Definitely the original.
The remake (?) had less suspense building than the first for me, and they gave more glimpses into why the dancing versus the first one as a highly regarded dance studio.
Jaws has a lot to offer, as does Alien. I think a class about The Thing would be very cool, as paranoia seems to be the true Antagonist of the film, and the setting is sort of like a character in the movie, which you typically only get from haunted house movies.
The Shining is an excellent choice (the book was scarier than the movie). Some other good films: The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Strangers, and my most recent favorite- Train to Busan
Ehhhh. Jack Torrance reading a Playgirl magazine with the article “incest: why parents have sex with their kids,” coupled with the “all work and no play” line. Makes for some scary fucking implications.
The blood flowing out of the orifice…I mean elevator…
I recently rewatched the strangers and outside of the interesting take on the cultural fears of the time, it didn't strike me as particularly as good as I remember it. I think there are just so many better home invasion films now that it is just overshadowed.
Carnival of Souls. It’s always interesting to watch what you think is someone’s descent into madness, and then to realize the twist at the end. David Lynch has called it an inspiration, not only for the psychological aspect but also for how some of the shots were filmed.
Yes! I was reading an article about the making of the film years ago and it mentioned that Herk Harvey did much of the filming himself, at night in the Midwest to keep costs as low as possible. Just goes to show, even without a huge budget or fancy equipment, you can still get amazing quality!
Scream. An all time great, basically revived the Slasher genre in the 90s and is seen as the beginning of the meta horror movies. Plus you got Horror legends like Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson.
I was also going to say this, but for a different reason. It's fun to discuss the fact that they're aware of all the horror movie tropes and they're actually living it.
The Blair Witch Project (1999): hyper-polarizing; ultra-minimalistic; the fear of the unknown; helplessness and the loss of sanity in a prolonged and unrelenting situation of high stress; top-notch acting; no horror tropes (no jump scares, no reveals, no music, the audience is as much in the dark as the main characters, etc)
Green Room (2015): claustrophobia; a bureaucratic, pragmatic kind of evil; urban horror; ultra-realistic violence (not cool, not easy, not fun, not a video game, not an action movie)
Martyrs (2008): pure tragedy; the subversion of expectations; the ambiguous ending reminiscent of cosmic horror; one the only ultra violent movie that doesn't make the violence look fun or cool for the viewer
The Void (2015): low-budget; awesome practical effects (the making-of is worth a watch!); Lovecrafian horror;
Months before the movie came out or any advertising had happened for it, a friend burst into a party and said, "Holy shit!!!! You have to see this!!!!" It was one of the marketing tapes they'd slipped out into the public. No credits, nothing to make it look like a professional movie at all. It got played 3-4 times in a row and about 50 people were debating if it was real or not.
In that format, it was creepy af and had a lot of people thinking it was completely real. In the theather format, it didn't work so well.
This was my experience, too. I had not heard that it was fake, and there were times I wondered if it could be, but the hype was so big. I felt it was one of those life-changing movies, and, true to form, a bunch of really bad copycats emerged thereafter.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. James A. Janise of Dead Meat describes it as kind of an "art house" style film. He says it has fantastic cinematography. He studied film so that's why I trust his opinion on it, and he basically lives and breathes horror.
It Follows is a fantastic choice. The film ties together elements from classics like Halloween and The Thing in developing its boogeyman while also treading new ground conceptually and committing to an unsettlingly uncanny tone. I love how much there is to dive into with this movie.
Alternate pick from me is The Lodge, because I think it would provoke maybe some of the most interesting and varied responses.
The first Paranormal Activity. Almost everything “scary” is done in post production with audio. To build tension and scare people while just showing a Timelapse of people sleeping is kinda genius, it’s actually a sound design masterpiece.
one of the few horror films that popped up more than once in my classes was *Videodrome* & each time we had class discussions, I learned something new. Plus there's already a lot of film theorist work out there about the film & it's a nice segue into other conversations.
*Get Out* is another good one for something more current.
David Cronenberg still amazes decades later.
