Horror is my favorite genre, and it is at its best when it is shared with others. Everyone has unique tastes and certain things that scare them. Being a horror fan is all about celebrating these differences, being happy for people when they find something that gave them a good time, a good scare, or both, and helping each other find those experiences. That is why I’m writing this series, I want to help introduce new people to my favorite sections of the library.
Like I said earlier, everyone’s tastes are unique to them, so tread carefully with the “SCAREDY CATS” tier and be prepared to give me scarier recommendations in the comments if my “Oh.” category doesn’t make you gasp.
“Scaredy Cat” is a term of endearment, not everybody wants to have the pants scared off them, so this is where I’m putting in things closer to horror-comedy, “cozy horror”, or things where the fear is tempered by some other big emotion (looking at you, Grady Hendrix and Junji Ito). Cat’s are cool, and so are you.
“A little spooky” is where I’m putting things that scare some folks but not all. Maybe you need to have a strong connection to the subject matter for it to land, or maybe it is a compilation of stories with some horrifying moments, but also some funny moments.
“Oh” is where I’m putting things that made either myself or someone I know put it down for a bit since it was too much for them. This is where my favorites of the genre are, but not everyone is looking for that! Also this is the most subjective category of all, so what is scary to my friends and I might not do anything for you. I do appreciate recommendations though.
Last time I asked the question, “What are your favorite fall activities?” I will ask that again, and if you answered by saying something like, “throwing pumpkins off a bridge!” or “Looking for ghosts on Riverdale Road!” or “Haunted houses!” then you are more into the social side of the season, and what’s a better activity for a group of friends than watching a scary movie? Here are some of my favorites.
SCAREDY CATS
Who doesn’t love Scooby-Doo? This is one of my favorite Scooby-Doo movies alongside Scooby-Doo! And the Witch’s Ghost, but really most of his movies are a great time. Horror isn’t just for adults, and kids movies aren’t just for kids. Pick Zombie Island if you want to hear some early 2000’s rock in Louisiana, and Witch’s Ghost for some stadium rock in New England.
Horror is a very broad genre, and Creepshow was made to highlight this variety. It is an anthology film written and directed by horror icons Stephen King and George Romero a way to reflect on and highlight the sorts of stories they read that made them love horror. Its good cheesy fun and a great way to dip your toes into the genre.
One thing many horror fans love is the concept of a trope, and how they outline and define media. Horror-Comedy even has a subgenre dedicated to “Aren’t horror movies kinda tropey?” (Looking at you, Cabin in the Woods, Tucker and Dale vs Evil, and My Heart is a Chainsaw). This whole genre got its start with Scream, and it’s a great place to go to watch a primer on what makes a horror movie a horror movie.
A Little Spooky
This is classic zombie movie. Without this one, horror would be completely different. It was notorious for causing outrage after it was shown indiscriminately to little kids nationwide whose parents weren’t expecting a movie called “Night of the Living Dead” to be scary. Like Dracula from the last blog post, this one has had such a huge impact on how we tell horror stories, what was terrifying and new at the time is a little funny and cheesy in hindsight. If you haven’t seen it, you need to give it a watch to see how horror has aged. Also this is a great pick for those of you who think that horror is only becoming literary and socially conscious because of Jordan Peele’s movies Horror has always been this way! (Seriously though give Get Out, Nope or even The Twilight Zone a watch, he is an incredible filmmaker).
John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. People like to debate about what his best movie is, since he is all over the place thematically and in terms of how serious his movies are. I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t agree that this is a great movie. It has some incredible practical effects work and puppetry in it, that some people laugh at today and others are still horrified by. I just think its cool. Get it? Cool? Because this is a horror movie about being stranded in Antarctica?
Italian horror is something else, and Dario Argento is my favorite example of that. It feels like he asks what the limits are, just so he can ignore them in as many ways as possible. If you tell him “horror movies are supposed to be dark and shadowy.” He will go out of his way to find the most garish, vivid, bright, and confusing wallpaper, stained glass, or costume he can just to scare you with it. If you tell him, “There is nothing scarier than a creeping orchestra or violin shrieks!” he will hire a synth group to just jam and have a great time. If you say, “Your final standoff has to make sense!” He will drop a chimp with a straight razor on you like some kind of spiteful genie (spoilers for the end of Phenomena, which has the greatest last 8:42 of any movie ever). Anyway, I think Suspiria is Dario Argento’s best movie.
Oh.
This is one of the most famous movies ever made. Its got it all, scary family in a scary house with scary tools, and a van full of mean teens. Check it out!
Do you like A24 horror movies like Midsommar? This one kind of fell through the cracks, but it’s the scariest possession movie I have seen. It has nothing but great performances, some really tense music, and an atmosphere that left me feeling dreadful and sad. It is fantastic, particularly as the weather grows colder.
I don’t know a good way to describe this movie in a concise way. This is the scariest portrayal of paranoia and desperation I can think of. It is the only movie I have seen that is quite like it. It has some very interesting monster designs, some stupendous acting, and some very subtle scares. This is great if you are a fan of the old Silent Hill games.
