I finally checked out the most recent - final? - instalment in the Halloween film series. Not bad at all. With Jamie Lee C. back in action, this one worked pretty well, hitting all the right notes to ensure a fun time. But popping back a few years to director Rob Zombie's prequel called Halloween (which I watched for the first time this week), I'd have to say he totally missed the mark there. Strange, since Zombie was effective at instilling an atmosphere of dread and creepiness in his House of 1000 Corpses. Yet his take on Halloween was just so devoid of mood and tension that scares or chills or anything at all were non-existent. Just straight-up bloody kills, with no visible skill or interest in fleshing out characters... or a proper horror film.
Gothic images like this are ingredients in Burn Witch Burn
Anyway, my little foray back into darker cinematic themes got me thinking about the many horror movies I own in physical format. Within my home video collection of probably in excess of one thousand titles, I have about 269 horror films (possibly a few more). Those are just the store-bought DVDs and Blu-rays; there might be another 100 or so movies that were recorded off TV (commercial-free only - thanks TVO and TCM!) or dubbed from another source (like my old VHS tapes).
As I pored over my horror collection, I had to make hard decisions about what my definition of "horror" was going to be... whether to include stuff like The Thing From Another World, The Fly, or Alien. These are prime examples of classics that blend genres (perfectly, I might add), so that they could be called either sci-fi or horror. But since these are more along the lines of horrific tales in a sci-fi setting, I can in good conscience call them horror - for today's purpose, anyway. If I decide to write a post about my sci-fi movie collection, there is a good chance some of those same hybrid genre films would make that line-up, too. Same with horror-fantasy and horror-comedy.
I don't think it's necessary to list every horror movie on my shelves, but it seems appropriate to point out some key ones... essentials, classics, favourites, and less obvious, lesser-known picks, too.
I might as well do this alphabetically. Here goes, with comments wherever I see fit:
The Abominable Snowman - a fun Hammer film with Peter Cushing on the hunt in the Himalayas
Alien - just the first one... the best; all the sequels and prequels are much more sci-fi and/or action than horror
An American Werewolf in London - every fright film fan must own this one; the first transformation scene alone is worth the price of admission
Burn Witch Burn - a cool early 60's look at a college prof's wife with a knack for black magic
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - the 1919 silent classic that boasted German expressionist visuals
Creature From the Black Lagoon & its sequels - horrific sci-fi, among my fave movie monsters
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - the 1920 silent with John Barrymore... a master class in eerie practical visual effects
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - beautiful story directed by Wise, with star actors Tierney and Harrison, and music to die for
Hellraiser - Clive Barker's nightmare world and creatures don't exactly scare, but they certainly unsettle one's mind
The Howling - possibly my fave werewolf tale, dark humour and gore in equal measures
King Kong - the original 1933 gem was the template for big monster movies to come; groundbreaking visual effects, too
The Maze - a weird little flick about the secret hidden within a Scottish castle's hedge maze
The Woman in Black - the original from '89 has the most chilling ghostly moments in cinema
The Wolf Man - this 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. classic is my fave of the Universal horrors, and establishes the tropes of the lycanthrope in film
Kiss of the Vampire - 1963 entry in the Hammer horror cycle, this is less monstrous and more seductive and sensual
The Return of the Living Dead - an 80's horror-comedy that is truly funny and horrific; silly and entertaining
Salem's Lot - this '79 vampire fright fest is one of the better Stephen King adaptations, and among my overall faves
Scream of Fear - 1961 psychological thriller that messes with the viewer's mind as the compelling mystery unfolds
The Witch - this 2015 supernatural modern classic is among my faves since the millennium. Superb acting and atmosphere.
What lurks in the shadows in The Howling?
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