Remember such movies as Rosemary's Baby, Don't Look Now, Suspiria, the Sentinel and Alice Sweet Alice? A majority of you I'm sure are probably shaking your head's no. To me these movies have always been what horror is about. They didn't rely on the ability to just merely scare us. Instead they possessed something much more enduring - THEY HAUNTED US.
'Rosemary's Baby' is terrifying, and it remains terrifying every time I see it. This slow-burn distorts our attention to the sticking place for two hours and fifteen minutes and then it will stay etched in your mind forever. The climax of the film is unmistakably one of the most disturbing and horrifying in cinematic history.
'Don't Look Now' is not your traditional horror movie because it doesn't rely on scaring you with it's scenes. It's a movie that consumes you and won't let you go until it has it's way with you. The film is definitely another slow-burner, but it works perfect for the movie. The final twenty minutes of 'Don't Look Now' are among the most climatic and suspenseful twenty minutes in any horror film, culminating in a montage that is utterly horrifying.
'Suspiria,' the Dario Argento masterpiece, still leaves me with feeling of being unhinged with it's unrelentingly creepy atmosphere and it's unsettling visuals. There are so many memorable scenes in this film which left my heart palpitating. Although the plot may be a bit lacking, the film does have several strong points - one of which is it's vivid use of color, and the other is it's intangible soundtrack. The muc score by Goblin is perhaps one of the most effective score's ever to grace a horror movie and a real selling point of the movie. It's no surprise why 'Suspiria' has undoubtedly earned its place as one the finest horror movies ever.
One of the most underrated horror movies of all time is 'the Sentinel.' There were many scary moments in the film that were quite effective, but It was the engrosng plot that intrigued me the most. The tenon at times left me with a feeling of anguish and by the time the movie rose to it's crescendo, I was left completely aghast.
The sublime thriller, 'Alice, Sweet Alice' fits exceptionally well in the admirable horror decade that were the 70's. The movie relies on it's intense catholic atmosphere as well as it's symbolic imagery to create the films semblance. The elegant muc score is also a great addition which proves to be quite effective. What really made this unpredictable plot rather compelling was the notion that it could be interpreted many different ways.
All these movies succeed in creating a feeling of real discomfort and there is something derivative that accelerates a constant state of dread. Very few movies have been able to take me to those places.
Anyone who truly appreciates the art of horror will recognise these 5 films for what they are- clascs. If you haven't seen them I strongly suggest that you do.