Why I Love Halloween!
I really love most of the movies talked about here by my guests for this column. It's all everyone's favorite horror movies :)
Welcome to a very special Halloween filled edition of the Why I love comics column. This edition I reached out to all my friends and comic contacts in my adress book and asked them a very simple question: What is your favorite horror movie and why? Yes ladies and gentleman it's a halloween edition of the column. We start things off with superstar writer/artist Phil Hester!
Phil Hester (The Darkness, The Anchor, Vampirella):
I've always said the movie that scared me most was 2001: A Space Odyssey. Creepy music; existential terror; stark, silent violence; an artificial mind driven insane by sentience itself; characters shedding mortality. Creeps me out on a "big question" level.
But for a straight up horror movie my favorite is An American Werewolf in London. Perfect mix of laughs, scares, and pathos. But the horror movie that scared me the most is the original Night of the Living Dead.
Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas, Thunderbolts):
The Exorcist is one that I think ages well. First, it has Max Von Sydow, so that's a win right there, and it's directed by William Friedkin when he was at the top of his game (he had just done The French Connection). But Regan is easily one of the most terrifying presences in horror- she poses the dilemma of a scary threat that you can't physically harm to defeat because it's possession. And of course she's a metaphor for a willful teenager rebelling against her parent, the story has lots of themes working on various levels like that.
I was afraid I wouldn't like the added footage with modern effects that was put in a few years ago, but it's truly creepy and doesn't feel out of place. I saw it with a modern cynical audience and realized the movie was working by the way people kept joking; they were essentially whistling in the dark. When the "spider" scene happened, the whole theater jumped back in their seats. If you want to be scared, you want The Exorcist.
Riley Rossmo (Proof, Cowboy Ninja Viking):
Nosferatu - super sophisticated for its time beautiful compositions in shots, great atmosphere.
28 Days Later really inovative new zombie film, great textures, use of sound and budget.
Exorcist Story, acting - Saw it when I was 16 and it scared the shit of of me. Aliens, sci-fi haunted house, awesome design/art direction.
Let the Right One In - Indy vampire movie, great new take on vampires.
3 Ghosts - I love it weird plot, thin characters but awesome pratical effects and monsters,cool set and great gore.
Oh I forgot I like The Ring and Ringu as well. Cool concepts and great visuals. I also have a soft spot for Maximum Overdrive; my brother and I watch it once a year or so. And Ginger Snaps, a great Canadian werewolf film.
David Hine (Strange Embrace, FVZA, Spiderman Noir):
I have a long list of best-loved horror movies, including Night of the Living Dead, Freaks and Let the 
Right One In. I still remember walking out of the cinema in a daze after seeing The Exorcist. At the time that was the most disturbing movie ever made. But the top spot has to go equally to David Lynch's Eraserhead and Polanski's Repulsion. Both used surrealist/dream imagery and both explored sexual repression and in the case of Eraserhead, the horror of human reproduction. Polanski's was tightly scripted and coherent - a brilliant study of a repressed woman's psychological breakdown. When it was released it was promoted as a sexploitation B-movie. It was actually a cinematic masterpiece. While the surreal elements of Repulsion were clearly products of the lead character's disturbed imagination, the surrealism of Eraserhead is all encompassing. The entire world is a nightmare that spills from David Lynch's troubled mind. The 'plot' is rambling and freeform in the tradition of authentic surrealism. I have yet to see anything to match the mind-warping strangeness of the Radiator Lady singing "In Heaven, Everything is Fine," or squishing embryo/worms with her dainty little feet. Watching these two movies again reminded me how much they influenced Strange Embrace and to some extent everything I write.
Ron Fortier(Green Hornet, Airship 27) :
I grew up watching the old Universal Classic Monsters on late night TV. Of them all, the one that gave menightmares was the Wolf Man. Lon Chaney Junior's portrayal of Larry Talbot was haunting from start to finish. But when became the Wolf Man, I was ready to dive under my bed.
Later modern movies really never did much for me except for two. The first being The Exorcist, which I totally was mesmerized by in the theater. The more possessed Linda Blair became, the more I kept averting my eyes. To this day I've never watched it a second time. How's that for being bothered/scared by a flick.
And finally Jeepers Creepers (the first one), another genuine spook producer. When the brother ends up in the farm cellar filled with corpses, I'm totally freaking out and yelling at the screen. A true masterful fear job. The sequel was only okay, and never captured the true sense of horror of the first.
Victor Gischler (Deadpool Merc with a Mouth):
I love Alien. Some people consider this sci-fi, others horror. I think both. Rosemary's Baby is disturbingly entertaining. I don't shy away from violence, but stuff like the Saw movies does little for me. The old Hammer films are always a treat. Anything with Peter 
Cushing or Christopher Lee.
Mike Carey (The Unwritten, X-men legacy):
The Shining has to be right up there in spot number one. Nothing is scarier than that moment when Danny is riding his tricycle around and around the empty corridors, and turns a corner to confront... well, if your pants stay dry at that point, you're a better man than I am. I also love the Scatman Crothers scenes, and the ending is magnificent: perfectly played out, agonising and astonishing. After that, I'd go for the American version of The Ring, with The Orphanage in the number three spot.
Tim Seeley (Hack Slash, Wildcats): 
Trick or Treat: There's something about this movie that just comes together for me absolutely perfectly, from the cheesey metal music to the deranged and very "gay" design of the slasher...I love it.
