This is not a “best of” list or a “favorite” list. If I made such a list it would be all too likely that you'd have seen all the films and would therefore be rather bored. Instead, this is a List for the Season 2009 (yes, with other lists coming in later years).
For this compendium, I've mixed some favorite films, which you may have seen, with other classics you may have not, and with some smaller cult films where there's a good chance you haven't even heard of them.
Also, my own conception of horror extends rather broadly (since I write horror myself I feel I've got a right to do this). It includes genres that may not actually be horror, but which contain elements and strains of the horrific strong enough that I felt they could be included. Throughout history, horror has been a color on the palette often mixed with other genres, be they science fiction, fantasy, mystery or otherwise. It is thanks to this blending that we have received innumerable classics as diverse as Macbeth to Lord of the Flies.
Well, enough ballyhoo from me. Here's the list.
I expect everyone here to reply with at least a few suggestions of their own.
Creepshow
1982
George Romero
“I drove out there with the remains of three human beings...well, two human beings and Wilma.”
A unique presentation of three separate stories, each roughly half an hour long, written by Stephen King and directed by Romero (of Night of the Living Dead fame). A rare combination of horror and comedy, what's important to remember, here and elsewhere in horror film, is that you're supposed to have a good time. Each tale is presented as a comic book story, and the whole film has the feel of the old EC horror comics.
Child's Play
1988
Tom Holland
“We're friends to the end, remember?”
“This is the end, friend.”
Chucky is one of the many instantly recognizable horror icons. But how many of you have actually seen this first film? Here, in the original, Chucky is a menace and a terror, not the object of laughable derision he became in later films.
The Blob
1958
Irvin Yeaworth Jr.
“At least we've got it stopped.”
“Yeah, as long as the Arctic stays cold.”
The first film of Steve McQueen's career. Low budget graphics and an amorphous blob that just doesn't want to quit eating people. Get past the rather unbelievable and goofy story line and this is still an enjoyable film. Can't beat it for it's closing line, quoted above, which take on a rather different meaning today.
Psycho
1960
Alfred Hitchcock
“A boy's best friend is his mother.”
The all-time classic. People ran out of theaters screaming when they saw this. Hard to believe today, but Hitchcock's most famous scene is a brilliant study in filmmaking power. Watch it in slow motion. Though thousands of people swore they'd seen Janet Leigh slashed and ripped open, you never actually see the knife touch her skin. All you do see is Hitch's magnificent film editing.
Soylent Green
1973
Richard Fleischer
“You're a helluva piece of furniture.”
A fantastic sci-fi, post-apocalyptic film, the paranoia that fuels it and the deeply horrifying ending gives it the boost to make my list here. A wonderfully creative movie, especially in its wry bits of black humor, such as the way in which young women are sold as part of the package deal of buying a rich man's condo. A prostitute really, but she comes with the house. And what do they call her? Furniture. Wicked, but priceless.
Friday the 13th
1980
Sean Cunningham
“He neglected to mention that downtown they call this place Camp Blood.”
Again, classic, identifiable, but how many of you have seen it? This first film beats the pants off every Jason slasher that came after it (which many people claim with certain series and which is not always the case). Moody, atmospheric, and ahead of its time.
Bride of Frankenstein
1935
James Whale
“I hope her bones are firm.”
Frankenstein was a massive hit in the early 1930's, but it was this sequel which stands out as the true masterpiece, probably the most stylistically accomplished and most brilliantly filmed horror movie of that decade. On display once again is the genius of Boris Karloff, who never outdid himself as this particularly un-jolly green giant.
Night of the Living Dead
1968
George Romero
“He's coming to get you, Barbara.”
Romero's first masterpiece. Shot in black and white in an era of color (just like it's famous predecessor, Psycho) this film stunned audiences and became one of the small handful of enormously influential horror films. Throughout what is apparent is Romero's flair and style, the brilliant camera angles, the noir touch, and his gift for letting the camera tell the story.
The Fog
1980
John Carpenter
“Are you going to give the benediction tonight, Father?”
“Antonio Bay has a curse on it.”
“Do we take that as a no?”
Carpenter is one of the greatest horror directors, and was a sad day when Hollywood butchered the remake of this fantastic film. Forget the new crap. Get your hands on this masterpiece. It is classic Carpenter (who also directed Halloween), eerie, disturbing, and filled to the brim with tight, chilling suspense.
Idle Hands
1999
Rodman Flender
“Oh, man, the lefty's a keeper. I mean, I guess it wasn't idle enough.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah, man. I mean, I hit the remote with it, light up with it, relieve a little tension.”
