.

Johnbobb - https://i.imgur.com/HWS3i7n.gif

Evilordexdeath - Honorary #16 - Pokmon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios
I like the part where Latios tackles Pikachu but then makes up for it by licking him.

Actual #16 - Hellraiser The big takeaway I got out of this movie is that the God Hand from Berserk are clearly inspired by some of the cenobites. That comparison is not very favorable for Hellraiser in terms of narrative depth though. This was fine. I think my favorite part was when the lady was luring men into her attic to feed to her ghoul bf, there was an enjoyable sense of building tension in those parts, and a sense of inner conflict when the guy eventually told her to kill her husband. The cenobites are cool visually although in both this and Berserk I feel like the funny little glasses guy makes them slightly harder to take seriously. They definitely represent a much more hardcore section of the BDSM subculture than I can get into though.

Bitto - Rating: C

Frank really shows how evil humanity can be. He's just a scummy person all throughout and, unlike other entries on this list, I don't think the movie ever paints Frank in a sympathetic light at all. In that sense, he might be the most effective antagonist in this gauntlet. Unfortunately, no one else is really interesting. Julia is pretty bad. I get no sense why she's so into Frank. The one interesting thing she does is her line in the sand about Frank killing Larry, but that goes away by the end. The Cenobites have good scenes, but they...surprisingly don't do much until Frank is dead.

Lightning - We have such sights to show you!

Dark, mysterious and a little bit sexy, Hellraiser seeks to do what the subjects of the film do and combine all the pains and pleasures of the flesh (or in this case, gory horror with erotic thriller). It mostly succeeds at that, but stumbles a bit when it turns into effectively just a pure creature feature at the very end. The film also creates a genuinely unnerving atmosphere throughout, and it almost makes the whole film feel like something you shouldnt be watching but cant tear yourself away from.

This is probably the goriest film on the list, some of what happens here like the hooks going into somebodys skin is truly gnarly. There are some really unpleasant images too like the initial summoning. Yet the film also plays itself a little bit erotic. Here the film manifests the kind of dynamic its all about, that interplay between pleasure and pain. It also just provides a pretty intriguing set up, almost working as a sort of home invasion thriller rather than a supernatural horror film. The basic beats of the plot are actually relatively down to earth, a wifes ex-lover hides in a family home and attempts to replace the father. Only with a twist of interdimensional sex demons.

The Cenobites themselves are great creatures, its no wonder they became so iconic. I also didnt realise until watching that they are the clear inspiration for the God Hand from Berserk, one of the designs nearly feels lifted straight from here. Unfortunately the Cenobites also form the films big weakness of the last fifteen minutes, once they just become monsters chasing the lead through her house they lose their power. And frankly it felt like they went down a little too easily. The last act slightly spoils the film for me, I was really with it until then. Still, this is a unique horror movie that has a lot more on its mind than the typical schlockfest.

3/5

Inviso - I was not looking forward to this movie on the list, because even thought its iconic (specifically, Pinhead is iconic), Ive always heard less than pleasant things about the visuals. And in a way, thats truethe introduction of Pinhead and the Cenobites isgross. The monster designs in this movie certainly get the point across of testing the limits of my ability to hold my hurl. Plus, the movie both starts and ends with a pretty major gross-out kill scene (technically of the same guy both times, albeit different actors). But even then, its not the WORST thing Ive seen on this list thus far, and while I wouldnt want to watch it again, I was able to get through it.

The reason Im ranking this as low as I did is because of how fucking boring it is. The movie starts on a creepy scene, but then its just a lot of scenes of a British woman fantasizing about her dangerous brother-in-law until he gets resurrected from the Cenobites BDSM dimension, at which point she starts luring men to the house to blandly kill them with a hammer and feed them to Frank to help rejuvenate them. Meanwhile, her actual husband is likethe most milquetoast human being on the planet. He gets led around by Julia and doesnt realize that shes both cheating on him with his dead monster of a brother, and also murdering people. He doesnt realize this until he himself has been skinned and killed.

The problem is that the viewer KNOWS, perhaps due to the nature of Franks resurrectionor the opening scene, that theres more the movie is capable of then generic, bland serial killing. And it takes SO LONG to get that far, until skinless Frank tries to hit on his niece and she steals the demonic puzzle box. Kirsty solves the puzzle box and this is around the 80% mark, Id wager. This summons the Cenobites finally and they try to drag Kirsty to hell, but she sells out her uncle, who isnt supposed to have escaped from their torture. This leads to them being off-screen for another scene as theres more boring stuff with Kirsty and Julia/Frank (while Frank is wearing Larrys skin to fake being Kirstys dad)and its all just dull, with a frosting layer of gross when the Cenobites show up to kill Frank once and for all.

