My Top 10 Horror Films

I honestly can’t say that I have one specific “favorite” horror film. Ask me on any given day and my answer will change because there are just far too many great ones from which to choose. That’s why it’s difficult to even pare it down to the ten below because I’m leaving off so many other classics (and non-classics that I just enjoy like 1999’s House on Haunted Hill and 2003’s Dead End).

What are the criteria I used to arrive at my top 10? Basically, I chose the ones that I’ll watch over and over again that scared the bejesus out of me when I first saw them (and, to be honest, a few still do). I also selected films that I feel are primarily horrific in nature and any other elements of the story are secondary (Aliens and Jaws are fantastic films but I see them as more action movies with strong horror elements underneath, so while they would be on a longer list, they don’t make the cut for the top ten).

Without further adieu, here are my top 10 in alphabetical order with a very brief description as to why:

Alien (1979)

The ultimate haunted house movie! After encountering a derelict spacecraft on an alien planet, the crew of the Nostromo find themselves being hunted one by one by a creature determined to kill them all. Sure, you can argue this is primarily science-fiction (and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree), but Alien is one terrifying horror movie from beginning to end.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

I’ve already written about how much I love this film here. For me, it was the granddaddy of zombie movies because it’s the one I saw first. Tons followed but this is and always will be my favorite!

Halloween (1978)

Come on, how could this not be on anyone’s list? It’s the name of the holiday for God’s sake! Arguably the best slasher movie ever (though Black Christmas is a close second), the original Halloween still remains terrifying thanks to its slow build and creepy atmosphere. Before Michael Myers became an unstoppable supernatural juggernaut in later insallments, he was still merely a psycho bent on finishing the job he started 15 years before.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

The most terrifying thing is losing your humanity, your sense of self, and the remake of the 1956 science fiction classic really makes that idea a frightening reality. Taking it up a notch from the original, the 1978 version is filled with a horrifying sense of dread from beginning to end with a twist ending that still makes a viewer jump.

Phantasm (1979)

Dear lord, I almost soiled my pants the first time I saw this film. Filled with countless “WTF?” moments, Phantasm is like a nightmare you’ve had after combining several different spicy foods and downing it all with a beer milkshake. And it’s one hell of a fun ride! This is the type of movie that could only be made in the 70s and not be considered bizarre. The three (and soon to be four) sequels were fun but nothing beats the original.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Who or what is trying to take Rosemary’s Baby? Is Rosemary Woodhouse slowly going out of her mind or is there a sinister plot by Satan worshipers to take her child away? One of the ultimate slow burns in the horror genre, this movie winds the viewer up tighter and tighter until the explosive ending. Still effective today thanks to a conspiracy plot and demonic overtones.

The Exorcist (1973)

Probably the only film that has made me physically ill (thanks to the spinal tap scene–I hate needles), The Exorcist is one of two films on my list (the other being Rosemary’s Baby) that is almost completely faithful to its source material. Both books the films were based upon are nearly identical to the final product and equally as terrifying. I prefer the original version over the “version you’ve never seen” mainly due to the fact that while you know damn well little Regan is possessed by the devil, there are times when you think she might be suffering from some psychotic disorder (the extended film features the unnecessary “spider walk” sequence that seems a bit over the top).

The Shining (1980)

I’m a huge Stephen King fan and I’m well aware that he despises the adaption, but this is one hell of a scary movie. Though Kubrick jettisons much of the source material, he injects the weirdest of images into The Shining (the twins in the hallway, the guy in a dog outfit bent over a man in a tux) that you can’t help but be creeped out. This movie makes me leery of being trapped with anyone in a snowstorm, haunted hotel notwithstanding.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

I first saw this right before going to see its 1986 sequel and it unnerved me. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre plays like a documentary and its disturbing tale of a cannibal family preying on unsuspecting travelers made my skin crawl (in a good way because I still went to see part 2 and enjoyed that as well). I never saw the remake because nothing can top the original.

