Halloween Is Coming
My favorite season has now begun. Not only am I a huge scary movie buff, but I absolutely love Halloween. AMC and some of the other tv stations have begun their horror movie marathons. Scream 4 was also recently released on dvd. Walmart and other stores also have stocked up a fairly decent selection of horror movie dvd's for sale. Some of the classics like A Bell From Hell and Island of Death still have to be purchased mostly online as these retailers don't want to stock them on their shelves. If you search online, you can really find some great deals on these types of dvd's for your Halloween enjoyment.
Free Horror Movies Online - Find Them Now! by Timothy Jacobson
I've always loved horror movies. I can remember spending weekday afternoons after class riveted in front of the TV set, watching classic films such as The Masque of the Red Death and The Pit and the Pendulum. Lately, however, the quality of horror movies coming from Hollywood seems to have become abysmal. The majority of them are remakes of films that had already been done right the first time, or rehashes of familiar ideas. If you're in the same bind as I am, fear not. There are many sites you can visit to watch free horror movies online that are undoubtedly better than those showing at your local cineplex.
If you're into classic horror films, visit The Internet Archive. The digital library allows you to access free horror movies online which have fallen into the public domain; many of them were also believed lost. A quick visit to the Science Fiction/Horror page of the site shows that you can watch or download two movies starring Vincent Price - The Last Man on Earth and House on Haunted Hill - as well as a Boris Karloff vehicle, The Ghoul, which dates back to 1933. Many of the movies can be downloaded with the following formats: MPEG4, Windows Media or Ogg Video. You can also watch the movies on the site via streaming video, although understandably the video quality is not very good.
The popular Hulu and Fancast sites also feature some classic and more recent horror films which you can watch on your browser. Recently added to the Hulu site were two classic Italian films from director Mario Bava: Black Sunday and Black Sabbath, the latter an anthology film also featuring Boris Karloff. Horror films available on Fancast were mostly released before 1990 and include cheesy delights from the 1970s such as The Food of the Gods, Frogs and Blackula. Of course, the video quality of the films on the site ranges from good to excellent.
If you're into Asian Horror films, visit the Asian-Horror-Movies site, where you can watch free horror movies online from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Highly recommended films you shouldn't miss include Shutter from Thailand, Ring 0 from Japan and Phone from South Korea. The movies can be watched through streaming video on the site. You can even share the movies with a friend by sending a link to the page. One disadvantage of watching movies on the site, however, is that you can't watch them from beginning to end, as they are divided into several parts, and you have to click on a link to watch the next part. The video quality of the movies is also just fair. But you can find a lot of films here you might have trouble locating elsewhere.
Other websites you might want to consider in your search for free horror movies online are Retrovision, Joost and Public Domain Torrents, although the films have varying video qualities. The last site also allows you to download the films onto your iPod, PDA or PSP. With such a wide range of choices, your hunger for horror films should be thoroughly sated.
If you're into classic horror films, visit The Internet Archive. The digital library allows you to access free horror movies online which have fallen into the public domain; many of them were also believed lost. A quick visit to the Science Fiction/Horror page of the site shows that you can watch or download two movies starring Vincent Price - The Last Man on Earth and House on Haunted Hill - as well as a Boris Karloff vehicle, The Ghoul, which dates back to 1933. Many of the movies can be downloaded with the following formats: MPEG4, Windows Media or Ogg Video. You can also watch the movies on the site via streaming video, although understandably the video quality is not very good.
The popular Hulu and Fancast sites also feature some classic and more recent horror films which you can watch on your browser. Recently added to the Hulu site were two classic Italian films from director Mario Bava: Black Sunday and Black Sabbath, the latter an anthology film also featuring Boris Karloff. Horror films available on Fancast were mostly released before 1990 and include cheesy delights from the 1970s such as The Food of the Gods, Frogs and Blackula. Of course, the video quality of the films on the site ranges from good to excellent.
