NationStates Jolt Archive

Tell me which ones are the scariest.i want to be scared right now, but all the movies I end up watching are really terrible. :( I'm looking along the lines of zombie, ghost or alien. I don't care too much for werewolves or vamps, or even serial killers(though I might watch one about murders if it is deemed scary enough)

Tell me which ones are the scariest.i want to be scared right now, but all the movies I end up watching are really terrible. :( I'm looking along the lines of zombie, ghost or alien. I don't care too much for werewolves or vamps, or even serial killers(though I might watch one about murders if it is deemed scary enough)

depends on what you consider scary. a good story or lots of gore?

hmmm...
I like The Changeling (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080516/)
The Eye (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325655/) (Chinese Version)
but warning, very little blood and gore in them.

or you can try the OLD classics like
Night of the Living Dead
The Birds
Alien (tho it might be ruined by the contiual franchinsing)

Anything with "Barbie" in the title oughtta scare ya good. ;)

Shaun of the Dead isn't really scary, since it's a comedy horror flick, but it's worth a rent.

Hangman's Curse might be worth a viewing, but not get-the-sofa-cleaned-by-professionals scary by any means.

depends on what you consider scary. a good story or lots of gore?

hmmm...
I like The Changeling (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080516/)
The Eye (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325655/) (Chinese Version)
but warning, very little blood and gore in them.


I really want surprise more...I like the element of building suspense...and then POP! So like the story is a most important aspect. It needs to be constantly building tension, and delivering with things that can make me jump.

I really want surprise more...I like the element of building suspense...and then POP! So like the story is a most important aspect. It needs to be constantly building tension, and delivering with things that can make me jump.

then try my top two.

the Chinese version of the Eye was well done. dunno how it compares with the US version.

Changeling is in a classic "Ghost story" tone where a widower is drawn into a secret buried in his newly bought house.

I like scary movies, but too many modern ones try to scare you with gore. that's not scary, that's disgusting.

or if you have a PS2... try any of the fatal frame games. *shudders*

I played those... and even tho I've completed them... I STILL cannot play them after the sun goes down...

The Shining is definitely one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. The suspense is awesome.

Everything. Everything even remotely dark and creepy-like scares me. :p

Everything. Everything even remotely dark and creepy-like scares me. :p

BOO!

:p

Tell me which ones are the scariest.i want to be scared right now, but all the movies I end up watching are really terrible. :( I'm looking along the lines of zombie, ghost or alien. I don't care too much for werewolves or vamps, or even serial killers(though I might watch one about murders if it is deemed scary enough)

I quite liked "Dog Soldiers". Yes, it's werewolves. No, I don't normally like werewolf movies.

I assume that the various incarnations of the Grudge and Ring franchises are out?

What about the Silent Hill movie? The Resident Evil movies?

I quite liked "The Others", "El Espinazo del Diablo" and "El Orfanato". And, as vamp flicks go, you could do a lot worse than "30 Days of Night".

As ghost stories go, "Dek hor" (Dorm) was surprisingly enchanting.

I quite liked "Dog Soldiers". Yes, it's werewolves. No, I don't normally like werewolf movies.

I assume that the various incarnations of the Grudge and Ring franchises are out?

What about the Silent Hill movie? The Resident Evil movies?

I quite liked "The Others", "El Espinazo del Diablo" and "El Orfanato". And, as vamp flicks go, you could do a lot worse than "30 Days of Night".

As ghost stories go, "Dek hor" (Dorm) was surprisingly enchanting.

Resident Evil? The first one is close to a scary movie, the rest tho... more action flick then scare.

Resident Evil? The first one is close to a scary movie, the rest tho... more action flick then scare.

I'm not sure. I like all three Resident Evil movies (first and third being best, imho) and, to me, that's more important than a 'scare' value, per se.

Indeed, maybe it's just me, but there's precious little 'scare' value to almost any horror film. I lok for other things in the genre - like the delicious paranoia and isolation in Kairo (Pulse), that was completely missed in the US remake.

