Dreamlogic.net’s Halloween List 2007
Wow. Is Halloween really in only two days? I meant to put up this Halloween list earlier, but at least we’ve got 48 hours.
Previous Dreamlogic.net Halloween lists have covered a lot of our cult and personal favorites, and with each subsequent year it becomes harder and harder to come up with a list that doesn’t repeat itself. This year, rather than going completely niche, we’ve assembled a list of recent favorites as well as personal guilty pleasures. You can find the previous years’ lists here and here.
Murder Party . Easily our favorite horror film of the past few years. The film is so funny we saw it three times in one week. Check out our review here.
Sleepy Hollow . Tim Burton’s film may not have been a critical success, but it easily ranks as one of my most watched DVDs, and the perfect realization of Burton’s gothic world. Say what you want, but I love this film.
From Dusk Till Dawn . Rodriguez and Tarantino’s precursor to Grindhouse is quite a bit of fun to watch, provided you make it through the boring opening and Tarantino playing George Clooney’s brother. This one I’ve seen about four or five times. Check it out.
Horrors of Malformed Men . Hands down the coolest cult release of the year. What? You don’t know about it? Please, rectify the situation by checking out my review, here.
Frankenhooker . The funniest horror film I ever neglected. I remember the screaming video box from when I was a kid, but figured the gimmick might hide a sub-par movie. Boy, was I wrong. This film rocks, and deserves a place in any serious cult film enthusiast’s collection. “Wanna date?”
The Descent . Tell you a secret? I hated Dog Soldiers. In fact, I hated it so much I didn’t bother to see The Descent when it came out in theaters. What a mistake. I can only imagine how suspenseful this film was on the big screen. Kris and I are farely passive viewers when it comes to horror films these days, but this one had us on the edge of our seats. You’ll never look at spelunking the same way again.
Soul Survivors . You know Casey Affleck now from Gone Baby Gone, but watch this one to see exactly how far he’s come! Kris and I kind of split over this one. She liked the philosophy, while I liked the lesbians. Check it out.
Splatter: Naked Blood . I would have never seen this if it wasn’t mailed to me, but man, this is one strange sexy gross film. The part where the woman eats herself, with a fork and knife, is one of the grossest things I’ve seen in a while. Review here.
Alien . Yah, we know this is on everyone’s list, but we’re going to include it anyways. Ridley Scott’s film is a fricking masterpiece. I’m not sure whether we prefer the original theatrical or the director’s cuts, so feel free to check them both out. Oddly enough, my second fave is the incredibly perverse Alien Resurrection.
Suspiria . The first Dario Argento film I ever saw, and quite possibly his only good one. Seriously, I spent quite a bit of money picking up Argento DVDs (and trying to convince Kris of his legitimacy as a director) only to find none of them provided the initial high of this film. A fluke, but a wonderful fluke. Plus, it’s got Udo Keir!
Paranoia 1.0 . You know, Jeremy Sisto’s doing pretty good for himself as far as horror films go. Starting in Dean Koontz’s Hideaway, he’s tackled May, Wrong Turn, Dead and Breakfast, and this little gem from 2004. I guess you could call this one coding horror, complete with nanobot and viral marketing terrors. And, what’s this? It’s got UDO KIER!!!!!!
Jacob’s Ladder . I can’t believe I never included this one. The film scared the bejeezus out of me when I was in Junior high school. I couldn’t look into a mirror at night without fearing I’d see the shaky-face man staring back at me. Adrian Lyne’s best film. Watch it.
Fire in the Sky . So what if it was all a hoax? This one made me afraid of alien abduction for quite some time. These dudes make the X-Files grays look like big softies. Even those that shoved those big calipers up Mulder’s nose. Serious.
Iris . Butt-naked Judy Dench, swimming underwater. Oh. My. God. I’m scarred for life.
Bride with White Hair 1 and 2 . While not technically a Halloween or horror film, I’d say the sheer amount of bloodletting and the tragic love story make it so. I like both these films quite a bit. Sure, the second’s a bit lesser in the story department, but it’s got a lot of action, twice the blood, and Christy Chung in her first starring role. Good stuff.
Calvaire . Remember that song in the nineties where that guy was singing “I can never be your woman” and everyone who heard it was left feeling a bit confused an uneasy? That’s kind of where Calvaire is coming from, a French thriller about backwater madness, aggression, and captivity that makes Deliverance look like a relaxing vacation.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein . Why I didn’t think of this earlier, I have no idea. I don’t think it really needs an explanation. It’s so sweet and so funny it warrants a watch even if you’ve seen it many times before. And, if you’re really looking for a full night of old-fasioned fun, make it a double feature with The Raven, featuring Vincent Price.
The Ghost . Just finally saw this one the other evening. Sure, it’s more wet haired ghost horror, this time from Korea, but it’s good wet haired ghost horror. Stars Ha-Neul Kim from My Tutor Friend. Review coming this week.
Bonus Pick. Charlie Band’s Gingerdead Man. No, this was not a good movie at all. So why am I including it? Because Kris and I are executive producers of Gingerdead Man Part II: The Passion of the Bread, that’s why. Check it out next year. It’ll be a lot funnier than the first.
Supplemental Bonus Picks :) : Carved: The Slit Mouth Woman, Sars Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis, Blind Woman’s Curse
