By Dr.LoveGore
Dr.LoveGore's 10 Favorite Foreign Horror Movies.
At the moment that is, but for the most part, the bulk of these stay the same.
This list is in no particular order.
Spoilers
1. Ichi the Killer (2001)
Directed by Takashi Miike
Written by Saki Sato
From Japan
I wanted to give this Miike spot to 'Audition' but 'Ichi' won the war. While 'Audition' is a slow burn that pays off heavily, 'Ichi the Killer' might have you pausing it, taking it in doses, because there's so much being thrown at you. Originally a Manga, this film gave out barf bags at film festivals for those who wouldn't be able to hold their food down. I witnessed a different Miike film cause somebody very intoxicated to pass out. This film did that at the TIFF film festival and it's understandable. I showed this movie to many people, all reacted differently, mostly through laughter because of the intensity. The tallest and scariest looking friend of mine said he had enough when it got to the nipple scene. This movie may be a mountain to climb for some, but the visuals will most likely stay with you for a long time.
2. Doomsday (2008)
Directed by Neil Marshall
Written by Neil Marshall
From The United Kingdom
'Dog Soldiers,' 'The Descent,' both fan favorites from Neil Marshall. Both those films have better ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Fuck Rotten Tomatoes. I do love those films, but 'Doomsday' is powerful and gripping, start to finish. I laughed as much as I cringed at the barbarous actions most of the characters on screen were committing. After you watch a Neil Marshall film...I doubt you'll be asking for those minutes of your life back.
3. Tenebrae (1982)
Directed by Dario Argento
Written by Dario Argento
From Italy
A Giallo that feels like an early 80's slasher picture...because, that's exactly what it is. It's no secret to those that know me that this is my favorite piece of Argento cinema. I'm pretty good at guessing who's the one doing the stabbing and slicing, but this one to the end kept me thinking. It's done in a funny (to me) and fancy way, too. There's even a slightly cartoonish way the victims die in "Tenebrae." It has a unique feel compared to Argento's other work.
4. High Tension aka Haute Tension (2003)
Directed by Alexandre Aja
Written by Grégory Levasseur & Alexandre Aja
From France
Cinematography is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of slashers. That was the first thought I had when thinking of this movie though. The green tint gives off a nice tone that leaves the person watching with a sense of mystery. I knew very little about it before seeing it. Even with the ending twist that divides a lot of fans, it still did a lot of things right, one of them being, additions to the genre's long list of creative death scenes.
5. Inside aka À l'intérieur (2007)
Directed by Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo
Written by Alexandre Bustillo
From France
The first movie worthy of the "Dimension Extreme" title that was on a lot of foreign film covers “Dimension” put out on DVD starting in 2008. One of the few films in my time to get my heart pounding. This film is many things, including a gore powerhouse. The characters aren't super likable, but not every human is. My point is, these characters feel real whether likeable or not. Once this bad motha-fucka gets going and it has your attention, you will not be looking away without hitting that pause button.
6. Let the Right One In (2008)
Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Written by John Ajvide Lindqvist
From Sweden
I was sold on the fact this movie shows you what happens if a vampire enters a residence without being invited. Not all movies have to follow this rule, but it was a touch to the story that added to the genre of vampires, which has been with us since silent cinema. It's not always easy to add to a category that's had its fair share of rules added on, or even taken away in some cases. Which isn't always bad. 'Near Dark' had vampires without fangs. I still love that flick. "Let the Right One In" joins that list of love. It's a valiant vampire tale.
7. I Saw The Devil (2010)
Directed by Kim Jee-woon
Written by Park Hoon-jung & Kim Jee-woon
From South Korea
Intelligence is the strongest quality this film has. It gives you pleasure with things you pick up on throughout the watch. I qualify this movie as a slasher. Some of these death scenes and camera angles this great director delights us with has me smiling during scenes of hideous violence. It's well thought-out as a story and a movie.
8. Martyrs (2008)
Directed by Pascal Laugier
Written by Pascal Laugier
From France
The 2010's will go down in history for cruel, and excess gore movies. The late 90's had that teenybop trend going on, but still would throw a decent kill or few the viewer's way. Along with what some people say, what happened on 9-11, 2001 may have caused movies to be meaner. I think the Horror crowd saw DVDs of older, rawer, 70's movies that were all the excitement, and wanted films to go back to that. I know I felt that way. I couldn't believe how much better older films were as far as, serious tone, no bullshit kills, and not so very happy endings all the time. 'Martyrs' showed everybody exactly what Horror was about at that point in time more than any of film. It had everything we craved and asked for at the beginning of the decade.
9. Nosferatu (1922)
Directed by F.W Murnau
Written by Henrik Galeen
From Germany
I like to be creeped the fucked out whenever a movie is bold enough to do so. Imagine if there were no limitations to what one could show on screen in the early decades of film. Imagine the dark, bloody, mind-fucks the directors could have gotten on film and into our minds...that's given the proper SFX tools would have been at their hands as well. It seems like it was a time minds weren't afraid to cross boundaries if they provided a good story. This movie's an example. "Nosferatu" will be scary for the rest of its days.
10. Helldriver (2010)
Directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura
Written by Yoshihiro Nishimura, Daichi Nagisa, Takeshi Furusawa, Sayako Nakoshi
From Japan
An argument for this splatter movie could be that... this is the best damn zombie movie ever made. I know it probably isn't…’Day of the Dead’ 1985 holds that position in my heart, but 'Helldriver’ has the benefit of its director having a background in quality SFX. You know after the first act this man was going for every fucking gore effect a human mind could concoct. I don't even wanna give anything away. If you can pick up a copy of this movie, do yourself the favor. You'll have to read subtitles, but most of the time there isn't much talking going on.
Dr.LoveGore peacin' out. Watch a foreign film or two. Subtitles don't bite!
Dr.LoveGore is all about the gore, and quality in anything related to Horror. Movies, soundtracks, comic books, novels, you name it, he loves it!
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