Joe's Top 10 Horror Movies
Movies That Inspired A Cadaver Christmas
1. The Evil Dead - A movie that gets better with every viewing. What is unique about Evil Dead is the insanity of what happens. The style of the movie is so creative that every independent horror movie that has followed wants to imitate, but there is only one Evil Dead. Sam Raimi is the Godfather of independent horror, most small horror films I have seen have paid their respect to Evil Dead somewhere in their movie. The difference between nowadays low budget horror films and Evil Dead is "Sam had a plan," he didn't just throw a camera up and yell action. His imagery in the angles and editing sequences make for a very unique enjoyable movie experience, and if you see one you have to see them all. Evil Dead 2 is just as good as the original if not better, and Army of Darkness is what introduced me to the franchise.
2. Shaun of the Dead - One person who also seems to be influenced by Evil Dead is Edgar Wright. He is the talented director behind the show Spaced (which is also great), Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz. There has been no movie in recent years that I have liked as much as Shaun of the Dead. I saw a preview of it and I had to see it. The idea was enough for me to go see it, but the execution of that idea is what makes it a great movie.
3. Big Trouble in Little China - I discovered this movie as a kid on a lazy Saturday morning after my cartoons. There is no movie in the world that I would like to see a sequel to as much as this movie. A SEQUEL NOT A REMAKE!!!
This was the first video cassette I bought when I started my video collection. Pretty much any John Carpenter/Kurt Russell collaboration has been an inspiration (with the exception of Elvis, the 1979 made for TV movie). Big Trouble and Little China is a very special movie, and although it may not be considered a horror movie, I can't over look it as one of my biggest influences.
4. Dawn of the Dead (1979) - George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead defined zombie movies. I was introduced to it later in life and I am afraid I watch the Dead trilogy (now no longer a trilogy) in reverse order starting with the Day of the Dead, and like Goldi Locks and the three bears all three movies had something to offer, but Dawn of the Dead was just right.
The great debate today is between fast and slow zombies. There is something extra creepy about a shadowy figure slowly approaching. You can sort of let your guard down with the slow zombies, maybe even start to try to recreate the world you were once a custom to, pretending that they are not there, but they are a constant reminder of death approaching. What makes them so scary is the anticipation. Anticipation is a lot creepier and resides with you much longer than a cheap scare when a fast zombie pops up out of nowhere and runs towards you.
Just like a cool Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western, the anticipation of the shootout is what makes those movies so cool. Anticipation is what makes the climax in the end that much better (also true with sex).
The remake of Dawn of the Dead (2004) introduced the fast moving zombie. The remake was actually well done and deserves a lot of praise as well. I can see a benefit to both fast and slow moving zombies so in our movie we tried to combine the two.
5. 28 Days Later - I would probably consider 28 Days Later the first fast zombie movie (with the except of Return of the Living Dead, another great horror movie not to be missed). 28 Days Later actually explained the outbreak in terms that were grounded in science not religion. Some people don't consider it a zombie movie at all, and if that is the case then those same people won't consider our movie a zombie movie either.
I actually like the story-line in the sequel 28 Weeks Later better, however it was not executed as well as the first one. Both movies should be watched, and any sequel that follows should also be watched as long as they maintain the feel of Danny Boyle's original.
6. Saw - I know Saw is getting a little old now, but for those who have not seen it, or are jaded by all the sequels trying to make a buck off the original, you need to watch it again. The opening 30 minutes of Saw were so intriguing that it glues you to your seat. I like the story telling techniques used in Saw a lot, and the concept of a vigilante killer who forced you to fight for your life was once an original idea. Unfortunately it has lost a lot of that luster now.
7. Dead Alive - Like Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson followed a similar path. His first movie Bad Taste, which must be watched for all Lord of the Rings fans, was a hard movie to make it through without throwing up (especially during the vomit eating scene). It is only fitting that when Dead Alive came out in some countries they sold it with barf bags. Dead Alive is both visually appealing and appalling at the same time. Very similar camera styles to that of Sam Raimi. Dead Alive is a hard movie to eat pizza rolls to.
8. Grindhouse (Planet Terror / Death Proof) - When I first heard about this project I was overwhelmed with excitement. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino teaming up to make two separate horror movies that will play out in a double feature, with a fake horror trailer by Edgar Wright and Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, and Hostel). In all of my movie going experiences, I have never been that excited for a movie to come out. Not to mention Tarantino cast Kurt Russell in the lead role in his portion. When I heard that news I about flipped, I called everyone and their grandma to tell them the news. Unfortunately not everyone was as excited as I was to see it, and the Grindhouse was deemed a failure, even though I tried my best to help the box office by seeing it three times the opening weekend.
Planet Terror was probably my favorite of the two movies, however the first half of Death Proof before the second group of girls are introduced was by far the best part of Grindhouse. The second half of the movie was more of a car chase movie and less of a slasher movie which was kind of a let down to me. Another contributing factor for my not liking the second half as much could be that if it were any other villain I would want to see him get what was coming to him, but since it was Kurt Russell, I couldn't help but root for him.
9. Jaws - This is my personal favorite Steven Spielberg movie out there. My favorite thing about the movie was Robert Shaw's performance. He was larger than life like the John Wayne of the ocean. Besides the great acting, this movie was well shot and wonderfully edited. With all of the production nightmare stories you hear about this movie it is hard to believe that it came together so well in the end. Another movie I hope they never remake.
10. Ghostbusters - I can't have a list of influential movies for our little movie without Ghostbusters. As a kid both Ghostbusters movies were the greatest. I know the second movie was a huge disappointment to a lot of people, but when you are a kid your a lot less picky when it comes to what you find entertaining. Both movies I quoted throughout childhood. We also played Ghostbusters out on the playground at school (I always had to play Egon because I had glasses, but if I could have chosen I would have played Venkman). What was special about Ghostbusters to me was how much my parents liked it as well. My dad even made homemade costumes of the ghostbusters for halloween. I was Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. As my taste in movies changed to movies my parents weren't as fond of, it is good to know that we will always have Ghostbusters.
Smaller Horror Movies Worth Seeing
(Some independent, some foreign, but all of them have a bigger budget than ours)
Murder Party
Night of the Living Dorks
REC
Soulkeeper
Hatchet
Diary of the Dead
Bubba Ho-Tep
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Versus
The Devil's Backbone
The Orphanage
The Descent
Dog Soldiers
The Signal - (film makers used a 48 Hour Film they made as the intro to this movie)
The Abandoned
Severance
Fido
Teeth
American Movie