By J. MATTHEW COBB
Editor-At-Large, PRAYZEHYMN Online.com
Posted: October 28, 2009 I am already familiar with the thought that most Christians, particularly the elitist group of conservative bible-toters, will not practice a thing concerning Halloween. Not a haunted house, not a “trick or treat” expedition around the block, not even taste those devilish taffy candies wrapped in initiating black and orange wrappers. I’m comfortable with that.
But for people like me, who like a little spark, pep and edge in life, Halloween isn’t such a drag. No, I don’t decorate the house any longer with cobwebs and witches and pumpkins, but the kid in me loves a good scare, a good scream and a spirited costume party.
Not sure if I’m dressing up this year, but I will still give the ol’ holiday an extra zing to it in some kind of outfit. Maybe even dress up like I’m in the eighties again. By the way I refuse to do the Jheri-curl thing.
Nevertheless, horror films reign with abundance at my crib. Not that I’m a geeky super fan of the genre, but I love the classics. I love the cinematography of the black and white Hitchcock thrillers. I was scared as a beast watching Michael Jackson’s Thriller concept video growing up as an eighties baby, but get a kick out of watching it now. I even remember being petrified playing Friday the 13th: The Game on Nintendo; anxiously awaiting my death as Jason popped off with his Mike Tyson Punch Out moves.
To this day, I can’t begin to tell you how many horror films I’ve seen. I can tell you a few of my all-time favorites. Not all are full of gore, not all are devilishly crude. There’s some that simply have that good dose of suspense and classic Halloween euphoria. I’m pretty sure I will be watching them all week long this October leading up to the 31st. It’s an annual tradition.
So here goes my top 15.
15
Disturbia (2007)
More of a suspense thriller, this updated version of an Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window features Shea LaBeouf (Transformers) as a teenager who thinks he’s witnessing a murder while spying on his neighbor’s house from his bedroom. The movie is filled with so many twists and turns and even challenging any ideas of conventional horror film predictability. It floats like a chick flick but ends up tossing in creepy paranoia and quick scares. It’s fixed like a haunted house – with a soap opera touch. And what makes a good horror film great is superb acting. Thankfully, you get that here.
14
Halloween (1978)
Oh, the music score for this is classic. It’s scary enough. And it leaves suspense and fear, chills down your spine, with each and every scene. The John Carpenter classic is done with cryptic camera work and its surprising lack of blood and gore. Still, the scares are plenty and the music score, filled with an eerie symphonic display, remains timeless. Michael Myers terrorizes the town and tries to hunt down his sister Laura Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis in her first feature film) on Halloween night. Notable achievements about the film is its voyeuristic camera angles – walking the audience through the eyes of the killer. Yes, like Friday the 13th. Another thing you must remember: there is no comparing the original with the arggh-ful Rob Zombie remake.
13
Jaws (1975)
The only Jaws flick Steven Speilberg directed, the 1975 film remains a classic. Not just in terms of its financial success (becoming the first of the summer blockbuster movies), but it brought yet another fear to the big screen: the great white shark. The plot encircles police chief Martin Brody (Roy Schieder) as he seeks to solve the cases of a missing woman. Her body is found dead on the shore. Clearly, the victim is injured with a shark bite but the mayor of the town doesn’t want to ruin the summer for incoming tourists on their way to the popular beach. The story intensifies with a treacherous music score (you know, the da-da-da strings) and amazing life-like robotics from the killer sharks. The movie was based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley.
12
Amityville Horror (1979)
I’ve seen the 2005 more-modern remake but the classic takes the cake. And why? James Brolin plays the scary, terrifying role of George Lutz in what was slated to be a movie based on a true story. Based on the 1977 best-selling book, Amityville Horror tells the story of a house located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York haunted with paranormal occurrences, a mass murder scene months prior and eventually put on the market for sale. The Lutzes buy the house and experience their own trials of terror. At times in the film, the screams and sound effects are set at high decibels; sending shockwaves of fear across viewers. And who can forget the defenseless priest in the film as he tries his hardest to cast the cursed spirits out of the house. Amityville may have been an independent film with very little critical acclaim, it still stands the test of time for being one of the strongest haunted house classics in horror history. The movie’s tag line: “For God’s sake, get out!”
11
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Now how many re-introductions and remakes have they done of this one? Including the 2003 version which received the controversial "0 out of 5" stars from film critic Roger Ebert. But the original stands out the better praised. Done on a very small independent budget of $140,000, the film develops its plot around a bogus “true story” of a Texas chainsaw maniac named Leatherface who aims to kill intruders on his killing spree secrets. And he’s not liking the new kids in town much. Sally, Franklin and their friends are on an investigation assignment about a nearby cemetery. They get answers – but it’s not all in their favor. Some of the scenes are quite cheap and too bizarre of violence, but it’s one of the better slasher films and has even won the praises of some of horror’s greatest storytellers including Wes Craven and Stephen King.
10
The Shining (1980)
“Here’s Johnny.” Jack Nicholson plays the role of Jack Torrance, a struggling author who picks up the job of a lifetime of being the caretaker of a lavish Denver hotel during its winter months. Even though he is alerted of a previous episode including a shocking family murder, Jack doesn’t pass up the opportunity. He, his wife and son (Danny) make their move, but the place triggers a psychic ability in Danny nicknamed the “shining.” Jack goes through psychological changes, even interacting with the hotel’s ghosts, and leads him down a killing spree to end the lives of his family. The movie is pretty long, quiet in the beginning and isn’t all that bloody. But superb acting from Nicholson, the storytelling and climatic scenes are noteworthy. The REDRUM chants are also quite memorable. Yes, the story is based on another Stephen King story. What did you expect?
9
Hostel (2005)
This masterpiece of a torture flick – also called “gorno” – still gives me goosebumps. At times, the pain and agony of the film’s victims are too much to even watch. American tourists find their way to Amsterdam and discover a brothel. Their imaginations and curiosities open up but leads them down a path of unforgivable torture. It’s not one of my favorites because of all the excessive bloody scenes, but it stands out as one of the more modern success stories in terms of plot originality and producing immediate screams of horror.
8
Saw (2004)
The hit Box Office Saw series came to life with this forbidden 2004 tale about the “Jigsaw Killer.” The story revolves around two men who are kidnaped and locked up in a bathroom with a dead body. Their only way of escape is fixed to a given sheet of instructions. The authorities try to kill him - their attempts fail. The only way of escape for these two gents is by following the directions by trying to solve the “puzzle-like” mystery. Clearly, the killer is a looney and moviegoers are desperate for him to be dead meat. But that’s what makes the movie so freaking incredible. Only thing that bothers me so much is knowing this kind of anarchy could be reduplicated in real life.
