OT TV and Movies (Please use spoiler tags)

stellation · Post #1701 » by **stellation** » Mon Nov 3, 2025 10:12 pm

ReasonablySober wrote:Rewatched The Shining for maybe the first time in 20 years. I think that one probably takes the cake for my scariest of all-time.

Phenomenal movie.

Post #1702 » by **humanrefutation** » Mon Nov 3, 2025 10:16 pm

ReasonablySober wrote:Rewatched The Shining for maybe the first time in 20 years. I think that one probably takes the cake for my scariest of all-time.

The scariest films for me were always those films where a seemingly normal person has a psychotic break. Even though The Overlook Hotel had some paranormal aspects to it, it isn't made explicit for most of the film. I didn't even consider the possibility that the hotel, itself, is haunted until Wendy saw a bunch of crazy stuff as she's escaping during the final climactic scene. Everything before that was from the perspective of Jack, a guy who has some serious cabin fever and is losing his grip on reality and hallucinating things.

My other favorite film was Get Out, because it's so incredibly scary but the build up to it is masterful.

machu46 · Post #1703 » by **machu46** » Mon Nov 3, 2025 10:41 pm

ReasonablySober wrote:Rewatched The Shining for maybe the first time in 20 years. I think that one probably takes the cake for my scariest of all-time.

I watched it for the first time a few years back. Wife and I love horror films and generally love Stephen King but neither of us liked that movie at all. I know it's sacrilege to say lol. Wife said the book is hands down the scariest book she's read.

We went to see Carrie at our local dive bar that has a theater in the attic this past weekend. Personally found that to be much better and I cannot wait for Mike Flanagan's TV series.

Licensed to Il · Post #1704 » by **Licensed to Il** » Mon Nov 3, 2025 11:11 pm

King’s horror is tough to adapt to screen for lots of reasons, mostly pacing and length. His shorter fantasy stuff (Green Mile) and novella length stories (The Bodies/ Stand By Me, Shawshank, etc) translate so well.

FrieAaron · Post #1705 » by **FrieAaron** » Mon Nov 3, 2025 11:30 pm

"The Shining" is a masterpiece, up there with Kubrick's best. Atmospheric horror is my favorite.

BUCKnation · Post #1706 » by **BUCKnation** » Mon Nov 3, 2025 11:52 pm

Doctor Sleep is really good too as a ‘sequel’

machu46 · Post #1707 » by **machu46** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 3:36 pm

Wife and I were also big fans of The Outsider limited tv series and that's one of our friend's favorite Stephen King books.

I don't really do horror books but I did give the first Dark Tower book a go and that was not for me at all lol. Legitimately struggled to finish it. When Mike Flanagan gives that adaptation a try, I'll definitely watch because Flanagan can basically do no wrong in my eyes The Gunslinger was a huge slog to me.

emunney · Post #1708 » by **emunney** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 4:53 pm

BUCKnation wrote:Doctor Sleep is really good too as a ‘sequel’

It's a different beast but it's a pretty remarkable piece of work in that it's a sequel to the movie "The Shining", but also is an adaptation of the book "Doctor Sleep", which is a sequel to the book "The Shining", which is only superficially similar to the movie and has a different ending. The recreation of the Overlook and the lookalikes were uncanny and totally took me out of the movie because I was just evaluating them as recreations like I was sitting in Madame Tussaud's, but also, they were extremely detailed and well done. When they first just show Danny on his big wheel, I really thought they had just remastered the original.

Post #1709 » by **humanrefutation** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 4:53 pm

The scariest book I've ever read was Cormac McCarthy's The Road. That had me queasy with some of the horrifying things it describes.

Post apocalyptic horror is also high on my list of scary things.

emunney · Post #1710 » by **emunney** » Tue Nov 4, 2025 5:01 pm

humanrefutation wrote:The scariest book I've ever read was Cormac McCarthy's The Road. That had me queasy with some of the horrifying things it describes.

Post apocalyptic horror is also high on my list of scary things.

Blood Meridian has some **** terrifying sequences, one of two books where I stopped reading to notice that my heart was pounding (The other was Jurassic Park when I was 11).

tydett · Post #1711 » by **tydett** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 2:14 pm

It's a few pages back so I've missed part of the discussion, and not to derail, but I find the Chair Company utterly fascinating and **** hilarious. Watching Ron just type "**** **** **** **** ****" over and over into a document isn't quite "All work and no play" like The Shining (hey-o, connection!), but still hits that hilarious offbeat chord.

Also, Mike just listening to porn instead of watching it, but still letting every single person walk up to Ron's house is so in Tim's comedy wheelhouse.

buckboy · Post #1712 » by **buckboy** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 5:18 pm

machu46 wrote:
ReasonablySober wrote:Rewatched The Shining for maybe the first time in 20 years. I think that one probably takes the cake for my scariest of all-time.

I watched it for the first time a few years back. Wife and I love horror films and generally love Stephen King but neither of us liked that movie at all. I know it's sacrilege to say lol. Wife said the book is hands down the scariest book she's read.

