31 HORROR FAVORITES TO WATCH IN OCTOBER
Article by Adam Mast
Wes Craven’t chiller about a burned boogeyman who haunts the dreams of teenagers introduced the world to the knife clawed killer, Freddy Krueger. It’s also the big screen acting debut of one Johnny Depp. The strongest aspect of this picture is the way Craven whips you in and out of a nightmare state. You’re never entirely certain where reality begins and the nightmare ends. For the record, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS and WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE are well worth checking out too.
ALIEN (1979) and ALIENS (1986)
Both films are equal in terms of overall effectiveness. ALIEN is a top-notch suspense thriller while its follow-up ALIENS, is a tense, balls to the wall action adventure. Ridley Scott and James Cameron are masters of the technical game, and both bring their own striking sensibility to the franchise. Sigourney Weaver was terrific in the entire franchise, but her arc in the first two movies was particularly memorable.
Director John Landis followed up the brilliant musical/comedy THE BLUES BROTHERS with AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON–a perfect blend of horror and comedy starring David Naughton (the Dr. Pepper commercial guy) as an American twenty-something whose attacked by a creature while he and a college buddy (Griffin Dunne) are backpacking across the European countryside. This flick features a Rick Baker created transformation sequence that set a standard for horror movie make-up effects.
Ten years from now, this Australian gem will be talked about just as much as the iconic horror efforts that inspired it. In Jennifer Kent’s creepy thriller, a fantastic Essie Davis plays a mother reeling from tragedy who must provide for her troubled son, effectively played by Noah Wiseman. When a strange pop-up book lands on their door step, things go south…fast. THE BABADOOK trades in gore for old school spook alley inspired scares and the end result is one of the best horror films of the last decade.
CABIN IN THE WOODS is a sly deconstruction of the horror genre. It offers up a wealth of terrific surprises but this film’s biggest revelation isn’t treated like a SIXTH SENSE style twist. No, creators Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon let you know what you’re in for from the very beginning. This creative movie features just about every horror trope you can shake a stick at, but CABIN IN THE WOODS cleverly turns everything upside down. Side note; The ending is a cinematic kick to the balls.
When director Brian DePalma messes up, he messes up bad (see BLACK DAHLIA) but when he brings his A-game, look out! This collaboration between DePalma and Stephen King is classic horror. Sissy Spacek is compelling as the title character, a picked on teen who, through telekinetic powers, fights back. CARRIE features the prom scene to end all prom scenes, as well as a sudden shock ending that scares the hell out of me just thinking about it.
Horror titans Stephen King and George A. Romero collaborated on CREEPSHOW, a brilliant horror anthology made up of 5 short tales that have you laughing one second and shrieking in terror the next. Zombies, cockroaches, crate monsters, weeds growing like wild-fire, etc. This movie has it all! Simply put, CREEPSHOW is a horror comic book come to life.
George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was the starting block for the zombie genre, but DAWN OF THE DEAD took it to a whole new level with its shrewd satire on consumerism . When the zombies begin feasting on a pack of bikers in the final act of this movie, it’s enough to make you lose your lunch. But perhaps the most memorable moment in the picture happens early on as a zombified apartment tenant takes a bite out of his wife’s shoulder. I still gasp when I see it. Genius!
This thriller about a team of tough, female spelunkers taking on a strange race of carnivorous creatures deep beneath the ground is one of the most effective monster movies to come out in years. A genuinely scary, adrenaline pumping horror show that you’ll definitely want to stay away from if you’re even the slightest bit claustrophobic.
DRACULA (1931)
Like FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA is pure, classic horror. Released by Universal, this tale of the infamous blood sucker is both creepy and strangely erotic. Bela Lugosi’s performance is positively spellbinding.
Sam Raimi’s masterpiece is certainly more slapstick than horror, but that doesn’t stop the film maker from getting a few grand shocks in. While Raimi would go on to helm three highly profitable SPIDER-MAN films, DEAD BY DAWN remains my favorite of his movies.
William Friedkin’s classic tale of good vs. evil has one of the most shocking moments in film history (I won’t go into detail but I will say it involves a cross), but what makes it stand out is its epic scope and Friedkin’s meticulous eye to detail. The cast, most notably Max Von Sydow as an aging priest, is positively stellar. The Exorcist is truly horrifying and sort of plays like HIGH NOON in hell.
THE FLY (1986)
Next to JOHN CARPENTER’S THE THING, David Cronenberg’s THE FLY might be the greatest remake of all time. In this unforgettable updating, a scientist finds himself going through a strange metamorphosis after a fly throws a wrench in his teleportation experiment. Amazing make-up effects, stellar direction, and a wonderful supporting turn by Geena Davis add to the overall effectiveness of this horrific love story but it’s Jeff Goldblum’s spectacular performance that makes THE FLY a true masterwork.
FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
You just can’t beat a Universal monster movie and FRANKENSTEIN represents the strongest of the lot. Featuring an iconic performance by Boris Karloff as a man brought back from the dead, this picture is scary, but it also offers up moments of poetic beauty (a child like exchange between the monster and a little girl is simply heartbreaking.) A stunning, timeless achievement.
