It’s the Halloween edition, which means I get to talk about one of my favorite movie genres: horror. I love articles where I pretty much just tell you guys what media I like, and this is one of those. Let’s get into it.
“Saw”(2004)
If you know me personally you know I recently remembered how much I love this movie and I can’t shut up about it. The somewhat interminable franchise that followed aside, the first “Saw” movie is a masterpiece. It’s an incredible film, made captivating by the performances of Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell (who, coincidentally, wrote the film). I love this movie. I love it. It’s weird, it’s creepy, it’s exciting, it has Shawnee Smith, and it somehow fits more homoeroticism into thirty seconds near the end than some full-length films, although that last part is just my opinion.
“Signs”(2002)
M. Night Shyamalan, my most beloved of beloveds. I also love “The Sixth Sense” and “The Village,” but “Signs” is the first horror movie–or thriller, I suppose–I ever watched and for that reason, it holds a special place in my heart. I also think at least once a month about the part where Joaquin Phoenix says that he believes in miracles because he narrowly avoided kissing a girl right before she threw up. I don’t even know why, but that little monologue takes me out every time.
“Carnival of Souls”(1962)
My opinion article this week is entirely about this movie. It’s a weird, terrifying, accidental cult classic made by a bunch of non-filmmakers with no money. It’s awesome.
“Suspiria”(1977)
Dario Argento, my beloved. I cannot describe this movie in words. You have to see it with your eyes. It’s weird and beautiful and made me afraid of maggots forever.
“Jaws”(1975)
One of Steven Spielberg’s many pretty much irreproachable works. There’s nothing bad to say about this movie.
“The Crow”(1994)
This is one of my favorite movies, period. It’s campy, it’s unflinchingly sincere, and it’s badass. The costuming is glorious, the revenge story is maybe one of the best in its genre, and the makeup is iconic. I love this movie, in no small part because Eric Draven is so incredibly dramatic. If I were raised from the dead to avenge my murdered sweetheart, I too would set a pawn shop on fire before playing a mournful electric guitar solo on a dark rooftop. Plus, the soundtrack rules. Even if you don’t watch “The Crow,” give the soundtrack a listen. It’s got Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Violent Femmes, Pantera, and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – to name only a few.
“Dawn of the Dead”(1978)
Yeah, I watched this because I found out it’s what MCR’s “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville” is about. And what about it? That song rips and so does this movie. I also have an award-winning idea for a modern-day lesbian reboot, but that’s an article for another day.