Hitchcock [2012]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 2/5
This movie was even marketed as more of a drama than anything spooky, but being the fan of Psycho that I am, I was really excited to see this pop up on HBO Go. The movie centers around Alfred Hitchcock as he tries to rejuvenate his career when he begins to feel his movies have become to similar and predictable. He decides his next film will be Psycho, based on the Ed Gein murders that captivated the nation. Anthony Hopkins does a fine job, as does Scarlett Johansson, but it is Helen Mirren who really steals the show as Hitchcock's wife Alma. If you're looking for a spooky film, this probably isn't your best bet, but it was a nice alternative to watching Psycho for the twentieth time (not that I won't). This title is on HBO On Demand.
Halloween Movie #2
Silence of the Lambs [1991]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 5/5
Always a major contender whenever the "best horror movie" discussions arise. In a genre that often asks the viewers to drop any semblance of reality, this movie is so unsettling because of how plausible it all is. Young FBI agent Clarice Starling works with cannibalistic inmate Hannibal Lector to catch the serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins won Academy Awards for their acting work and the movie won Best Picture, the only movie considered a horror film to do so. Alongside discussions of cannibalism and human dismemberment, the film prominently focuses on the realistic horror of abduction and those searching for the missing.From Hannibal's fava beans to Buffalo Bill's suit made of human skin, this is a psychological thriller that keeps the heart racing until the final scene. This title is on Showtime On Demand.
Halloween Movie #3
Carrie [1976]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 3/5
This movie was waaaaay campier than I remembered. Carrie is a telekinetic teenager who gets asked to the prom after some girls take their teasing too far. The climax is so well known they even put it on the movie poster. John Travolta appears in his dopey Italian typecast and this is one entry in PJ Soles' remarkable horror run before she disappeared into obscurity. This movie's major impact on the horror genre is that is was the first Stephen King book to be adapted, a source for countless films in the following decades. This title is on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #4
The American Scream [2012]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 1/5
I absolutely love this documentary. It follows three home-haunting families who live in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. If you are unfamiliar with home haunters, these are the people who spend September and October building their house into a mecca of Halloween decorations, usually climaxing in a haunted house on Halloween night. The movie shows the stress and difficulties these families go through but you'll be cheering for them all by the end of the film. I cannot recommend this enough. This title is on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #5
The House on Haunted Hill [1959]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 3/5
I had never seen this movie before and upon hearing the exposition I realized where countless parodies and homages originated (including my cherished Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?). A millionaire invites five strangers to a haunted house and offers them each $10,000 if they can survive the night. Although this movie is a bit campy by modern standards, the film contains more plot twists than I was expecting and seeing Vincent Price in a horror film is a must every October. This title is on Netflix and YouTube.
Halloween Movie #6
The Cabin In The Woods [2012]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 4/5
While this movie is certainly a love letter to horror movies, it is also a love letter to the fans who watch those horror movies. Finding a good horror film is pretty rare and this movie rewards all of us who sit through awful D-films about werewolves harassing your hometown*. Half the fun of this movie is determining which films and tropes are being referenced as this is the most self-aware, meta horror film to date. The final twenty minutes will have every horror fan pumping their fists in the air. The comedic relief provided by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford is just the icing on the cake. This title is on Netflix.
*but really if you want to talk about the Beast of Bray Road, I'm your guy.
Halloween Movie #7
The Innkeepers [2011]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 4/5
I have to admit, after so much promise in the first half of the film, the ending was sort of a disappointing thud. Still the development of the characters far exceeds 90% of horror films and there is just enough scares to keep you going, even if they are fairly standard and predictable. This title is available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #8
Alien [1979]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 5/5
This movie is absolutely incredible and one of my top ten horror films (which I'll fully reveal in the last post of this series). From the suspense of a starship being awoke to an unknown transmission (is it a distress signal? a warning?) to the unpredictability of androids to the sheer horror of the "chest-burster" scene, those scenes don't even compare to the haunted house that is the second half of the film. Sigourney Weaver stars as Ripley in a movie that completely changed the role of women in Sci-Fi/Horror and film as we know it. When an alien breaks lose aboard their ship, Ripley and her crew are slowly stalked in a movie that has rightfully been called "Jaws in space". This movie will leave your palms sweating. Sorry folks, I own this film. Have to visit Randy Marsh at Blockbuster for a viewing of this one.
Halloween Movie #9
The Host [2006]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 3/5
Wow! What a great monster movie this turned out to be. Not to be confused with the awful Twilight-esque movie of the same name, this is one of the biggest blockbusters of South Korea's cinematic history. An American military doctor (played by Walking Dead's Hershel!) dumps formaldehyde (an event that actually happened in 2000) into the Han River. Years later a monstrous beast appears and terrorizes the community. The film centers around Hyun-seo's family when they receive a phone call that she has not been killed by the monster, rather she is alive in his sewer lair. The family goes to no end to help save her. Part blockbuster, part social commentary, part dysfunctional family comedy, this is one of the best monster movies I have seen. Just a word of warning, this film is in Korean and reading subtitles will be necessary. This film is available on Netflix.
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