MovieChat Forums > Amityville II: The Possession (1982) Discussion > Something about 70's/into early 80's hor...

Something about 70's/into early 80's horror

posted 13 years ago by InvertedJoy
16 replies | jump to latest

First off I think the film is terribly underrated and is my personal favorite in the series, even though the end was a bit of a ripoff of The Exorcist.

There is something about how filmmakers in the past "got" evil. You know what I mean? It's hard to explain. Like, the subtleties of how they portray evil and the devil, in imagery, sound, and atmosphere, seems really, right to me. And in turn these older films scare me a whole lot more than anything in contemporary film.

Does anyone else agree? (*again, for the youngsters, you have to look at these films for what they were for their time, and what technology existed then.*

[–] JarJarRocks 13 years ago

I absolutely agree with you. There has been much better effects and much better shock-value since then. But absolutely nothing penetrates your soul like horror movies from the 70's and 80's. The mood, the music, the look, the characters .. it was all so dark, gritty and incredibly evil. Like if the film-makers themselves were posessed.

I think it's hard to explain to younger people what was so good about it, since they have certain expectations when they hear the word "horror". The old movies were just as much about psychology as it was about fright. Effects were only used to build the story.

[–] White_Thunder 13 years ago

70's and 80's had real horror, films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wicker Man, Omen, Evil Dead, Don't Look Now, Race With The Devil, Halloween, Friday The 13Th, The Shining, Manaic, and 100's more were dark and gritty. "Horror" died in my opinion in the 90's.

[–] SteveResin 11 years ago

"Horror" died in my opinion in the 90's.

Agree with this totally. There are only so many horror "stories" out there, and they've all been done. Horror is dead, and it peaked in the late 70s/early 80s.

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Duty Now For The Future

[–] vandalwolf 13 years ago

A lot for me anyway comes from the old film they were shot on and Technicolor, modern horror movies look too clean to be "evil". That gritty film stock look and old school FX make a huge difference. If it was possible to shot the exact same movie (actors, everything) with CGI and new film it would lose a lot of that "scare factor" IMO.

[–] SlickySlixta 11 years ago

Agreed, modern horror movies look far too polished and clean, with CGI and what not. I think CGI is used because it's cheaper these days and less time consuming, however it still looks awful in my opinion. Surely they could do prosthetic effects more efficiently and quicker these days.

Hooper drives the boat chief

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Totally agree. Low budget shot on digital has a harshness to it I can't stand, and the CGI is usually awful. At least those old practical effects had a certain charm even if they weren't always convincing.

[–] booth258 11 years ago

I am a Mega Fan of Horror. But I am a strict fan of Yesteryear Horror. Todays Horror to me comes off Boring and a repeat of every other horror movie you've ever seen. But yesteryear's horror was so Gritty and Dark with the Jump out of your seat moments that make horror so great. But todays horror is just so Clean and Polished, Not to mention taking the background scores completely away in My opinion ruins the overall mood of the film..But Dialogue was so much better back in the 80's. There's very few movies of today that are even comparable. One of the only ones being "Jeepers Creepers", It was like a blast from the past.

[–] Yonesy 11 years ago

I agree with everything everybody has said here. I can't explain why I agree but I'm just one of those people who finds the horror movies of these decades to be more effective. As somebody pointed out here already, the soundtracks, special effects and the overall tone captured in these films are just that much more eerie and creepy compared to whatever they have to offer nowadays.

Today's horror relies too much on bad CGI and the "jump scare" which never get's me. I also never found kids or children scary, which about 95.5% of horror movies made after the year 2000 seemed to center around ghost kids who terrorize people in a strictly PG-13 manner. At least I think the trend of adding over-the-top godawful nu metal to the soundtracks of these movies is all but gone with the early 2000's. That was the *beep* worst. Any and all of the music coordinators behind those decisions should be dragged out of Hollywood by the neck. The 2000's really were the worst decade for this kind of film, I don't care what anyone says.

