With Halloween just around the corner, we at ScreenAnarchy thought we'd provide a valuable public service by listing some of our contributors' top picks for movies to watch this weekend. In this, our first of two installments, our writers have unearthed some familiar and some forgotten titles that they urge you to seek out ASAP.
Before our first set of entries, I'd like to extend a special thanks to the ScreenAnarchy crew for really getting into the spirit and submitting some of their favorite movies. I think--I hope, at least--that you'll be impressed with the variety on display here as each of our writers brings to the fore their particular idea of what makes a great movie for the holiday.
Swarez
Exorcist 3 (1990)
One film that continues to haunt me with it's overpowering atmosphere and superb direction is William Peter Blatty's Exorcist 3. Don't let the number behind the title discourage you from seeing it because the film simply oozes with overhanging dread. Originally called Legion and drastically altered before release by the studio, the unnecessary exorcism scene in the end is out of place in this otherwise slow burning horror movie but what is left of Blatty's original vision is magical. Truly one of my all-time favorite horror movies.
Dustin Chang
Dustin's Disclaimer: My choices for the Halloween viewing are highly unorthodox and might result in uncomfortable silences, many hurt feelings and possibly cause irreparable damages in relationships. You've been warned!
Alucarda (aka Sisters of Satan) (1970)
Plenty of nudity, lesbian sex, vampirism, beheading and spontaneous combustion occur throughout in Juan Lopez Moctezuma's gory fairytale. Unlike his fellow Panic Movement filmmakers (Alejandro Jodorowski, Fernando Arrabal), Moctezuma's films possess delicate, delicious and terrifying sensibility. Alucarda is no exception.
Possession (1981)
Possession is an omnifarious film that can result in multiple interpretations. I hear Zulawski was going through a messy divorce during that time. This gory deconstruction of marriage is both farcical to its supposedly sacred institution and emotionally acute. The physical manifestations of raw emotions in Possession has no equal in film, save von Trier's Antichrist, maybe. Isabelle Adjani is unbelievable as the woman who can't be possessed/dispossessed. The ten minute freakout scene in the tunnel alone is worth the admission price. Did I mention Adjani has sex with a tentacled monster in this?
Ben Umstead
Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders (1970)
Czech New Wave director Jaromil Jires' whimsically surreal take on the vampire myth and the coming of womanhood is by no means a traditional horror film. As our titular heroine, the beguiling Jaroslava Schallerová exudes a ripe sexuality and playful tenacity as she evades the advances of a blood sucker who just may or may not be her father. Operatic levels of strangeness ensue with nary a scare in the house, but with plenty of topsy-turvy eroticism. So while Jires' folktale is a-okay for the faint of heart, those wary of dream-world logic might not be able to stomach his reverie. Think of it as Buñuel's Nosferatu.
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly (AKA Girly) (1970)
Would you like a bit of dark chocolaty farce with your horror(d'oeuvres)? Then look no further than Freddie Francis' sharp-as-an-ax send up of the British class system. Dressed in blood red school uniforms, the enthusiastically manic Sonny and minx-ilicious Girly pitter and patter through the streets of London finding 'new friends' they can bring home to play with. Under the watchful eye of their elders, the sociopathic siblings coax these often intoxicated fellows into a series of increasingly hazardous games. Every sick and twisted turn is treated like a Sunday outing for this post-post-nuclear family, resulting in a film that is just as hysterical as it is hair-raising.
Joshua Chaplinsky
The Ugly (1997)
The Ugly is the feature film debut of Kiwi director Scott Reynolds, a man who was personally thanked in the credits of all three Lord of the Rings films. It is a stylishly shot serial killer flick that takes familiar tropes- the domineering mother, the bullied young boy, the voices in his head telling him to kill, kill, KILL!- and makes them its own. Reynolds uses temporal manipulation to great effect as scenes overlap and bleed into one another, slowly revealing the backstory of killer "Simple" Simon Cartwright. Simon is currently doing time in a very Lynchian insane asylum, and has requested a review from headline grabbing psychologist Dr. Karen Schumaker. The good doctor is drawn into Simon's world. He gets inside her head as he recounts the story of "The Ugly" and why he had to brutally murder all those people.
The Ugly is a triple threat. It doesn't skimp on the characters, the story, or the gore, and is greater than the sum of its parts. It is Viagra for the flaccid penis of modern horror, what with the genre's Abercrombie casting and lack of depth. It also proves you can take something people have seen before and breathe new life into it, before you chase it down an alley and slice its throat.
Sheitan (2006)
I always recognized Vincent Cassel as a great actor, but this is the movie that made me love the man.
Sheitan was the brainchild of French first timer Kim Chapiron, an underground wunderkind involved in some sort of hip-hop art collective called Kourtrajmé (as far as I can tell. All the websites are in French.) He somehow convinced Cassel to star in and produce this oddity, which follows a group of unlikable jerks on Christmas eve as they ride out into the boonies and try to get laid. Another familiar setup, but never fear--Sheitan takes a hard left into Whatthefucksville when they come upon hillbilly sheepherder Cassel, who is almost unrecognizable in the role. Cassel also plays the sheepherder's pregnant wife and let me tell you--he makes one ugly woman.
Some weird shit goes down, involving hot promiscuous women, inbred children, a natural hot spring, and the family dog. Remember the "red rocket" episode of South Park? Yup. And this is just the first act. Wait until you get to the dinner scene. That's when Sheitan's Faust meets Rosemary's Baby intentions are finally revealed.
