Best Horror - FINAL!

[fernandito]

Alien
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/Alien_movie_poster.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjLamj-b0I8



Psycho
http://jk2725a.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/psycho-movie-poster.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3-GlvKPcg

[fernandito]

http://media.aintitcool.com/coolproduction/ckeditor_assets/pictures/7888/original/alienattacks.jpg?1341783250

[Jean]

Psycho. Obviously.

[webstar1000]

I cannot in good faith vote for either....

[mae]

Psycho. Obviously.

Of course, Psycho.

[fernandito]

I cannot in good faith vote for either....
I'll give you $5 if you vote for Alien.

#dirtytactics
#inittowinit

[divemaster]

Voted Psycho

[webstar1000]

I cannot in good faith vote for either....
I'll give you $5 if you vote for Alien.

#dirtytactics
#inittowinit

LOOOOL

[Tommy]

When I saw the what the semi-final choices were, I thought for sure it would be The Shining Vs. The Exorcist, boy was I wrong! Voting for Psycho

[frik]

Psycho!

sk

[Heather19]

When I saw the what the semi-final choices were, I thought for sure it would be The Shining Vs. The Exorcist, boy was I wrong! Voting for Psycho

Those would have been my picks as well :lol:

Oh well, I guess I gotta vote for Psycho.

[Ben Staad]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVZUVeMtYXc

[Ricky]

I clicked one of the little circles and realized that it was for Alien. Whew. Voted Psycho.

[Merlin1958]

The Exorcist should really be here, but in lieu of that, Psycho. Also a tremendous film.

[fernandito]

getting closer...

[Still Servant]

Interesting final. I'm not surprised by Alien. I've always thought the people of this community really love the Alien franchise. Myself included.

[Merlin1958]

So, no one finds it odd that "The Best Horror Film" contest comes down to a "Sci-Fi" movie and the first "Slasher" flick? Both are fine films, but really for this category? I guess my mind has been officially blown!!


:emot-flame::Ball Kick::rofl::emot-cthulhu::shoot:

[Odetta]

Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.

[mae]

So, no one finds it odd that "The Best Horror Film" contest comes down to a "Sci-Fi" movie and the first "Slasher" flick? Both are fine films, but really for this category? I guess my mind has been officially blown!!


:emot-flame::Ball Kick::rofl::emot-cthulhu::shoot:

Both are very much horror films. As we've discussed in the nominations thread, "horror" is a wide-ranging genre. What would you have liked to see instead?

[divemaster]

John Carpenter's The Thing has a strange alien life form, a spaceship, a remote location, and folks getting picked off one by one, and most folks would consider that primarily horror (with elements of sci-fi). Why can't Alien (which shares all those same elements) be considered similarly?

[fernandito]

Interesting final. I'm not surprised by Alien. I've always thought the people of this community really love the Alien franchise. Myself included.
That's because it's one of the best horror films ever. :cool:



Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.

I knew I could count on you :wub:

[Jean]

still tied

bears are beyond surprised

[fernandito]

I'm still anticipating about 6 more votes or so...

SIX MORE VOTES FOR ALIEN THAT IS

[mae]

One of the best scenes in all of film (perfect acting, dialogue, cinematography, everything):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT50YwWwGtA

[webstar1000]

I'm still anticipating about 6 more votes or so...

SIX MORE VOTES FOR ALIEN THAT IS

I broke down and gave you another Alien... I thought the other (wont mention names) was boring...:(

[mae]

What? :mad1:

[fernandito]

I'm still anticipating about 6 more votes or so...

SIX MORE VOTES FOR ALIEN THAT IS

I broke down and gave you another Alien... I thought the other (wont mention names) was boring...:(

Do you want cash or check? LOL

Alien with the lead!!

[fernandito]

One of the best scenes in all of film (perfect acting, dialogue, cinematography, everything):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT50YwWwGtA

Yes, I agree. Incredible scene.

[Jean]

I'm still anticipating about 6 more votes or so...

SIX MORE VOTES FOR ALIEN THAT IS

I broke down and gave you another Alien... I thought the other (wont mention names) was boring...:(
um... I thought Alien was boring... couldn't finish it, in fact...

[fernandito]

Tied at 10!

I feel like if I'm watching a World Cup match :lol:

[Jean]

Psycho leading

[fernandito]

thump, thump
thump, thump

[fernandito]

I'm thinking that for the sci-fi tournament, I'll make a questionnaire for the knockout stages so we can get some discussion going. The thread gets plenty of votes but not everyone participates in the discussion.

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.com/a/img819/8213/c25o.jpg

[Heather19]

I'm thinking that for the sci-fi tournament, I'll make a questionnaire for the knockout stages so we can get some discussion going. The thread gets plenty of votes but not everyone participates in the discussion.

Sounds good to me. I'd love to get some discussion going on about the films.

[Tommy]

I'm thinking that for the sci-fi tournament, I'll make a questionnaire for the knockout stages so we can get some discussion going. The thread gets plenty of votes but not everyone participates in the discussion.

So will Alien be eligible for the Sci-fi tournament as well?

