The New Intimacy

Horror/Thriller movie suggestions

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Contributor: Woman China Woman China
Ok. I teach college level students here in China. One of my lessons this term is movies.

I wanted to show them a horror or a thriller movie, and I am toying with Poltergeist to show them. But I am looking for some other suggestions.

Because this is an ESL class, there are some requirements;
-cannot be "too" bloody/gruesome
-partial nudity is acceptable (think Devil's Advocate NOT Spartacus)
-language can have lots of cussing, but language has to be on the simpler side of things.

Some of the kids have seen "An American Horror Story" and have really enjoyed it. I just really want to make them fall off their chairs in fright when they watch the films!!!

Can you offer some suggestions?
03/16/2012
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Contributor: ~LaUr3n~ ~LaUr3n~
Quote:
Originally posted by Woman China
Ok. I teach college level students here in China. One of my lessons this term is movies.

I wanted to show them a horror or a thriller movie, and I am toying with Poltergeist to show them. But I am looking for some other suggestions. ... more
The Red Shoes (I believe it was shot in Taiwan)

If you are wanting to show them something American I would do something like Jaws (on of my favorite movies lol).

I do not consider Poltergist horror, but that's why I put Jaws because it seems you are thinking less Chain Saw Massacre like and more scary? How about the Ring or Ringu then?
03/16/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Seven absolutely terrifying. There is no supernatural in it, but it's about a serial killer and it is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen.

Of course, the classic, supernatural scariest movie of ALL time is The Exorcist. There are some gory and inappropriate scenes and some cursing in it, for younger viewers. I don't think I'd let a kid under 16 see it. I actually watched it alone, once. Bad idea. I couldn't wait for My Man to get back from softball, I was rolled into a ball on the couch with all the lights on, waiting for him. I just clung to him once he came into the house. And I had seen it before! The first time I saw it, I spent most of the movie looking at the floor, AND I had a rosary in my purse. THE scariest movie of all time.

The Omen is very scary. The sequels, not so good.

The original 1960s version of The Haunting is terrifying. Absolutely NO blood, gore or anything. You never even see the spirits, it's a ghost story, but more of a psychological thriller. My husband and I catch this one whenever it's on TV. The newer version made in the early 2000s was awful. Skip the new one. Go with the black and white classic.

Bram Stoker's Dracula with Gary Oldman as The Count is very good. There are several "implied sex" in several scenes, but no nudity that I can think of.

Either version of Stephen King's The Shining are good. Unlike most people, I prefer the made for TV version over the Stanley Kubrick version. The made for TV mini series is closer to the book, and less gory as it was made to be shown on TV.

My Man and I try to catch all these movies whenever we can, they are all that good.
03/16/2012
Contributor: Hallmar82 Hallmar82
Hmm...well, I would suggest a classic like Them!, The Birds, Jaws, The Exorcist, Alien, The Shining, Night of the Living Dead, or The House on Haunted Hill (original). I like the remake of The Thing (1980s) but it would be too graphic for the students.
03/16/2012
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Can I suggest Devil's Advocate? Pretty much anything else that I would have suggested has been.

Oh! Shutter Island! It's more of a mystery thriller than a horror movie, not gory, no nudity that I can really remember (at least nothing excessive), and I think it should be pretty easy to follow. Now that I'm thinking about it, Devil's Advocate may lose them a bit, but I still think it's a good movie to watch.
03/16/2012
Contributor: KyotoAngel KyotoAngel
The Wailer (also called La Llorona, and might be hard to track down but look for the newer version), The Unborn, Mirrors, Drag Me to Hell, and Priest (not quite as scary but visually amazing) were all pretty good.
I'd also second P'Gell's suggestion of Seven...there's a fair bit of gore but it's a great movie.
If you want a sort of mix of comedy and horror there's also a movie called Ice Queen about a reanimated (think suspended animation, not zombies) monstrous woman from the ice age.
03/16/2012
Contributor: Jaimes Jaimes
I think Poltergeist is an excellent choice. Steven Spielberg paints a very unique picture, and there are some awesome examples of creative and daring film making.

I would also strongly recommend Jaws. Depending on what you are teaching your students about horror, I would also recommend Rear Window or Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock. Jaws makes a great follow up to Hitchcock, because you are emphasizing how both filmmakers imply horror through very clever suggestion and basic psychology, rather than making the monster pop up and say "boo." Your students will be able to feel the scary, even if the language gets complicated.

If you had to pick one, then pick Jaws. Jaws also has one of the single greatest monologues I've ever seen performed. If your students don't know the true story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, that monologue alone is simply terrifying.
03/16/2012