Halloween: This is a movie you don't usually have to justify as a favorite. It's the horror-god-movie.
Fright Night: My all time favorite vampire film. I lvoe the designs, the actors, and the idea of a tv show host vampire hunter taking on a real vampire is too good to not love.
Let the Right One In: This is such an eerie, uncomfortable film that it redefines what a vampire film can be for me. Incredibly acting, horrific violence and a totally immersive atmosphere.
Jim Mccann (New Avengers The Reunion):
I'm not really a big "horror" guy, so I tend to like horror films that take a look at the genre in a different way, like Scream and especially Shaun of the Dead. They both had a reverence for what they were doing but also presented it in a way that let the audience in on the often ridiculous nature of horror plots.
Jason Burns (Dummy's Guide to Danger, Serpo, EIC of Outlaw):
The Thing: Because it still holds up.
Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight: I always thought that the demons in this flick were some of the best on-screen humanoid monsters ever to appear on film, and William Sadler is badass.
The Howling: Because it doesn't hold up, but it sure scared the shit out of me as a kid.
In The Mouth of Madness: Old creepy man on a bike? Yes, please!
The Kirby Krackle (Comic book rock band):
People under the stairs! Scary as hell with the pseudo 50's lifestyle mixed with S&M psychopaths shooting at things running around between the walls. WTF. Traumatizing!
Kelly Tindall (Archie Snow):
Okay, I'm hopped up on sugar! LET'S DO THIS!
Shadow of the Vampire (E. Elias Merhige, 2000)
It's not a classic, but it boasts Willem Dafoe as the horrible, foul, skeletal, deeply unsettling Max Shreck and sometimes that's all you need.
Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
The good old days when nobody knew what an alien really looked like... Especially since it kept changing into even more awful and pointy forms. An ace, mature cast in a genre-busting sci-fi classic.
The Host (Joon-ho Bong, 2006)
It's almost as good as Jaws, in my books. Part intrigue, part family drama, and part 'the best monster movie in years', The Host is full of nail-biting action and ballsy sequence after ballsy sequence. The monster's first appearance, where it decimates a packed park in the middle of a sunny afternoon, boasts effects on par with the first Jurassic Park.
The Invisible Man (James Whale, 1933)
All it takes is a viewing of the invisible Griffin taking off his clothes and getting ready for bed to remind you that special effects used to be very, very special indeed. A classic film that improves upon the book that spawned it and launched the career of the great Claude Rains. But let's not forget the star: the man whose presence is felt even when he's not really there.
The Hidden (Jack Sholder, 1987)
A forgotten classic of Eighties trash cinema, The Hidden opens with a car crashing through a baby carriage and just keeps on going. A body-swapping alien cannot be pinned down by the police until an alien cop (Kyle MacLachlan!) shows up to kick some ass.
My favorite horror movie: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
Let the Right One In is a story about two lonely kids, and that's why it's my favorite horror movie. There are some great effects and some glorious kills, but the movie's heart beats when the two leads (one aged twelve and one aged twelve... more or less) are interacting with one another. It's one of those movies that transcends genre and makes a stale, cliched monster into a vital and exciting creature.
Me:
So I guess it's my turn huh? Well after hearing all these great suggestions on personal favorites, I'm not sure I can really add much. Obviously, Halloween is my favorite holiday and to be honest, cult horror movies are my favorite genre. So here we go:
The Reanimator: When you combine Jeffrey Coombs and HP Lovecraft you get creepy magically film making. The effects are more creepy then scary and Jeffrey plays a cold and calculating man who seems to forget he's human at moments.
Army of Darkness: Bruce Campbell plays everyman Ashley J Williams who gets pulled into the past to fight a deadite army with Erik the Red and King Arthur at his side. It's played up as several different genres but ash is really that kind of hero that you want in every horror movie, the guy who doesn't put up with the monsters crap and will stand right up to them. It's probably one of my favorite though.
The Scream Trilogy: Probably some of the strongest slasher writing I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Wes Craven definitely had a blast tearing the genre apart and it does have a few great jumping out of your seat moments.
Hostel 1: The only time I have ever looked away from the screen at a movie. (F'ing blow torch scene.) Described as torture porn, this movie will make you think again about going to Europe.
Saw: For me the first saw movie is incredibly strong and I think it's more do to the suspense and not showing you exactly what happens to each trap that the Jigsaw Killer sets up. It just keeps building until the end of the movie where you will be thinking about it for weeks to come.
Cloverfield: Yes I know, most of my choices are recent but....we finally get a good American monster movie that will scare you. The parasite creatures that explode your insides? When you finally see them...pretty scary stuff. And 
the creature itself...they barely show it which makes it just scarier as you hear it in the background the entire time.
Ginger Snaps 1 and 2: If you ever get the chance to see these 2 great Werewolf movies you definitely should. Beautifully shot, honestly scary moments and great werewolf make up, they have everything that An American Werewolf in London did except the two girls leads are so much stronger thanks to their acting.
That's it for this one folks, rent yourself some of these movies...sit down with your friends or a loved one and scare yourself as much as possible. Halloween is a fun little holiday that I've loved since I was a little kid and will always love. I hope everyone has a good one, join us back here in 7 for our usual review spotlight! Happy Halloween!
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching DVDs, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
blog comments powered by Disqus