I talk about horror a
lot on my blog, but I’ve never truly talked about my favorite horror films. I’ve
mentioned a few here or there, but I’ve never actually sat down and listed off
my top picks. So today, I’m going to be talking about my top 10 favorites – old
and new. I’ve been a horror fan for as long as I can remember and I’m always
looking for excuses to talk about horror. So without further adieu, let’s get
started.
1.
The Exorcist: This film is truly iconic. It was
one of the first the fuel my love for the genre. It also taught me at a young
age that Ouija boards are nothing to mess with, unless you want your head to
spin around like an owl. Everything from the visuals, the effects, the makeup –
it all stuck with me; embedding itself into my brain. Makeup artist, Dick Smith’s
work on this film is unparalleled. I’ve recreated his work on Linda Blair many
times but his old age makeup Max Von Sydow is just unbelievable. Seeing Blair’s
transformation from innocent little girl to the most frightening case of
demonic possession ever was incredible. This is the film I go to when I want to
relax, simply because it brings me so much joy. This film also just had its 43rd
anniversary!
2.
Hostel Part I and II: For those that know me
best, they know that I adore Eli Roth. I sort of cheated and I’m grouping these
two films together because I watch them both so much. In the first film, a
group of friends are backpacking through Europe when they come across a shady
hostel. They end up getting wrapped up in a business where you can pay to
torture someone – and American’s go for a lot of cash. Roth said the idea was
inspired by the time he came across a Japanese website where you can go into a
room and for a large sum of money, you can shoot someone. The torture scenes
are by far some of my favorites and Part II steps it up to another level. Part
II is definitely my overall fave of the two because the main character is a
badass female that *spoiler alert* actually makes it out alive. One of my
favorite moments is the Elizabeth Bathory inspired scene where Heather Matarazzo is strung up by her feet over a bathtub and gets sliced by a woman who then
bathes in her blood. The price of beauty is insane.
3.
Martyrs: This film is a French-Canadian horror
that truly leaves you speechless after you finish it. I’m a huge fan of films
that have a deeper meaning that has an explanation to the madness and that
leaves you wanting more. The film follows a young girl named Lucie that escaped a
slaughterhouse where she had been imprisoned and abused for years. She was then
placed in an orphanage where she meets a girl that quickly befriended her.
Years later, they both break into the home of the people Lucie believes to be responsible
for her childhood abuse. It’s brutal and heartbreaking, and the last half of
the movie is what truly makes it all worthwhile.
4.
Suspiria: I love Italian horror, and I love
Dario Argento even more. Suspiria was the first Argento film I ever saw and I’ve
been hooked ever since. The film follows an American ballet student that
transfers to this prestigious school in Germany, only to find out that it’s
being run by a coven of witches. This film has some of the most beautiful
imagery I’ve ever seen in a horror film. The death scenes in this film are horrific,
but they’re done in such stylized and vibrant way that you don’t want to look
away. They literally put the “gore” in “gorgeous”. One of the first deaths in
the film involves a ballet dancer that’s attacked and hung from the ceiling. She
falls through this beautiful stained glass ceiling, everything is brilliant and
in your face, in typical Argento fashion. The score from this film is amazing
too.
5.
Freddy vs. Jason: Okay, so this film is one of
my most-watched films in my collection. I can recite every line in the film, it’s
insane. I included Freddy vs. Jason because I couldn’t just put the entirety of
both series’ on the list so I kinda of cheated again because I love them both. It was
like a horror-fan’s wet dream to see these two battle it out. I’m a huge fan of
the death’s in this film, so I love that the DVD featured the “jump to a death”
option that’s also featured on all of the Nightmare DVD’s. Freddy is beyond
pissed that people have found a way to forget about him, especially since it’s
out fear that gives him his power. So he decides to visit Camp Crystal Lake and
wake up our old pal, Jason. He just needs Jason to kill a few people so that
they think Freddy’s back on Elm St. – except Jason’s having too much fun and
doesn’t know when to stop. This film is so much fun to watch. It’s always a
party when your two favorites collide and leave nothing but blood and
destruction behind them.
6.
Thirteen Ghosts: I’ve made so many of my friends
watch this film because it’s so much fun to watch. What really drew me to this
film were the death scenes and the makeup. Aside from The Exorcist, this film
features some of my favorite special effects. The ghosts in this film are all
so intriguing and their makeup is insane. This film follows a man and his family
after they inherit a glass house from their late uncle, Cyrus. The only problem
is, the basement is full of ghosts. The film is a remake of the William Castle
film by the same name. It also features the same concept of being able to see the
ghosts when you put on these special glasses, which was a gimmick that Castle
used to draw people into the theaters. One of the most interesting things about
this film is the ghosts themselves. If you get the DVD, there’s a special feature
that allows you to see mini introductions to the ghosts – allowing you to see
how they died and what they were like until their death. My personal favorite
is The Jackal, one of the more vicious of the ghosts.
7.
