FOREIGN FILMS: This is a new genre for me, so if you have suggestions PLEASE add in comments.
SCARIEST: So far? Dark Water and Ju-On. Tie. I like the more traditional Asian ghost stories because I think Eastern horror does ghosts waaaaaay better than Western horror. Their slow-moving approach and artistic methodology make the forbidding rooms with little furniture, dim lighting, and one or two incessantly chilling noises all the more menacing. Their ghost stories leave me scared and romanced all at once. Their gore isn’t even gory. I mean, if you call dripping slimy black water with mottled blood gory, then you obviously haven’t seen Saw (btw- I hate movies like Saw—mindless).
These two movies, on the other hand, are terrifying with very little real gore. Oh, and the way the ghosts move…like they are all twisted up with ghostly torment, holy scarefest! Now, I know there are American versions of these two films, but if you haven’t seen the American versions yet, don’t bother. Watch the originals. SO MUCH BETTER! If you have seen them, try to tuck away what you remember of the yucky Western movies, and just appreciate these Eastern gems without comparing them. They won’t disappoint.
BEST GOREFEST: Ichi the Killer. I think this is part of a trilogy but I’m not sure. So this movie has two of the most terrifying characters I have come across, Kakihara, an utterly sadomasochistic torturer who enjoys receiving pain as much as he likes dishing it out. His mouth is cut like into an ear-to-ear smiley face which he keeps closed with safety pins. There is also Ichi, a quiet and withdrawn individual, traumatized by witnessing bullies rape a girl in his childhood. At the time, he felt the urge to join in rather than stop it. Ichi is completely insane and struggles to differentiate violence and sexual pleasure and when angered he becomes a sobbing killing machine. It is disturbing to watch. Then again, I suspect that being slashed to bits buy someone in a trashy superhero outfit and razor blade boots would be traumatizing for anyone. This one will mess you up for days.
BEST FREAK-OUT: 3 Extremes. This is actually 3 horror flicks in one. All three are terrifying, but the first one is more than scary—it is nothing short of horrific. It is called “Dumplings” and has Bai Ling in it. (actually she is good) Let’s just say three words and leave it at that: Babies. Are. Eaten. Enough said. Not really gory, although the second story is pretty rough. All the blood is very dramatic, not really gory. The second story in the film, ”Cut” is very arthouse gore in its shots. There is a lot of red splashed on white. It too is haunting, but it does not compare to the last of the three stories, The last story is just haunting. It is called ”Box” and it reminds me of a Salvador Dali painting. The ending scene is a huge twist and makes the movie all the more surreal, because you begin to question just WHERE the story begins. Ultimately, the movie ends like it begins, as though it were a dream. The picture below is from this movie, specifically the middle story, “Cut.”
BEST CEREBRAL: The Vanishing. This one was recommended by a coworker and I would have put it in the creepy movies note, but it is the original Swedish version of "The Vanishing" that is super scary. Apparently there is an American version, but from what I’ve read, it isn’t that scary. I’ll also say that this movie is the epitome of creepy. It creeps up on you. You think you are watching a murder-mystery, a kind of who-done-it until the last 20 minutes of the movie when you are plunged head first in psychopath-ville. I mean REAL psychopath, not Mike Meyers psychopath. I can’t say anymore without ruining it, but let’s just put it this way…you never know people…not really.
Is that it? A Tale of Two Sisters. This also has a Western counterpart that doesn’t live up to its Eastern version. The situational irony of this movie is really what gets you. At one point you realize at least one of these people is either dead, or crazy. It will warp you when you find out who (btw- the who is different in the Asian version than the Western version).
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