(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog
Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer
access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of
each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and
accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my
introduction blog.
The following was originally posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 at 9:00 am. )
Halloween
may have passed but horror is not chained to one mere time of the
year.
It’s
always with us, infiltrating our daily routines, often in small ways
and in ways we can’t ever expect. However, Halloween does seem to
have an affinity for horror and it appears to be more in force around
that last October week, with people reminiscing of trick-or-treat
sessions long past or movies to watch around that time.
Well,
that’s what we’re here for today. Below are my top ten horror
films and thus, the ones I would watch around Halloween.
Being
the odd sort person that I am, I have self-imposed rules for this
list. I’m explaining this now so that no one writes in the comments
asking why particular films didn’t make the list.
First,
though this mostly applies to the honourable mentions, only one film
per series is accepted. Otherwise, if this was a top twenty or
higher, it would probably be flooded with entries from the Nightmare
On Elm Street series or Romero films involving zombies.
Second,
for this particular list, the villain must be one of the following:
-
supernatural in origin. No serial killers or mass murderers or people
that just snapped, mainly because I’ve always felt it’s more of a
thriller when the antagonist is human. Even with high body counts and
true scares, stuff like the Scream series may be horror but it's
borderline thriller because the Ghostface killers are all human, with
human motivations. Same with Leatherface and the Texas Chainsaw
Massacre franchise (one day I'll very possibly do a horror list
involving human villains)
-
if not supernatural, aliens or science will be accepted. It may have
more of a sci-fi slant but wouldn’t you be scared if you had a
Facehugger all up in your... well, face? Likewise, humans turned
monsters through science also works due to the loss of humanity and
in fact, makes for a great study on whether or not a human can
maintain their sense of self when undergoing transformations and
such. Body horror can also count if there is no real
supernatural/alien force, because it often does involve horrifying
imagery and things that couldn’t really be achieved in a thriller.
-
a human CAN be the main antagonist, however, as long as the film has
some kind of supernatural force driving them or involved somehow (for
example, if you altered It so that Pennywise was more a corrupting
force for Henry Bowers but never had a personification and made Henry
the main villain, it would be accepted. Though I should point out It
was never ruled out anyway)
Finally,
the film can mix with other genres but it must be mostly horror or at
least not let its horror atmosphere be severely undermined.
Now,
for the honourable mentions and films I highly recommend even if they
missed the top 10: 28 Days Later, Asylum (1972), The House That
Dripped Blood, The Beast Must Die!, Ginger Snaps, The Vault Of
Horror, Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, Hellraiser, Dawn Of The
Dead (1978), A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Demons
(1985), Suspiria, Fright Night (1985), Alien and Evil Dead 2.
OK,
with all that out of the way, I just have one thing left to say:
besides entry number 1, these aren’t in any particular order.
So,
let’s begin with number 10
10:
In The Mouth Of Madness- Sam Neill plays John
Trent, an insurance investigator who has been assigned to locate
missing horror author Sutter Cane and bring his latest manuscript to
his publishing company. His search takes him to the very places we
try to avoid.
The
third in a thematic trilogy directed by John Carpenter, this film
could be a contender for one of the most mind-screwiest films there
is.
It's a little hard to talk about this
film without spoiling it or the atmosphere but the film works great
at exploring the darkness that resides in the mind and of the darkest
horrors ever thought up, these taking the forms of Cthulhu-esque
abominations. I really love Sam Neill's performance in this and it is
my favourite role of his, perhaps closely followed by his work in
Memoirs Of An Invisible Man.
9: Tales From The Crypt (1972)- a
British anthology film, from Amicus Productions, based upon the comic
of the same name. The framing device is a mysterious man describing
to five strangers the manner in which they die, with each segment
then letting us see the events around it.
Curiously, only two of
the five segments are based on actual issues of the Tales From The
Crypt, with the others being lifted from other horror titles. That
aside, it's the best horror anthology I've ever seen, in part due to
some of the make-up and props being damn near scary (segments two and
three having the best examples, particularly on Peter Cushing towards
the end of the third), for some of the twist endings being really
chilling (though the fourth contains a glaring plot hole or two) and
because, as mentioned above, it has Peter Cushing, a horror icon.
This might be his most sympathetic role, which in turn comes from the
fact that his wife had passed away around the same time and he was
never the same without her. The saddest part is reading what he did
on the night she died and it's clear he was a very devoted and loving
husband.
A great precursor for things to come, even if the movie
is only related to the wonderful TV show by name.
