Mystery, esoteric, horror movies. What are the ones you'd recommend?
 

What are the best mystery (ghost, spirits, unfathomable situations, etc NOT gore and torture; stuff that makes you want to throw up but mystery), horror movies you've ever seen and would suggest people watch? I'll go with The Others, Kairo, (a Japanese one), Stir of Echoes and Hombre Mirando al Sudeste (Man Facing Southeast), an enthralling Argentinian movie. These ones left me wondering, and so much. So, what are those movies that made you unable to doze off for entire nights?

Not many films cause me sleepless nights but if we are talking atmosphere and not gore then Session 9 and The Squad (a fairly recent Colombian movie) are well worth your time.

All right! I'll get hold of The Squad on the spot. I've seen session 9! Yeah, no gore for me, please! I don't enjoy throwing up; I enjoy an intense atmosphere! "The Hidden Face" is another supreme suspense film that I'd recommend!

Everyone I've recommended Session 9 to has gone on to watch and love it. It's like the XTC of films.

Picnic At Hanging Rock's got a great atmosphere to it - really mysterious and eerie, should maybe check that out. Jacob's Ladder's another one too. There's a Norweigan film called Naboer (Next Door) as well.

All right, Bulldog! I'll get "Picnic at..." Is it from the UK? I saw Jacob's ladder last month, which I really enjoyed indeed! Now I've got to get back to watching films because I'm enthralled by a the novel "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by Lovecraft. Amazing Top-notch stuff. I'll watch the ones that you people have suggested and let you know my thoughts on them!

Weird, I always found Session 9 to be just Bad, and not because the capital B means B as hell (although the B actors sure didn't help things). My favorite parts of the movie were when the actors weren't even there. That's at least something to say.

Jacob's Ladder, though, that is in a whole different ballpark IMO and I don't think that should even be in the same recommendation. I'd recommend Jacob's Ladder as a primer for watching Lynch movies or something, then going further. Maybe as far as The Holy Mountain, although that kinda diverges into uncomfortable at points.
I guess there really isn't a logical progression, but if there would be, I wouldn't consider Session 9 to even be in the logical progression of anything other than maybe a progression that peaks at the original Evil Dead and righteous cheese.

Maybe it's just me.
You're definitely not the first person that I know to prop Session 9. I've been not liking that movie since it came out, and I seem to be largely alone on it, so it's probably just me.

See, I thought the characters and the acting was basically the strongest part of the movie, at least next to the cinematography and overall atmosphere as well. Just goes to show how movies can mean anything to anyone. I mean, I liked Titanic, so I'm certainly no arbiter of conventionally 'good' taste in film or anything.

A different ballpark from Session 9 as an individual film, yeah. I'd say it's worth watching if it's a good, mysterious and deeply psychological horror that anyone's after, similar to the atmosphere and tone I got from watching Session 9. At least, that's what I got from it anyway.

And as for Session 9, if we're talking logical progression, I'd put it alongside films like the Shining and the Changeling. Again, it's just me though.

And yeah, Ivan, it's a UK film. Definitely worth a shot :)

I found The Changeling beyond amazing. How come I forgot to mention it? Well, and how come I forgot to mention Triangle (2009) and The Hidden Face? Riveting suspense ones. One more: A Tale of 2 Sisters: a literally enthralling mystery one from South Korea. I'd suggest you people have a go at them. I'll watch Picnic At Hanging Rock and let you know my thoughts on it. It's one of a series of goals I've set myself to achieve by the end of the weekend!

There's a relatively recent film called The Innkeepers that was a pretty solid ghost movie, although there wasn't really much of a mystery to it. In some ways it wasn't even much of a horror movie, although there were some tense moments. It felt more like a melancholic old school Gothic movie, which was pretty nice.

There was also a good claymation kids movie from last year called ParaNorman that might be up your alley, albeit that's even less ghosts and more to do with witches, curses, and zombies (not the brain eating kind). There's not a lot of scary moments for adults but it really hits the right notes and isn't like your typical animated family movie.

Lastly... I am hesitant to recommend it because again, no ghosts, but it's from the same director as Session 9. It's from 2004 and it's called The Machinest and it's a pretty good psychological thriller with some great horror moments thrown in and a very well executed twist.

The Machinist is definitely a good one. Reminds me that I need to watch that again.
Following that one, Memento is just as brilliant.
I fear those two are more esoteric and less horror though. Still great watches.