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[–]LeonardNemoysHead 302 points303 points ago

Trollhunter. The basis of the film is following and learning from the guy who does know what's up.

[–]glglglglgl 90 points91 points ago

Also he has to do the paperwork.

(Trollhunter is a fantastic film. Starts off a bit shakily, but really picks up and turns into something amazing.)

[–]fauxromanou 42 points43 points ago

I thought it was moreso the ending that was shaky, but regardless it's a great film, yeah.

[–]BZenMojo 50 points51 points ago

Also: TROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!

[–]NFHoward 60 points61 points ago

You've got to pay the troll toll to get into that boy's hole

[–]mikelj 11 points12 points ago

It very clearly says "boy's soul"

[–]HMacyFan4eva 4 points5 points ago

I am up to here right now

[–]8x8grid 9 points10 points ago

Yeah the ending was bad. It really rubbed your face in a plot hole--the stupidity in the premise of sending one guy to kill rogue trolls. You'd expect a government cover up to use some kind of paramilitary team.

[–]margirtakk 10 points11 points ago

Bystander: "Oh look. An armed caravan. Wonder what they're doing out here..."

Sometimes, you just need 1 skilled hunter

[–]defaulting 4 points5 points ago

also, it's easier to keep one guy quiet than a group of people. great movie though, that and Rare Exports I really enjoyed

[–]LuckyAmeliza 1 point2 points ago

Also is on Netflix streaming.

[–]RikBo 29 points30 points ago

Well, there's one guy who is pretty stupid in Trollhunter

[–]icanseestars 16 points17 points ago

Yeah, that part bugged me. There is no way most people would continue to lie about that faced with all the stuff they saw.

[–]Jordancooper11 16 points17 points ago

It is a really good movie. I never imagined trolls to be huge and just fucking creepy until this movie.

[–]earynspieir 19 points20 points ago

Welcome to Norway :) Most Norwegians have grown up seeing trolls through Theodor Kittelsens eyes.

[–]bthoman2 11 points12 points ago

I wouldn't call this a scary movie though. It's more of an adventure film.

[–]log1k 5 points6 points ago

I wasn't sure what to expect from a mockumentary but I loved that movie. One of my favorites of the year.

[–]telllos 1 point2 points ago

I must be the only one who was totaly disapointed.

[–]sonar1 386 points387 points ago

That's why I like Alien/s. Ripley and her team tear shit up tactically but end up dying anyway.

edit: looks like there was a thread just 19 hours ago on the same subject.

[–]crassmonkey 170 points171 points ago

Just in Aliens. Ripley's crew in the first film, Alien, never tore anything up. They were a salvage crew that got picked off one by one without really putting up much of a fight. I think you mean the Marines in Aliens, and they weren't Ripley's team. She was escorting them because she had dealt with the creatures before. (end nerd rant)

[–]this1 181 points182 points ago

I wouldn't say they didn't put up a fight. They tried to plan things out, immediately trying to surgically remove and then study the foreign entity. Then they had a pretty decent plan on tracking and hunting the thing down using flame throwers and their knowledge of the ship.

They didn't fail because of ineptitude, they failed because they weren't properly equipped to deal with the issue, and because Ash betrayed them and left them in an even worse position than they were already in.

[–]TheLateThagSimmons 93 points94 points ago

I love that about Alien.

They did actually try to plan for it, took what seemed to be the proper steps to deal with it. It's just that at first they tried to deal with it as a dangerous escaped animal, only later to find out that it's a large, fast, scary, murder-machine and not just some alien entity.

[–]BZenMojo 35 points36 points ago

Considering Alien is the origin of the air pressure movement monitor which comes back and is seriously used to great effect in Aliens, I wouldn't say the space truckers weren't doing all of the right things.

Moving in groups? Check.

Movement tracker? Check.

Homemade flame thrower to prevent being killed by acid blood? Check.

[–]arachnophilia 4 points5 points ago

the air pressure movement monitor

the bit i love about the tracker is that that's not how they work. ash evidently had them ahead of time and then made up some BS explanation. they hint at this in the movie, when they find the cat somewhere that wouldn't have actually showed up if the trackers were working on air pressure differentials.

the nostromo left on their oil-gathering mission as a cover, but ash (and those trackers) were placed on board to help get the alien safely back to earth, before they ever left. the company had already deciphered the transmission.

Homemade flame thrower to prevent being killed by acid blood? Check.

they weren't homemade. they were standard tools, for getting local lifeforms off of landing struts and such. i'm not convinced that they would have even damaged the alien at all.

[–]GradysGhost 30 points31 points ago

Additionally, they didn't really know what they were up against. That was always part of the horror for me, though.

