what horror film(s) do you think are underrated/overlooked?

[Paro]

I see people always bringing up the typical classics like psycho,holloween, NOTLD etc.But what about the other horror fims thats underrated? Also it does'nt have to be about underrated Horror films so much as over looked Horror films.Or Horror films thats not discussed very often at all.In any event what are your picks?

My pick is I would have to say (and I say it all the time), the most underrated horror film I can think of off the top of my head is The Other (1972). It is quite possibly THE best psychological horror I've ever seen (well, except for maybe The Thing,Seven,Psycho,Alien and The Shining, etc.) It has superb direction from the director of To Kill A Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan), great music from Jerry Goldsmith, and wonderful acting from the whole cast, especially Uta Hagen.

The story takes place in the 1930's and concerns two twin boys, one seemingly good and the other seemingly bad (and gradually becoming pure evil).

Here is IMDb's plot summary...

In the summer of 1935, 9-year-old twins Niles and Holland Perry live with their family on a Connecticut farm. Their loving grandmother Ada has taught them something called "the game." A number of accidents begin happening, and it seems to Niles that Holland is responsible. It is Ada who begins to see the truth, and she is the only one who can stop this macabre game of murder.

Classic line: "Holland! Where is the baby?"

Please do yourself a favor and check this movie out... See it when it comes on AMC or FMC or rent it from your local video store. Unfortunantly, this film isn't out on DVD yet!
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[Znake]

Black Christmas. It was probably the first real teen slasher movie released, but it never gets the attention it deserves.

[Dreddz]

The Fly is underrated, not really a horror, but sure is creepy.

[Levian]

I don't know how underrated it is, but most people I know has never heard of The Cube, and that one is pretty cool. Gotta love deadly traps. But considering that it actually made it to Norway could mean it's more known across the sea.

I'd like to watch The Others, but something tells me I'll never find it anywhere here. :redface:

[Venom]

The original Salems Lot.

[James16]

The cube was a good one, but i think the one that is the most underrated was the first House. Creepy things in the closet, little demon things, One ugly ass pig women an a live stuffed sword fish. Dosent get any better than that!:p

[Dreddz]

Another one is The People Under The Stairs. Which is probably Wes Cravens least appreciated work. For people who havent seen it, its exactly what it sounds like.

[SammieBabe]

David Cronenberg's 'Dead Ringers' with Jeremy Irons playing nutso gynecologist twins. Pretty creepy....

[Ender]

In general I think most horror movies that are any good get way overrated, but be that as it may, there are a few that don't get a good look as often as they should in horror movie discussion:

The Evil Dead - okay, it's recognized as launching a mini-revolution in horror, it's Sam Raimi, and it's a cult classic, but this is a seriously under-mentioned flick in horror discussions. Blair Witch meets the Exorcist meets Scream.

Scream - okay, again, Scream is a movie recognized in horror circles as good or even a classic. You'll find it on many "Top Ten of Horror" lists, but it's too often ranked behind worse movies. It's a slasher flick that does it better than 99% of its genre-mates including ALL of the Halloweens and most of the Freddy and Jason movies, and laughs at them, and itself, while doing its thing.

The Birds - Perhaps it doesn't bear the charm of Psycho, but it's easier to relate to...most of us will never encounter a Norman Bates, but the birds, "the birds are everywhere!!!"

While I can't find many that agree with me on this one, the original Children of the Corn should be a horror classic.

There are some movies rarely classified as horror, but which never the less induce psychological trauma that rivals anything any horror movie does:
Mulholland Drive
Donnie Darko
Requiem for a Dream

Special Note about Night of the Living Dead:
I just watched this movie for the first time, and I think it barely fits in the horror genre anymore (I believe the same could be said for the early Dracula and Frankenstein movies), but in my mind it belongs in the discussion of the greatest movies of all time. Not top ten or twenty, but top fifty maybe, and certainly top hundred. It's a shame that being an on-the-cheap B-horror movie keeps it from being appreciated for what it really is...a non-sensationalized (relative to 99% of movies anyway), albeit stereotypical look at how people respond in the face of a very immediate, horrible, life-threatening crisis, where the crisis chosen just happens to be the sensationalized zombie menace. It's also a veritable handbook for how to create suspense with acting and setting alone...IOW if you do it right, you don't need to keep the audience wondering where and when the bad guys are going to pop up to keep the audience believing that the main characters are in imminent danger.

