Horror Top 15
Okay, "Jaws" is NOT a horror movie. Who needs to swim in the ocean anyway? Then what is "Jaws" other than a damn great movie? Good question. And where's "The Exorcist"? Never really scared me. It's worth seeing, but to me a horror movie has to be either a roller coaster ride of laughs and thrills or a haunted house. Preferably, both. The Exorcist, is neither. And this list changes from year-to-year depending on my mood. The movies that are ALWAYS on it get an asterisk. If you want to opine, e-mail me at mike@rotoaction.com and maybe I'll post it here.
EVIL DEAD 2*: To me, this movie is the gold standard because it's literally like being on a roller coaster and it's a haunted house. Plus, it's damn funny one moment and jolts you from your seat the next. The blood literally drips off the screen. I mean, we're talking oceans of blood. Bruce Campbell is the all-time horror movie hero thanks to his recurring Ash character. The other Evil Deads are all worthy, too, though Army of Darkness really can't be called a horror film.
DAWN OF THE DEAD*: You can almost put the remake on this list, too. But I prefer the lumbering Eddie George zombies in the original to the Barry Sanders zombies in the newer version. I have to admit that the movie doesn't hold up as well as I always hope, scare-wise. But Romero gets his props here for the social commentary on our vapid consumerism, which is still relevant today.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD*: Now this movie still holds up as a pure horror experience. The black and white treatment gives the whole film a nightmarish quality. I love how the situation is never really explained, which also adds to the dreaminess of it all. The film is black and white in another way, too, with overtones to the civil rights movement with the cool, collected black hero being forced to overcome the blighted ingnorance of the white man, who ultimately gets the last laugh at the end of a gun.
ALIEN*: This is not a sci-fi movie. This is a haunted house movie. In fact, it's the best haunted house movie of all time. Again, we get the prerequisite sense of doom. The characters' inablity to escape the horror is transposed on us, amplifying our fears. A really great ride. Plus, the first real female horror movie hero (remember, Donald Pleasence saves Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween)
HALLOWEEN*: Took Frankenstein a step further with an indestructable creature that, unlike Frankenstein (okay, Frankenstein's Monster), was completely inscrutable, especially under that creepy mask. The music works to great effect here. The movie's strength is conveying a sense of hopelessness in the face of unrelenting horror. Unfortunately, all the atmospherics seem hopelessly dated so it's hard not to chuckle sometimes.
RE-ANIMATOR*: Now this is high concept. "Re-Animator" is completely unhinged. Jeffrey Combs has a career-making role as mad-scientist Herbert West. If you like the idea of a corpse carrying his severed head that still tries to gasp nervous system commands, this movie is for you. Very bloody and fearlessly executed, Re-Animator is the all-time horror/comedy classic.
THE SHINING*: When I saw this movie in the theater as a kid, I thought, "What a waste of time." But this film gets scarier every time I see it. I think you have to be an adult with wife and kids to understand how this forced proximity in the very wrong place at the very wrong time could drive a person insane. Kubrick's genius here is in choosing the setting. The hotel is enormous, yes, but ultimately and inescapably confining. And it's luxury is juxtaposed nicely with the increasingly dilapidated state of Nicholson's soul.
NEAR DARK*: Totally reinvents the vampire genre. The early scene in the bar is arguably the greatest horror set piece of all time. Bill Paxton is great as the totally irredeemable bloodsucker. But it's the reluctant vampires that give this movie its real bite. The heroes (if we can call them that) are much more dimensional than the those typically found in horror movies.
THE THING (remake)*: I'm giving it the asterisk, finally. This movie is always on my list. One of the real underrated modern (well, sort of modern) classics. Kurt Russell is great as the reluctant hero. The paranoia really works for me, especially in that hellish setting. The special effects were ground breaking at the time and still work. The ensemble cast is very convincing. This movie pulls me in every time. I especially dig the unconventional ending.
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET*: I admit it. This movie scared the crap out of me the first time I saw it. Now, Freddy Krueger is a cartoon character and it's hard to take the horror persona seriously. But the idea of an indestructable madman who could kill you in your dreams was really groundbreaking at the time. Having to remain awake in order to survive is a great horror concept because it's a hopeless task, which really spices up the sense of doom that pervades this flick.