[–]awesomerobot 19 points20 points ago

Ripely didn't even want to let the Alien in to begin with, Ash is really the only reason they were so fucked. They seemed to be pretty logical otherwise.

[–]TheBakedPotato 57 points58 points ago

Suggests movie for OP to watch > ruins plot. Thanks a lot.

[–]LaGrrrande 61 points62 points ago

Darth Vader is Luke Skywalkers father.

[–]winless 15 points16 points ago

Gee, people dying in a monster movie? Ya think? Not everyone dies.

[–]notavalidsource 88 points89 points ago

It's Aliens, man.

Movie's, like, 40 years old.

[–]Morrigane 46 points47 points ago

Look, us older Redditors know we're getting older. Try not to push it along any faster, mmmmmkay?

[–]emsuperstar 11 points12 points ago

Tell us the story about how you saw Ronald Regean on the television, grandpa!

[–]AerialAmphibian 5 points6 points ago

I had to take notes on his state of the union addresses and write a report due the next day for my history or government classes. The first couple of years we didn't have a VCR yet so I couldn't record it. Some newspapers published a transcript the next morning but there wasn't enough time to do the assignment then.

You kids with your live Web streams and copy-paste online transcripts... Get off my lawn!

[–]Dalonger 93 points94 points ago

I haven't seen The Thing prequel, but in the 80's version the scientist gave a brief explanation that the creature mutates into it's prey, and can then imitate that prey at any time. So anything that looks like an insect or any other creature is a remnant of previous victims of...the THING!

[–]asymptomatic 53 points54 points ago*

More to the point, how does anyone's know what a "thing" would look like? It's a fucking thing! Is the OP an expert on deadly Alien space dudes? What kind of alien did he want? A green telepathic mist? A slowly melting brick of smell? A whistling jellyfish-like joopitimus?

[–]whatdoyouwantmetosay 6 points7 points ago

Or it's just as likely that it is inhabiting it's most recent form before crash landing on Earth. I suppose the prequel might argue against it, but I enjoy the idea that other alien cultures were 'infested'.

[–]cephalopoid 18 points19 points ago

I came to this thread to post this.

This movie should be at the top with Alien.

[–]Wulibo 8 points9 points ago

the only horror movie I ever enjoyed was The Thing, that movie just did every last thing perfectly.

[–]KingJulien 6 points7 points ago

Yeah, imo The Thing is one of the best horror movies.

[–]elkresurgence 101 points102 points ago

No Country for Old Men is not a scary movie per se, but Josh Brolin's character did all the right, sensible things to survive Anton Chigurh's deadly attacks, but in the end he was killed, off-screen, no less.

[–]pocket_eggs 39 points40 points ago

That guy was amazingly calculated. It was the first film I thought about, even if it isn't exactly horror.

[–]roboroller 41 points42 points ago

I always make the argument that No Country for Old Men is in fact a horror film. In a way. You can make a pretty good set of points that it is in fact a very methodical slasher film.

[–]drmarcj 12 points13 points ago

In the DVD extra feature, the Coen brothers say they set out to make a "comedy horror" film. I'm pretty sure I didn't laugh a single time in that whole movie, (not even when I saw Javier Barden's haircut).

[–]duende667 28 points29 points ago

Ever seen Dog soldiers? About a platoon of royal marines stranded in the scottish highlands while being hunted by werewolves. Fantastic movie thats also really funny. Well worth checking out.

[–]phatduckk 6 points7 points ago

Fantastic movie

[–]DougyM 7 points8 points ago

Ctrl F'd in case someone else thought of it.

Ill expand on your suggestion though.

Basic premise is that a group of British Soldiers get used by the military who are trying to hunt down some werewolves. The soldiers have no idea about any of this but when they are initially attacked they pretty much get into gear right away and ditch their blank ammo for live ammo (they thought they where on a war game exercise against special forces).

They perform an organized and well drilled fighting retreat, barricade themselves into a safe house (that through no fault of their works against them later) and aside from being screwed over by the plot because it would be boring otherwise they do not make many mistakes.

They do risky stuff but its all pretty much justified from the information they had available to them.

Plus its got a guy bare knuckle boxing a werewolf.

[–]Hatsumi__x 56 points57 points ago

Besides the fact that she watched the tape... I think The Ring or Ringu is pretty good in terms of "doing the right thing" in order to prevent death.

[–]kjhatch 43 points44 points ago

Normally I think original films are better, but in this case, I'd recommend Ring over Ringu. The remake is an improvement on most counts.

[–]balletboot 15 points16 points ago

I think The Ring fits American audiences better and doesn't miss any of the scares of Ringu. They're both great in their own rights, but The Ring is one of the few Japanese to American horrors that actually got it right. I always recommend people start with The Ring before seeing Ringu though.

[–]benreeper 10 points11 points ago

And stay away form The Ring 2.

