MovieChat Forums > Picnic at Hanging Rock (1979) Discussion > Other eerie, haunting, patient, atmosphe...

Other eerie, haunting, patient, atmospheric films like this one?

posted 18 years ago by StrawDogBreeder
183 replies | jump to latest

The music, landscapes, and pacing of this film all contribute to its itching mystery at least as much as the plot itself. There's also something about the film (stock) itself that acts as a better medium for this kind of meditative piece. It's a work of art made on a higher quality canvas. Knowhattamean? In descibing its qualities and effects, though, I have to fight a tendency of drifting into abstract, snobbish descriptions. What are some other films that have some of these haunting, patient(?) qualities?

A few I have seen:

1. Solaris (Tarkovsky, not Soderbergh)
2. Stalker (also Tarkovsky)
3. (At least the first half of) The Black Stallion
4. Ring of Bright Water
5. Dead Man (sort of)

[–] dontjuststareatiteatit 18 years ago

ugh... I couldn't make it through Solaris...

"You're too smart for me, professor. All I know is that no one wants to die..."

[–] TheMasterBuilder 15 years ago

Here, here!

Solaris was the most 'up-itself' pile of dross I've ever sat through.

Tried so hard to be '2001' and failed miserably on every score.

[–] DreTam2000 12 years ago

Here are some rare ones not mentioned here...

Schalcken the Painter (1979)
The Haunting of M (1979)
A Cold Night's Death (1973)
The Exorcist III (1990)
The Sender (1982)
The Woman in Black (1989)
Images (1972)
Kwaidan (1964)
The Yellow Wallpaper (1989)

Then, some not-so-obscure ones that are already mentioned on this thread...

Jacob's Ladder
Don't Look Now
Paperhouse

It seems like the criteria here varies between slow-paced psychological chillers and patiently unraveling mood pieces with abstract plots that aren't quite clear. So I have listed both. I might also recommend any episodes from the BBC's "Ghost Stories for Christmas" series.

I suppose I must also mention that I recently discovered Picnic at Hanging Rock while reading a thread over on the The Mothman Prophecies board that was identical to this one.

I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way

[–] fbossert 12 years ago

Extraordinary list. Added a couple of entries to my "to watch" list.

[–] DreTam2000 12 years ago

Awesome.

~would love to know what you thought of any of them..

I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way

[–] MoviemanCin 10 years ago

I totally agree with TheMasteerBuilder. Solaris was a pile, a big steaming pile. In places it was as if the director wanted to irritate us just because he could. One example was when a character was driving on a highway. The scene went on and on and on to no effect. It served no purpose, and could have been shortened or eliminated.

I have seen so many glowing reviews of this movie, but I think it was boring, pointless and way too long.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, or doesn't.

[–] StrawDogBreeder 18 years ago

Yeah, by "patient" I mean patiently filmed, as if the director had all the time and resources in the world to make his/her movie, even if that wasn't the case. I don't necessarily mean a "long" movie but paced, drifting landscape shots and minimal music are typical qualities of this kind of film.
Also, by "haunting" I don't mean scary, necessarily. At least not in the classical sense. And I don't mean ghostly. I think I'm looking more for well-paced films that, if they frighten viewers, only do so because of what the viewers don't see and couldn't understand, i.e. no visible, tactile, or even immediately plausible monsters.

Also, what qualities do you feel made "The Devil's Backbone" a beautiful film? I can't say I liked it very much - not as a ghost film or anything else. (I saw it when I was 15, though...)

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Hellraiserdisciple 18 years ago

I would recommend Walkabout (1971).

[–] moviedude-72 18 years ago

For eerie, haunting and atmospheric films, I'd recommend David Lynch's Eraserhead, Gummo, The Virgin Suicides is very similar in terms of the plot, the atmosphere is very dreamy and eerie and bears similar themes, Mulholland Dr. is another and 2001: A Space Odyssey, for its dream-like atmosphere, and unexplained plot outline.

R.I.P. River Phoenix

[–] korn_mythe 18 years ago

Yep, me too. It was also filmed in Australia.

[–] BakedCarbon 18 years ago

I thought the Secret Garden had a haunting quality to it, and I think that was the point ^^;

But I agree with Dead Man, it's very "patient" but it's not so much haunting as it is surreal.

[–] StrawDogBreeder 18 years ago

Yeah, Secret Garden is a good one I didn't think about before. All scenes involving the father before he sees Mary are great and fulfill that eerie quality I'm looking for.

I put the Jarmusch film up there because it had a kind of pacing that I enjoy, but I'm not the biggest fan of his. Liked Broken Flowers, though. Down By Law had good moments, but Tom Waits is not as cool as he acts (or as everyone thinks he is).

[–] Nakor87 18 years ago

I have all of Peter Weirs movies ... even the short films. He Is my favourite director, I find that Picnic At Hanging Rock is perhaps one of a kind, there is nothing like it, and it has a lot to do with the Australian landscape

[–] StrawDogBreeder 18 years ago

I would agree that it is "one of a kind", but I am trying to find some films that share SOME, if not ALL of its qualities.

To whomever posted about "Gummo":

Watch "Kids", another painful and troubling Harmony Korine film, if you haven't already.

Oh! I just thought of another one to add to the growing list:

Ralph Bakshi's "American Pop" "Patient" (there's that term again) and strangely troubling, as well.

[–] NickNameNotAllowed-2 18 years ago

There's a Gus Van Sant film called Gerry i would recommend, but its not as good.

Also, Kubrick films, especially his ones from the late 60's and up.

[–] gnolti 18 years ago

1.) Don't Look Now
2.) Deliverance
3.) McCabe and Mrs. Miller

"Anyway, we delivered the Bomb."

[–] nifelheim-5 18 years ago

Definitely agree on the Tarkovsky films, haven't seen the other ones though, except of course for Picnic at Hanging rock. You should see Tarkovsky's Offret as well.

I also recommend "Heavenly Creatures" by Peter Jackson. IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110005/

[–] guruu 18 years ago

Pulse 2001

Dust Devil

Paperhouse

The Quiet Earth

Carnival of Souls

The Reflecting Skin

The Passion of Darkly Noon

[–] StaunchWoman 9 years ago

I'll second Dust Devil and Carnival of Souls!!! GREAT atmosphere!

We've met before, haven't we?

[–] travel-19 18 years ago

Tarkovsky's _The Sacrifice_

[–] stig-jones 18 years ago

The Australian film 'Long Weekend'I think is even more eerie and atmospheric than PAHR. The use of the scenery, flora and fauna to create a sense of menace is superb.

[–] grinnellgirl 18 years ago

perhaps - An Angel At my Table?

[–] Skumball 18 years ago

Spoorloos

[–] Bzine 18 years ago

Terence Davies' "Distant Voices, Still Lives" http://imdb.com/title/tt0095037/

Hard to believe but he found a way to pan even slower than Tarkovski !

For highly rarefied "art house" films I'm surprised no one's mentioned Bergman yet. "Cries and Whispers" shares the same sense of slowly moving, almost static yet hypnotic images.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] markuskoellmann 15 years ago

Most definitely! - that's one of the greatest.