SHAUN OF THE DEAD: Will this movie be here next year? I think so. This isn't a parody of Dawn of the Dead as much as it's a loving embrace. Sure, there's social commentary here, too, as the zombies are barely distinguishable from the humans. But there are great horror set pieces, and some thrills and laughs along the way. Don't think "Spinal Tap" here. This movie is more akin to "American Werewolf in London." Plus, the Eddie George zombies are back. And, let's face it, we want realism in our undead. How can dead guys be so fast? (Note: If you want a Spinal Tap version of the "Dead" pictures, check out "Return of the Living Dead," which asks the metaphysical question: "How can you kill something that's already dead?")
HELLRAISER: Took a great concept, ran with it and didn't look back. The film goes right for the throat with great special effects and a really creepy total lack of morality among the principals. This is one film where the human lead is more monstrous than the monster. The film does drag a little after the first 45 minutes or so before closing strong. It's on this list for its inventiveness and unflinching look at human depravity.
CREEPSHOW: This was Tales of the Crypt before HBO took over. Romero directs Stephen King's stories with creat comic book flair. The little mini-morality plays all work (with the exception of the one starring King as an uncivilized farmer). This movie isn't always on my list, but I'm feeling generous today. Check out Ted Danson before Cheers as a vengeful lover (is there any other kind). Of the five stories, two are great (The Crate and Father's Day), the Danson one is good and the final story staring E.G. Marshall is a really solid set piece with a grand finale of sorts.
MIMIC: Speaking of bugs, this movie is not for the squeamish. You have the science-gone-mad plot. There are great set pieces in the subway. You have a strong female lead played by Mira Sorvino. And you get the rag-tag band of heroes against impossible odds in the form of an an ever-growing army of monsters.
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON: Landis gets credit for taking a dead genre, the werewolf movie, and reshaping it in a very classical way but from a modern perspective. By "modern," I'm not just talking special effects, which are quite good, but the way the characters react to each other and to the situation. There's a somewhat detached cynicism here that really works because the structure of the story is so rooted in horror convention. Also a plus are the great music and an effective use of humor that's sprinkled evenly among the thrills.
EVIL DEAD 2*: To me, this movie is the gold standard because it's literally like being on a roller coaster and it's a haunted house. Plus, it's damn funny one moment and jolts you from your seat the next. The blood literally drips off the screen. I mean, we're talking oceans of blood. Bruce Campbell is the all-time horror movie hero thanks to his recurring Ash character. The other Evil Deads are all worthy, too, though Army of Darkness really can't be called a horror film.
DAWN OF THE DEAD*: You can almost put the remake on this list, too. But I prefer the lumbering Eddie George zombies in the original to the Barry Sanders zombies in the newer version. I have to admit that the movie doesn't hold up as well as I always hope, scare-wise. But Romero gets his props here for the social commentary on our vapid consumerism, which is still relevant today.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD*: Now this movie still holds up as a pure horror experience. The black and white treatment gives the whole film a nightmarish quality. I love how the situation is never really explained, which also adds to the dreaminess of it all. The film is black and white in another way, too, with overtones to the civil rights movement with the cool, collected black hero being forced to overcome the blighted ingnorance of the white man, who ultimately gets the last laugh at the end of a gun.
ALIEN*: This is not a sci-fi movie. This is a haunted house movie. In fact, it's the best haunted house movie of all time. Again, we get the prerequisite sense of doom. The characters' inablity to escape the horror is transposed on us, amplifying our fears. A really great ride. Plus, the first real female horror movie hero (remember, Donald Pleasence saves Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween)
HALLOWEEN*: Took Frankenstein a step further with an indestructable creature that, unlike Frankenstein (okay, Frankenstein's Monster), was completely inscrutable, especially under that creepy mask. The music works to great effect here. The movie's strength is conveying a sense of hopelessness in the face of unrelenting horror. Unfortunately, all the atmospherics seem hopelessly dated so it's hard not to chuckle sometimes.
