Top 20 Halloween Flicks
The main reason why this is my favorite time of year? I'm a huge fan of horror movies. Old horror movies. New horror movies. Great horror movies. Really bad B-movies! Love them all. So, if you're looking for something to watch this week and can't make up your mind with all the great Halloween programming on television, I'm your man! Here's my personal pick for Top 20 Halloween Flicks.
;-)
20. Nightmare Sisters (1987) - During the "direct to video" boom of the late 80's and early 90's, low-budget studios like director Dave DeCoteau's were spewing out farcical slasher movies with enough T&A to keep teens coming back to rent new release after new release. The female stars of these flicks were called Scream Queens and the three highest reigning were none other than Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley. This is the only movie to feature all three gals in starring roles, hilariously casting them as ugly nerds who through the power of witchcraft become lusty, cock crazy and blood thirsty succubuses. DeCoteau went on to direct famous gay themed horror flicks like The Brotherhood and it's not surprising. Seeing his early work here, you can see there's just as much man skin as there is T&A.
19. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Though slightly dated today with its hippie chick exterior, this wonder from Roman Polanski still creeps in parts and leaves you riveted to the screen. Mia Farrow is perfect as the title character, taking the audience on a journey with her through what is probably the most confusion and utterly horrific pregnancy one could ever imagine! I've spoken with friends who insist that they see something in the final frames of this movie that doesn't even exist. It's one of those movies that can freak you out so much, you're just sure you must've seen something grotesque. Nope. Rosemary is a suspense flick that Hitchcock would've been proud of.
18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Based on the Richard O'Brien stage musical that took England by storm, American audiences were not too keen on our sweet transvestite from the planet of Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvannia. But a few years later, Rocky received its own cult following and its stars became household names. The early work of actors Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf are on display here but it's Patricia Quinn and Little Nell's performances that will keep you coming back for more. Most importantly, it's the only movie to crossbreed the horror and musical genre, dare I say, successfully.
17. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) - After watching her host horrible horror fests for years on television, Elvira finally got her big break with this big budget camp horror-comedy. It's big on laughs and fun for the whole family, but William Morgan Shepperd's performance as well as a strange casserole dish might just make you jump a time or two! Let's face it, anytime we see the gal who put the boob back in the boob tube hosting those crazy movies, we wish there was more of her right? So here's more of her!
16. The Amityville Horror (1979) - Though it has spawned a slew of sequels and remakes, nothing quite compares to the original. James Brolin and Margot Kidder break their acting chops in the house that has a mind of its own. Heavily based on true events (not one of those "well, sort of..." movies), this movie scared the bejesus out of every All American midwest family when it was released in 1979. Look out for the walls towards the movie's end for one of its creepier moments, as well as the scene with the priest and the flies!
15. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - While most horror movie remakes have absolutely butchered the originals (so to speak), this may be the only film that gets it right. Because the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was so ridiculously low budget, it may be one of the few scary movies that was desperately in need of a remake. This 2003 version stays true to the original story, but offers up what the movie would've been like if made today with a multi-million dollar budget. Everything about this movie from the acting and direction to the chills and the thrills is better than its predecessor.
14. The Hunger (1983) - Susan Sarandon's early work returns to our countdown with the movie that pairs her opposite Catherine Deneuve -- literally! Their vampire, lesbian lickfest is the centerpiece of the movie and was the main attraction when the film premiered in 1983. But it's David Bowie who turns in the best performance here as one of the undead. With an interesting mix of horror, sci-fi, rock, erotica and love story, there's really no other movie quite like The Hunger.
13. Scream (1996) - Earlier generations had slasher movies with Freddy and Jason, but when I was a teenager, it was all about Wes Craven's real "new" nightmare, Scream. The team of Craven and writer Kevin Williamson single handedly brought the horror genre back into theaters after a deep sleep with this one and it's yet to go back into its coffin since. The concept of promoting an A-lister as the star of the movie but killing her off in the first few minutes is one previously employed by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie, Psycho. But it had been so long since that film, audiences really didn't know what hit them after the first ten minutes of Scream. Look for a small cameo from The Exorcist's Linda Blair, now all grown up, as a news reporter.
