Well what do you know? It's almost Halloween folks! If you've got plans to trick or treat or party the night away with some fancy and scary costumes, this is the night to remember and look forward to. Over the years, there have been several ways to celebrate "All Hallow's Eve", and it's quite possibly the best time to scare yourselves over with some frightening forms of media and entertainment. When it comes down to it, I can't think of anything better than popping in a movie or video game that has horror written all over it, and there's a plethora of titles to choose from that have scared humanity for generations to come. I'll keep things simple and go down to my top 10 list of horror movie franchises that I love, each giving me some horrific memory to worry about. Without further delay, here are some treats to consider watching, with some poster links via Wiki.
Halloween Top 10 Horror Movie Franchises:
10.)
Howling - I've been a fan of werewolves since I was a kid, even more so than Vampires. Back in the 80's, werewolf movies were becoming the trend, and seeing a person change into a howling beast of madness was the in thing, especially when John Landis unleashed "An American Werewolf In London" to the movie going public. That was instrumental in making Werewolves known to everyone, but so were a few other films like the Howling series. I guess the most memorable installment I can remember was "Howling: The Rebirth", which had closer ties to the novel and portrayed this horror mystery where a group of people gather in an ancient castle to combat and kill a Lycanthrope, who happens to be among their ranks. I never really followed the series afterwards, but the effects of changing from man/ woman to wolf still remain memorable to me until this day. It was pretty surreal... and intensely awesome.
9.)
Halloween - I didn't really get into the whole Michael Myers thing. As a kid, I always thought the concept looked kinda bland, and the only thing giving me the chills was the theme music popping up whenever ol' Mike appeared to kill an unsuspecting fellow. The original was directed by the legendary John Carpenter, and the only thing I found amusingly "scary" was the mask of Mr. Myers, which happened to be created from a mold taken from William Shatner! As the years rolled on, my experience with the series came to a head with the release of Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers. B-Movie was written all over it, but it did the trick in making me dread the man who would also be known as "The Shape". The Halloween series also made Jamie Lee Curtis and the late great Donald Pleasance household names for their portrayals of Laurie Strode and Dr. Samuel Loomis, each an integral part of Michael's life. The remake by Rob Zombie was a good reimagination, but I have yet to watch the sequel. Anyone looking for a mad serial killer flick should definitely check this series out.
8.)
A Nightmare On Elm Street - I'll be frank, Freddy Krueger knows how to make you NOT SLEEP at night. I never followed the Nightmare On Elm Street series religiously like other horror flicks, but I did watch the movies as a kid, and it was enough to scare the shit out of me sometimes. Freddy's iconic visage alone is enough to tell you the guy wants you to suffer agonizing dreams, and what he has delivered in the films thus far is a testament to his insanity and madness. He can be defeated by being brought into the real world, yes, but the dream world is his nightmarish kingdom to exploit, and he'll carve up some scars and dismember his victims with those trademark blades he has from his glove. When director Wes Craven made Nightmare and Freddy, he didn't know he unleashed a beast from the underworld. With that said, it made actor Robert Englund the kind of star that nightmares are made of.
7.)
Friday The 13th - Somehow, I knew we were going to revisit Jason Vorhees in this list. He's the first B-movie character that scared the shit out of me, especially AFTER he resurrected from the dead. I always constituted the Friday series as a mix of teenagers, sex, and a deranged guy who wanted to kill, pure and simple. The backstory behind Jason's methods stem deeper than anyone could ever imagine, from drowning as a young boy in Camp Crystal Lake to harnessing his powers from Hell itself, managing to live again and again through demonic possession and such. That's how I remember this series, for the iconic giant serial killer who always wore a Hockey Mask and relentlessly paved a path of destruction until desperate means put a stop to him... temporarily at least. Actor Kane Hodder was the guy I remember well for playing that menacing role, and to this day, I still hear the "ch-ch-ch... cha-cha-cha" echo in my mind, signaling that Jason's presence is not far behind.
6.)
