Horror films came almost with the birth of cinema, the earliest horror shorts I know of originated from Mélière's 1896 Devil's Manor, and as the first horror film of a feature-length film, Northferatu of 1922 is widely regarded as the progenitor of horror cinema, and Dr. Kariga's Cabin of 1920 actually had a horror atmosphere. Of course, judging by today's standards, the horror films of that era and even the decades after that are not very scary compared to today's movies, but in that era, in the early days of the film, people showed their inner fears, the collapse of faith, and the nightmares in the night through images, which showed the meaning of horror films for people.
Of course, when I wrote this topic, it took a lot of effort to classify horror films, monster movies, disaster movies, thriller suspense movies, zombie themes, crime movies, etc. will overlap with horror movies, such as zombie movies, naturally there are pure horrors, but there are also black humor through this theme, such as "Shaun of the Zombies", "Zombie Juan", "Zombie Undead", etc., there are also zombie movies made into popcorn, such as "Zombie World War", "Resident Evil" series and so on. For example, when we mention crime films, although some crime movies do not take "scaring the audience" as the starting point, but digging deep into the inner world of criminals or looking at their criminal methods often causes people to be uneasy, such as the "Silence of the Lambs" series, "This room is made by me", etc., so what kind of movies are naturalized into the category of "horror films", I can not give a clear answer, I recommend the film, if you think that this movie is not the most "horror" category, naturally there is no problem, This is just my personal opinion. Everyone is welcome to discuss and present what they think are good and not-so-known horror movies.
Similarly, although it is recommended, there are some "famous world-famous" horror films, classics like "The Shining", "Horror", "Midnight Bell", "Chainsaw Horror" series, etc., in the past two years, the fiery "Conjuring" series, "Escape from Desperate Town", "Joker Returns", "Genetic Doom", etc. are not included in my recommended list, at least do not make a specific introduction, to judge whether the movie is "universally popular" so that there is no need to introduce the standard, I take the Douban viewer about 100,000 as the dividing line.
(This is the second edition of the feature recommendation, several movies have been added and deleted compared to the first version, some of the recommended words, pictures, order, format have been optimized, and each recommended movie has given its own rating and date)
1. Tell me a ghost story - devil related movie recommendations
(1) The Witch (2015)
Average review score: 8.8
I've always loved witch movies, and 2015's The Witch is one of my favorite horror movies, telling the story of a religious family's eventual disintegration through smooth statements, local folk songs and legends, demons may have evil spells, but the decay of the human heart is just as frightening.
Of course, Anya's debut in this movie is also perfect.
(2) Night of the Dead (1945)
Average review score: 8.9
A person comes to a manor, but finds that the people in the house and what happened seem to be similar, and several interlaced ghost stories slowly form a dream of Lu Li, which begins and ends, the nightmare is a prophecy, and the reincarnation cannot escape.
A person who looks in the mirror for a long time will wonder if his world is fake, and the world in the mirror is real.
(3) Carnival of the Souls (1962)
Average review score: 6.6
The film is full of psychedelic colors, although the age is old, the audiovisual effect is still outstanding, people can not escape their fate in the end, can only participate in the form of souls to participate in the carnival of death.
(4) Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Average review score: 9.6
When we mention horror films, we have to mention "Rosemary's Baby" (I am surprised that such a famous movie has not yet exceeded 100,000 ratings on Douban, so it is honored to include it in the recommendation), it uses a calm narrative to gradually create a horror atmosphere far beyond the same type of movie, does not need deliberate fright, does not need blood spatter, it is just telling a story, of course, a horror story.
(5) The Exorcist (1973)
Average review score: 7.6
Very classic exorcism theme of horror films, later generations involving demons and evil spirits, church exorcism almost can not avoid the work, many subsequent horror movies have left their mark, and the film itself in the small room with dappled light and shadow a series of strange phenomena and panic, as well as the crumbling faith, people deeply doubt whether the gods are really on our side.
