Films/genres that leave you cold

[Neil P]

Horror films was a thing of my (early) teens, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Theatre of Blood, and later, The Exorcist, Halloween, Friday the 13th and the very scary 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
When the horror comedy of The Evil Dead (1981) came along, I was primed nicely for Sam Raimi et al. I stopped being frit, and enjoyed the gore and jumps.
Something like the 1984 amazingly dark Blood Simple held the tension better than any horror after then.
Imagine my surprise when we went to see The Blair Witch Project (1999) at the cinema. This had me captured as the horror of my early youth. I understand that it is a Marmite film, but it gripped me. The person I was with was nonplussed.
Something like George A. Romero Land of the Dead (2005) was entertaining, but in no way scary. His earlier films, with the cheapness and seriousness are far better.
Family/House favourites like Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste, Brain Dead or Meet The Feebles (ace but vile) are regarded as funny rather than in anyway horror.
“Save me the head Reg, I want to suck his brains out…”

Mad God (2022) was the last film that caught me unawares. I had no idea what to expect, and it flattened me - and anyone I have shown it to. I started a thread on it, as it is worthy of discussion and promotion. Horrific and mesmerising.

Blair witch and Blood simple are both classics.

Does anyone know of a forum for film enthusiasts? I know AV Forums have an area for films but it's mainly people rating the quality of sound effects!

 

[Big Tabs]

Blair witch and Blood simple are both classics.

Does anyone know of a forum for film enthusiasts? I know AV Forums have an area for films but it's mainly people rating the quality of sound effects!

I have no interest apart from sharing experience on pfm.

In the our family orientated facebook group includes said Prof. of Film, who on occasion agrees with me. I have more truck with recommendations from The Kids, as they have great taste - natch.

 

[Wolfmancatsup]

I don’t disregard any genre of film, although some attract me more than others. I’m not that interested in films set in times other than the times they were made, but the films of Kurosawa are wonderful. Likewise westerns don’t do a lot for me in the main, but I loved UNFORGIVEN, MAN OF THE WEST, 3:10 TO YUMA, HIGH NOON… Films about folk in sports don’t appeal, but Scorsese’s mighty RAGING BULL bowled me over.
It seems to me that some folk (not a dig at anyone here, just a general comment) judge a genre by the worst examples, rather than its best.

Mick

 

[KrisW]

A lot of films are produced specifically to fit in a genre - it makes them easier to sell. The examples you gave are films that don't quite fit the patterns of their genre, or in the case of High Noon, actually created some of them.

Basically there are derivative films and original films. "Genre" films tend to be the former, but there are always exceptions.

 

[Wolfmancatsup]

The examples you gave are films that don't quite fit the patterns of their genre, or in the case of High Noon, actually created some of them.

I’d agree with that. In the ‘seventies when I first joined the NFT in London, I made a point of seeing any and every film that was still talked about, years after being made, and I found the ones that appealed often weren’t perfect fits within the area they claimed to come from. I love noir, but also realise my favourite within that genre, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, isn’t *quite* simply noir.
I guess a good film’s a good film, whatever type filmmakers and viewers describe it as. And as Theodore Sturgeon said, 95% of everything is crap!

Mick