Anyone who knows me knows that I love my movies- in fact, I have been skirting my duty as a pop-culture-prodigy in spending all of my blog time talking about places I’ve been, pictures, I’ve taken, and food I have consumed with gusto. In all fairness, I love talking about those things, they are a part of how I am living my best possible existence- but there is always an itch to be scratched when it comes to my first love: music and movies. And now is the right time to remedy that!
It is almost October, which means the time of the year for those people who may not dabble in horror all year long to dip their toes into the dread waters, to feel a little shiver of fear, a tingle of uncertainty, or maybe to be out and out scared- and I try to always help in this regard.
It’s hard to properly recommend horror movies to people without asking the clarifying questions: “Do you like horror movies?” “If so, what kinds?” “What’s the scariest movie you’ve seen?” “What is a non-negotiable thing that you DON’T want in your horror movie?” (this one is important for my wife, as she will not do movies with dead kids- so I always ask it).
Because I want people to have fun! I want them to not just watch the SAME movies over and over again (not that there’s anything wrong with having comfort movies- but we should be compelled to mix it up every so often)- and nothing is a better feeling than recommending a movie to someone and it becomes a new favorite- or you hear that golden phrase “I didn’t think I would the movie, but I loved it”. What a rush, what a feeling. I may not necessarily live for the feeling, but I enjoy it immensely
In preparation for the spooky season and getting asked “What do you recommend?” I created a list, non-exhaustive though it may be, but a pretty massive list of horror movies that I liked. In fact, the only thing they have in common, really, is that I like them- for as many reasons as there are movies in the list.
The compendium is here (sorry if you don’t have a Letterboxd account, but seriously, it’s the movie place at the moment) and it is 408 movies long- so I can say with 99% certainty that there is something here that you have never seen.
Since I created this list of lists already, and you are free to peruse it at your leisure, I thought I would use this space to highlight 4 movies from my gargantuan list (not including the little blurbs, because I truly cannot help myself)- so I will give you the WHY of why I would recommend the movie for you, Joe/Jane Moviewatcher, and HOW you should take the time to not only watch a movie (in this age of endlessly streaming TV show “content”) but a horror movie at that. Movies matter, and telling a story in 90-150 minutes seems to be an increasingly difficult task to pull off, and when it is done successfully it should be lauded, recommended, put on a pedestal, and shared with just about anyone.
So here we go. These aren’t the weirdest movies on my list, nor are they the most mainstream- I am attempting to find a balance between accessibility and niche here. First up:
“One Cut of the Dead”! This Japanese horror-comedy is an absolute delight. The Japanese title literally translates to “Don’t Stop Shooting!” this is a movie about the filming of a zombie movie, and about the intrepid director and crew attempting to make a single-shot horror film while being inside their own horror film. Very few movies not only attempt to be meta but actually succeed- and this one is near the top of the list.
I recommend this for a couple of reasons- one, it is one of those “sneak up on ya” type movies where your patience is rewarded- and I love movies that require a little bit of trust and patience and then pay off in a big way. I also recommend it because while it is a little bloody as a Zombie flick, it is not overwhelming- in fact, it is pretty tame all around with little “objectionable” material.
It was only made for $25,000, and I am positively impressed by how the humor grounds the movie throughout and how far it goes on such a small budget. In fact, by the end of the movie, I think that you will feel positively entranced with how darn cute it is and how infectious the enthusiasm of the cast and crew (within the movie) is. The Japanese… what can’t they do?
The movie was also recently remade in France as “Final Cut”, and while I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet, it also seems to be enjoyable in its own right. When a movie is remade and adapted into another culture and it still slaps, then the source material must be pretty strong with some universal humanitarian themes (this holds true with movies like “The Ring” and “Let the Right One In”, in addition to this). At 96 minutes long, this movie is the definition of short and sweet (and again, it really is very sweet). Available on AMC+ and Shudder.
Next up is an underseen classic from my own childhood: “Wait Until Dark”!