Sheitan is one of the most bizarre and original films I have ever seen. It is my favorite horror film of the aughts, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Vincent Cassel's performance alone is a sleazy, racist, scenery chewing revelation. Find it and see it.
Sean Smithson
The Sentinel (1977) Allison is a successful, beautiful, young model, engaged to an upwardly mobile lawyer. before they marry, she decides to spend the last few months living on her own. Finding a flat in a NYC brownstone at a price too good to be true. Full of eccentric denizens, such as a lesbian couple who walk around dressed in ballet tights, and the old man who is sweet but obtrusive, with his parakeet on his shoulder and his mewling cat in tow. The most curious of all the tenants is the old, emaciated, blind priest who lives in the flat on the top floor. Perpetually staring out, unblinking, like he is guarding something.
This is of course, only the set-up for The Sentinel. Soon enough, supernatural terror is loosed upon Allsion, and we are off on what could be described as Rosemary's Baby for the Gloria Steinham set. It also features a climax which, let's just say, you won't ever see the denizens of Hell cast like this again.
An insanely underrated slice of 70's demonic horror, full of neo-gothic trappings, conspiratorial twists, Dick Smith FX, and some of the greatest character actors of the era, The Sentinel is a pitch perfect piece of morbid fun for Halloween.
Burnt Offerings (1976)
The Rolfs, a single-child family, grandmother in tow, move into a California mansion for the summer, at a reduced rate as long as they take care of the grounds...and the elderly "Mother" who lives upstairs, at the top of the house, who only requires her meals left outside her door.
The family notice that the house takes almost a shine to them. the slightest effort in beautifying the old place leads to amazing results. But as the house comes back to life, the Rolfs begin to disintegrate. The husband, Ben, begins having a recurring nightmares, sometimes while wide awake, of a ghoulish chauffeur driver. The wife, who is taking care of the old women upstairs (though no one has ever met her or seen her) is taking on character traits unlike her. The grandmother is getting ill, and is growing afraid of the house, like a crazy old lady. The 12-year-old son keeps getting hurt, and is even attacked by his father who gets out of hand during playtime in the refurbished pool. When it becomes apparent the house never wants them to leave, it is already too late!
One of the only features from Dark Shadows/The Night Stalker mastermind Dan Curtis, Burnt Offerings is the ultimate Old Dark House film, and a testament to 70's era PG horror. No gore. Just straight scares, no chaser. Boasting yet another great cast, Oliver Reed, Karen Black, Bette Davis, Burgess Meredith, and the kid from that 70's rat flick Ben, Lee Montgomery, are all great in this surprisingly dark film.
The Devil's Rain (1975)
A cartoony slice of Satanic Panic goodness. When an ancient tome is stolen by a devil worshiping cult who populate a ghost town, the good son hero character must venture forth, reclaim the book, and thwart the cult's plan to come forth unto the world in full force once again since their imprisonment generations before in a mystical orb. It's a barbed tail version of the Hatfield's and the McCoy's. Senseless and meandering yes, but when the setpieces come with the cult leader transforming into a goat headed priest of ultimate evil, it's orgasmic in it's dunderheaded bad-assness. Factor in that Weregoat beast is platyed by Ernest Borgnine, and the good son, who now hangs, eyes torn out, on an inverted cross, is William Shatner, and you have something close to holy.
Again, made in the 70's, and blessed with an A class cast including Tom Skerrit and Ida Lupino, and it's yet another great example of what the era was offering genre fans. Bonus points to the production for using Anton Levay as a technical consultant...even though he didn't believe in the Devil!
Melting candlewax cultists at the end, as the Lord's retribution literally rains down on them, top off the proceedings. All that gooey goodness is just icing on this cheesy cake. Oh yeah, and it's John Travolta's first film. Don't blink!
The Car (1977)
In a genre-bending mish-mash of more Satanic Panic goodness, The Car incorporates the fear of the devil from The Exorcist, as well as the souped-up car action from The Vanishing Point , and the voyeuristic predatory vibe of Jaws, but what comes out is something not nearly as slathered in cheese as you might think.
Without rhyme or reason, a mysterious, matte black, vicious automotive predator shows up, mowing down the denizens of a rural Arizona town. The POV shots the audience is privy to, from behind the wheel, inform us that yes, this is no ordinary vehicle. The thrum and pulse of the ominous soundtrack, the blood red tinted windshield...all this ride is missing is chrome pentagram rims. Before long, the local sheriff (played by a badass James Brolin) and his deputies, which include a Native American shaman (!!!) start figuring out they may be dealing with something beyond our world. When the Car attempts to go after the local sheriff's girlfriend, and can't pass through the gates of the graveyard where she is taking refuge (hallowed ground is a bitch when you are a demon, on four wheels or not) the "demon's ouuta the Oiuja board" so to speak, and it's game on.
I know it all sounds completely goofy, but it's a good goofy. It's also surprisingly creepy, I kid you not. Again, full of a cast of recognizable 70's era character actors, all with some formidable chops, The Car is a true drive-in classic. It aims for scary, and hits "cool."
Check back with us tomorrow, for the second half of ScreenAnarchy's Halloween picks. And feel free to offer up some suggestions of your own down in the comments!