(6) "Omen" (1976)
Average review score: 7.8
The same classic horror film, the devil's child, the desperate ending, many of the bridges in it have been borrowed countless times by later movies, and the smile of the child at the end of the film is really shocking.
(7) "The Wind And the Wind" (1977)
Average review score: 6.8
This version of "Stormy Wind" is not very colorful in terms of story (of course, the 2018 version is even more bizarre), but under the background of its bright art design and strong style of music, the film has exploded into a very attractive charm.
(8) "Enchanted" (1981)
Average review score: 8.6
I don't like it, but I must recommend a horror movie, in the first half you only feel that the movie is describing weird relationships, but as the plot progresses and Adjani's crazy and demonic performance, the demon gradually takes shape as a substitute for human beings, and the evil visible to the naked eye almost makes me vomit, which is an evil movie.
(9) The Exorcism 2005 and Requiem 2006
Rating: "Exorcism" 8.1, "Requiem" 6.9
The full name of "The Exorcism" is "Emily Rose's Exorcism", and the film is based on a real event, and the courtroom has a binary discussion of the cause of Emily Rose's death, whether it is the exorcism of the devil's possession, or the epileptic seizure, whether it is Satan's voice or the belly language, an event with a double interpretation that gives the plot of the devil's possession a deeper connotation.
And 2006's "Requiem" is actually this event, but from another point of view, the faith is constantly being impacted because of the things suffered, although the horrific shots are not as scary as "Exorcism", but at the end, it will still be cold in the heart.
(10) Ghost Story (2017)
Average review score: 7.4
A British horror film with a retro temperament, several very different horror stories are eventually interspersed into a sad journey, of course, each horror story also has its own flavor, even if it is purely looking for the thrill of fright, it will not be disappointed.
2. Resurrection of the Dead - Zombie-related theme movie recommendations
(1) Zombie trilogies of Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Living Dead (1978), and Zombie Out of the Cage (1985).
Rating: Night of the Living Dead 7.8, Dawn of the Living Dead 8.2, Zombie Cage 8.3
All three works are by George W. Bush. A. Romero's works, of which "Night of the Living Dead" can be regarded as the pioneering work of zombie films, the mainstream setting of zombie films in later generations is readily available, slow movement, attacking the head, being bitten and infected, naturally there are exquisite egoists in times of disaster, sober-minded activists, and female characters with IQ downline.
1978's "Dawn of the Living Dead" is a sequel to "Night of the Living Dead", a zombie popcorn that is very punctual although older, and the department store can be said to be a paradise in the era of greatly improved material abundance in the late 70s and early 80s, while the film is set in a department store, but there is also a bit of a mockery of consumerism and entertainment to death.
In 1985's "Zombie Cage", the scene shifted to an underground military base, this time humans are trying to domesticate zombies, and in the process of zombies gradually acquiring humanity, humans are also becoming more and more savage, although this part is full of exploration of human nature, but it is definitely not boring to watch, and finally the scene of blood plasma, zombie revenge must not be missed.
(2) Dawn of the Living Dead (2004)
Average review score: 7.7
Similar to 1978's Dawn of the Living Dead, the 2004 version also inherits the interesting scene of "department stores", in addition, the film also adds some special fun, whether it is zombie dolls or armed chariots, in short, blood plasma is flying, terrible and refreshing.
(3) "Death Video" series
Rating: Part 1 8.1
The first of the more famous handheld horror films was particularly impressive, and after following the reporter's camera to gradually discover the truth of the matter, the strange creature in the attic really frightened me.
(4) Shockwave (1977)
The extremely low-cost zombie movie, the Nazi zombie floating in the water, is a very novel angle, but it is a pity that there is no vampire's life and the vampire disease.
(5) "Overlord" (2018)
Average review score: 7.2
Another attempt at world war II + zombie theme, compared with many inferior zombie movies, the film's funding is still quite sufficient, and the viewing of the opening two scenes is also very high.
(6) "The Gifted Daughter" (2016)
Average review score: 7.3
A more anti-genre work in the zombie genre, but did not take the road of comedy, but in the end questioned the status of humans and zombies, and raised the meaning of this film at once.