[–]filthysize 11 points12 points ago

In what way? I find the absence of CG effects (especially in the "crawling out of the TV" scene) and the slower, more foreboding pacing of the original significantly creepier. The remake was way too slick-looking and fast-paced to be scary for me.

[–]kjhatch 17 points18 points ago

It's been a long time since I've seen either, but what I recall is that The Ring was smoother, like a more cohesive package. Ringu was great, but felt choppy, like the director didn't have the idea/vision fully formed before starting on it, etc.

[–]stanfan114 25 points26 points ago

Zombieland is pretty much all about what to do and not do in a horror survival situation. The rules are literally spelled out on screen, with examples.

The characters also manage to outsmart each other, as when the two sisters gain the upper hand on the guys.

I doubt you will ever find a good horror film where a character doesn't do something stupid like go searching after a cat when the monster is near.

[–]vadergeek 227 points228 points ago

Can't quite give you that, here's the best I've got.

[–]bobfried2k7 55 points56 points ago

This show seems... Awesome?

Why haven't I heard of it yet? :(

[–]OrigamiRock 40 points41 points ago

[–]RaiseYourGlass 6 points7 points ago

next to [Promote] there should be [Promote Community]

[–]nerdlights 55 points56 points ago

It's dangerously close to being canceled D: you can watch on NBC! And catch up with the DVD sets!

[–]Durantalot 36 points37 points ago

It's an amazing show! Community.

It's a clever show about a study group at a community college, with well written dialogue and characters. At times, it gets quite meta in its humor. One character, Abed (the guy in the clip), breaks the fourth (and fifth?) walls of TV constantly and is generally "aware" of the show, which adds a hilarious dimension to the show which the writers exploit often.

[–]TabascoQuesadilla 26 points27 points ago

"Yep, it's a bottle episode."

I love Abed.

[–]BeefPieSoup 16 points17 points ago

Abed Nadir: Will they or won't they? Sexual tension.

Jeff Winger: Abed, it makes the group uncomfortable when you talk about us like we're characters in a show you're watching.

Abed Nadir: Well, that's sort of my gimmick. But we did lean on it pretty hard last week. I can lay low for an episode.

[–]Romoraic 21 points22 points ago

Seriously rivals arrested development in hilarity. Just as criminally underrated.

[–]ignitionnight 13 points14 points ago

Can't decide if I should upvote you for enjoying a scene of Community, or downvote you for being an example of why Community might not survive.

Upvote for now, but i'll have my eye on your missy!

[–]tbshawk 31 points32 points ago

Came here looking for a Community reference, was not dissapointed.

[–]OneKindofFolks 11 points12 points ago

Troy's face while Abed is humming is the physical embodiment of a bromance gone right

[–]browncoat5 4 points5 points ago

Troy and Abed in the morning!

[–]dragnuts 22 points23 points ago

As far as recent movies go, I really liked Splinter for the characters being intelligent and doing the right thing (the trailer doesn't really give a sense of that, though).

[–]roboroller 6 points7 points ago

Fuck, I thought I was the only one that had seen Splinter. That movie is really awesome.

[–]LunaPicker 51 points52 points ago

Read that as "name horror movies without a cast". Maybe not bad... No actors = noone can ruin it by being stupid

[–]pablorobo 34 points35 points ago

How about a thriller with a cast? Rear window.

[–]icanseestars 158 points159 points ago

Attack The Block. Everyone in the movie acts intelligently (or at least realistically given their situation).

[–]avocategory 54 points55 points ago

Just watched this last night - even more important than acting intelligently (which, they make some mistakes, but don't do anything ridiculous to compound them), they act like believable, creative human beings.

[–]dioltas 11 points12 points ago

I also watched this just last night, what a coincidence.

[–]dominic-cobb 39 points40 points ago

I watched you watching this movie last night.

[–]fauxromanou 7 points8 points ago

It's now starting to pick up on the recent surge in recognition as friends of friends and so on are recommended to watch it.

[–]touchofmalice 11 points12 points ago

even despite all the big gorilla wolf motherfuckers, bruv

[–]TheSlinky 8 points9 points ago

I fucking love that movie. Watched it high and didn't expect it to be a good stoner film.

[–]Channahg 8 points9 points ago

Came here to say this! Attack the block is awesome, the kids are actually smarter than the average adult in this film, but in a non-spielbergy way. Great soundtrack as well.

[–]putaro3000 3 points4 points ago

I second this statement.

[–]Sparkdog 2 points3 points ago

I agree somewhat, but the scene where they shoot the bottle rockets and walk down the smoke filled hallway was a bit stupid.

[–]megamanz7777 19 points20 points ago

30 Days of Night I don't exactly remember everything that happened, so maybe someone does something stupid. However, I seem to remember everyone handling their shit really well, at least once they figured out what was going on.