Disgusting. Fun. Outrageous. And Jessica Alba. Reminding one of other horror/humor mixes, ala Creepshow, this is horror for the youth generation. The plot line sounds unbelievably silly, a kid wakes up with his hand possessed by the devil and it starts killing people without his consent, but it's actually an update on a silent-era thriller The Hands of Orlac. If nothing else, it's worth watching the kid strap his hand down to the bedpost, mock-bondage, so that he can have sex with Jessica Alba without his hand killing her.
Shadow of the Vampire
2000
Elias Merhige
“Go ahead! Eat the writer! That will leave you explaining how your character gets to Bremen.”
Nosferatu was a wildly popular and influential film in its time, and this movie is an homage to that silent film. Here, John Malkovich plays the director actually making Nosferatu. Except, in a twist, the vampire of the famous film isn't really Max Schreck the actor. It's really a vampire.
Prom Night
1980
Paul Lynch
“It's not who you go with, honey. It's who takes you home.”
The original. Again. Jamie Lee Curtis had the dubious honor of starring in multiple horror films, some of which were ultimately definitive (this film and Halloween). This movie is all about build-up, the killing only coming near the very end. Funny, amusing, and rather interesting as the killer bumbles through numerous killings, having quite the hard time acting out the revenge. This film too would be butchered in the remake, but before that it would set the stage for a legion of films, from Scream to I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Alien
1979
Ridley Scott
“This is the worst shit I've ever seen, man.”
Like Psycho, this film promises a scene you will never forget. Not even on your deathbed. You'll remember it forever, and if you haven't seen it I won't spoil it for you. A beautifully done story, a scientific team trapped in space with a monstrous killing alien being which stalks them down and can't be stopped. Wow.
They Live
1988
John Carpenter
“I've come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble gum.”
Another Carpenter. Imagine if you had a pair of special sunglasses that when you put them on revealed what the world was really like. And what it revealed was that all the people in power are really grotesque aliens with skull-like faces. And their running the world. And they've manipulated us all into compliant, apathetic submission. This one is outrageously funny.
The Omen
1976
Richard Donner
“Wrong? What could be wrong with our child, Robert? We're beautiful people, right?”
There was yet another remake of this film, which originally spawned two sequels, but this original screenplay is truly creepy. A well-balanced act of eerie scenes, religious paranoia, and graphic violence. October isn't complete without at least one movie about the anti-Christ, and this one does the trick.
1982
George Romero
“I drove out there with the remains of three human beings...well, two human beings and Wilma.”
A unique presentation of three separate stories, each roughly half an hour long, written by Stephen King and directed by Romero (of Night of the Living Dead fame). A rare combination of horror and comedy, what's important to remember, here and elsewhere in horror film, is that you're supposed to have a good time. Each tale is presented as a comic book story, and the whole film has the feel of the old EC horror comics.
Child's Play
1988
Tom Holland
“We're friends to the end, remember?”
“This is the end, friend.”
Chucky is one of the many instantly recognizable horror icons. But how many of you have actually seen this first film? Here, in the original, Chucky is a menace and a terror, not the object of laughable derision he became in later films.
The Blob
1958
Irvin Yeaworth Jr.
“At least we've got it stopped.”
“Yeah, as long as the Arctic stays cold.”
The first film of Steve McQueen's career. Low budget graphics and an amorphous blob that just doesn't want to quit eating people. Get past the rather unbelievable and goofy story line and this is still an enjoyable film. Can't beat it for it's closing line, quoted above, which take on a rather different meaning today.
Psycho
1960
Alfred Hitchcock
“A boy's best friend is his mother.”
The all-time classic. People ran out of theaters screaming when they saw this. Hard to believe today, but Hitchcock's most famous scene is a brilliant study in filmmaking power. Watch it in slow motion. Though thousands of people swore they'd seen Janet Leigh slashed and ripped open, you never actually see the knife touch her skin. All you do see is Hitch's magnificent film editing.
Soylent Green
1973
Richard Fleischer
“You're a helluva piece of furniture.”
A fantastic sci-fi, post-apocalyptic film, the paranoia that fuels it and the deeply horrifying ending gives it the boost to make my list here. A wonderfully creative movie, especially in its wry bits of black humor, such as the way in which young women are sold as part of the package deal of buying a rich man's condo. A prostitute really, but she comes with the house. And what do they call her? Furniture. Wicked, but priceless.
Friday the 13th
1980
Sean Cunningham
“He neglected to mention that downtown they call this place Camp Blood.”
