A parody of horror’s typical “psychotic bumpkins chase sexy teens,” director Eli Craig surprised viewers with one of the most intelligent horror comedies in years back in 2010. Such a simple concept, taking a tired scenario and just turning it around, but Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is far more involved than just that easy explanation.
Powered by hilarious performances by Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, along with the gorgeous Katrina Bowden, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is a must see for horror comedy fans. Half the fun is watching Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson’s script surprise with comical twists and turns, so I won’t uncover too much, but just know it was included on this list for a reason, with fantastic kill sequences only being a tiny part of that reason.
There are three rules: don’t get him wet, bright light kills him, and don’t feed him after midnight. A seemingly easy care regime for a fuzzy little furby, but poor Zach Galligan just can’t keep it straight. So when he gets the weird (but cuddly) little Gizmo that his Dad brings home into trouble, and creates a new race of vicious green monsters, he must stop them from totally destroying his hometown during Christmas.
Only a demented mind can come up with this one – and Joe Dante is a demented fellow. He takes a kids’ stuffed animal and turns it into a malevolent prankster and killing machine. Gizmo is adorable – the creatures he spawns though, not so much.
A glee underlies the rampaging gremlins – Dante et al are really enjoying unleashing a horde in suburbia. The movie is scary without being haunting (except for a certain small child when she first saw it) and delightful without pulling punches. It could be about responsibility and following the rules, but really it’s about the energy of not following rules at all. It also almost single-handedly created the PG-13 rating.
Writer/Director Neil Marshall is most well-known for his critically praised cave-dwelling horror film The Descent, but it’s his military werewolf film Dog Soldiers which put Marshall on the map. Terrifying, funny, action-packed, gruesome – Dog Soldiers is a horror film with fangs and claws.
Watching werewolves tear apart helpless victims is one thing, but unleashing the hounds on strong military types creates a much more enjoyable film because there is actually a war to be waged. Actors Sean Pertwee and Kevin McKidd go against the odds battling it out with these killer beasts, fighting toe to toe as not to be turned by the wolfies – which is all too fun to watch. Brilliant creature design makes the ferocious dog soldiers themselves something to seriously fear, as Marshall absolutely started his career off on the bloody and fur covered right foot.
George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is a classic. It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest zombie films of all time and its influence and legacy will be felt within the genre forever. Every zombie movie that came after it owes at least something to Romero’s masterpiece. And so, remaking what is considered to be the greatest zombie flick of all time would seem like a daunting task for most, but not Zack Snyder.
The filmmaker made his directorial debut with the remake and despite tackling such a beloved film, Snyder scored on all counts. His kinetic, gritty and truly frightening remake had many a moviegoer sit up and realize that this version of Dawn of the Dead was a more than worthy remake.
Was it better than the original? No. But it worked on almost every level and it put Snyder on the map, allowing him to move on to projects like Watchmen and the upcoming Man of Steel.
Do you follow the rules of Halloween every year? No? Well you will after watching an incredibly overlooked and underrated gem in Trick ‘R Treat, Michael Dougherty’s tribute to every horror fan’s favorite holiday in which he’s created four wonderful tales of terror which culminate into one howling good time.
Dougherty assembled a wonderful cast of actors which includes Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, Leslie Bibb, and others for his intertwining stories, but the most intriguing and constant character is the insta-classic icon Sam. This little trick or treater keeps local townsfolk in check when they break the rules of Halloween, delivering horrific themed deaths much like a Christmas horror movie would.
Inventive, fun, gripping – but most importantly undeniably entertaining. There’s a good reason FEARnet runs Trick ‘R Treat for 24 consecutive hours on Halloween…
[h2]85) The Loved Ones[/h2]
Another new release making it onto our list is Sean Byrne’s twisted take on prom. And by twisted, I mean a really sick and depraved dissection of an event made to be so innocent, and the horror that can be unleashed when said innocence is exploited. If you thought your prom experience was bad, I dare you to challenge Brent’s.
