You know, as an avid horror fan and thrill seeker, I enjoy almost anything horror-oriented year round. Still, I don’t know what it is about this time of year… the fresh chill in the air, watching the color of the leaves change; decaying from the usual vibrant, healthy green into red and gold while the trees molt and turn into withered skeletons, or perhaps just the approaching of the obvious… it’s Halloween time again! Since I was a little boy, I couldn’t help but feel an excitement and even a strange unease this time of year, growing more and more anxious as the days counted down to the delightfully ghoulish holiday. I love this time of year. Not just for its unnatural beauty and the eerie backdrop it provides, but because of that unsettling feeling I get as the 31st approaches. I don’t know about you, but I almost want to feel frightened! Come on, let’s face it… nothing else quite provides us the very best time to huddle up and tempt your nerves with a great horror flick!
For the past decade now, as Halloween gets closer, I’ve noticed a slew of, -best of or -scariest lists come out for horror films. Be it online, on television (Bravo did a great one a few years back that they repeat every year now) or even in print. Well, I’ve finally decided to put my two cents in. Seeing myself as the resident horror aficionado, I couldn’t just sit idly by and not at least make a few suggestions of my own.
Not to disappoint, but I won’t be making any lists in terms of what I deem the best or even the scariest films out there. One thing I’ve realized as a horror freak is that terror is in fact subjective. What is scary for some is not necessarily scary for all. Now it’s true that there are some films that have managed to burrow their way into the fragile psyche of the collective, but those are definitely few and far between. I’d simply like to offer a handful of selections that are worthy of your time and are almost certain to give you the creeps leading up to the all Hallows Eve! So here’s how we’re going to do this… I’ve broken this down into three separate groups. The undead, fresh mutations, and the shadow stalkers. Give me a break; I’m trying to add a little flare.
The undead are named after the rotting fleshed zombies or the gothic, bloodsuckers of the night, which despite the passing of time and culture, will not die… horror classics so to speak. The fresh mutations are the new blood of horror. Films that despite their relatively recent releases, have already clawed their way into nightmares. And the shadow stalkers are films that are fairly unknown or in some cases, obscure. They may have cult status or maybe just didn’t get a fair shake upon their initial release… but don’t be fooled. They’re just as effective or even more so than their mainstream counterparts. So without further adieu…
THE UNDEAD
Halloween (1978)
The original “night he came home”! No offense to the Rob Zombie remake a few years ago, but this was actually one of the few horror films that didn’t deserve to be remade. The John Carpenter, classic is an almost flawless piece of cinema that transcended the times and started the trend known as the “slasher” film. I typically like to watch this one on the night of the holiday. What better time than the titled night in which the majority of the action takes place! Creepy on many levels with some nice scares, Halloween is guaranteed to give you chills… especially for anyone home alone. If you haven’t seen this horror masterpiece that launched the career of Jamie Lee Curtis, do yourself a BIG favor and introduce yourself to, Michael Myers.
The Evil Dead (1981)
Made on a shoestring budget pretty much as a student film, the original Evil Dead introduced us to a young writer/director named, Sam Raimi. Name sound familiar? How about the man in the directors seat of the almost billion dollar grossing Spider-Man trilogy? Same guy! Before getting his big shot in Hollywood, Raimi made waves with his Evil Dead trilogy. The first of the series (and only true horror film of the bunch) was the original, cabin-in-the-woods movie. Starring the zany Bruce Campbell, the film follows a group of college kids who rent out a remote cabin, truly in the middle of nowhere. Finding an ancient tome known as, the Necronomicon, they accidentally summon a group of nasty demons and find themselves fighting for their lives and their souls. Probably my favorite horror film of all time, this flick has it all!
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Horror icon, Wes Craven, created one of the most infamous horror villains of all time. His name… Freddy Krueger. The burnt, nightmare stalker with the razor fingers is easily one of the most recognizable characters in horror cinema and continues to haunt our dreams 25 years later. Spawning six sequels (seven if you count, Freddy vs. Jason) the original Elm Street is still incredibly scary as it taps into a very frightening and original concept… what if someone could get you in your dreams? A group of high schoolers are met with that exact problem as the supernatural Krueger, hunts them once they fall asleep. With a remake of its own coming out in April, this is a real dandy worth revisiting. Almost common knowledge now, but look for Tim Burton’s best buddy and Hollywood darling, Johnny Depp in his first movie role.
