Feature: Some of my favourite horror movies
By: Alexa Williamson
Recently, a friend asked me to recommend some horror movies to him. I gave this a good think about which ones stuck in my mind and were ultimately memorable.
Interestingly, my list of what I consider to be the ‘best’ horror movies is quite short.
They are the following (with the director noted if his direction, imparticular makes it an excellent piece and is a signature of his work):
1. Prince of Darkness (1987) – John Carpenter
Nutshell: About the devil coming to earth.
Reason: The suspense.
2. The Fog (1980) – John Carpenter
Nutshell: A mysterious fog surrounds a town and people die unexpectedly.
Reason: Again, the suspense, although the special effects are now outdated.
3. Dawn of the Dead (1978 ) – George A Romero
Nutshell: Zombies everywhere! ; )
Reason: Something very ‘real life’ about it – ie horror movie set against ‘American mall/trash backdrop’ – and that it actually could happen.
4. Hellraiser (1987)
Nutshell: An unfaithful wife encounters her dead lover’s zombie that has escaped from Hell.
Reason: Scared the shit out of me.
5. Blair Witch Project (1999)
Nutshell: The classic cam-corder horror movie in which three kids go to try to find the ‘Blair Witch’ out in the backwoods of the American South – and never return.
Reason: Scared the shit out of me.
Other ‘horror-genre’ movies worth noting:
1. Braindead (1992) – Peter Jackson
Reason: Darkly humourous and ookily (ie oddly) interesting – Peter Jackson’s old work (including this piece and The Feebles) has a unique flair to it.
2. The Thing – John Carpenter
Reason: Some folk I know, who have good taste in horror movies, find it spine-chilling. I thought it was ‘ok’, but it’s still worth noting.
3. I am Legend (2007) and 30 Days of Night (2007)
Reason: Vampire movies that scared the shit out of me but aren’t as strong memories for me as the above.
