Wow. We made it guys. We’ve made it! I can’t actually believe it--but this series, my favourite
series on this channel--has made it to the 10th consecutive part. Well, I mean--I can
believe it because I picked em--but still! 10. And after this particular episode has
finished--there will be a complete list of the Top 50 Greatest Forgotten Horror Movies
Of All Time--and hopefully, it will have highlighted some awesome horror movies that will be deserving
of a second chance for us to take a look in. And I know I say this a lot--but I couldn’t
have done it without you guys--so thank you. As it goes for every other part--Part 10 is
for you. So, let’s see what else we’ve got lurking in our dusty treasure trove of
horrors.
Hello horror fans, what’s going on--and once again welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube--Top 5 Scary Videos. As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch--as
today, we curiously take a look at the Top 5 Scariest Forgotten Horror Movies -- Part
10.
We made it guys! Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you--that scene was from 2002’s Deathwatch, starring Jamie Bell
and Andy Serkis in a terrifying hybrid of war, horror--and barbed wire--which, for the
astute amongst you, managed to feature in Part 9 of this series--and you know what guys?
I was so chuffed that quite a few of you remembered how awesome that movie was--and I guess that
was proving the point of this series, so again--thank you. And also, it’s a friendly reminder
for those of you that haven’t yet seen it, that you probably should take a look if you
get the chance. It’s pretty great. Anyway, talking of pretty great--let’s get on with
the show.
Kicking off at Number 5--The Resurrected, 1991
Andddd--what better way to celebrate Part 10 of this series, other than to highlight
a forgotten gem from our *other* favourite facet of horror fiction--Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
The truth is, I’m going to level with you guys. Creative commons and the statute of
limitations of H.P Lovecraft’s works have not exactly been kind to the true mastery
of some of his finer works--and, because of that, since the late 70s through to pretty
much now, some of the more prolific cinematic adaptations of Lovecraft’s stories haven’t
exactly been... great. Granted, I’m not including the works of Stuart Gordon or Brian
Yuzna on that point--but it remains the same. Quality--and Lovecraft Adaptation don’t
exactly go hand in hand. However--there is one independent movie that quickly sank into
the swamps of forgotten horror--and if you can get your hands on this movie, The Resurrected
is certainly worth a look.
And also, I should probably preface this with that fact The Resurrected is *kind of* difficult
to acquire--although I’m pretty sure ScreamFactory and a few other outlets have purchase options,
so yeah--PSA declared. If you can get it--get it. And double also, it’s probably important
that we highlight the fact that Dan O’Bannon--as in the writer behind Alien, Total Recall and
many other awesome movies--was the director behind this movie, in his second ever attempt
at a feature film--his first being… The Return of the Living Dead. Yeah. Exactly.
Dan O’Bannon is reason enough to check this movie out. Directed by O’Bannon and written
by Brent Friedman, based upon Lovecraft’s 1927 novella--The Case of Charles Dexter Ward--The
Resurrected stars Jane Sibbett and Chris Sarandon as Claire and Charles Ward respectively. Also,
yeah--that is Jane Sibbett, as in Carol from Friends--and if you thought Ross Geller was
an unabashed psychopath, then Charles Dexter Ward has got something to say about that.
You see, Claire Ward hires a Private Investigator, John March, played by the awesome John Terry--to
investigate the increasingly bizarre actions of her husband Charles. And, well, if you’re
familiar with the events of Lovecraft’s story--then you’ll know it makes for a pretty
sublime descent into macabre horror madness. I’ll say no more--this movie is a worthy
adaptation. It’s not perfect--but it’s certainly worth a look.
Swinging in at Number 4--The Hole, 2001
You know what? I was pretty damn adventurous as a kid--but then I saw The Hole--and I thought
twice about poking my head around abandoned underground bunkers. Ah, I’m just kidding--you
can’t keep a good spelunker down--but still, this movie is certainly food for thought when
it comes to making consequential decisions as a young adult. It’s also absolutely crazy
that this movie was made nearly 20 years ago--that’s two decades! But also, it’s quite enlightening
to know that 2001’s The Hole was certainly a demonstration of capturing a time and a
place, and I think that’s exactly why this movie is so appealing in hindsight. This movie
is so 90s/early 2000’s that it hurts--and it exemplifies a period in British Horror
where the New Millenium had made way for a much more Transatlantic Kind of Horror. And
that’s not necessarily a bad thing at all--but please know that this movie is dripping with
more angst than a Hawthorne Heights record that just made pen pals with a bootleg Dir
En Grey poster on a Livejournal thread. Yeah. Exactly.
