This Halloween, you have 8 movies to introduce somebody to horror.

[metternich1815]

Originally Posted by shadyJ

It's hard to believe thataime same guy who made Dracula made Freaks. Freaks is terrifically directed and imaginatively filmed, whereas Dracula is stagy and slow, even by the standards of its time. Lugosi and Dwight Fry are the only good things about Dracula for me. When it came out with a Philip Glass soundtrack, I had to laugh, because no film could be less suited for a Philip Glass soundtrack, but perhaps I should give it a chance; maybe it works as a study in contrasts. No offense, but I think the respect for Dracula is generally unwarranted and rests solely on Lugosi's great performance. Of the Universal horror films, it is my least favorite.

Like I mentioned, I do not think the respect for Dracula is unwarranted in any way. I did not realize there was any hate for the film. I love Freaks as well as many of the Universal films, but Dracula is my favorite horror film pre 1950s, easy. I thought the film was excellent in many ways, not just due to Lugosi's performance. I still regularly revisited it and find it quite interesting.

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by neverending

But the actors are not trapeze artists, clowns and showgirls. They're pinheads, human torsos, living skeletons, dwarves... what the world at that time called Freaks, abominations, monsters. Amongst themselves they're normal, but the outside world fears them, and puts them on display to demean and control them. In the film their society is invaded and betrayed, and they exact their brutal revenge, and it's not the type of revenge you could find in a western. Their revenge is endemic to their place as society's freaks. They've been mocked and humiliated and have acted like the monsters outsiders believe them to be.

Freaks is not only good, it's a masterpiece, and an important early example of the sympathetic monster(s) abused by an uncaring, cruel society.

We undoubtedly agree on one thing: it was the casting of real people with deformities that make the film notable.

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by metternich1815

If you are talking about the Dracula from 1931, then I could not disagree more. I loved that film and have ever since I was young. It is easily my favorite Classic Universal horror film. Nosferatu is good, but Dracula (1931) is better, in my opinion. I would actually say that it is my second favorite vampire movie of all time.

Originally Posted by shadyJ

Dracula is stagy and slow, even by the standards of its time. ... No offense, but I think the respect for Dracula is generally unwarranted and rests solely on Lugosi's great performance. Of the Universal horror films, it is my least favorite.

Originally Posted by metternich1815

Like I mentioned, I do not think the respect for Dracula is unwarranted in any way. I did not realize there was any hate for the film. I love Freaks as well as many of the Universal films, but Dracula is my favorite horror film pre 1950s, easy. I thought the film was excellent in many ways, not just due to Lugosi's performance. I still regularly revisited it and find it quite interesting.

Let me say upfront, I far from hate Dracula, I really like it. I do happen to agree with ShadyJ that it is relatively stagey and slow. Which isn't surprising because much of it was recreated from it's stage play script, play sets, and blocking/performance. The framing and editing bother me in spots too, such as the ending scenes in the crypts. The worst aspect of Dracula is the sound. Perhaps I've just heard bad copies, but the hiss to voice volume ratio is really bad, and many of the actors voice scenes sound chalky, some spoken too fast, some hard to understand.

The sets, such as the opening scenes inside Dracula's castle, are fantastic. I don't think anyone has done a better performance of Dracula than Bela's. Still, despite being a silent film, I think Nosferatu created a more fighting film version.

[Giganticface]

Freaks - Shocking, one-of-a-kind, heartbreaking, exploitative.
Nosferatu - Nightmarish, iconic, artistic, immortal.

Dracula - ...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........

(No offense, it's just not my thing.)

[cheebacheeba]

Hellraiser
Phantasm
Invaders from Mars
NOES 1
Something wicked this way comes
Night of the Living Dead
Demons
Uzumaki

...I'd probably give them a look at "The Signal" and Shaun too.

[hacelikewhoa]

Kind of a hard one for first timers...Especially hard not knowing which type of horror they'd be into...hmmm..Would probably have to tie in classics/monster movies, B horror, and slashers to open them up.

Nosferatu
The Bride of Frankenstein
The Evil Dead (ORIGINAL)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (ORIGINAL)
Last House on the Left (ORIGINAL)
Halloween (ORIGINAL)
Night of The Living Dead
Friday the 13th Part II

[Kandarian Demon]

All movies are THE ORIGINALS... just so I won't have to type it after every movie :D

Nosferatu
Evil Dead
Salems Lot
The Fog
Creepshow
A Nightmare On Elm Street
Poltergeist
Theater of Blood

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by Sculpt

I think I'd introduce them to the Horror genre, with those sides, like this...

classic-esque
Nosferatu
Frankenstein

gory-esque
The Exorcist
The Thing 82

crazy-esque
Psycho
Nightmare On Elm St

funny-side-esque
Ghostbusters
Evil Dead 2

Just for fun... if I were to drop the categories (classic, gory, crazy, funny), and just hit on 8 films to introduce someone to the horror genre, one film per day, I think I would change it to:

Day:
1. Frankenstein
2. Night of the Living Dead
3. Psycho
4. The Exorcist
5. Alien
6. Halloween
7. The Thing 82
8. Evil Dead 2

I think those all hit different aspects of horror.