DISCLAIMER: Joel's 'Top 25 Horror Films For Halloween' was just for fun. It's tied in with my 'Top 50 Films Of All Time' list and was requested by my good friend Sheena. This list is actually a direct tie in to episode 3 of 'The Sunshine Happy Kpants Hour'. On that show, I go down this list and detail out my thoughts on these films and why they're included. I will also have a follow up post to this one, that ties in with the show as well. It's a list of honorable mentions and horror/comedies that are awesome, but didn't fit on this list. If you disagree, that's okay. These are strictly my opinions and mine alone. I'm posting these early in the month, so you have time to work your way through the list before Halloween.... if you're so inclined. Anyway, that's it. Let's get it on! Here's the leftovers! (In no particular order)
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American Psycho
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Funny Games (2007)
I like this shot for shot remake, better than the original. And I feel that it's okay to say that, as the original director remade this version. If you haven't seen this, you should.... it's harsh and pretty amazing.
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Let Me In
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Rosemary's Baby
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Saw
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
trailer for 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003):
trailer for 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning':
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What Lies Beneath
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The Sixth Sense
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the 'Resident Evil' films
trailer for 'Resident Evil':
trailer for 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse':
trailer for 'Resident Evil: Extinction':
trailer for 'Resident Evil: Afterlife':
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the 'Paranormal Activity' films
trailer for 'Paranormal Activity':
trailer for 'Paranormal Activity 2':
trailer for 'Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night':
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I Spit On Your Grave (2010)
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the 'Cold Prey' aka 'Fritt Vilt' films
trailer for 'Cold Prey' aka 'Fritt Vilt':
trailer for 'Cold Prey 2' aka 'Fritt Vilt II':
trailer for 'Cold Prey 3' aka 'Fritt Vilt III':
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That was the best of the rest and now I'm going to list some kick ass films for Halloween, but that are more along the lines of comedy/horror. Again, they're not in any particular order. ENJOY!
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Thankskilling
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Planet Terror
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Shaun Of The Dead
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Bad Taste
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The Return Of The Living Dead
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Zombieland
That's it, folks. I hope you found some new stuff here to check out and were somewhat entertained. Check out the actual show for more info on this list and as an audio guide while reading this. See ya next time!
This is the film, in my opinion, that started what would become the Romero zombie craze. This Vincent Price classic is more about vampire like creatures than zombies, but they sure act like the undead and this has the same feel. If you haven't seen this, you need to. Brillance.
This entry on my list will probably draw some questionable looks from some of you. As a series of horror films, these rank right up there with the big budget classics. What Fred Vogel created is something far to realistic and disturbing that it demands an audience. These films are to recent indie horror what 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' was to indie horror of the past.
What you have here is a series of horror films that taps into our fears of being trapped and the unknown. It also has some scary ass monsters that are somewhere between vampires and zombies. The first film is amazing and surprisingly, the second one is just as good! If you have a chance, watch them back to back and turn out all the lights. It's a great ride.
You may be letting out a big groan right about now, but let's look at this seriously. What Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven did.... was bring back horror into the mainstream. Granted, it had some adverse side effects and a lot of mediocre 90's teen horror PG-13 flicks that resulted. However, it also allowed a lot of other films to get made. Hollywood realized that there was a big market for being scared. For that, you have to see why this made the list.... and I also think it's a damn fun film. So there.
There aren't too many Spanish films that make lists like these. It's not to say that there isn't great Spanish horror out there, it's just few and far between still. What these two films did is inspiring. They led to two American remakes, 'Quarantine' and 'Quarantine 2: Terminal' and helped to further the zombie subgenre of plague or virus films. If you haven't seen these, they're both fantastic and there are two more films in the works for this series, before it ends.
Again, you're questioning my choices. I, personally, think that Eli Roth is one of the best of the new class of horror directors. You may only know of the 'Hostel' films because of the whole "torture porn" buzz words. I hate those words. You really just need to come into these two films with an open mind and you might just see what I see. Two very entertaining films, with a dark and twisted center.