[–]kymry 171 points172 points ago

Evil Dead!! Ash knows what's up.

[–]fireflash38 76 points77 points ago

Hmm, Evil Dead 2. The first one Ash doesn't do much that is 'right' in the way of horror movies.

[–]Jordancooper11 32 points33 points ago

I agree 2 is better. Army of darkeness also a classic.

[–]pablorobo 13 points14 points ago

I saw perhaps the premiere (or at least the UK premier although I think it was the world one as it was unknown back then and made on a shoestring from money borrowed from parents and friends) of Evil Dead 1 in Edinburgh at the film festival back in the day. After doing a Q&A before the film Sam Raimi (the director) by sheer coincidence sat next to me to watch it and I remember being hugely amused when he jumped at the same bits as I did. Scary film IMHO.

[–]whale_omelette 6 points7 points ago

Just wanted to thank you for brightening my day with the image of Sam Raimi frightened by his own film. That must have been awesome.

[–]luciferin 2 points3 points ago

You're right, but that's exactly what I love about the film. At the beginning of Evil Dead Ash is a wimp. It takes the events of the film, and the loss of everyone he loves, for him to stand up for himself against the Deadites. It's brilliant character development, which only Dead Alive pulls off better.

[–]ThisEndUp 6 points7 points ago

The Evil Dead trilogy consist of some of my favorite movies of all time. Personally, I find all three to be classics.

[–]OneUglyDogAndMe 20 points21 points ago

Check out Incident on and Off a Mountain Road from the Masters of Horror series. I think there's a copy floating around on YouTube, and it used to be on Netflix's Watch Instantly. You've got your leatherface-type serial killer. You've got your babe stranded in the woods after wrecking her car. But this babe's married to a crazy survivalist, and - as the cool kids would say - proceeds to fuck the crazy killer's shit up.

[–]Pinus_rigida 2 points3 points ago

Just so everyone knows, that whole series is available streaming directly on imdb.

[–]Rilith 30 points31 points ago

If you haven't already, watch Dead Snow, it's a Swedish horror movie about zombie Nazis!

There is one part where two girls are together and as normal one has the great idea to split up and starts freaking out, the other girl then slaps her and tells her they are staying together.

[–]bobfried2k7 19 points20 points ago

It's Norwegian.

[–]DustyDGAF 4 points5 points ago

The drinking game that goes with it is amazing too.

  • Every time somebody dies drink.

  • Every time somebody gets sick air on a snow mobile drink.

  • Every time you see gold or gold is mentioned drink.

[–]GenericNate 33 points34 points ago

Slither! I can't think of any other movie which conveys the level of weirdness experienced by a person confronted with extra-ordinary events.

Plus Nathan Fillion.

[–]chunk_le_funk 22 points23 points ago

Just watched it yesterday. I like its social commentary when things go south. However the twist in the end really screwed with me for a bit.

[–]Icouldbeanyone 13 points14 points ago

Same here with the ending. Daaaaamn...

[–]Kardlonoc 4 points5 points ago

Stephen king apparently liked the ending of the movie more than the ending of the book.

[–]abudabu 12 points13 points ago*

OMG You're kidding right? That is just one scene after another of people acting like absolute fricking idiots.

[–]DivineRobot 16 points17 points ago

First, average people are idiots. Second, when people are in stressful situations, they do irrational things. Third, when there is a supernatural element introduced mixed in with religion, mass hysteria will ensue.

Since nobody actually knows how people would react in situations like this, I think the movie does a decent job portraying how people behave and what choices they would make based on their backgrounds.

[–]songcharts 2 points3 points ago

Yet if someone had done the right thing and helped that woman to her car in the beginning they would've survived...(KNOWLEDGE!!)

[–]Jordancooper11 14 points15 points ago

Last house on the left the original. She gets payback. And I spit on your grave also follows that common theme. And if you just want a fucked up movie. Cannibal Holocaust.

[–]jerk_van_face 5 points6 points ago

Never saw the original but the recent version of Last House on the Left was just perfect. Both the good guys and the bad guys do exactly what you'd hope you'd have the wherewithal to do in that situation.

[–]yogiontour 27 points28 points ago

Dead man's shoes...Not scary...but fucking awesome

[–]munkeyman567 24 points25 points ago

The original Scream is the only slasher film I like. It took a lot of those tropes and flipped them on their heads, including pointing out how people always do the wrong things.

[–]miguk 11 points12 points ago

Scream's characters weren't smart, they were just ironic. If they were smart, they wouldn't have fallen for the same tropes they were mocking; if you go back and watch it again, you'll notice they just go along with them without considering what they just said (as the quips about tropes are there just so the writer can create ironic detachment to justify the reuse of outdated tropes).

