A recent email from my dad got me thinking about horror movies and how disappointing many of them turn out to be. So many of them seem to sacrifice plot and characterization for horrific deaths and cheap scares that I am automatically skeptical when approaching horror movies. I thought I'd list a few modern horror movies that I liked.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Pretty damn good for what it is. The characters have some depth, and the tension is thick. Truly horrifying.
Saw: The Saw franchise has become pretty stagnant, but the one that started it all is still good in my opinion. It's far from perfect, but the premise is fascinating and the twist at the end is great.
The Ring: This is a good movie all around. Good acting, good cinematography, good direction, good story. It's also not afraid to leave some questions unanswered, which I like. It's what you don't know that scares you the most.
The Collector: This one is just fun and bizarre. The writers make no effort to make the story make more sense than it does, which actually serves it well. Just sit back and watch the people get butchered.
Silent Hill: Impressive effort. The dark world the protagonist slips into has the right mixture of realism and surrealism to keep the audience guessing. The bad dialogue bugs me, but I can suffer through it to enjoy the picture.
Hostel: This one only exists to horrify audiences. The story is as thin as the paper the script was printed on, but the violence fills in the gaps. It's worth watching just to say you saw it, whether you hate it or love it.
The Devil's Rejects: The main characters are completely unredeemable and downright unlikable, but the film is fairly well-made and the story is as interesting as it is disturbing.
Trick r' Treat: This one is different. It's broken up into several stories that all connect at one point or another. It also successfully walks a very fine line between being humorous and horrifying. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it still sets out to scare you.
