It's the sequel nobody asked for!
Last year, I wrote a list of 31 movies to watch for Halloween. This year, I decided to add a few more items to the roster. Once again, there's no real order to this. So, without further ado, close the blinds, light some candles, and try to ignore those scratching sounds in the attic.
Carnival of Souls (1962)
This low-budget psychological horror film opens with two men challenging three women to a drag race (ah, the '60s). As the race unfolds, the women's car goes off a bridge and into a river. Hours later, Mary (Candace Hilligoss) emerges as the only survivor. And that's when the real strangeness begins. Mary experiences visions of a pale-faced man, periods where no one can hear or see her, and fends off the advances of a creepy admirer (Sidney Berger). "Carnival of Souls" possesses a diabolic organ score and persistent eerie atmosphere, creating a sense of dread and tension that continuously keeps you off balance.
"She escaped death. Now it wants her back!"
The Tenant (1976)
Trelkovsky (Roman Polanski) rents an apartment in a weird building occupied by even weirder neighbors. All Trelkovsky wants to do is live quietly and peacefully in his new digs, but people and situations seem to be conspiring against him. Or are they? "The Tenant," also directed by Polanski and based on the equally excellent novel by Roland Topor, explores themes of paranoia, isolation, and madness—among others—with a mood and style that would make Franz Kafka proud.
"There is something odd going on in my building."
Alien (1979)
This sci-fi horror classic follows the crew of the spaceship Nostromo as they encounter a deadly extraterrestrial creature, leading to a brutal battle for survival as the alien hunts them one by one. The cast is tremendous, led by Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley), and director Ridley Scott knows how to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. And let's not forget about H.R. Giger's hair-raising alien design. Often referred to as a "haunted house movie set in space," this film has inspired countless imitations (and sequels), but the original remains the genre's standard.
"In space, no one can hear you scream."
True Detective Season 1 (2014) Two detectives (Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson) are on the hunt for a ritualistic killer in Louisiana. This eight-part series, written by Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, isn't necessarily "horror" in the true sense of the word, but there are strong undertones. It also draws heavy inspiration from Robert W. Chambers's book "The King in Yellow" and Thomas Ligotti's musings on pessimism, nihilism, and antinatalism. The chemistry between the two main characters is superb, the writing and dialogue are smart and crisp, and the cinematography is gorgeous. If you're looking to immerse yourself in a crime drama that dips its toes ever so slightly into cosmic horror, give this series a whirl. "I think the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction."
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
In 1994, three student filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard) disappeared in the woods while making a documentary about a local legend called the Blair Witch. One year later, their video was discovered. Although not the first film to employ the "found-footage" technique (that distinction seems to always go to the disturbing "Cannibal Holocaust"), "The Blair Witch Project" was the first to deliver it to the mainstream. This low-budget effort used online marketing (unheard of in the late '90s) to convince many that the events were factual, which helped fuel the movie's popularity and box-office success. Sometimes, the scariest things are the things you don't see.
"I'm scared to close my eyes. I'm scared to open them. We're gonna die out here."
Eraserhead (1977) This cult classic follows Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) as he navigates a bleak industrial town, a not-so-loving girlfriend (Charlotte Stewart), and their mutant newborn baby. David Lynch's full-length directorial debut doesn't skimp on the bizarre (you'll never look at a chicken dinner the same way) and the grotesque (Lynch has never disclosed what he used to create the inhuman-looking infant), which would become staples of many of his following films. Sprinkle in foreboding and unnerving sound design, and you have the recipe for a surrealist nightmare that grows more peculiar and disconcerting with every viewing.
"In Heaven, everything is fine."
Freaks (1932)
Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) and Hercules (Henry Victor), "normies" in a traveling carnival, concoct a plan to seduce and kill a dwarf (Harry Earles) after learning of his inheritance. Their plot, once discovered, does not go over well with the other "freaks," and there's hell to pay. This film, directed by Tod Browning (who also directed 1931's "Dracula" featuring Bela Lugosi), used actors with actual disabilities and was banned for a period due to what was considered exploitation. While some may debate whether "Freaks" is truly a horror movie, it does contain horrific elements, specifically the ending sequence when the freaks deliver their vengeance.
"Gooble gobble! Gooble gobble! One of us! One of us!"
Hereditary (2018) This chilling supernatural horror movie opens with Annie Graham (Toni Collette) and her family getting ready to attend Annie's mother's funeral. The old lady was a complex woman (some might say crazy), but maybe her death will finally put an end to all of Annie's stress. Not even close. Turns out Annie's mom was the leader of a coven, and it has eyes for Annie's family. This film ratchets the tension from the start and doesn't let go until the harrowing conclusion. Collette is fantastic (as is the entire cast) and the pacing is masterful. It weaves a story that's both terrifying and heartbreaking. Never have miniature art and dioramas triggered such unease.
"I never wanted to be your mother."
Comments? Complaints? Commendations? Fire away below!
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