The truth here is that Sean Byrne created one of the greatest “torture porn” flicks in years, managing to travel away from the Saw method of trapping people in crazy contraptions. The Loved Ones is brutal and unnerving, helped mightily by Robin McLeavy’s portrayal of Lola, the high schooler who takes the whole secret admirer thing 20 steps too far, and her vicious attacks against her young victim Brent.
Lola was terrifying and softly ferocious, playing up the “daddy’s little princess” routine while dabbling in sadistic acts of violence. You’ll only be doing yourself a favor by watching The Loved Ones, I can promise you that.
[h2]84) Identity[/h2]
Though more of a thriller than a horror film, Identity earns itself a place on our list for its originality, clever twists and top-notch cast, who all hand in some solid work. It’s a murder-mystery at its core but it also functions extremely well as a psychological thriller and a straight up horror film, so there’s something for everyone here.
The film tells the gripping tale of ten strangers who end up at an isolated motel and then start dying one by one. It’s not the most original premise and could have resulted in an extremely cliched and recycled film, but director James Mangold executes the premise wonderfully, making for a unique and compelling tale that will have you pinned to the edge of your seat thanks to its unnerving atmosphere and the always present tension that fills the air.
Cannibal Holocaust is one twisted movie, I’ll tell you that much. It was seized in Italy after it premiered and the director, Ruggero Deodato, was arrested on obscenity charges with authorities claiming he made a snuff film. It didn’t take long for the film to be banned in Italy, Australia and several other countries and to this day, the film is still impossible to get a hold of in most countries.
Whether it’s the graphic gore, the animal killings or the sexual violence, there’s very few people who will leave this film unaffected and undisturbed. It’s regarded as the most graphically violent and gory film of all time, with some saying that a few of the actors were actually killed on film in order to achieve the desired effect of their death scenes. Deodato was able to prove otherwise but what was later discovered was that while the human death scenes may have not been real, the animal deaths were. To this day many people still take issue with the gruesome animal killings depicted here, and rightfully so.
The funny thing is, for as sick, twisted, ferocious, revolting vile and mean of a film that Cannibal Holocaust is, most reviewers have scored it quite high and its influence can be seen in all corners of the horror genre. It’s attained cult status and many people will defend it to the grave. It’s a film that once you see, you can never forget. So just know that going in. But if you can stomach graphic sex and violence, like you have never seen before, then seek out an uncut version of this film and be prepared to be absolutely shocked.
Who knew that PG-13 horror films could be this terrifying? A mainstream movie with a miniscule budget, Insidious is the little horror movie that could, proving that a lower rating doesn’t need to be a restriction. Director James Wan builds tension and suspense like Bob the Builder builds whatever the hell he builds and it works out perfectly.
The story of a young boy who falls into a sudden coma takes a sharp turn for the horrible after strange occurrences disturb his family, that’s where I’m going to end the spoilers. Very few films have scared me as much as Insidious did on my first viewing, and I doubt very many will because of the passion found here.
This is one of those experiences that pays homage to the great jump scares of yesteryear while creating an entirely new beast that is completely different from anything you’ve ever seen. Although not heavy on the gore or underlying themes, the terrific story and haunting score definitely make Insidious a movie that horror fans shouldn’t miss.
[h2]81) Suspiria[/h2]
It is difficult to do justice to Dario Argento’s 1977 giallo film Suspiria. Describing it cannot possibly explain why it’s so scary. Suspiria is one of those films that gets under your skin and haunts you for days, weeks, even years. It gave me nightmares the first time I saw it, and continues to stand right up there as one of the scariest films of all time.
The story is fairly banal on the surface: a ballerina enters a dance school that turns out to be a front for a witches’ coven. The opening sequence of a dancer’s murder is the most shocking scene of the film, with a graphic depiction of a knife plunging straight into her heart. At first the dubbing, even of the English actors, might seem a little jarring and even hokey. The mystery isn’t much of a mystery, the scares few and far between. But when I say that Suspiria remains one of the most terrifying films I’ve ever seen, I’m not exaggerating. The film is a fever dream, infecting and effecting, though I could not explain how Argento achieves it. The overwhelmingly creepy soundtrack by Goblin will follow you for weeks. Argento understands horror at a deep, fascinating level and with Suspiria, he brought the experience of a nightmare to film.
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