The Answer to The Question: Favorites
Whenever I meet someone new and get to talking about my interests, my love of horror movies inevitably comes up. It's one of the defining features of my personality, and besides that it's an easy icebreaker. Everyone has some kind of opinion on horror films, or can cite at least one that really scared them. Everyone's afraid of something, and just as there's a magazine for every hobby on Earth-- and there is, trust me-- there's also a horror movie that addresses just about any fear you can come up with. One of mine happens to be a fear of someone invading my "home" space-- which involves anything from harassing phone calls to outright breaking and entering. Needless to say, movies like WHEN A STRANGER CALLS and BLACK CHRISTMAS (among many others) leave me completely freaked out.
Without fail, anytime someone finds out how obsessed I am with horror movies they invariably ask me what my favorite horror movie is. I make some pathetic attempt at an answer, but it's hard to summarize my feelings about the genre in a way that won't make the inquirer wish they hadn't bothered asking. Although I may never solve that specific problem, I've come upon a method of attacking the question with at least some kind of organization.
The short answer is that I don't have a favorite. Or even a brief list of them, for that matter. My list of favorite horror movies involves two categories of films: those I believe to be great films that represent the best of the genre, and those that I enjoy watching, even if they aren't technically "good" examples of filmmaking. I suspect that any true horror fan would say the same of their own list of "favorites." If you ever run into someone who claims to have impeccable taste, that all of their favorites are undeniably great films and that they have no guilty B-movie pleasures, then you have discovered a "horror snob." That or a complete liar. Either way, I don't consider these people true fans of the genre. Consider the nature of horror films, and you'll see why no horror fan has any right to be conceited (or secretive) about their taste.
What it comes down to is brilliant filmmaking versus mindless entertainment. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but there is a good amount of separation. For most horror movies, the best they can aspire to is being interesting to analyze-- in terms of culture, psychology, gender studies, politics, etc. But we love them anyhow, don't we? Even the ones that are completely void of all intellectual stimulation.
I've always been of the mind that films in general were better made in decades past. There are plenty of other people out there who would argue the same, so I'm in good company even though not everyone agrees. My point is that some of the movies I consider "the best" of the horror genre are old films-- in fact, most are. I include classics like DRACULA, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE EXORCIST AND PSYCHO. The reason they're classics is because it's hard to deny their quality. As much as I do love the newer version, you can't beat Bela Legosi's portrayal of Dracula. The influence of George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is still felt in 21st century zombie films. THE EXORCIST brings out the dark side of religion and asks us to face pure evil as well as questions of faith, and whether that spells out our doom. PSYCHO is a fantastic study of insanity, homicide and sexual issues, and the portrayal of Norman Bates is perfect.
On the other hand, there are other older horror films that may not be mainstream classics, but are still incredible films in their own right. My examples include THE HAUNTING and DRACULA'S DAUGHTER. The former is brilliant for multiple reasons, not least of which is the fact that there are no concrete answers at the end of the movie. The audience is left to wonder themselves whether the house was haunted, or the main character (marvelously portrayed) was simply crazy. The latter film isn't well known, but is a hugely interesting look at what it would seriously feel like to be Dracula's spawn. Some films might take a subject like this towards a campy tone, but DRACULA'S DAUGHTER is completely serious. It explores the main character's inner conflict regarding her vampiric nature, and is subtly sensual as all great vampire movies should be.
Although most slasher flicks usually fall into the entertainment category more often than being considered "great" films, I do include a couple. First of which is HALLOWEEN, another classic that I'm sure many horror fans would agree with. I would also say that one of my favorites is THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, because of both the style of filmmaking and the social statements it makes. A little less known is the film TERROR TRAIN, which creates some interesting tension, provides a framework for discussing revenge, peer interactions, etc. and furthermore, also stars Jamie Lee Curtis.