[–]Darktidemage 13 points14 points ago

The original Dawn of the Dead. Totally badass; two navy seals make an apartment for themselves by walling up a secret part of a mall after blocking all the exits with trucks and live out the zombie apocalypse there.

The new one is OK too except for one of the dumbest things ever where the girl goes after he dog immediately after seeing the zombies ignore it!

[–]nuclear_pancakes 7 points8 points ago

I would say the moment of utter stupidity for the remake begins with the baby. The film completely derails at that moment, and I found myself shaking my head until the end. Ridiculous.

[–]Garsecg 4 points5 points ago

I love the original Dawn of the Dead for this reason. They are smart people making smart choices but still susceptible to human error and that's what gets some of them. To me, that's the scariest thing about that movie. You can do the right thing but you make one little slip-up, get cocky or underestimate your situation and you are dead. I live in an apartment and I check my door to make sure it's locked every night. Every few months I forget and in the morning I notice the door is unlocked. Imagine living in a world where a mistake like that would mean you are dead. That's scarier to me than fast zombies any day.

[–]sansdeity 72 points73 points ago

Watch Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

It's done as a sort of mass homage to horror movies, specifically the legendary killers (Jason, Myers, Freddie, etc.) in a documentary style fashion.

Ever wonder how guys like Jason always seem to walk faster than the fastest victims run? The answer is in this movie.

[–]W1nd 30 points31 points ago

Ever wonder how guys like Jason always seem to walk faster than the fastest victims run?

I don't plan on watching the movie, but I do like to know the answer to that question.

[–]Little_Mouse 79 points80 points ago

I haven't seen the movie, but I looked it up on tvtropes, apparently the answer is: The killer runs while the victim isn't looking and slows to a power walk when the victim turns around.

Also, I might now be trapped in tvtropes, remember me...as a hero.

[–]afishinthewell 36 points37 points ago

I'll remember you as I please... as a Lunchables pizza.

[–]Monk_NT 11 points12 points ago

So that means you just have to always look behind you?

[–]prince_of_tacoma 17 points18 points ago

Don't even blink. The stone angels are aliens

[–]Coony 6 points7 points ago

NO, don't do that - you will just run/bump into the killer at the next corner!

[–]madmax00004 5 points6 points ago

Goddamnit I followed your link three hours ago. Had a great run though. Here's were I ended:

Chekhov's Gun "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there." —Trope Namer Anton Chekhov (From S. Shchukin, Memoirs. 1911.)

[–]lowerlight 6 points7 points ago

...so a modified version of this?

[–]johansolo 13 points14 points ago

Rollerblades?

[–]clownbaby007 4 points5 points ago

Awesome movie and great call. Well done.

[–]Joobread 3 points4 points ago

Yeah definitely entertaining and worth watching if you love the classic slashers. Espcially for Robert Englund's appearance.

[–]RubyRhod 46 points47 points ago

Funny Games. Just watch it. Either one.

[–]onepoint21jiggawatts 16 points17 points ago

I'd go with the English version, since it was actually completely reshot and is not subbed. Such a fantastic film though.

[–]nebulianpizazz 9 points10 points ago

Can't really recommend it. A part of how OP's question relies on the antagonists playing on the same ground as the survivors, which doesn't happen in Funny Games due to the main villain breaking the 4th wall, and reviving his partner. If it weren't for that one scene then yeah, I'd say it works, but when there is a reality breaking sequence I just turned it off.

I recognize the whole theme of the movie and what the director was trying to do. I just didn't think that scene really fit into the realism the movie was trying to portray up to that moment.

[–]yoshi8710 14 points15 points ago

I think that the movie was never trying to be real. It was actually a comment on the horror genre itself (kind of along the same lines as scream but subtler) The killer breaks the fourth wall many times through out the film and adresses the audience itself well before the scene mentioned. The killers know they are in a movie and they actively work to make sure that everything that happens follows the rules of the horror genre.

[–]RubyRhod 7 points8 points ago

That was the whole point. That scene was meant to piss you off and play on what the audience thought the movie was "supposed" to be and the tropes that one expects from that genre of movie.

[–]mcsalmon 80 points81 points ago

Watch Vacancy with Luke Wilson. Awesome horror thriller with smart, capable protagonists. I wrote this movie off as torture porn trash after first seeing the trailer, but then my wife and I watched on an strong recommendation. It's a great little flick.

[–]jacamar 331 points332 points ago

What if Luke Wilson doesn't want to watch it with me?

[–]pocket_eggs 59 points60 points ago

Problem solved.

[–]dirtymoney[S] 26 points27 points ago

that movie fucked me up. Well.. actually it was in the dvd extras section where they showed videos of their earlier victims being chased & killed. It touched a dark part of my brain & stimulated it in a way I KNEW was wrong. It was like playing with fire.