[Odetta]

Interesting final. I'm not surprised by Alien. I've always thought the people of this community really love the Alien franchise. Myself included.
That's because it's one of the best horror films ever. :cool:



Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.

I knew I could count on you :wub:

Of course, lover! :wub:

[mae]

I'm thinking that for the sci-fi tournament, I'll make a questionnaire for the knockout stages so we can get some discussion going. The thread gets plenty of votes but not everyone participates in the discussion.

So will Alien be eligible for the Sci-fi tournament as well?

Technically, it should be, but I'd prefer to keep overlap to the bare minimum. I mean, we could re-nominate movies like Frankenstein, The Fly, The Thing, Cloverfield, and others. I'd rather see new movies make it.

[Iwritecode]

I mean, we could re-nominate movies like Frankenstein, The Fly, The Thing, Cloverfield, and others. I'd rather see new movies make it.

I'd have a hard time classifying any of those as sci-fi.

[dnemec]

Voted for Psycho. Alien was good, but for best horror film, I think it's gotta be Psycho over Alien.

[Odetta]

I mean, we could re-nominate movies like Frankenstein, The Fly, The Thing, Cloverfield, and others. I'd rather see new movies make it.

I'd have a hard time classifying any of those as sci-fi.

I agree... What is the definition of Science Fiction?

[mae]

How are those films mentioned above not sci-fi :confused: But we already nominated them for this tournament, so I'd just like to see new titles be nominated, including Alien (Aliens is fine).

[fernandito]

Maybe we could put it to a vote, let everyone decide?

I'm kinda torn myself. I would love to see other films nominated, but at the same time I can't imagine a sci-fi tournament without stuff like The Thing, The Fly etc.,

F it, imma do it :)

[Merlin1958]

I'm thinking that for the sci-fi tournament, I'll make a questionnaire for the knockout stages so we can get some discussion going. The thread gets plenty of votes but not everyone participates in the discussion.



I'm thinking that for the sci-fi tournament, I'll make a questionnaire for the knockout stages so we can get some discussion going. The thread gets plenty of votes but not everyone participates in the discussion.

Sounds good to me. I'd love to get some discussion going on about the films.




I'm thinking that for the sci-fi tournament, I'll make a questionnaire for the knockout stages so we can get some discussion going. The thread gets plenty of votes but not everyone participates in the discussion.

So will Alien be eligible for the Sci-fi tournament as well?

Technically, it should be, but I'd prefer to keep overlap to the bare minimum. I mean, we could re-nominate movies like Frankenstein, The Fly, The Thing, Cloverfield, and others. I'd rather see new movies make it.



I mean, we could re-nominate movies like Frankenstein, The Fly, The Thing, Cloverfield, and others. I'd rather see new movies make it.

I'd have a hard time classifying any of those as sci-fi.


My opinions on the subject of genre seem unpopular and maybe out of date, but if you're planning on going forward with a "Sci-Fi" contest, perhaps a thread for defining (as described) the genre might be a good way of encouraging a little discussion? Also might help define the genre, at least as folks here see it.

FWIW, Alien, The Fly and Cloverfield seem to be (IMHO) clearly "Sci-Fi". Science Fiction is just that, anything involving technology or circumstances beyond our current science/technological status qualifies. That is primarily why I consider "Alien" to be "Sci-Fi" and not "Horror". It is set in the future, with advanced technology and alien lifeforms that are also "Horrible". Splitting hairs? Maybe, but like I said I tend to be a little more "Old School".

[fernandito]

Splitting hairs? Maybe, but like I said I tend to be a little more "Old School".

just a little :)


Check it out, this is my reasoning: when films like Alien, The Thing, The Fly were entered into the Horror tournament, they were judged on their strength as a horror film first. If they're nominated for this next tournament, they'll be judged as a sci-fi. If it's entered and performs poorly in the polls/gets eliminated early, we'll know it's lacking in that particular genre, in which case hypothetically superior films move on.

Like I said though, it looks like we're divided on this subject and I'd really love to get everyone's input!

I'm so looking forward to the sci-fi tournament lol.

[Merlin1958]

Splitting hairs? Maybe, but like I said I tend to be a little more "Old School".

just a little :)


Check it out, this is my reasoning: when films like Alien, The Thing, The Fly were entered into the Horror tournament, they were judged on their strength as a horror film first. If they're nominated for this next tournament, they'll be judged as a sci-fi. If it's entered and performs poorly in the polls/gets eliminated early, we'll know it's lacking in that particular genre, in which case hypothetically superior films move on.

Like I said though, it looks like we're divided on this subject and I'd really love to get everyone's input!

I'm so looking forward to the sci-fi tournament lol.

Then we are agreed a "discussion" as to the genre definitions are in order? If so, I'm all for that, win or lose. Like I said, my interpetations tend to be a little more "Old School", but I welcome new perspectives.

[Jean]

when films like Alien, The Thing, The Fly were entered into the Horror tournament, they were judged on their strength as a horror film first. If they're nominated for this next tournament, they'll be judged as a sci-fi. If it's entered and performs poorly in the polls/gets eliminated early, we'll know it's lacking in that particular genre, in which case hypothetically superior films move on.it makes perfect sense

[fernandito]

Sure, we can have that discussion in that very same thread. Give me a few minutes, I'll set it up.