If I was to make a list of my favorite horror directors of the past 20 years, Alexandre Aja would be on that list. This was his breakout film and even if you think it was confusing and already been done.... you can't deny how great it still is. This film oozes horror, but with such beautiful cinematography and storytelling. It is one of the reasons I fell in love with French horror. If you haven't seen this, now would be a good time to go and watch it.
By now, you may have stopped reading this list and wondered what in the hell was wrong with me. If not.... stay with me, it's going to be a fun ride! And after that's been said, it brings me to the 'Halloween' franchise follow up films. John Carpenter left the franchise after part 1 and left it up to Rick Rosenthal to pick up where he left off. I think he did a great job and 'Halloween 2' fits perfectly in with the original and sometimes is even better. Rob Zombie's version was done by him and continues on with his original vision. It is considered by most to be a big, gory dud. I think it's what slasher films could be. More than just dead bodies.... there's some thought involved. That's just my 2 cents worth.
Before you cry FOUL! at my decision to include this, have you seen this remake? I know that the J-horror remake trend is played out, but this one was at the beginning and (I think) surpasses the original. I may be a Naomi Watts fan and that may skew things a bit, but I still firmly believe this is a great horror film that deserves a place in the countdown.
You know, I really shouldn't have to even mention this cult classic. Everyone should see this once. End of story.
Best. Vampire. Film. Ever. This is a cinematic masterpiece of horror filmaking. A pitch perfect film.
You've got to hand it to Danny Boyle, the man seems to do no wrong. He also brought the idea of running zombies back into vogue. Granted, these films are about plague/virus victims and not zombies, but it's a subgenre of that genre. These films are a perfect two part storyline with a third, yet to be written.
According to most reviewers, Rob Zombie's best film to date. I love it and think it's way above average for a horror film.... hell, a lot of non-horror films too. However, it's not my favorite Rob Zombie flim. Regardless, this is a must see.... but watch 'House of a 1000 Corpses' first!
What list would be complete without 'The Shining'? A classic and one that still scares me when I watch it. Jack Nicholson at the peak of his game.
It's kind of funny, this film is a classic. However, everytime I re-watch it, I'm not sure that it holds up as well as we'd all have liked. Don't get me wrong, I still love it and Freddy is a horror icon.... despite some increasingly bad sequels.
Here's yet another remake/reboot, however, it doesn't do better than the original. Despite that, it's still one of the best horror films of the new decade! It made zombies scary again and paid homage to its roots.
You can't deny that this film deserves to be on just about every best of list for horror there is. It's a classic that inspired generations of film makers after it was released and is constantly being studied. If you haven't seen it, you should.
The slasher film is a staple of modern horror, but have you seen where it all began? And don't let the age of the film fool you. It is equally as good as anything that's out there right now. Hitchcock was the master.
I love zombies. I've said it 100 times before. This is the film that started it all. (Just make sure the version you see is endorsed by George A. Romero, as this film is public domain and anyone can mess with it.)
I love both versions of 'Halloween'. I think John Carpenter set the stage for the modern masked slasher and Rob Zombie brought it into the modern era. (Perhaps, not entirely by himself.) Both of these films are a staple to watch during the Halloween holiday.
This is one of the films that everybody loves to hate or at least pretend they don't like it. I have never waivered in my love of 'The Blair Witch Project'. Ever since I first heard about it, I was hooked. It is one of the only films that I can watch anytime, anywhere and always get the chills at the end scene. I LOVE IT!
This is, quite possibly, the scariest film ever made. I have a hard time watching it to this day. I tried to read the book once and got sick. There is something about this film that is not right, but that's what makes it the classic that it is.
This film is so amazingly disgusting, but also one of the most entertaining films you might ever see. I can't say enough good things about this film. However, it is NOT for everyone! You have been warned.
