5 Great Horror Movies You Might Not Have Heard Of

[The Flayed One]

We've got a nice little knowledgeable horror community here. Over the years, we've done all kinds of great lists, projects and tournaments to help inform people what we think are the best and worst of the horror universe. There have been movies crowned king in countless tournaments, suggestion threads and answer threads, all lovingly contributed to by our members in the name of greater horror knowledge. As we speak, our current president is gathering nominations for the better advancement of horror literature.

I retired from projects/list making quite a while ago. After going through the grueling process of composing our first two 'Top 100' lists ever, my life had become too hectic to really lead complex HDC projects or even contribute to them as much as I'd like. It had become a new era; ___V___ had taken over project development and was steamrolling new material out all of the time. I hung up my gloves and was content to smile and watch the new generation move forward.

Then, when we started the 'Top 250 movies of the 2000's' list (status unknown) I was bitten by the bug. Like an ex-alcoholic who decided one drink wouldn't hurt at a wedding reception and wakes up on the lawn without his pants, I went off and did over 10 hours of research to compose a massive list of candidates for my team. It was huge amounts of fun and I realized how much I missed doing projects for the board.

Unfortunately, I still don't have the time to lead a project of any substantial size. The original Top 100 took enough number crunching and mathematical finagling to constipate a tax accountant, and the second Top 100 took several months of the judges filling up their Netflix ques and its own private message board.

What I can do, however, is post a tiny little list of a couple of gems I've watched over the past few months that I'd like to share with you. Enjoy.

Felidae


"Nine lives is cool, if you are using them wise."

A nice little German animated film, Felidae centers around a cat named Francis and his detective skills. When Francis and his owner move into a new home, he finds the mangled body of a fellow feline and is drawn into a deep mystery.

Although the plot may seem simple to some, the combination of the animation and the novelty of a murder mystery involving cats as the protagonist is refreshing and entertaining. This is a fairly dark story with hints of giallo cinema, not designed for children and a great watch for any horror fan. Unfortunately, the film has not been released for R1 on DVD. You can watch it on Youtube in parts.

[The Flayed One]

The Reflecting Skin


"Sometimes terrible things happen quite naturally"

The Reflecting Skin is one of the more unique horror movies I've been exposed to. Almost too bizarre for its own good, it blends a fantasy of vampirism, child sexual abuse and miscreant behavior into an astonishing tale of childhood wonder in a dark situation.

A group of children become obsessed with a strange lady who lives down the road (Dolphin Blue, played by Lindsay Duncan) and their fascination leads to pranks which borderline on torment. The entire film is gripping and macabre, bringing to light the essence of the innocence and naivete of youth, and the brutal reality of what results it can produce under strange conditions.

I can't really give a fair description of this film, as it almost defies description. I'll just give it my recommendation. I can almost guarantee that it will stay with you for one reason or another. Unfortunately, it has no current R1 release. Fortunately, as with Felidae, you can watch it on Youtube in parts.

[The Flayed One]

Fimfarum Jana Wericha


"But what is fimfarum?"
"That's the point, your worship. Fimfarum isn't anything!"

A little bit of stop animation love from the Czechs that doesn't involve Jan Svankmajer. This fairytale compilation of five stories is brought to life with a mischievous, whimsical sense. There are definitely elements of horror, and though they are based on old Czech fairy tales, most who are fans of the genre (fairy tales, that is) will recognize the stories, at least vaguely.

If you are a fan of stop animation at all, I don't see how you could not enjoy this movie. It's visually stunning and easily captivates its viewers with its charm. Once again, no R1 release is to be had, and once again, I find myself directing you to youtube to enjoy this little gem of foreign cinema.

[The Flayed One]

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavera


"This was the day the Earth was disemboweled in terror"

This is probably the most well known movie on my list. I'll admit that when I first tried to watch this movie I was fairly drunk, and I ended up staring at the TV for 20 minutes. I don't think I blinked and I'm pretty sure I started to drool before I turned it off.

I had to go back and start this movie again semi sober before I realized what I was watching. Apparently director Larry Blamire has watched every episode of MST3K several thousand times and carefully constructed the algorithm for this movie:

1.) Remove all parts that are actually hilarious and meant to be that way (if any)

2.) Remove all parts that are unintentionally hilarious

3.) Remove all parts that are so bad, they're not even so bad they're hilarious

What we're left with is bizarre; an entire movie based on parts of bad movies that we nervously laugh at because we're not sure if they're so bad that they're funny or if they're so incredibly bad that they've killed multiple brain cells and made us mildly retarded enough to think that they are.

This is also the only movie on the list that is available R1, so you get a trailer link instead of the full experience. Netflix that shit!

[The Flayed One]

Ricky 6


"Say you love Satan..."

This is the only film on the list that has never had an official release. It's a shame, because it really is incredible.

Based loosely on the Ricky Kasso case, the film is well thought out and the actors turn in excellent performances. For any of you who were alive/cognizant in the 80's during the great modern satanic scare, this film is a must. It's a surprisingly compassionate look at a lost youth in a dark, neo-McCarthyistic time when witch hunts focused on Satanism and rock music and the rare extremes it caused.

Yes, and you can watch it on youtube in several parts.

[TheWickerFan]

I asked about three of those films in my Hidden Gems?? threads.

[Fearonsarms]

Thanks for the recommendations I'll chase them up when I have more free time :)

[The Flayed One]

Originally Posted by TheWickerFan

I asked about three of those films in my Hidden Gems?? threads.

And I hope my delayed response gives you decent insight as to what I think about them.

[TheWickerFan]

Originally Posted by The Flayed One

And I hope my delayed response gives you decent insight as to what I think about them.

Yes it does.:)

[Ferox13]

Seen The Reflecting Skin in cinema at fil festival when it came out..ike it a lot - great atmosphere and creepy in parts.

Liked Ricky 6 too - I'm pretty interested in the Ricky Kasso (also Black Circle Boys and My Sweet Satan). Has it got a release anywhere?

Not seen The Lost Skeleton of Cadavera - never really appealed to me..

Not heard of the other 2.