Christopher Webster [DVD News 10.30.08] movie news dvd horror



Hey you! Put back that copy of Halloween!! Yeah you, drop that Evil Dead trilogy right now! We know how hard it can be to put together the perfect Halloween movie marathon so we thought, instead of resorting to the same old standbys, we'd take a look back through the history of horror and watch something a little different this year.

Each member of the team has put together a list of five of their personal faves and a little bit about why these films seem to stand the test of time. From super smart ants to psychotic hitchhikers to rampaging zombie hoards, we've got enough recommendations to keep you covered this Halloween.




quietearth recommends:

5. Shock Waves - Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of Zombie soldiers. A Nazi zombie classic.

4. Phase IV- Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the desert inhabitants... an unappreciated gem.

3. Deathdream- A young man killed in Vietnam inexplicably returns home as a zombie. This is Bob Clark's post-Vietnam commentary on the state of GI's returning from the war. It's also fast paced and really scary.

2. Phantasm 2- Mike, now released from a psychiatric hospital, continues his journey to stop the evil Tall Man from his grim work. Don Coscarelli's sequel is as good as the first.

1. Phantasm 1 - A twisted horror classic that will leave you with more questions than answers... probably why there are 4 movies in the series.



agentorange recommends

5. The Hitcher – This HBO produced shocker pits a teenage C. Thomas Howell against a delightfully evil Rutger Haugher in a relentless game of cat and mouse across the desert highways of America. Awesome.

4. 28 Days Later – Still the best of the new zombie movement. Fast paced, brutal, and full of smarts.

3. Aliens – James Cameron’s brilliant blend of adrenaline fueled scifi action and nail biting horror.

2. Dead Alive (aka. Brain Dead) - Called "the goriest movie of all time," Peter Jackson's zomedy opus is still the best of its breed (yes I even like it better than Evil Dead). Truly a video nasty classic.

1. The Thing- John Carpenter’s undisputed classic. Rob Botin’s FX work still blows my mind after all these years, and I love that carpenter didn't falter on the downbeat ending. It's horror in its purest form.



Ulises Recommends:

5. The Others - Yeah, this isn’t as recent, I know. But considering the dearth of good horror movies in mainstream American cinema, this was particularly noteworthy. Not just as a good horror film, but a good film. We’ve all come to expect the classic horror twists at the end, but the twist here still managed to be bone chilling.

4. Red Shoes - You’d think a movie about cursed high heel shoes would be kind of silly. But this Korean flick has all the right elements—creepy ambiance, awesome gore, creepy imagery, and the usual plot twists—to make its a winner.

3. Ju-On - When in doubt, go J-Horror. The original Ju-On (later remade into The Grudge) has a lot of the things that have since become staples of J-Horror. Long-haired ghosts. Creepy kids. Etc. But this was one of the first, and some of its images remain potently scary even after all this time.

2. Shutter - I’m referring to the original Thai flick, not the American remake. Just when you thought Korea and Japan had a monopoly on great ghost movies, along comes Shutter. A compelling plot, excellent twists, and some fantastic scares. You’ll never look at photographs the same way again…

1. [REC] - known to me as “The Movie That Made Me Scream At 1:30 A.M.” This Spanish film, which is “Blair Witch Project” meets “28 Days Later,” is amazingly well-paced, well-acted, and has some truly disturbing, pant-crapping imagery at the end.



Cyberhal recommends:

5. The Omen - An American ambassador learns to his horror that his son is actually the literal Antichrist. Creepy kid alert!

4. Shaun of the Dead - Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright hit a homer with this zomedy that's scary, gory,and funny.

3. Let the Right One In- A modern coming of age classic that just happens to have a vampire in it.

2. Bubba Ho-Tep- Bruce Campbell as Elvis in an old folks home. Need I say more?

1. Hellraiser - An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, who's being chased by demons after he escaped from their sado-masochistic Hell.



Projectcyclops recommends

5. Sante Sangre - Jodorowsky's surreal tale of revenge, mutilation, madness and blood.

4. Demons (1 & 2)- Frantic and gory ride from director Lamberto Bava. Dario Argento produces these classic 80's Euro Horrors.

3. Ringu - Still the only film that I find genuinely uncomfortable veiwing, produced scores of imitators and re-makes.

2. Night of the Living Dead - The original zombie film from George A. Romero. To say this movie influenced horror for decades to come would be a huge understatement. The sequel 'Dawn of the Dead' is also required viewing.

1. The Exorcist - Pretty much one of the best all time horror films, directed by William Friedkin. Ellen Burstyn gives a brilliant performance and Linda Blair is also perfect as the possessed child of an American actress.



Dr. Nathan recommends

5. Spider Baby - A caretaker devotes himself to three demented kids after their father's death.

4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers - A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.

3. The Incredible Shrinking Man - When Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.

2. Night of the Living Dead - The zombie film that started it all.

1. Alien - A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

So there you have it. If you're still hungry for more then you may have either a problem or too much time on your hands ;). Didn't see something you love? Tell us your favorites in the comments.

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trogen (13 years ago) Reply

Some really good ones in there guys, nice lists!

my top 5 Halloween Horrors are:

5. Tremors - First monster movie i saw and i loved it
4. Cube - Really amazing story, is a must see
3. Hellraiser - Very freaky series of films, you will defo have nightmares after this one.
2. Alien - My fave in the series
1. Rec - Absolutely loved this, relatively new and in Spanish, but the atmosphere and feel on this one is like no other, and the ending....!!!!!!

agentorange (13 years ago) Reply

Hey Trogen, Cube almost made my list too. If it had been a top 10 list it would have made it for sure.

All good picks.

Kurt (13 years ago) Reply

I just shook Angus Scrimm's hand last week and had a brief chat with the man. He's pretty darn sharp for 82.

Cyberhal (13 years ago) Reply

Trogen, mabye check out the Burrowers, i don't know if it matches Tremors, but it's pretty good

trogen (13 years ago) Reply

ill check that out cheers Cyberhal!

Anonymous (13 years ago) Reply

Event Horizon... Simply the best!

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