Maybe I'm not a very good judge of 'scary' movies. :)

Try the original Japanese version of The Ring (Ringu) or (Again, original Japanese version) of Dark Water.

the Chinese version of the Eye was well done. dunno how it compares with the US version.


Not seen the US version of "The Eye", but I heartily support the Hong Kong version as a nomination.

The US remake of "One Missed Call" was surprisingly close to the original, though. That's not a bad suggestion.

I'm not sure. I like all three Resident Evil movies (first and third being best, imho) and, to me, that's more important than a 'scare' value, per se.

Indeed, maybe it's just me, but there's precious little 'scare' value to almost any horror film. I lok for other things in the genre - like the delicious paranoia and isolation in Kairo (Pulse), that was completely missed in the US remake.

Maybe I'm not a very good judge of 'scary' movies. :)

that's my complaint with today's scary movies. it's all about the gore. before, it's the shock of something coming out and killing a camper then leaving while everyone is still in 'wtf' mode. nowdays it pops out, you get one quick shot of the attack, 5 different angles of the weapon, claw, whatever sinking into the flesh, 3 different shots of the person screaming with blood gushing from their mouths (but it bit him in the ankle!) 6 different shots of everyone else screaming, 10 shots of blood splattering on everything within 2 miles, 2 shots of the thing growling, then it disappears leaving everyone in 'WTF' mode.

that's my complaint with today's scary movies. it's all about the gore. before, it's the shock of something coming out and killing a camper then leaving while everyone is still in 'wtf' mode. nowdays it pops out, you get one quick shot of the attack, 5 different angles of the weapon, claw, whatever sinking into the flesh, 3 different shots of the person screaming with blood gushing from their mouths (but it bit him in the ankle!) 6 different shots of everyone else screaming, 10 shots of blood splattering on everything within 2 miles, 2 shots of the thing growling, then it disappears leaving everyone in 'WTF' mode.

Perhaps it's an unpopular view, but that's pretty much the reason I've been so impressed with "Blair Witch", and, more recently, "Cloverfield".

Anyone can splash the claret around, and throwing enough dollars at it makes it pretty hard to make a 'bad' monster. I like movies that go all out for atmosphere, even if that means (what most might consider) 'conventional' horror gets left out.

Perhaps not "scary", but certainly a good, suspenseful film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/

Perhaps not "scary", but certainly a good, suspenseful film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/

I've seen a trailer for it, and it looked pretty damn good. That's a thumbs-up, then?

Idk...I just dont find Horror Movies that scary...

Mostly theyre just incredibly funny...

I mean, after growing up on Mortal Kombat, Doom, Wolfenstein, Grand Theft Auto, etc....

Movie Horror just doesnt compare...

Maybe im just too Jaded...

I thought "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" was good.

Hangman's Curse might be worth a viewing, but not get-the-sofa-cleaned-by-professionals scary by any means.

Your kidding, right? That piece of crud was worse than People Under the Staires. If you want to go for scary school situation watch Elephant. Of course if you want a little Bruce Cambell action watch The Woods.

You can't go wrong with the Scream trilogy, Freddy, Jason, Zombies, Aliens, Demons/ Cenobites, Chucky, etc...

I've seen a trailer for it, and it looked pretty damn good. That's a thumbs-up, then?

Thumbs up...I'd give it an 8, maybe even 8.5 out of 10.

...although I watch foreign films in the original language with subtitles, so if you're one who goes for the English dub, it might not be quite as enjoyable.

I watched a movie last night called 1408, it was pretty scary I spose.

Tell me which ones are the scariest.i want to be scared right now, but all the movies I end up watching are really terrible. :( I'm looking along the lines of zombie, ghost or alien. I don't care too much for werewolves or vamps, or even serial killers(though I might watch one about murders if it is deemed scary enough)

You might want to try The Thing, The Blob (1988 version), or Phantoms. Maybe some lesser knowns like In The Mouth of Madness (if your a Lovecraft fan), Anatomy (if you can find it, its in German, but great Hitchcockian feel), Silent Hill (meh), Abominable (for some killer Yeti fun), or Demon City (anime).

Im forgetting some I know, I just have a mental block for the time being.

