Weird, NR, I actually thought Saw 4 was the best out of all of 'em. But I think they all suck (granted, I never saw 6 -- I'm sure it isn't much different than the rest). I've seen 1-5 and couldn't tell you anything about them, they're confusing and ridiculous, Jigsaw died in, like, the 2nd one but is somehow in all of them .... what a mess! The first one just seemed like the director/writer had watched Se7en a bunch of times ("guy punishes people by killing them in ironic ways" -- oh, and the look of the film seems to ape Se7en's style at times, but makes it a lot more ridiculous and ugly, compared to Se7en's beautiful cinematography -- btw, I think Se7en is one of the greatest mainstream films ever made, an easy 10/10). Also, the Saw films get the award for the worst mainstream acting I've ever seen -- especially in the 2nd one. The acting is SO bad. Fucking funny!
...Anyway, JON, if you want to see some great horror films, here are 4 of my all time favorites!... All of these are worth a 9 or higher. (I'm doing this post out of boredom and to post cool pictures)
MANIAC (1980) - Super violent, genuinely depressingly film goes well above and beyond the call of duty in every respect -- music, atmosphere, kill scenes, everything about this film is well-made, and insane! This is the first horror film I ever truly loved, bought it on VHS at Big Lots when I was 13 or 14, for $5. Me and my girlfriend at the time were going through a lot of bullshit, and it got me through....... I watched it every day after school.. so good.
If you like Maniac, I also reccomend: MANIAC COP 2 (by the same director as Maniac -- extremely gritty and fun stuff; a whole police station gets shot up and bodies are thrown 50 feet... there's a scene where a girl and the maniac cop fight in a car as she's outside of the car, going 70 miles per hour -- so well-done, there's nothing lazy about it at all, and it's gritty as hell). DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE (mean spirited horror that is genuinely hard to watch... creepy as hell!). THE DEMON (not very well liked but it is absolutely brilliant! Dark... there's psychic powers... Cameron Mitchell! Just
something about this genuinely creepy film. Still one of my all time favorites, and Robe. played many shows where movie this was projected in the background...).
TENEBRE - There are many great Argento films (and sometimes I feel like Deep Red, Terror at the Opera, and his animal trilogy might be a bit better than this one, but eh..), but this one has some of the best scenes (see the picture above... the "cutting through the bedsheet" scene... the masterfully looooooooong tracking shot of the house, and all around it... the "BEHIND THE BACK!" scene.. just so, so, so many iconic, brilliant shots in this one) and best music (kind of a death disco) and is also Argento's most violent (well, Mother of Tears actually might hold that crown, but that film... well.. yeah.. .don't bother). A brilliant movie in every way, gets better and better with every watch. Looks good, sounds good, that's that.
If you like Tenebre, you have to check out all of DePalma's thrillers. Yeah, they're not horror, but just like Argento is inspired by Hitchcock, so is DePalma. While DePalma's best film is Blow Out (and despite tons of lame people liking it, Scarface is a masterful epic of the highest regard -- wellmade and mainstream but defiantly nasty and artsy at times; a true masterpiece), his most "horror-ish" is stuff like Blow Out (which just fucking rules in every way a movie can rule), Dressed to Kill, Phantom of the Paradise, and Sisters. Tenebre is widely considered a giallo (even though the most traditional "giallos" in Argento's filmography were his first 3 films), and that's my favorite type of horror genre -- the best giallos are the ones made by Sergio Martino, stuff like Torso (AMAZING atmosphere, and though there are only few kills, they are all memorable as hell -- it is is Eli Roth's favorite film of all time, if that means anything to anyone, it doesn't to me!) and All the Colors of the Dark (dreamy and beautiful -- the colors resemble a Godard film, but the content is just fucked-up). Also worth checking out are Fulci's surprisingly well-directed LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN and the disturbing as hell DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING.
DEAD ALIVE/BRAINDEAD. Simply the best zombie film of all time, the best gore film of all time, Peter Jackson's best film, arguably the best horror film of all time. I mean, this is all you need really. THis is the goriest film ever, but it's hilarious. The camera is spinning around, zooming in and out constantly... it's artsy, it's genuinely hilarious, it's so, just... ON. Great comic timing. So many moments that make you just go "YES!"
If you like Dead Alive, obviously check out Peter Jackson's other films Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles (I don't acknowledge any of his work past Heavenly Creatures -- especially not King Kong, what the fuck was that shit?). Also, check out weird-splatter/melt classics like Body Melt, Street Trash, Slime City... also check out weirdo horror like Brain Damage, Frankenhooker, Bad Biologyand Basket Case. All the films I just mentioned are just a damn good time -- icky, gooey, slimey, unique, and fun to watch. If you just want some zombie films, I guess my favorites are Dawn of the Dead (the only film I like by Romero from beginning to end) and, of course, Wild Zero (a biker/sci-fi/transgender/rock n roll/zombie gore horror comedy with space aliens and starring Guitar Wolf, who cuts a UFO in half with a guitar).
Finally, SCHRAMM. This is "art horror" to the finest degree. Often advertised as just a slasher film, it's so much more than that, and while being a bit hard to take, it's so fast paced (and only an hour long) and loaded with so many brilliant images, you'll likely be in love.
If you like Schramm, obviously check out this director's classic Der Todesking (which made me sick to my stomach to watch) and Nekromantik 2 (the first one is alright, too, I guess). If you want some another "fun" art horror film, check out Begotten. That's one you'll never forget!
Have fun!!!
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