Well, fellow space cadets, here we are: The last day before Halloween. The last few weeks have been an absolute ride talking about the various horror movies that I’ve seen over the years. There have been good movies, bad movies and pretty much in between. Over the past few weeks I’ve covered remakes, supernatural movies, slashers, dark action movies, and various other kinds of movies. I’ve also reviewed a few including 30 Days of Night, The Descent, Venom, and the new Halloween film. It’s all been building to this, to my final Best of October for 2018. For this post, I’m going to go over some of the best horror movies that I have ever seen. Remember, this list is entirely my opinion, so it may not line up with what you consider to be the best. For me, these films are the reasons why I love this genre so much. With all that in mind, let’s unearth some of my favorite horror movies.
Hereditary
Hereditary is perhaps my favorite horror film of 2018, easily. The best horror movies, as I have stated multiple times, don’t rely on ultra-violence or jump-scares, but rather atmosphere and genuine tension. You can have those elements, but they should never overshadow what the film is trying to accomplish. Hereditary follows a family that has been racked with tragedy and there are certain elements, supernatural and otherwise that threaten to tear the family apart. There is something special about a horror film that can affect you on a personal level. Hereditary is a film where you can understand the stress and sadness that these characters are dealing with, and you can relate to that. The really good horror movies are the ones that get under your skin. This is a film that does just that. It’s not the only one though.
The Witch
I love good slow-burners, especially if they are period pieces like The Witch. This movie is creepy because it takes its time to build up its characters and setting. It’s a darkly beautiful film that follows an extreme Puritan family after they’ve been exiled for being too extreme. Over the course of the film, the family is beset by some really strange events including the disappearance of the family’s youngest child. It’s extremely unsettling, not only because of the isolated setting, but because of the family’s extreme religious beliefs and practices. It’s one of those pervasive themes that having such extreme beliefs can be very damaging to a family. There is a supernatural element to the film, but the film, like The Omen, goes out of its way to provide a direct answer. It has its shocking moments and it can be violent at times, but this is very much a character-driven horror film that stands out among the rest.
The Evil Dead(1981)
Most people would probably put the second Evil Dead film here instead of the original. They wouldn’t be wrong, but I chose the original film because it is an incredible experience. Yeah, there are a lot of technical issues that you could point out in the film, but that’s the result of a film crew that really had very little experience in making a full-blown movie. In fact, I would actually say that those issues and the not-so-good acting are really part of the charm of the film. It’s gory, brutal, but also strangely funny at times. It’s far more of a horror film than its sequels, but it still manages to put a smile on my face. The film follows a group of college students as they spend the weekend at a cabin in the woods(is there any other kind?). They discover an old beat-up book along with a tape recorder. As a result, they inadvertently unleash a demonic force that possess them one at a time. I have to say that this is one of the most amazing movies ever made. Not only was it Sam Raimi’s first film, but it also launched the careers of both him and actor Bruce Campbell. It is definitely a product of its time, but I still highly recommend it.
The Exorcist
I brought The Exorcist up in my post about supernatural movies, but it definitely bears repeating here. The Exorcist came out in 1973 and it shocked and horrified audiences world-wide. There’s a reason for that. The film handles the idea of exorcism realistically while still dealing with a supernatural event. The set-up is simple, a young girl is exhibiting really strange behavior and her mother is trying to figure out why. As it turns out, the girl is being possessed by some kind of demonic presence, so she enlists the help of a local priest that’s dealing with a spiritual crisis of his own. This movie is fucking nuts, as was the reaction to it. The film is what some critic have called, “a full frontal assault.” There’s nothing particularly subtle about what’s happening here. What really shocked people was the foul language that was coming out of Linda Blair’s mouth during the movie, and the various self-mutilating things that have been happening. There’s a reason why this film is both respected and hated at the same time. So…..recommended.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
I don’t know what it was about the 70s and 80s, but the horror movies that came out of those decades were absolutely insane, not just in terms of content, but in how they were made. Movies aren’t made like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre any more. The movie feels very much like a documentary-type of film following a group of college kids as they encounter a completely psychotic figure with a mask made of human flesh wielding a chainsaw. It’s been reviled as one of the goriest movies ever made, and yet, aside from one shot of a decomposing corpse, I can find no real gore in the movie. It’s all implied, which makes for a more intense experience. I love it when movies trick the audience into thinking they something they actually didn’t. TCM did exactly that. It’s an incredible film from beginning to end and it doesn’t overstay its welcome, unlike some of its sequels and remakes.
Night of the Living Dead
Of all the sub-genres in horror, the zombie is the one that I hate the most. It’s not because of the idea that the dead somehow come back to life and hunt people for brains. No. I hate the genre because its one of the most over-used and over-saturated sub-genres. There are so many zombie movies, that it’s not even funny, and most of them aren’t even good. That being said, George A. Romero struck gold with his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. Yeah, the zombies were slow-moving, but they were everywhere, and the film focuses on a group of folks who ended up in a farm-house. It’s not the first film to deal with zombies, but it revolutionized the genre with how it dealt with zombies. The film was shot entirely in black-and-white, and even for 1968, a black-and-white film was starting to become rarity. It’s an iconic piece of film history that no film buff should be without.
Alien
I know I’ve mentioned this one before in my other posts, but Alien is just so damned good, I have to mention it again. Yeah, it’s definitely science fiction, but it is also a real horror film at its core. There is truly something horrific about a life-form that wants to reproduce by invading your body, regardless of whether you’re a man or woman. Alien is as much a psychological thriller as it is a monster movie. It balances the two so well, that very few movies can match the film’s intensity. Combine that with H.R. Giger’s creature design and you have something right out of a goddamn nightmare. It doesn’t matter how many times that I watch the film, it’s absolutely incredible. Ridley Scott, the director, and the cast which included Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, and John Hurt round out a cast of very likable characters. The real star of the show, however, is Sigourney Weaver as Ripley. Sigourney is right up there with Carrie Fisher, Margot Kidder, and Jamie Lee Curtis as one of the greatest actresses of her generation. Alien set the world on fire as a horror film and as a film in general.
Those were some of my favorite horror movies of all time. While I could have narrowed it down to just one movie, what would be the fun in that? I adore this genre, despite some questionable films throughout the years. This year has seen some pretty decent films, and I hope that we will see more next year. I hope you all have enjoyed reading The Best of October as I did writing it. It has been a very thought-provoking and creative experience that I will never forget. These last few weeks have been incredibly rewarding as far as this site goes, and I plan on doing this again next year. While this post may be the last for The Best of October, I’ve still got one more post specifically for Halloween, so stick around.