Glad you agree, Jean.

[fernandito]

*edit*

Merlin, my bad! When you said you wanted to have a discussion on the definition, I though you were referring to sci-fi, not horror. I was going to attach that conversation at the tailend of the poll I was about to make, then I realized you were probably talking about something else completely (Sorry, I'm a slightly indisposed at the moment :blush:).

We can start a new thread for that. Should make for some very interesting discussion.

[RUBE]

As much as I love Alien I almost didn't vote for it here because of the "but it is sci-fi" sentiment. Then I thought about why Alien is a horror and changed my mind. I think part of the reason people don't think of it as horror is because the sequel Aliens definitely moved from horror into the action genre. It is also because it is not your normal horror but a psycho-sexual horror that takes more reflection to recognize.

First it helps to know that much of what is in Alien is based on H.R. Giger's art. I assume because this is a Stephen King forum that many of you have seen his work. It can be very sexual and very disturbing at the same time. The alien itself was based on one of Giger's drawings in which the monster literally had a penis for a head. Why I point this out is because the horror is only classic boogie man on the surface. The real horror is the metaphor of sexual assault. The producers are trying to draw on people's sexual fears, specifically oral rape (the face-hugger) and the subconscious fear man has of how he would hold up if he was the one that had to be pregnant and suffer through labor especially a pregnancy resulting from a rape (chestbuster scene.). Hell, most of the characters die because the alien uses its phallic-symbol of a tongue to penetrate them, normally in the face. I am not just pulling this out of thin air either. There have been numerous articles and papers about it and Ridley himself seems to confirm it.

Anyway, this is all crazy stuff that belongs more in the horror genre than in sci-fi, similar to the way that most slasher movies are about sexual power and how the female protagonist must take the masculinity (his stabbing weapon) away from the villian and use it against him.

[Brice]

Psycho. Obviously.

this

[mae]

Need more Psycho love.

[fernandito]

As much as I love Alien I almost didn't vote for it here because of the "but it is sci-fi" sentiment. Then I thought about why Alien is a horror and changed my mind. I think part of the reason people don't think of it as horror is because the sequel Aliens definitely moved from horror into the action genre. It is also because it is not your normal horror but a psycho-sexual horror that takes more reflection to recognize.

First it helps to know that much of what is in Alien is based on H.R. Giger's art. I assume because this is a Stephen King forum that many of you have seen his work. It can be very sexual and very disturbing at the same time. The alien itself was based on one of Giger's drawings in which the monster literally had a penis for a head. Why I point this out is because the horror is only classic boogie man on the surface. The real horror is the metaphor of sexual assault. The producers are trying to draw on people's sexual fears, specifically oral rape (the face-hugger) and the subconscious fear man has of how he would hold up if he was the one that had to be pregnant and suffer through labor especially a pregnancy resulting from a rape (chestbuster scene.). Hell, most of the characters die because the alien uses its phallic-symbol of a tongue to penetrate them, normally in the face. I am not just pulling this out of thin air either. There have been numerous articles and papers about it and Ridley himself seems to confirm it.

Anyway, this is all crazy stuff that belongs more in the horror genre than in sci-fi, similar to the way that most slasher movies are about sexual power and how the female protagonist must take the masculinity (his stabbing weapon) away from the villian and use it against him.

Agree with pretty much everything on here. In fact, I'm a little upset with myself for not mentioning that cliff note of Ridley Scott saying that he made this film in large part so that men too could feel the helplessness of being overwhelmed by an aggressor.

The entire film is teeming with symbolism and parallels; H.R Giger was chosen for a reason. Such a rich film.

And we're tied at 15! This is the closest movie final we've ever had!

[Heather19]

We need more votes so it doesn't end in a tie :)

[needfulthings]

LOOKS LIKE A ...WIN...WIN... SITUATION TO ME.
http://imageshack.com/a/img843/668/9gde9.jpg

[needfulthings]

http://imageshack.com/a/img849/3995/5jj7.jpg
"GREAT CONTEST" NORMAN...WHAT SAY I GRAB A SHOWER & WE MEET UP LATER?

[Jean]

tied at 15!!!!

[mae]

Thirty people voted. That's gotta be the most in this tournament. Will we get a 31st?

[T-Dogz_AK47]

ALIEN for the Win!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[fernandito]

:lol:

Let's go, Alien!

[mae]

As much as I like Alien, Psycho is a much better film.

[mystima]

I saw both films around the same age and had to vote for the one that scared me more. Sorry Psycho fans...voter 31 has broken the tie.