This film is one of my all time favorite films, horror or otherwise. I seriously considered putting it in the #1 spot, but I think the #1 film edges it out just a bit. I've seen 'House of 1000 Corpses' so many times that I've lost count. I can put it in anytime anywhere. It's a 70's gritty throwback and can be difficult to watch at times.... but don't let that sway you. It is amazing. I love you, Rob Zombie.
This is it.... my favorite horror film. I love this film for so many reasons. Despite it's laughable special effects and the fact that it's so dated, it still could go toe to toe with just about any modern zombie flim ever made. I had my love of zombies begin after seeing this film.
Part of the gimmick of the show is that it's recorded LIVE! in "Undead America". (An alternate future created by my cousin and fellow blogger, DocStout.) That means that every week I'll have a zombie related topic. Ranging from zombie films, to surviving a zombie outbreak and everything inbetween. The other two topics are open ended. They may be about me personally, maybe about other films or music and who knows what else? Also, on the original Awful Snack, I would occasionally read some of my poems or stories I'd written. It's not always zombie related, but I like to change things up. There is no set release date for the first episode, but I am about 98% ready to go right now. I will update my Facebook page with more information as it happens.
'What Is It?'.... I really don't have any clue. I know this is part of an intended trilogy, the 'It' trilogy. Only two films were made before one of the primary cast members passed away. I wonder now if it will ever be finished. The cast for this film were all people with down syndrome. Well, almost. There were naked women in animal masks, snails, the minstrel's, Crispin Glover and the man mentioned earlier who died, Steven C. Stewart (who had cerebral palsy and died of complications from it) Who's behind all of this? Why the mad genius himself, Crispin 'Hellion' Glover. I can't say that I understood a damn thing that was going on in this film. The actors were almost impossible to understand and I wish there were subtitles for them. I think I sort of caught a storyline, but it's so confusing and subtle that I'm just not sure. I've read all I can about it and I'm still not sure I get it. I will say that I think this is intended to be art and I consider myself open minded.... I think I just missed the boat on this one? I love to be challenged, but I'm not really sure how I felt about this. I still am not sure and I watched this almost 2 weeks ago. It's so strange and disturbing. There is plenty of snails that get killed by salt and razor blades, so if you're into that sort of thing.... here you go. This is the VERY far, far deep end of the pool as far as film going is concerned. If you say you've seen it all and there's nothing new under the sun, you haven't seen this yet. If you consider yourself a hardcore student of film and haven't seen this yet, you're not as hardcore as you think you are. I really don't know, if after seeing this, if I want to see the sequel(s). It was hard enough to make it through this one. Perhaps if I had some distance or some context? I just don't get it, Mr. Glover. I just don't get it.
There was a time when I went and saw a lot of movies in the theater. Sadly, it doesn't happen as much any more.... but that's alright. I have a nice setup at home and I can watch anything I want, anytime I want and it's almost as good. Anyway, I remember seeing 'Howard the Duck' in the theater as a kid. I don't remember why or how I ended up there, but I'm kind of glad I did. Since then, I haven't watched it again. About a week ago, I got a copy in the mail on DVD from my friend Brian. I have to admit, I was pretty excited to see it again. I was curious how it would hold up after all these years. Well, I watched it and I am happy to confess that it held up quite well. I found myself really enjoying it. The duck special effects were actually pretty damn good and it was just goofy and absurdist enough to be a fun watch and one that I know will watch again and again. I'm happy to have it in my collection.
I won't lie, this movie is really dated. It screams 80's and doesn't care if you like it or not. The special effects, other than the duck suit, are old school to the max. (Yes, I just said that.) The music is synth-tastic and the clothes, well.... it was the 80's. Despite all of that, this movie has a lot of charm and is hard not to enjoy while watching it. It may have bombed at the box office, but it has gained a cult status and deserves a second viewing. It has some talented actors in it and the humor is aimed at pop culture junkies like me. I really suggest that you check it out, either for the first time or for the first time in a long time. It's readily available on DVD and currently OnDemand on Netflix too. I'll call it a 3 out of 5 star cult classic.
