Board 8 > THE Snake Ranks Anything Horror Related (Vol. 5) *5th Anniversary* *RANKINGS*

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yeah I first discovered it from James Rolfe too but back when he did the first ever Monster Madness, like in 2009 maybe even 08. That's actually how I got into films like Nosferatu and the Universal stuff as well. Rolfe is really one of my biggest influences ever, both in terms of stuff I enjoy and how I write too.

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Yeah he definitely influenced my interest in the Classic Universal Monsters. I really enjoyed the recent video he released comparing Superheroes with the Universal Monsters.

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Same here that vid was great!

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2. The King in Yellow (1895 book) (27.5 points)
Nominated by: Gall (0/4 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 9
Snake: 8.5

A book of ten short stories in anthology format, the first four of which in some way or another revolves around the titular "King in Yellow", alternatively a play that drives readers of it to madness or an actual supernatural entity. It was written by Robert W. Chambers, and has been cited as a huge influence over Lovecraftian horror in particular but its influences extend to practically every horror writer working today. Deliberately written to be obtuse and jarring, supernatural horror eventually gives way to Chambers' attempts at romantic comedy. You'd definitely be forgiven for checking out of this book after the first four stories, as The King in Yellow is where the book is at its best, most creative, and most horrific. The first story, "The Repair of Reputations", features an unreliable narrator, Hildred, due to an injury from falling off his horse. Set in the future of 1920, it imagines a sci-fi world where an aristocratic elite have taken over and immigration has been all but halted, eerily prescient of World War II as it primarily focuses on the exclusion of the Jewish people. Chambers actually uses the story to criticize fiction of the time, positioning The King in Yellow as the type of pop culture that was rotting society's minds and making people obsessed with the wrong things (and the internet wasn't even a thing yet!) at the time and in fact the play is played up as a real-life document, toying with the idea of a mockumentary decades before its time. On purpose, the story is underwritten and I don't mind that the writing is bad, but the idea that Hildred is insane always hangs over the story and there really isn't any satisfying plot or conclusion to anything, with the intent being that probably all of it, the future, The King in Yellow, it's all made up and doesn't matter. I think this is the best story in the book, and the following are more traditional horror stories that you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for genuine Lovecraft. In the Court of the Dragon for examples follows a man pursued by a cult-like church, with a small-scale cast and a story that symbolizes the ever-present specter of death in our lives, while incorporating The King in Yellow as more of a passing occurrence, just something the protagonist had been reading in his spare time. It really shows Chambers' sense of continuity and world-building that even by the third story he's able to write related horror stories without specifically relying on the crutch of the framing device. It's just this piece of fiction that weaves in and out of people's lives, and as important as this book is and how enjoyable the four initial stories are, it makes me think that it's still just a huge missed opportunity to not connect all the stories to The King in Yellow. It almost feels like Chambers got bored with it and attached a bunch of unrelated stories to fill out a full-length novel. It's much more of an interesting thing to hear about and maybe connect it with shows like True Detective or the SCP Hanged King in a "aha" moment than it is to actually read nowadays. I still like it a lot for what's there, but the only thing it may end up driving you insane with is the eye-rolling generic nature of its later sickeningly-romantic protagonists.

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snake why didnt you nominate this for my battle themes ranking years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sevYXfkySSg

like i liked the original but wow

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I guess I just like the original better! It's still fantastic though.

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Alright let's finish this thing!