If you're into Asian Horror films, visit the Asian-Horror-Movies site, where you can watch free horror movies online from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Highly recommended films you shouldn't miss include Shutter from Thailand, Ring 0 from Japan and Phone from South Korea. The movies can be watched through streaming video on the site. You can even share the movies with a friend by sending a link to the page. One disadvantage of watching movies on the site, however, is that you can't watch them from beginning to end, as they are divided into several parts, and you have to click on a link to watch the next part. The video quality of the movies is also just fair. But you can find a lot of films here you might have trouble locating elsewhere.
Other websites you might want to consider in your search for free horror movies online are Retrovision, Joost and Public Domain Torrents, although the films have varying video qualities. The last site also allows you to download the films onto your iPod, PDA or PSP. With such a wide range of choices, your hunger for horror films should be thoroughly sated.
About the Author
Tired of paying for Horror movies online? We show you how to get access to download unlimited amounts of movies and TV shows at http://www.freeonlinemoviedownload.com/
What Makes A Horror Movie Scary? by Screagle
Horror movies, we all love a good scare and to be quite frank, the world would be a different place without them. The movie industry would be somewhat different aswell. Producers, writers and directors from around the globe frequently test their skills and divulge into one of cinema's oldest and most famous genres, but have horror flicks maintained their scare factor over time? 95% of horror films made today are still entertaining to some degree, but very rarely do these films really have the ability to frighten like the classics once did.
A large percentage of horrors brought to the big screen in recent years annoyingly fit into the PG-13 horror thriller category, but are these really going to have the same effect as The Exorcist once produced? What does a successful horror flick consist of? Let's take a look..
Going To The Extreme
Remember "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (Original)? Both timeless classics, extremely successful AND very scary. The reason why these movies were so terrifying in the 1980's is because they showcased what can only be described as extreme elements never before seen. Both films featured violent, murderous villains intent on causing as much pain and suffering as possible.
The extreme nature of such films is what essentially kept the viewers' eyes glued to the screen. Murder is unfortunately an everyday occurrence in todays society, it's a fact of life.. but seeing someone getting split in two with a chainsaw is much more disturbing than hearing about a stranger who's been killed in a random stabbing or drive-by shooting.
The team behind the more recent "Saw" Trilogy adopted the effective 'extreme element' rule, the villains twisted and bloody survival games in the films tested the limits of the average viewer's imagination, viewers couldn't help but put themselves in the horrific situations displayed withing the Trilogy, this resulted in countless toe curling moments, cringing left, right and center and of course viewers wanting to see more - the perfect horror!
The Soundtrack
A major MUST and one of the most important rules in creating a successful horror is optimizing the use of sound. The more traditional horrors have fairly predicatable soundtracks, viewers can usually predict when a scare is going to take place by taking note of the forboding tunes played immediately beforehand, it's all part of the fun! Another common trick that producers and directors like to employ in their films, is placing the music directly before the scary scene itself, only to end it suddenly, (providing the audience a false sense of relief), and then resuming immediately just as the next "shock" appears.
These tactics have worked for many years, and it continues to be a staple of the horror genre. Unfortunately after a period of time, much like a magic trick that has been used multiple times, it loses it's appeal.
More recent films are now implementing new formulas into the mix, attempting to highten the scare factor. A trick that is becoming more common is omitting sound completely. Using music as a "cue" for the
scary scenes can be somewhat distracting in some films. For example, if you were alone in a house and saw a ghost, you obviously wouldn't have a musical warning. Therefore, when directors opt for no sound in
introducing their frightening material, the scares often seem and feel more authentic.
The Unexplained
It is no secret that humans are most afraid of what they don't understand, something we can't comprehend can easilly become frightening. Think of it this way, the fact that whilst most people are not afraid of death, they ARE afraid of the manner in which they will die. Fear of unknown, the unexplained phenomena in life that causes a huge sense of discomfort too us all, film directors simply love to exploit this and it's extremely effective. More and more horrors are employing examples of the unexplained, stories about ghosts, the occult, and human possession are fascinating because to this day, these subjects are still ultimately a mystery to us. The "what if's" start kicking around your head, conveniently complimented with the uneasy feeling in your stomach - could this really happen?
