Underappreciated horror movies.

[TRILL, THE CARBON BASED LIFEFORM]

Terror Train

[Mattman]

Terror Train

Terror Train was OK I guess. It had it's moments. But aside from the creepy atmosphere there really isn't all that much differentiating it from the countless other slasher flicks that were coming out at the time.

[joespam]

I think London After Midnight is pretty unappreciated. I don't know anyone who's ever even seen it.

[PeteL]

Exorcist III.

[Mattman]

I think London After Midnight is pretty unappreciated. I don't know anyone who's ever even seen it.

Everyone whose seen this movie is in all likelihood dead. All copies of the movie were lost in a fire in the 1960's and prior to that it hadn't been shown since its initial release in the 1920's.

[schizorabbit]

In the 1970's, American made-for-TV movies had a little more edge to them. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's just that movies in general from the 70's had an edge to them but there were some great horror movies that got their start on broadcast television back in the day. Movies that hold up incredibly well to this day.


Dark Night of the Scarecrow
A retarded man is unjustly accused of attacking a young girl. Disguised as a scarecrow, he hides in a cornfield, only to be hunted down and shot. Later, after it is revealed he saved the girl from a vicious dog attack, members of the search posse are killed by a mysterious scarecrow. I know it sounds a little cheesy but trust me, it's a great film and it has one of the scariest endings I have ever seen in a horror movie. Here's a review that I don't necessarily agree with.

Thanks, man!!!! I totally forgot the title of this flick. I second this movie. It's awesome--well, I remember it being awesome. Haven't seen it in ages. Now, I gotta hunt down a copy. And you're right about movies from the seventies having more of an edge to 'em. Censorship was a lot more lax back then.

[NATE!]

Everyone whose seen this movie is in all likelihood dead. All copies of the movie were lost in a fire in the 1960's and prior to that it hadn't been shown since its initial release in the 1920's.

There was a reconstruction made from stills that has all the intertitles and original score. It's the closest to seeing it. That being said, all interviews I've ever seen from people who had seen it said it was pretty mediocre and not indicative of Lon Chaney's best work.

[MIKE D]

Terror Train

Speaking of frights on a train, anyone remember an old Hammer film called HORROR EXPRESS? I'm sure it's cheesy as hell but I adored it as a kid.

[Mattman]

That being said, all interviews I've ever seen from people who had seen it said it was pretty mediocre and not indicative of Lon Chaney's best work.

I can see that. There's a lame cheat at the end that ruins the film completely. I think what makes the movie so iconic (aside from the fact that it's a "lost movie") is Chaney's make-up. He looks absolutely terrifying and it really makes me wonder what he would have done had he not died before getting to play Dracula (he was Todd Browning's original choice for the character but died of throat cancer before they started shooting so Browning went with Bela Lagosi).

[Kensington]

Speaking of frights on a train, anyone remember an old Hammer film called HORROR EXPRESS? I'm sure it's cheesy as hell but I adored it as a kid.

Sure! This is one of those "classics" that was always on one of the local channels in Chicago back in the 1970s. A lot of those offerings can be found online for free viewing and downloading because they're part of the public domain.

Horror Express was the one with zombies on a European train, right? Telly Savalas as a crazy kossack!

This website has links to a lot of these obscure cult classics, including Crowhaven Farm, Wes Craven's 1981 Deadly Blessing (featuring some really memorable scenes, including a shot of a tarantula falling into Sharon Stone's mouth, and Without Warning.

Oh! And here's a particularly creepy movie from 1982, Don't Go To Sleep, in which the ghost of a little boy takes vengeance on his family after a drowning accident. I remember it being unusually nasty and grim for a TV movie. The ending, in particular, spooked me pretty bad.