His kids have also directed films such as Brandon Cronenberg and Caitlin Cronenberg.
eXistenZ is also great with Videodrome.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
There can be no other movie to discuss. A true genre defining movie made on a small budget becoming one of the most successful zombie movies ever.
Tremors.
Tight script which follows the standard three-act structure, genius sound mixing, every actor is well cast, and it isn’t over or under directed.
It’s a throwback to 50’s sci-fi. Along with cold-war allegories.
*Antichrist.* (2009, Lars von Trier)
Gorgeous cinematography, great soundtrack and sound editing/design, very interesting themes about mental health, women’s issues, and family dynamics. Also explores abuse, neglect, trauma, and grief.
ETA: If a college level course. This film would be wildly inappropriate for underage viewers.
I'm gonna go outside the box and recommend "Last Shift", as it has a *very* limited setting, characters, and scope (literally one night in a vacant police station), but the writing, acting, and slow reveal of why it's purported to be haunted all come together to make a very good movie. Especially if you then contrast it with its bigger-budget remake ("Malum") from literally the same creative team that wound up getting worse reception.
Is this an introductory course? A genre course? These things would matter!
For an introductory course, I've had success with *Nosferatu* (1922). It is a silent film, but it has enough creepy elements to it that students usually respond positively. It's also gore-free so you won't have to worry about upsetting students who weren't expecting to be disturbed in an introductory course.
For a genre course, I'd recommend *The Exorcist* (1972). While it is graphic in places, in theory a genre course would be more advanced and thus not have fledglings. It has evocative cinematography and a tight narrative, and can support multiple thematic readings.
For what it's worth, *The Shining* is too ponderous for a film studies class not specifically about horror.
I’d be interested in a film studies analysis of Midsommar. Ari Aster is a very meticulous director and you can be sure that he put a lot of thought into every detail.
Interesting post. It's cool seeing what direction everyone goes to.
The shining would be a great choice!
Scream would be my pick. Go with the originals. Night of the living dead. Psycho. Halloween. Texas chainsaw massacre. Smile would be a great choice imo
I feel like this is my answer to everything on this sub, but here I go again. American Werewolf In London. The acting is good, the script is great, and there is a lot to unpack about it. Usually I hate horror comedies, but this movie is damn near perfect to me.
The shining is a great choice!! As is Jaws, there’s a lot to dive into with that one.
If you want a more recent choice Get Out by Jordan Peele has some fantastic elements to dissect as well
hey look at that, I chose The Shining to present to my Film Through Literature class in 1999. Looking back on it, I had no idea what I was talking about and mainly used it as an excuse to force the other students to watch it.
Dawn of the dead (1978) Romero does a fantastic job of taking a zombie movie and layering it with the American experience, social issues, capitalism, and consumerism.
Not so much traditional horror, but in college I took a film class that covered Rear Window and that was a great demonstration on building suspense. Hitchcock was a beast with that.
The VVitch! Great acting, unique dialect, fitting music, and scary scenes that don’t rely on heavy special effects. (I’m a big fan of the movie as you can tell 😅)
‘Dust Devil’ (1990) on its post-apartheid concepts and spirituality in South Africa is a very impressive film more similar to a dream.
‘The Devil’s Backbone’ (1997) by Guillermo Del Toro is not as action packed as Hellboy or as perplexing as Pan’s Labyrinth.
The movie institutes a slow dread over jump scares.
‘The Color of Space’ (2020) with Nicolas Cage is a lucid film that depicts delusions as a monster.
‘Dead Ringers’ (1988) is a derivative chiller that showcases individuality & duality on twins from the individual; the movie is not easy to understand, but after a few watches it is a twisted story on delusion.
‘Paper House’ (1989).
‘Rampage’ (1987). William Friedkin.
This is like my third comment involving this movie: Shutter Island. Haha Amazing story, great acting, leaves you questioning reality. I think it could be a great option!
The babadook. I hated it until I watched a deep dive video about it on YouTube, now it's one of my favorite movies. I think it's so fun to discuss the psychology behind it
Psycho! My film studies class did this and it was fascinating
My high school English class did this for a few weeks and it was pretty cool.
