Yeah, I’m a writer and probably should be plugging scary books, but let’s face it, if you haunt this holiday at all, you’re probably going to zombie out to a movie. If you REALLY want a couple of guaranteed goose-bump reads, I plug Borealis by Ron Malfi (interviewed him on here last Halloween—check it out) and Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. BTW, Tattoo Rampage by yours truly has some creepy parts, so I'm told. Couldn’t help myself.
But on to the cinema!
The film that did the ‘video cam/mock documentary chiller’ most effectively and pretty much spawned all the ones you see now was The Blair Witch Project. With a budget that must have spilled out of a coffee can, Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick created a masterpiece that earned the right to be mentioned along with The Exorcist. Watch The Blair Witch Project in the dark and you will feel it.
Tucker and Dale Versus Evil stars Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine. Whereas those names may not chime a bell in your memory, Tudyk is a chameleon actor, who has delivered amazing performances in anything from dramas to westerns, but he made his way up the ‘ladder’ through comedy. Also a veteran of comedy and extremely talented, Labine is who I like to call the Jack Black in a bear outfit. The reason Tucker and Dale is a must see is due to its most original reversal on the whole ‘twisted redneck in the boonies’ approach. I don’t like to recommend gory films, and this one is, but I have to praise it for the brilliant twist and humor.
A traditional, well plotted horror film with a director who knows how to scare rather than spray you with blood (in this case anyway) is Drag Me to Hell. Tragic in its ensnarement of the heroine, Drag Me to Hell has a main character who you will really care about thus making the surmounting dread that much more palpable as you realize she is in such a bad way.
This one has gotten so much praise that I hardly need to share it. The Cabin in the Woods not only breaks the mold, but pulverizes it. I wish more horror writers could do away with convention enough to dream up unique premises like this. I won’t tell you the premise, but even if you don’t like scary movies, you’ll respect it.
Ghosto Dave
3 comments:
The only scary movie I ever truly liked was The Shining. Because, who can not like Jack Nicholson and his creepy faces? Heeeeere's Johnny!
I like scary, creepy movies more so than gory movies.(Some gore is acceptable) One's with a story line like The Others, The Shining, and many more. Looking forward to reading you book, Dave.
Interesting choices. Have to check some of them out. Some of my favorites are a bit older: Nomads, Near Dark, and [the first] Nightmare on Elm Street, just to name a few. The first Evil Dead.
Hmmm, I feel a new blog post coming on...!
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