Directed by Nick Hamm and written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip, The Hole is based upon the
1991 psychological horror by Guy Burt. It tells the tale of four well off Preparatory
Students, Liz, Frankie, Mike and Geoff--who after spending a weekend partying in an underground
bunker--find themselves locked inside with no way out. And oh yeah--did I mention that
it stars the awesome Thora Birch and Keira Knightley respectively? Who--throughout this
movie are both absolutely brilliant--alongside Desmond Harrington and Laurence Fox as the
two convincingly decadent male blaggards Mike and Geoff. This movie is awesome--and it’s
reminiscent of some of the more shocking psychological thrillers that flew under the radar during
the mid to late 90s--but more importantly, it made that style palatable for an emerging
horror audience. Really, if this movie flew past you--I’d certainly give it a second
look. Yeah, the plot is a little obvious--but it’s not about that. It’s about performance,
and again, Thora Birch is remarkable in this movie. Also, it has a supporting role by Embeth
Davidtz, AKA Miss Honey from Matilda--and all is good in the world.
Next up at Number 3--The People Under The Stairs, 1991
Andddd--talking of performance, wowza. I’m not sure if I’ll ever forget the terrifying
sound of Mrs. Robeson screaming at Alice to get in the bathtub. Truth be told--we *have*
covered this movie before--quite a while ago, in fact--but, considering it’s our 10th
Episode--I think it’s proper that we pull it back out of the vaults, or the strange
crawlspace between the walls--and give praise to one of Wes Craven’s strangest and most
overlooked of horror movies. You see, riding off the success of Nightmare on Elm Street,
I’m not entirely sure whether people knew what to expect from this movie following its
release 7 years later. I mean, between that you had 1988’s The Serpent and the Rainbow
and 1989’s Shocker--so stylistically, I’m sure audiences were expecting an amalgamation
of the three. You see. It’s not that at all. The People Under The Stairs was a flatout
curveball from Wes Craven--and this movie is so unashamedly weird that several of the
taboo themes that it handles could have gone the complete other way with audiences.
But, you know what? They didn’t. Strangely enough, at the time, this movie was a surprise
commercial success--and I think in that sense it affirms exactly why these forgotten movies
are so important for us to rediscover now. Yes, granted, The People Under The Stairs
is perhaps one of our more recognisable forgotten horror movies, and in that sense--please don’t
begrudge me if you’ve heard of it, you’re not the only one--but hey, it’s Episode
10 and I’m trying to make a point. Horror cinema has so many of these gems that deserve
a second look in, and for new, emerging audiences of horror--there is a lot to be learned in
The People Under The Stairs. Surprisingly enough, this movie is a satire of late-stage
capitalism--and as far as characterization goes--it proves the point that with two weird
enough villains and two awesome actors, you can make even the most nonsensical of plots
turn into a worthy horror show. Really, Brandon Adams, Everett McGill and A.J Langer are awesome
in this movie--but Wendy Robie as Mrs. Robeson steals the show. If you haven’t had the
pleasure of watching this movie quite yet--give it a look.
Coming in at Number 2--Ghost Story, 1981
Tell me guys, how is it that a worthy cinematic adaptation of one of the greatest works of
horror fiction from the 20th century manages to find itself fallen down the back of the
dusty old shelf without a second look in? Beats me. But you know what’s worse? This
film has got 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. How--I do not know, and yet whilst this movie is
far from being perfect, I think it’s down to us individuals to be the judge of Ghost
Story’s true horror merits. For those of you that are already aware of Peter Straub’s
colossal horror novel of the same name, you’ll know that its one of the finest demonstrations
of how to spin a classic ghostly tale--and whilst that particular horror trope is often
overworked and underpaid--if you’re looking for a familiar Ghost Story of the cinematic
variety, then this movie is exactly that. I’m still scratching my head as to how this
film became so poorly received--and yes, I do understand the criticisms of it, and I
don’t think that they’re too far from being wrong. Ghost Story is indeed slow, it
is drawn out--it irks on being rambling at points--but my word, if this film isn’t
the demonstration of creeping dread in a candle lit room flickering with the shadows of a
haunted past, I’m not sure what else would suffice. And also, this movie is a different
kind of forgotten cautionary tale that could certainly use a look in in this day and age.
Oh, also, did I mention that this movie stars frickin’ Fred Astaire? Yah. Exactly.