Tod Browning’s controversial film follows a close-knit group of circus freaks as they take their revenge on evil common folk. The kicker is that this movie stars individuals with actual deformities. FREAKS gives me the creeps, particularly the shocking ending in which the phrase “One of us” takes on a whole new meaning.
John Carpenter’s slasher flick lit up the box-office and made a scream queen out of Jamie Lee Curtis. It also set the standard for the slasher genre. Perhaps the strongest element of the picture is Carpenter’s unforgettable score. One critic was even quoted as saying the music saved the movie. As good as the score is, there is plenty to admire about this picture perfect thriller. An amazing film featuring one of cinema’s most iconic killers.
Based on the book by Clive Barker, this dark, horrific glimpse into pleasure and pain features a race of demonic beings, led by the legendary Pinhead, who take captive anyone who awakens them from their puzzle box of solitude. A gothic masterpiece.
HOSTEL (2005)Eli Roth’s polarizing tale of excess is gruesome to be sure but it has a lot more on its mind than gore. HOSTEL weaves its tale around a trio of American college buddies who get more than they bargained for after spending the night in a Slovakian Hostel. Where do things go from there? Let’s just say that HOSTEL does for Slovakian tourism what JAWS did for east coast beach attendance.
JAWS (1975)JAWS delivers some of the great scares of all time! This tale of a Great White shark terrorizing the peaceful, sleepy town of Amityville, provides the goods both in terms of character and terror inducing thrills. More importantly though, beach attendance dropped significantly the year JAWS was released. That’s a testament to this film’s overall power.
THE OMEN (1976)Richard Donner’s THE OMEN is an eloquent exercise in apocalyptic terror. When I use the term apocalyptic, I don’t mean in a MAD MAX sense. This flick, about the birth of the Anti-Christ, has an eerie, unsettling tone from start to finish, and when it was over, I could feel the hair on my neck standing on end.
Don Coscarelli’s tale of sinister happenings at a morgue scared the shit out of me as a kid. With grave robbing ghouls that resemble Jawas from STAR WARS, and the iconic baddie “The Tall Man” at its center, PHANTASM emerges as an unforgettable independent horror flick with balls…Literally!
POLTERGEIST (1982)Steven Spielberg and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE helmer Tobe Hooper collaborated on this fantastical ghost story featuring JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson as a married couple who desperately try to retrieve their daughter (played by cute Heaher O’ Rourke) from the clutches of a nasty Poltergeist. Great characters, great scares, and great special effects. And it still holds up!
PSYCHO (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece has far too many memorable moments to make mention of in a mere blurb, so I wont even try. I will say, it is one of the best thrillers of all time and features a truly mesmerizing turn by Anthony Perkins as a man who loves his momma.
ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968)
Roman Polanski’s classic features Mia Farrow as a pregnant woman who discovers that Satan may be the father of her child. The genius of this flick is how it meshes pure, unbridled horror with shrewd black comedy. The “He has his father’s eyes” bit is unforgettable.
SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s love letter to the zombie genre works both as a hilarious comedy and a sweet homage to everything Romero. What’s more, this glorious romp has real bite. One of the best fan films you’re ever likely to see. And really funny to boot.
THE SHINING (1980)
While it is true that Stanley Kubrick took Stephen King’s best-selling novel and made it his own, he bettered it in some ways. Jack Nicholson is at his manic best as an author who descends into complete madness. The real star of the show, however, is the massive Overlook Hotel. Kubrick is a master of tone, and nearly every frame of this picture drips with an ominous sense of dread.
SUSPIRIA (1977)
Italian horror director Dario Argento is a gore maestro. He has the deft ability to make the macabre positively poetic. Of all his work, it’s this nightmarish tale of a string of grisly murders at a ballet academy that leaves the strongest impression. Why? Well, aside from great atmosphere and brilliant lighting, I can sum it up in two words; Barbed wire.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)
In 1974, Tobe Hooper set out to make this horror masterpiece on a shoestring budget, and the end result is a nauseating descent into terror. The film features a chainsaw wielding maniac who dons other folks’ skin over his face. The final moments of this picture are truly terrifying and while one gal makes it out alive, you just know she’ll never sleep again without seeing Leatherface in her nightmares.
THE THING (1982)
HALLOWEEN is often considered John Carpenter’s masterpiece, but for my money, THE THING is where it’s at. Not only is this one of the best remakes I’ve ever seen (and I love Howard Hawks’ original), but it is quite simply my favorite horror picture of all time. It’s claustrophobic terror at it’s very finest and extra props to the effects department for creating otherworldly terror that is even more disturbing than anything I could conjure up in my own mind. I love every inch of this movie right down to the perfectly ambiguous ending.
TRICK ‘R TREAT (2007)
For years, CREEPSHOW remained the horror anthology by which all other horror anthologies were measured. That King/Romero collaboration remains my favorite anthology flick to this very day but Michael Dougherty’s TRICK R’ TREAT is a pretty close second. This movie drips of Halloween spirit. In fact, TRICK R’ TREAT is to Halloween what A CHRISTMAS STORY is to Christmas.
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