The Thing (1982)

On most days, I’ll downright admit to this being my favorite for several reasons. First of all, like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it deals with the idea of losing one’s humanity, of having emotion and feeling stripped away until you’re an empty, alien husk. Second of all, it’s set in a great location (similar to The Shining) where any notion of outside help is a futile one. Third, it has the elements of a great slasher film (like Halloween) where the characters are eliminated one by one. Finally, The Thing still has, hands down, the best special effects of any movie I’ve ever seen. Forget CGI. Watch this film if you want to see how real effects are supposed to look.

In the end, any list of anyone’s favorite “anything” is bound to be based solely on an individual taste and preference. Your list is undoubtedly different than mine and that’s okay. It’s obvious that the list above is based upon films that scared me when I was younger so more modern horror films didn’t make the cut. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy movies like 2005’s The Descent, 1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein, 1996’s Scream, 2013’s The Conjuring, or literally hundreds of others. I do and those would also be on an extended list.

But I only have room for ten. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Happy Halloween!

Review: Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle begins with the same scene that opened The Conjuring, with three people relating their supernatural experiences involving a possessed doll to Ed and Lorraine Warren (here unseen). This time, however, the film follows the titular doll and how it affects the lives of John (Ward Horton) and his pregnant wife, Mia (Annabelle Wallis).

John and Mia Form live an idyllic lifestyle in the suburbs as churchgoers and friendly neighbors to the Higgins, an older couple whose estranged daughter eventually returns with a fellow satanic cult member to slaughter her parents. When they turn their sights on the Forms, John fends them off until the police arrive to save the day. The Higgins’ daughter (named Annabelle) commits suicide while holding the doll John purchased for Mia as a gift.

And now the terror begins with both the possessed doll and maybe even Satan himself attempting to lay claim to the souls of both Mia and her newborn daughter.

Annabelle is by no means disappointing…but it isn’t anything spectacular either. Director James R. Leonetti (cinematographer on The Conjuring) helms a decent horror movie that’s more evocative of the much better (and far more terrifying) Rosemary’s Baby (with similar scenes basically lifted and slightly altered from the classic). Whatever authentic “feel” The Conjuring had as a 70’s period piece is absent from Annabelle which takes place in 1969. Sure, the look of the time is there but take away the costumes and, to a small degree the sets, and this film could have been representative of any era.

There’s nothing really terrible about Annabelle. The acting is solid, the direction more than competent, and the story standard genre fare.

But I felt as if I’d seen Annabelle before. Even disregarding the film borrowing heavily from Rosemary’s Baby, nothing about Annabelle makes it a memorable horror film. Sure, there are some genuine scares, but it failed to elevate itself above literally hundreds of other films that relied upon demons, possession, scary dolls, and pregnant women being threatened by supernatural forces as fodder for story. The characters are little more than horror stereotypes even though the cast does its best with the material provided.

I suppose my main issue with Annabelle is that it falls into the trap that so many horror sequels do (even though the doll was a minor part of The Conjuring)–it explains how the evil began in a backstory.

And that ultimately undermines what makes anything scary.

Nearly every major horror “saga” has suffered from this mistake with Rob Zombie’s take on Halloween being the most memorable perpetrator of this offense*. It was always more terrifying to not know why Michael Myers snapped that day but Zombie (whose House of 1000 Corpses and particularly The Devil’s Rejects are fantastic entries into the horror genre) felt as if he had to give him a rough childhood as explanation. Once you provide a reason, you remove the mystery and that lessens the impact.

*That said, I liked parts of the film and thought his vision of Halloween would have been better served had it not been a reboot and, instead, an original idea with a new twist on it. He should have just done his own thing and created a new character and story altogether.

Annabelle can be best viewed when you’re not expecting much out of a sequel and want a film that delivers a warmed over version of your favorite horror tropes.

Annabelle grade: C