And thus, your top 10:
The Shining (1980)
Possession (1981)
The Thing (1982)
Videodrome (1983)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
The Fly (1986)
Evil Dead II (1987)
Predator (1987)
Beetlejuice (1988)

fuckin nailed it

1. ???
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. Phenomena (1985)
6. ???
7. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
8. ???
9. Christine (1983)
10. The Lost Boys (1987)
11. Pet Sematary (1989)
12. The Dead Zone (1983)
13. Hellraiser (1987)
14. Fright Night (1985)
15. ???
16. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
17. Poltergeist (1982)
18. ???
19. ???
20. Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
21. Re-Animator (1985)
22. Friday the 13th (1980)
23. ???
24. The Changeling (1980)
25. Prince of Darkness (1987)
26. Creepshow (1982)
27. Childs Play (1988)
28. Gremlins (1984)
29. Basket Case (1982)
30. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Cenobites are definitely the big pull of Hellraiser, which is wild that they show up for like 10 minutes. I was really hoping for them to be more involved in the ending too. Them being a final boss after Frank's departure is underwhelming.

1. ???
2. ???
3. ???
4. Christine
5. The Lost Boys
6. ???
7. ???
8. Basket Case
9. Re-Animator
10. Gremlins
11. ???
12. ???
13. Fright Night
14. The Changeling
15. An American Werewolf in London
16. ???
17. ???
18. Hellraiser
19. The Dead Zone
20. ???
21. Child's Play
22. Phenomena
23. Creepshow
24. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
25. Poltergeist
26. Prince of Darkness
27. Friday the 13th
28. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
29. Sleepaway Camp
30. Pet Sematary

Half of my top 10 is in. Pretty good.

1. ???
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. Fright Night
6. Tetsuo: the Iron Man
7. ???
8. ???
9. An American Werewolf in London
10. Prince of Darkness
11. ???
12. The Changeling
13. Phenomena
14. The Dead Zone
15. The Lost Boys
16. Pokmon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios
17. Hellraiser
18. ???
19. Christine
20. Pet Sematary
21. Child's Play
22. ???
23. Basket Case
24. Poltergeist
25. Creepshow
26. Gremlins
27. Re-Animator
28. Sleepaway Camp
29. Friday the 13th
30. Killer Klowns From Outer Space
31. ???

31?

Excellent
1) ?
2) ?
3) ?

Great
4) ?
5) Hellraiser

Good
6) ?
7) Phenomena (1985)
8) Pet Sematary (1989)

Didn't Like
9) ?
10) ?
11) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Watched as a teenager, had planned to rewatch before ranking them
Friday the 13th (1980)
Poltergeist (1982)
?

I was interested in Hellraiser after Pinhead received 100% yes votes in "Do you like this character?", and I sure was surprised with how little screentime he got (similar to another character from a movie that hasn't shown up yet).

anyway

Espeon posted...

but it just feels like casually popular movies are held to SO much higher of a standard by this group of rankers, and it sucks to see movie after movie after movie that was actually FUN to watch get picked off while the more pretentious films on the list get to just step over that EXTREMELY low bar.

so one of the immediate issues I have with this idea is that it implies that you think people ranking "artsy" films highly aren't actually enjoying watching them, they're just ranking them highly because they're artsy. That is almost 100% not the case.

Like you gave Tetsuo as an example. Tetsuo isn't a movie I would consider pretentious by any means, I mean there's quite literally a guy with a giant drill for a dick. But it's also a movie that I thought was extremely fun. Like you pointed out my score for that compared to Basket Case, and yeah they're far about. They're both gross-out movies that are visually alarming, but the difference is that Tetsuo left me shocked and laughing anytime I wasn't. Compare that to Basket Case, which just left me annoyed and grossed out.

And the thing is, I know you understand the feeling, because it's similar to your opinions on Re-Animator v Basket Case. Re-Animator is gross, with some poorly-aged effects and some pretty bad, campy acting. And yes, it's even kinda rapey. On a surface level, the things that are bad about one are bad about the other, EXCEPT for the fact that it's also just a much more enjoyable movie than Basket Case; it's funny and has a legitimately interesting plot.

As far as "artsiness" goes, yeah, as a very broad statement, I generally enjoy movies more when they make me think, or keep me guessing, or make me feel something. Like Gremlins I don't care for, but it's not because I don't think its artsy enough; it's because I think the Gremlins are annoying and like I mentioned in my write-up, it's a horror comedy that didn't scare me or make me laugh.

Of the movies that are left, I don't know that I'd really call any of them artsy except The Shining (which was inevitably going to make the top 10) and maybe Possession, which I'm legitimately surprised has made it this far. I'm guessing you're putting Henry and Videodrome in there too, but I think those are both horror movies benefitting a lot from being some of the more disturbing entries on this list (which I can speak on more when they drop because I don't want to spoil my rankings)

Is this the longest time gone without someone losing their #1 yet?

