day fifty-nine: "first of all, i'm really sorry your family got all massacred and stuff."
13 of 31 Horrors: The Frighteners (1996) - Frank Bannister is a psychic investigator who uses his very real talent for seeing the dead to con people by sending his ghostly assistants to poltergeist their homes. But when he gets caught up in the middle of a decidedly paranormal rash of murders, he’ll have to rely on the help of a comely widow to stop the ghostly murderer and clear his name.
Everything about this movie is perfection. You’ve got the ever loveable Michael J. Fox as hero Frank, the great character actor Jeffrey Combs as the weirdo FBI agent Dammers, direction from Peter Jackson (yes, that Peter Jackson), the picturesque background of Wellington, NZ (including the house used in PJ’s first film, Braindead), and scads of ghostly fun with the likes of Chi McBride, Jake Busey, and John Astin. Oh, and one of horror’s favourite Final Girls: Dee Wallace. It’s just a rollicking, emotional, and fun horror comedy that should be required viewing this time of the year.
14 of 31 Horrors: Fright Night (1985) - Charley Brewster knows there’s something not quite right about his new neighbor, Jerry Dandrige. He’s too charming, too handsome, too… bloodthirsty. But of course no one believes a teenager who’s convinced his neighbor is a murderous vampire, not even old B-movie actor Peter Vincent, who made his career on vampire flicks.
The 80s were a great time for horror, particularly teen and vampire horror. And this charmer is pure 80s to the hilt: Jerry wears turtlenecks for Christ’s sake, and still manages to be debonair; the music is electric guitar synthesizer goodness; and the physical special effects are more cheesy than terrifying. But it’s still scads of fun, and does a great job of showing just how evil seemingly romantic vampires really are/should be.
15 of 31 Horrors: The Lost Boys (1987) - Michael and Sam have just moved to Santa Carla, California with their mom, and are having a hard time fitting in. While Sam makes friends with a pair of very odd brothers at the local comic book store, Michael falls for a mysterious girl named Star and begins running with some very wild boys. But when Michael develops an aversion to sunlight and begins to float up to the ceiling, the brothers realize there’s something more than a little off about the lost boys of Santa Carla.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the 80s was a golden age for horror and fantasy films. The vamps actually have fangs and claws; these vicious monsters are not your romantic heroes. And even the blood is glittery. I wanted to be Star - with her fabulous hair and sparkly skirts - so much, and Kiefer Sutherland was a teen dream, frosted feathered hair and all. This glam horror classic also marked the first partnership of the infamous Coreys, and is just so much damn fun. For my money, the last line is the best in a film full of great lines.
16 of 31 Horrors: Evil Dead II (1987) - Ashley Williams and his girlfriend Linda head out to a cabin in the woods, intending to have a romantic weekend away from the world. But when Ash makes the mistake of playing a tape found at the cabin, ancient Kandarian demons are unleashed. Can a mere S-Mart employee fight off the evil Deadites and live to see dawn?
Essentially a remake of the original and even lower-budge Evil Dead, this is Sam Raimi’s best flick, IMO. A perfect mixture of horror and splatterstick humor, it’s like an extended Three Stooges schtick with copious amounts of bodily fluids and demon witches locked in the fruit cellar. This was the film that made Bruce Campbell and his righteous chin deservedly famous, pretty much set the bar for all future “cabin in the woods” horror flicks, and is still wacky and delightful 26 years later. Best scene: when Ash has to fight his demonically possessed hand in a kitchen rife with weaponry; close follow-up: the totally badass suit-up montage involving a chainsaw and sawed-off shotgun.
17 of 31 Horrors: I Walked With a Zombie (1943) - Betsy is a young Canadian nurse who accepts a job in the Caribbean, tending to the comatose wife of a handsome sugar plantation owner. But is the wife’s condition truly the result of a brain fever - or is black voodoo to blame?
It’s Jane Eyre with zombies in the Caribbean. No, REALLY. And it’s a Val Lewton flick; if you’re not familiar with Lewton, rectify this immediately. This dude managed to take $50 budgets and a few shadows and craft genuinely haunting and gorgeous films for RKO Pictures in the 1930s and 40s. The zombie Carrefour is easily one of the most memorable in cinema, and the treatment of Vodun and its ceremonies is surprisingly tasteful given when this film was made.
18 of 31 Horrors: Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (2010) - A pair of hillbillies head out to the woods to renovate their new summer home, a ramshackle cabin with a dark past. When they cross paths with a group of co-eds, a simple misunderstanding has fatal consequences.
A perfect blend of comedy and horror, a splatterstick film with a wonderful cast and SUCH heart amongst the gore. For my full feels, check out my latest post over at Criminal Element.
So in the past week I saw Evil Dead: The Musical and holy shit was that fun. Ashlee and I sat in the splatter zone, BUT OF COURSE, and I sorta wanted to stop at a dive bar on our way home just to walk in looking like a murder victim and order a whiskey sour. “Man, you don’t even wanna KNOW the things I’ve seen tonight…”
Fun times all around, and the fellow playing Ash totally reminded me of Nicholas Hoult - similarly tall and pale and gangly, very angular face, floppy dark hair. GOOD TIMES, FOLKS. GOOD TIMES.
And then Ash and Melissa and I went to Tanner's to get apple EVERYTHING and we had lunch/dinner at Rasoi and watched horror movies.
This weekend we're doing all of our Halloween baking and marathoning more horror films and getting Mexican and it's gonna be gr9. So fucking ready for this three-day weekend because uggggh I feel like I've been doing nothing but working/being sick for the past two weeks and I'm really fucking tired and want to lay about in my jim jams with mah gurls and a giant stack of monster flicks.