Meh, some pretty poor movies listed here. :p I go for the old-school chills -- been a horror fan since childhood -- and I agree it's hard to find a good scare nowadays. I tend to go for creeping, building, immersive terror, rather than surprises and "jumps", so I can only think of a few (out of the hundreds in my library) that I liked that you might like too. Try these:

-- If you want something newish with some visual pop to it, try Bones, the Snoop Dogg movie. A bit gory/gross and it has some pissy new-agey touches, but otherwise solid ghost action, with plenty of visual tributes to the Italian exploitation classic Suspiria (which is beautiful, but not a very good movie).

-- I liked both the Japanese and American versions of The Ring. It was interesting to compare them.

-- The original The Haunting (1963). The new one sucks loud and bad -- don't watch it (and if you already have, get your eyes washed :p). I love the original, but some people find it hard to get into -- you have to give your imagination over to it completely.

-- The Legend of Hell House (1973). Not much gore, but lots of "mature content." Just mentioning.

-- The Resurrected (1992), based on two Lovecraft stories, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" and "The Horror of the Middle Span." Pretty gory but, fuck-yeah, those guys knew how to use the dark.

-- I vehemently hate The Shining, but against all logic, reason and expectations, SciFi produced a very good rip-off of the same story, 7 Days to Live. It's the same basic set-up but on a more human, intimate scale, with a more believable backstory, and more sympathetic characters. Also, and it really hurts me to say this about an acting legend, but Jack Nicholson sucked so horribly in the big movie, and Sean Pertwee (?!) does the same kind of character SOOOO much better, SOOO real, SOOO terrifying (forget the horror part; just imagine this is your husband and you're trapped in the house with him). Me like. :)

-- My personal favorite zombie movie after Sean of the Dead is Cemetery Man (Dellamorte, Dellamore, 1994). It's Night of the Living Dead, only Italian and insane and you need to see it (also mature content, just in case you're scaring kids as well).

I also don't like serial killer/slasher-type horror movies because they mostly suck and don't know what is scary about real people (human beings are so much more terrifying than monsters), but some that I really like are:

-- From Hell, the Johnny Depp Jack-The-Ripper movie (just for That One Performance that you'll know when you see it).

-- Night of the Hunter (1955). Robert Mitchum will scare the living shit out of you, and that's all you need to know. :)

-- And of course, Psycho, the original (1960). If you haven't seen this, watch it. Just do it, to complete your cultural education.

I'm also gonna go with 'The Shining' and 'The Brood'

Ringu is the only recent thing I think is actually atmospheric enough to be scary.

I also tend to think older films can be more scary than modern ones, so being a bit of a Val Lewton fan I am going to recommend Cat People, The Leopard Man, and the Seventh Victim.

Ringu is the only recent thing I think is actually atmospheric enough to be scary.

I also tend to think older films can be more scary than modern ones, so being a bit of a Val Lewton fan I am going to recommend Cat People, The Leopard Man, and the Seventh Victim.
I agree. Val Lewton was an atmospheric horror genius. I also admire Tod Browning. But I didn't recommend them because of the OP's desired movie features -- jumps and pops, you know. Those old-school guys are what I mean by "immersive terror." :)

Recently seen a Korean film set in 1972 Vietnam.

Its called R-Point, its about an island where a scouting unit disappeared six months earlier yet every night a distress call is recieved from the missing unit but they either seem to ignore or not hear any response to their radio message.

The local Korean commander sends in another unit to investigate and attempt to find the missing unit, co's things get spooky soon as they land on the island. Basically they left as a 9 man team and arrived as a 10 man team, then after that things really get fricked up.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Thumbs up...I'd give it an 8, maybe even 8.5 out of 10.

...although I watch foreign films in the original language with subtitles, so if you're one who goes for the English dub, it might not be quite as enjoyable.

The only time I'll watch a dub is if there is no other option. (My copy of Subway - I was horrified to find - is a dub version, for example).

Perhaps it's an unpopular view, but that's pretty much the reason I've been so impressed with "Blair Witch", and, more recently, "Cloverfield".