Now with all that said, it's not like every horror film made in the 70's/80's were masterpieces, but a lot were damn near close. I actually used to think this movie was a piece of *beep* when I first watched it. It wasn't until last night that I gave it the time of day once again and it finally hit me how creepy this *beep* movie really is. Everything from the incest to the demonic make-up they used on the Sonny character. They did something right when they made this movie, it felt so authentically evil that it sent chills down my spine. Nothing gives me that feeling like the horror movies of that generation.

The tone and atmosphere these movies drew you into has been completely lost on this generation of filmmakers and movie-goers. They don't make em like this anymore, and they never will again.

[–] SlickySlixta 11 years ago

I really wish I had the opportunity to go and see a few horror movies on 42nd St back in the late 70's/ early 80's. It would have been the perfect gritty experience, albeit a little seedy and dangerous.

[–] Doc110894 11 years ago

Even if the movies weren't always good, the atomosphere was much creepier back then.

[–] starkrayz 11 years ago

I think there are some good horror films these days. I really think James Wan "gets" it. The first half of Insidious is probably some of the best horror ever made, in that there is so much atmosphere and subtlety. You may not agree with me but his original Saw movie had that same gritty, dark look to it before it got a budget and became polished. There are others too, like the movie The Others which felt like a throwback to 70's filmmaking. Although not in English a lot of the Asian horror films from the past decade seem to get it right (before they were remade by American companies).

But I agree on the "look" of things. I'm surprised more horror directors don't shoot low budget on 16mm film.

[–] LennyneroAU 8 years ago

I think there are some good horror films these days. I really think James Wan "gets" it. The first half of Insidious is probably some of the best horror ever made, in that there is so much atmosphere and subtlety. You may not agree with me but his original Saw movie had that same gritty, dark look to it before it got a budget and became polished. There are others too, like the movie The Others which felt like a throwback to 70's filmmaking. Although not in English a lot of the Asian horror films from the past decade seem to get it right (before they were remade by American companies).

James Wan does not get it, hes a pathetic hack. His 'horror' movies come off like Disney attempts at horror than real horror. Its funny how this movie is rated as 'bad' yet its miles superior to The Conjuring series in every way. From the opening frame with creepy music, the horror that occurs, to the realistic actors and characters, its so much more of a horror movie than wan's overrated crap which is of course so popular because todays audiences don't know any better.

I agree with the OP, the 70s,80s horror had that genuine horror quality, the tone, the cinematography, they had real grittiness which translates horror so perfectly, even if they are B movies they still hit the spot far better than todays corporate products which are crap.

This movie is a classic horror imo, genuinely disturbing and brutal, every frame radiates evil.

[–] ElectricWarlock 10 years ago

Yes, the late '60s through the mid '80s are the best era for horror movies. Don't get me wrong, I think there are lots of good newer horror movies but it's still very hard to stand up to the classics from that era because they just hit all the right notes.

Burn, witch! Burn, witch! Burn! Burn! Burn!

[–] NewYorkRipper 10 years ago

Completely agree as someone who is a massive fan of 70's/80's horror.

I have watched so many old horror movies throughout the years I have completely lost count.

Still, I find the atmosphere, grittiness and tension of an old horror much better than the modern stuff.

There are some good new horrors every once in a while, but they seem to be few and far between.

Is a lot of this just nostalgia though? Simply because we are older and we remember this era to almost be a 'golden era' of horror so we look upon it with more favor?

Would love to hear from a 'youngster' who appreciates older horror to hear their views on it all.

James Wan definitely gets it, he must have researched the occult very heavily.

Guillermo del Toro I also think is very heavily influenced by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft, if only he would focus more on this more.

[–] childer_orion700 10 years ago

The 80's were the pinnacle of horror movies, imo. They just had that dark, gritty atmosphere you don't get anymore. The music, the lightning; dark city streets with steam rising from manholes and neon lights flickering in back alleys. Moody electric guitar or eerie synthesizers ringing through the air. Before the internet, before anyone had cell phones. There was an element of isolation about it all. Not to mention rubber suits covered in KY jelly and grotesque puppets. You just don't get these things anymore.

[–] 10 years ago

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