We went to see Carrie at our local dive bar that has a theater in the attic this past weekend. Personally found that to be much better and I cannot wait for Mike Flanagan's TV series.

Agree 100%. I read the book when I was like 10 years old and saw the movie when I was maybe 15. The movie is not good in my opinion. Good performances by the two leads, but just all over the place in general.

buckboy · Post #1713 » by **buckboy** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 5:20 pm

machu46 wrote:Wife and I were also big fans of The Outsider limited tv series and that's one of our friend's favorite Stephen King books.

I don't really do horror books but I did give the first Dark Tower book a go and that was not for me at all lol. Legitimately struggled to finish it. When Mike Flanagan gives that adaptation a try, I'll definitely watch because Flanagan can basically do no wrong in my eyes The Gunslinger was a huge slog to me.

Agree again. The Gunslinger is not his best work, however, the series is awesome (if a little silly at times). I had the exact same experience in about 1987 with the book. Could barely finish it. Read it again maybe 20 years ago and had the same problem. Then I read the second book and the third, etc. Loved the series. I'd highly recommend trying it. It's not horror at all, it's fantasy.

buckboy · Post #1714 » by **buckboy** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 5:21 pm

emunney wrote:
humanrefutation wrote:The scariest book I've ever read was Cormac McCarthy's The Road. That had me queasy with some of the horrifying things it describes.

Post apocalyptic horror is also high on my list of scary things.

Blood Meridian has some **** terrifying sequences, one of two books where I stopped reading to notice that my heart was pounding (The other was Jurassic Park when I was 11).

My favorite book of all time.

Post #1715 » by **ReasonablySober** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 5:31 pm

buckboy wrote:
machu46 wrote:
ReasonablySober wrote:Rewatched The Shining for maybe the first time in 20 years. I think that one probably takes the cake for my scariest of all-time.

I watched it for the first time a few years back. Wife and I love horror films and generally love Stephen King but neither of us liked that movie at all. I know it's sacrilege to say lol. Wife said the book is hands down the scariest book she's read.

We went to see Carrie at our local dive bar that has a theater in the attic this past weekend. Personally found that to be much better and I cannot wait for Mike Flanagan's TV series.

Agree 100%. I read the book when I was like 10 years old and saw the movie when I was maybe 15. The movie is not good in my opinion. Good performances by the two leads, but just all over the place in general.

I first saw it around 15 too when my uncle rented it for us. I liked it but I also thought was long and overrated. When I watched it for the second or third time last weekend I appreciated it a LOT more. I don't like the dumb kid or Shelly Duvall at all, but man, the final third of the movie is a terrifying masterpiece.

Really, from about this scene on. Never seen anything else close to it.

crkone · Post #1716 » by **crkone** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 6:18 pm

No love for Palahniuk's Haunted?

Post #1717 » by **ReasonablySober** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 6:34 pm

crkone wrote:No love for Palahniuk's Haunted?

"Guts" has stuck with me for a couple decades.

Lullaby is my favorite Palahniuk. I thought it was laugh out loud funny.

machu46 · Post #1718 » by **machu46** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 8:17 pm

buckboy wrote:
machu46 wrote:Wife and I were also big fans of The Outsider limited tv series and that's one of our friend's favorite Stephen King books.

I don't really do horror books but I did give the first Dark Tower book a go and that was not for me at all lol. Legitimately struggled to finish it. When Mike Flanagan gives that adaptation a try, I'll definitely watch because Flanagan can basically do no wrong in my eyes The Gunslinger was a huge slog to me.

Agree again. The Gunslinger is not his best work, however, the series is awesome (if a little silly at times). I had the exact same experience in about 1987 with the book. Could barely finish it. Read it again maybe 20 years ago and had the same problem. Then I read the second book and the third, etc. Loved the series. I'd highly recommend trying it. It's not horror at all, it's fantasy.

Hmmm, I'll think about it. I am very close to wrapping up my current book and it's currently the last book in the series so I will be on the hunt for a new one to read.

Licensed to Il · Post #1719 » by **Licensed to Il** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 8:39 pm

buckboy wrote:
emunney wrote:
humanrefutation wrote:The scariest book I've ever read was Cormac McCarthy's The Road. That had me queasy with some of the horrifying things it describes.

Post apocalyptic horror is also high on my list of scary things.

Blood Meridian has some **** terrifying sequences, one of two books where I stopped reading to notice that my heart was pounding (The other was Jurassic Park when I was 11).

My favorite book of all time.

If we were at a literary bar, I could buy a round and talk about how its the greatest book for understanding America ever written.

Licensed to Il · Post #1720 » by **Licensed to Il** » Wed Nov 5, 2025 8:40 pm

humanrefutation wrote:The scariest book I've ever read was Cormac McCarthy's The Road. That had me queasy with some of the horrifying things it describes.

Post apocalyptic horror is also high on my list of scary things.

I read the Road a few months before my first child was born. Messed me up for sure.

There is actually a graphic novel version, that is as equal a masterpiece as the novel.