Anyone can splash the claret around, and throwing enough dollars at it makes it pretty hard to make a 'bad' monster. I like movies that go all out for atmosphere, even if that means (what most might consider) 'conventional' horror gets left out.
Blair Witch was... ugh. too much bitching between the characters.

Cloverfield to me was a movie that couldn't make up it's mind. was it a monster, horror, or drama movie. they didn't have the focus needed.

I've seen a trailer for it, and it looked pretty damn good. That's a thumbs-up, then?It is GOOD. not horror, but more of a drama with the monster as supporting.

The only time I'll watch a dub is if there is no other option. (My copy of Subway - I was horrified to find - is a dub version, for example).
the professional release in the US has both sub and dub. but dub is the default... I think.

Tell me which ones are the scariest.i want to be scared right now, but all the movies I end up watching are really terrible. :( I'm looking along the lines of zombie, ghost or alien. I don't care too much for werewolves or vamps, or even serial killers(though I might watch one about murders if it is deemed scary enough)

Good gravy. The choices mentioned here so far are terrible. I'm afraid for the future if this is what you guys know about horror. . .

For sheer wet-the-sofa terror, accept no substitutes for the following:

Aliens (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/)

John Carpenter's The Thing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/)

And for those of you jonesing for a newer release, the best horror movie in 20 years (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/).

I agree to everyone who says the Thing. That kept me up for a week as a kid, and made me very cautious of dogs.

Also, while we're on vague movie titles, I'll suggest the movie adaptation of King's novel "It". If nothing else then for killer clowns.

Recently seen a Korean film set in 1972 Vietnam.

Its called R-Point, its about an island where a scouting unit disappeared six months earlier yet every night a distress call is recieved from the missing unit but they either seem to ignore or not hear any response to their radio message.

The local Korean commander sends in another unit to investigate and attempt to find the missing unit, co's things get spooky soon as they land on the island. Basically they left as a 9 man team and arrived as a 10 man team, then after that things really get fricked up.

I like R-Point. For some reason, although I don't really like war movies, and I don't always like horror movies... I'm quite a fan of the 'war horror' sub-genre.

Blair Witch was... ugh. too much bitching between the characters.


Seemed kind of realistic to me. I like movies where a realistic atmosphere holds sway. To me, that's much scarier than most 'scare' mechanisms... we can ignore zombies on screen because we are so familiar with them and they are so unbelievable. When something like Blair Witch comes along that is... I don't know... human? That kind of immersion is much more my flavour.


Cloverfield to me was a movie that couldn't make up it's mind. was it a monster, horror, or drama movie. they didn't have the focus needed.


It wasn't really any of those... it was kind of an amateur documentary - the 'real' version of all those monster movies we see. Did it lack focus? Sure... it's 'real' like that.


It is GOOD. not horror, but more of a drama with the monster as supporting.


Good. That sounds like my cup of tea. :)


the professional release in the US has both sub and dub. but dub is the default... I think.

So long as I can choose to ignore the dub, I'm good.

Good gravy. The choices mentioned here so far are terrible. I'm afraid for the future if this is what you guys know about horror. . .

For sheer wet-the-sofa terror, accept no substitutes for the following:

Aliens (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/)

John Carpenter's The Thing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/)

And for those of you jonesing for a newer release, the best horror movie in 20 years (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/).

If you'd have said "Alien", rather than "Aliens", I might not have argued. The problem is, while "Alien" was a good horror movie, "Aliens" wasn't a horror movie - it was a war movie where the baddies were really ugly.

"The Thing" is okay, if you like gross-out horror. At least it's better than the original.

If you'd have said "Alien", rather than "Aliens", I might not have argued. The problem is, while "Alien" was a good horror movie, "Aliens" wasn't a horror movie - it was a war movie where the baddies were really ugly.

"The Thing" is okay, if you like gross-out horror. At least it's better than the original.