Directed by John Irvin and written by Lawrence D. Cohen, Ghost Story is set during the frigid
winter of 1979, in the small New England town of Milburn--where four elderly friends, the
businessman Ricky Hawthorne, the lawyer Sears James, Doctor John Jaffrey--and the Mayor
Edward Charles Wanderley--convene for their weekly gathering. They are members of the
Chowder Society--an informal men’s club that gets together each week to tell tales
of horror whilst they sip cognac for the sheer joy of it. I’ll say no more, because this
film needs it’s slow creep of a narrative to get going--but as I said, this movie is
all about performance. Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Houseman
undoubtedly carry this film as the hallmarks of cinema that they are--and Alice Krige is
also remarkable in this movie, but part and parcel of Ghost Story depends on which way
you view the resolution of it’s closing scenes. There is a real sense of something
remarkable in this film that I can’t quite place--but it’s worth finding out for yourself.
You see, it was said that during the filming for Ghost Story, Fred Astaire felt that he
was going to die or be murdered--so much so that he considered dropping out of the production.
Ghost Stories… they can get to you.
And finally, coming in at our Number 1 spot--Symptoms, 1974
And for the Number One entry of PART 10 of this Forgotten Horror Movies series--we have
to highlight the *literal* definition of a Forgotten Horror Movie. Really, following
its completion and subsequent premiere at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival as the first
ever official British Entry--Symptoms pretty much disappeared several years later. You
see, the original prints of this movie were missing for over 3 decades--with the last
ever showing of this movie being on the BBC back in 1983. After that? Poof. Gone. Disappeared--with
no clue as to why, when or who had them. For many years Bootlegs of Symptoms were circulated
privately by collectors, but between 1983 and up until recently--this movie was effectively
forgotten from the halls of horror cinema. And then, in February of 2016, the British
Film Institute saved the day--and now, as well as being available on DVD for your own
collection--is also available on YouTube right this minute, so please guys--check it out.
Because Symptoms is a remarkable entry in horror cinema--and it stars one of the most
underrated female actors in 1970's British Horror, Angela Pleasance--who is indeed the
daughter of Donald Pleasance, Dr. Samuel Loomis himself.
Written and directed by exploitation horror aficionado, Jose Larraz, Symptoms tells the
tale of the reclusive Helen Ramsey, who invites her friend Anne to stay with her for the weekend
at her family's estate. And by estate, I mean absolutely huge English Manor covered by a
dense, impenetrable forest that hasn’t seen a glimpse of the outside world for the past
few centuries. Warning signs already, right? You see, Helen has been away for years--working
as a translator abroad before returning to her family's native England--where she had
spent her childhood alongside Anne before leaving. The point is… there may well be
reason for that, and soon--we realise that Helen is full of far more inconsistencies
of a much more terrifying kind of manner. I’ll say know more, because in classic British
Exploitation Horror kind of fashion, this movie relies on it’s twisting and turning
narrative to keep us on our toes--but most importantly, visually speaking, this movie
is the definition of visual dread. This movie is just creepy to watch. It fills you with
a weird sense of dread. It’s lingering camera is unnerving--and the performances from both
Angela Pleasance and Lorna Helibron are terrifyingly brilliant--with Peter Vaughan, who plays Brady,
also being of note. You see, as far as Forgotten Horror Cinema is concerned, Symptoms is perhaps
the closest that we’ll ever come to defining the term--and that’s why it takes our Number
1 spot for PART 10 of this series. Look how far we’ve come.
Well, there we have it horror fans--our list for the Top 5 Scariest Forgotten Horror Movies--Part
10. What do you guys think? Do you agree? Disagree? Or are you just impressed that we
made it this far? Let us know your thoughts down in the comment section below, as well
as any choice picks of your own--and who knows? Part 20? Now that’d be something.
Before we depart from today's video though, let’s first take a quick look at some of
your more creative comments from over the past few days.
First up, D H says--
Eat bolox Jack
--- Hahah.. Cheers pal.
Next up, Garry Abbott says--
Here’s a rundown of the excellent movies that have been covered so far:-
-- And my point is, thank you so much Garry Abbott for taking the time of listing each
and every movie that we’ve covered in this series so far--hopefully this Part 10 will
give you a neat little add on for the complete list. Cheers buddy! You’re doing a grand
job.
And finally, The Real Thanos says--
Reality stone looks good on you Jack---Thanos.
And cheers buddy, it’s working out well. I just wasn’t really feelin’ the Power
Stone… you know? Heavy is the crown. Oo. Sorry buddy, too soon?
Anyway, on that alternate reality note--that’s all we’ve got time for in today's video,
cheers for sticking around all the way until the end. OUTRO.