"Based On A True Story"
The bold "based on a true story" claim, often displayed shortly before the film begins. This trick is something that isn't widely used, but can certainly pile on the suspense before, during AND after the film has ended. "The Exorcist" for example was released during the early 1970's, nothing had been produced like this before, it was truly unique. An average, innocent young girl is targeted by a demon, a demon with otherworldly powers that is intent on pain and suffering.
The scenes that were featured within "The Exorcist" were for it's time period, nothing short of shocking. This combined with the fact that the film is actually based on a true story only fueled the fear within the viewers. Could this happen to me!?
A large percentage of horrors brought to the big screen in recent years annoyingly fit into the PG-13 horror thriller category, but are these really going to have the same effect as The Exorcist once produced? What does a successful horror flick consist of? Let's take a look..
Going To The Extreme
Remember "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (Original)? Both timeless classics, extremely successful AND very scary. The reason why these movies were so terrifying in the 1980's is because they showcased what can only be described as extreme elements never before seen. Both films featured violent, murderous villains intent on causing as much pain and suffering as possible.
The extreme nature of such films is what essentially kept the viewers' eyes glued to the screen. Murder is unfortunately an everyday occurrence in todays society, it's a fact of life.. but seeing someone getting split in two with a chainsaw is much more disturbing than hearing about a stranger who's been killed in a random stabbing or drive-by shooting.
The team behind the more recent "Saw" Trilogy adopted the effective 'extreme element' rule, the villains twisted and bloody survival games in the films tested the limits of the average viewer's imagination, viewers couldn't help but put themselves in the horrific situations displayed withing the Trilogy, this resulted in countless toe curling moments, cringing left, right and center and of course viewers wanting to see more - the perfect horror!
The Soundtrack
A major MUST and one of the most important rules in creating a successful horror is optimizing the use of sound. The more traditional horrors have fairly predicatable soundtracks, viewers can usually predict when a scare is going to take place by taking note of the forboding tunes played immediately beforehand, it's all part of the fun! Another common trick that producers and directors like to employ in their films, is placing the music directly before the scary scene itself, only to end it suddenly, (providing the audience a false sense of relief), and then resuming immediately just as the next "shock" appears.
These tactics have worked for many years, and it continues to be a staple of the horror genre. Unfortunately after a period of time, much like a magic trick that has been used multiple times, it loses it's appeal.
More recent films are now implementing new formulas into the mix, attempting to highten the scare factor. A trick that is becoming more common is omitting sound completely. Using music as a "cue" for the
scary scenes can be somewhat distracting in some films. For example, if you were alone in a house and saw a ghost, you obviously wouldn't have a musical warning. Therefore, when directors opt for no sound in
introducing their frightening material, the scares often seem and feel more authentic.
The Unexplained
It is no secret that humans are most afraid of what they don't understand, something we can't comprehend can easilly become frightening. Think of it this way, the fact that whilst most people are not afraid of death, they ARE afraid of the manner in which they will die. Fear of unknown, the unexplained phenomena in life that causes a huge sense of discomfort too us all, film directors simply love to exploit this and it's extremely effective. More and more horrors are employing examples of the unexplained, stories about ghosts, the occult, and human possession are fascinating because to this day, these subjects are still ultimately a mystery to us. The "what if's" start kicking around your head, conveniently complimented with the uneasy feeling in your stomach - could this really happen?
"Based On A True Story"
The bold "based on a true story" claim, often displayed shortly before the film begins. This trick is something that isn't widely used, but can certainly pile on the suspense before, during AND after the film has ended. "The Exorcist" for example was released during the early 1970's, nothing had been produced like this before, it was truly unique. An average, innocent young girl is targeted by a demon, a demon with otherworldly powers that is intent on pain and suffering.
