It's hard to start something like this back up at all, let alone write an intro to it. The last time I addressed you all was a bad time for me. But so much has happened between now and then that has brought me back to my ever angry yet adorable self. Much of that is due to help from you: my friends and family, and I'll be forever grateful for that help. Now like I said, lots has been going on lately. Mandi and I have traveled the world (re: Mexico)(re: one high priced, secluded resort in Mexico). My mom is in the process of moving to Thessalon, something she always talked about doing and I'm very excited about that. Work is still dicking me around, but at this point that's what we call SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Breaking Bad went out with a bang, and Dexter went out with being fucking horrible. I've been out of the movie scene lately. Very uncharacteristic of me, I know. But I'm very much back in the game, right on time for Halloween.
Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year because it means two things: I get to dress up in costume, and there's a new emphasis on watching scary movies. I love me some horror, but do tend to fall into the trap of not enjoying such a film because it doesn't effect (scare) me. I find many of the more widely accepted horror films boring, if not nonsensical (see The Ring, The Grudge), and find myself enjoying most horror films ironically. But there are the brave few films that actually do scare me upon first viewing, if not fuck me up forever. Some of these films I've only seen the once and will never watch again just to appreciate their effect. Others I watch every year out of love for it and hatred of myself. Please keep in mind this is not Knight Owl's Favourite Horror films, that list looks entirely different. It has fun movies on it. These are the films that had the audacity to catch me off guard and actually frighten me to a point.
Oooook, let's do this thing...
/deep breath
10. Scream (1996)
It's ridiculous to think, watching it these days, that I once considered Scream to be the scariest film I had ever seen. But even now, watching the opening scene with Drew "I was in Batman Forever" Barrymore makes me flinch. Granted, I was WAY too young when I saw this the first time (you'll hear that again later). Now I appreciate this film in different ways. It's a clever satire of the genre it belongs to, created by one of the legends of that genre in Wes Craven, while still being an effective horror film. Scream introduced me to horror films in many ways, and will always be a go-to slasher flick for me. The trick is to forget about the sequels.
9. Insidious (2010)
This movie has no right to be as creepy or effective as it is, but damn. The uses of sound and subtle visuals make this movie uber-fucking-creepy. It helps that, unlike most of the like-minded horror films lately, this movie is well paced. An original take on the 'haunted house' gimmick led to stuff I wasn't expecting, again lending to its effectiveness. Although this comes close to a film that's only good once, it's still one of my favourite horror films of the last decade and still creeps me out to this day. It would be higher on the list if it didn't seem to fall on its ass in the third act.
8. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I LOVE these movies. Yeah, they're definitely 'one and done' films that you never really need to see again, but they are so fucking fun. This one in particular stands out just because I expected fuck all and got my ass handed to me. The first film was good in a 'Blair Witch' kind of way, but horribly fucking paced. The sequel definitely improved in every way, with the multiple perspectives and increase in characters. By the third, I was like 'how many different ways can they do the same shtick?' Then they added in that goddamn oscillating fan/camera and FUCKED MY SHIT UP. Seriously, watch these movies if only once. In a dark room. I dare you.
7. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
This film gave me an appreciation for zombies that no movie before could. I never considered them a viable threat in Romero's flicks, and by 2004 Evil Dead was more a comedy than a horror film. For me, a zombie movie was just a fun time. The remake of Dawn of the Dead showed that zombies could be that threat I was looking for. People say that 28 Days Later gave us the 'fast zombie', but I feel that this is the better example. The zombies are better looking, more gruesome, and far more dangerous after learning how to pick up the pace. Snyder earned my fandom for life with this, and zombies earned my respect here that I would never give to The Walking Dead. Also, the Richard Cheese cover of 'Down with the Sickness' is so choice.
6. Saw (2004)
It makes me sad that they drove this franchise into the goddamn ground, but I swear by the original. By 2004, horror was getting stagnant. The slasher film boom that started with Scream was dwindling to ridiculousness, and the remake craze was just warming up with Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead. Saw offered up something new, which would become known as 'torture porn'. This film revolutionized the genre by being so fucking twisted, and it blew my mind in doing so. The ending is one of the best executed twist endings I've ever seen. The imagery is truly gruesome. The 'games' are terrifying in their conception. Attempting to sympathize with any of these victims is a trying experience but easy at the same time because they don't fit the typical stereotypes that a horror film presents and that's where this film got me. You can feel the terror that each victim feels and understand it because that is exactly how you'd feel in that same fucked up situation. Room full of razor wire? NOPE, I'LL CHILL HERE THANKS.
5. Jeepers Creepers (2001)
Kind of a random choice, right? It never ceases to amaze me how underrated this film is. The concept is both familiar and original. The visuals and setting put a spin on embraced tropes put forth by films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A new bad guy is introduced to the genre. This movie is fucking neat, but sometimes I forget it even exists. This film pays homage to a lot of different kinds of horror sub-genre. Add to that a cool looking baddie, great pacing, a healthy dose of gore and ultraviolence, and a final scene that I haven't been able to get out of my head for the past twelve goddamn years. This film is bad ass.
4. Halloween (1978)
It's fitting that the climax of Scream featured this film playing in the background, because Halloween is the OG slasher flick. I'm not sure what makes a big guy in a fucking Shatner mask so creepy, but Michael Myers is easily the big bad when it comes to classic horror villains. Most of the slasher film tropes were introduced here, including the killer being slow as fuck, impossible to kill, and completely without dialogue. This is to date the only horror film of its kind to creep me out even in my old age. Scream is a good time now, but Halloween is serious business.
3. Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Remember what I said about seeing movies too young? This is the perfect example. The scene of Lecter's escape with him killing the cops has been burned into my head for over 15 years now, and still squigs me out. This is proof that a single performance can drastically effect the viewing of a film. Silence wouldn't be the same without Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal the Cannibal. It's true that the follow-ups didn't quite live up to this film, but I'm almost OK with it. One Hannibal flick fucking me up is enough.
2. The Shining (1980)
This fucking movie. Re-watching it recently, I realized it kind of falls apart in the beginning, because one look at Jack Nicholson should be enough to conclude that this guy is one bad dream away from going stone cold fucknuts. Seriously though, the collection of visuals in this movie are so haunting that it's the only film I watch where I consider covering my eyes or fast forwarding through scenes. Elevator full of blood? No problem, but splice it in with Danny's screaming face and those goddamn girls keeps me up at night. Easily the best horror film of all time in my eyes.
1. Gravity (2013)
FUCK THIS MOVIE. THE END.