The Last House on the Left: Wes Craven is one of
my favorite names in horror. So many of his films hold a special place in my
heart, and this is one of them. This film is one of my favorites from the 70's
Exploitation craze. These films were raw, gritty, and brutal and often involved
a tale of revenge. In this film, a young girl and her friend are terrorized by
a group of criminals that kidnap them and then subject them to incredibly
brutal acts. They stab one of the girls to the point of disembowelment, they
eventually shoot the main girl as she tries to escape in the river, and they
sexually assault them. It’s almost like watching a snuff film. The criminals
unknowingly take refuge in the house of one of the girls after her parents so graciously
show them hospitality, allowing them to escape the storm. The parents inevitably
find out who they are and what they did and decide to take matters into their own
hands. Seeing the parents get revenge is so delicious and you’re rooting for
them the entire time. This film was remade in 2009, and while a lot of remakes
tend to fall flat, I really enjoyed this film. The parent’s revenge scenes are
even more brutal and gory than in the original. The original however, remains
my favorite over the two because of the grittiness of the film, helping it
appear even more realistic.
8.
Scream: Another Craven film I just couldn’t help
but mention. Craven once said that he came up with the idea for this film after
people came up to him and said how much they loved "The Last House on the Left,
when are you gonna do something scary again?” So he came up with the concept
for Scream, a slasher film that successfully makes fun of the horror genre. It’s
the perfect film for horror nerds like me that get way too into the genre and asks
themselves “if they have what it takes to survive a horror movie?” The film
even includes a scene where Randy Meeks gives an impromptu lesson on the rules
of horror. The film follows Sydney Prescott, your typical innocent final girl, as
she’s stalked by a masked killer that’s offing the people of Woodsboro. This
film is smart, sarcastic and it’s the quintessential knife in the back of
horror all while serving up some delicious blood and gore. One of my favorite
things that Scream did was hire a big name like Drew Barrymore and they hung
and disemboweled her in the first few minutes of the film. Iconic. I also had
an unhealthy crush on Billy Loomis but that’s a story for another day. Long
story short: every horror fan is Randy Meeks.
*heart eyes*
9.
Carrie: “They’re all gonna laugh at you!” This
is probably my favorite Stephen King adaptation and novel. A classic tale of a
misfit who’s had enough of everyone’s shit and just looses it. Sissy Spacek’s
performance was incredible, but Piper Laurie’s portrayal of Margaret White
really nailed it. The way she controlled Carrie and how she essentially made
her afraid of (and essentially hate) her own body was unsettling. Calling her
breasts her “dirty pillows”, punishing her for getting her period, locking her
in that dark closet with the creepiest Jesus figurine I’ve ever seen – was
probably more frightening than the prom scene. In this film, poor little Carrie
White was bullied and ridiculed by everyone and then she discovers that she has
telekinesis, the power to move and manipulate things with her mind. The rest of
the film involves Carrie getting covered in pig’s blood and then all hell
breaks loose at prom. It’s so satisfying because you’re so ready to see Carrie
get revenge on her tormentors and she delivers. This film spawned a sequel and
two remakes. I’m actually a big fan of the remake, The Rage: Carrie 2, I had it
on VHS as a kid. Bonus: Check out the song “Hell In The Hallways” by Ice Nine
Kills that was inspired by the novel.
10. House
of 1,000 Corpses & The Devil’s Rejects: Okay, so I cheated again and I’m
pairing these two together because if I had to pick some horror films that
defined me as a person, I’d pick these two. My dad gave me House of 1,000
Corpses on DVD when it first came out because he knew how much I loved horror.
I was hooked form the very beginning, which was strange because the first thing
you see is Captain Spaulding and I am not a fan of clowns. He’s just so dang
charming, you have to make an exception. Now, the first film follows a group of
friends travelling through the back roads of Texas as they look for strange and
unusual places throughout America. They come across Captain Spaulding and try
out his “murder ride” where they learn about the legend of Doctor Satan. From
there these kids are subjected to unimaginable horrors as they encounter the
Firefly family. The Firefly family is like the Manson Family on acid, they’re
intense and insane and you do not want to end up at their house on Halloween
night- or any night for that matter. My favorite of the bunch is Baby, played
by Sheri Moon Zombie. I was immediately drawn to her character from the beginning
but I fell in love when she gleefully chased down Mary and then slaughtered her
while laughing maniacally. I’ve worked in haunted houses before and whenever I
had to play a maniac, I channel my inner Baby.
Now the sequel, The Devil’s Rejects, is so much different from the first
film. Where the first film is more stylized and cartoonish at times, The Devil’s
Rejects is more realistic and gritty, similar to the exploitation films of the
70's. The sequel follows The Firefly family as they’re on the run from the
police because they’re whole operation has been found out. This film is
interesting because there’s no group of victims for you to sympathize with or
root for, you’re basically forced to relate to this family of sadistic
murderers that get a kick out of torturing people, having sex with their bodies,
kept body parts in the fridge and stuffed under the crawlspace in the house –
you get the picture. You get the see Otis, Baby and Captain Spaulding as they
from skinning a man’s face and forcing his wife to wear it to laughing and
enjoying some Tutti Frutti ice cream. These films are brutal but you’re drawn
in by the charismatic characters and the story. You wanna know “are they gonna
make it? Are they going to get away with everything?”
Alright I’m finished
now. This ended up being a lot longer than expected but when it comes to my
favorites – I have a lot to say.
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