The scenes that were featured within "The Exorcist" were for it's time period, nothing short of shocking. This combined with the fact that the film is actually based on a true story only fueled the fear within the viewers. Could this happen to me!?
About the Author
Screagle.com - The latest torrents, media streams and up-to-date file sharing news from around the world
The Scariest Movie Ever by Baudelaire Jones
What's the scariest movie ever? Hmmm... good question.
I remember when I was about six or seven years old, I saw a movie called Frogs (1972). That was really scary. No, seriously. Okay... it seemed scary at the time. I just looked it up on IMDB, and the cover shows an oversized frog with a human hand (dead, I assume) sticking out of its mouth. And get this, here's the official tagline (I kid you not): "Cold green skin against soft warm flesh... a croak... a scream! FROGS." If I remember correctly, there is one survivor who escapes all the murderous frogs and hitches a ride out of the danger zone with a family that happens to be passing through on vacation. The survivor thanks them for the ride and climbs into the back seat, next to a small child who happens to be holding a turtle on his lap. The turtle slowly turns its head and glares menacingly at our survivor... and the credits roll. It's scary all right, but not in the horrified I-think-I'm-going-to-die way. Just scary bad.
A few years later, I was sleeping over at a friend's house and Prophecy (1979) came on cable. At home, I wasn't allowed to watch R-rated movies, but my parents weren't there, I thought, so what the heck. It's about some logging company that's pumping toxic waste into the environment (mercury, I think) and inadvertently creates this giant killer bear-monster. I still remember a scene where the creature drags campers from their tents and tears them apart. I had nightmares for weeks. Maybe a nomination for scariest movie ever? Well, no--unfortunately it's much scarier in my memory than it was in reality. I happened to see part of it again recently, and the creature looks like a five dollar Halloween costume you could buy at Walgreens. So nix Prophecy.
One night when I was in college, a couple of friends suggested we watch The Exorcist (1973). I had never seen it. Now that movie is freaky, especially if you happen to believe things like that can happen--which I did at the time. It was a dark, stormy night--the perfect time to watch a movie about demonic possession if you want to get really scared--and just as we finished the movie, the power went out in the entire dorm. I'm telling you, it was creepy. And several years ago, when they released a re-edited version of the film, it got even creepier. They added some footage of Regan crawling down the stairs backwards, like a spider--really great footage. It turns out they didn't include it in the original because they thought it was too creepy. So The Exorcist has got to be right up there with the scariest movies of all time. But it's not the scariest. Not quite. There's one that beats it.
Have you ever heard of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)? When one of my roommates brought this movie home one day, we gave him a pretty hard time. What a stupid title, we joked. They couldn't come up with a better name for a serial killer? Henry? C'mon. And then we watched it. As it turns out, that was the whole point. This was just some dude. Just a normal-looking guy like you and me. Except something is not right in his head, and he kills people. Guys like that are actually out there, walking amongst the rest of us. Guys no one would suspect. They work in the same office buildings we do. They live in the apartment next door. They date our sisters. Now that's scary. Scariest movie ever.
I remember when I was about six or seven years old, I saw a movie called Frogs (1972). That was really scary. No, seriously. Okay... it seemed scary at the time. I just looked it up on IMDB, and the cover shows an oversized frog with a human hand (dead, I assume) sticking out of its mouth. And get this, here's the official tagline (I kid you not): "Cold green skin against soft warm flesh... a croak... a scream! FROGS." If I remember correctly, there is one survivor who escapes all the murderous frogs and hitches a ride out of the danger zone with a family that happens to be passing through on vacation. The survivor thanks them for the ride and climbs into the back seat, next to a small child who happens to be holding a turtle on his lap. The turtle slowly turns its head and glares menacingly at our survivor... and the credits roll. It's scary all right, but not in the horrified I-think-I'm-going-to-die way. Just scary bad.