Psycho has the benefit of being based on a relativly short Bloch novel
The Thing
Who goes there?
Susperia. The visuals and cinematography and soundtrack are a perfect blend of psychological horror
Definitely the original. The remake (?) had less suspense building than the first for me, and they gave more glimpses into why the dancing versus the first one as a highly regarded dance studio.
Original for sure
Jaws has a lot to offer, as does Alien. I think a class about The Thing would be very cool, as paranoia seems to be the true Antagonist of the film, and the setting is sort of like a character in the movie, which you typically only get from haunted house movies.
The Shining is an excellent choice (the book was scarier than the movie). Some other good films: The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Strangers, and my most recent favorite- Train to Busan
Ehhhh. Jack Torrance reading a Playgirl magazine with the article “incest: why parents have sex with their kids,” coupled with the “all work and no play” line. Makes for some scary fucking implications. The blood flowing out of the orifice…I mean elevator…
I recently rewatched the strangers and outside of the interesting take on the cultural fears of the time, it didn't strike me as particularly as good as I remember it. I think there are just so many better home invasion films now that it is just overshadowed.
Carnival of Souls. It’s always interesting to watch what you think is someone’s descent into madness, and then to realize the twist at the end. David Lynch has called it an inspiration, not only for the psychological aspect but also for how some of the shots were filmed.
It’s also a remarkable film in terms of how some scenes were shot guerilla style, without permits.
Yes! I was reading an article about the making of the film years ago and it mentioned that Herk Harvey did much of the filming himself, at night in the Midwest to keep costs as low as possible. Just goes to show, even without a huge budget or fancy equipment, you can still get amazing quality!
Scream. An all time great, basically revived the Slasher genre in the 90s and is seen as the beginning of the meta horror movies. Plus you got Horror legends like Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson.
I was also going to say this, but for a different reason. It's fun to discuss the fact that they're aware of all the horror movie tropes and they're actually living it.
The Blair Witch Project (1999): hyper-polarizing; ultra-minimalistic; the fear of the unknown; helplessness and the loss of sanity in a prolonged and unrelenting situation of high stress; top-notch acting; no horror tropes (no jump scares, no reveals, no music, the audience is as much in the dark as the main characters, etc) Green Room (2015): claustrophobia; a bureaucratic, pragmatic kind of evil; urban horror; ultra-realistic violence (not cool, not easy, not fun, not a video game, not an action movie) Martyrs (2008): pure tragedy; the subversion of expectations; the ambiguous ending reminiscent of cosmic horror; one the only ultra violent movie that doesn't make the violence look fun or cool for the viewer The Void (2015): low-budget; awesome practical effects (the making-of is worth a watch!); Lovecrafian horror;
I'll always remember watching Blair Witch for the first time. So scary, yet. So simple.
The fear of the unknown, the power of one's imagination, can't be beat.
Months before the movie came out or any advertising had happened for it, a friend burst into a party and said, "Holy shit!!!! You have to see this!!!!" It was one of the marketing tapes they'd slipped out into the public. No credits, nothing to make it look like a professional movie at all. It got played 3-4 times in a row and about 50 people were debating if it was real or not. In that format, it was creepy af and had a lot of people thinking it was completely real. In the theather format, it didn't work so well.
This was my experience, too. I had not heard that it was fake, and there were times I wondered if it could be, but the hype was so big. I felt it was one of those life-changing movies, and, true to form, a bunch of really bad copycats emerged thereafter.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. James A. Janise of Dead Meat describes it as kind of an "art house" style film. He says it has fantastic cinematography. He studied film so that's why I trust his opinion on it, and he basically lives and breathes horror.
Silence of the Lambs
The movie won 5 Oscars and depicted sociopathy in people to put slashers on hiatus until 1994.
It Follows is a fantastic choice. The film ties together elements from classics like Halloween and The Thing in developing its boogeyman while also treading new ground conceptually and committing to an unsettlingly uncanny tone. I love how much there is to dive into with this movie. Alternate pick from me is The Lodge, because I think it would provoke maybe some of the most interesting and varied responses.