3. Xeno Invasion - Horror Monster Related Movie Recommendations
(1) Northferatu (1922)
As the earliest known horror film, "Northferatu" can be said to have inspired all the vampire genre movies after that: dark castles, Gothic buildings, pale strange people, shadows cast by the moonlight, eerie expressions and behaviors, narrow streets, slanted branches... The elements of all this give Nosferatu a mesmerizing mystery and a sense of evil hidden in the darkness.
(2) Dr. Kariga's Cabin (1920)
Average review score: 8.5
Although two years before Northferatu, Dr. Carriga's Cabin is definitely better than Northferatu, influenced by German Expressionism at the time, the film creates a bizarre world through distorted sets and architecture, and the strange man Caesar, who wanders in this almost unbalanced world, is like a demon born on earth.
(3) Universal Dark Universe Dracula (1931)
Rating: Dracula 6.8
The Universal Dark Universe began in the 1920s and came to an end in the 1950s, and in recent years it has begun to modernize some classic characters, zero and zero total I statistics are 72 movies belong to the universe, from the earliest 1923 bell tower freaks, to the 2020 release of "The Invisible Man", there are good and bad, you can choose your favorite small series to try. I personally recommend several pioneering works in the series, such as "Dracula" in 1931, "Frankenstein" in 1931, "Bride of Frankenstein" in 1935, "The Invisible Man" in 1933, "The Mummy" in 1932, and so on. As for the recommendations for all 72 movies in the Universal Dark Universe, a feature will be launched later.
(4) Alien Awakening (2017)
Average review score: 8.2
Because the Alien series is so famous, I will not mention it, and the similar space horror theme of "Alien Awakening" is very recommended, although the number of people who have seen this one is quite large, but I like the atmosphere of oppression and despair created in the movie.
Cold-Blooded Creatures - Alien Awakening Film Review
(5) "Strange Shape" (1982), "Strange Shape Prequel" (2011)
Rating: "Strange Shape" 8.3, "Strange Shape Prequel" 6.9
Although the two films are prequels and filmed many years apart, their content and ideas are surprisingly consistent, and the horror in the ice and snow is like a blizzard villa, and the murderer is among us, and we don't know it.
(6) Doctor Incarnate Series - 1920 edition, 1931 edition, 1941 edition
Rating: 1920 version 7.9, 1931 version 8.4, 1941 version 7.1
Many people who watch Tom Cruise's The New Mummy may think that Dr. Avatar comes from the Universal Dark Universe, but in fact, Dr. Avatar's earlier versions were not Universal. The 1920 silent version of these three versions laid a good foundation for the story, the 1931 audio black and white version perfected the story, and the 1941 version became a color version, if only from the picture, the 1941 version is undoubtedly the closest to our era, but it is basically a color reproduction of 1931, so I personally recommend the 1931 version of The Incarnation Doctor.
(7) "Outer Magic Flower" (1956) and "Human Alien" (1978)
Rating: "Outer Magic Flower" 8.4, "Human Alien" 7.5
1978's "Human Alien" is a remake of 1956's "Outer Magic Flower", "Outer Magic Flower" tells the story of seeds drifting from outer space gradually invading the human body of this world, in which the "can't sleep" setting makes the protagonist show exhaustion and almost collapse in the late stage of the film Is very infectious, and the shots and light and shadow of this film are also very good, although the ending is positive, but the depression can spread in the heart for a long time.
The 1978 remake removed the "can't sleep" setting, with better special effects and makeup, and the credibility of the extraterrestrial plants in front of the camera was obviously much higher, but the plot was roughly similar, and the interesting thing was the change at the end, the momentary panic brought about by a simple shot, and the despair was difficult to sustain.
4. Head Down with witches - Japanese and Korean horror movie recommendations
(1) "Filthy, Unlovable Room" (2015)
Average review score: 8.3
Different from the genre of European and American horror films, it seems that Japanese horror films have some Asian-style closeness, which makes us feel more empathetic when watching Japanese horror films than European and American horror films, and this "Cruelty" undoubtedly amplifies this feeling, it occurs in our daily lives, it comes from the recorded history, and it is often presumptuous and dangerous to find the truth.
