October 26, 2008

Halloween Playlist

It’s Halloween time and that means horror films. Always my favorite genre, I spent many Halloween nights on the couch watching marathons of scary movies. Okay I lie that’s most of the time not just Halloween. So I decided to list some of my favorites, some are good, some are terrible and some are so terrible they become good. So kick back, pop some popcorn, and lets have some fun.

Night Of the Living Dead (1968, George Romero) I grew up in a small farmhouse in the country surrounded by hills and cemeteries (there are at least three in my town). I had begged my parents for years to let me watch this and finally I wore them down. Well, they fell asleep and I didn’t…for the rest of the night. This one still scares me but more for the message than the flesh eating ghouls. Zombie films are now in my top three favorite types of films. Some of my other favorites: 28 Days Later (not technically a zombie picture, so sue me), Zombie (actually a sequel to Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and is awesome. Zombie vs. Shark ‘nuff said), Return of the Living Dead (funny and zombies!), Fido

Burnt Offerings (1978 Dan Curtis) I love ghost stories, and this one is chilling. Karen Black and Oliver Reed move their family into a house from the city for the summer. It turns out (as it always does) that the house is evil and the requirements for its upkeep are steep. Seriously good. Other ghost films: Stir of Echoes, The Others, Devil’s Backbone, One Missed Call (the Miike version), Kairo, Haunted, and The Amityville Horror

Phenomena (1985, Dario Argento) Argento is always weird, and this movie could be his strangest. Staring Jennifer Connelly and Donald Pleasance this movie has bug-telepathy, deformed midgets, a strange all girls boarding school, and a helper monkey with a razor. Released in a cut form as Creepers in the United States you can find the uncut version on DVD. Other Argento: Suspiria, Opera, Deep Red, Demons

Monkey Shines (1988, George Romero) A quadriplegic man gets a helper monkey after an accident. The monkey is injected with human brain tissue. The monkey falls in love with the man. The monkey tries to kill those who the man dislikes and those he loves. A cute story of interspecies romance in time for the holidays. Other Killer Animal Films: Willard, Cujo, Arachnophobia, Rogue, The Birds, Them

Lord of Illusions (1995, Clive Barker) Barker has some smart horror films from him or based on his work (Candyman, Hellraiser) and some not so good ones (Rawhide Rex, Nightbreed). This is one of the good ones. I love the way that it deals with magic, and although some of the cgi effects haven’t held up over time this is one to search out.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992, James Foley) Based off of Mamet’s play this isn’t a horror film in a traditional sense but it is terrifying. The things that men need to do to each other to succeed is as much of a true life horror as anything else.

So there you go. Put these up on Netflix, share your list in the comments and watch out for the Great Pumpkin.