I tend to think of strange things sometimes, just listen to my podcasting history and you'll see what I mean. Tonight was no exception. On my way back in from walking the dog, I thought.... What if the zombie outbreak happened right now? And that thought was followed up with.... Would they run or shamble? And then I thought.... When did zombies really start running anyway? See what I mean about weird trains of thought?
What I came to finally realize, after some more thought, is that both of those lines of thinking are wrong. The first time I can think of seeing them was actually in the godfather of modern zombie films, George A. Romero's 1968 film 'Night of the Living Dead'. In that film, in the opening sequence, we see a pretty pissed off zombie taking off after Barbara and then running after her car. I never really put two and two togther until tonight. After all these years, it was right there in front of my face. It obviously didn't stick after that film, it took quite a long time for people to be willing to expect the high speed undead. '28 Days Later' introduced the idea, but 2004's remake of 'Dawn of the Dead' by Zack Snyder, made it mainstream. Now it's become an ongoing arguement with zombie fanatics as far as which is better or more pure, running or shambling? As far as I'm concerned, zombies are zombies. If they run, that's scary as hell. Thinking about something that wants to kill you that has no remorse, no slowing down and will kill anything that gets in its way, is pretty damn frightening. It's like swimming in the ocean and coming across a school of sharks with blood in the water. But the shambling zombies can be just as scary. Thinking about being surrounded by hordes of the undead who all want your flesh, is frightening. Just the overwhelming numbers will always overcome any amount of weapons someone has. So both options pretty much suck, if you were in them.
Did you see the movie 'Legion' starring Paul Bettany and directed by Scott Stewart? Well, if you did and you liked it, then you'll probably enjoy 'Priest'. If you did didn't like it, then you probably won't like 'Priest'. They're not the same movies, but they have the same star and the same director. They are similar in theme and tone, but are still two fairly different movies. One is a pre-apocalyptic movie about angels doing battle for the child that will save humanity.... very religiously themed. The other, is about priests that are fighting vampires in a post-apocalyptic world.... also very religiously themed. See the basic connections? Anyway....
All in all, this movie qualifies as a typical popcorn flick. One that you don't have to think to much about. You just put it on, crank up the surround sound and get lost for an hour and a half. No more, no less. Because of it being one of those kinds of movies, I can only see my way clear of giving it 3 out of 5 stars. That doesn't mean it's bad, it just means that you shouldn't expect too much. It's fun and pointless and leaves itself open for sequels.
In 1992, things were changing. The music of the time was in a huge shift, from bands like Guns N' Roses to bands like Pearl Jam. "Grunge" was the new thing. Taking a queue from the music of the time, Cameron Crowe built a love story around it and the home where it came from.... Seattle. The story itself, had very little to do with "grunge", it was more about love with mid 20somethings in the early 90's. It featured a lot of hip up and coming actors and actually had a lot of Seattle musicians and bands, like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and the boys of Pearl Jam. I remember seeing it in the theaters when it came out and at the time, I was "grunge". Even to this day, I'm still thought of in that context and I've never taken it as an insult or a dig.... to me, it's a good time and memory. I was just at the right age to have the music and the film speak to me. I wasn't in my 20's yet, but it was still my generation. Even to this day, I'm an avid fan of "grunge" and yet for some reason, I haven't seen 'Singles' in over a decade or more. This past week, I was at a store and saw it on DVD for $3.... I always wondered why it wasn't already in my collection and now I can proudly say that it finally is. Tonight, I watched again for the first time in years and it's a funny thing.... I never realized how much of an impact it had on my life and how much the music and scene impacted me as well. It's a wonder I never ended up living in Seattle. I love the rain and cloudy days, it seemed like a no brainer. Somehow, I ended up in Colorado, where it's sunny about 362 days a year. Funny, huh?
