October is just around the corner, which means that I will once again partake in one of my favorite holiday traditions: watching a horror movie ever single day of the month! This will be my 4th official edition of the Horrors of October; it would have been the 6th one if I didn't get a nasty cold in 2011, ruining my overview of season one of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, or my complete lack of caring in 2012. Regardless, I have had a ton of fun binging on the cinematic macabre, from the amateurish atrocities to the scary masterpieces.
Though I get to enjoy taking in 31+ horror films every October, there's always those select few that escape my grasp. I say grasp but really I mean my utter lack of actually sitting down and making the time for them. I often resort to just randomly picking a movie with a 90 minute running time so I can get it and my review done before midnight each night. Here's 20 of them I still haven't seen in front of my naked eyes:
1. It
This movie was the all the rage back when I was in 3rd grade; that and rather stupidly Jason Goes To Hell. All of my friends wouldn't stop talking about how frightening Pennywise is and all of the big scares. My parents refused to allow me to watch it, despite it originally being a television miniseries and the fact that its "R" rating was just slapped on for the home video release. Since then, the damn thing has grown and grown further in popularity to the point of madness. This has been one of the biggest head-slappers for me, doubly so considering I own a DVD copy of it, but the drummed-up brouhaha for next year's film remake of the classic Stephen King novel has me yearning to finally watch it.
2. The Saw Franchise
Another personal story: The original Saw movie came out right during my first year in college at Syracuse University. I sadly never got around to watching it at the Regal Cinemas in the Carousel Center, instead being more focused on seeing Resident Evil: Apocalypse and the rush of world cinema in my film classes. The indie horror flick ended up becoming a blockbuster and created a new franchise for Lionsgate to abuse the hell out of. Maybe this year, I will run the gamut of Jigsaw's gory antics.
3. Let The Right One In
I heard all the love and admiration for this 2008 Swedish film and I was all set to pick up a copy of it once it hit video. Unfortunately, the internet was aflame at the awful subtitles it was given by Magnolia Films. They eventually fixed it (if the subtitles box says "English (Theatrical)", you're all set!) but the whole ordeal severely burned my anticipation.
4. The Babadook
It was all the rage in 2014 but I never got on that train to NYC in order to see the Australian flick with the frightening pop-up book.
5. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
I have touched on all of the big Universal Monsters, save for this one. The silent classic with Lon Chaney Sr.'s famous portrayal of the masked man in the rafters was expected to be an easy pick when I did my Essential Film List project but alas, never touched it due to some terrible DVD transfers.
6. The Others
This very popular horror film starring Nicole Kidman received a lot of love and attention in 2001 but it never really snatched me up with its gothic trappings. I didn't really want to see in theaters and later, when I was more engaged, it was consistently out-of-stock at my local video store.
7. Fright Night
As a huge fan of horror-comedies, the fact that I have never watched one of its granddaddies is total blasphemy. I was going to view it in time for the 2011 remake but I instead left it in the dust.
8. Irreversible
The last of the Big Five of the New French Extremity. I was intrigued to see it since its controversial premiere at the Cannes Film Festival but you must remember, this was still during the dark age of video rental stores. Blockbuster and Hollywood Video refused to care it and I wasn't in the mood then to fork over some dough for an art movie with an extended rape scene.
9. The Descent
Neil Marshall's career further blossomed when he followed up Dog Soldiers with this literal underground horror film. Doomsday nearly nipped it in the bud. Still, I want to spelunk with the extended female cast and see the horrible creatures within the cave walls.
10. [REC]
I have sat through a treasure trove of unlikable douches walking around with live cameras amid horrific plights but never have I seen this Spanish found footage horror film. I put all the blame on the English remake Quarantine and its spoiler-filled marketing campaign.
11. The Orphanage
J. A. Bayona's debut feature was overshadowed by the booming presence of Guillermo del Toro. I'm not a fan of the horror film marketing strategy of "(Insert Famous Director Here) Presents" which is why I largely avoided this in theaters. Bayona has gone on to make the amazing yet hard-to-stomach The Impossible and is already drawing major raves for this year's A Monster Calls, so maybe it's time to see his start in feature films.
12. Silent Hill
Despite many "dude, you gotta play this" from video gaming buddies, I've never gotten around to playing a Silent Hill game. Hopefully seeing its loose film adaptation will kickstart my journey into survival horror.
13. Pulse
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's sobering look at the internet age always piqued my interest but my fears of it being too depressing has always hurt it chances of being viewed.
14. Drag Me To Hell
Spider-Man 3. That's why I shunned seeing Sam Raimi's return to horror and critical acclaim in theaters. Oz: The Great and Powerful further hindered my desire.
15. Children of the Corn
Outlander! Bad reviews and constantly getting it mixed up with "The Cornfield" from The Twilight Zone made me steer clear from this half-baked yet still popular Stephen King story.
16. The Devil's Backbone
I love Pan's Labyrinth but I just softly admire Cronos. Guillermo del Toro's gothic anti-war film might fit right in between those two films when I hit play on my purchased blu-ray from the Criteron Collection.
17. Christmas Evil
I love the idea of Christmas horror movies. This has always been the top draw from that specific sub-genre, mainly due to its twisted psychological thrills and its mind-blowing ending.
18. Ginger Snaps
Female werewolves haven't been better explored and put to great use than this Canadian cult hit.
19. May
Roger Ebert famously gave this horror indie four stars and a big spotlight on At The Movies. I'm a big fan of Luck McGee's The Woman but never gotten around to seeing his early take at a twisted female protagonist.
20. Stakeland
Jim Mickle is one of the most underrated directors today. I sadly never watched any of the four acclaimed features he has done, especially his view of a vampire apocalypse.
Well that was a fun, breezy article to write up, even though it makes myself look like a idiot for continually skipping out on these features. Maybe I'll do a Part Two come next September.
But as for the big question: Will I watch any of these films next month? Just wait and see.
No comments:
Post a Comment