31 Days of Halloween - Part 3 of 4

Part 2

Week 3

The Devil’s Rejects – Ah the mind of Rob Zombie.  Is he demented?  Is he creative?  Who knows?  This is another gory film but one that I am fascinated by.  I am intrigued by the thought of people or families out there that possibly capture and torture people.  What and why would they do that? This is the theme of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well as the House of 1000 Corpses (Another Rob Zombie film).  I cannot say I enjoy this as much as I am amazed that this could and might happen.  Zombie’s movies always creep me out but this is his best film.

13 Ghosts – This 2001 release may have missed most of you reading this post, but again it is one I recommend.  It is the story of a family who inherits a house and money from an estranged uncle.  They find out once trapped in the house that there are 13 ghosts warded and trapped in the house (basement).  The ghosts are released and the family must survive them.  Great movie, great storyline and great effects.

Aliens – Most people identify with the first movie in the series called Alien.  Personally, my favorite is Aliens (part 2).  There were some big-name actors in the film, the sets appeared more realistic, and I knew what they were fighting.  Like many other movies, the film was dark in appearance, and the use of jump scares was many but not overdone.  For one of the first times, a female was the hero, which I also appreciated.

The silence of the Lambs – I took some criminology courses in college and that where I was first introduced to Hannibal Lecter.  We were asked to read Manhunter for the course which was the prequel to this movie.  The movie struck fear in me when Clarice was in the dark house chasing the main killer.  To this day when I hear or see lotion, I cannot help think “It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.”  Anthony Hopkins portrayed the character so well I felt uneasy for weeks after watching this for the first time.

Saw – This movie falls under the gore category, but for me, I love the story idea of the film and series.  Though 60 kills are logged throughout the series none are done by the killer (a.k.a. Jigsaw).  The idea of the victims having to pay a sacrifice to live is what drew me to this movie.  I enjoyed all the movies in the series and the puzzles that were thought up, though gross is quite amazing.

Jaws – Like many people my age and for generations to come Jaws made us fearful of the water.  Me in particular.  Though this may not be a true horror film, I cannot think of a more fearful way to die then by a shark attack.  This movie I watched when I was young and not long after that I found myself in the Gulf of Mexico in a small sailboat with my family.  My imagination went straight to this movie, and thus the reason for my fear of oceans and cruises today.  I love this movie however and watch it any chance I get from the safety of my couch, on dry land.

Hush – I saw this a few years ago on Netflix and wondered why I missed this before I saw it.  A similar movie that didn’t make my list is Don’t Breathe, but this is almost the opposite.  Again the love of the cabin in the woods, our victim all alone, but with a twist.  She is deaf.  An intruder enters the home and like many scary movies is sometimes right behind her and she doesn’t even know it.  The buildup and drama make this a must-watch every year for me.

Until next time,

Tim