12. The Omen (1976) - Not even Gregory Peck's overacting can take away from the spine tingling nature of the original Omen. Though it wasn't the first movie to cast a child as a villain or demonic (see The Bad Seed, Children of the Corn, Village of the Damned), it is probably the one to do it the most effectively and to have stood the test of time and not seem overly dated. The kid's creepy, but no review can go without noting the brilliant score with choirs singing, "Sanctos! Spiritus! Damien!" over and over again.
11. Carrie (1976) - Will Sissy Spacek ever be anything else to us but Carrie? The movie that made telekenisis a household name from the first-ever novel by Stephen King, this movie tugs at the heart strings of us all when it comes to high school horrors. School's hell and so is growing up with Carrie's religious fanatic of a mother, Piper Laurie, who churns out the hottest performance of her career here and is way scarier than Carrie ever is. Also look for the big screen debuts of John Travolta and Amy Irving.
10. Dracula (1931) - Of all the Universal monstor movies of the 1930's, my personal favorite remains this Bela Lugosi classic. Lugosi had a long running feud with Frankenstein star Boris Karloff, claiming to the press that it took no skills at all to grunt and walk around stiff, but Dracula was a true actor's role, "all in the eyes." I have to agree with him. His performance makes this movie spooky still today along with great writing and a lack of any music whatsoever during pivotally horrific scenes. Who would dare have a scary scene without a score today?
9. Aliens (1986) - While the original, Alien, has been spoofed so many times it's more comical these days, its sequel, Aliens, remains just as scary as it was the day it was released. A better script for Sigourney Weaver (look for her classic line towards the end of the movie), a bigger budget for special effects and more of the aliens themselves make this one of the only sequels that is perhaps better altogether.
8. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) - Classic on so many levels! The only movie to pair the three classic Universal monsters together -- Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman -- it's also possibly the funniest movie the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. If you're looking for horror comedy, this is my #1 pick on the list for combined scares and laughs. You know what? The story's just plain great too. Those of you who may watch the old monster movies or even the old Abbott & Costello movies and become quickly bored or tune out might want to check out this one first. It's one of the few that will always keep even my sleepiest of friends awake of a late night movie fest.
7. House on Haunted Hill (1959) - Again, remakes be damned! The original House on Haunted Hill provides more suspense and scares than the gore of the new version. It is also probably one of the best performances from horror film icon Vincent Price you'll ever see which an awesome twist of an ending you'll never see coming. Directed by infamous scary movie maven and gimmick master William Castle, this one remains his masterpiece. What would you do for a million dollars? ...What would you do for a million dollars back in 1959?!
6. The Ring (2002) - The best modern day horror movie hands down, The Ring is brilliant because of its PG-13 rating. I can't tell you how many times I saw teenagers running out of the theaters! The Ring gets it right in realize that it's never gore that's going to scare, it's the story and the edge of your seat suspense. And what a story! One of those movies that leaves you guessing and guessing again right up until the very end. I find that sound plays a huge part in the freakiness of the movie so turn up your speakers and see it in surround sound. Forget the other Japaneese horror knock offs. This is great movie making.
5. The Haunting (1963) - Before there was the horror of Amityville or that God awful remake with Catherine Zeta-Jones, there was Julie Harris in The Haunting. One of the few black and white films that will have you clutching the person next to you, the archetypes hold up today and you can find yourself in one of the characters. Chilling from its opening frames, but it's when the girls are in bed together and the doors start pounding that you'll ask yourself how you can possibly be this freaked out by such an old movie.
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - This one makes the list for its legendary status. More sequels and remakes and sequels to remakes and millenium editions and new formats have been made of this drive-in classic than any other horror movie in history. This flesh eating zombie movie is so minimal in its production that it actually holds up and if you read between the lines, there is commentary on everything of its times from racism to media. Night of the Living Dead proves once again that the thing that makes a horror movie classic is its script.
3. The Shining (1980) - When the world heard that one of its most talented directors, Stanley Kubrick, would be making a horror movie, you knew it was going to be a doozy! From the novel by Stephen King comes the craziest Jack Nicholson's ever been as he literally scares Shelley Duvall into being a fantastic actress! The twins. The elevators. The bathtub. The maze. Oh, and who can forget the axe? Nightmare inducing stuff that will stay with you for years. Here's hoping you're never around an author during a really bad writer's block.