This movie, while over 55 years old, blends the horror and thriller genres seamlessly. This movie falls under the sub-genre “special needs person stalked and/or trapped in a house”- this movie, along with other flicks such as “The Spiral Staircase” “Hush” “Burning Bright” and “Intruders” all involve overcoming some physical or mental difficulty in the face of the sanctity of one’s own home being invaded- this cliche is inverted in the middling-movie-but-great-concept “Don’t Breathe”. The very specificity of the constraints upon the protagonist, stacked on top of a home invasion movie trope, makes for an engaging and thrilling story if done right- Why I think that you should watch this is that it has never been done better than in “Wait Until Dark”.
Audrey Hepburn stars as the ethereally lovely and recently sight-challenged Susy Hendrix. In the movie, through some convergence of events (don`t accept things from strangers at airports!) she ends up with a doll that is (unknown to her) part of a heroin-smuggling operation. This brings her to the attention of a couple of bad- but not like, terrible-bad people, one of whom is played by “Rambo” mentor Richard Crenna. All of this is standard boilerplate plot stuff, turned into a comedy in children’s movies countless times.
Where this movie deviates from the basics in an absolutely brilliant and unique way is the introduction of the actual villain mid-film- Alan Arkin’s psychopathic character Roat. If you only know Arkin from his comedic roles such as the grandpa in “Little Miss Sunshine” or the mild-mannered dentist over his head in “The Inlaws”, his role here is chilling and where the real horror begins. Without giving too much away, this movie builds and builds until the terrifying ending, making great use of Hepburn’s perceived frailty and Arkin’s chilling portrayal. This movie may be hard to find- you can rent it on Amazon, or if a gritty quality doesn’t matter to you, you can download it for free from the Internet Archive.
Zombies, home invasion crazies… what could be next for the Halloween fan? Werewolves, that’s what! “Dog Soldiers” is a movie that I have been championing for almost 20 years since the first time I watched it and was floored. Directed by Neil Marshall (who also made the unmissable thrill ride “The Descent”) this is a bloody and relentless werewolf movie, significantly better than almost any other- other than classics like “The Howling”, “In the Company of Wolves”, “Gingersnaps”, or “American Werewolf in London” there is really no better wolf movie out there.
You should watch this because Marshall is a hell of a director, helming some of the finest episodes of “Game of Thrones” and “Hannibal”- he knows how to shoot action and horror alike- and how to make it look good. In his first feature film, he employs professional dancers as werewolves garbed in practical prosthetics (all on a budget of less than $2 million), and the results speak for themselves- these creatures look phenomenal.
The movie involves special forces training in the Scottish highlands and encountering the beasts far from civilization- the cast is made up of a veritable who’s who of “hey, I know that guy!" actors. The night scenes and transformations are gorgeous, and the entire movie is cloaked in a “gallows humor” from the fantastic character actors- Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, and Liam Cunningham, between the three, have starred in every single UK film and TV production in existence. At 105 minutes, this is a bloody delight and perfect for the season. “Dog Soldiers” is available on Hulu and Tubi
For my 4th recommendation, I decided to go with something a little different: “Time Crimes” (or “Los CronoCrimenes” is a twisty little Spanish horror-thriller from Nacho Vigilando- a fantastic director who made another underseen gem called “Colossal”- a sci-fi romantic comedy starring Anne Hathaway and “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis.
Here Vigilando is at his best making a slasher time-travel movie- think a more recursive “Timecop”, but more jumpy, jittery, and full of thrills. This movie starts with a boring, suburban man spotting (and then spying on) a woman sunbathing and quickly goes awry from there. Bandaged masked killers, scientific experiments, and scissor stabbings follow (seriously, if you are icky about scissors, then stay away from this movie).
You should watch this movie because it keeps you guessing and is quite clever in the way it stacks on top of itself- it is one my favorite time travel movies in addition to being a great horror- as sci-fi, it is up there with “Back to the Future” (especially part 2) and “Primer” as a well-done concept executed in an engaging and interesting way. Vigilando, like Neil Marshall before has been making way more TV than narrative feature films lately- and it is a shame because this movie is gold. “Timecrimes” is available on Amazon Prime.
Well, there it is. Something a little different from the usual, but I did promise pop culture at some point. I hope these are a little different from the usual Halloween fare, and of course, I hope you enjoy. Until next time.
No write up on Bubba Ho-tep?