[Jean]

As much as I like Alien, Psycho is a much better film.I think they are in entirely different leagues. Psycho losing to Alien is for me the source of continuous stupefaction

[Mattrick]

I love Alien but there were a handful of films nixed in the first round (darn one vote allowed) I think are more deserving of the title. But maybe that's just me as when it comes to judging a film I take my love for it out of it. There are some films I positively love and have seen countless times but I can leave them out when it comes to ranking...my top ten films of the 2000s are hardly my favourite films as some of my favourites like Almost Famous and Punch Drunk Love didn't make my own cut lol. And I LOVE Alien, I grew up on those films and they introduced me basically to horror and sci-fi...when most kids wanted to be the Power Rangers for Halloween...I wanted to be Corporal Hicks lol.

I almost want to re-do the horror movie tournament as it was but with multiple votes allowed just to see if we'd still get this same result because I do not think we would.

[mae]

How is Alien leading now. What is this madness? :panic: Psycho is such an iconic and classic film!

[Jean]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WsPwbXja_8Q/T4FA_MnDyWI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/7CJkRlfU4Xc/s1600/The%2Bupset%2Bbear.png

[Ricky]

Psycho losing to Alien is for me the source of continuous stupefaction

Amen.

[Heather19]

And now its leading by 2. Two more days, we'll see if it can gain a lead again. It's been a tight race.

[fernandito]

I saw both films around the same age and had to vote for the one that scared me more.

Same here. I've always seen Psycho as a fascinating character study of a man unable to escape the abuse suffered at the hands of his mother. As a horror film though, I came away much more impressed by Alien. Some of the stuff that goes down in the movie still gives me the creeps.

Ian Holms' character trying to strangle Ripley while his robotic head is still semi attached to his body is nuts.

[Roden]

Alien for me, most definitely. Psycho was a bit before my time, I still haven't seen it "properly". The parts I did see just didn't do anything for me.. and the music was kind of annoying more than anything. Sorry Jean :) Though I thought the Hitchcock movie recently on the making of Psycho was interesting (though I missed the end as the plane landed).

[Jean]

Psycho was a bit before my timehow old do you think bears are? http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif.html)http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif.html)http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif.html)

most of the films I love were "before my time"... ditto music and books

[Mattrick]

How is Alien leading now. What is this madness? :panic: Psycho is such an iconic and classic film!

But it's not all that scary. Plenty of films from it's time that were much creepier. Heck, Rebecca was much creepier. There are plenty of modern day films that will be considered classic and iconic one day too, doesn't make them scary though. Also, the shower scene in Psycho is as iconic as the dinner scene in Alien imo, probably less so because 'guy with knife' just isn't as traumatizing as 'alien life form exploding out of someone's chest in gory fashion' lol

I was also thinking today, if Psycho can make it to the final with a shitty remake...where is Cape Fear whose remake was as good as the original? Max Cady = far creepier and scary than Norman Bates.

[Merlin1958]

How is Alien leading now. What is this madness? :panic: Psycho is such an iconic and classic film!

But it's not all that scary. Plenty of films from it's time that were much creepier. Heck, Rebecca was much creepier. There are plenty of modern day films that will be considered classic and iconic one day too, doesn't make them scary though. Also, the shower scene in Psycho is as iconic as the dinner scene in Alien imo, probably less so because 'guy with knife' just isn't as traumatizing as 'alien life form exploding out of someone's chest in gory fashion' lol

Oh, no you didn't!!! The shower scene was way much more infuential to movie making than the dinner scene in "Alien. Pure fact, not really open to discussion. Go research and tell me I'm wrong. :nope:

[Jean]

if Psycho loses to Alien, bears will never be the same again

[Merlin1958]

if Psycho loses to Alien, bears will never be the same again

As will "Wizards".

[Jean]

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/BEAR-HUG.jpg (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/BEAR-HUG.jpg.html)

[Merlin1958]

Such a shame!!! :Ball Kick::cry::cry::cry:

[T-Dogz_AK47]

Oh, no you didn't!!! The shower scene was way much more infuential to movie making than the dinner scene in "Alien. Pure fact, not really open to discussion. Go research and tell me I'm wrong. :nope:

Quite possibly, yet Jaws was even more influential to film making and it didn't even reach the semi-final.

IMHO under a contemporary viewing, Psycho has not aged well at all. Unfortunately I think it now looks badly dated and in parts, clichéd.

Yes, I too believe that the music in Psycho is extremely annoying and the blood in the shower scene looks like the chocolate sauce that it is...

Alien on the other hand reeks of claustrophobia and has a real sense of danger and foreboding attached to it. As far as pure horror goes, Alien is the winner here... 8)


Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.

[Merlin1958]

Oh, no you didn't!!! The shower scene was way much more infuential to movie making than the dinner scene in "Alien. Pure fact, not really open to discussion. Go research and tell me I'm wrong. :nope:

Quite possibly, yet Jaws was even more influential to film making and it didn't even reach the semi-final.

IMHO under a contemporary viewing, Psycho has not aged well at all. Unfortunately I think it now looks badly dated and in parts, clichéd.

Yes, I too believe that the music in Psycho is extremely annoying and the blood in the shower scene looks like the chocolate sauce that it is...

Alien on the other hand reeks of claustrophobia and has a real sense of danger and foreboding attached to it. As far as pure horror goes, Alien is the winner here... 8)


Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.

Age, and the norms of the times are a distinct factor. (If I may ask) How old are you?

