But there are other genre films to see and treasure out there. Some because they are truly great, some because they simply do a familiar thing greatly, but all worth remembering when someone comes to you for your expert opinion.
And don’t be shy, Spit Bullets on your fav’s below!
1. In The Mouth Of Madness
Carpenter is a hit or miss director. He either gives us Halloween or Village Of The Damned, Escape From New York or Escape From L.A. But no matter how many times I see people discuss his best work, it seems like this fantastic film never makes the grade. I don’t know if it’s the speculative ending, the constant mind trips, or the sheer scope of the horror in this film that turns people off, but IMHO this is the greatest horror film that hardly ever gets listed as a favorite. It’s not only my favorite genre film, it’s one of my favorite films period.
2. The Believers
I have never seen a voodoo/hoodoo/supernatural horror film that freaked me out as much as THE BELIEVERS. All the way until the stupidly silly ending, this sunuvabitch takes you on a ride that will f^ck up your head (or if you’re Jimmy Smits – your stomach). Hell, it’s so damn good at what it does that I know teenaged southern girls who wouldn’t touch up their makeup while on a date because they were too scared of their compacts. If it weren’t for the unforgivable ending, this would be my favorite genre movie of all time.
3. Frailty
Sure the people who saw Frailty loved it, but then it seemed to fade into relative obscurity with the speed that papa brings down that axe on evildoers. I think part of the reason is that with its heavy religious overtones it doesn’t play as “Fun” on the level that most genre classics do. This is a film that asks serious questions about what you believe in, and it doesn’t shy away from hard answers. But it’s only right that it’s not always fun to watch somebody getting split like a melon. For those days when you want to feel it, try a little FRAILTY.
4. The Stepfather
How this flick doesn’t pop up on everyone’s Top 10 horror lists escapes me. Terry O’Quinn’s turn as the homicidal stepfather is scary enough to sidestep the need for masks or even super spooky locales. We get a family we care about and relate to, a surface of normalcy that makes the dark undercurrents all the creepier, and top it off with a villain that we kinda sympathize with…kinda. Aces in my estimation.
5. Joy Ride
Pissed off trucker tracks down hapless smartasses. Just doesn’t really make ya wanna run out and see it does it? Maybe down some beers and throw Cheetos at the screen in your basement with friends, but definitely not theater worthy. Except that the flick was awesome! Scary, tense, and while I find faceless drivers to be about as scary as an 8 year-old girl in a frilly pink dress, the mostly unseen villain voiced by Ted Levine is one for the bloody books!
6. April Fool’s Day
Talk about a flick that has it all and does it well. This gives us a fun slasher that still establishes characters we like, dialogue that is well above the norm, and an ending that is a legitimate surprise. Sure the day of the unexpected twist ending is past, but in its day this was one unique picture that truly caught most people off guard. Why it doesn’t generate more verbal affection is a puzzle to me.
7. Love Object
Guy buys doll. Guy meets girl. Guy tries to turn girl into doll. Y’know, the usual. What I love about this entry on the list is that it doesn’t really play like a genre film. It has the feel of some awkward romantic comedy, but then descends into horror and does so hard core. The shift in tone and unexpected nastiness at the end pack a Mike Tyson like bite because it’s all so damn incongruous.
8. Resident Evil
Put a hot chick in tiny outfits and have her run around kicking undead ass. What more do you want? Fan of the original game and didn’t like the adaptation? Tough f*cking luck. It’s an adaptation, and a damn fine one at that. Plus it features an unexpected cooter slip that has probably worn out more DVD’s than Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl slip has broken TiVo’s. Screw the 2nd film, but I’ll sit down with the original any day.
9. The Butterfly Effect
Out of the gate I have to give you that Ashton Kutcher is a distraction in this movie. Even if he hadn’t been the coverboy of the year for knocking boots with a famous MILF, his performance is relatively weak in an otherwise strong and intriguing flick. The whole thing still would have worked though, if the studio hadn’t forced a pussified ending on theater goers. Instead of that crap feel good ending with him scoping happy Amy Smart they should have stayed with the in utero strangulation. Dark? Yes. Bleak? Maybe. The perfect ending? Hell yeah!
10. House Of Wax
I don’t care if I get killed for this pick, because it is a hella fun flick. It’s dark, brutal, unrelenting, well-paced and well shot. Plus it features Paris Hilton, the main reason many hate it, getting a death that almost eclipses Taye Diggs’ loss of face in Equilibrium for pure awesomeness. Keep it to yourself if you must, but this sweet baby gives it up gooooooood!
