Favorite non-american horror films?

[mikeysbistro]

What are your favorite non-american horror films?

I've been watching a lot of japanese/chineses flix recently and wondered what other people have seen and recommend.

Current favorites I've seen recently:
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Versus - zombies meet Japanese "Reservoir Dogs" in the ultimate battle between good and evil

Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters - A master and his student's battle a chinese vampire. Includes a necromancer who embalms the dead with wax to create zombies, hey what more could you want? And of course lots of undead kung fu!

Uzumaki - This is one of my most highly recommended foreign horror films - IF you can find it. Uzumaki is Japanese for "Spiral" - the rest of the movie is really impossible to describe - but it leaves a very spooky impression on the brain - I still get chills whenever I all of a sudden recognize a spiral out in the open. Anyway, two spiraling thumbs up from me.

And of course Ringu (the Ring) and The Eye.

[hydrofilms]

Most American horror is pretty crap IMO, Italian horror rules i.e. Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato, Dario Argento's films from the late 70s, early 80s.

[mikeysbistro]

Yeah, I have to start ordering some Italian horror off Netflix! Looks like good stuff, thanks for the list of directors.

Generally I find American horror more campy while the Japanese is much more surreal, which I like, the Chinese horror stuff seems to be more fighting monsters with Kung Fu than horror. There are exceptions of course, but that seems to be the trend.

I did like what bits I've seen from Italian horror, it immediately grabs you, very stylish, like seeing Pinhead and crew for the first time, or that razor slicing across the a moon/eye - a little disturbing and mesmerizing at the same time.

[mandor700]

Personally I enjoy all the old Peter Jackson horrors like Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles they are very slapstick but good fun.
Also would Kubrik count as non-american because the shining isnot the best but not that bad either.

[HailtotheKing]

The best non-american horror film- Nosferatu made in 1922 in Germany.

[DWhots]

For me, they would be the works of Mario Bava (greatest IMO), then Dario Argento, moving over to some kick ass stuff over in Asia, like The Ring, The Eye, Miike's stuff. I am soon getting a copy of Juon:The Grudge, so they may be on the list too.

cheers