The Exorcist has some great moments but I think going all out at the end ruins it and, well, it takes itself very seriously for what is essentially an exploitation movie about a girl getting real creepy, real fast.
The Omen - likewise I suppose, but withstains its scares through to the end.
All in though, Amityville has Margot Kidder's breasts, a demonic pig and bleeding walls which makes it way cooler than the above. It also has Samuel Arkoff at the helm meaning that it never tries to step outside of logical schlock. I'm definately with the haunted house on this one.
― C-Man (C-Man), Sunday, 6 February 2005 02:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― rat, Sunday, 6 February 2005 03:10 (nineteen years ago) link
Taking Sides: William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" vs. Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining"
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 6 February 2005 03:38 (nineteen years ago) link
It's real sparring partner ought to be The Wicker Man, another movie about a girl gone lost (so to speak, and I won't say any more to prevent spoilers). It all boils down to orthodoxy vs. relativism... strict dogma vs. "comparative religions"...
And I'd side with The Wicker Man.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Sunday, 6 February 2005 08:28 (nineteen years ago) link
The Exorcist did absolutely nothing for me the one time I watched the director's cut, but I'm guessing that has to do with not believing in God, the Devil etc. Just seemed kind of silly and I couldn't suspend my disbelief at all.
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Sunday, 6 February 2005 08:47 (nineteen years ago) link
Amityville is better than the lot of them but...
The Wicker Man kicks seven shades of hell out of the lot.
― C-Man (C-Man), Sunday, 6 February 2005 12:25 (nineteen years ago) link
The Wicker Man and The Shining owns 'em all.
― David Merryweather (DavidM), Sunday, 6 February 2005 19:56 (nineteen years ago) link
The Exorcist, meanwhile, is a fuckin' shit-whitener.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 00:13 (nineteen years ago) link
The Wicker Man is very disturbing, left me shaking in my bed.
― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 7 February 2005 00:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Monday, 7 February 2005 00:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man., Monday, 7 February 2005 00:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― Curious George Rides a Republican (Rock Hardy), Monday, 7 February 2005 00:59 (nineteen years ago) link
I don't think you need to be a banger of Bibles to be a-scared by The Exorcist. I don't believe the existence of the Suprnatural necessarily has to be intertwined with Christian faith.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 16:01 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 7 February 2005 18:18 (nineteen years ago) link
Yeah, I'm in shock too.
If it helps, Alex, just imagine how much more upsetting the movie would be if the main character was the pagan and the mob of islanders were raving lunatic Christians. It would be the same movie, from a structural point of view, but I'd bet you'd find it a lot more horrifying.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 7 February 2005 18:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 7 February 2005 18:44 (nineteen years ago) link
...according to you, but you do not speak for all (mercifully).
.... which is why something like The Wicker Man - which shows the cruelty humans will carry out without feelings of guilt or remorse on behalf of their faith is far scarier.
I don't have to rent a film to see that, I can just turn on the news.
But, hey, there's a massive cultural difference here - The Exorcist was laughed off screens in the UK when it was re-released in 98 but The Wicker Man is widely hailed as a terror classic.
Well, you're laughed off computer screens here in the US, so we're even.
Incidentally, I don't want to create the misconception that I'm not a fan of The Wicker Man. It's an amazing film, and criminally undersung (here in the States). I just don't find it at all terrifying in the same way as The Exorcist, much less The Shining. They're just entirely different sorts of films.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 19:03 (nineteen years ago) link
Well, I'd say you need to be at least familiar with faith. But let's review, shall we? In the film, Father Merrin (Von Sydow) is defeated by the beast. Father Carras doesn't drive Pazzuzu out of Linda Blair via any exhortations of faith, he merely pleads for him to take him instead, and then flings himself out the window.
The point I'm aiming at is that you can still find the film effective without being of a particular faith (or of any faith at all).
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 19:07 (nineteen years ago) link
Is there any other kind?
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 19:17 (nineteen years ago) link
Maybe, but you'd have to be watching/reacting to the film in the most passive of possible ways.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 7 February 2005 19:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 19:58 (nineteen years ago) link
The Shining is just dull.
― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 7 February 2005 21:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 February 2005 21:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 7 February 2005 21:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 21:30 (nineteen years ago) link
Will you ever shut up on this? You've converted no one, FYI.
That musical number isn't terrifying, but it is effective. Terror is merely one of the emotions that gets screentime in The Wicker Man... unlike The Exorcist, which (as C-Man suggests) completely falls apart if you aren't respecting the film's demands that "YOU WILL BE SCARED, MOTHERFUCKER!!!"
One laugh literally destroys the film for at least five minutes.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 7 February 2005 22:12 (nineteen years ago) link
(They used a stunt double)
I've covinced no one The Shining is dull huh? How about Mick Garris and Stephen King who remade it as a telly movie in order to try and put right what Kubrick did wrong?
― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 7 February 2005 22:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Monday, 7 February 2005 22:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― Bumfluff, Monday, 7 February 2005 22:25 (nineteen years ago) link
Somehow, I don't buy it, unless you're Satan himself.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 7 February 2005 22:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 7 February 2005 23:02 (nineteen years ago) link
The second time I saw it, it was amazing.
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 February 2005 23:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 7 February 2005 23:11 (nineteen years ago) link
The Shining is both (a) brilliant and (b) scary, as is The Exorcist.
Amityvill Horror is just a bad movie from start to finish.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 February 2005 23:55 (nineteen years ago) link
Hell, I'd argue that 1980's Razzie slate was far and away better than Oscars.
