Venal Flesh's Five Favorite Horror Films

Dan and VanityKills of American dark electro band Venal Flesh are known for combining together striking visuals and aesthetic with comparably vicious beats and harsh tones. And, now, both are here telling us their five favorite horror films. Multiple entries from the Hellraiser franchise make it onto the list, as does a French torture porn. Check it out: 

DAN: 

"Saw" by James Wan

"This is hands down my favorite horror movie of all time. The plot was fantastic, the twist was mindblowing. The thing that made Saw great was that despite being a 'torture porn' movie it had a compelling, innovative plotline and legitimate (more or less) character development - things completely lacking in most modern horror. Not to mention that this spawned an entire series that was based solely around high budget extreme torture and gore. And it has one of the best theme songs ever."



"Hellraiser" and "Hellbound: Hellraiser II" by Clive Barker/Tony Randel

"What needs to be said about Hellraiser? Visually brilliant, gory, significantly better than the book, and it was one of the most disturbing movies of its time. The cenobites. The lament configuration. I am in hell help me. Obviously a big influence on Venal Flesh."







"Martyrs" by Pascal Laugier

"France is known for some pretty brutal & gory horror films, and Martyrs is their best offering. This hits my favorite horror movie traits: extreme gore via ritualistic torture in a quest to achieve a higher understanding of existence. Torture Porn for the thinking man."






"The Poughkeepsie Tapes" by John Erick Dowdle

"I really like the idea of found footage movies, as found footage has such an inherently creepy nature. While most of these movies fail, 'Poughkeepsie Tapes' is THE quintessential found footage / mockumentary combo movie. It's unique and incredibly unsettling. I like to think of it as 'power electronics: the movie'."






"Begotten" by E. Elias Merhige

"Begotten is, hands down, the most artistic horror film out there. While it isn't a particularly entertaining movie per say, it is a perfect visual representation of 'the occult'. The technique used here and the amount of time it took to put it together is alone worthy of admiration, but the result is visionary, beautiful, and terrifying in a way that stands out from pretty much every other horror movie in existence."





VANITYKILLS:

"Hellraiser: Bloodline" by Kevin Yagher and Joe Chappelle

"Yes, the much maligned 'Hellraiser in Space'. Even if you find the plot to be rather flimsy, it’s hard to deny that Angelique boasts one of the best cenobite designs in the entire franchise. Here’s where I note that the fates of the movie’s human protagonists have always been an afterthought to me. Rather than concern myself with the Merchants’ family centuries-long efforts to thwart infernal forces, I’ve found far more enjoyment in watching a demon-turned-cenobite villain around in all her split-open scalp glory."



"Dracula" by Francis Ford Coppola

"I remember being constantly inundated by trailers that beckoned 9-year-old me to see Francis Ford Coppola’s take on the Dracula story. To my impressionable mind, everything about this movie seemed so alluring, dangerous and like something I was entirely too young to watch. Luckily, being exposed to scenes of human on wolf relations didn’t turn me into a furry or otherwise cause psychological damage. But hey, that’s not to say that Gary Oldman’s vampiric shenanigans didn’t leave a lasting imprint. They might just be the root cause for my love of big, white wigs and denouncement of Christianity (GaryDrac sure knew how to trash a church with great panache)."

"American Psycho" by Mary Harron

"What does it take to make a movie centered around a group of entitled Wall Street douchebags actually watchable? For starters, seeing Christian Bale playing the role of Patrick Bateman so convincingly that, you begin to wonder if he spends his time running naked with chainsaws in his off-screen life as well. Followed by upping the ante on your typical yuppie status one-upmanship to totally absurd levels, best exemplified by that infamous scene where Patrick buries an axe in the back of a colleague’s head due to restaurant reservation induced envy. And lastly, when lines like 'I like to dissect girls. Did you know I'm utterly insane?' make their way into typical investment banker banter."

"Martyrs" by Pascal Laugier

"Meanwhile in France….  a secret society composed of the wealthy and, unsurprisingly, aging elite hungers for a guided tour of the afterlife without the discomfort of vacating their meatsuits, so they opt for the next 'best' thing: unethical human experimentation. The cult’s central philosophy revolves around the idea of the martyr; an exalted individual who not only withstands suffering, but transcends it, which allows their consciousness to vacate the body and travel to realms typically inaccessible to the living. Obsessed with the idea of witnessing a martyr’s testimony first hand, the group set their sights on manufacturing these peak-experiences –on-demand, from the comfort of their homes, which apparently come standard with underground dungeons. Long story short, this fine piece of French cinema buys the viewer a first-class ticket on the crazy train that departs right at the opening scene, takes the 'scenic route' through some of the bleakest vistas conceivable by the human mind, goes off the rails with a mid-film plot twist, only to arrive at an intentionally ambiguous ending.  Is such a trip advised for all? No, this movie is guaranteed to be a trainwreck for anyone averse to gore and violence. Personally, as someone fascinated with the depraved lengths the antagonists went to in order to assuage their own fear of death, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. On that note…chooo chooo!"

"Hatchet" by Adam Green

"Jason, Freddy and Candyman team up to slay intoxicated fratboys who strayed too far from Bourbon Street in a Louisiana swamp. Okay, not really, but still a fun slasher with some pretty gnarly/inventive kill scenes."