1. ???
2. Gremlins
3. ???
4. ???
5. The Dead Zone
6. Child's Play
7. Poltergeist
8. Re-Animator
9. Christine
10. Fright Night
11. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
12. ???
13. Creepshow
14. ???
15. Pet Sematary
16. ???
17. The Lost Boys
18. An American Werewolf in London
19. ???
20. The Changeling
21. Phenomena
22. Sleepaway Camp
23. Friday the 13th
24. Prince of Darkness
25. ???
26. ???
27. Hellraiser
28. ???
29. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
30. Basket Case

Check out Hellraiser 2 if you want to see them push the grotesquery and weirdness to the limit. It's really freaky and dark but kinda good?

10/10
1) ???
2) ???

8/10
3) Poltergeist
4) ???

7/10
5) Pet Semetary
6) Fright Night
7) Hellraiser
8) Re-Animator
9) ???
10) Sleepaway Camp

6/10
11) Creepshow
12) The Dead Zone
13) Childs Play
14) ???
15) The Changeling
16) An American Werewolf in London
17) ???
18) ???

4/10
19) Friday the 13th
20) Basket Case
21) Phenomena
22) ???
23) Gremlins

3/10
24) Tetsuo: The Iron Man
25) Prince of Darkness

2/10
26) ???
27) Killer Klowns from Outer Space
28) Christine
29) The Lost Boys
30) ???

Two 10/10s and two 2/10s left, mmhmmmmm....

Evillordexdeath posted...

16. Pokmon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios

Thankfully this didn't come out in the 80's - it's too scary

1. ???
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
6. ???
7. Re-Animator
8. ???
9. Hellraiser
10. ???
11. ???
12. ???
13. Gremlins
14. Christine
15. Friday the 13th
16. Phenomena
17. ???
18. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
19. Prince of Darkness
20. Creepshow
21. Sleepaway Camp
22. The Dead Zone
23. The Changeling
24. An American Werewolf in London
25. The Lost Boys
26. Poltergeist
27. Pet Sematary
28. Child's Play
29. Basket Case
30. Fright Night

PAYOUTS! JB and Bitto cash in as we enter the Top 10.

VEGAS ODDSBOARD:
+650 Possession (1981)
+750 Videodrome (1983)
+750 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
+900 Evil Dead II (1987)
+900 Beetlejuice (1988)
+1200 A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
+1200 The Fly (1986)
+1200 Predator (1987)
+2000 The Shining (1980)
+2000 The Thing (1982)

Current Leaderboard:
1) Bitto $5000 (Hellraiser 900, Poltergeist 2000,Creepshow 650, Tetsuo: The Iron Man 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
2) Johnbobb $4650 (Hellraiser 900, Re-Animator 600, The Changeling 2000, Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650)
3) Inviso $3850 (Re-Animator 600, Gremlins 850, Creepshow 650, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
4) Lightning $3300 (Christine 800 The Changeling 200, Creepshow 650, Friday the 13th 500, Sleepaway Camp 650, Basket Case 500)
5) Exdeath $3000 (Re-Animator 600, Creepshow 650, Friday the 13th 500, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600, Sleepaway Camp 650)
6) Seginus $2550 (Fright Night 700, Phenomena 1000, An American Werewolf in London 200, Sleepaway Camp 650)
7) jcgamer $1200 (An American Werewolf in London 200, Tetsuo: The Iron Man 600, Killer Klowns From Outer Space 600)
8) fortybelow $1050 (Gremlins 850, Poltergeist 200)
9) Karo $650 (Sleepaway Camp 650)
9) rockus $650 (Creepshow 650)

The House Won On:

• +1000 Pet Sematary (1989)
• +1000 Prince of Darkness (1987)
• +2000 Childs Play (1988)
• +2000 The Lost Boys (1987)
• +1250 The Dead Zone (1983)

1. ???
2. ???
3. Re-Animator (1985)
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. Friday the 13th (1980)
8. Hellraiser (1987)
9. ???
10.???
11.???
12. Child's Play (1988)
13. The Lost Boys (1987)
14. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
15. Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
16. Pet Sematary (1989)
17. Creepshow (1982)
18. Gremlins (1984)
19. ???
20. Phenomena (1985)
21. Prince of Darkness (1987)
22. ???
23. Poltergeist (1982)
24. The Dead Zone (1983)
25. Basket Case (1982)
26. Christine (1983)
27. The Changeling (1980)
28. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
29. Fright Night (1985)
30. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Snake5555555555 posted...

Is this the longest time gone without someone losing their #1 yet?

In the two years I've participated, yes, without question. Usually somebody's #1 dies before we reached #20.

I believe number 10 will be...Videodrome.

Alright I think it's Possession's time

tagging so I can read later

I'll stay on Evil Dead II

Yeah Hellraiser 2 goes nuts. This reminds me I found a pretty good Pinhead cosplay at a horror movie con last year

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c6994089.jpg

Solid top tep, of course seven of mine are still in it so naturally I'm going to think that. I'll stick with Videodrome for #10

I wonder if everyone's #1 is either The Shining or The Thing

Next topic here
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80749967

https://i.imgur.com/seJorXr.gif