I'm not made of stone however, I do currently include one movie on my "high quality" list which is more recent: SESSION 9. I think this was one of the best horror movies in the past decade, if not longer. It provides some blood, but ultimately takes the route of psychological terror using a classic "scary story" based plot about an old insane asylum. It uses the overdone plot twist, but does so in such an intriguing way that I can't hold it against the film.
I've already mentioned one seminal zombie film, but I would add two more recent films from the subgenre to my list of favorites: 28 DAYS LATER and 28 WEEKS LATER. Watching these films, zombies feel not only terrifying and hellish-- they feel real. They aren't stumbling about a graveyard in a midnight fog, they're breathing down your neck. That's what makes any horror movie great, in my book.
The reasons behind my entertainment-based picks are much simpler to explain: They're fun movies. You don't have to think about them, although you usually can extract some intriguing analysis. They're witty, ridiculous, funny, gory and sometimes all of the above.
Films like NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and the SCREAM trilogy rely on quite a bit of wit in order to make themselves work effectively. There are scares, there is blood, but the dialogue between characters is also pretty important-- and fun! Of course, they each use their wit differently, and I wouldn't compare the two unless I felt apples and oranges were suddenly in a similar class of fruit.
On the other hand, there are movies like HOUSE OF THE DEAD and ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE. The only redeeming thing about these movies is how ridiculous and funny they can be. I apologize to everyone who honestly thinks that one or both of these movies are of decent quality, but this is just my opinion. It obviously doesn't mean that I don't like them, or else I wouldn't mention them. I just hate that I enjoy HOUSE OF THE DEAD, and am obsessed with NIGHTMARE for no logical reason.
FRIDAY THE 13TH, EVIL DEAD and THIR13EN GHOSTS (2001) are entertaining mostly for their gore and/or their visual effects. While they might have other redeeming factors, it's primary a visual love which causes me to include these films on my list. Of course, for a true gore-fest I rely on DEAD ALIVE.
As you might have gathered from my lengthy introduction, this is not a complete list. I'm sure I'm forgetting at least a handful of films that exemplify my taste in horror. God-willing, as time goes on I'll find even more films to add. Like any other horror fan my tastes have been shaped and limited not only by time and availability, but my own psyche and experience. So don't hate on me if you think my list is boring, typical, lacking or wrong simply because it doesn't resemble yours. If you're going to be critical, at least be helpful while you're at it! That's what I always say. Recommend something, I'll be grateful. Thank you, goodnight.
Without fail, anytime someone finds out how obsessed I am with horror movies they invariably ask me what my favorite horror movie is. I make some pathetic attempt at an answer, but it's hard to summarize my feelings about the genre in a way that won't make the inquirer wish they hadn't bothered asking. Although I may never solve that specific problem, I've come upon a method of attacking the question with at least some kind of organization.
The short answer is that I don't have a favorite. Or even a brief list of them, for that matter. My list of favorite horror movies involves two categories of films: those I believe to be great films that represent the best of the genre, and those that I enjoy watching, even if they aren't technically "good" examples of filmmaking. I suspect that any true horror fan would say the same of their own list of "favorites." If you ever run into someone who claims to have impeccable taste, that all of their favorites are undeniably great films and that they have no guilty B-movie pleasures, then you have discovered a "horror snob." That or a complete liar. Either way, I don't consider these people true fans of the genre. Consider the nature of horror films, and you'll see why no horror fan has any right to be conceited (or secretive) about their taste.
What it comes down to is brilliant filmmaking versus mindless entertainment. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but there is a good amount of separation. For most horror movies, the best they can aspire to is being interesting to analyze-- in terms of culture, psychology, gender studies, politics, etc. But we love them anyhow, don't we? Even the ones that are completely void of all intellectual stimulation.
I've always been of the mind that films in general were better made in decades past. There are plenty of other people out there who would argue the same, so I'm in good company even though not everyone agrees. My point is that some of the movies I consider "the best" of the horror genre are old films-- in fact, most are. I include classics like DRACULA, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE EXORCIST AND PSYCHO. The reason they're classics is because it's hard to deny their quality. As much as I do love the newer version, you can't beat Bela Legosi's portrayal of Dracula. The influence of George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is still felt in 21st century zombie films. THE EXORCIST brings out the dark side of religion and asks us to face pure evil as well as questions of faith, and whether that spells out our doom. PSYCHO is a fantastic study of insanity, homicide and sexual issues, and the portrayal of Norman Bates is perfect.
