BEST OF LISTS

Halloween Movie List 2006

by Chris and Kris   ⋅   October 27, 2006   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

It’s that time of year again. Time for Dreamlogic’s Halloween List, 2006. We’ve made sure to recommend films that we didn’t mention in previous years, and include a range of titles to suit all tastes. You can check out last year’s list, here. As always, feel free to post your list below. On with the show:

Night of the Comet
A passing comet wipes out near all life on Earth. The only survivors, and thereby the only hope for the human race, are a couple of LA Valley Girls. A campy, fun film I saw many times as a kid. As an added bonus for SF residents, it will be screening at the Castro Theatre, with Night of the Creeps, on 10/28.

School of the Holy Beast
So it’s not a horror film in the traditional sense. There’s no Satanic presence, no demons, just warped officials of the Catholic faith. While it is certainly the penultimate Nun-sploitation film, it is also a gorgeous example of expert filmmaking. Norifumi Suzuki’s no stranger to subversion, and his skewering of the Catholic faith is unrelenting. There’s a lot here, so I hope to do a full review in the future. Suffice it to say, it is a great great film.

The Woods
A 1960’s girls prep school surrounded by mysterious woods, and run by supposed witches. Lucky McKee’s modern Grimm’s fairytale is refreshing, taut, well shot, and well acted. Kris put it quite nicely when she stated, “it’s like The Village, only good.” And it’s features Bruce “The Man” Campbell.

Feed
Quite possibly the grossest film we’ve seen all year, this tale of an Interpol agent hunting down the leader of an international betting and pornography ring based around grossly fat women (gainers) who aspire to achive a 1 ton weight limit through the aid of their “Feeders”. Force feeding, vomiting, disgusting fetishes, and murder are all covered in grisly detail over the course of the film’s 90 minute runtime. This one will make your Halloween party one to remember, for better or for worse.

Matango
Gilligan’s Island with killer fungi. This 1963 Toho production is atmospheric, genuinely eerie, and has some of the coolest effects of any of the “rubber suit” kaiju films. An excellent choice for anyone yearning for a spooky good time. Review here.

Evil Aliens
Jake West’s splatstick comedy is easily one of the funniest gory films of all time, ranking with the likes of Bad Taste and Evil Dead II. Destined to become a cult classic. Review here.

The Great Yokai War
Takashi Miike’s children’s film is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to Halloween fun for all ages. A little scary, a little thrilling, and a lot of fun. Review here. Try a double feature with Matango if you like.

Pit and the Pendulum
We have to throw the Stuart Gordon love in here somewhere, and The Pit and the Pendulum is as good a place as any. This remake of the Vincent Price, Roger Corman classic features Lance Henriksen as a bloodthirsty monk for the Spanish Inquisition. For a Full Moon picture it has exceptionally high production values, and a surprisingly well written, and well acted script.

People Under the Stairs
A Wes Craven classic. This film is wrong on so many levels. The bondage-shotgun daddy, the incestuous couple, the legions of kids under the house. It’s enough to make one never trust white people in the hood again.

Deep Blue Sea
Say what you will, but this film is stupid fun. It’s the best example of American big budget B-filmmaking in the past 10 years. Renny Harlin, LL Cool J, Thomas Jane, mutant sharks, the project seems tailor made for critical ridicule. But, if you get what the film was trying to do, it’s an absolute blast. Snakes on a Plane only wishes it could have been this cool. And yes, it has Sam Jackson.

Honorable mentions:
Jigoku (review)
Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf (review)
Flesh for Frankenstein
Rampo Noir
Demons
Night of the Demons