A few years later, I was sleeping over at a friend's house and Prophecy (1979) came on cable. At home, I wasn't allowed to watch R-rated movies, but my parents weren't there, I thought, so what the heck. It's about some logging company that's pumping toxic waste into the environment (mercury, I think) and inadvertently creates this giant killer bear-monster. I still remember a scene where the creature drags campers from their tents and tears them apart. I had nightmares for weeks. Maybe a nomination for scariest movie ever? Well, no--unfortunately it's much scarier in my memory than it was in reality. I happened to see part of it again recently, and the creature looks like a five dollar Halloween costume you could buy at Walgreens. So nix Prophecy.
One night when I was in college, a couple of friends suggested we watch The Exorcist (1973). I had never seen it. Now that movie is freaky, especially if you happen to believe things like that can happen--which I did at the time. It was a dark, stormy night--the perfect time to watch a movie about demonic possession if you want to get really scared--and just as we finished the movie, the power went out in the entire dorm. I'm telling you, it was creepy. And several years ago, when they released a re-edited version of the film, it got even creepier. They added some footage of Regan crawling down the stairs backwards, like a spider--really great footage. It turns out they didn't include it in the original because they thought it was too creepy. So The Exorcist has got to be right up there with the scariest movies of all time. But it's not the scariest. Not quite. There's one that beats it.
Have you ever heard of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)? When one of my roommates brought this movie home one day, we gave him a pretty hard time. What a stupid title, we joked. They couldn't come up with a better name for a serial killer? Henry? C'mon. And then we watched it. As it turns out, that was the whole point. This was just some dude. Just a normal-looking guy like you and me. Except something is not right in his head, and he kills people. Guys like that are actually out there, walking amongst the rest of us. Guys no one would suspect. They work in the same office buildings we do. They live in the apartment next door. They date our sisters. Now that's scary. Scariest movie ever.
About the Author
Baudelaire Jones is the author of Dialogues of the Dead. For further reading, he recommends movie trivia and fear quotes.
Top Scary Movies- 4 scary movies not easily forgotten by Sidney R. Shannon
What are the top scary movies of all time? Well since this list is totally subjective, I'll just give you what I think are the top ones and you can determine where they come down on your list.
What makes a good scary horror movie? In my opinion it's movie that is riveting, that is pulse pounding, that is unnerving and that gets you really moving around, or should I say squirming in your seat. A good scary horror movie is a movie that keeps you talking years, sometimes decades after you initially see it. Alien for me was that type of movie.
Alien although probably more sci-fi then it was horror; it certainly had all the elements of an excellent horror movie. Can you possibly think of anything more frightening then being trapped not just on a ship but also against the vast emptiness of outer space and being relentlessly pursued by the monster in that movie? Makes you glad you weren't among those on the ship, doesn't?
The Exorcist is if not the top scary movie on my list it certainly is one of the top scariest movies of all time. I think we would agree that if you polled 100 fans of the genre and asked them what are the top 3 most horrifying movies they've ever seen all of them would more than likely place The Exorcist in one of those first 3 positions. One of the things that made this movie good was its uniqueness. Because the story was based on true events it seemed less entertaining, in the conventional Hollywood storytelling sense. Not that it wasn't entertaining, because it was, but when sitting in the theater and watching it after seeing its trailers and the previews that were many times aired on television after midnight with the knowledge that the movie is based on true events it tends to have more of a profound impact upon you therefore staying with you long after the credits roll.
I can still remember as a child staying up late watching television in the dark, as I would often do when the preview for this movie came on. It scared the living you know what out of me. Not only that, every time it came on subsequent to my first time seeing it, I would quickly run to the television to change the channel. The Exorcist was so dark and disturbing that even a 30-45 second trailer airing on television was hard to view.
