Halloween Movie Recs 2009
This was my movie recommendations for Halloween 2008. I've added a few more in case Netflix was really tapped out.
Let the Right One In: A Swedish film based on a scorching book that has become a runaway hit, it is one of the best if not the best horror film about vampires. I can't give away too much but the movie is a great deal tamer than the novel, and even with that the friendship that blossoms between the vampire and Oskar is both beautifully haunting and savagely violent. It might be too slow going for some but I highly recommend it.
The Orphanage: I don't know why but foreign films (besides Asia) are doing a booming business in the horror section. This Spanish film tapped into my most primal fear: losing my child. The mother - Laura - played by the beautiful Belén Rueda, is haunted by the disappearance of her son and the spirit of another boy who was living in the orphanage where she grew up. As her marriage dissolves Laura is determined to find her son, and she goes to extreme lengths to do it. The movie is in no way violent but the emotional impact is huge. The music is sumptuous, the camerawork is steady and sure, and the story is both tragic and uplifting.
Splinter: A good ol' fashioned B movie from the USA, and boy did it do a good job. Three people are trapped in a 7-11 type of store with a monster right outside. They can't call out or try to make a run because the creature is faster, stronger, and even the slightest contact with it will infect a human until the person becomes a monster. It's claustrophobic, fast-paced, and pretty much merciless about who lives and who dies. Splinter also features one of my favorite character actors, Shea Whigham, and his performance as the convict Dennis is a real eye-opener. Also, the female character Polly (played by Jill Wagner) was completely kick-ass. She has one breakdown but that was completely understandable. Filmed in Oklahoma in a budget of a million dollars, Splinter delivers the goods in style.
Outpost: One of my personal favorites, and a British horror film that might appeal more to men than women. But I really suggest you see this one whether you have an x or a y. This movie's budget was a whopping 1.5 million dollars and most of it went to the sets, which meant the director was forced to hire character actors instead of pretty faces. And thank heaven for that, because the actors in Outpost usually portray the heavies in more mainstream films. The most familiar face for American audience would be Richard Brake who is quickly becoming 21th century's version of Billy Drago. And his character is about as appealing as a serial killer he usually plays, but this is a good thing in a movie populated by mercenaries who really, really don't care who they kill. So, when they start getting picked off one by one, and is slowly reduced to a quivering mass, you know the bad guys are really, really bad. Unfortunately, this is where the movie fails: the bad guys are Nazi zombies.
Yes, Nazi zombies and not very believable ones at that. Putting aside that eight hundred pound gorilla, Outpost still has a lot of kick due to the beautiful sets, the music, and the acting. The entire movie is built on dread and there are couple of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, but it's the ending that's the real kicker here.
The odds are none of the movies I've written about will be rented out for Halloween, so if you're looking for a rental to scare the adults, try one of the above. You won't be disappointed.
Let the Right One In: A Swedish film based on a scorching book that has become a runaway hit, it is one of the best if not the best horror film about vampires. I can't give away too much but the movie is a great deal tamer than the novel, and even with that the friendship that blossoms between the vampire and Oskar is both beautifully haunting and savagely violent. It might be too slow going for some but I highly recommend it.
The Orphanage: I don't know why but foreign films (besides Asia) are doing a booming business in the horror section. This Spanish film tapped into my most primal fear: losing my child. The mother - Laura - played by the beautiful Belén Rueda, is haunted by the disappearance of her son and the spirit of another boy who was living in the orphanage where she grew up. As her marriage dissolves Laura is determined to find her son, and she goes to extreme lengths to do it. The movie is in no way violent but the emotional impact is huge. The music is sumptuous, the camerawork is steady and sure, and the story is both tragic and uplifting.
Splinter: A good ol' fashioned B movie from the USA, and boy did it do a good job. Three people are trapped in a 7-11 type of store with a monster right outside. They can't call out or try to make a run because the creature is faster, stronger, and even the slightest contact with it will infect a human until the person becomes a monster. It's claustrophobic, fast-paced, and pretty much merciless about who lives and who dies. Splinter also features one of my favorite character actors, Shea Whigham, and his performance as the convict Dennis is a real eye-opener. Also, the female character Polly (played by Jill Wagner) was completely kick-ass. She has one breakdown but that was completely understandable. Filmed in Oklahoma in a budget of a million dollars, Splinter delivers the goods in style.
Outpost: One of my personal favorites, and a British horror film that might appeal more to men than women. But I really suggest you see this one whether you have an x or a y. This movie's budget was a whopping 1.5 million dollars and most of it went to the sets, which meant the director was forced to hire character actors instead of pretty faces. And thank heaven for that, because the actors in Outpost usually portray the heavies in more mainstream films. The most familiar face for American audience would be Richard Brake who is quickly becoming 21th century's version of Billy Drago. And his character is about as appealing as a serial killer he usually plays, but this is a good thing in a movie populated by mercenaries who really, really don't care who they kill. So, when they start getting picked off one by one, and is slowly reduced to a quivering mass, you know the bad guys are really, really bad. Unfortunately, this is where the movie fails: the bad guys are Nazi zombies.
Yes, Nazi zombies and not very believable ones at that. Putting aside that eight hundred pound gorilla, Outpost still has a lot of kick due to the beautiful sets, the music, and the acting. The entire movie is built on dread and there are couple of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, but it's the ending that's the real kicker here.
The odds are none of the movies I've written about will be rented out for Halloween, so if you're looking for a rental to scare the adults, try one of the above. You won't be disappointed.