8: Pet Sematary- the Creed family move
to a new house, right near a pet cemetery and a dangerous stretch of
road. Louis (Dale Midkiff) learns of the dark power of the burial
ground near the pet cemetery but severely underestimates its effects.
One of the most potent forms of horror
is what is known as the “adult fear” (Hell, an image of this
movie is the picture for the TV Tropes page!) The adult fear style
horror is one where the horror is all the more terrifying because it
COULD happen in real life and for bonus horror points, sometimes
maybe it HAS (think of the child victims on Law And Order: Special
Victims Unit to help get a better grasp on the term). Without going
into too much detail about the book or film, I remember when I first
saw the film, I actually went pale. The scene was played out so well
and so horrifyingly that I was in shock for some time after that. All
I will say to keep its secrets is this: that dangerous stretch of
road? I mentioned it for a reason. Even if you know what's coming,
your body still goes into shock.
It's works like this that reaffirm my
belief in the mastery Stephen King has in his craft.
7: Silent Hill- Rose (Radha Mitchell)
and her adopted daughter, Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) are traveling to
Silent Hill, but get into a car crash as they approach. When Rose
comes to, she discovers Sharon is missing and sets off after her, all
the while meeting several creatures and sinister citizens of the
town.
Much like Resident Evil, Silent Hill is
based off a popular survival horror game franchise. Unlike the film
of Resident Evil, Silent Hill remembers it's not an action movie
where people are stoic badasses with enough weaponry to supply to a
small country (yeah, I hated the first Resident Evil. If it didn't
bare the RE name, I'd be more tolerant but RE is not a game where you
go in guns-a-blazin').
Staying
true to most of the game's legacy while carving out its own, the film
never devolves into a typical cash-grab by using just the brand name
and character names and then going off on its own tangent. It's also
unique in that its largely female-populated, with the most notable
male character being Rose's husband, Christopher, played by Sean Bean
(which is a bonus because it means the film doesn't also try and
shove a romantic subplot or gratuitous T&A down our throats)
I
look forward to the sequel, titled Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (that
last part doesn't particularly please me, though, unless they intend
to take advantage of what 3D can do. And also, why Revelation? How
many movies have to be called Revelation or use it as part of the
title?)
6:
From Dusk Till Dawn- Seth Gecko (George Clooney) and his brother,
Richie (Quentin Tarantino) are looking to lay low after a bank
robbery and kidnap a family in an RV with the intent of reaching a
safehouse in Mexico. Before reaching the safehouse, they all stop off
at a strip bar, which is later revealed to be a den for vampires.
Now,
this may be the most controversial entry on the list because of the
whole “it's more action/comedy than horror, it's not balanced”
but I did the proviso that if it couldn't be tipped more towards
horror on the scale that the horror wasn't completely diminished by
the other elements (or, to put it in a less confusing way, if it
suddenly turned into an episode of Full House. Or became one big
shoot'em up with action movie music and one-liners and suddenly Milla
Jovovich appears. I really do hate the first Resident Evil movie, I
really do).
While
it does have its fair share of action and comedic elements, the
vampires themselves look like the stuff of nightmares and hey, it
does have some hallmarks of horror. Particularly, the idea that not
everyone is going to make it out alive and that, like most horrible
situations in the real world, you don't exactly expect to end up in
something so terrible (though obviously vampire strippers aren't a
common occurrence in our world). Also, I should point out that the
prequel and sequel also have horror elements so it is consistent
throughout.
The
dialogue is sharp, the characters are engaging and you really do care
about their fates and wonder if they're going to make it out OK. The
effects and make-up on the vampires is superb as well, some of the
better movie vampires. Also, a crotch-gun. I don't think I need to go
into detail about how awesome that is.
5:
Drag Me To Hell- after turning down a mortgage payment extension for
a customer, bank loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is
cursed to go through three days of torment before being sent to Hell.
Sam
Raimi returns to horror and it's like he came back with a vengeance.
Mixing the comedy and the horror is something Raimi has always done
masterfully (like in Army Of Darkness, part of one of the best film
trilogies I've ever seen) and like any great horror, it doesn't
telegraph the parts intended to make you jump. But the ending... oh,
the ending is the sweetest part of all. No spoilers but I had to
replay that ending several times the first time I watched it, that's
how much I loved it. It's one of the best endings I have ever seen in
a horror movie and I hope to see more like it. I know Raimi is set to
direct Oz, The Great And Powerful (and I WILL be seeing that once it
hits cinemas) but I eagerly await his return to horror, should he
ever choose to come back.