Poltergeist (1982)
Produced by Steven Spielberg, and directed by horror legend Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), this mainstream horror gem holds plenty of thrills. This spin on the traditional haunted house film starts off amiably enough as the Freeling family happily moves into their new home unaware of it’s ghastly secret. However, it doesn’t take long before they start to realize that they are not alone. Light on the bloodshed, this spook fest provides a nice feeling of dread throughout and some legitimate scares along the way. And just when you think its over… think again! You’ll never quite look at the white snow from your television the same again. Great for the adolescent audience looking to cut their teeth on horror films. Theeeyy’re heeearree…
The Fly (1986)
Actually a remake of the 1958, Vincent Price film, I’m not the only person who thinks that this horror/sci-fi classic is far superior to its source. Really just borrowing on the basic premise, the wizard of weird, David Cronenberg, delivers an intensely disturbing look at a brilliant scientist who unintentionally splices his DNA with that of an ordinary housefly. Ahead of its time in many regards, this unrelenting fright flick continues to receive accolades. Visually stunning with amazing effects and great performances by Jeff Goldblum, as the tortured Seth Brundle and Geena Davis as his (at the time, real-life) love interest, The Fly will really make your skin crawl!
FRESH MUTATIONS
The Descent (2005)
One of the most recent films on the list, but don’t be fooled… this is an instant horror classic! A group of women go spelunking in an unknown cave system and find themselves trapped when a tunnel collapses. If that wasn’t bad enough, as they try to navigate through the dark in uncharted territory, they suddenly discover that they aren’t alone. Keeping the tight little plotline moving forward with ferocity and great acting, you’ll either be on the edge of your seat or huddled behind the couch watching through splayed fingers. This movie takes fear of the dark and claustrophobia to a whole new level while introducing us to some nasty new creatures. Mega scary and a lot of fun!!!
House of 1000 Corpses (2002)
Before anybody realized that he actually could direct movies, rocker Rob Zombie wrote and directed this terrifying homage to some of his favorite brutal horror films of the 70s. Despite the fact that he’s practically a Hollywood veteran now, directing both remakes of Halloween and Halloween II, his debut picture remains his most raw and best film… in my opinion. Pure passion for the macabre pours out as we join a group of college kids on the road, heading home for holiday break. Morbid curiosity and a minor detour put them in search of a local legend… a homicidal maniac tagged, Dr. Satan. Things go horribly wrong when they meet the rabid Firefly family and are eventually detained and tormented by the motley crew. The film contains a bevy of B-film and horror icons as well as The Offfice’s, Rainn Wilson and is loaded with both style and substance. Though it’s not shy with the red stuff, the film isn’t anywhere as gory as was initially publicized, but remains a very wild and unsettling ride.
Event Horizon (1997)
Though it was a mainstream release and provides decent star power with Lawrence Fishburne and Sam Neill, I almost filed this with others of the lesser-known variety. Achieving a rabid cult following since its release on DVD, this sci-fi/horror flick is quite possibly the scariest of its class since, Alien. Everyone is familiar of the concept of a “ghost ship”. An empty ship, floating around at sea with no crew or explanation of what happened on the vessel. Its pretty much that… in space… times one hundred. A spacecraft named the Event Horizon, with the ability to jump through space instantly, disappears after its first voyage. Suddenly years later, it reappears and is discovered floating a drift through space. A salvage team along with the Event Horizon’s main engineer, set off to reclaim the ship and find out what had happened. What they find is infinitely more terrifying than they could imagine. A very simple concept done extremely well with a talented cast sets this film apart from many of the other would-be science fiction/horror entries. Powerful imagery and great effects also aid in a movie that crawls WAY under your skin.
The Grudge (2004)
After the success of, The Ring, the US began importing Asian horror and remaking it as its own faster than you can say apple pie and baseball. The Grudge, is one of the few American remakes that not only captured the essence of the original film, but really succeeded in making American audiences scream (I know… I saw this one in theaters). Using the same premise and setting as its Japanese version, Ju-on, the film follows the arc of an unrelated group of Americans who have migrated to Japan and are indirectly tied together by a vengeful spirit. The “curse” follows all those who come in contact with it and we watch with dread and very often fright as these unsuspecting and unlucky souls try to survive and evade their fate. Starring, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Bill Pullman, this remake also benefits from having the originals writer/director, Takashi Shimizu at the helm and provides more scares in a PG-13 film than you can stand. Buckle your seatbelts and just try to get this one out of your head.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Also out in 2004 was the remake of George Romero’s zombie classic, Dawn of the Dead. Featuring a ridiculously rich ensemble cast, we jump right in at the onset of the zombie outbreak and follow a group of survivors that find their way to a local shopping mall and lock themselves away from the zombie horde. We quickly learn that the dead are certainly a lot more hungry and infinitely more agile in this redux and waste no time in savagely pursuing their prey. Can the small group hold out against the undead onslaught with resources and sanity in short supply? Director Zack Snyder, gives us a very real and often very bleak look at life during the zombie apocalypse and the carnage surrounding. Snyder, definitely makes the most of his first shot with a decent budget. He has since graduated and has become the go-to guy for graphic novel adaptations, directing both 300 and The Watchmen. Much of the political satire has been removed the original and replaced with hyper zombie turmoil and many a good scare. If you like your horror mixed with lots of blood, action and zombies… this is the movie for you.
