31 Days of Halloween - Part 1 of 4

In the spirit of Halloween, I have decided to list out the top 31 movies that I enjoy under the Horror/Thriller genre. Since Halloween has 31 days, there is a movie per day you can watch for the entire month of October. I started with ten but found that it was too limiting for me, so it slowly expanded to thirty-one.

When most people hear horror/thriller they automatically think scary movies. Scary for each person is different. I have only had one movie truly scare me and to this day I still cannot watch it. It is The Exorcist. That voice, and the fact that demonic possession can happen, plus the fact I watched it when I was young, it still impacts me today.

I also want to point out that I am not a fan of torture or even pure gore movies (yes there are some on here), unless I deem the story-worthy. Movies like Hostel or the Human Centipede just are for gore and have no thrill factor or interest for me.

I have some movies on here that may fall more into the Sci-Fi field but can also cross over to horror or thriller genre at the least. I have decided to also not rank these as, depending on my mood or the way the wind blows, the order of these may change. Horror/thriller is my favorite genre of movies. So here is the list, with a trailer link and the reason why it made my list split into multiple parts:

Week 1

Friday the 13^th – This movie debut was in 1980 and honestly I think the very first horror movie I saw after The Exorcist. The series itself is my all-time favorite and as the story tends to be one long chapter after the next, but the original is my favorite of all of them. Ironically Jason only shows up in the last few scenes of the movie while his mother Pamela is the killer throughout the first movie. To his credit, Jason has killed more than any other killer in any movie series racking up 146 kills. As a hiker and nature lover, as well as a kid who spent many summers at camp, the canvas for most of the series murders, especially the first movie, revolves in and around a summer camp. To this day when I hike alone and a small part of me thinks about the possibility of Jason being somewhere out there, however, I do not hike at night. For me the thought of one crazy man chasing someone through the woods that is his home, the victim always running away while he walks, then as it happens the victim trips and you know what happens next. I know what is coming but it is always thrilling to me. Don’t forget that theme music. It always starts when you know Jason is coming and the fact that so many generations can identify Jason from that hockey mask alone is pretty remarkable. By the way, this would be my number one if I was ranking them. “ki ki ki, ma ma ma”.

Trick r’ Treat – This movie is four mini-stories that eventually tie in together at the end. It reminded me of the television series Tales from the Crypt and had me guessing throughout the movie the first time I watched it. Now when I watch it I have it figured out. The neighborhood throughout the movie reminds me of something similar to the movie Halloween and the movie has me thrilled each time I watch it. I’d say my favorite and most uncomfortable part of the movie is when the kids go down to visit the bus. I’ll leave it at that. Watch it.

The Strangers – This movie is similar to many other movies about a couple visiting a home in the woods and then being terrorized by strangers. What makes this different for me is the camera angles, how the entire movie is filmed in the dark (outside street lamps or inside with lamps), and finally is the thrilling part when Liv Tyler’s character is shown walking about the house while a stranger in a mask is shown ever so slightly throughout the house or room off in the distance. She hears knocks on the doors thinking all the strangers are outside, while at least one is inside, but does not bother her for most of the movie. The buildup of the movie is what continues to draw me back to it.

28 Days Later – This is one of a few zombie movies I have on my list. The movie begins with the main character waking up from a coma with no-one around (the Walking Dead and Resident Evil stole this idea). After walking around the city for a bit he eventually runs into some zombies. It is a typical zombie movie, but the actors are British (and speaking in their native accents), the dark lighting adds to the feels, the zombies are fast, and finally, the theme song is so powerful it ranks right behind Jason’s (Friday the 13^th) theme.

Lost Boys – One of my favorite if not my favorite vampire movies ever. Like most of the movies on the list, I own a copy of it, yet if it is on television I stop and watch. This movie has it all, great soundtrack, big actors (at least at the time), motorcycles and all the things expected from vampires. However, this has a twist. There are kid heroes who work at a comic book store and ‘specialize’ in killing “bloodsuckers”. This involves a small amount of comedy, well written and acted script and a slight twist at the end. I love the idea of teenagers/youth in this movie, classic boardwalk as part of the background and how the vampires appear as average kids and don’t look fake when they turn. When I think fall and Halloween specifically, The Lost Boys is always part of that. How can you listen to Cry Little Sister, Lost in the Shadows, or I Still Believe without thinking of this movie?

The Shining – Though this movie is dated the original version still gives me the creeps. Jack plays a wonderful villain, the introduction of ‘REDRUM’ as it entered our vernacular for a time and the twin girls a spooky as heck. I think for me the sense of isolation the family had, the slow yet methodical drift into madness for Jack and then enter the cold winter and high snowdrifts. “Here’s Johnny” will never sound the same again and I will never forget Tony “the boy that lives in the back of my throat.” This entire movie was a creep and thrilling with no hacking, or slaughtering of anyone in the film. Stephen King knows how to write.

Salem’s Lot – Sticking with the Stephen King theme this movie came out in 1979 and I think I saw it a few years later. Though this was never scary for me I loved the story, thus why it made it on my list. It was also filmed in the 70’s so the hair and clothing were awesome. Unlike many of the films on my list, the scary parts were left to your imagination. There was no blood, no gore, and the music and pace of the movie left you anticipating what would come next. It may be a yawner in today’s terms but still holds a place in my heart.

Until next time,

Tim