I thought it might be fun to do a series of lists instead of a horror review today. (Also, I may or may not be running out of scary movies to watch.)
My Five Favorite Horror Series:
1) Nightmare on Elm Street. I know this is no surprise to anyone; I’ve discussed my love of all things Elm Street many times. But even though some movies are better than others (I’ve seen parts 3 and 4 probably dozens of times and I’ve seen part 2 I think three times. Literally three times), they’re all worth seeing.
2) Halloween. I definitely prefer the Jamie Lee Curtis Halloweens to the ones with Danielle Harris, although I love pretty much every movie in the series (even 6, which doesn’t make much sense and 8, which is just plain bad). I even like the remakes that Rob Zombie did. (Although I prefer the original.)
3) Scream. I love all four of these movies. Even though their quality goes downhill pretty fast (especially #4), they are so fun. You could make the case that they’re horror movies for people who don’t like horror movies, but there’s also the argument that they’re horror movies for people who love them beyond all reason. Yes, they’re a lot funnier than they are scary (although I think the first one is scary) but they also are obviously made by people who love the genre. Obviously, since Wes Craven is the director.
4) Final Destination. These are, as Randy in Scream would say, carnage candy. These movies are ridiculously fun and have the best deaths ever. Yes, it’s ghoulish of me to be all “Did you see the way that gymnast died in the fifth one?!” but whatever. That death was great.
5) Child’s Play. Instead of being a series of five movies, this is almost more like a set of three and then a set of two. The first movie is incredibly good. Part 2 is still decent. The third one is pretty bad. But the fourth and fifth are completely different than the first three. They took a decidedly campy turn and I love them way more than I should. Especially the fifth one, Seed of Chucky. I hear that there’s going to be a new one and possibly a remake, as well. I don’t know how I feel about that, but I know I’ll see both of them.
Honorable mention: Paranormal Activity.
Five Favorite Horror Movie Villains (excluding Freddy):
1) Michael Myers. Strong, silent type. Good with a knife.
2) Candyman. He has a hook on his hand!
3) Damien. I hope there isn’t an anti-Kelly smiting for having the son of the devil listed third.
4) Ghostface (in all his incarnations). It doesn’t matter if it’s Billy and Stu or Noel from Felicity or Emma Roberts. That mask is great. And he (or she or they) loves the scary movies as much as I do. :)
5) Death. I love the Final Destination series and even though Death totally cheats, it’s hard not to root for him. (I worry that makes me a bad person.)
My Five Favorite Stephen King Adaptations (scary):
1) Pet Sematary. This is a heartbreaking movie but it’s also incredibly creepy.
2) Misery. Kathy Bates is terrifying.
3) Cujo. I always forget just how scary this is. It’s incredibly claustrophobic, as well, since it seems like half of the movie takes place with them trapped in the car.
4) Carrie. I think this is more tragedy than horror, but still.
5) It. This was a TV miniseries and is completely scary. They’re remaking it (I think out next year?) and I’m afraid of what will happen when they don’t have to contend with network censors.
Five Horror Movies/Series I Should Love But Don’t:
1) Friday the 13th. I don’t know why I dislike Jason so much.
2) Hellraiser. So many people I know love this series. I’ve only seen the first one, which is tolerable at best.
3) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I like the sequels more and prefer the remake to the original.
4) Phantasm. To be fair, I still haven’t seen this so it’s highly possible I will eventually love it, after I finally see it. But I feel like a bad horror fan.
5) The Shining. I love the book so much, so Kubrick’s version—while not at all bad—just falls short on every level.
Five Horror Films I Shouldn’t Love, But Do:
1) Amityville Horror remake. I know I should prefer the original with James Brolin and Margot Kidder. But I think this movie is both more fun and scarier than the first version.
2) The Hitcher remake. Okay, yes, this movie is completely cheesy…but Sean Bean is a great villain.
3) Phantom of the Opera. I have no defense for this.
4) Urban Legend. This is ridiculously fun.
5) Joy Ride. Ted Levine may have the creepiest voice on the planet. And that’s the scariest thing about this movie.