2. The Exorcist (1973) - What makes The Exoricst one of the scariest horror movies of all time, even today? Is it the idea of demonic possession? Is it the performance of Linda Blair as Reagan, the helpless child with Satan stuck inside of her? Is it the green pea soup? I'll tell you what I think it is. Ellen Burstyn. This Academy Award winning actress's turn as the mother of Reagan is the one thing that makes this movie 100% believable. You can't relate to the priest. You can't relate to Reagan. But you can relate to the one who is tormented by watching someone they love go through this ordeal. Don't believe me? Burstyn's so great, she became one of the presidents of the famed Actor's Studio years later. Forget the gimmicks and the makeup. The movie is worth seeing for Ellen Burstyn alone.
1. Psycho (1960) - Nobody did it better than Alfred Hitchcock when he released Psycho to theaters in 1960, forcing every movie house to sign a disclosure that no one would be allowed to enter the theater after the film had begun. I'll never forget being 11 and seeing this movie for the first time, my jaw planted firmly on the floor at the movie's surprise ending. If you don't know what's coming already, you won't know what hit you. Want to know where the famous shower scene in horror films began? It was here. The famous twist ending in horror films? Here. Real life horror instead of scary monsters or demons? Here. Even Janet Leigh could never take showers again after her performance in this movie that left the image of Anthony Perkins in everyone's minds as one of the most sadistic momma's boys of all time. Fucking freaky, right down to its last frame with tremendous acting that should have seen Perkins an Oscar and a score that did and has been copied ever since. Hitchcock's trailer for the movie, on the other hand, is utterly hilarious but equally brillaint. His finest hour.
;-)
20. Nightmare Sisters (1987) - During the "direct to video" boom of the late 80's and early 90's, low-budget studios like director Dave DeCoteau's were spewing out farcical slasher movies with enough T&A to keep teens coming back to rent new release after new release. The female stars of these flicks were called Scream Queens and the three highest reigning were none other than Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley. This is the only movie to feature all three gals in starring roles, hilariously casting them as ugly nerds who through the power of witchcraft become lusty, cock crazy and blood thirsty succubuses. DeCoteau went on to direct famous gay themed horror flicks like The Brotherhood and it's not surprising. Seeing his early work here, you can see there's just as much man skin as there is T&A.
19. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Though slightly dated today with its hippie chick exterior, this wonder from Roman Polanski still creeps in parts and leaves you riveted to the screen. Mia Farrow is perfect as the title character, taking the audience on a journey with her through what is probably the most confusion and utterly horrific pregnancy one could ever imagine! I've spoken with friends who insist that they see something in the final frames of this movie that doesn't even exist. It's one of those movies that can freak you out so much, you're just sure you must've seen something grotesque. Nope. Rosemary is a suspense flick that Hitchcock would've been proud of.
18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Based on the Richard O'Brien stage musical that took England by storm, American audiences were not too keen on our sweet transvestite from the planet of Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvannia. But a few years later, Rocky received its own cult following and its stars became household names. The early work of actors Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf are on display here but it's Patricia Quinn and Little Nell's performances that will keep you coming back for more. Most importantly, it's the only movie to crossbreed the horror and musical genre, dare I say, successfully.
17. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) - After watching her host horrible horror fests for years on television, Elvira finally got her big break with this big budget camp horror-comedy. It's big on laughs and fun for the whole family, but William Morgan Shepperd's performance as well as a strange casserole dish might just make you jump a time or two! Let's face it, anytime we see the gal who put the boob back in the boob tube hosting those crazy movies, we wish there was more of her right? So here's more of her!
16. The Amityville Horror (1979) - Though it has spawned a slew of sequels and remakes, nothing quite compares to the original. James Brolin and Margot Kidder break their acting chops in the house that has a mind of its own. Heavily based on true events (not one of those "well, sort of..." movies), this movie scared the bejesus out of every All American midwest family when it was released in 1979. Look out for the walls towards the movie's end for one of its creepier moments, as well as the scene with the priest and the flies!
15. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - While most horror movie remakes have absolutely butchered the originals (so to speak), this may be the only film that gets it right. Because the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was so ridiculously low budget, it may be one of the few scary movies that was desperately in need of a remake. This 2003 version stays true to the original story, but offers up what the movie would've been like if made today with a multi-million dollar budget. Everything about this movie from the acting and direction to the chills and the thrills is better than its predecessor.
14. The Hunger (1983) - Susan Sarandon's early work returns to our countdown with the movie that pairs her opposite Catherine Deneuve -- literally! Their vampire, lesbian lickfest is the centerpiece of the movie and was the main attraction when the film premiered in 1983. But it's David Bowie who turns in the best performance here as one of the undead. With an interesting mix of horror, sci-fi, rock, erotica and love story, there's really no other movie quite like The Hunger.
13. Scream (1996) - Earlier generations had slasher movies with Freddy and Jason, but when I was a teenager, it was all about Wes Craven's real "new" nightmare, Scream. The team of Craven and writer Kevin Williamson single handedly brought the horror genre back into theaters after a deep sleep with this one and it's yet to go back into its coffin since. The concept of promoting an A-lister as the star of the movie but killing her off in the first few minutes is one previously employed by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie, Psycho. But it had been so long since that film, audiences really didn't know what hit them after the first ten minutes of Scream. Look for a small cameo from The Exorcist's Linda Blair, now all grown up, as a news reporter.
12. The Omen (1976) - Not even Gregory Peck's overacting can take away from the spine tingling nature of the original Omen. Though it wasn't the first movie to cast a child as a villain or demonic (see The Bad Seed, Children of the Corn, Village of the Damned), it is probably the one to do it the most effectively and to have stood the test of time and not seem overly dated. The kid's creepy, but no review can go without noting the brilliant score with choirs singing, "Sanctos! Spiritus! Damien!" over and over again.
11. Carrie (1976) - Will Sissy Spacek ever be anything else to us but Carrie? The movie that made telekenisis a household name from the first-ever novel by Stephen King, this movie tugs at the heart strings of us all when it comes to high school horrors. School's hell and so is growing up with Carrie's religious fanatic of a mother, Piper Laurie, who churns out the hottest performance of her career here and is way scarier than Carrie ever is. Also look for the big screen debuts of John Travolta and Amy Irving.
10. Dracula (1931) - Of all the Universal monstor movies of the 1930's, my personal favorite remains this Bela Lugosi classic. Lugosi had a long running feud with Frankenstein star Boris Karloff, claiming to the press that it took no skills at all to grunt and walk around stiff, but Dracula was a true actor's role, "all in the eyes." I have to agree with him. His performance makes this movie spooky still today along with great writing and a lack of any music whatsoever during pivotally horrific scenes. Who would dare have a scary scene without a score today?
9. Aliens (1986) - While the original, Alien, has been spoofed so many times it's more comical these days, its sequel, Aliens, remains just as scary as it was the day it was released. A better script for Sigourney Weaver (look for her classic line towards the end of the movie), a bigger budget for special effects and more of the aliens themselves make this one of the only sequels that is perhaps better altogether.
8. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) - Classic on so many levels! The only movie to pair the three classic Universal monsters together -- Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman -- it's also possibly the funniest movie the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. If you're looking for horror comedy, this is my #1 pick on the list for combined scares and laughs. You know what? The story's just plain great too. Those of you who may watch the old monster movies or even the old Abbott & Costello movies and become quickly bored or tune out might want to check out this one first. It's one of the few that will always keep even my sleepiest of friends awake of a late night movie fest.
7. House on Haunted Hill (1959) - Again, remakes be damned! The original House on Haunted Hill provides more suspense and scares than the gore of the new version. It is also probably one of the best performances from horror film icon Vincent Price you'll ever see which an awesome twist of an ending you'll never see coming. Directed by infamous scary movie maven and gimmick master William Castle, this one remains his masterpiece. What would you do for a million dollars? ...What would you do for a million dollars back in 1959?!
