Pisaries Creator

Things that Go Bump in the Night

There’s many Halloween movies one could watch.  I hope to watch a few new ones for the purpose of recommending or reviewing them before next year’s Halloween is chasing me.  Here’s my list of Horror movies that are timeless wonders until that time comes.  The lists are in order of release year.  Enjoy and happy horror movie watching.

  

Psycho (1960) has one of best string of first act scenes in a horror movie.  Everyone will remember to be wary of taking showers in motels.  The movie seeks to answer what really happened to the character, Marion Crane, after she left her job in a mad hurry.  The story continues to involve her sister, Lila, and her boyfriend, Sam, as they unravel the mystery.  The ending is one of the best, but this is why Alfred Hitchcock is known as “the master of suspense.”  There are five movies in this franchise, including the remake with Anne Heche and Vince Vaughn in 1998. 

The Exorcist (1973) is about a mother fighting for her daughter’s life, basically demonic possession, with the help of two priests.  If entities jump from one person to another, the ending has a definite creepiness to it.  On a side  note, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair injured their backs in different scenes so the level of authenticity is definitely present.  The are five movies in this franchise, not including the re-release in 2000 showing the staircase scene of the spider walk.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is about a group of friends, including two siblings, who encounter a family of freaks or the more technical term of being a psychopathic family.  Leatherface: a man donning human flesh as a mask, wielding a chainsaw, being extremely tall, has all the traits of one scary &#*^@^&$.  This script is very loosely based on Ed Gein, a Wisconsin serial killer, and surprisingly more serial killers are located in the pacific northwest and in some southern states.  The commentary is worth the listen.  There are seven movies in the franchise, including remakes and spin offs focusing on Leatherface.  The latest one was released this month, featuring Stephen Dorff and Lili Taylor, although I haven’t seen it.

Halloween (1978) is a movie most people watch around this time.  This is another favorite of mine.  Some are for personal reasons.  Others are purely for creative reasons.  I met Jamie Lee Curtis once.  She’s zany as you think, but in a good way.  Listening to the commentary on the DVD/Blu-ray between John Carpenter and herself was priceless.  From the opening scene to the last, it cemented my belief some people are wired to be evil.  There are ten movies in the franchise, including the Rob Zombie directed ones, and the eleventh coming out in October 2018. 

The Shining (1980) is about a haunted hotel that has negative effects on those who stay there.  A writer, Jack Torrance, with his wife and son stay at Overlook Hotel in the dead of winter.  Odd phenomenon occur as time passes, alarming Jack’s wife most of all.  Yet, all bad things must come to an end.  This is the only movie made, although there was a television mini-series made in 1997.

Friday the 13th (1980) brought the words of Camp Crystal Lake and name of Jason to the forefront of slasher films.  The movie follows camp counselors, and one by one they are hunted by an elusive killer.  There is nothing wrong about a mother’s love for her adult child, no matter how many worms he has crawling on his face, and the bond is stronger than the strongest glue.  There are twelve movies in this franchise, including spin–offs focusing on Jason and Freddy vs. Jason, and the remake in 2009.

Halloween II (1981) is another movie most people watch around this time.  This is one of my favorite sequels.  It is one of the few horror movies that holds a candle next to the original and not have its flame blown out.  The nightmare continues for Laurie Strode in the hospital.  There are ten movies in the franchise.

Gremlins (1984) is about those adorable, little creatures called mogwai.  The movie is completely absurd when you force it into the realistic cupboard, but that’s what is great about it.  There is no way an animal would change its genetic makeup at such an accelerated rate from light, water, and food.  It forces you to suspend your reality.  The lessons learned by small town U.S.A. still rings true today.  Do not possess something you are not fully prepared to handle.  You might find yourself unable to deal with the unintended consequences.  Who can forget Stripe?  The badass leader?  There are two movies in this franchise, not including the latest one to be released at a TBD date.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is about one of my favorite evil characters in contemporary horror cinema.  Yes, 33 years is not that long ago.  Freddy Krueger had all the elements of being terrifying and alluring.  His exaggerated mannerisms were a part of his darker psyche.  He paid the piper long ago and now he’s wanting to collect through revenge.  There are nine movies in this franchise, including the spin-off focusing on Freddy vs. Jason, and the remake in 2010.

Hellraiser (1987) is about a woman who finds it increasingly hard to resist her past lover who escaped the clutches of the Cenobites from hell.  He convinces her to restore him back to life by offering sacrifices to the demons.  The leader is known as Pinhead.  As some deals are made, others are broken.  When is the last time you would trust a demon?  The answer would be never.  There are nine movies in this franchise, not including the latest one to be released this year.

Images from IMDb