A celebration of those oozing, brooding, spine-tingling, pseudo-comic films that we love to hate and hate to love. I'll do a different piece concerning horror films around Halloween time, believe me, I can get plenty o' mileage in the scary movie department. But I've been in a very horror-movie-loving mood lately so I wanted to do this piece. The films I've chosen represent the many conventions and archetypes of horror movies: the gory, the stupid, the suspenseful, the ridiculous, the crazy. They're all terrific.
Halloween (1978)- The definitive slasher flick. Halloween is all glorious atmosphere and slow-build suspense. A white, featureless mask. A butcher knife. And a parade of unsuspecting, unfortunate teens.
The Evil Dead (1981)- More of a comedy than anything else, The Evil Dead gives B-movies a good, bloody name. Terrifically violent, memorably disgusting, occasionally jolting, and utterly crazy/hilarious.
Psycho (1960)- Proves horror movies can be both sophisticated and terrifying. Hitchcock's direction is amazing, Anothony Perkin's performance iconic, and the score utterly unforgettable. Damn you for ruining showers, Hitchcock. Damn you!
The Haunting (1963)- A bang on the door. The sound of a woman's laugh. Some cold, meticulously crafted statues. The Haunting makes the point that these elements are all you need to scare the pants off your audience.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)- One, two, Freddy's coming for you...That nursery rhyme still haunts my dreams. Craven's intelligent gem of a slasher pic is every bit as awesome as it was in the 84. Because Craven actually cared enough to make Nightmare stylish rather than just gory, his film has stood the test of time. Scares, suspense, deadly mattresses. What's better?
Scream (1996)- A spoof that is as much what it's spoofing as it is a sly commentary. Teens can apparently be aware of the slasher conventions, but that doesn't mean this knowledge will really be put to good effect. Gory and funny by turns.
The Exorcist (1973)- There were sensational rumors of audience members collapsing, throwing up, needing therapy. Amazingly, the film lived up to its hype. There are images that I believe will be forever engrained in my head.
Carnival of Souls (1962)- Little know but creepily atmospheric and wonderfully odd, this B movie about a woman who survives a car crash and comes upon a strange little town was inexplicably effective in getting under my skin. The pale faced man is coming for you...
Wait Until Dark (1967)- Although this is a thriller more than anything else, the film is undeniably scary. The intensely wrought climax will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, you know the drill...
Blood and Black Lace (1964)- Just because I must respect the Italian horror god, Mario Bava, I've put Blood and Black Lace on the list. Dramatically inert but visually stunning, Bava's pre-slasher craze horror flick is well-directed and surprisingly brutal.
Don't Look Now (1973)- The ending hits you like a plate of falling glass and the film, deliberately paced and startlingly well-crafted, is like a creepily hazy dream. You'll never look at a little girl in a red raincoat the same way again.
Creepshow (1982)- Creepy-crawly good fun, Creepshow is so beautifully stylish and stupid and nostalgic it's impossible not to love (actually, that's a lie but these are my opinions, right?) The film is completely tact-less and ambition-less and that's why it's so great. It's just simple-minded, gory enjoyment.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)- A serial killer thriller that made horror films more respected and accessible, this highly lauded film won five Academy Awards including Best Picture. It's more suspenseful than scary, but Hannibal remains cinema's creepiest, most sophisticated, most intelligently sadistic villain ever. With fava beans, wow, that's just...
Trick r' Treat (2008)- This film just made me happy. Werewolves, zombies, creepy sack boys, vampires, lollipop knives...This movie had it all! The look is stylish, the script well-constructed, and the performances unexpectedly eager. A celebration of Halloween that is perhaps not as good as but close to the level of John Carpenter's Halloween.
Honorable mentions:
The Shining
The Leopard Man
The Changeling
Among others...
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