[–]reon-_ 8 points9 points ago

I think it's maybe good to have gone through that mental process, (and you know, chosen to not be a psycho.) rather then someone who's never realised the danger we could be.

[–]TicTokCroc 2 points3 points ago

I thought it was an absolute piece of shit.

[–]DeSaad 30 points31 points ago

The people in Insidious did the right things, but...

SPOILERS

...theygotfuckedoveranyway

[–]Lonely_Turret 51 points52 points ago

I like how Darth Maul was the villian.

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points ago

terrible movie

[–]Zimb0 6 points7 points ago

Well, the last half at least. The first third to half was pretty watchable.

[–]reon-_ 32 points33 points ago

It's an anime series, but the goodie and baddie in Death Note consistently reacted to things in a manner that surprised me with how clever they were. It was like they were actively trying to out-smart the plot.

I'm not sure how scary it is really, but there's murders and demons and shit.

[–]zgh5002 14 points15 points ago

It's brilliant until a certain point, then it just becomes repetitive and boring. Everyone knows where it should have ended. If it ended there it would have been one of the greatest shows ever.

[–]madamz 8 points9 points ago

Seconding this. Kira and L are constantly trying to think, like, 10 steps ahead of each other. Shit gets intense!

[–]asus1000 5 points6 points ago

It got too ridiculous, in my opinion. No one is as omniscient as those two characters constantly were, although I liked the series.

[–]madamz 3 points4 points ago

I sort of liked that aspect though. They're ridiculously smart and capable on a near-supernatural level, which makes for such an explosive and complex plot. I also have a taste for the over-the-top and excessive when it comes to entertainment, I'll admit, so that probably helped.

[–]1369ic 7 points8 points ago

I'm with you on preferring movies in which people make good decisions, but I don't know that they're actually any more realistic.

I mean, why would you expect people scared to death to do what seems to be the right thing to a guy sitting on his couch whose biggest fear is that the calories or cholesterol in his beer and popcorn might take a few seconds off his life?

Stress makes you do crazy thing, such as conduct a search right goddamn now, because you can't stand not knowing or waiting around to die, or you think what the fuck, it's an alien and who says we're going to be any better off in the daylight anyway? We could all be dead by then, it could be stronger or fear could drive people to do stupid shit that gets us killed some other way. Can't explain all that in a movie or it kills the suspense or gets too talkie.

[–]slohcinretrac 8 points9 points ago

To answer your question about why an alien might have an anatomy similar to a species on Earth, one could argue that the successful genes that have survived the test of evolution and given us insects here on Earth would also fair well in conditions that supported life outside of earth, given that the basic building blocks for biological life are a constant.

also, if you haven't seen it the movie "Funny Games" is very offbeat/different type of horror film, doesn't conform to typical hollywood narrative arc. There is an English version but the film was originally made in Europe somewhere I believe.

[–]GradysGhost 6 points7 points ago

I went and saw The Strangers in theaters for no reason I can now recall. I have never seen a movie so plagued by the exact problem you describe here. Can anyone think of a movie worse than The Strangers with regard to characters constantly doing incredibly stupid things?

[–]kyleswitch 7 points8 points ago

The Thing!

Kurt Russell is the man you are looking for. He is a take no prisoners, trust no one, fire a flamethrower down that dark hallway that has the light flickering in it type of guy.

Seriously, one of the greatest horror characters ever.

[–]LenMahl 7 points8 points ago

The protagonists in The Crazies remake were surprisingly not retarded.

[–]thehiveminded 57 points58 points ago

the descent

[–]pistacchio 36 points37 points ago

well, the descent starts with one of the characters taking the others into an unexplored cave without a map (and without telling the others) or something. i wouldn't call it wise. great movie, btw.

[–]thehiveminded 22 points23 points ago

thats just a bunch of chicks with balls. when the life threatening danger appears, they do everything they can to get the fuck out

[–]fgben 15 points16 points ago

Except for the catty infighting, when some of them started prioritizing being pissed off at each other over getting out alive. That kind of ruined it for me.

[–]DWells55 7 points8 points ago

I wouldn't really call it catty - when you're trapped in an underground cave system and in mortal danger, chances are there's going to be some conflict when it's one person's fault that you're there in the first place.

[–]potemkintruth 5 points6 points ago

The being pissed off at each other and getting out alive dovetail quite nicely at the end. At least in the American version.

[–]Matyrs 13 points14 points ago

Lots of spoilers - But this film is worth watching for the experience even if you know exactly what's going to happen.

I love this film. It has such low ratings on movie websites and I can't understand why. All my friends seemed to watch it expecting some scream or saw bullshit so they could say "OMG wouldn't it be so scary if a man was in your house trying to kill you!!!!"