[Mattrick]

How is Alien leading now. What is this madness? :panic: Psycho is such an iconic and classic film!

But it's not all that scary. Plenty of films from it's time that were much creepier. Heck, Rebecca was much creepier. There are plenty of modern day films that will be considered classic and iconic one day too, doesn't make them scary though. Also, the shower scene in Psycho is as iconic as the dinner scene in Alien imo, probably less so because 'guy with knife' just isn't as traumatizing as 'alien life form exploding out of someone's chest in gory fashion' lol

Oh, no you didn't!!! The shower scene was way much more infuential to movie making than the dinner scene in "Alien. Pure fact, not really open to discussion. Go research and tell me I'm wrong. :nope:

This is the Best Horror Movie Tournament, not Most Influencial To Movie Making tournament. If you follow that thinking than whatever films influenced Hitchcock are thus greater than Hitchcock which I am sure is not the case in most cases.


http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChestBurster (Alien Dinner Scene influence on pop culture)

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PsychoShowerMurderParody (Psycho Shower Scene influence on pop culture)




The world of film would be vastly different had Alien never been made. Lest we forget Alien came from a rookie director, not a powerhouse with 35 years of prior filmmaking experience so you could argue Psycho not even being in Hitchcock's top 5 most influencial films. And as for Ridley Scott, director of Alien, a lot of people consider his Blade Runner to be one of if not THE greatest film of all time so between that and Alien I think Ridley Scott has had as much influence on the next generation of filmmakers as Hitchcock has, just in different ways.

A highly influencial horror film that to me is more effective as a horror film than Psycho? Halloween.

As for Hitchcock, I was more creeped out by his films Rebecca and Rear Window than Psycho which I find trite compared to the other Hitchock films I've seen. At the time I am sure it was amazing and terrifying much like how The Exorcist made people lose their minds but I still maintain The Exorcist is a far better horror film than Psycho. It's like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, very influencial and at the time there was nothing else like it but it still bores the hell out of me regardless of it's stamp in cinema history :/

[Merlin1958]

How is Alien leading now. What is this madness? :panic: Psycho is such an iconic and classic film!

But it's not all that scary. Plenty of films from it's time that were much creepier. Heck, Rebecca was much creepier. There are plenty of modern day films that will be considered classic and iconic one day too, doesn't make them scary though. Also, the shower scene in Psycho is as iconic as the dinner scene in Alien imo, probably less so because 'guy with knife' just isn't as traumatizing as 'alien life form exploding out of someone's chest in gory fashion' lol

Oh, no you didn't!!! The shower scene was way much more infuential to movie making than the dinner scene in "Alien. Pure fact, not really open to discussion. Go research and tell me I'm wrong. :nope:

This is the Best Horror Movie Tournament, not Most Influencial To Movie Making tournament. If you follow that thinking than whatever films influenced Hitchcock are thus greater than Hitchcock which I am sure is not the case in most cases.


http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChestBurster (Alien Dinner Scene influence on pop culture)

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PsychoShowerMurderParody (Psycho Shower Scene influence on pop culture)


The world of film would be vastly different had Alien never been made. Lest we forget Alien came from a rookie director, not a powerhouse with 35 years of prior filmmaking experience so you could argue Psycho not even being in Hitchcock's top 5 most influencial films. And as for Ridley Scott, director of Alien, a lot of people consider his Blade Runner to be one of if not THE greatest film of all time so between that and Alien I think Ridley Scott has had as much influence on the next generation of filmmakers as Hitchcock has, just in different ways.




:yawn::yawn::yawn:

[T-Dogz_AK47]

Age, and the norms of the times are a distinct factor. (If I may ask) How old are you?

To quote Mark Twain:

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter... :P :D

[Merlin1958]

Age, and the norms of the times are a distinct factor. (If I may ask) How old are you?

To quote Mark Twain:

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter... :P :D

Smart ass, yes, but what I was getting at is that certain films, during the accepted more's at the times make a huge difference. You can watch "The Exorcist" now and not have any idea of the impact at the time. That was my point, you wise ass!! LOL J/K

[Jean]

This is the Best Horror Movie Tournament, not Most Influencial To Movie Making tournament.
I agree with this 100%. Personal perception is the only thing that should matter here.

[Mattrick]

That's my problem with every top 50 horror movie list I looked, almost all the best horror movies were usually out of the top ten because the top ten is reserved for the 'classics' (which is a word that got all mixed in with 'quality' somewhere along the line [even the worst movie from 1930 is a classic movie]) and while they may be important horror films, that doesn't make them the best. I'm afraid part of the quality of a movie is how well it stands the test of time and if the scares in a film just aren't there anymore 40 years later, regardless of how scary it was at the time, how much it influenced the genre, how important it was to cinema history...well, then how great of a horror film can one be if it's scares fade with time? These days it's HARDER to make a horror movie because so much has been done before. We have to re-invent tropes and re-imagine and sometimes people still say 'just another zombie movie' where as films like 28 Days Later and Pontypool are anything but 'just another zombie movie', they re-invented the tropes that inspired them which should be given more credit then it does.

