Scary Movies
A friend recently asked me to give a list of recommended scary movies to watch for Halloween. I thought I’d share them with all of you. Just for reference, I usually prefer horror of the mind rather than cheap and easy scares or blood and gore.
THE CLASSICS - These are some of the best scary films ever made in my opinion. All still easily hold up to today’s standards.
1. The Exorcist - Oh you devil. Scares and shocks me every time I see it. I saw it on the big screen during it’s re-release a few years ago and it not only holds up, it’s the scariest movie ever.
2. The Shining - Every time I watch this movie, I’m half freaked out and half in awe of Kubrick’s masterful storytelling. So much of this film has seeped into pop culture but still there’s nothing else like it.
3. The Thing ( John Carpenter)- A very cool movie with great creature effects and startling twists. Kurt Russell is amazing and the mood is tense.
4. Rosemary’s Baby - What is it about the devil in the 70’s? The tone of this movie is just plain creepy. Great cast and one of Polanski’s best films.
5. Jaws - It’s a classic and created the summer blockbuster but it’s a really solid piece of filmmaking. It’s not wall to wall scary but when the shark is nearby, you know it.
There are many more that hold a place in my heart but a lot of them don’t hold up nearly as well over the years.
MORE RECENT FILMS
1. Let the Right One In - This was my favorite film from two years ago. Such a beautiful story about childhood friendship but filled with some awesomely frightening moments. The best vampire film ever and some of the most effective sound design in recent years.
2. Dog Soldiers - What 28 days later did to Zombie films, Dog Soldiers does for werewolves. This is a pretty realistic look at a platoon of soldiers, training in the Scottish forest, who are attacked by dozens of fierce and hungry werewolves. It’s not very well known but a lot of fun.
3. The Orphanage - A Spanish ghost story that builds suspense the old fashioned way. A really well made film with an effective story.
4. Battle Royale - The Japanese government tries to cure overpopulation by sending a class of eighth graders to an island, giving them weapons and telling them that only one can leave alive (the last one standing). Great social commentary with very frightening and gruesome death scenes.
5. House of the Devil - Low budget and slow spun but when the shit hits the fan, it hits it hard. Ti West’s well-crafted throwback to the eighties has many fans around the world and though it takes it’s time, the scares deliver.
Honorable Mentions: The Host, 28 Days Later, Funny Games (original), Martyrs, Poltergeist, Audition, Drag Me to Hell.
Also to note: Be sure to check out AMC’s The Walking Dead premiering on Halloween night. The books are amazing (even if horror’s not your thing) and it seems they’ve done an excellent job in capturing the mood and story of the original.
-Dan
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