Forgotten Scares: An In-depth Look at Flemish Horror Cinema

Superb Documentary that shows in a chronological way the History of the flemish horror genre. It folllows the steps from Harry Kummel to the little infamous films, like The Antwerp Killer for example, to the modern Horror Cinema in Belgium. Narrated by several Belgian directors telling there experiences and difficulties on making these films.

Jan Verheyen (Alias, Team Spirit, Dossier K., ...) narrates most part of the docu, mostly because of his large knowlegde of the culture in belgium, But almost every director tells his story, and that makes it very interesting. Its that kind of Documentary that want you to search for more. you get intrigued by the directors and the films.

Very well done

You're not gonna believe what you see :D Who knew Flanders had so much underground awesomness going on? Would watch again :)

"Forgotten scares" is a good documentary. It's a knowledgeable and useful tour along the various movies and movie projects (abandoned, half-finished or duly completed) dotting the Flemish horror landscape. Belgium being Belgium, this includes many a tale about lunatic ideas, certifiable auteurs, cynical businessmen and drunken artists. The viewer also gets a guided tour through the uniquely byzantine world of Belgian subsidies and grants. ("Our motto : if you think Dante's underworld was bad, try THIS hellhole.")

As a result the documentary has considerable amusement value, both of the voluntary and involuntary kind. If you happen to be a lawyer you can even indulge in some Schadenfreude : the documentary mentions three or four legal tangles which might have been avoided if the parties, or at least some of the parties, had had the foresight to consult a good lawyer or to draw up a decent contract.

However, I do not agree with one of the central premises of the documentary, to wit that most Flemings don't like the horror genre. On the contrary, I remain convinced that Flemings can, and will, appreciate a horror movie - on condition that it is well-made, interesting and atmospheric. Which is more than can be said about some of the cinematic abortions discussed, such as "The Antwerp killer", a work halfway between a movie and a prank. ("The Antwerp killer" was made by a young student, whose father - or so it is alleged - spent a considerable amount of money buying and destroying all copies.)

Anyway, horror fan or not, you get useful suggestions about movies to watch and, equally important, about movies not to watch.

I do hope that the maker of "Forgotten scares" will now turn his attention to the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium, which I'm sure will equal, if not surpass, Flanders in the weirdness department.

You can feel this documentary is well-crafted with the utmost love for the horror genre. As a horror fan myself I could really appreciate the in-depth look that Steve de Roover has provided! The fact that this is Steve 's first documentary is something you tend to forget when watching it! A professional piece of work! The horror genre is somewhat less appreciated but so underestimated! This documentary pays a real tribute when taking you back in time to re-discover what amazing, sometimes over the top gore and crazy horror films, our Flemish filmmakers have created. Some works have truly been forgotten and I thank Steve for reminding me to watch them again.

What I like the most about Forgotten Scares is how Steve got the honest and uncut reactions/opinions from his interviewees. It's easy to manipulate the answers to get a desired outcome in the edit, but honest reactions are real and must be heard. This is what makes a good documentary! Big thumbs up to Steve de Roover and his Forgotten Scares!

You can feel this documentary is about love for = HORROR movies in Belgium. With VHS, there are some sick Belgium horror / exploiting movies to find. Beheading and more like in the movie = NIGHTMARE 1981. Belgium created also = LUCKER !! This can be almost da same as = NEKROMANTIC from Germany !! Belgium had a cool history, but nobody notices !! At the moment, Belgium has 7 horror masters, with material never seen !! One of these 7 is so great as = LUCIO FULCI !! The MONEY !! The MONEY !! Was the problem !! 1 horror Master created = RABID GRANNIES !! And sold it to = TROMA !! They changed the movie !! Belgium doesn't want to sell again to TROMA !! We might create = RABID GRANNIES 2, But this time = The money must come to Belgium !! NO MORE STEALING !! We will use this money, to create even better movies !! OF HIGH QUALITY like the USA !!! Belgium has the stories ready, the GORE, the thriller !! The humor !!, We just need a little more money to prove our qualities !!!! WELP / CUB was starting to be a reasonable horror movie !! But it's still not enough !!! We need more money !! More recogniztion !! Belgium has the power to become = best movies of europe in the futur !! But we LACK MONEY !!