[fernandito]

Some great discussion going on here, I love it :D

[T-Dogz_AK47]

That's my problem with every top 50 horror movie list I looked, almost all the best horror movies were usually out of the top ten because the top ten is reserved for the 'classics' (which is a word that got all mixed in with 'quality' somewhere along the line [even the worst movie from 1930 is a classic movie]) and while they may be important horror films, that doesn't make them the best. I'm afraid part of the quality of a movie is how well it stands the test of time and if the scares in a film just aren't there anymore 40 years later, regardless of how scary it was at the time, how much it influenced the genre, how important it was to cinema history...well, then how great of a horror film can one be if it's scares fade with time? These days it's HARDER to make a horror movie because so much has been done before. We have to re-invent tropes and re-imagine and sometimes people still say 'just another zombie movie' where as films like 28 Days Later and Pontypool are anything but 'just another zombie movie', they re-invented the tropes that inspired them which should be given more credit then it does.

I totally agree with this, and on that score, Psycho should not even be in the final...

[Merlin1958]

I, for one, give up!!!

[T-Dogz_AK47]

I, for one, give up!!!


A L I E N for the win!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:


You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.

You admire it.

I admire its purity. A survivor … unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.

[Mattrick]

Someone brought up a great point in the Prometheus discussions on Roger Ebert's review...



Kudos to Mr. Ebert for being one of the few that really recognized this movies greatness!

The funny thing is this: If Prometheus had opened in 1979, it would be celebrated today as a science-fiction masterpiece, in the tradition of "2001" and others. Had Scott followed today with "Alien", people would have panned it for being a dumb slasher flick with lame characters, bad dialogue and so on. You get the point...

People should re-watch "Alien" and "2001" and pay attention, if the character development is any better (It's not, especially in "2001"). And for the originality debate: Promethius is basically the adaptation of "At the mountains of madness" from H.P. Lovecraft, which is even older than the novel for "2001".
I'm just saying...

I can't help but agree with this because Alien and Prometheus are almost the same movie yet are judged so vastly different BECAUSE of the legacy of Alien...can anything be better than a legacy? I can't help but think if Prometheus was just another Ridley Scott sci-fi film and not a prequel to Alien, it would have been better recieved. This is why no matter how good LeBron is we'll say 'he's not Jordan/Magic/Kareem/Chamberlain etc.

[Mattrick]

In this thread no one can hear you scream.

[T-Dogz_AK47]

In this thread no one can hear you scream.

LOL!!!! :lol:

[Heather19]

I'm quite curious what everyone would consider as their top horror films. Should we discuss here, or maybe the horror thread? I just don't want it to disappear after the competition. I'll post my top 10 soon.

[Roden]

Psycho was a bit before my timehow old do you think bears are? http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif.html)http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif.html)http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif (http://s91.photobucket.com/user/mishemplushem/media/Facilitation/bearmood_hahaha.gif.html)

most of the films I love were "before my time"... ditto music and books
Haha, I'm 28 - but I guess I should of chosen my words better - it hasn't aged well is what I meant. :) But I also meant before my time as in perception - if I had been around earlier, I would most likely have a different opinion. I love old movies.. Sierra Madre, White Zombie, Snake Pit and a ton of 1950s Japanese movies are just some I enjoyed recently. Old books have a certain charm too, especially obscure ones which bring up thoughts most humans never bothered listened to..

I want to say Psycho is a poor man's Halloween, but that would probably be unfair considering I never saw the movie properly. It's not uncommon for the first thing in a field to not be as good as the second. Happens in the tech industry all the time.

[fernandito]

I can't help but agree with this because Alien and Prometheus are almost the same movie yet are judged so vastly different BECAUSE of the legacy of Alien...can anything be better than a legacy? I can't help but think if Prometheus was just another Ridley Scott sci-fi film and not a prequel to Alien, it would have been better recieved. This is why no matter how good LeBron is we'll say 'he's not Jordan/Magic/Kareem/Chamberlain etc.
Speaking for myself here - I went into Prometheus willing to meet it on its own terms. I knew of Scott's cryptic messages that the two films would "share strands of DNA", but I wasn't willing to let my appreciation for that film be contingent on how closely/loosely it stuck to the Alien mythos.

They're the same movie on paper, sure, but not in execution. While Alien is a masterclass of tension and horror and it knows what it wants to build up to and how to get there, Prometheus suffers from identity crisis. It doesn't know if it wants to be a horror film, an exploration of our origins, a sci-fi epic. It tries to juggle too many things and it ends dropping each ball. I mean sure, the film is gorgeous, but it's visuals and some scene chewing scenes from Fassbender are all it pretty much all it has going for it. Characters make some ruthlessly idiotic decisions, it has some truly cringe worthy cliches I still want to barf thinking about Charlize Theron's "Yes... father". Jeezus that was pure cheese. He's the dad, really? What was that supposed to accomplish? Whatever.

