Any (new) imaginative horror movies out there?

[Beorning]

I'm a sucker for horror movies, both old and new ones... And, as I keep track of those movies that make it to the cinemas these days, I'm starting to get the feeling that these movies just... aren't as wildly imaginative and openly magical as the movies of old.

Some of my favourite horror movies are Hellraiser movies, as well John Carpenter's The Thing and In The Mouth Of Madness. And in these movies, things really get crazy: portals to other dimensions open and body-modificating beings come out, people mutate into monsters and even reality itself gets shattered. Things really are... wild and awe-inspiring, in a way. Meanwhile, horror movies these days? Most of them keep the terror and the imagination subdued, with the supernatural appearing just in the corner of the screen etc. Modern movies try to be semi-realistic, with the horrific and the supernatural being... deniable, so to say. I don't like it, I admit.

So, I was wondering: could you recommend some new horror movies to me that are more in the vein of the old movies? I'd really like to watch something with a proper monster, some eldritch abomination or something like that...

Also, are there any good horror movies with some proper mystery and investigation going on? With the protagonists trying to get to the bottom of some strange goings on, diggging through old newspapers, books etc. It may be a Call of Cthulhu fan in me speaking, but I'm really longing for a movie like that...

[Mathim]

Well, if you're looking for a total head trip like In the Mouth of Madness, try Don Coscarelli's "John Dies at the End".

Also, something somewhat mystery-y that wasn't terrible that I'd recommend is, "The Task".

[Beorning]

Noted! Although I admit that the biggest part of In The Mouth Of Madness's appeal for me is that this movie gets Lovecraftian ideas perfectly...

[Mathim]

Noted! Although I admit that the biggest part of In The Mouth Of Madness's appeal for me is that this movie gets Lovecraftian ideas perfectly...

Well I liked how it kept you guessing up to the very end. Fun stuff, engaging. Can't really think of anything Lovecraftian apart from The Cabin in the Woods.

[Inkidu]

Noted! Although I admit that the biggest part of In The Mouth Of Madness's appeal for me is that this movie gets Lovecraftian ideas perfectly...

No movie gets the Cthulhu Mythos right. It is a horror that can only really be experienced in the human imagination.

EDIT: It took me a moment to recall a good investigative horror flick. Try Sinister.

[Beorning]

I've heard good stuff about Sinister. I'll try checking it out...

[Mathim]

Overrated, slow-paced, unsatisfying conclusion. You should always hear both sides. :-)

[Inkidu]

Overrated, slow-paced, unsatisfying conclusion. You should always hear both sides. :-)

Also the only horror movie to give me nightmare since I was ten. :P

[deadmanshand]

Try the Taking of Deborah Logan. Very atmospheric, creepy, and generally well done.

[Mathim]

Don't know if you like anything from Clive Barker, but The Midnight Meat Train (2008) was pretty dark, with mystery and a great ending. Not sure how Lovecraftian it is, if at all, but the Japanese director has some great nuances during certain scenes where he uses the camera in a fascinating way.

[Beorning]

Oh, I know of this movie, but it seems a bit too... dark and sadistic for my tastes. Still, thank you for a suggestion.

[Inkidu]

There's a 2011 movie called Absentia that's pretty good on the investigative/mystery front.

[Sabby]

Vanishing on 7th Street.

You wanted mindfuck and scale? This movie has it. If you're like me and have a lot of silent, oppressive nightmares, you'll love it. Ya know when ya walk home late at night and it's quiet and dark and your eyes start to see people watching you from the shadows?

Now take this to apocalyptic levels.

[Starkweather]

The Hole, directed by Joe Dante, whom also directed Gremlins.
The Conjuring, a solid enough "haunted house" flick that gets by more on characters than thrills.
The Babadook, an absolutely terrifying flick.

The first two play it a little old school while the third has a (again, terrifying) monster.