Dressed to Kill, The Shining, Cruising, and the guilty-pleasure double shot of Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu
vs.
Ordinary People, Private Benjamin, Raging Bull, and Fame
I'll take the former group any day. (Though, to be fair, Razzie also had The Jazz Singer and Oscar also had Tess, so I'm not talking clean sweep in either direction.)
Anyway, The Shining was not nominated for worst picture. Stanley Kubrick and Shelly Duvall were both nominated, but neither actually won. So the extent to which it was "actually honoured" is surely up for debate.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 00:03 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 00:08 (nineteen years ago) link
― Maria (Maria), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 00:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 00:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 00:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 00:25 (nineteen years ago) link
No it's not.
Private Benjiman and Fame are both above average movies.
No they're not.
Dressed to Kill is Argento-lite.
The others barely warrant passing a mention.
Yes they do.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 02:46 (nineteen years ago) link
HAHAHAHA
― C-Man (C-Man), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 09:31 (nineteen years ago) link
I said I prefer Dressed to Kill and Cruising (also, incidentally, about the tragedy of masculinity)... which from my mouth is not anything resembling an insult.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 09:48 (nineteen years ago) link
And Cruising is merely an okay film.
― C-Man (C-Man), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 10:22 (nineteen years ago) link
and dario argento is merely an okay filmmaker.
― bass braille (....), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 10:27 (nineteen years ago) link
Is there any one else on ILX who prefers Reposessed to The Exorcist?
― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 10:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― charleston charge (chaki), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 10:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 10:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 11:38 (nineteen years ago) link
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 05:53 (nineteen years ago) link
Ugh. Worst. Night. Of. My. Life. I can't even think of that movie without retching now.
― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 05:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 09:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 09:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 09:51 (nineteen years ago) link
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 10:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:30 (nineteen years ago) link
admittedly se7en spawned much worse movies, but then there wouldnt be se7en without argento.
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 11:51 (nineteen years ago) link
all lucky strikes by hack directors. argento had nothing but misses.
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:01 (nineteen years ago) link
You're a bit misinformed and stupid really.
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:38 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 12:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 13:03 (nineteen years ago) link
Calum, IIRC from my childhood, the house was torn down by a suburban real estate developer and built into a new house on the lot, because no one wanted a house that dorky asswads like my ex-roommate kept coming to harrass. I could very well be wrong about this, but if I'm wrong, the entirety of Long Island is wrong too.
― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 15:42 (nineteen years ago) link
I'd definately seek it out.
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 15:54 (nineteen years ago) link
The other issue being that there's about 10 houses on that block that look quite similar to it so really I have no idea how anyone would find it anyway.
― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 15:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link
WTF?? You've got to be kidding, right? Steven King as film-maker?? ROFFLE, man. You've seen maximum overdrive?
Dude, bass braille just fuckin' j-pwned you.
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 16:17 (nineteen years ago) link
The TV movie version of the Shing=teh suck.
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 16:19 (nineteen years ago) link
I simply pointed out that King and Garris thought so little of the Kubrick movie they went and did it themselves. The TV version is definitely more entertaining than the Kubrick film, but I really like Garris as a director.
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 17:12 (nineteen years ago) link
It's sort of sad to reconcile his totally pedestrian taste as of late with the list of great horror films as listed in the back of Danse Macabre.
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 17:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 18:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 18:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 18:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― C-Man (C-Man), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 18:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― bass braille (....), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 18:40 (nineteen years ago) link
Alex in NYC: "Every once in a great, great while, C-man says something that actually makes sense. this is one of those times."
Eric H.: *begins packing his bags and hightailing it right the fuck out of this demented thread.*
― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 18:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 9 February 2005 20:19 (nineteen years ago) link
the omen ain't no exorcist, but it's still completely awesome. and the decapitation scene is funnier than anything i've ever seen in any charlie chaplin film.
― KARLOR CAN FUCK ANYTHING! AND HE WILL AND HAS!!! (Eisbaer), Sunday, 3 July 2011 11:50 (twelve years ago) link
In what kind of bizarre world is Cruising or Dressed to Kill even fit to lick the shoes of Raging Bull? Have you seen Argento's Bird With the Crystal Plumage or Deep Red? Dressed to Kill aint even fit to lick the boots of that let alone Raging flipping Bull.
― C-Man (C-Man), Tuesday, February 8, 2005 5:22 AM (6 years ago) Bookmark
c-man was mostly a twat, but here he speaks the Gospel truth.
― KARLOR CAN FUCK ANYTHING! AND HE WILL AND HAS!!! (Eisbaer), Sunday, 3 July 2011 11:52 (twelve years ago) link
i'm with TV Cream http://www.tvcream.co.uk/?p=12585
― piscesx, Sunday, 3 July 2011 12:17 (twelve years ago) link
https://scontent.fman1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/22728887_10154851947335880_5514027347017899825_n.jpg?oh=f8d78eaf4843b9b267381e94aae58333&oe=5A83BB4E
― Ward Fowler, Tuesday, 24 October 2017 05:17 (six years ago) link
I need to know what wins in the end! Is it the hardcore fucking that takes place in the next panel?
― The Wetting Planner (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 24 October 2017 12:27 (six years ago) link
Man, I hated Calum in this thread.
― Anne of the Thousand Gays (Eric H.), Tuesday, 24 October 2017 12:45 (six years ago) link