RE-ANIMATOR*: Now this is high concept. "Re-Animator" is completely unhinged. Jeffrey Combs has a career-making role as mad-scientist Herbert West. If you like the idea of a corpse carrying his severed head that still tries to gasp nervous system commands, this movie is for you. Very bloody and fearlessly executed, Re-Animator is the all-time horror/comedy classic.
THE SHINING*: When I saw this movie in the theater as a kid, I thought, "What a waste of time." But this film gets scarier every time I see it. I think you have to be an adult with wife and kids to understand how this forced proximity in the very wrong place at the very wrong time could drive a person insane. Kubrick's genius here is in choosing the setting. The hotel is enormous, yes, but ultimately and inescapably confining. And it's luxury is juxtaposed nicely with the increasingly dilapidated state of Nicholson's soul.
NEAR DARK*: Totally reinvents the vampire genre. The early scene in the bar is arguably the greatest horror set piece of all time. Bill Paxton is great as the totally irredeemable bloodsucker. But it's the reluctant vampires that give this movie its real bite. The heroes (if we can call them that) are much more dimensional than the those typically found in horror movies.
THE THING (remake)*: I'm giving it the asterisk, finally. This movie is always on my list. One of the real underrated modern (well, sort of modern) classics. Kurt Russell is great as the reluctant hero. The paranoia really works for me, especially in that hellish setting. The special effects were ground breaking at the time and still work. The ensemble cast is very convincing. This movie pulls me in every time. I especially dig the unconventional ending.
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET*: I admit it. This movie scared the crap out of me the first time I saw it. Now, Freddy Krueger is a cartoon character and it's hard to take the horror persona seriously. But the idea of an indestructable madman who could kill you in your dreams was really groundbreaking at the time. Having to remain awake in order to survive is a great horror concept because it's a hopeless task, which really spices up the sense of doom that pervades this flick.
SHAUN OF THE DEAD: Will this movie be here next year? I think so. This isn't a parody of Dawn of the Dead as much as it's a loving embrace. Sure, there's social commentary here, too, as the zombies are barely distinguishable from the humans. But there are great horror set pieces, and some thrills and laughs along the way. Don't think "Spinal Tap" here. This movie is more akin to "American Werewolf in London." Plus, the Eddie George zombies are back. And, let's face it, we want realism in our undead. How can dead guys be so fast? (Note: If you want a Spinal Tap version of the "Dead" pictures, check out "Return of the Living Dead," which asks the metaphysical question: "How can you kill something that's already dead?")
HELLRAISER: Took a great concept, ran with it and didn't look back. The film goes right for the throat with great special effects and a really creepy total lack of morality among the principals. This is one film where the human lead is more monstrous than the monster. The film does drag a little after the first 45 minutes or so before closing strong. It's on this list for its inventiveness and unflinching look at human depravity.
CREEPSHOW: This was Tales of the Crypt before HBO took over. Romero directs Stephen King's stories with creat comic book flair. The little mini-morality plays all work (with the exception of the one starring King as an uncivilized farmer). This movie isn't always on my list, but I'm feeling generous today. Check out Ted Danson before Cheers as a vengeful lover (is there any other kind). Of the five stories, two are great (The Crate and Father's Day), the Danson one is good and the final story staring E.G. Marshall is a really solid set piece with a grand finale of sorts.
MIMIC: Speaking of bugs, this movie is not for the squeamish. You have the science-gone-mad plot. There are great set pieces in the subway. You have a strong female lead played by Mira Sorvino. And you get the rag-tag band of heroes against impossible odds in the form of an an ever-growing army of monsters.
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON: Landis gets credit for taking a dead genre, the werewolf movie, and reshaping it in a very classical way but from a modern perspective. By "modern," I'm not just talking special effects, which are quite good, but the way the characters react to each other and to the situation. There's a somewhat detached cynicism here that really works because the structure of the story is so rooted in horror convention. Also a plus are the great music and an effective use of humor that's sprinkled evenly among the thrills.
Entry #109889391164080613 posted by Catherine Salfino at 10:22 AM
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