Poll: Classic Horror

[Bizzaro Stormy]

Several years ago a good friend of mine provided me with a very nice set of old Hammer Horror movies. It included several films each of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and a fair number of one off movies. This last Christmas my beloved wife got me the Universal Classic Monsters DVD set. I've happily gone through both and I loved them all for both their intentional achievements, and a certain amount of so bad it's good moments. The Bride of Frankenstein contains several of these scenes.

Personally I think they're both great, but I like the Universal ones a bit better. Hammer did a fine job of bringing the monsters of the 18th and 19th century into the color era, and Universal captured the otherworldly nature of the various tales. Conversely Hammer sometimes tried too hard to be edgy and became sleazy, and Universal could sometimes be a bit boring and featured a few shockingly bad performances alongside great ones. With that said, I view these two companies the way I view pie. Chess and pumpkin pie are both great, but pumpkin tastes a little better to me.

With that preamble out of the way I was wondering what everyone else thought. Do you like one over the other, or is there a third company that tickles your fancy? I would prefer it if we stuck to film companies from the 1980'a on back to keep it classic, but if you're bursting at the seems to mention a more recent one go for it!

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Hammer. I spent a good amount of time smoking suspicious cigarettes and watching various hammer horrors in my youth.

Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. Awesome.

Also.."Chess and pumpkin pie"..chess pie? What?

 

[Bizzaro Stormy]

Hammer. I spent a good amount of time smoking suspicious cigarettes and watching various hammer horrors in my youth.

Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. Awesome.

Also.."Chess and pumpkin pie"..chess pie? What?

I may have spelled it wrong but it's a southern U.S. thing. Sort of a custard baked in a pie crust. It's VERY sweet. So like Hammer it's a once in a while thing, but very good!

 

[Bizzaro Stormy]

Since I've heard that the Spanish version of Dracula is better than the English language one, I'm saving it to the end. Hopefully this is the truth and not some oddly hipsterish statement that since it is obscure it must be better.

 

[Karloff]

I'm a Hammer fan, but if you like that sort of thing, you might want to seek out the old Quatermass serials from the 1950s. Made by the BBC, there are also film versions out there, but the TV stuff is probably more in keeping with the old horror aesthetic.

 

[Albino Boo]

I'm a Hammer fan, but if you like that sort of thing, you might want to seek out the old Quatermass serials from the 1950s. Made by the BBC, there are also film versions out there, but the TV stuff is probably more in keeping with the old horror aesthetic.

The BBC did a live version of the Quatermass Experiment in 2005. It wasn't that bad, not as good as the original. I don't think Quatermass and the pit holds up, it lacks the campness and wants to be taken a little too seriously with what's now quite dodgy effects. I would also like to add the Stone Tape another BBC production from 1970s but by the same writer as Quatermass.

 

[SinisterDeath]

What is Chucky, Pumpkinhead, Leprechaun, Shining, Phantasm, Serpent and the rainbow, Wish Master, ect considered in terms of horror genre?

 

[FalloutJack]

Studios do not define my tastes in horror, therefore my vote is with a MWA HA HAAA!!

 

[Queen Michael]

I prefer Universal, since their movies are the only classic horror movies I've ever seen.

 

[Bizzaro Stormy]

I'm a Hammer fan, but if you like that sort of thing, you might want to seek out the old Quatermass serials from the 1950s. Made by the BBC, there are also film versions out there, but the TV stuff is probably more in keeping with the old horror aesthetic.

I've never scene Quatermass but I might look into it at some point. It sounds interesting.

What is Chucky, Pumpkinhead, Leprechaun, Shining, Phantasm, Serpent and the rainbow, Wish Master, ect considered in terms of horror genre?

Anywhere you want them. As far as I'm concerned, if it's over a quarter of a century old and it's stood the test of time it's classic. I will admit to my own hypocrisy in considering the Hammer films a little sleazy and yet Phantasm is my very favorite horror film. I love the ones where it seems like a bad dream occurring in front of you. It all worked great in that one and everything on screen seemed to fit and didn't feel forced at all.

Studios do not define my tastes in horror, therefore my vote is with a MWA HA HAAA!!

I'm glad someone picked that option! I don't normally view studios as defining one film genre, but those two went out of their way to produce as much horror as possible within the space of a few years, each group with its own distinctive style. It would be interesting if another company were to try retelling those stories in a group form again, or even picking a different sent of book monsters and going crazy with them onscreen!