Thursday, October 8, 2015

Chance's Corner: Horror Movies

Do you feel that creeping shiver running down your spine? The haunting season is upon us!

It's my favorite time of the year, when the air is chilled to perfection and the fall colors are bright and crisp. It's also a perfect time, and a reasonable excuse, to watch my favorite horror movies. As I always say, "Play those spooky movies, fright boy!"

Wait, what? You haven't seen a good horror flick in awhile? Well, have no fear (yet), we've got you covered with our specially selected horror films!

  • Jaws
    • Often credited as the first summer blockbuster, Jaws kept people out of the water and made Steven Spielberg the man we all know him as today... a legend. PS: Don't let the PG rating fool you.
  • Friday the 13th
    • Friday the 13th is one of the quintessential slasher flicks that has spawned numerous sequels... some less necessary than others (I'm looking at you Jason X (Jason in Space)). The plot is the basic setup, campers go out in the woods, they do "stuff", and they die horrible deaths. The ending will give you a real jolt.
  • Alien
    • The tagline is: "In space no one can hear you scream." That's a perfect reflection of the isolation and claustrophobia packed into Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror masterpiece. My favorite part is when Sigourney Weaver is running around, covered in sweat, with strobes flashing, steam spewing, and alarms blaring a five-minute countdown to self-destruction.

  • Halloween
    • This is it. This is the movie. Always imitated, often copied, Halloween set the slasher genre on fire. The film score by itself is just enough to give anyone chills. That's powerful.
  • Oculus
    • I half expected this to be something that's been done before and mediocre, but I was wrong. Completely. Totally. The constant interplay between the past and present, reality and the surreal, reveals a well-developed story that manipulates you just as much as it manipulates the characters. As reality does start to set in, it's all the more horrifying.
  • The Babadook
    • With quick style and an eerie, emotional performance by Essie Davis, The Babadook is one of the scariest films in recent years.
  • The Shining
    • Tracking shots. Yelping, wailing music. Twins. It's hard to look away from this hypnotic piece of Stanley Kubrick genius often shadowed in conspiracy and myth.
  • The Conjuring
    • While the ending delivers the obligatory exorcism, every second before it crackles with tension and delivers scares that rightfully earned an R rating. 
  • The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
    • Not as true as it seems, but still a classic about a family of demented cannibals who manage to spill some of Marilyn Burns' real blood.
  • Psycho
    • It's a tale of a boy and his mother, and it's also the tale of why you should always lock the bathroom door while showering!
  • The Birds
    • Based off true events (yes!) and Daphne du Maurier's short story, The Birds is a tale of man against nature... and man doesn't necessarily win.


Can't handle a good scare? Don't worry, we have some more kid-friendly flicks you may enjoy.
  • Casper
    • While it won't be winning any awards, Casper is still a fun little flick about a friendly ghost and his crude ghost uncles learning to accept the new "fleshies" that have moved in.
  • Hocus Pocus
    • Backed by a massive cult following, Hocus Pocus is an absolute must-see family fright flick! Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy chew up the scenery as wickedly funny witch sisters bound and determined to live past sunrise... otherwise it's curtains. They evaporate! They cease to exist! Dost thou comprehend?
  • The Addams Family
    • They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether... terrific! If you like your humor a little on the dark side, then this movie is for you. 

Come check these wonderful films out at the Franklin County Library before your worst nightmare comes true... the movie already being checked out!!!




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