Tuesday, October 30, 2012

My Favorite Scary Movies

I have been very forward in the fact that Horror is one of my least favorite genre of movies. Some may find it odd though that my favorite movie of all time is in fact Evil Dead 2, which is a horror movie. I will say that it's not that I don't like to be scared or that I am unable to be scared, I just feel that horror movies are often kindof a cop out for a studio because alot of times they are cheap to produce and it's easy as hell to write a paint by the numbers horror flick. Hell, look at this trailer for Smiley



Looks like the same shit you have seen 10,000 times before right? For those of you who think this is something new let me name a few things: Friday the 13th, Urban Legends, Scream, Sleep Away Camp, Black Christmas, Halloween, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Sorority Row, My Bloody Valentine, Silent Night Deadly Night, Hell Night, When A Stranger Calls, The Strangers, Child's Play, Texas Chainsaw Massacres, A Nightmare on Elmstreet, among others including all of their sequels. I'm not saying all of those are the same, but you know what I'm getting at right? Alot of horror movies these days have just become kind of tropey. That's not to say there isn't a good one every now and then, but it's such an over saturated genre that it's really hard to pick out the snicker's bars from all the shit.

That being said here is a list of my top horror movies.

15. A Nightmare on Elm Street
This one will always hold a special place in my heart for being the first horror movie to scare me into insomnia back at the tender age of 8 or 10.

14.  The House On Haunted Hill (Original)
Vincent Price is the fucking man and this movie is a classic. It created alot of the cliche's you'll find in any recent haunted mansion movie.

13.  The Exorcist / The Omen
Both are classics and I just couldn't decide which I enjoyed more, I will say neither ever freaked me out, but both are definitely worth watching.

12. Godzilla
"Oh it's just a guy in a rubber suit the dubbing is histarical lol" Shut up and go watch the original movie! Subbed or Dubbed both are good in my opinion though I do prefer the original Japanese myself. This movie is filled with amazing shots and effects for its time, some of which hold up today better than alot of our current gen CGI. Give it a shot, it may not be scary, but it's good.

11. The Ring
Japanese or American, both were good but I personally liked the American version a little more this time around. Lots of creepy images, alot of tense scenes, this is a good watch in the dark horror movie. Though I will say it's scariness was ruined for me after the first time I saw it after the first 15 minutes when they do that Jump scare of that girl curled up in the closet and a guy 3 rows behind me just yelled out "GOD DAMN!"... I laughed the rest of the damn movie. Another reason I fucking hate jump scares.

10. The Shining
My god is it beautifully shot. Plus Jack Nicholson is fucking amazing, this is a classic and if you haven't seen it yet, do.

9. Day of The Dead
Night of, Dawn of, Land of, this is my personal favorite in Romero's series of zombie flicks. It's got a good cast, a detestable villian, and some of my favorite practical gore effects in a movie.

8. Paranormal Activity
I don't care what other people say, I enjoyed this one, I know it can feel really boring but I enjoyed it's rythm, to me it felt almost Lovecraftian in the sense that the more you learned the more of an air of danger you felt. To this day I will defend this movie. Though I will say before seeing 4 it did rank a little higher on my list.

7. The Thing
Some of the best practical effects I have ever seen in any movie, aside from that it's well shot, well performed and well written.

6. The Audition
This is the slowest of slow burns but it has an awesome payoff, don't let it get spoiled for you.

5. Halloween
This was my favorite horror movie for the longest time until I was introduced to the Evil Dead Series and Asian Horror Movies. It's easily one of the best slasher flicks out there and I even enjoy alot of the sequels.

4. Thirst
A Vampire flick from Chan-wook Park? Yes please. You may not find it scary but it's really damn good.

3. One Missed Call (Japanese)
This is probably the scariest movie on my list. So many creepy images, people who act like people should fucking act in their situation, it's a great package.

2. Cabin In The Woods
I loved this movie, while it may not have been very scary it is easily one of my favorite movies this year. At the same time, while it may not have been scary overall, it still had it's tense moments and for fucking once some characters you care about. I won't spoil it but trust me, if you feel the same way about horror movies that I do, this one might make your top 10 as well.

1. Evil Dead 2
This is my favorite movie of all time ok? Can't be favorite of all time without being my favorite in it's own damn genre. It's fun, it's got great effects, it's got genuine creepy moments, it's got Bruce Campbell. Watch it.

Note: For those wondering where Army of Darkness is, I really don't consider it a horror movie no matter what genre people say it is.

5 comments:

  1. I always had Child's Play 2 on my list of Scariest Movies along with Halloween. Just that musical score in Halloween at the end when you look to see the dead body of the killer and see that he is gone and immediate cue of the music always sent chills into me.

    I understand what you're saying about Army of Darkness, that went from a horror movie into a more dark fantasy film. Like if you turned LOTR into a campy horror film is how I'd describe it.

    I remember I was like 7 or 8 when my dad showed me and my brother Evil Dead 2. Creeped me out then but now I watch it with pure glee.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brofist on the respect for Vincent Price. One of the best.

    And another on Evil Dead 2 being the best. One of my favourite movies ever. And agree on Army of Darkness not being a horror, it's really just a comedy (nothing wrong with that though as it's one of the funniest movies ever) whereas Evil Dead 2 mixed comedy and horror, and even when there was comedy it still felt wrong. Like when everything in the cabin starts laughing and moving around, and Ash starts laughing and joining in (like joining the lamp in moving up and down) You laugh at it, but know you really shouldn't because this is not a good thing that's happening. Fantastic list!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've always found horror as the best way to get laughs. (>.<) There just all so very funny to me. But indeed, Evil Dead 2 is one of the best moives if not the best I have ever scene. Bruce Campbell is a great actor. And for when he was just starting out. (Well when he was younger should I say?)Bruce pretty much owns the whole moive. To be funny, a little creepy, and just plan awesome at how well he did as an actor in it. When his hand is "taken over" it's a scene I will always remember.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gozu or Gokudô kyôfu dai-gekijô: Gozu is by far the most horrifying film I have ever seen. It was made by Takashi Miike and it is extremely odd and mind bending. Sure, it has it's lighter moments, but most of the time you are wondering what's going to happen next or where it is going. This is not for the faint of heart!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the Gojira shout-out. The original is a masterpiece of the horrors of the early nuclear age. There is something special about that one movie, the mix of near perfect effects, damn good acting, and just the fear that humans could accidentally make such a horror and that a greater horror is the only solution. The Oxygen Destroyer is terrifying to think of, in the movies sense, and THAT being the only thing? Terrifying.

    ReplyDelete