(2) "Strange Talk" (1964)
Average review score: 8.4
The four stories of the film are all born from Koizumi Yakumo's collection of Strange Stories "Strange Talk Strange Tan", and Xiao Yun Yatsusen's work can be called Japan's "Chat Sai ZhiYi", so in the movie "Strange Talk", we can also get a glimpse of a little wind bone of Japanese Chat Sai. The four stories are "Black Hair" (formerly known as "Reconciliation"), "Snow Girl", "Earless Fangyi" and "In the Tea Bowl", the plot is basically in line with The original work of Xiaoyun Yasen, but it is worth mentioning that the film shows a very stylized soundtrack, color, photography, editing and character performance, using an almost surreal approach to slowly express the eerie atmosphere in the original work through a long video work.
(3) "Crying" (2016)
"Cry" is a good level of horror film in South Korea in recent years, the confrontation of witchcraft, the plot suspense setting makes people want to get a glimpse of the truth of the matter, of course, the movie itself is slightly unclear because of these confusing whirlpools, but this is probably the essence of this movie.
5. The worst is human nature - crime suspense theme horror film recommendation
(1) "Bad Breeds" (1956)
Average review score: 8.1
After watching this movie, you will realize what a terrible thing it would be if innocent children had pure "bad", they are not aware of what they do, they are only out of their own desires and self-preservation, and that is more frightening than having a vicious heart. The new version of "Bad Breed" in 2018 is much worse than that, so it is more recommended that you watch the 1956 version.
(2) "Late Night Blood Red" (1975)
Average review score: 7.5
And the 1977 version of "Wind and Clouds" is somewhat similar, the same beautiful shots and praiseworthy music, the plot is bloody and weird, although the ending is a breath, but the overall look and feel is still very good.
(3) "Lake Eden" (2008)
It is also a film that makes people may be physically uncomfortable, and it is always unbearable and sad to face the inability of criminals to do anything and the dilemma of inability to escape.
(4) "Night Devil" (2009)
Average review score: 6.9
For audiences who like the "Chainsaw Horror" series or European and American heavy taste of blood, "Night Devil" is a work not to be missed, although there are many common slots in horror films such as the character IQ is extremely low, the plot is also a bit silly to withstand scrutiny, but the film is full of bloody violence, a desperate escape trapped in a trap room, a ruthless masked murderous maniac, in the dark night, I don't know who can survive until dawn.
(5) "Hold Your Breath" (2016)
The horror texture based on an interesting setting, although in many senses the film's three views are still a bit problematic, but it is true that its level of horror is really breathless.
(6) "The Secret Affair of Ma Rouben's House" (2017)
The collapse and decline of the family, a lonely patient's fantasies and waiting for the past, the ending may not be terrible, but it is very sad.
(7) Nightmare Dollhouse (2018)
The doll is a very classic horror intention, although the film actually did not play this intention out of the flower, but its reversal and the story is still quite solid, although there is no lack of cheap jump scare, but several reversals do make the story interesting, for those interested in this kind of movie may wish to take a look. Incidentally, the director must be a fan of craftsmanship, but the Easter egg about craftsmanship is a little out of place.
(8) "This House I Made" (2018)
Average review score: 7.1
A perverted upbringing, its unique dual exploration of inner sin and hell, criminals use the evil deeds of crime to build their own rooms in life. The movie itself is challenging the audience's bottom line, of course, if we don't feel anything after watching it, maybe it's because the movie is not good, or maybe each of us has a little dark corner in our hearts.
6. Unspeakable, unknowable - high concept horror movie recommended
(1) "It's Behind Us" (2015)
A movie that I really like, based on a set-up horror movie, endless chases, only my own helpless response, maybe just finished watching it and feel like it's not enough, but I must remind you that this movie has a lot of momentum, you wake up in the dark of the night, you will definitely open your eyes, trying to see if there is anything unusual slowly approaching.