Yes and no. It is one of the best representations of a military unit I've ever seen on film, but the difference between Aliens and a more traditional war film couldn't be starker: war films are almost always attempts to describe some aspect of the combat experience. The ham-handed ones go for showing the corrupting effects war has on humans (which is probably why I was never a fan of Apocalypse Now), whereas some of the better ones go for describing certain experiences of war (the survivor experience in The Big Red One, for instance), or the incongruities notions of honor and heroism have with modern combat (the best instance I can think of being The Bridge on the River Kwai).

Aliens isn't about the combat experience. It's about redeeming one's failings as a parent and maternal love; I suppose one could also argue it's the mother of all catfight movies. It just happens to be a movie about the depths to which loving parents go for their kids set against a Raymond Chandler-goes-to-Vietnam background. So I say it's a horror movie made from war movie and hard sci-fi components.

Good gravy. The choices mentioned here so far are terrible. I'm afraid for the future if this is what you guys know about horror. . .

For sheer wet-the-sofa terror, accept no substitutes for the following:

Aliens (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/)
Aliens = a rollicking fun monster movie, but NOT horror. It wasn't scary at all. Where was there one fright in that thing? It was a bug hunt. :D

As for Alien -- "In Space, No One Can Hear You Snore." Sorry, GnI.

John Carpenter's The Thing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/)
Ye gods, how I hate that boring, grotty, hackneyed piece of tripe. Normally, I like Carpenter movies, but that one -- nope, nope, don't like it.

And for those of you jonesing for a newer release, the best horror movie in 20 years (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/).
Another one. The Descent in REM sleep.

I guess I'm the kind of person who falls asleep on rollercoasters. These noisy whizz-bang shock-fests just don't do it for me.

And Alien is just dull.

Click Stand;13693396']I agree to everyone who says the Thing. That kept me up for a week as a kid, and made me very cautious of dogs.

Also, while we're on vague movie titles, I'll suggest the movie adaptation of King's novel "It". If nothing else then for killer clowns.

That's a good one. Speaking of killer clowns may I suggest Killer Clowns From Outer Space, Carnival of Souls, and Something Wicked Comes This Way.

... I have to disagree with Xenophobialand; Descent was perdictable babes in distress. Slight twists but not enough to be deemed best. Also Americans got the happy ending version; in contrast to Britons getting the real ending.

Aliens isn't about the combat experience. It's about redeeming one's failings as a parent and maternal love; I suppose one could also argue it's the mother of all catfight movies. It just happens to be a movie about the depths to which loving parents go for their kids set against a Raymond Chandler-goes-to-Vietnam background. So I say it's a horror movie made from war movie and hard sci-fi components.
Except all references to Ripley's daughter was cut out of the theatrical and DVD releases and only viewable in the 'deleted scenes' of the DVD's.

Aliens isn't a horror movie, it's an action movie. and the scenes they cut out from the theatrical release and how it was filmed kinda support their vision for action and not horror/scary.

Had they kept the automated gun scenes. where you have them watching the guns firing and running dry yet the aliens still coming could've been kept to show just how screwed the marines were.

the lighting in the refinery (the first time in) was too well lit. a darker setting would've supported a horror/scary setting more. The lighting on the Nostromo was perfect.

the first fight between aliens and the marines should've been more "picking em off one at a time" than an ambush

I would've removed the wheeled vehicle and just kept the dropship. then the drop ship flies to the reactor with the marines (leaving Ripley, Newt, and a handful of marines behind) and you have them being wiped out there. that would result in the surviving marines still not sure what they're up against, the limited weapons and supplies and the isolated feelings. the fact that there was one alien on the base (the one that kills the pilot and co-pilot) begs the question where's the others?

The entire mood of Aliens was action.

That's a good one. Speaking of killer clowns may I suggest Killer Clowns From Outer Space, Carnival of Souls, and Something Wicked Comes This Way.

... I have to disagree with Xenophobialand; Descent was perdictable babes in distress. Slight twists but not enough to be deemed best. Also Americans got the happy ending version; in contrast to Britons getting the real ending.

Descent's ending was happy? what was that? the ending I saw was her slowly going nuts in a damp, dark cave.

28 Days Later.

Maybe it was the fact I was 15 when I first saw it.

Or maybe it was because they paid ex-olympic sprinters to play the infected. Fast fucking zombies. Was scared to go out after dark for over a month...

