Your Favourite Horror Film from 1979
 

1979 was a year for some brilliant horror films, but which one is your favourite? What makes it special to you? When did you first see it? Would you recommend it to the uninitiated?

Sometimes it's a hard decision to just pick one film (even when you're limiting it to a single year!), but my favourite film of 1979 is...


Runners Up:
Beyond the Darkness
The Brood
Driller Killer
Fascination
Phantasm
Tourist Trap
Zombie Flesh Eaters

As much as I love Zombie Flesh Eaters, like you, my favourite horror film from this year and one of my all-time favourite horror films is Ridley Scott's groundbreaking monster movie, Alien. It is a film that has everything from nerve wracking tension to superb SFX make-up and creature design and brilliant performances by the entire cast. It may not be as much fun as Zombi 2, but given the choice between those you have mentioned, I would go for Alien each time, probably the theatrical rather than extended cut.

"Cannibal Holocaust", "The Driller Killer", "The Fog".

As much as I like Cannibal Holocaust and The Fog, I would rather spend two hours watching Alien than them. I'm not quite sure what it is about the film that makes it so watchable, it's probably because it has a much more complex text and deeper characters than any other films that have been mentioned so you can pick out different things each time.

The Fog and Zombie are good 'fun' horror films and are different viewing experiences than Alien, which is a much more serious piece of work which can be viewed as a simple monster movie or something much more complex with serious things to say about gender politics.

I'm not a fan of anything that involves space travel or sci-fi elements so "Alien" leaves me a little cold. I think the gender politics in "Alien" has been vastly over hyped by film critics and theorists. Whilst "Alien" is a far more intelligent film than most genre films, at the end of the day it's just a slasher with a better script and "Final Girl" than say, "Friday the 13th" and the rest.:)

Yep Zombie Flesh Eaters, no question for me.I've also got a bit of a soft spot for D'Amato's Buio Omega too.

Another year for crackers! :shocked:

A LOT of good films here,but once again,easy for me.
For sheer terror over the course of three hours,then Hooper's SALEM'S LOT is hard to beat.
This used to be shown over two nights repeatedly during the school summer holidays on the BBC.
Back in 1980,I was eight years old and went to bed with a set of Rosary Beads!:shocked: :lol:

I've been traumatised by bald men ever since!:fear:

Cannibal Holocaust and The Fog will be featuring in my 1980s Thread for those who may have cursed my name for not at least including it my Runners Up list - will either make the top spot? I'm not sure yet... ;)

It's good to see some love for Salem's Lot! Definitely one of the better (if not the best) Stephen King TV movie adaptation. :nod:

Phantasm is one of the best horror films ever!

What age was Coscarelli when he made this?

BTW was the greatest ghost film ever made (THE CHANGELING) '79 or '80? :confused:

1980

ooh what a choice...
 

tie between ZFE and Buio Omega. if only because i started my boxing day shenanigans with this double bill, and because they still do the job ie horrify, gave loan of BO to mate 3 years ago and still has he watched it? has he ****...and this is the guy who sweatily came round with CH clutched to his bosom...go figure....:pound:

Seems like me and you have similar tastes, hamish. :)

Tough decision,this one.The Brood,Alien,Phantasm,Zombi 2,Buio Omega,Dawn of the Dead...all great horror movies in my book,but I guess my pick is Alien.It's still great to look at,I think my first encounter with it was some shitty TV airing,so it's greatness only came to me later on.

I never really got Alien.
No idea why, its a decent film, but it never grabbed me.
Its probably the boring hour before anything of note happens.

I am pretty much on my own with those views i know. :)

WHAT WAS THAT DEM?
THERE'S AN ECHO IN THERE!:lol:

Alien is a slow burner,a masterpiece of suspense.

Yeah ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS is another class act from this year!

