The GMG SF/Fantasy/Horror Club

[mn dave]

What scares YOU, MN Dave?? Fairly mundane stuff scares me, like living a life with no meaning- waking up old and alone- brrrrrrrr, yea, that's scary!!!! Eternal damnation also seems like a big scary, but it certainly is difficult to get people to believe in it!! I've really turned a corner with the spiders though!!!

For horror movies, in general I enjoy spooky atmosphere and creepiness over gore or monsters, but I watch that stuff too if the story is good. Some I like are The Exorcist, Dawn of the Dead (original), The Thing ('80s) and House of the Devil. The Orphanage and Insidious are two more recent ones I enjoyed.

[mc ukrneal]

I'm sorry, but that's a very cliched list. EEEEEveryone picks 'Dead of Night' and 'The Haunting' and 'Isle of the Dead'- Scorsese  is just name-dropping here- "look what a smarty pants I am"- I mean, he's almost begging us to guess which one he's going to remake ("Turn of the Screw" is my guess). And he picks every black-and-white he can think of- must have cut some Val Lewton to keep the list short...

Sorry, those are just standard, easy picks- probably played first year USC film curriculum.

EEEverybody picks 'The Changling' and thinks they're cute for it. Not that it's not worthy, or has been a classic since it was released (it has).


What scares YOU, MN Dave?? Fairly mundane stuff scares me, like living a life with no meaning- waking up old and alone- brrrrrrrr, yea, that's scary!!!! Eternal damnation also seems like a big scary, but it certainly is difficult to get people to believe in it!! I've really turned a corner with the spiders though!!!

The Omen would definitely be on such a list for me (couldn't sleep for days after seeing that as a kid). I don't think any of the ones he picked would be on my list except the Shining (though maybe 1-2 more would be). The 1970's Carrie freaked me out pretty good. And there is always the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And Silence of the Lambs makes the list. Dunno, would have to think more about the rest.

[Brahmsian]

The Omen would definitely be on such a list for me (couldn't sleep for days after seeing that as a kid). I don't think any of the ones he picked would be on my list except the Shining (though maybe 1-2 more would be). The 1970's Carrie freaked me out pretty good. And there is always the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And Silence of the Lambs makes the list. Dunno, would have to think more about the rest.

Yes on The Omen, Carrie and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are all quite chilling.

I've never been more frightened by a character than Piper Laurie's role as Carrie's Mom.  Wow!! 

[mn dave]

Check out Audition. Don't read anything about it, just pick it up and watch it. Preferably alone.

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Cheers.

[snyprrr]

Check out Audition. Don't read anything about it, just pick it up and watch it. Preferably alone.

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James for the win!

[TheGSMoeller]

Check out Audition. Don't read anything about it, just pick it up and watch it. Preferably alone.

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Cheers.

James for the win!

That's my idea of the perfect horror film. I still shiver thinking about some scenes. Just perfect.

[mn dave]

That one's not gory?

[Brahmsian]

Check out Audition. Don't read anything about it, just pick it up and watch it. Preferably alone.

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Not bad.  Just watched it last night.  Definitely eerie.

[mn dave]

Not bad.  Just watched it last night.  Definitely eerie.

So you can answer my question above?

[Brahmsian]

So you can answer my question above?

There is a bit of gore.  Not overly.

[mn dave]

I started to watch SHIVERS yesterday but then thought, ugh, I am not in the mood for this.

[snyprrr]

I started to watch SHIVERS yesterday but then thought, ugh, I am not in the mood for this.

You mean Cronenberg's 'The Parasite Murders', his first real film right? How bout 'Rabid' with Marilyn Chambers? What really happened to Cronenberg- did you see the Robert Pattinson film? Megaopolis???

I was thinking of 'The Devil's Rain', with the 'Borg and the 'Shat.

[mn dave]

Creepy two minute movie.

DON'T MISS IT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQhNGEu2KA

[71 dB]

Check out Audition. Don't read anything about it, just pick it up and watch it. Preferably alone.

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Audition is Miike's more rational movie. Visitor Q isn't. 

[jochanaan]

Am I the only person here who hates Orson Scott Card's banal and tedious plot lines and prose style??

Ender's Game is intense.  But he went downhill after that.  Mae govannen!

As some can guess from that greeting, I'm a longtime LOTR fan.  I once drew ire and trolling for stating that I feel Tolkien should be ranked right up with Homer.  Many others have tried to match his achievement--some go so far as to lift names!--but none have quite equalled it.

I also like some off-the-wall F/SF such as Gene Wolfe and Pamela Sargent.  Among pre-Tolkien fantasists, two of my favorites are William Morris and especially George MacDonald.

Anyone heard anything about the last volume of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant?

[Fëanor]

Ender's Game is intense.  But he went downhill after that.  Mae govannen!

As some can guess from that greeting, I'm a longtime LOTR fan.  I once drew ire and trolling for stating that I feel Tolkien should be ranked right up with Homer.  Many others have tried to match his achievement--some go so far as to lift names!--but none have quite equalled it.

I also like some off-the-wall F/SF such as Gene Wolfe and Pamela Sargent.  Among pre-Tolkien fantasists, two of my favorites are William Morris and especially George MacDonald.

Anyone heard anything about the last volume of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant?

So looks like I'm not quite the only person who isn't passionate about Orson Scott Card.

I love Tolkien too.  Up there with Homer?  Well maybe.

Wolfe is my favourite sci-fi guy ever by a wide margin, (and are/were plenty of good ones out there).  As for fantasy I too like Morris, and E.R. Eddison and Mervyn Peake.  I'll have to check out Sargent and MacDonald: haven't so far. {edit} Or I might have read MacDonald's Lilith decades ago. {/edit}

[mc ukrneal]

Loved Ender's Game, but I dislike some of the Gaia style philosophy that some seem to embrace. The exception was Asimov's Foundation series (the original three only), which kinda blew me away when I read them. I didn't like the sequels/prequels/etc. at all though. But that is why I think I will skip the rest of the Ender's Series (which is where it seemed to be going at the end of the first book).

I can't say that I agree with Tolkien being on the level of Homer, but he certainly is a titan in fantasy books.

As to Covenant, I only ever read the first two series. I find it hard to imagine that he could top those. In general, they were a tough read as they are pretty heavy in terms of some of the terrible things that happen in them (or to the characters in them). But they were certainly among the most memorable I have ever read. As a fantasy author, Donaldson is more effective than most at symbolism.

[DavidW]

Creepy two minute movie.

DON'T MISS IT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQhNGEu2KA

That was awesome!

[DavidW]

I read the new novel in the Expanse, Cibola Burn by James Corey.  A tv show is being made of the series, I look forward to seeing it.

I also finally read Player of Games by Iain M Banks.  I disagree with the popular opinion that it is better than Consider Phlebas.  I enjoyed Considered Phlebas more, but Player of Games is a decent novel.

Going back to try to finish the Wheel of Time, I'm on the final three books now.

[Bogey]

That was awesome!

Out loud scared me.