Movies My Way

#10 . Nightmare Before Christmas

A Tim Burton classic from the get go.  This film deserves respect simply for the laborious process it takes to create.  Everything from the characters and sets to the music just oozes the changing of the seasons.  The Gothic style of this film really sets the tone and gets you ready for the Fall.

#9. Young Frankenstein

Due to the great blog over at Cinemassacre, I am starting to gain a real appreciation for classic horror film making.  Although this film was made in 1974 and not regarded as a ‘true classic’ of the Universal golden age of the big three monsters (Dracula, Wolfman and Frankenstein), this film does a great send up of the entire genre while honoring the great history these films have.  I still laugh myself to tears at this scene.

#8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Perfect example of neo-horror that really ushered in most of the films that we equate with contemporary horror slasher(Friday the 13^th, Halloween, etc.).  This film is absolutely terrifying in more ways than you think.  Maybe it is the grittiness of the film stock or the deeply disturbing characters that make you feel just a little uneasy throughout the entire film.  Regardless, this film’s almost documentary style feel and use of uneasy tension building, makes it one of those films you just can’t pass up during the Halloween season.

#7. Night of the Living Dead

Not much that can said here that hasn’t been said before.  George Romero’s 1968 low budget zombie film is the standard by which almost all zombie films are made today.  This film is the perfect example of taking an idea that had been established previously and making it into something new and unique.  I had the chance to watch the first “zombie” film to be released recently, White Zombie starring Bela Legosi. Interesting film for 1932, but I think George Romero thought it could be more.  He was right and you need to watch this film at least once if you haven’t before.

#6. The Thing (1982)

Although this is a remake from “The Thing From Another World (1951)”, John Carpenter updated this classic and turned it into one of those films that garners respect from almost all horror fans.  It has some of the best tensions filled scenes every to be conceived and only adds to the sense of being stranded alongside the characters within the film. The creature effects were some of the most cutting edge visual effects captured on film.  The fact that this film too is being remade and using primarily digital effects worries me.  Either way, on a cold fall night, turn off the lights and watch this film.

#5. The Orphanage

This foreign film didn’t make the rounds too much when it first came out.  Understandably, foreign films have a specific audience and foreign horror films have an even harder time.  This is a nice little ghost story that builds on atmosphere and creepiness.  Really sets the mood for a haunted house type of mood.  All you need is the rain and lightning outside to make this a really Halloween must see.

#4. Dawn of the Dead

There was a summer where my family took a road trip to Yakima Washington to see their good friends Jim and Ruth Anne Krause.  Our families were such good friends, that my brother and I got a long great with their two boys, Matthew and Mark.  We spent a crazy week with them one summer playing Atari and watching movies.  For some reason, we ended up on a little zombie marathon from the local video store.  There were two that I remember clearly.  Dawn of the Dead and the other sits in the number 2 spot.  I just remember how approachable this film was and allowed me to understand the fantasy of the horror genre.  Even Tom Savini (Effects Artist) stated in the commentary that he hated the color of the blood in this film because it looked like melted crayon red.  He did say though that it adds to the fantasy of the film which I appreciated.

#3. Return of the Living Dead

This was the other film I remember seeing that fun summer.  I can easily say that this is my personal favorite zombie film ever.  This film strikes such a great balance of horror, gore, effects, humor, story and capturing a feel for the 80′s and its music.  When I got a Blu-Ray player, this was one of my first purchases and now that I have a 1080p projector, I can’t wait to watch this one this season.  Tarman is still one of the greatest and creepiest creature effects I have seen in any film.

#2. Trick ‘r Treat

This one slipped by a lot of people.  I guess this film was a victim of getting shelved by the studios for whatever reason.  Unfortunately, it never saw a big screen debut.  Fortunately, it was able to find a pretty sizable audience in the DVD market.  I reviewed this film 2 years ago and really enjoyed it.  I think that it really went to great extents to ensure that it really set the Halloween mood.  I think that is why so many people like this film.  It is a new entry in the genre that has an updated feel and is lots of fun.

#1. Halloween

I know this may seem a little  “on-the-nose” for this list but the reason I picked this film goes deeper for me, even though this is a really good film.  Back when my brother and I were kids, we would often hang out at my aunt’s house who lived rather close to us in Clovis, CA.  Her son Eric was about 4 years older than my brother and about 6 years older than me.  Without saying it, I think my brother and I both really looked up to Eric.  We loved hanging out with him!  It was the best part of almost every family gathering.  Everything he did just seemed cool.  He would tell tales of his adventures in high school and crazy movies he and his friends would sneak into.  He introduced us to new music like the Clash and Oingo Boingo.  He introduced us to films too.  He even introduced us to his passion for for film making.  I can still remember a little 8mm film that he showed us of Mr.Bill claymation he did. I loved it!  Like I said, everything he did just was cool.  Since my brother and I were too young to see many of the movies out there (this was way before the PG-13 rating), he would spend hours telling my brother and I about the horror movies that he saw with his friends.  The film Halloween was one of them.  I don’t know what it was, but the way he told the story of this film really created a theater of the mind for me.  I remember not being scared or anything.  I was just next to him listening to him spin the tale of Michael Myers and his terrors through Haddonfield, Illinois.  It spoke to his talent as a storyteller.  Unfortunately, my cousin Eric is no longer with us and it is still hard to deal with at times for me and my entire family. It created a spark within me, though.  To this day, I still enjoy the fantasy of the horror film genre and I credit that passion entirely to my cousin.  Thanks Eric!  I miss and love you.