4:
The Thing (1982)- an alien lifeform wreaks havoc on an outpost in the
Antarctic and the team of scientists become suspicious of each other,
as the lifeform can take on other forms and blend in amongst them.
The
Thing is a very good argument as to why old school effects are still
awesome and, in some ways, better than CGI. Every time you see it,
you're still not sure as to what you're seeing and you're not even
sure what its original form is (well, unless you've now seen the
prequel, which kind of deflates the mystery but that film's actually
not too bad). The overall theme of paranoia and mistrust is played
out well and they have a right to be on guard.
I
should also point out that this is the first of the thematic trilogy
I mentioned in the entry for In The Mouth Of Madness (the second is
Prince Of Darkness, which is a very good film), the trilogy known as
the Apocalypse Trilogy. There's no order to them since they are only
connected by the theme of impending doom. However, I still cite this
as the best of the three and the best John Carpenter film.
3:
Videodrome- Max Renn (James Woods) is the president of a small TV
station and he is searching for something sensationalistic to garner
a stronger audience and he stumbles upon Videodrome, a program that
appears to be the television equivalent of a snuff film. He becomes
obsessed with it and becomes determined to find its origins.
If
The Thing is a very good argument to the special effects of old vs.
the new way of doing things, Videodrome would be the equivalent of a
tag-team partner. Honestly, some of the things that were achieved in
this movie are still mind-blowing today. The theme of new technology
having sinister usage and the detriment it inflicts upon the masses
is only on the surface. Look deeper into the film and you'll be
surprised at what you may find.
This may not fit into most
conventional horror, due to lacking a supernatural inclination, but
the body horror element comes into play here.
2:
The Fly (1986)- Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is on the verge of a
magnificent breakthrough in science: a teleportation system. His only
problem is getting it to work with organic matter. But after meeting
Veronica (Geena Davis), he finds the inspiration he needs to crack
his problem. But after using himself as a test subject, without
noticing a housefly slip into his teleportation pod, he begins to
undergo several changes.
Completing
the “trilogy” of movies whose practical effects dominate the
movies reliant on CGI (and also being the second David Cronenberg
film on this list), The Fly is also remarkable in the fact that, like
The Thing, it is usually considered to be one of the best remakes in
film history, though if you want to nitpick, both are based on short
stories and could be considered a second adaptation.
Jeff
Goldblum and Geena Davis have excellent chemistry and their
characters are extremely well developed (Jeff and Geena were actually
married for a time too, so clearly there were multiple levels to
their relationship). To me, the key thing that makes this movie excel
is the way Cronenberg takes his time not just developing the
relationship and the characters but the eventual “evolution” of
Seth Brundle into his new form. It's not “Oh no, I'm a monster now,
blaaargh!” and then it turns into a creature feature (it may have
worked for the first adaptation, I don't know, I haven't seen it) but
rather a careful character study as Seth adapts to the changes he's
undergoing.
Also,
the finale, devastating yet awesome at the same time. I don't know
how it's possible but it is.
1:
The Shining (1980)- Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) and his family
have become the winter caretakers for the Overlook Hotel. Jack soon
becomes a victim of the goings-on of the hotel, which seems to have
designs on him.
I
don't think I have to say much more about the plot, it's a very well
known film, perhaps the most well known on this list. It's also in my
top ten films of all time (which I may blog about one day). While
there are several changes from the Stephen King novel (mainly
focusing less on the subjects of Jack's alcoholism and its effects on
his home life and the strained relationship with his son), what it
does still do is create an atmosphere of terror and confusion. Jack
Nicholson is so convincing as Jack Torrence you wonder if he didn't
retain some of that personality when they weren't shooting. And some
of the line deliveries, even when he's calm (or seemingly calm) are
downright chilling. Like this:
“Wendy?
Darling? Light, of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. You didn't let me
finish my sentence. I said, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just going to
bash your brains in.”
Not
to spoil things for the youngsters who have to experience this
wonder, but the endings between book and film also vary. Both do work
in their respective mediums, however, and I approve of the change
made here.
This would later be redone as a mini-series that would
be much more faithful to the book and it's actually pretty good. But
for evocative sets, music, images and characterization, I turn to
this film.
So,
that was my list. I'm fairly certain a lot of you disagree with the
way I've conducted my list but that's part of what makes movie
discussion so wonderful: that we stand up and speak out about our
favourites and share our experiences. So long as we all remember to
agree to disagree.
So,
what are your favourite horror movies?
