October Blogue part 1

Since this is the beginning of October, I'd like to kick off this blog with some of my personal favorite horror/special effects films. These films are what stand out to me with true movie "magic." Many contemporary films rely on visual effects (or CGI effects) which take away from the mystery of "how'd they do that?" and with Horror films, or films with great special effects (or practical effects) that wonderment still holds strong.

In no particular order, I want to start this list off with John Carpenter's The Thing from 1982. 

Adapted from Howard Hawks' 1951 Film The Thing from Another World, the film follows a group of scientists in the Arctic as they deal with a deadly alien organism that imitates any living creature it comes in contact with. Starring Kurt Russel,  Keith David, and Wilford Brimley, this classic is also loosely based off of H.P. Lovecraft's story At the Mountains of Madness. I remember this film fondly from my childhood after seeing screenshots of the creature in a Sci-Fi magazine. Seeing a severed human head with spidery legs sprouting out from the top and a mouthful of fangs hanging from the ceiling. 

The effects used with the creature are nightmareish, including a dog that turns itself inside out, to a chest cavity opening up and biting off the arms of a man trying to perform a defibrillation. They strike a horrific balance within the uncanny valley, since the creature is trying to look human, but isn't getting it quite right until the very end of the film. This is also a great example of why you should never fully expose or explain the creature, helping to further instill the same paranoia in the audience as to the characters on screen. And to top it all off, the score was composed by my personal favorite composer, Ennio Morricone. You'll be hearing me gush over his work throughout the blogs, especially when we discuss Western and Noir films.

Next up is a bit of an obscure cult favorite, Repo! The Genetic Opera from 2008. 

It is by far, the BEST Sci-fi Horror Musical i've ever seen (and no, that doesn't count Rocky Horror, since IMDB counts that as a comedy musical). Adapted from the stage play of the same name and written by the same duo, Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, this post-apocalyptic gothic thriller follows the exploits of a Conglomerate that has cornered the market of genetically engineered body parts which they sell to the populace after a plague wipes out most of the populace. This comes at a major cost, however, and should those who have the implants fail to pay, they send out the Repo Man to repossess said implants. 

Starring Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, Sarah Brightman, and Paris Hilton, the best way to describe this film is Hot Topic: The Movie. It's not the deepest film in the world, but it's a good bit of gory fun and you get to see Paris' face fall off, so there's that.

Back to serious horror, the films that kicked off Rob Zombie's film career: House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005). 

 

This pair of films are really the pinnacle of everything Rob Zombie IS. you can't really watch these movies and not think that this is what goes on in his mind. Starring Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie and Matthew McGregory, these films follow a family of deranged serial killers. In House, you watch as they prey on a group of unsuspecting teens looking for the strange and bizarre (sound familiar?) however, it's the hallucinogenic imagery and the gruesome downfall of the characters that make Jigsaw seem like a reasonable person. scenes including, but not limited to: necrophilia, human taxidermy, mutilation, and psychotic Clowns, this is not a film for the easily offended. 

Rejects is the continuation of this story, but in the form of a Thelma and Louise style roadtrip film as the family is on the run from the law, and getting their kicks along the way. 

The end is still the best use of Freebird i've ever seen, and has a sort of heartwarming feel to it when you see the dedicatoin to Matthew McGrory, who passed away during the filming of the film. If you love gory horror films and have a knack for the sick and twisted, these are the first films I would recommend.

Next up, Hobo with a Shotgun from 2011. 

Playing off of the exploitation and grind house films of the 70's and 80's, Hobo is full of over the top special effects, including decapitation via draw and quartering from a vehicle, hands being shoved into lawnmowers and PLENTY of shotgun wounds. 

Staring Rutger Hauer as the titular character, this indie film does what the best indie horror films do: never holds back. There's not a whole lot to explain with this one, Hobo with a Shotgun is exactly what it sounds like.

And speaking of Indy horror films, I can't forget to include the Evil dead trilogy, but specifically Evil Dead 2. 

These legendary films by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell have become staples in the horror genre. What makes part 2 my favorite have to be the effects. It hits the perfect balance of creepy, terrifying, funny and gruesome that is rarely seen in other films. Starting with the stop motion ballerina, to the possessed hand, the laughing deer head, and the birth of the chainsaw arm, the effects are beautifully haunting and have earned their place in cinematic history as far as I am concerned. 

If you haven't seen these films yet, stop reading and watch these.

Going to a more lighthearted ghost film with amazing effects, the classic Ghostbusters film, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver and the late Harold Ramis. 

I don't need to go in to too much detail for you about the story, since you've more than likely seen it multiple times before, but what makes it special for me are the effects and the creature design. 

The ghosts look like mutated versions of what you would have seen from The Haunted Mansion, and the compositing of the characters in the scene is still flawless to this day. But you knew all of this already, because you've seen this countless times... right? Seek immediate medication if this is false.

That will conclude part 1 of my list of monster/horror films. next week will be part 2, and hopefully will have some added content from other horror buffs!

For more film reviews which lean towards the macabre, head to my friend Dani's Blog. She goes into much more in depth analysis of more lesser known films, or films you may not have considered watching.