I would seriously be remiss if I didn't mention this next movie in our conversation of top scary movies. Halloween remains not only a cult classic but for me a personal favorite of all the many horror movies I've ever seen. When I think of what made this movie so good and it obviously was a number of factors but for me it was the unbelievable portrayal of Michael Myers by Nick Castle. John Carpenter seriously made you believe that if the "Boogie Man" were to ever take on flesh and come to life his name would be Michael Myers as played by Nick Castle in Halloween.
As our discussion of the top scary movies comes to an end I want to speak briefly about another movie that continues to stand the test of time as one of the greatest horror movies ever and that being A Nightmare on Elm Street. Although this movie provided a good 90 minutes of escapism for me and others, at least from an entertainment standpoint, it was however unsettling, in that it demanded that each of us examine one of the unfortunate realities of life and that being our own eventual death. At every horrifying turn in the movie Wes Craven relentlessly reminds us, through his brilliantly developed main character Freddy Krueger (portrayed by Robert Englund) that whether asleep or awake, young or old, rich or poor we are hopelessly incapable of evading death when it eventually does comes for us. For me my only solace is knowing that when it comes knocking at my door, Freddy Krueger won't be standing there.
What makes a good scary horror movie? In my opinion it's movie that is riveting, that is pulse pounding, that is unnerving and that gets you really moving around, or should I say squirming in your seat. A good scary horror movie is a movie that keeps you talking years, sometimes decades after you initially see it. Alien for me was that type of movie.
Alien although probably more sci-fi then it was horror; it certainly had all the elements of an excellent horror movie. Can you possibly think of anything more frightening then being trapped not just on a ship but also against the vast emptiness of outer space and being relentlessly pursued by the monster in that movie? Makes you glad you weren't among those on the ship, doesn't?
The Exorcist is if not the top scary movie on my list it certainly is one of the top scariest movies of all time. I think we would agree that if you polled 100 fans of the genre and asked them what are the top 3 most horrifying movies they've ever seen all of them would more than likely place The Exorcist in one of those first 3 positions. One of the things that made this movie good was its uniqueness. Because the story was based on true events it seemed less entertaining, in the conventional Hollywood storytelling sense. Not that it wasn't entertaining, because it was, but when sitting in the theater and watching it after seeing its trailers and the previews that were many times aired on television after midnight with the knowledge that the movie is based on true events it tends to have more of a profound impact upon you therefore staying with you long after the credits roll.
I can still remember as a child staying up late watching television in the dark, as I would often do when the preview for this movie came on. It scared the living you know what out of me. Not only that, every time it came on subsequent to my first time seeing it, I would quickly run to the television to change the channel. The Exorcist was so dark and disturbing that even a 30-45 second trailer airing on television was hard to view.
I would seriously be remiss if I didn't mention this next movie in our conversation of top scary movies. Halloween remains not only a cult classic but for me a personal favorite of all the many horror movies I've ever seen. When I think of what made this movie so good and it obviously was a number of factors but for me it was the unbelievable portrayal of Michael Myers by Nick Castle. John Carpenter seriously made you believe that if the "Boogie Man" were to ever take on flesh and come to life his name would be Michael Myers as played by Nick Castle in Halloween.
As our discussion of the top scary movies comes to an end I want to speak briefly about another movie that continues to stand the test of time as one of the greatest horror movies ever and that being A Nightmare on Elm Street. Although this movie provided a good 90 minutes of escapism for me and others, at least from an entertainment standpoint, it was however unsettling, in that it demanded that each of us examine one of the unfortunate realities of life and that being our own eventual death. At every horrifying turn in the movie Wes Craven relentlessly reminds us, through his brilliantly developed main character Freddy Krueger (portrayed by Robert Englund) that whether asleep or awake, young or old, rich or poor we are hopelessly incapable of evading death when it eventually does comes for us. For me my only solace is knowing that when it comes knocking at my door, Freddy Krueger won't be standing there.
About the Author
Dare to take a walk on the wild side and subscribe to my blog only found at http://scarymoviemania.blogspot.com/
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