And to top it all off, by the time we get to the answers portion of the film no one cares because 1) the film has essentially turned into a slasher at that point, and 2) the answers we're given are the film equivalent of "Sorry Mario, your Princess is in another castle!" You can bet your ass that Lindelof was brought in rework the ending so that Prometheus 2 & 3 line up better. That whole film was just one massive disappointment for me.

[Mattrick]

But at the same time I know you watched all those viral videos etc that built up the hype behind Prometheus. I've still never seen Prometheus's trailer. If anything I had months of negative hype before I sat down and watched it lol. I don't know if hype actually affects howsome one percieves a film but I stay away from it just in case lol. I guess either I just ignored the problems people had with it or I don't particularily agree with them. To me if anyone should be upset about Prometheus it would be that it used the same playbook from Alien: A science team is sent to a distant planet for one reason when the corporation that sent them has alterior motives and there they find themselves betrayed by the logic of an Android and face a deadly alien threat unlike anything they've ever seen in which a female crew member reaches down to depths she never knew existed to survive. The two characters that needed time (Noomi Rapace and Fassbender) got it and the others didn't which is fine since they are just there to die anyways, which is very similar to Ripley/Ash from Alien. Have you watched Prometheus/Alien back to back? I've considered doing it just to see if they are as similar as I find them, I found both movies so shockingly similar in structure that I've wondered if any problems I had with Prometheus were also in Alien.

[RUBE]

Prometheus and Alien have a number of similar elements but they are not the same plot and definitely not the same execution. For one, the characters in Alien are mostly unsuspecting, working-class guys/girls who are thrown into this situation and don't have the expertise to deal with it. In Prometheus, the people on the spacecraft are suppose to be experts in their fields who are specifically on a mission to discover alien life. The way Prometheus is written the characters seem to forget this and go straight into dumb-teenager-in-a-slasher-film mode once the they see the first sign of trouble. Prometheus also seems to be more about trying to give answers (most of which don't add up) while Alien's only goal was to scare its viewers in a new way (which i explained in an earlier post.) Prometheus borrows a few of the sexual image scares/gross-outs (squid on engineer, anyone) but they are not the point of the film. To sum up, I like Prometheus but I love Alien.



Jean and everyone that feels ripped off by the results of this poll, I feel for y'all. As much as I love Alien, I do not think it is the greatest horror movie. I do think it was better than Psycho but there were a number of films that were eliminated earlier that were better than both. I think that is going to be a problem with brackets like these every time. They are fun but you get some strange results because of upsets in earlier rounds. Only having a poll with all of the movies or a round-robin format would get better results but they would be less fun. The first would be too short and the other too long. I guess what I am saying is don't get too upset because this is just a poll for fun and far from an exact measure of these movies.

[needfulthings]

BESIDES WE KNOW
http://imageshack.com/a/img856/3452/pc6v.jpg
WAS THE REAL WINNER.:unsure:

[Mattrick]

Prometheus and Alien have a number of similar elements but they are not the same plot and definitely not the same execution. For one, the characters in Alien are mostly unsuspecting, working-class guys/girls who are thrown into this situation and don't have the expertise to deal with it. In Prometheus, the people on the spacecraft are suppose to be experts in their fields who are specifically on a mission to discover alien life. The way Prometheus is written the characters seem to forget this and go straight into dumb-teenager-in-a-slasher-film mode once the they see the first sign of trouble. Prometheus also seems to be more about trying to give answers (most of which don't add up) while Alien's only goal was to scare its viewers in a new way (which i explained in an earlier post.) Prometheus borrows a few of the sexual image scares/gross-outs (squid on engineer, anyone) but they are not the point of the film. To sum up, I like Prometheus but I love Alien.

I agree. I don't love Prometheus like I do Alien but I do think it's the most overly criticised movie of our time.




Jean and everyone that feels ripped off by the results of this poll, I feel for y'all. As much as I love Alien, I do not think it is the greatest horror movie. I do think it was better than Psycho but there were a number of films that were eliminated earlier that were better than both. I think that is going to be a problem with brackets like these every time. They are fun but you get some strange results because of upsets in earlier rounds. Only having a poll with all of the movies or a round-robin format would get better results but they would be less fun. The first would be too short and the other too long. I guess what I am saying is don't get too upset because this is just a poll for fun and far from an exact measure of these movies.

I think have multiple choices will solve that problem or at least we'll see more competetive first rounds.

[mae]

Problem is, from the outset this was meant to be the best movie tournament which happen to be horror, not the scariest movie tournament. See discussion prior to the beginning of the event. The better movie is clearly Psycho.

[Mattrick]

Yet I don't consider Psycho a horror movie. To me it's a suspense/thriller. Semantics I know.

[RUBE]

Problem is, from the outset this was meant to be the best movie tournament which happen to be horror, not the scariest movie tournament. See discussion prior to the beginning of the event. The better movie is clearly Psycho.

I love it when someone states something as fact that is indeed an opinion. My own opinion might be that Psycho is too dependent on its two main gimicks: kill the supposed main character off early in the movie and big twist ending. I admire Hitchcock but I am not ready to declare Psycho as "clearly" one of the greatest. To be fair, I wouldn't say that of Alien either. I simply prefer Alien whether judging on horror or not.