Descent's ending was happy? what was that? the ending I saw was her slowly going nuts in a damp, dark cave.

That would be the British ending. The American cut ended with her slowly going nuts in the car. I vastly prefer the British version myself.

But I would say that you need to look over the movie again if you think the first impulse in Aliens isn't horror. I'd especially direct to what I think is one of the best-directed scenes in cinema history, which is the scene where the Marines hit LV-426 and inspect the main complex. The genius of the original Alien is that it applied Hitchcock's principle of the bomb under the table (The Bomb goes off; the crowd is shocked, for a moment. The Bomb doesn't go off; the crowd is increasingly uneasy and nervous, for as long as you can maintain the suspense) to a supremely violent creature feature which, even in those days, were known more for T&A and cool kills than actual scariness. If you watch that scene, you'll see echoes of the scene where Brett looks for the Alien, and looks, and looks, and looks, but it's done even better. By the time the Marines find the colonists, the tension and suspense is damned near unbearable.

I'm not sure what distinguishes an action movie and thereby makes Aliens an action and not a horror film for you, but the tone and pacing of the movie is all about ramping up our squirmy insecurity and dislike of being violently dismembered by acid-blooded, alternately insectoid, arachnid, or reptilian (by the appearance) aliens. In short, it's built exactly as an excellently-done horror film would be done. The fact that it has action elements to it does not I think alter this basic case.

As a side note, having the extended edition, I'd say that cutting the introductory piece on LV-426 would be a good idea, but it was a ridiculous move to cut the scene regarding Ripley's daughter. The smart gun scene I could go either way on; the con view you didn't mention is that without the scene you have no idea what the xenomorphs are up to and don't know when they're coming.

That would be the British ending. The American cut ended with her slowly going nuts in the car. I vastly prefer the British version myself. A good argument for waiting for the DVD's. :p

But I would say that you need to look over the movie again if you think the first impulse in Aliens isn't horror. I'd especially direct to what I think is one of the best-directed scenes in cinema history, which is the scene where the Marines hit LV-426 and inspect the main complex. The genius of the original Alien is that it applied Hitchcock's principle of the bomb under the table (The Bomb goes off; the crowd is shocked, for a moment. The Bomb doesn't go off; the crowd is increasingly uneasy and nervous, for as long as you can maintain the suspense) to a supremely violent creature feature which, even in those days, were known more for T&A and cool kills than actual scariness. If you watch that scene, you'll see echoes of the scene where Brett looks for the Alien, and looks, and looks, and looks, but it's done even better. By the time the Marines find the colonists, the tension and suspense is damned near unbearable. a great point. and one, that was untouched in my suggested changes. As I said, once the marines were in an ambush situation, their training took over and it became a bug fight. but if they took the patter of AVP, where the aliens picked em off one at a time in the reactor, that would add to the tension while providing mico shocks to keep the audiences on their toes.

the dropship could replace the lifter (which would make sense if they were parked by the reactor and an alien then snuck aboard and killed them.)

I'm not sure what distinguishes an action movie and thereby makes Aliens an action and not a horror film for you, but the tone and pacing of the movie is all about ramping up our squirmy insecurity and dislike of being violently dismembered by acid-blooded, alternately insectoid, arachnid, or reptilian (by the appearance) aliens. In short, it's built exactly as an excellently-done horror film would be done. The fact that it has action elements to it does not I think alter this basic case. except for Hudson, the other characters were soldiers. thus their fear, their tension which is another aspect to adding to the horror just wasn't there. Preditor was more horror than Aliens was because you had a crack squad slowly being picked off one by one and they didn't know what was happening. the whole reactor fight served no purpose but to cut down their numbers quickly and didn't add anything to the atmosphere.

As a side note, having the extended edition, I'd say that cutting the introductory piece on LV-426 would be a good idea, but it was a ridiculous move to cut the scene regarding Ripley's daughter. The smart gun scene I could go either way on; the con view you didn't mention is that without the scene you have no idea what the xenomorphs are up to and don't know when they're coming.
I agree with the whole daughter thing. but the Gun view could've been done this way.