The underwater Bruce vs Bub fight still takes a bit of beating!
(As does Auretta Gay's swimsuit!) :lol:

It certainly is -- the phrase 'here, kitty kitty' just doesn't sound the same after watching it, does it?

Yeah!

ALIEN-Director's cut or theatrical cut?

This may sound daft, but as soon as i saw Bava's Planet of the Vampires around 20 years ago i completely lost any love i had for Alien.

I quite like Aliens and Alien 3 - directors cut though.

I watch the director's cut occasionally, but the theatrical cut is, for me, the best version and, if memory serves, the one that Ridley Scott prefers.

Why's that Dem?:confused:

Pray tell.....

The first hour of Alien completely steals the first third of Vampires.

It's true, it's such a blatant rip-off as well.

Anyway, for reasons I discussed in the 'Favourite Films of the 70's' thread, my hands down winner for '79 is the STUNNING Vengeance Is Mine.

If you haven't seen it, you're missing out big time.

Alien, The Driller Killer and The Brood are all stunners.

Probably have to go with Alien though. It's just so perfectly realised. The efforts at sequels could never live up to the power and quality of the original.

Attachment 17110vsAttachment 17111 tough one, both equally good in their own individual ways.
Other contenders are Cannibal Holocaust, Driller Killer and The Amityville Horror

Zombie, of course. :)

Was The Fog 1979 or 1980? Think it was 1980.
If so, Phantasm would have to be my favourite horror film of 1979.
Alien, Zombie Flesh Eaters, When a Stranger Calls and Badham's Dracula are just behind it.
Though Alien is one of my favourite scifi films.

Zombie Flesh Eaters

Fantastic gore and make up a great setting some of the most iconic deaths in a horror great score and a zombie fights a :censored: SHARK :lol:
It has one of my favourite scenes in horror image below

Attachment 159245


http://c2.thejournal.ie/media/2014/0...3cmo1_5001.gif

Beautiful Girl Hunter (Norobumi Suzuki)
The home invasion film I forgot about ....

Wasn't Phantasm '78??

1979

I had a choice between The Amytiville Horror ***** or Alien and

Alien WON.:)




***** That bit was (Just like the film itself) a big joke :lol:

Fair enough

I'll also mention The Dark.
Would be nice to see this in the Slasher Collection cough :lol:

Favorite film for me is Salem's Lot,

Runner ups
Alien
Phantasm
The Brood

Phantasm was made in 1978 but released March 79.

Many go off the year a film was made, i know i do, because of delays in releasing some genre films. The 60's and 70's are full of examples of this. Especially Hammer films that were made one year then not released in the States until the next.

Watching Salems Lot as it's too windy outside to bother :lol:
Still works. Whilst you don't quite get the scope of 'the plague' that you do in the book (the hospital should be overrun etc etc) ... it's still effective. Drag it doesn't to my mind ;)

The Dark (John 'Bud' Cardos)

Tobe was supposed to do this. Instead we get the king of the wasn'ts. Regardless this is one strange film. Sci fi is a demanding mistress. If you fail to meet her standards, woeful can the results be.
See The Starlost cough.
This transcends that fate by sheer pluck alone imho. One hopes this BD will reveal all it's ghastly glory.
:hail:

Alien for me.

Although some would argue that Alien is a sci fi film and not an horror film.

As for the worst of 1979 I have to say The Amytiville Bore oops sorry Horror.:nod:

There's definitely a nasty vibe (is in fact a slasher film?? They are trapped indoors with a merciless killer after all :lol:) it's a sci fi film. Scott himself said it was a b movie that they had 'elevated' anyhow .... so take from that what you will. It's still a firm favourite in this cave :nod:.

Many sci-fi films are also horror films. I think the two genres go well together.

Anyways, Alien is definitely one of the best films of 1979. :nod:

****ing hell!
Ripley's joined the First Order! :scared:

My favourite horrors from 79.

Alien
Phantasm
Zombie flesh eaters
Salems lot
The brood
Beyond the darkness