Yes it would. But we've all seen that a million times and i'm usually just sat there thinking "Run you dumb bitch!... Oh fuck it. Someone just kill her her so I don't have to be sitting through this any longer...".

The Descent had me rooting for the women in it. They all tried really fucking hard. These were real women with real lives and familys and problems. No one meant for anything bad to happen. Infact they were just trying to help their friend (And damn did she need the help after what happened. Jesus christ.) but everything just came together wrong in the worst possible way.

The ending was so unbelievably unfair. I was hanging on to a glimmer of hope that because a few were still alive there could be a (somewhat) happy ending. The ending where someone escapes and makes it to run into the arms of a loved one or policeman or anyone who isn't trying to kill them. The Descent even gave that to me (For a minute or so). Thank god someone survived that atrocity to run into the arms of their saviour! I was so relieved! And then it was snatched away!

I felt sick and empty after this film. After I sat in silence for a long while staring at the blank screen. I felt like my emotions had been raped. Watching The Descent was the film equivalent to coming home to find your wife in bed with another man. And I thought I was in for a few Jumpy moments and some "Wouldn't it be scary trapped in a cave in the dark?". Boy was I wrong. Not that I wasn't so scared I literally climbed behind my chair and covered my face with a pillow untill I could calm myself down enough to continue watching.

The Descent and Matyrs are two films that will stick with me untill the day I die. Lets just not get into Matyrs though. That will stick with me for different reasons...

[–]tlowens 36 points37 points ago

I thought the first Saw movie was pretty good for this. They had all the angles covered. Shame about all of the others though...

[–]gravehunterzero 33 points34 points ago

No, Wesley could have used the hacksaw on the chain and not his foot and at least tried to reach the cell phone more than once.

[–]nanan00 56 points57 points ago

Hardened chain sucks to cut with a hacksaw but the pipe would have been easy to cut... that is what hacksaws are for.

[–]joedude 17 points18 points ago

this is exactly what i was thinking the whole time, you know what a hacksaw cuts WAY better than bone, that fucking pipe you're chained to.

[–]talkingwires 17 points18 points ago

I like how you refer to the character as "Wesley" from the actor's role The Princess Bride instead of whatever he was really named in Saw. "To the pain!"

[–]The-Beardman 16 points17 points ago

Adam tried the hacksaw on his chain, which caused his hacksaw to break. So he would've known it wouldn't work.

[–]bluepepper 13 points14 points ago

Yeah that was a barely believable explanation for them not sawing the chain or pipe.

If you have a serrated blade and a few hours in front of you, you can cut through a chain.

[–]eljuanyo 19 points20 points ago

Shame about all of the others though...

Couldnt be more agree. For me, there is Saw, a huge and original piece of art. On the other hand, there're a bunch of "I wanna see people getting caught in creepy and bloody traps" movies that share the word "Saw" in their titles.

[–]nightfan 11 points12 points ago

I kind of agree, but I really like Saw II. It did have a house full of traps, but it was so cool and had one hell of an ending.

[–]c_megalodon 4 points5 points ago

When I first saw it, it was the most brilliant thing I've ever witnessed.

[–]balletboot 3 points4 points ago

I actually think Saw I through III are good. If they would have stopped at 3, it would have made a great horror trilogy.

[–]AndorianBlues 10 points11 points ago

The Wicker Man maybe? The horror here seems to be basically unavoidable. The desperation and hopelessness in that last scene is quite powerful.

Generally, though, the victims have to be a bit thick to make a movie happen.

[–]nothis 7 points8 points ago

Don't remember if it was 100% tight, but Time Crimes (basically a horror version of Primer) was excellent. The idea of the future being inevitable yet somehow still surprising if you have a time machine... beautifully strange.

[–]coupoin 5 points6 points ago

Funny Games

[–]martoo 7 points8 points ago

Honestly, I don't think it would work. There's a particular feeling you get when the character does something that you wouldn't do in that case. The distance between what you would do and what the character you are identifying with is doing rachets up the anxiety.

[–]Treypertrap 36 points37 points ago

Shaun of the Dead (A twist of comedy and horror, with a few jump scares)

28 Days Later & 28 Weeks Later

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (Again, a comedy/parody of horror, with a few scares in there)

All zombie flicks, but they're all I can think of right now.. and its 5:21AM. I wonder if they have any correlation.

[–]TajesMahoney 95 points96 points ago

Nothing is done right in 28 Weeks Later. They are some of the dumbest horror survivors in the genre. They all deserved to die.

And isn't that the whole point of Tucker and Dale? That the survivors are all being idiots?

[–]greigh 36 points37 points ago

I viewed Tucker and Dale as the victims and the dumb kids as the idiotic villains.