Evil Dead - Sam Raimi made his name here before the Spider-Man films, and there's a pretty good reason why I love the Evil Dead films. Aside from it being horrifying and twisted, it's funny and awesome, and it's all thanks to the machinations of one man - Bruce Campbell, the actor who played the main protagonist, Ash. With his "charming looks and clean personality", Ash is the kind of hero who doesn't take shit and tries to laugh in the face of danger despite his stubborn and narrow-minded demeanor. This is a guy who calls his shotgun a boomstick and replaces his own severed hand with a chainsaw... so how can you not call that AWESOME? This series is simply a must watch for any horror freak, especially Army Of Darkness, where the real fun starts and ends. Oh, before anything else, always remember those damn words before you get your hands on the Necronomicon.XD
5.)
George Romero's Dead Movies - George Romero introduced me to Zombies, and way before it became popular today, it was THE GENRE that had to make my list before I saw anything else. My first actual exposure was the 1990 remake of Night Of The Living Dead. Directed by his special effects guy and make up legend Tom Savini, this film brought gore and infection into my zombie vocabulary, and showed how utterly futile and stupid arguing amongst one another was when you got legions of the undead surrounding you and making your imminent death a slow but painful one. Soon, I started seeing the classics, and the original Dawn Of The Dead became my favorite among the original Dead Trilogy, especially because it was set in a shopping mall, a place that became a haven and a prison for the survivors trapped inside of it. Indeed, social commentary always worked with Romero's films, and served as a warning to anyone who underestimated certain situations and took for granted the world as we know it. The Zombie boom is here now thanks to games like RE and Left 4 Dead and movies like Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead and 28 Days Later, but I'll still consider Romero the granddaddy who brought us the brain munching fun we all love. I'm really looking forward to his new movie, Survival Of The Dead.
4.)
Saw - "Live Or Die... Make Your Choice". Those words echo and resonate throughout this entire Saw series. Dubbed as "Torture Porn" to the viewing public, there's a pretty good reason why it is called that way. The first movie showed just how effective mind games can be when a person is put to the ultimate test - will you lose a life or a limb in order to save your life or someone else's? Tobin Bell became a horror icon for his portrayal of the legendary mastermind Jigsaw, and even with other new characters now basking in the spotlight, I believe no Saw experience is complete without his involvement. Since 2004, the series has branched out into six films, each with its own unique victims to test and exploit, and while I find the story confusing sometimes, it's definitely the traps in each film that keep fans coming back for more. It's the signature stuff that makes the series interesting everytime, and in the case of those being tested, it's a torture experience that'll either change them or leave them resting... in pieces.
3.)
The Ring/ Ringu - When you hear the name Sadako, you know that it's taboo to watch a mysterious video tape and leave the TV on. Back in the early 2000's, the Ring freaked me out, to the point that I literally had a hard time sleeping at night and watching a channel full of nothing but static. This was the first Japanese film that made me realize how gruesome curses can be, especially if you become complacent and confident that you broke the curse, only to realize you're still screwed in the end. The character of Sadako herself is a tragic one if you even bother to watch the rest of the series, and her misshapen and horrific visage was only born because of the evil and abuse she suffered years prior to the setting of the first film. A remake was made for Hollywood audiences, but it wasn't as good as the original Japanse version. Anyone with a faint heart should take care NOT to watch this movie, lest you have a desire to renounce watching TV forever.
2.)
The Grudge/ Ju-On - Another Japanese Horror movie that gave the chills about curses, Ju-On succeeds in many more levels than its predecessor by incorporating more horrific feats and stories that were more deadlier than watching a videotape and seeing a woman with long hair crawl out of it. Ju-On shows that curses can be born out of a deep hatred or grudge, and it all started with the murder of a housewife and her son at the hands of her husband inside their own home. Soon, anyone who came to live inside that house was doomed to become a victim of death, as the curse infects anyone inside and spreads from person to person. This is depicted throughout the entire series, and essentially caused the end of humanity itself. Spider-Man and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi dipped his hand into this series, the result of which was a remake and two sequels that did pretty good to scare the people in Hollywood. Creepy stuff, I tell you, so be careful in watching this alone kiddies.
1.)
The Exorcist - I won't lie. There's a good reason why I still consider The Exorcist the scare among all scares. It's the movie that brought demonic possession into mainstream media, and the haunting scenes of a girl possessed and doing twisted things are definitely not for the faint of heart. Words alone cannot describe the experience of watching this the first time, and if you ever consider doing so, I would suggest bringing a companion or two along with you.
Well, there you have it. Care to try watching any of these this Halloween?XD