So what does it all mean? As I said earlier, this film has really left a mark on me. I'm not sure if it really is the film or the time or the music.... but they're all connected. For example, when I went to film school, I didn't want to write horror or action.... I wanted to write romantic films like this one. I also included music as a huge part of the writing process and in the scripts themselves. When I finished my first script, it included music clues in the screenplay and I even made a soundtrack to go with it. When I turned it in, my professor said that he'd never had a student do that before and it really impressed him. He even commented on my grade that it was a nice addition to have the music to match up with the scenes. Even to this day, if I hear a song that inspires me, I write. I can't tell you how many things that I've created were based on some kind of inspirational cue from a song. It's a beautiful marriage. This film also influenced my love of certain actors and increased my affections for certain bands. Like the mime that is in this film, he's played by Eric Stoltz and he left and impression. As a matter of fact, I went to see the film 'Naked in New York' because of him and that film is still one of my top films ever. It was the foundation of my first screenplay and I owe it all to 'Singles'. This film may not be the 'Citizen Kane' of the 90's, but it is a time capsule of my generation with blinders on. Kind of like pulling out a magazine from 1992 and flipping through it. You know that the people and things in it aren't a true representation of the people and things from that time, but they are parts of it and most likely the parts you remember the best. That, in a nutshell, is 'Singles' for me.
To open this review, let me provide you with a quote:
I guess I can equate this with a 5 year old, in a 30 year old body, making a movie. It's every kids cool idea of what a movie should be. Mutants with scars and bolt and big knarly hook hands, army guys with big guns and swords, steam powered spaceships blowing things up and lots of blood and guts. You can almost picture it all as though it was a stick figure flip book that a kid drew during math class. You flip through it and so much is going on and it's so busy with action that you lose interest right away. I can only imagine that someone, somewhere thought that this movie was a good idea. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been made, right? I can't figure out how it got put on the big screen. It's just so bad. It reminds me of 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow'. Another movie with big hopes, but just fell so flat and ended up being such a mess of boring painfulness, that I was falling asleep. It was also all style and no substance and a waste of so much good talent. If the world was to end tomorrow, I would rather watch 'Webster' for 4 hours than to re-watch either of these movies. Yes, it is that bad.
Remakes are something that create a lot of arguements on the pro and con side as to whether or not they're a good thing. Sequels to remakes of original films that don't follow the original sequels storyline are an entirely different animal. Have I lost you yet? Basically, the original Spanish film '[REC]', was remade in the United States as 'Quarantine'. It was fairly true to the original source material, however, they decided to make a sequel. Now, there was already a sequel to '[REC]', called '[REC]2'. (original title, right?) The sequel to the original sequel does not follow the same storyline. It carries on from 'Quarantine', but it goes in an entirely different direction. Basically, we have the 'virus' breaking out in an airplane that then gets quarantined in an airplane hanger. Despite the difference in storylines from the original, I still really enjoyed this film. Another strike against 'Quarantine 2: Terminal', is that it was a direct to DVD release. That is most certainly the kiss of death for most films and even more so for a lot of franchises. That doesn't mean that the franchises stop, but they are effectively dead from that point forward. I don't know how this film beat the odds, but I feel that it did it and did it well.
I am kind of thinking that my opinion about this film might be the unpopular one. I mean, people were already up in arms with someone remaking '[REC]', so I kind of assume this pissed em' off even more. I don't mean to piss on the originals. I think both '[REC]' films are amazing films of the virus/plague subgenre of horror and zombies. But I also think that the 'Quarantine' films have done them justice. Sue me. This film knows its limitations and plays to them. It doesn't try to be more than it is and keeps it simple and to a formula. I mean, if it ain't broke.... don't fix it? Right? Thank god for that.
I'll keep this short and simple, as I need a jump off point to start writing more serious reviews. 'Murder Loves Killers Too' is not good. The killer is uninteresting. We don't care about the characters. The plot is thin. The movie starts out with kills and just keeps going. This is just a pointless, stupid, waste of time. I put it in Netflix with a 1 out of 5 star review, but it really deserves less. I cannot believe that I even wasted time on this piece of garbage. Crap, crap, crap.