I think this has inspired me to watch both again to see if that changes my opinion.

[RUBE]

Yet I don't consider Psycho a horror movie. To me it's a suspense/thriller. Semantics I know.

Some might say that the Sci-fi beat the thriller in what was suppose to be the horror contest.

[mae]

I would be anything that most if not all best movies lists put Psycho well above Alien. I love both films, so this is pretty objective.

[RUBE]

I would be anything that most if not all best movies lists put Psycho well above Alien. I love both films, so this is pretty objective.

Movie lists are nothing but subjective opinion. You can compare the length (quantity) of two movies objectively but quality is always a matter of opinion. That is what makes this fun (or frustrating.)


edit: I looked at IMDB's top250 list and Psycho was 31 while Alien was 49. However, both, and everything between, had an 8.5 rating. Then I noticed Leon: The Professional was higher than them both. WTF.

[Mattrick]

Yet I don't consider Psycho a horror movie. To me it's a suspense/thriller. Semantics I know.

Some might say that the Sci-fi beat the thriller in what was suppose to be the horror contest.

I consider Alien more of a horror movie than Psycho as it's second half is pure monster movie. The most frustrating part of this Tournament was the great horror films Scream beat out...Scream :(

[mae]

I believe crowd-sourced ratings reflect well on a film's stature. Both of these are very close, with Psycho rating 8.6 on IMDB and Alien 8.5, while on RT Psycho is 96% and Alien is 97%.

[Mattrick]

It is rare that a movie I really love is ranked above 8. More often than not they hover around the 6.5 to 7.5 range on IMDB.

[Jean]

[QUOTE=Jean;858831] it hasn't aged well is what I meant. :) I see what you mean; I myself hold more respect than love for Psycho. But since the films I do consider the best horrors of all times have been eliminated (namely, The Orphanage and The Others), I had to at least cling to something that bears can be more or less fond of. Especially after the unexplainable failure of The Shining and The Exorcist.

[fernandito]

Problem is, from the outset this was meant to be the best movie tournament which happen to be horror, not the scariest movie tournament. See discussion prior to the beginning of the event. The better movie is clearly Psycho.
I consider Alien the better movie in every way, not just as a horror.

[fernandito]

Have you watched Prometheus/Alien back to back? I've considered doing it just to see if they are as similar as I find them, I found both movies so shockingly similar in structure that I've wondered if any problems I had with Prometheus were also in Alien.I have not, but I think this conversation has prompted me to do so. I was looking to buy Alien on blu-ray anyway since I only have it on DVD, I'll make that my priority this weekend.

... and I'll just Netflix Prometheus lol. It's sad too because the box art for it is so sexy but I just can't bring myself to drop cash for it.

[needfulthings]

THE ONLY WAY TO FLY!
http://imageshack.com/a/img841/9400/9123b.jpg

[Odetta]

I would be anything that most if not all best movies lists put Psycho well above Alien. I love both films, so this is pretty objective.

Movie lists are nothing but subjective opinion. You can compare the length (quantity) of two movies objectively but quality is always a matter of opinion. That is what makes this fun (or frustrating.)


edit: I looked at IMDB's top250 list and Psycho was 31 while Alien was 49. However, both, and everything between, had an 8.5 rating. Then I noticed Leon: The Professional was higher than them both. WTF.

Now, don't start beating on my Leon! That movie was stellar! In my top 10 fave movies!


I'm a huge Hitchcock fan, don't get me wrong, but I actually found some of his other movies scarier than Psycho.

I love Alien... It's my fave of the series for "horror" elements. I will probably nominate Aliens or Alien3 for the sci-fi

[Jean]

so... looks like we have the winner?...

: stupefied bear:

[Heather19]

Voting ends tomorrow, let's get those last min votes in! :D

[fernandito]

Let's give a big round of applause to Alien, DT's Best Horror Movie! Thank you all for participating!! :clap:

http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2010/05/20100524_alien3d_560x375.jpg

[Heather19]

Alien was a strong contender the whole way through, not at all surprised it won.

Thank you every one for participating. It was fun, and I hope you all vote in the upcoming sci-fi tournament :D

And a big thank you to Feev for helping me host the tournament, couldn't have done it without you :couple:

[mae]

It was close there for a while and then Alien just ripped through.

[Ricky]

Before the contest started I thought that The Exorcist might win, so I'm really surprised.

[fernandito]

I knew Exorcist and Psycho would make it to at least semi finals, but Alien has been a marvelous surprise. Great film, and a worthy champion.

This is definitely one of -if not the- closest finals we've had for these kind of tournaments.

[T-Dogz_AK47]

I would have loved to see an Alien vs Jaws final, but I am more than happy with this result. Alien is a fantastic movie! :smile:

[Odetta]

It was close there for a while and then Alien just ripped through.

:clap:

Good one!

[frik]

I would have loved to see an Alien vs Jaws final, but I am more than happy with this result. Alien is a fantastic movie! :smile:

It is. But Psycho was my nomination and therefore deserved to win! :wink:

sk

[Jean]

http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/bear-spray-2.jpg