1. The Exorcist (1973 film) (30 points)
Nominated by: wallmasterz (0/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGw1MTEe9k

Importance: 10
Fear: 10
Snake: 10

The Exorcist needs no introduction. It's often touted as the scariest film of all time, and for good reason. Does it lack bite today? No, I don't believe so. If anything, its pure defiliation of Christianity and gut-wrenching abuse of Regan stands more shocking and horrifying than ever. It's the birth of the "trigger warning" in film, it changed film ratings forever as children and adults alike flocked to see the picture, causing mass vomiting, fainting, and if certain reports are to be believed, miscarriages and heart attacks. It doesn't matter if they're true or not; word-of-mouth worked its magic and it went on to become the most successful R-rated film of all time until It in 2017. On paper, it's a rather simple story, about a single mother raising her daughter, they play with something they shouldn't, an Ouija board, and said daughter becomes possessed by Pazuzu, and the question that's mainly wrestled is whether or not this a problem for doctors, or for the church? The Exorcist takes on many forms of horror however; thinking this is simply a demonic possession story is wrong. It has elements of a psychological drama, where this mother has to deal with tolling stresses of raising a daughter on her own with no father figure, and Regan's possession a metaphor for her lashing out and rebellion for also ot having this guiding hand in her life. Regan's possession can also be seeen as a representing of puberty and the poor influence of peer pressure. Father Karras also has to deal with familial issues, including the death of his poor, sickly mother which clouds his faith and judgement. Slight elements of body horror permeate the picture, though in a more realistic sense, including a very infamous angiography scene, where a needle is injected into Regan's neck, so genuine that it's used as training footage for aspiring radiologists. Regan violently masturbating with the cross has so many layers to it; the bloody gore, Regan's foul mouth, her scarred face, and even Ellen Burstyn actually hitting her head on the radiator all contribute to a scene that will make even the most seasoned horror vets shield their eyes from the atrocities on screen. Hell, I would even say some pure gross-out scenes like Regan's urination or vomiting would lay out some blueprints for Sam Raimi's brand of comedy horror. All of this would be for nought however if not for Linda Blair's impassioned performance, perfectly demonstrating the shift from slightly innocent but curious little girl to increasingly naughty until she was full on vile and disgusting, fully possessed by Pazuzu. Blair for her credit was chosen for her more mature knowledge of the source material and I think it's one of, if not, the best, performances in all of horror, and well absolutely everyone is amazing in this too. Burstyn is the perfect frazzled mother driven to wits end losing her sanity just as much as Regan does, and Miler injects Karras with the pathos of a defeated man going into war one last time for the ultimate fate of his soul.

With some of the most well-known iconography and quotes to come out of American cinema, like the head-spinning scene, "your mother sucks cocks in hell", the famed Exorcist steps, the theme taken from Tubular Bells, and even when Regan walks down the steps on all fours which isn't even in the original cut, it's easy to look at The Exorcist as so ingrained in our lexicon that it nothing to offer for audiences anymore. That's so far from the truth. The Exorcist still scares because it has craft and style, it appeals to all age levels due to its awesome control of themes and substance of its characters, and a strong director like William Friedkin pushing for realism in nearly all aspects of the film, whether you agree with that directorial style or not. It's not my personal favorite horror movie, but I do think it's the perfect representation of what a horror film should be. Controversial but with a point and message to get across, with the mindset that the more it offends the better. It's ultimately films like this that remind me why I love horror so much, how it can take you of your comfort zone to a place you never once imagined in your life you'd see, and sucker punch you with the truth that the world has some fucked-up shit in it and you need to be reminded of that sometimes. That's ultimately why The Exorcist still remains as the most important horror movie ever released and is still watched, analyzed, and admired without question to this very moment in time, and will continue to be well into the future.

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And that's another year of terror in the books! I believe this is the quickest I ever finished one of these. I want to thank everyone for reading along and commenting as much as you did, it really pushed me this year to try and make it one of my best rankings ever, and I hope it turned out that way. I know I kind of dropped those 5th anniversary retrospective things part way through, they just felt like a waste of time to me, I'd rather have spent more time on the actual write-ups. As always, I don't see these rankings as a competition to try and nominate the best horror related thing but just a way for everyone to celebrate the genre, discover new horror related things, or otherwise get people into the genre in the first place. Barring apocalyptic circumstances, this will of course return next year, maybe changed, maybe the same and until then, try not to let the real-life horrors of the world consume your life too much and try to enjoy the upcoming holiday season as best you can.