Again, classic, identifiable, but how many of you have seen it? This first film beats the pants off every Jason slasher that came after it (which many people claim with certain series and which is not always the case). Moody, atmospheric, and ahead of its time.
Bride of Frankenstein
1935
James Whale
“I hope her bones are firm.”
Frankenstein was a massive hit in the early 1930's, but it was this sequel which stands out as the true masterpiece, probably the most stylistically accomplished and most brilliantly filmed horror movie of that decade. On display once again is the genius of Boris Karloff, who never outdid himself as this particularly un-jolly green giant.
Night of the Living Dead
1968
George Romero
“He's coming to get you, Barbara.”
Romero's first masterpiece. Shot in black and white in an era of color (just like it's famous predecessor, Psycho) this film stunned audiences and became one of the small handful of enormously influential horror films. Throughout what is apparent is Romero's flair and style, the brilliant camera angles, the noir touch, and his gift for letting the camera tell the story.
The Fog
1980
John Carpenter
“Are you going to give the benediction tonight, Father?”
“Antonio Bay has a curse on it.”
“Do we take that as a no?”
Carpenter is one of the greatest horror directors, and was a sad day when Hollywood butchered the remake of this fantastic film. Forget the new crap. Get your hands on this masterpiece. It is classic Carpenter (who also directed Halloween), eerie, disturbing, and filled to the brim with tight, chilling suspense.
Idle Hands
1999
Rodman Flender
“Oh, man, the lefty's a keeper. I mean, I guess it wasn't idle enough.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah, man. I mean, I hit the remote with it, light up with it, relieve a little tension.”
Disgusting. Fun. Outrageous. And Jessica Alba. Reminding one of other horror/humor mixes, ala Creepshow, this is horror for the youth generation. The plot line sounds unbelievably silly, a kid wakes up with his hand possessed by the devil and it starts killing people without his consent, but it's actually an update on a silent-era thriller The Hands of Orlac. If nothing else, it's worth watching the kid strap his hand down to the bedpost, mock-bondage, so that he can have sex with Jessica Alba without his hand killing her.
Shadow of the Vampire
2000
Elias Merhige
“Go ahead! Eat the writer! That will leave you explaining how your character gets to Bremen.”
Nosferatu was a wildly popular and influential film in its time, and this movie is an homage to that silent film. Here, John Malkovich plays the director actually making Nosferatu. Except, in a twist, the vampire of the famous film isn't really Max Schreck the actor. It's really a vampire.
Prom Night
1980
Paul Lynch
“It's not who you go with, honey. It's who takes you home.”
The original. Again. Jamie Lee Curtis had the dubious honor of starring in multiple horror films, some of which were ultimately definitive (this film and Halloween). This movie is all about build-up, the killing only coming near the very end. Funny, amusing, and rather interesting as the killer bumbles through numerous killings, having quite the hard time acting out the revenge. This film too would be butchered in the remake, but before that it would set the stage for a legion of films, from Scream to I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Alien
1979
Ridley Scott
“This is the worst shit I've ever seen, man.”
Like Psycho, this film promises a scene you will never forget. Not even on your deathbed. You'll remember it forever, and if you haven't seen it I won't spoil it for you. A beautifully done story, a scientific team trapped in space with a monstrous killing alien being which stalks them down and can't be stopped. Wow.
They Live
1988
John Carpenter
“I've come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble gum.”
Another Carpenter. Imagine if you had a pair of special sunglasses that when you put them on revealed what the world was really like. And what it revealed was that all the people in power are really grotesque aliens with skull-like faces. And their running the world. And they've manipulated us all into compliant, apathetic submission. This one is outrageously funny.
The Omen
1976
Richard Donner
“Wrong? What could be wrong with our child, Robert? We're beautiful people, right?”
There was yet another remake of this film, which originally spawned two sequels, but this original screenplay is truly creepy. A well-balanced act of eerie scenes, religious paranoia, and graphic violence. October isn't complete without at least one movie about the anti-Christ, and this one does the trick.
2 comments:
Yes we shall an "into the depths of Bellinghole trip" Sounds quite medicinal to me on both accounts. haha it shall be excellent..
Those horror films fit the mood currently.. I'll be at blockbuster tonight I can tell.. this weekend feels like a curl up and inject movie scenario.
and my brain is so stream of consciousness I should stop. Hasta pronto!
One that I remember as being particularly frightening is "The Ring" at least I think that is the name of it...wherehttp://www.dvdactive.com/images/reviews/screenshot/2005/11/ring_1_copy0.jpg That is the address to the photo on Google. Still creeps me out to see this pic. Looking forward to Halloween with all of you!
Love ya, Aunt Sue
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