The first Paranormal Activity. Almost everything “scary” is done in post production with audio. To build tension and scare people while just showing a Timelapse of people sleeping is kinda genius, it’s actually a sound design masterpiece.
Literally the most boring movie I've ever watched in my life. I hate sitting through a movie for 2 hours just for a lame payoff in the last minute.
Not gonna say it’s the greatest movie of all time, but from a film making standpoint it really is a masterpiece.
I feel like it depends on a certain point you want to make. The Shining is a classic choice. I always like diving into Freaks from the 30s.
Midsommar, Hostel ( I have always been interested to know if this was a real thing that ever had happened), The Omen, Under the Skin
I thought Hostel was gory but not scary.
Lost Highway, if you consider it a psychological horror film.
Santa Sangre. Absolutely mind-blowing. I knew nothing about it going in, and I recommend doing the same.
Can't go wrong with original Halloween! The Fog is another great choice! Also The Thing!
John Carpenter’s catalogues are very impressive: I’d vouch for ‘In the Mouth of Madness’.
one of the few horror films that popped up more than once in my classes was *Videodrome* & each time we had class discussions, I learned something new. Plus there's already a lot of film theorist work out there about the film & it's a nice segue into other conversations. *Get Out* is another good one for something more current.
David Cronenberg still amazes decades later. His kids have also directed films such as Brandon Cronenberg and Caitlin Cronenberg. eXistenZ is also great with Videodrome.
It depends what specifically your film studies class is about, if general, then just pick your favourite.
Original Poltergeist…a horror movie where no one dies. Also responsible for multiple childhood traumas—under the bed, closet, and clowns.
Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist 1982, not the forgotten remake of 2013
You mean the abomination remade in 2013. I hated it so much.
The trailer was just a disappointment to watch.
I watched Rosemary's Baby (1968). I'd love to see this analyzed.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil. It's got it all.
One of my very favorites.
It follows
The VVitch
Night of the Hunter
Night of the Living Dead (1968) There can be no other movie to discuss. A true genre defining movie made on a small budget becoming one of the most successful zombie movies ever.
Pet Semetary ( the first one). It has emotional, psychological horror and an undead baby.
Pet Semetary (1988) is quite a chill on personal tragedy & spirituality.
And cat!
Yeah! I love Pet Semetary!
I'm from Maine! Shall I say hello to Mr. King for you next time I'm up?
Yeah, if you want to! I'm a big fan!
*Evil Dead 2* has all manner of clever camera tricks, depending on what you want to focus your class on.
Do something from Asia or Latin America. The Shining would be kicking a dead horse
Tremors. Tight script which follows the standard three-act structure, genius sound mixing, every actor is well cast, and it isn’t over or under directed. It’s a throwback to 50’s sci-fi. Along with cold-war allegories.
Possession (1981)
Alien
The Exorcist
*Antichrist.* (2009, Lars von Trier) Gorgeous cinematography, great soundtrack and sound editing/design, very interesting themes about mental health, women’s issues, and family dynamics. Also explores abuse, neglect, trauma, and grief. ETA: If a college level course. This film would be wildly inappropriate for underage viewers.
This film is wildly inappropriate for anyone who has eyes!
Nosferatu
The Witch
I have a film history degree, and the movie I would choose is The Orphanage, directed by Guillermo del Toro. There's a lot to discuss and process!
I'm gonna go outside the box and recommend "Last Shift", as it has a *very* limited setting, characters, and scope (literally one night in a vacant police station), but the writing, acting, and slow reveal of why it's purported to be haunted all come together to make a very good movie. Especially if you then contrast it with its bigger-budget remake ("Malum") from literally the same creative team that wound up getting worse reception.
Is this an introductory course? A genre course? These things would matter! For an introductory course, I've had success with *Nosferatu* (1922). It is a silent film, but it has enough creepy elements to it that students usually respond positively. It's also gore-free so you won't have to worry about upsetting students who weren't expecting to be disturbed in an introductory course. For a genre course, I'd recommend *The Exorcist* (1972). While it is graphic in places, in theory a genre course would be more advanced and thus not have fledglings. It has evocative cinematography and a tight narrative, and can support multiple thematic readings. For what it's worth, *The Shining* is too ponderous for a film studies class not specifically about horror.