6. The Ring (2002) - The best modern day horror movie hands down, The Ring is brilliant because of its PG-13 rating. I can't tell you how many times I saw teenagers running out of the theaters! The Ring gets it right in realize that it's never gore that's going to scare, it's the story and the edge of your seat suspense. And what a story! One of those movies that leaves you guessing and guessing again right up until the very end. I find that sound plays a huge part in the freakiness of the movie so turn up your speakers and see it in surround sound. Forget the other Japaneese horror knock offs. This is great movie making.
5. The Haunting (1963) - Before there was the horror of Amityville or that God awful remake with Catherine Zeta-Jones, there was Julie Harris in The Haunting. One of the few black and white films that will have you clutching the person next to you, the archetypes hold up today and you can find yourself in one of the characters. Chilling from its opening frames, but it's when the girls are in bed together and the doors start pounding that you'll ask yourself how you can possibly be this freaked out by such an old movie.
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - This one makes the list for its legendary status. More sequels and remakes and sequels to remakes and millenium editions and new formats have been made of this drive-in classic than any other horror movie in history. This flesh eating zombie movie is so minimal in its production that it actually holds up and if you read between the lines, there is commentary on everything of its times from racism to media. Night of the Living Dead proves once again that the thing that makes a horror movie classic is its script.
3. The Shining (1980) - When the world heard that one of its most talented directors, Stanley Kubrick, would be making a horror movie, you knew it was going to be a doozy! From the novel by Stephen King comes the craziest Jack Nicholson's ever been as he literally scares Shelley Duvall into being a fantastic actress! The twins. The elevators. The bathtub. The maze. Oh, and who can forget the axe? Nightmare inducing stuff that will stay with you for years. Here's hoping you're never around an author during a really bad writer's block.
2. The Exorcist (1973) - What makes The Exoricst one of the scariest horror movies of all time, even today? Is it the idea of demonic possession? Is it the performance of Linda Blair as Reagan, the helpless child with Satan stuck inside of her? Is it the green pea soup? I'll tell you what I think it is. Ellen Burstyn. This Academy Award winning actress's turn as the mother of Reagan is the one thing that makes this movie 100% believable. You can't relate to the priest. You can't relate to Reagan. But you can relate to the one who is tormented by watching someone they love go through this ordeal. Don't believe me? Burstyn's so great, she became one of the presidents of the famed Actor's Studio years later. Forget the gimmicks and the makeup. The movie is worth seeing for Ellen Burstyn alone.
1. Psycho (1960) - Nobody did it better than Alfred Hitchcock when he released Psycho to theaters in 1960, forcing every movie house to sign a disclosure that no one would be allowed to enter the theater after the film had begun. I'll never forget being 11 and seeing this movie for the first time, my jaw planted firmly on the floor at the movie's surprise ending. If you don't know what's coming already, you won't know what hit you. Want to know where the famous shower scene in horror films began? It was here. The famous twist ending in horror films? Here. Real life horror instead of scary monsters or demons? Here. Even Janet Leigh could never take showers again after her performance in this movie that left the image of Anthony Perkins in everyone's minds as one of the most sadistic momma's boys of all time. Fucking freaky, right down to its last frame with tremendous acting that should have seen Perkins an Oscar and a score that did and has been copied ever since. Hitchcock's trailer for the movie, on the other hand, is utterly hilarious but equally brillaint. His finest hour.
posted by Jason Sechrest at 11:08 AM
2 Comments:
Well, you know as well as I do that I HATE horror movies, but I will say that I enjoyed the original "Dracula" and "The Haunting" as movies, regardless of genre, when we went and saw them in the theatre. There were a couple of omissions to this list that shocked me. First of all, one of my absolute favorites is "Double Double Toil And Trouble" starring The Olsen Twins, along with Eric McCormick, Meshach Taylor, and the FIERCE Miss Cloris Leachman (in a dual role!). I'm also surprised that "The Blair Witch Project" wasn't included, because I thought that it was a PERFECT example of how to have absoulutely NO budget and using things as simple as camera angles to let the audience's own imaginations scare the living shit out of them. And of course, don't forget the scariest movie ever made: "White Chicks."
omg that trailer is hilarious
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