On the other hand, there are other older horror films that may not be mainstream classics, but are still incredible films in their own right. My examples include THE HAUNTING and DRACULA'S DAUGHTER. The former is brilliant for multiple reasons, not least of which is the fact that there are no concrete answers at the end of the movie. The audience is left to wonder themselves whether the house was haunted, or the main character (marvelously portrayed) was simply crazy. The latter film isn't well known, but is a hugely interesting look at what it would seriously feel like to be Dracula's spawn. Some films might take a subject like this towards a campy tone, but DRACULA'S DAUGHTER is completely serious. It explores the main character's inner conflict regarding her vampiric nature, and is subtly sensual as all great vampire movies should be.
Although most slasher flicks usually fall into the entertainment category more often than being considered "great" films, I do include a couple. First of which is HALLOWEEN, another classic that I'm sure many horror fans would agree with. I would also say that one of my favorites is THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, because of both the style of filmmaking and the social statements it makes. A little less known is the film TERROR TRAIN, which creates some interesting tension, provides a framework for discussing revenge, peer interactions, etc. and furthermore, also stars Jamie Lee Curtis.
I'm not made of stone however, I do currently include one movie on my "high quality" list which is more recent: SESSION 9. I think this was one of the best horror movies in the past decade, if not longer. It provides some blood, but ultimately takes the route of psychological terror using a classic "scary story" based plot about an old insane asylum. It uses the overdone plot twist, but does so in such an intriguing way that I can't hold it against the film.
I've already mentioned one seminal zombie film, but I would add two more recent films from the subgenre to my list of favorites: 28 DAYS LATER and 28 WEEKS LATER. Watching these films, zombies feel not only terrifying and hellish-- they feel real. They aren't stumbling about a graveyard in a midnight fog, they're breathing down your neck. That's what makes any horror movie great, in my book.
The reasons behind my entertainment-based picks are much simpler to explain: They're fun movies. You don't have to think about them, although you usually can extract some intriguing analysis. They're witty, ridiculous, funny, gory and sometimes all of the above.
Films like NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and the SCREAM trilogy rely on quite a bit of wit in order to make themselves work effectively. There are scares, there is blood, but the dialogue between characters is also pretty important-- and fun! Of course, they each use their wit differently, and I wouldn't compare the two unless I felt apples and oranges were suddenly in a similar class of fruit.
On the other hand, there are movies like HOUSE OF THE DEAD and ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE. The only redeeming thing about these movies is how ridiculous and funny they can be. I apologize to everyone who honestly thinks that one or both of these movies are of decent quality, but this is just my opinion. It obviously doesn't mean that I don't like them, or else I wouldn't mention them. I just hate that I enjoy HOUSE OF THE DEAD, and am obsessed with NIGHTMARE for no logical reason.
FRIDAY THE 13TH, EVIL DEAD and THIR13EN GHOSTS (2001) are entertaining mostly for their gore and/or their visual effects. While they might have other redeeming factors, it's primary a visual love which causes me to include these films on my list. Of course, for a true gore-fest I rely on DEAD ALIVE.
As you might have gathered from my lengthy introduction, this is not a complete list. I'm sure I'm forgetting at least a handful of films that exemplify my taste in horror. God-willing, as time goes on I'll find even more films to add. Like any other horror fan my tastes have been shaped and limited not only by time and availability, but my own psyche and experience. So don't hate on me if you think my list is boring, typical, lacking or wrong simply because it doesn't resemble yours. If you're going to be critical, at least be helpful while you're at it! That's what I always say. Recommend something, I'll be grateful. Thank you, goodnight.
posted by Rachel Storm at
7:51 PM
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