Sunday, October 31, 2010

My Top Ten Horror Movies

Well, Halloween is here, so I thought the best way to celebrate would be to create a list of my favorite horror movies. This isn't the list of movies I find the most scary, just the movies that I enjoyed the most out of. 


10. The Thing (1982)-While the original has a lot going for it, it's the remake that really has some true terror in it. The story of scientist trapped in an Arctic research site with a blood thirsty alien who can replicate other living organisms. Just the idea that this creature can take on any form it wants gives the movie an air of tension and paranoia. The alien is unsettling and terrifying all at the same time.
9.Halloween (1978)- What kind of horror movie list would be complete without the quintessential Halloween movie? John Carpenter struck gold when he spray painted a Captain Kirk mask white and created a horror icon. If you're gonna see one horror movie this Halloween, make sure it's this one, just make sure you avoid the Rob Zombie remake...



 8. Amityville Horror (1979)- I've never been too scared of the whole "haunted house" type of movie, but this one totally got to me. The story of the family being actively attacked by the evil spirits in their new home. I wouldn't say that the remake is bad, but the original just has more fright to it. It's the kind of movie that'll have you jump at every creaky door and flickering light you encounter. 


7. Them! (1954)- One of the movies I grew up watching, this film is completely under appreciated. A cautionary tale of atomic testing and experimentation as a group of people take on an army of giant ants. The main reason this film has stuck with me for so long is due to the sound the ants make. Their high pitched screech has been burned into my memory.




6.The Fly (1986)- Jeff Goldblum turns into a man-fly...need I say more? This film uses very disturbing imagery and a very disturbing idea and it goes a long way, making this a very memorable movie. Goldblum does a great job, this character goes through a lot of change, and he conveys that emotion very well. The effects are top notch and are still pretty impressive by today's standards. This is a film that all "transformation" movies can learn a thing or two from.



5. Trick r' Treat (2007)- This one came out of nowhere for me. I had never heard much about it, on a whim I rented...this one of the best "horror anthologies" out there. The film takes place in a small town on Halloween, and follows the nights of several different people. This is a very dark and, at times, funny movie, and it tries to be a perfect horror story, no cutesy fairy tale endings here, just pure mayhem.



4. Shaun of the Dead (2004)- On the lighter side of horror is a great zombie comedy (zombedy?) that excels at every level. The movie follows title character, Shaun as he tries survive with family and friends after there has been a full scale zombie outbreak. It's a very witty, well written story, with like able characters and some pretty funny scenes fighting the undead. Edgar Wright is a great director and his style applied to zombie is awesome.



3. Cube (1997)- This movie is kind of the ancestor to movies like "Saw." The whole film revolves around a group of people who wake up to find themselves trapped in a giant puzzle. Every room is a large cube, but some rooms contain traps, such as spraying acid, sharp spikes, and the occasional wire mesh. It does a lot more than most modern horror films do, and the pay off is a very creepy movie.  
                    

2. The Ring (2002)- This movie gave me my fair share of sleepless nights. There's just something about Japanese style horror that really gets to me. The story is about a creepy tape with a pinchant for murdering people seven days after seeing it, and it falls to Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) to solve the mystery of the creepy television girl, Samara. The idea of this "curse" hanging over Rachel just gives the film a very intriguing pace. "The video" still manages to freak me out a little, and I will definitely freak out if my TV ever turns on by itself.


1. Saw (2004)- The moment the movie started I knew I was in for a very good movie. This movie can be both mentally and visually frightening at times. I want to reveal as little of this movie as possible so I'll say this much; two men find themselves chained up in a dingy bathroom and the only way out of the chains is with a hacksaw...to cut through their feet. This movie is so good, it will leave you guessing the whole way through, and it has one of my favorite endings in a movie of all time.



If you like horror, See This Movie! 




Have an awesome Halloween! 

Friday, October 22, 2010

Quick Plug--Barely Artsy

Just realized I haven't done a single blog post all month, i am quite behind. So instead of trying to go back and review all the movies that i've seen the past couple weeks I'm just gonna pick up again in a week or two. Until then i'm gonna work on the other blog "Barely Artsy." So here's my latest work and a link to the other blog.