It’s October. Time to talk horror. I’ll focus on horror-related posts until Halloween comes and goes.
Here are thirteen more of my favorite horror movies to complete yesterday’s post. By the time this posts I should be deep into Civilization Beyond Earth. Which makes me wonder why you’re reading this crap instead of playing that crap. (In case you’re wondering, there will eventually be a third list of thirteen, so don’t give me shit for not having Mario Bava or some such director on here yet.)
In no particular order….
From Dusk Till Dawn was the first movie I ever had on DVD. Because of this, I saw it way too many times. It wasn’t until I saw it again, recently with a drunk crowd, did I realize just how special it is. Now, how ’bout some apple pie pussy?
John Carpenter’s Halloween
Come on. You know I love John Carpenter films. This is the film that created the slasher flick as we know it and it has never been done better.
John Carpenter’s The Thing
See above reasoning. Add in the fact it’s a real monster movie, which is so frustratingly rare. Shake. Chill. Enjoy.
Nightmare on Elm Street 3
I know. You’re supposed to prefer the original. But this one improved on the mythology while pretending the second film in the series never happened. I would also like, as a society, to pretend the reboot never happened as well. Agreed? Good.
Opera
As a fan of horror, I should like a different Dario Argento film more than this one, but this is the one that always struck me, from the insane crane shot to the beginning to the use of both opera and heavy metal music. The scene involving a knife and a chin (you’ll know it when you see it) is so simple, but effective you’ll never forget it, even when you see a lesser film rip it off. Suspiria is a close second to me, but I haven’t seen either one in more than a decade, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Silence of the Lambs
If you don’t think Silence of the Lambs is horror, I feel bad for you, son.
What’s scary about Silence of the Lambs is not that Hannibal is running amok, but that he’s able to get into your head from within his cell, even if he’s bound to a handcart. Psychics and mind readers don’t exist in real life (seriously, don’t be a baby—they really don’t), but Hannibal just might. I think I could outrun any zombie, outsmart Jason and Freddy, but the last person I want to meet is Hannibal Lector. My redneck love for beer and titty movies would be so utterly at odds with his sophisticated tastes he’d probably be eating my liver in a matter of minutes.
The Human Centipede
I’ve noticed most of the people who declare they hate this movie haven’t actually seen it. Well, fuck ’em. Ten years from now, people will look back on this one and realize that A) it’s not nearly as disgusting as they thought it was and B) it’s a classic. Okay, maybe classic is going too far, but the film is remarkably well made considering all the negative hype. With the news that Tom Six is making a third film in the franchise, I can only hope it does enough business to get to the point we see The Human Centipede in Space. Because I really want to see a human centipede in space. Imagine filming that on the vomit comet.
Alien
When I was a kid, I preferred the sequel. Now that I’m older, I come back to this one more frequently. I’m not saying this one is better (wait… yeah I am), but it’s the difference between a soft fuck and a hard fuck: sometimes you prefer one to the other, but they’re both pretty damn good.
Lord of Illusions
Again, another movie that gets points just for being about adults and, surprise-surprise, it’s also by Clive Barker. In case anyone’s wondering, yes: the CGI looked just as laughably bad back then as it does now (I was twelve when it came out and we were ripping on this movie’s CGI so, so hard). Thankfully, Barker limited his use of it so it’s not a complete wash.
Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight
Here’s a goofy, but very fun picture. It’s also the only Tales from the Crypt Presents film worth watching. Billy Zane is hilarious in it, as is the Crypt Keeper’s bookends.
Interview with the Vampire
Goddamn, this movie is good. Sure, I’m partial to Neil Jordan movies, but that’s not the only reason I like it. Or maybe it is… I’ve never been able to get into an Anne Rice book.
The Re-Animator
No! I gave him life! What’s not to love about Jeffery Combs and, again, my all-time favorite scream queen, Barbara Crampton? Speaking of these two…
From Beyond
This is almost a non-sequel sequel to The Re-Animator and it’s certainly a lot better than Bride of Re-Animator. No, I’m not just choosing it because Barbara Crampton goes all dominatrix in it.
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