(2) A Midsummer Night's Horror (2019) and Infidel (1973)
Rating: A Midsummer Night's Horror 7.6, Infidel 8.1
The two films were recommended together because A Midsummer Night's Horror is really similar in form to "Infidels", both of which are mistakenly entered into a mysterious area, and that mysterious region also has strange, but to some extent not difficult to understand customs. Of course, the core of the two films is not the same, and the horror of "A midsummer night's horror" is definitely higher than that of "Infidel", if you only want to see one, you can weigh it according to your taste.
Dance Under the May Pillar - A Midsummer Night's Horror Movie Review
(3) "Mother! 》（2017）
The work of "Requiem of Dreams" director Darren Aronofsky, the film is entangled with countless religious, political, environmental and humanistic metaphors, forming an incomprehensible labyrinth, so that when watching, you will be confused by the jumping and fantasy of the plot, and occasionally grasp the clues of a star and a half and pass away. But as the chaos in the movie escalates, you can feel the beauty of a weirdness.
Mother！ An unfinished puzzle - Mother! Film Review
(4) "We" (2019)
Pierre Jordan, another black-themed horror film after "Escape from Breaking Bad", abandons the previous overly explicit racism, this film is easier to understand and more ornamental, especially the soundtrack of this film, which is very compatible with the tone of the film.
The Line Between North and South, Between Heaven and Earth - Jordan Peel Horror Film "We" Film Review
(5) "Color of the Stars" (2019)
Following the "Annihilation" after another attempt at the Cthulhu theme, in the past few years Germany also filmed a version of "Star Color", that version is more interesting in form, but the plot is relatively poor, and the 19-year version of "Star Color" has Nicolas Cage to help, there are also special effects to create a mysterious phenomenon and mutated creatures, although it can not completely restore the mystery of Cthulhu, but also has its wonderful points.
Mediocre Alienation - "Color of the Stars" Film Review
(6) "Lighthouse" (2019)
In the new work of the director of "The Witch", the two lighthouse guardians are trapped on the isolated island by a storm, and in the process of gradually consuming food supplies, suspicion, delusion, depravity, and drinking have pushed the two to the brink of collapse. In this film, there are only two actors, William Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, one old and one young, who are crazy about their acting skills and attack each other on a rough island.
7. Recommended for horror films of other themes
(1) The Witch (1922)
Recommending this purely selfish, it can not be counted as a serious horror film, but should be a documentary on the discussion of the phenomenon of witches, but the ideas in it are very deep, dialectically exploring the truth of witch events, superstition and lies on the distortion of human nature.
(2) Carrie the Witch (1976)
Almost always the old version of the film has a more foggy and terrifying temperament, the first part of the foreshadowing ushered in a carnival-like explosion, and then the witch is finally destroyed in flames and collapse, if you are not satisfied with the 2013 version of carrie the witch, the 1976 version will be more suitable for you.
(3) Unfriend 2: The Dark Web (2018)
Average review score: 7.9
Films performed through the screen have emerged in several successful cases in recent years, and after the first installment of the Friends series, the second part of the exploration of the dark web world and the dark web's regurgitation of the normal world are particularly interesting, people are afraid of the unknown, so the evil people in the dark web seem to be omnipotent.
(4) The Diatrov Incident (2013)
Average review score: 6.7
A film based on the Diatlov incident, but in a handheld camera style, but there was no such camera at that time, so the story begins with a group of students who have revisited their hometown and retraced the path of the past, gradually connecting the past and the present.
(5) "Pet Graveyard" 1989 edition and 2019 edition
Rating: 1989 version 6.9, 2019 version 7.2
The rare example of the new version surpassing the old version is probably because the new version has an abrupt and surprising ending, or perhaps because the new version lacks the comedic sense of the old version of the person who returns to the soul, in short, the person who returns to the soul must be against heaven, even if it is separated from the yin and yang of the dearest person, do not think about the soul summoning.
A Death Lesson for Children - Pet Graveyard 2019 Film Review
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