I have been asked to write about my favorite horror film for Halloween.
This got me thinking, I’m not sure what my favorite horror film is.
Horror can comes under so many different categories.
I could say Dawn Of The Dead or Evil Dead 2 but I don’t think they are very scary.
I think most horrors that I love aren’t particularly frightening and at the end of the day I think that there has to be some terror involved. I have decided to make a list of films that have made me genuinely scared. This list will not include The Wicker Man which is probably one of my all time favorite horrors.
The scariest film I have never seen is also going to be missing from this list Demons by Lamberto Bava. I was so scared when I had the plot explained to me in the playground when I was a kid that I have never been able to watch it, its probably lame?
There was also a film that I saw when I was very little that is the first horror film I can remember watching,I have never been able to track it down, It involved an crew on an oil rig and a monster with lots of teeth that came up from the deep and bit one of the men. I wet the bed for a week after seeing it!
Possession (1981)
The ultimate head fuck film.
This film is the most oppressive, physically and mentally demanding film I have ever seen.
The first time I saw it was at a midnight matinee at the Broadway (remember those?), I went on my own and there were 2 other people in the audience. It made the experience even harder work. The walk home was terrifying. Its quite famous for having people pass out during screenings. I think its designed to give the viewer a panic attack.
Possession lives with you, you don’t need Sam Neil and Isabelle Adjani running around in your head screaming.
I have watched this film several times and still don’t understand the significance of the pink socks?
Berlin looks glorious in this film also.
Highly influential especially on Lars Von Trier, excellent creature effects by Carlo Rambaldi who followed this film with E.T.
Possession was on the Video Nasties list and wasn’t released uncut till 1999.
Famously Andrzej Zulawski wrote this film about a messy divorce…
He must have had the worst divorce the world has ever known.
Prince Of Darkness (1987)
Great film from the master of horror John Carpenter.
Really underrated but I feel its one of his best films and it gets me every time.
Smart Nigel Kneale inspired plot reminiscent of The Stone Tapes, John Carpenter acknowledges this by using the pseudo name of Martin Quatermass for his screenplay.
Loads of randomness in this film but it contains some truly creepy scenes and has lots of imagination.
Love the idea of Satan in liquid form.
Why is Donald character character called Loomis again?
Why is Alice Cooper playing a Homeless zombie?
A tense masterpiece and worth watching for the dreams projected back from the future
“You are receiving these images from the year 1.9.9.9".
Pray for death.
Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch (1982)
I’m going to get so much flack for this one.
I really love this film. It scared me shitless when I was a kid and if you presented me with a Silver Shamrock mask today I would not be able to put it on for fear of snakes coming out of my melting face.
A brave idea to do something different with the franchise,the film was originally written by Nigel Kneale and was going to be directed by Joe Dante!
Apart from the really ridiculous plot involving a stolen Stonehenge, I still think that the film has some great moments and is a really clever idea.
What a tense ending with Tom Atkins desperately trying to shut down the Death Silver Shamrock TV signal as the kids watch on.
Quartermass and the Pit (1967)
Well after two mentions of Nigel Kneale already it would be stupid not to include this masterpiece.
A really great idea,the human race being descendants of Martian grasshoppers. That sounds daft but its really well done. I like films that crossover the occult and sci-fi.
It has some terrifying moments including the moment when the Martian trace memories start effecting the drill operator.
The Thing (1982)
The greatest Sci fi horror ever made.
I don’t think any CGI effects have ever surpassed the demented,alien and organic feeling creature effects in this film.
The Thing is another film burnt onto my young mind which has forever ruined my peaceful sleep.
I don’t think I could ever use a defibrillator in case my arms would get bitten off!
This film could only be made better by the fact that Donald Pleasence was due to play Blair. Kurt Russell as MacReady has made a 1,000 young men grow beards. A paranoid horrific classic.
The list continues tomorrow....
Don't have nightmares.
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