Sunday, October 9, 2011

Scary Movies! (Guest post from Smash Attack Reads!)


Ash from Smash Attack Reads! graciously offered to do a guest post about a topic that is near and dear to many horror fans:
SCARY MOVIES!

When Pam posted that she was having a Halloween event, I knew I wanted to contribute something. I love Halloween for many reasons, but mainly because I love scary movies. Scary movies and Halloween go hand in hand. Haunted houses pay homage to scary movies, as do costumes and party themes. Plus, we get lots and lots of scary movies during the month of October. Score! Pam gave me permission to ramble on about scary movies, and well, here’s hoping that you find a movie or two worth watching!
Scary movies have been a part of my life for a really long time. I was introduced to the genre via a very well-known 80s flick, which was also my intro to the paranormal:


Oh, how I love Jason Patrick and Kiefer Sutherland in this movie! YUM-O! And the 2 Coreys were great.  Once I saw this movie, I was hooked. I rushed out and watched as many 80s horror movies as I could: Cujo (this book/movie still makes me so upset), Fright Night, Friday the 13th, Pet Cemetery, Hellraiser, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street (still one of my favorite horror movie series), Poltergeist, The Shinning, Child’s Play, The Gate, House, Killer Klowns from Outer Space (Clowns put serious fear in me. I blame IT), and The Kiss.

The 90s brought us The Silence of the Lambs, Jacob’s Ladder, Interview with the Vampire, Misery (yes, this was a horrifying movie!), Se7en, Candyman, Ringu (Love Asian Horror films!), Stir of Echoes, Scream, Tremors (LOVE!), Arachnophobia, It, The Blair Witch Project

As I got older, my taste for blood, gore and a good scare increased. And I finally realized which scary movies actually really do scare me: possession/exorcism. I’m not a religious person, but for some strange reason, movies pertaining to this topic scare the living crap out of me! One fantastic movie that focuses on possession is Stigmata. I feel like this movie does not receive enough credit when in reality, it is a pretty stellar example of a reality that I would never, ever want to live!


I’ve seen my share of zombie films, too. I must say my favorite, hands down, is 28 Days Later. The zombies in this film are what I picture the Freaks in Ann Aguirre’s Razorland series to be like. They are intense! I loved the wicked nature of this film and the hope that it presents at the end. Plus, it has Cillian Murphy in it! ♥


I used to be a major connoisseur of Japanese anime/manga movies. I still love them but don’t partake in their entertainment as much anymore. However, one of the movies will forever remain in my top horror films of all time: Versus. This movie is really odd in ways only Japanese movies can be, but it is hella entertaining with its blood and gore. We get lots of it, along with some serious action scenes and reanimated dead people.  Bonus: We get to swoon over the yummy Tak Sakaguchi!


I haven’t seen The Cell in a long time, but I remember what a visual masterpiece it was. The story is quite creepy, as the main character (a social worker!) enters the mind of a comatose serial killer in order to learn where she has hidden his latest kidnap victim.  while in his world, so to speak, she is presented with some sick, intsense, gory and hella scary situations that she must navigate in order to obtain the information she is after.  Great flick!


Cube is a hokey movie with a really great plot. The acting was bad but the setting is what makes this movie terrifying. Seven strangers wake up in “cubes” with one door on each wall. As they navigate through the never-ending rooms and find each other, they are presented with some nightmarish traps that slowly build a body count. It’s a pretty awesome concept and if it would have had a higher budget, it might have been off the charts.


Devil’s Rejects is one of the goriest of all gory movies, and I freaking loved it. I wasn’t too impressed with the first movie, House of 100 Corpses, but Devil’s Rejects really upped the ante. The main characters in this movie are truly the epitome of all things evil. No compassion. No remorse. Psychopath Extraordinaire. They set out on a path of death and destruction of ultimate proportions and it is pure awesome!


I have to admit that Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the most excellent films I’ve seen. Some might not classify it as horror, but I add it to this category because I think it has great elements of a “scary” movie. You have interesting/creepy characters, one sadistic character who will make your skin crawl and a really fantastically scary landscape. The fantasy element of this movie is amazing and the story is excellent. After seeing this movie, I vowed to see any movie Guillermo del Torro creates!


I also love the Blade movies, and many others, of which I could talk about for hours. However, this is a taste of what I find to be excellent in the scary movie department, and I hope that you have found a new movie to enjoy!


Thank you so much Ash for taking the time out of your busy schedule (she just moved and started a new job) to participate in Halloween Hootenanny.  There's only a few of those movies mentioned above that I haven't seen, but I definitely agree with you on most of them. I don't think I can ever read or see Cujo though.  I love dogs too much to ever want to see them as a villain! 

If you are not familiar with Smash Attack Reads!, you really need to go over and follow. Ash is an expressive and thoughtful blogger!




5 comments:

Kate @Midnight Book Girl said...

I love the Cube movies, although yes, the acting is fairly awful. And The Lost Boys was my first true movie crush (Jason Patric is soooo hot in that movie). I just love horror movies... now I need to go re-watch RSVP on Fear Net, I remember loving it years ago when I first watched it and now it's available for free. And the movie Popcorn is one of my guilty horror movie favorites! Off to visit Smash Attack Reads!

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

Great post, Ash! Many of your faves are also mine. 28 Days Later, the Blade movies, pretty much all you mentioned, I adore. Have not seen Versus yet (now on my list). I too totally love Asian horror films. A Tale of Two Sisters and Ju-on are two favorites. And can you believe that I went to see The Cell by myself?! Lastly, I must agree that Stigmata was seriously underrated.

Missie, The Unread Reader said...

Well, this was a sick and twisted trip down memory lane! Thanks for that Ash! This gory fest is sure to bring me nightmares for weeks to come.

P.S. Jason Patrick was my god! hehe

Midnyte Reader said...

@Kate-I only saw the first Cube movie...and I liked the concept, but I don't remember much else. Love Lost Boys!

@Michelle-Loved 29 Days Later and Blade movies as well. I haven't seen as many Asian horror as I should.

@Missie-LOL! We have to desensitize you!

Rubita said...

I am not a scary movie fan, and I'm still freaked out by the scene in Pan's Labyrinth where the general/colonel/whatever guy gets his mouth cut and then he yells and his mouth opens--oh, god, I think I'm gonna throw up. *runs to the bathroom*

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