Top 10: Halloween Movies (with GIFs!)
So seeing as it's Halloween and I like lists... Here is my top ten movies to watch at or around Halloween! Or Christmas! Or Hanukkah. Or Ramadan. Or whenever you like a good scare. There are many others I could list, but for Halloween season, these will have to do.
Yeah, anyways, here's my list in no real order:
1. The Loved Ones
I saw this at TIFF when it originally came out and had to wait three long years for it's release in North America. I cannot recommend this prom-themed, confetti-covered, Aussie horror film enough. With that said, it's abundance of torture/gore and offputing tone between black comedy and full-out horror are not for the faint of heart.
2. The Shining
One of my two favourite horror films of all time. Although I feel this one needn't an explanation as to why it's recommended, if you haven't seen Stanley Kubrick's excellent foray into horror, get on it.
3. Trick r' Treat (2007)
If you haven't seen this one, this is one of my favourite movies to take place at Halloween. A series of vignettes, both funny and scary, all vaguely connect to create a very enjoyable and atmospheric Halloween romp.
4. Suspiria
My other favourite horror film of all time, for the exact opposite reasons as The Shining. While The Shining has a great setup and slow build to the madness, Suspiria is more colourful, excessive, and fun horror flick from Dario Argento. Maybe not to everyone's tastes and the acting (and the dubbing) is not always great, but Argento paints some beautifully macabre images.
5. The Descent
Always loved this one. Even if you aren't claustrophobic or afraid of the dark, the first half of the film will still have you on edge. When the gory second half kicks in and the proverbial shit hits the fan, I was even more of a happy camper than I was previously. To top it all off, the performances from the all-female cast are top-notch and very believable, which I enjoyed far more than the typical disposable characters in other horror films.
6. Black Christmas
My favourite slasher and one of my favourite Christmas films. Maybe not one I can watch with the family, but this Canadian slasher builds it's suspense well and keeps plenty to the imagination instead of splattering the screen red.
No GIF for this one sadly.
7. TIE: Inside / Martyrs
I tie these two as these two French horror films are incredibly intense and insanely gory, but I like them for different reasons. Martyrs I found scarier, and it's first half alone puts it high in my favourite horror film, however it's queasy last half is not for the faint of heart or stomached. Inside is equally gory and gross, but I found it more tense than terrifying as it's pace is faster and it's gore gags more frequent and extravagant.NOTE: For those who like Xavier Dolan (or don't for that matter), he makes a brief appearance at the beginning of Martyrs.
8. TIE: The Conjuring / Sinister
I find there is a lot of pretty bad horror movies out as of late, so when I see something that successfully gives me the creeps, Iiii like it. I found The Conjuring more suspenseful overall, and while I can't say I was a huge fan of the final act of Sinister, I still found it grim and spooky all the way through.
9. In The Mouth of Madness
This delirious and strange John Carpenter film is heavy on atmosphere and has an excellent performance from Sam Neil as a writer who loses his mind (as well as many others) after the relase of his new book. I debated putting up The Thing instead, but this one takes the cake for me.
10. The Crow
Not really a horror movie, but as it takes place on Halloween night and sits as another favourite... here it is. Brandon Lee did a great job in the title role, despite it being his last. He's also a badass. So there's that.
HONORARY MENTIONS:
Halloween (1978)
Hate to be cliché, but it's pretty essential viewing for Halloween. I've always been more of a Freddy fan myself as far as slashers go, but you can't go wrong with the original.
Dawn of the Dead (Original or remake)
Gotta have a zombie one in there. If you like 'em slow, see the original. If you like 'em fast, see the new one!
Yeah, anyways, here's my list in no real order:
1. The Loved Ones
I saw this at TIFF when it originally came out and had to wait three long years for it's release in North America. I cannot recommend this prom-themed, confetti-covered, Aussie horror film enough. With that said, it's abundance of torture/gore and offputing tone between black comedy and full-out horror are not for the faint of heart.
2. The Shining
One of my two favourite horror films of all time. Although I feel this one needn't an explanation as to why it's recommended, if you haven't seen Stanley Kubrick's excellent foray into horror, get on it.
3. Trick r' Treat (2007)
If you haven't seen this one, this is one of my favourite movies to take place at Halloween. A series of vignettes, both funny and scary, all vaguely connect to create a very enjoyable and atmospheric Halloween romp.
4. Suspiria
My other favourite horror film of all time, for the exact opposite reasons as The Shining. While The Shining has a great setup and slow build to the madness, Suspiria is more colourful, excessive, and fun horror flick from Dario Argento. Maybe not to everyone's tastes and the acting (and the dubbing) is not always great, but Argento paints some beautifully macabre images.
5. The Descent
Always loved this one. Even if you aren't claustrophobic or afraid of the dark, the first half of the film will still have you on edge. When the gory second half kicks in and the proverbial shit hits the fan, I was even more of a happy camper than I was previously. To top it all off, the performances from the all-female cast are top-notch and very believable, which I enjoyed far more than the typical disposable characters in other horror films.
6. Black Christmas
My favourite slasher and one of my favourite Christmas films. Maybe not one I can watch with the family, but this Canadian slasher builds it's suspense well and keeps plenty to the imagination instead of splattering the screen red.
No GIF for this one sadly.
7. TIE: Inside / Martyrs
I tie these two as these two French horror films are incredibly intense and insanely gory, but I like them for different reasons. Martyrs I found scarier, and it's first half alone puts it high in my favourite horror film, however it's queasy last half is not for the faint of heart or stomached. Inside is equally gory and gross, but I found it more tense than terrifying as it's pace is faster and it's gore gags more frequent and extravagant.NOTE: For those who like Xavier Dolan (or don't for that matter), he makes a brief appearance at the beginning of Martyrs.
8. TIE: The Conjuring / Sinister
9. In The Mouth of Madness
This delirious and strange John Carpenter film is heavy on atmosphere and has an excellent performance from Sam Neil as a writer who loses his mind (as well as many others) after the relase of his new book. I debated putting up The Thing instead, but this one takes the cake for me.
10. The Crow
Not really a horror movie, but as it takes place on Halloween night and sits as another favourite... here it is. Brandon Lee did a great job in the title role, despite it being his last. He's also a badass. So there's that.
HONORARY MENTIONS:
Halloween (1978)
Hate to be cliché, but it's pretty essential viewing for Halloween. I've always been more of a Freddy fan myself as far as slashers go, but you can't go wrong with the original.
Dawn of the Dead (Original or remake)
Gotta have a zombie one in there. If you like 'em slow, see the original. If you like 'em fast, see the new one!
Comments
Post a Comment