DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES? Kelli shares a list of her favorite horror movies, just in time for Halloween!

Hi everyone!

In honor of the Halloween holiday , I’m sharing a bit about my favorite horror movies. Although this is off my usual topic of writing, writing and movies are connected – after all, every movie begins with a story idea.

Horror movies (like ice cream) come in a variety of flavors, and horror movie fans/buffs have their personal likes and dislikes. Some people are devoted to the classic 1930 and 1940 Universal Studios “monster” films starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Others enjoy the British Hammer and American International films of the 1960s and 1970s. Those are famous for featuring Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, and Christopher Lee.

Some fans are attracted to a specific genre (torture porn, mutant hillbilly families, camping, killer clowns) or a particular type of monster (vampires, werewolves, zombies). Still other folks are loyal to a specific character (Jason Voorhees) or a franchise (Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm St., SAW)

At this time of year, you can find almost any kind of horror movie or monster on TV or available for screaming... I mean, streaming. Horror movie fans can practically glue themselves to the couch and catch all day marathons of their favorite movies.

I could go on and on (really!) about what makes a good (scary) horror movie, but here’s a list of my favorites (in alphabetical order – with 2 ties.). They’re not all necessarily gory or scary, but they have a good story, tense camera work, or are just plain cool.

The Amityville Horror (1975) – Some houses are cheap for a reason! Skip the sequels & remakes.

Dog Soldiers (2002) – Best werewolf movie ever.

Dracula (1931) tied with The Mummy (1932) – Can’t choose between them!

Evil Dead (1983) – Bruce Campbell stays in the worst cabin ever – yey!

Halloween (1978) tied with Black Christmas (1974) – Both are classics that freaked people out – and are strikingly similar (watch them back to back!).

King Kong (1933) – A classic for its time – the island part is the best.

The Other (1972) – Often overlooked story about creepy twins – need I say more?

Pitch Black (2000) – Life on other planets isn’t always nice.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – Paranoia and persecution = Polanski.

My personal favorite genre is 1970s horror movies. Some are considered classic or revolutionary and others are just plain bad. (The “so bad they’re good” kind!)

Bad Ronald (1974) – Who’s living behind your walls?

Black Christmas (1974) – Yes, this makes BOTH lists. It’s the first really creepy Christmas movie and a true classic!

The Car (1977) – Before Christine started trouble, this scared everyone.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow – Okay, it’s really 1981, but who won’t jump at the last scene in this TV movie?

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973) – When someone tells you not to open something, don’t!

Frogs (1972) – One of my favorites – original poster had a hand hanging out of the frog’s mouth.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977) – A family goes camping and meets another, stranger, family.

Race with the Devil (1975) – Again, while trying to go camping, a group meets up with trouble (anti-camping movies are their own genre!)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – The horror classic about a dysfunctional family – and there’s no blood – really! (RIP, Gunnar.)

Twisted Brain (1974) – Horror in high school (makes a great double feature with Bad Ronald).

So there you have it, my take on horror movies. There’s still time to check out a few of these movies before Halloween. Or, if you’re like me, you can watch them anytime. Many of these have been remade or have spawned sequels, so why not watch the original and then the remake?

And while we’re talking movies… what’s my ALL-TIME FAVORITE movie with the word “horror” in the title? It’s not a horror movie... it’s… THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

And what Halloween music do I listen to? Two recommendations: Book of Love’s CD Book of Love. The whole thing is great, but download the song “Witchcraft” to get an idea. And, anything by Midnight Syndicate.

Have a happy, haunted Halloween! And a blessed New Year to all of us who are celebrating!

Kelli

Do you like scary movies? I do!

Hi everyone!

Happy Halloween! In honor of the holiday (it's my personal favorite), I’m blogging about my favorite horror movies.

Horror movies (like ice cream) come in a variety of flavors, and horror movie fans/buffs have their personal likes and dislikes. Some people are devoted to the classic 1930 and 1940 Universal Studios films starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Others enjoy the British Hammer Studio films of the 1960s.

Some fans are attracted to a specific genre (torture porn, mutant families, clowns) or a monster (vampires, werewolves, and zombies). Still other folks are loyal to a character (Fred Krueger, Jason Voorhees) or a franchise (Scream, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm St.)

So what are my favorites among these categories? I have my list of “classics” but I’ve always had a special fondness for 1970s horror films. Some are considered classic or revolutionary, while other, low budget films fall into the “so bad they’re good” kind of cheesy bad. These drive-in specials used to be featured on late-night TV before the rise of infomercials (another type of horror!).

True fans of the horror genre don’t wait around until October or Halloween to celebrate all things spooky and creepy. We can find horror in a sunny June afternoon, at Christmas (hello Krampus!), or on a tropical island. Those of us who love the genre understand the mechanics of good storytelling, know why you need a convincing and scary villain, and give the often-maligned genre the credit it deserves for constantly evolving and reinventing itself.

I could go on and on (really!) but here’s a short list of my favorites in alphabetical order by genre. They’re not all necessarily gory or scary, but they have a good story, tense camera work, or are just plain cool — or strange — depending how you look at it.

There’s still time to check out a few of these movies before Halloween. Or, if you’re like me, you can watch them anytime. Many of these have been remade or have spawned sequels, so why not watch the original and then the remake?