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Only a few days late from Halloween. Maybe next one will actually finish on Halloween.

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I would actually love that!

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Great topic, snake, we all appreciated it.

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Anagram posted...

Great topic, snake, we all appreciated it.

This

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Another splendid year, with some truly fantastic write-ups! Thanks for always putting so much effort into this series - it's a legitimate highlight of the season for me.~

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Loved it mate, learned about things I hadn't even heard of!

Already looking forward to next year!

Great noms everyone!

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I appreciate that even most of the lowest ranked entries had write-ups that were mostly positive. It really enhances the celebration aspect of this. This year must have been a particularly good batch for nominations for that to happen!

Yeah I will say noms were above-average this year. In general I just prefer being positive anyway and try to see the good in most things.

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Great topic again this year, Snake. Just one question: Are you the "THE Snake" mentioned in the topic title, or are you a fake and some other Snake is going to start the real write-ups now?
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Haha I got the title from Johnbobb, since horror sequels sometimes get rebooted with just THE in front of the title to make it different.

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Snake5555555555 posted...

Haha I got the title from Johnbobb, since horror sequels sometimes get rebooted with just THE in front of the title to make it different.

to this day it still upsets me they made Final Destination 5 after THE Final Destination

like how are you gonna have it be THE Final Destination and not even be THE Final Destination?!?

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also time to talk about The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals v. Black Friday! Been meaning to a while now but didn't have a computer

I think it took me a little bit to appreciate Black Friday as much as I do now. While TGWDLM was definitely funnier, with constant unexpected plays on the genre (Paul looking on in horror during La Dee Dah Dah Day, Emma screaming for help while the others bow) and great references (the scream from Invasion of the Body Snatchers cracked me up), Black Friday is more of a whole package, with a better soundtrack and more legitimate horror.

Everything about the Santa movie scene just kills me, and the throwbacks to TGWDLM (while sometimes overdone) were just an extra bonus.

Fun fact: the character of Lex Foster was SUPPOSED to be played by Mariah Rose Faith from TGWDLM but she had to be replaced after being brought on for the Mean Girls US Tour.

Favorite song of each is probably Not Your Seed for TGWDLM and What If Tomorrow Comes? for Black Friday (the latter of which just startled me given how mostly silent the character of Hannah was the entire musical).

And really, there's just endless potential with the "Hatchetfield" series, which lately they've been continuing by doing live readings of short performances with the cast, all set in the same universe with a few recurring characters from both musicals.

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I just caught up to (some of the) write-ups and, man, it reminds me just how great and enjoyable your writings are. Props for another great installment!

I just want to say, if you ever feel like giving Umineko a second try, I suggest the manga. It's a great adaptation, with mostly great art (different Episodes are done by different artists). It's less meandering and obtuse as well. I'm quite confident you'll like it!


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Thanks Raka!

Looked up some of the artwork for the manga and it does look pretty neat, maybe I will!

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Hey Snake. Sorry I haven't been very responsive. I'm in a really rough spot at the moment. I enjoyed everything I could digest from it.

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No problem, it's important to take care of yourself first. Thanks for reading for what you could!

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Great DOOM write-up (of course)! Within a horror context, I especially appreciate how as much as DOOM is rightfully famous for being an adrenaline rush, the potential of quick death to grotesque demons always feels right around the corner anyways.

Thank you for another wonderfully spooky year of ranking horror-related things, Snake, and sorry it took me this long to comment after the bottom half.

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I think that potential is enhanced too with things like fake walls and trap floors or buttons. It really pushes you to your limits and you may get by on the skin of your teeth but it still has that effect of making you feel like a badass when you do survive an onslaught like that.

Appreciate it, and no worries, just glad the topic is still up and you were able too.

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So I went ahead and put this entire year on the wikia, for posterity's sake.
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/THE_Snake_Ranks_Anything_Horror_Related_(Vol._5)

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Awesome work, snake. Can't wait for the next one.

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