It's that time of year again when ghosts and ghouls are on everyone's minds. Granted, they're on mine all year round, but I thought this would be a good a time as ever to share my top ten horror flicks. They might not be the scariest flicks ever but they all hold a special place in my heart. I'll start from the bottom and work my way up.
10. SAW
I know a lot of folks can't dig on these movies but I've been a fan since day one and the first is entirely responsible for that. It was smart, had some great jumps (c'mon when the pig-head wearing villain jumped outta the pitch-black closet you almost shit yourself, admit it) and wasn't afraid of some good old fashioned gore. And if you claim to have guessed who the killer is you are so full of it.
9. THE SHINING
I am not a Stephen King fan (I know, blasphemy) but, man, the Shining is some scary shit. This is the ultimate haunted house movie. Ghosts, elevators full of blood, naked ghouls, those creepy twins, and a fucking psychotic Jack Nicholson all haunt this classic. Throw in the fact that it was beautifully directed by Kubrick and well it's damn near perfect.
8. THE THING
This is one of two John Carpenter movies that ended up on this list. Carpenter at his finest, really knows how to play up atmosphere and the sense of isolation he creates here is perfect. The scene where Kurt Russell is burning the blood samples still makes me jump out of my goddamn skin, nevermind the freaky-as-all-hell creature transformations and the sense of paranoia of not knowing who the creature is totally fucks with you.
7. CREEPSHOW
This horror anthology does everything right. It's got horrific monsters devouring people, alien moss, vengeful ghouls back from the grave, what else could one ask for? Another project that Stephen King worked on that I actually enjoyed and directed by the ever-amazing George Romero. This film is like a Tales from the Crypt comic come to life!
6. FRIGHT NIGHT
There are some cool vampire movies out there, but this one takes the cake for me. Chris Sarandon is fantastic as the vampire and Roddy McDowell as late-night B-Horror host Peter Vincent was just tremendous. Fright Night had some great creature effects, dark humor, and still managed to create a solid amount of scares like any good horror flick should! "You're so cool, Brewster!"
5. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
James Wales' Frankenstein is hands-down my favorite of the old Universal horro flicks. Nothing, and I mean, nothing beats the reveal of Boris Karloff as the monster! Combine that with Wales' expressionistic approach to shadow and this movie has style for miles that makes it standout amongst its kin! Karloff's performance as the monster remains eerie to this day and yet we can sympathize with him in his search for answers. I love me some tragic monsters.
4. DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
This is easily George Romero's crowning achievement and is often considered the greatest zombie film ever. Romero combines scathing commentary with building terror and straight-up graphic gore for the total horror package. There are so many great parts to this movie that I can't even begin to pick one. Romero is terrific at writing characters that you actually care about and that are never, ever, safe!
3. EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN
Sam Raimi may be a Hollywood big-shot now, but back in the day he all but created horror comedy. With it's seamless blend of slap-stick humor, huge jumps, gallons of gore, and the ultimate chainsaw-weilding horror hero, there is nothing to dislike about this flick. As good ol' Ash would say, "Groovy!"
2. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
Hey, remember when Wes Craven was actually interested in freaking us out? Nightmare introduced us to dream-demon Freddy Kruger: a child-molester/murderer who was burned to death by the parents of Springwood only to return to take revenge on their surviving children! The imaginative dream sequeneces and kills in this movie really stand out when we're used to seeing some dude in some sorta mask just chasing around teens with a knife. Plus it has Johnny Depp, don't you like Johnny Depp?
1. HALLOWEEN (1978)
John Carptener's classic slasher that started it all is still scary as fuck. The suspense and sense of dread Carpenter creates in this nearly bloodless flick make the movie. Combine it with a break-out performance by Jamie Lee Curtis as the ultimate scream-queen, Hollywood's scariest slasher Michael Myers, and that scary as hell soundtrack and you have the perfect horror film. And to top it all off, it's set on Halloween! C'mon, it doesn't get any scarier than that!
I wanted to throw in a couple of my honorable mentions because I love 'em so.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Nosferatu (1922), House of Wax (1953), Trick 'r Treat, The Exorcist, Alien, Hellraiser II, The Silence of the Lambs, Brain Dead (aka Dead Alive)
Have a Happy Halloween!
- K.
1 comment:
I first saw THE THING at the drive-in when it first came out... and for some reason, it kind of did nothing for me. Although the make-up and FX fascinated me.
I saw it again some time later, and it made a much bigger impression.
That moment with the blood samples is great and now I always think about Guillermo del Toro when I think of that scene. During that 100 Scariest Moments in Horror Movies (or whatever they called it) special on the Bravo channel some time ago, that scene was cited and one of the celebrities talking about it was del Toro.
He's such a big kid when he talks: very excited and enthusiastic.
He was saying how he could never understand why that movie didn't do more business in the States because when he saw it in Mexico, the theater was packed and everybody jumped and was screaming during the payoff of that scene.
FRANKENSTEIN is great, too. I don't know if it would be on my top 10 list, but of the classic Universal horror films, I think that's probably the best.
DRACULA doesn't really impress me on the other hand, by comparison. I know you didn't mention it, but I just bring it up, since I'm talking about those old trend-setters. I think the most memorable part for me in DRACULA is the scene with the possum, crawling around the coffins, which I think was supposed to pass for a large Transylvanian rat
Also, I'm somewhat fascinated by several moments in the Spanish version of DRACULA. There are some neat, dreamy, somewhat mysteriously erotic moments in that version...
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