Creepy Children:

The Other (1972) – Often overlooked story about creepy twins – need I say more? (Not to be confused with The Others with Nicole Kidman.)

The Bad Seed (1956) – An 8 year-old sociopath fools everyone (almost!)

Haunted Places:

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973) – When someone tells you not to open something, don’t! And the 2011 “remake” was pretty good too.

The Amityville Horror (1975) – Some houses are cheap for a reason…

Monsters:

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) – Spooky TV movie that makes you wonder  about scarecrows..

Frogs (1972) – One of my favorites & part of the “animal revenge” genre of the 1970s, along with Squirm, Empire of the Ants, etc. The original poster had a hand hanging out of the frog’s mouth.

Dog Soldiers (2002) – Best werewolf movie ever. These are not Lon Chaney’s wolves.

The Mummy (1932) – Don’t mess around in tombs.

King Kong (1933) – A classic for its time, and the island part is the best.

Murder & Mayhem:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – The horror classic about a highly dysfunctional family – and there’s no blood – really!

Black Christmas (1974) – The first really creepy Christmas movie – still holds up after all these years

Halloween (1978) – The classic that still freaks people out. (Lots of remakes and sequels to check out - if you’re into that.)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – Paranoia and persecution = Polanski

Twisted Brain (1974) – Horror in high school (makes a great double feature with Bad Ronald!)

Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972) – Friends dig up a corpse to use in a mock Satanic ritual. It doesn’t end well.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977) – A family takes a shortcut and meets another, stranger, family

Race with the Devil (1975) – While camping, two couples run afoul of a group of Satanists. (Anti-camping movies are their own genre!)

Enjoy them – at your own risk!

Happy Haunting!

 Kelli

Kelli Talks Horror Movies for Halloween!

Hi everyone!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

In honor of the Halloween holiday (it's my personal favorite and yes, those are my “vintage” 1970s decorations above), I’m sharing a bit about my favorite horror movies. 

Although this is off my usual topic of writing, writing and movies are connected – after all, every movie begins with a story idea. And, as some people may know, I majored in film studies in college.  So I’ve been watching movies and writing about them forever.

Horror movies (like ice cream) come in a variety of flavors, and horror movie fans/buffs have their personal likes and dislikes. Some people are devoted to the classic 1930 and 1940 Universal Studios “monster” films starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Others enjoy the British Hammer and American International films of the 1960s and 1970s. Those are famous for featuring Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, and Christopher Lee.

Some fans are attracted to a specific genre (torture porn, mutant hillbilly families, camping, killer clowns) or a particular type of monster (vampires, werewolves, zombies). Still other folks are loyal to a specific character (Jason Voorhees) or a franchise (Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm St., SAW)

At this time of year, you can find almost any kind of horror movie or monster on TV or available for screaming... I mean, streaming. Horror movie fans can practically glue themselves to the couch and catch all day marathons of their favorite movies on about 1000 channels. (I actually did that yesterday!)

I could go on and on (really!) about what makes a good (scary) horror movie, but here’s a list of my favorites (in alphabetical order – with 2 ties.). They’re not all necessarily gory or scary, but they have a good story, tense camera work, or are just plain cool.

The Amityville Horror (1975) – Some houses are cheap for a reason! Skip the sequels & remakes.

Dog Soldiers (2002) – Best werewolf movie ever.

Dracula (1931) tied with The Mummy (1932) – Can’t choose between them!

Evil Dead (1983) – Bruce Campbell stays in the worst cabin ever – yey!

Halloween (1978) tied with Black Christmas (1974) – Both are classics that freaked people out – and are strikingly similar (watch them back to back!).

King Kong (1933) – A classic for its time – the island part is the best.

The Other (1972) – Often overlooked story about creepy twins – need I say more?

Pitch Black (2000) – Life on other planets isn’t always nice.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – Paranoia and persecution = Polanski.

And, in my personal favorite genre, 1970s horror movies, here are the top ten. Some are considered classic or revolutionary and others are just plain bad. (The “so bad they’re good” kind!)

Bad Ronald (1974) – Who’s living behind your walls?

Black Christmas (1974) – Yes, this makes BOTH lists. It’s the first really creepy Christmas movie and a true classic!

The Car (1977) – Before Christine started trouble, this scared everyone.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow – Okay, it’s really 1981, but who won’t jump at the last scene in this TV movie?

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973) – When someone tells you not to open something, don’t!

Frogs (1972) – One of my favorites – original poster had a hand hanging out of the frog’s mouth.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977) – A family goes camping and meets another, stranger, family.

Race with the Devil (1975) – Again, while trying to go camping, a group meets up with 

trouble (anti-camping movies are their own genre!)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – The horror classic about a dysfunctional family – and there’s no blood – really! (RIP, Gunnar.)

Twisted Brain (1974) – Horror in high school (makes a great double feature with Bad Ronald).

So there you have it, my take on horror movies. What are yours? What do you think of these? Check a few out and enjoy them – at your own risk, of course!

And while we’re talking movies… what’s my ALL-TIME FAVORITE movie with the word “horror” in the title? It’s not a horror movie... it’s… THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

And what horror/Halloween music do I listen to? Two recommendations: Book of Love’s CD Book of Love. The whole thing is great, but download the song “Witchcraft” to get an idea. And, anything by Midnight Syndicate.

Have a happy Halloween everyone! And a blessed New Year to all who are celebrating!

Kelli