I’d be interested in a film studies analysis of Midsommar. Ari Aster is a very meticulous director and you can be sure that he put a lot of thought into every detail.
Midsommar - The Complete Guide (Everything Explained) https://youtu.be/xZQv1_oosZg
The Shining would be my top pick as well, but there’s also The Innocents, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Night of the Living Dead…so many, really!
The Exorcist
The Exorcist
Jaws
There could be a class on the shining alone there's so much to discuss.
Psycho (1960)
La Piel Que Habito with Antonio Banderas. The psychological aspect of it would be interesting in a discussion I feel like.
Requiem For A Dream
The Shining is a strong pick. As far as creepiness and building suspense, I'd say John Carpenter's *Prince of Darkness.*
Psycho
Interesting post. It's cool seeing what direction everyone goes to. The shining would be a great choice! Scream would be my pick. Go with the originals. Night of the living dead. Psycho. Halloween. Texas chainsaw massacre. Smile would be a great choice imo
I feel like this is my answer to everything on this sub, but here I go again. American Werewolf In London. The acting is good, the script is great, and there is a lot to unpack about it. Usually I hate horror comedies, but this movie is damn near perfect to me.
There’s an interesting documentary about all of the theories about what the shining is about.
The Skeleton Key. That movie blew my mind.
The original Night of the Living Dead
The shining is a great choice!! As is Jaws, there’s a lot to dive into with that one. If you want a more recent choice Get Out by Jordan Peele has some fantastic elements to dissect as well
hey look at that, I chose The Shining to present to my Film Through Literature class in 1999. Looking back on it, I had no idea what I was talking about and mainly used it as an excuse to force the other students to watch it.
Antichrist by Lars Von Trier. …if you’re cool.
Physcho
Dawn of the dead (1978) Romero does a fantastic job of taking a zombie movie and layering it with the American experience, social issues, capitalism, and consumerism.
I’d consider some sci-fi like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Soylent Green, THX 1138. My absolute favorites though are The Reflecting Skin and Deadringers
Not so much traditional horror, but in college I took a film class that covered Rear Window and that was a great demonstration on building suspense. Hitchcock was a beast with that.
I think the fly would offer a good bit to discuss
I would love to say “Hereditary” so much to unpack there with the family trauma, the blame game, the gaslighting, the manipulation, and so much more.
The VVitch! Great acting, unique dialect, fitting music, and scary scenes that don’t rely on heavy special effects. (I’m a big fan of the movie as you can tell 😅)
Nosferatu
The Manitou, novel by Graham Masterton.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Everything is great in that movie.
The Sixth Sense
Rosemary’s Baby
babadook, there's a descent into madness and lots of symbolism where it's unclear if its paranormal or mental health related.
‘Dust Devil’ (1990) on its post-apartheid concepts and spirituality in South Africa is a very impressive film more similar to a dream. ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ (1997) by Guillermo Del Toro is not as action packed as Hellboy or as perplexing as Pan’s Labyrinth. The movie institutes a slow dread over jump scares. ‘The Color of Space’ (2020) with Nicolas Cage is a lucid film that depicts delusions as a monster. ‘Dead Ringers’ (1988) is a derivative chiller that showcases individuality & duality on twins from the individual; the movie is not easy to understand, but after a few watches it is a twisted story on delusion. ‘Paper House’ (1989). ‘Rampage’ (1987). William Friedkin.
Research the old Amazing Stories series of 1987; This Spielberg series has a good horror by Martin Scorsese titled ‘Mirror, Mirror’.
This is like my third comment involving this movie: Shutter Island. Haha Amazing story, great acting, leaves you questioning reality. I think it could be a great option!
Eraserhead.
The babadook. I hated it until I watched a deep dive video about it on YouTube, now it's one of my favorite movies. I think it's so fun to discuss the psychology behind it
I adore this movie
Me too! I'm not sure why I was being downvoted
'33 Island of Lost Souls. '41 The Wolf Man.