[–]blank_mind 12 points13 points ago

We've got yer friend!

[–]GimmeSomeSugar 9 points10 points ago

That the survivors are all being idiots?

I think the point of Tucker and Dale is that the survivors are constantly going 'WTF!?', and the 'victims' are quite literally the agents of their own demise because of their stupidity.

[–]patthetree 25 points26 points ago

i was thinking that 28 days later would be a bad example but when i thought about it i thought the protagonist and his group did well, and the army dudes were doing all right until protagonist et al tured up.

28 weeks later though... full of dumb asses

[–]EmSixTeen 53 points54 points ago

28 Weeks Later.

wat.

[–]rudezombie 20 points21 points ago

Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies, but pretty much everything they do is the exact opposite of smart or logical.

[–]glglglglgl 12 points13 points ago

If you're about to die in the zombie apocalypse anyway, you might as well go out with a proper pint in your hands.

[–]Ronlaen 6 points7 points ago

Lies, first thing I'd do in a zombie apocalypse is head straight to the bar.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]pablorobo 3 points4 points ago

The rather nasty but I think very credible Martyrs is exceptionally good and I think the characters do the logical thing most of the time - for French people that is (forgive me my joke Helaine!). Prepare for hard-core gore if you do watch it though but I like the fact it's willing to take chances with the audience. You can find it for free on YouTube easily enough and it is well enough made/acted that if it was in English it would be much, much more famous than it is. Here is the subtitled trailer.. Enjoy your tossed salads.

[–]Offensive_Brute 4 points5 points ago

seriously though. I've been in a few situations where I've been in mortal danger, and the "gut" always sounds off. A lot of times WAY before you are actually in physical danger. And even if you ignore it and fall into harms way, your instincts will lead you to safety very often.

Once when I was 16 i jumped off a cliff to evade police. Completely doped up on adrenaline, and then i ran for 1/2 a mile and spent three hours curled up on the ground in the bushes. I managed to escape dogs and the whole nine, AND I'm a fat guy.

[–]kds405 14 points15 points ago

Insidious. The number one obnoxious audience comment during a haunted house movie is "I'd move!". Well, guess what? The family moves, shit keeps happening.

[–]theElegantWorm 2 points3 points ago

a funny take on the "stupid people in horror movies" is Dale and Tucker vs. Evil. its like dark comedy/satire on the stupidity of horror movies.

[–]bthoman2 2 points3 points ago

In the original John Carpenter's "The Thing" I believe that they are much, MUCH smarter in how they handle the whole situation. The original is just better in pretty much every way possible. I would highly suggest you watch this one as it still stands up on it's own today.

Seriously, let this movie redeem itself.

[–]drockers 3 points4 points ago

um [RED]/[REC]2 are good horror movies for not having dumb protagonists, also it's not a happy ending sunshine fairytale either.

[–]E_R_I_K 2 points3 points ago

What about Aliens. As soon as they saw they were in the shit, they requested drop ship pick up to get the fuck out.

[–]ShamAbram 3 points4 points ago

Like in Wolf Creek, where the victims have the means of escape...and then decide the proper course of action is to toss the truck off a cliff as a distraction.

[–]prupsicle 3 points4 points ago

You should check out Tucker and Dale Vs Evil, it's not like you described but it's great at subverting that typical horror framework

[–]MestR 5 points6 points ago

I know exactly how you feel. Blair Witch Project is the only good horror movie I have watched where I was genuinely scared and the characters weren't dumb.

[–]bluefold 11 points12 points ago

[–]MrMellow91 2 points3 points ago

I dont recall many stupid moments in the hitcher 2007

[–]Light-of-Aiur 3 points4 points ago

I don't recall many stupid moments in the original hitcher. Haven't seen this one from 2007 yet, but the one from 1986 was brilliant!

[–]1992coolrunnings 2 points3 points ago

More of a thriller I suppose, but I would highly recommend Straw Dogs (the original). Just sit back and watch Dustin Hoffman do his thing

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

The thing that always gets me with 'scary' movies is that when someone goes into a dark room with some trepidition, they NEVER try to turn on the lights but slowly goes through that dark room. I guess you have to be stupid to be a character in a 'scary' movie.

[–]DrPreston 2 points3 points ago

I want to see a scary movie where the whole point isn't just to see clever ways to dismember and disembowel a bunch of cookie cutter characters. Remember The Sixth Sense? The Others? Psycho? We need more movies like them. Insidious was pretty good this year but the ending was somewhat weak.

[–]Killer_man 2 points3 points ago

The Shining. Try to watch the original version of 1980. Some of them survive.

[–]ifeelstabby 2 points3 points ago

Original Dawn of the Dead always seemed to be more intelligent than typical zombie film.