The consoles beep indicating activation and everyone gathers around them. you see both ammo levels start dropping as both guns (in two different areas I believe) are firing (no shots of the guns, no shots of the aliens being blown to bits, just a view of the console and everyone watching them.) the dropping numbers are fast and steady, no pause, no stopping... just a fast drop. at that point you can have comments of
"Jesus, how many of those things are there?" "Are the guns doing anything?"
the counters run down to zero and you have an eerie silence broken by the counsoles out of ammo alarm.
"did they get em all?"
*Lights and power goes out*
"they cut the power"
"whaddya me they cut the power, they're just stupid aliens..." [continue with normal movie dialogue.]

at that, you keep the wtf are they doing, and it adds to the tension that they are now here. the tension would be added to the idea that those remaining didn't go to the reactor thus still didn't have first hand experience with the aliens and thus still not know what they're up against and can convey that fear and uncertainty to the audience (my idea of getting rid of the oversized car and only having the dropship.)

As for Alien -- "In Space, No One Can Hear You Snore." Sorry, GnI.

And Alien is just dull.

I found it slow, but not dull. But then, I like that kind of relaxed pacing. "Solaris" is actually one of my favourite films (the US version, the original tries even my pacing patience...) so I really don't mind a movie that takes a while to get somewhere, so long as I like the ride. :)

Yes and no. It is one of the best representations of a military unit I've ever seen on film, but the difference between Aliens and a more traditional war film couldn't be starker: war films are almost always attempts to describe some aspect of the combat experience. The ham-handed ones go for showing the corrupting effects war has on humans (which is probably why I was never a fan of Apocalypse Now), whereas some of the better ones go for describing certain experiences of war (the survivor experience in The Big Red One, for instance), or the incongruities notions of honor and heroism have with modern combat (the best instance I can think of being The Bridge on the River Kwai).

Aliens isn't about the combat experience. It's about redeeming one's failings as a parent and maternal love; I suppose one could also argue it's the mother of all catfight movies. It just happens to be a movie about the depths to which loving parents go for their kids set against a Raymond Chandler-goes-to-Vietnam background. So I say it's a horror movie made from war movie and hard sci-fi components.

To me, it's just a war movie... I don't really see it as a horror any more than any other war movie. If it's a Vietnam war movie, and you don't know exactly when the attack is coming, does it become horror? Not to me... a 'war thriller', maybe?

My personal opinion is that "Aliens" completely missed the point of the franchise, as did Alien: Resurrection - both struck me as more about the 'fight', and less about the psychology. "Alien" was a sci-fi horror (probably still the definitive one), and "Aliens" just took the formula that - if one alien is good, a hundred must be even better.

I like "Aliens", but for different reasons to why like "Alien". It's a different type of story based around the same background material. I can just never decide if that schizophrenic format to the Alien franchise is a strength or not.

I found it slow, but not dull. But then, I like that kind of relaxed pacing. "Solaris" is actually one of my favourite films (the US version, the original tries even my pacing patience...) so I really don't mind a movie that takes a while to get somewhere, so long as I like the ride. :)
I guess I just didn't like the ride. I found both Alien and Solaris needlessly slow. What I mean is, I thought they were padded with unnecessary content -- riveting walking-down-corridor sequences, serial facial reaction shots, multi-second countdowns before the next line gets spoken, establishing shots of empty rooms in which no scene is going to be played, and such like.

And I felt the padding was attempting to give weight and mood to scripts that lacked both in their actual content. In Alien, I found the characters shallow, the situation cliche, and the choices of action/reaction unbelievable -- really just stock B-movie stuff, nothing that justifies its reputation.

As for Solaris, I just got the impression that the filmmakers had no idea what that story is about. Solaris is one of my favorite scifi novels, and it is very slow, very quiet, very inward, kind of a downer, and not intellectually user-friendly, but it did actually consist of a little more than numerous scenes of characters standing silently outside a door for up to three minutes before walking in -- which is pretty much all I remember of the movie after two viewings.

Not The Grudge II. It's fracking hilarious.