Anyway, now back to the topic...

[Black Mage FF1]

The original Salems Lot.

That was one loooooooooooong and boring movie. It deserves to be overlooked.

[Bart's Friend Milhouse]

The Evil Dead


The sequel is quite possibly better than the original and hence more overlooked

Vampire Circus scared me as a child. Most of the Hammer horror films are probably worth a mention here

[Dreddz]

I wouldnt say Evil Dead is overlooked/underrated.

[Materia Hunter Yuffie]

The Children of the Corn

(my teacher calls us that..)

[Venom]

The original Salems Lot.

That was one loooooooooooong and boring movie. It deserves to be overlooked.

Hey, its better than that crappy remake with Rob Lowe in it.

[Twisted Tinkerbell]

May I find is quite overlooked. A fantastic film and brilliantly scripted.

[Fuego]

Black Christmas. It was probably the first real teen slasher movie released, but it never gets the attention it deserves.Margot Kidder was great in that :D


Another one is The People Under The Stairs. Which is probably Wes Cravens least appreciated work. For people who havent seen it, its exactly what it sounds like.I love that one, also last house on the left ...

Scream was good, Alfred Hitchcock is just great, classic ... to kill a mocking bird, i couldn't get into that movie ... original dracula etc great, classics ... Don't know 'bout you but i love the Nightmare on elm street movies, i grew up watchin' those ...

What ever happen to baby jane, Omen, Exorcist, Phantasm (cheesy but kinda cool for a 70's horror flick >.< ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hills have eyes, Hellraiser, Poltergeist, Re-Animator, Emily rose, Castle freak, Pit and the pendulum (sp), Feed is insti-classic >.<
and gotta love angela bettice May rocks !

[Strider]

Cabin Fever. :D

[fire_of_avalon]

Strider, you are so fired.

[Necronopticous]

Not many people realize how genius the Blair Witch Project actually was, and is.

[Zeldy]

Black Christmas. It was probably the first real teen slasher movie released, but it never gets the attention it deserves.

I saw a Trailer for Black Christmas in the cinema, it looked really good.

I dont really know many under rated or overated movies.

[Dreddz]

Cabin Fever. :D

Yes, great movie, made me cringe alot though.


Not many people realize how genius the Blair Witch Project actually was, and is.

Yeah, but its not like the movie is underrated. Its a shame the second movie was garbage.

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

I thought the BW Project was good, and my dad's like, "This movie stinks! Show his whole face!"

May sounds interesting, and so does that Other movie.

My favorite horror movie, since I don't watch many, would be the Japanese version of Ringu. Um, it's kinda underrated in the US, at least. Don't know why they remade it. I heard the remake was bad compared to the Japanese version. I just rented it, so I wanna buy it one day.

[Dreddz]

The American version of The Ring is on par if not better than the japanese version. In my opinion.

[Fuego]

The American version of The Ring is on par if not better than the japanese version. In my opinion.QFT !

It like The Grudge and Ju-On ... Wow when compared, The Grudge doesn't hold a candle to Ju-On.

[Dreddz]

Ju-on is far better than the american version. Give the Grudge some slack though, it was pretty good still. Shame the sequel was terrible.

[Jack]

Ginger Snaps

Although not strictly horror, it had some shocks. It was also seriously funny as well. Hmmm... Black Humour + Horror = GOOD.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Another one is The People Under The Stairs. Which is probably Wes Cravens least appreciated work. For people who havent seen it, its exactly what it sounds like.

I'm going to have agree on that one. Not many people I know have even heard of it, hell I had forgotten about it for awhile until you mentioned it.

And I wouldn't say the Evil Dead movies are underrated, they certainly get lots of praise from people I hang out with.



And I have to add that I really didn't like The Ring or The Grudge. Not my style I guess.

[~SapphireStar~]

I'd say Blair Witch was pretty coolio and the sequel sucked eggs. I guess Dog Soldiers. It was more funny then scary.

[BardTard]

May I find is quite overlooked. A fantastic film and brilliantly scripted.

That's one of my favorite movies, and I don't know anybody who's seen it except my uncle and cousin, and that's because my uncle told me to watch it and I watched it with my cousin. That's an awesome movie.