We don't normally do lists here at The Punch Drunk Critics but I can't help myself, it's my faviorite time of year and dammit I love to be scared. Now, of course we all know about 'Halloween', 'Friday the 13th', and 'The Exorcist', but what about the horror flicks you haven't heard of? There's so many indie horror films out there that most people just see them as junk, well I'm here to tell you there's some gems out among the junk. So without further ado here's the Top 5 flicks in no particular order that'll freak you out this Halloween.
1. Hatchet- Just a good old fashioned slasher flick that really captures the feel of what the OG's of the genre were going after. A group of friends heads to the swamplands just outside of New Orleans and ends up getting a little more than a boat tour when they run into Ole' Victor Crowley.
2. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer- Maybe not your typical jump scare type movie, but it'll definitley have you looking at the weird guy on the bus a little closer. The real world look at how this cold blooded killer and his trashy friend go about doing what they do chills you down to your bones if for no other reason than it's something that can really happen and there's really people out there like this.
3. The Orphanage- A supernatural thriller, and one with an actual story....and a good one at that. Not for those who hate dubbed films or subtitles as it's filmed in spanish. This movie would get on the list only for the bag head kid whom the main character's son befriends, however it goes above and beyond that with some great scares and some real emotion. Probably the best ending on the list.
4. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon- Not particularly scary, but will definatley get you in the halloween mood. This flick is documentary style and follows Leslie Vernon, a guy who wants to be the next Jason Voorhees or Freddy Kruger and plans on killing his way to the top of that list. A film crew follows him as he sets up his night of terror and stalks his prey.
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (THE ORIGINAL)- Yes I know I said I would keep this to movies that most people haven't seen...and you know what I still am. I'm shocked by how few people have actually sat down to watch Tobe Hooper's terrifying tale of a family subsiting on citizen steak. The platinum dunes remake was pretty scary but is NOTHING in comparision to the gritty realism of the original, this was the first movie to make me lose sleep and also the first movie to represent itself as a true story ala Blair Witch and this years Paranormal Activity. If you have not seen this do so immediatley and if your not at least a little scared by the time John Larroquette (Yes the dude from Night Court) finishes his opening monologe than you get the great badge of courage.
And finally the films that I have yet to see but am watching this week. Synopsis courtesy of IMDB.com
1. Trick R Treat- Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband
2. Session 9- Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.
3. Asylum- Six college students discover their dorm was once an insane asylum that conducted gruesome lobotomy's on its teenage inmates during the 1930's
4. The originals of the following movies; The Ring (Ringu), The Grudge (Ju-on), and Quarantine ([REC])
So there ya have it. Happy Haunting to all and to all a good night!!
