By Doug Rice: Sorry… didn’t mean to “scare” anyone.  Ha-ha!  Many of you were probably a little confused with last week’s post because it didn’t include the discussed, Shadow Stalkers category.  Well, as we were putting everything up, I realized that by the time you got to these next flicks, you’d be at the end of the list and they might get overlooked.  Considering that they are often films that suffer that fate, I decided to give them a little love and a post of their very own!  So without further delay, I give you the conclusion of my Halloween haunting list…

SHADOW STALKERS
   
Session 9 (2001)

    So about a year or two after its initial straight to DVD release, I stumbled across this hidden prize in the video store one night and remembered a few of my sources singing its praise.  I took a chance on it and scooped it up not knowing what to expect.  Man, was I glad I did.  This low budget indie film packs a lot of punch and is easily one of the most eerie films I’ve ever seen.  The film follows an asbestos cleaning crew as they arrive at an abandoned mental asylum and begin the process of cleansing the place.  The setting of the film is the real star of this one and is further complimented by a strong cast, lead by David Caruso, and backed by a tense, nerve-racking story line.  I won’t delve any deeper, but a nagging sense of dread will creep along with you through this one and by the time you get to the end, it’ll floor you with something you won’t see coming.  See if you can watch this one in the dark.  Good luck…

    The Night Flier (1997)

    Based on a short story by Stephen King, here’s another tight little indie that just didn’t get much attention on the video racks.  This diamond in the rough offers a really interesting spin on the vampire genre and is quite the contrast to the romantic vampire tellings of late.  The film follows the journey of a seedy tabloid writer who is hot on the trail of a killer who goes by the name of Dwight Renfield, and flies into small airports at night to drain the blood of his victims.  As many fans of Stephen King know, successful movie adaptations of his work are hard to come by, but this one passes with flying colors (sorry couldn’t resist)!  The small cast is credible and the tension builds nicely as we get closer to tracking down our title character.  Could he really be a vampire or just some psychotic pilot with a blood fetish?  With great effects and a truly memorable ending, The Night Flier, is a scary good alternative for audiences looking for more bite than Twilight. 
 
    They (2002)

    Here’s a little movie that I thought was really great, got a small theatrical release in its day, but just never got any real attention.  I was actually one of those people who saw this in theaters (I think our own Craig Thornton actually accompanied me to this one) and was really caught up in its basic, but extremely effective concept.  What if there was a real reason to be afraid of the dark?  Touching somewhat on the “boogeyman” myth, the film revolves around a psychiatry student who witnesses the suicide of a close childhood friend and is drawn to the bizarre occurrences that lead up to it.  Pulled violently into the situation, she and a group of his friends attempt to band together to solve the mystery as well as escape a similar fate.  With almost no onscreen bloodshed, this dark little treat does a nice job of providing tons of atmosphere and plenty of anxiety.  I still find the film to be extremely creepy and one of the few PG-13 horror films that doesn’t feel like an episode of Goosebumps.

    Dead Alive (1992)

    Once upon a time, long before The Lord of the Rings trilogy or King Kong, on the rarely mentioned island of New Zealand, director Peter Jackson and effects artist Richard Taylor (who worked on all of the previously mentioned films and has established WETA effects shop as one of the leading special effects companies in the world), set out to make the mother of all zombie films.  Well, for all intensive purposes, Dead Alive is that movie.  Tagged as the goriest horror film of all time, I’d be hard pressed to think of another movie that comes close.  Think Outbreak, as a rare and unusual species of monkey starts a zombie epidemic in a small town in New Zealand.  Hilarity and ultra-violence ensue as our main character does a terrible job in concealing and preventing the spread of the walking dead or their hideous appetites.  Really one of the first true horror comedies, the film has been labeled “splat-stick” as the over the top bloodshed and ridiculously clever scenarios bring both laughter and revulsion.  Not gonna lie… you’ll need a strong stomach and a good sense of humor to get through this one, but if you’ve got both… this movie is about as good as it gets. 

    Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

    I almost didn’t pick this one, but considering there are so few decent horror films revolving around our special holiday, I decided that I needed to include it.  This film actually just got a DVD release, despite the fact that it’s been finished and ready to go since 2007 and was residing in theatrical limbo.  Filmed on a decent mainstream budget, this Halloween horror takes us to a small town where we follow several interwoven stories all occurring in the same town on the same Halloween night.  This movie is quickly developing a rabid following as it is definitely one of the few Halloween horror flicks that capture the true spirit of the holiday while dishing out the blood soaked goods.  With a solid little cast, including Brian Cox and True Blood’s Anna Paquin, the stories all flow around one another effortlessly and to great effect.  Very witty and fresh, it comes ready to make you jump while pulling at your nerve strings.  I’m still amazed that this very scary and brilliantly executed movie didn’t get a real release.  Nevertheless, this little film would be a great way to cap off your Halloween this year. 

So that’s it!  15 great ways to celebrate the holiday season.  I’ve been working on watching my own list, but more than likely, I’ll be sitting down with a few of these again myself.  I’m always looking to share them with some unsuspecting victims who are looking for a holiday thrill.  If you’re in that same boat, these should do nicely. Nothing makes me smile like watching people jump, scream and squirm to some of my favorite horror flicks… it’s just too bad I won’t be there to watch you do the same.