Goblins. Witches. All things scary held together with stitches... for some reason or another, there is a satisfaction with dressing up as something or someone you most definitely will never be. There is a need to (for at least one night) pretend you are a little bit of the darkness inside you, or you pretend you are the hero you wish you could be, or maybe you just pretend for the sake of just pretending.
We go to Haunted Houses and FearFests looking for a jump or to notice some hidden creature in the shadows. It is our nature, our curiosity about the dark. In the face of fear, we feel alive.
It's the same thing with scary movies. We watch them for the thrill and for the fear.
Every year, I watch the complete Halloween franchise (except for Halloween 3). The reason is that Michael Myers is a reminder and the ultimate example of pure unsubstantiated evil. There is no reason. There is no understanding. The shape of evil exists. It lives in the darkness of our souls. So, I watch. I won't lie, I do enjoy watching them and reliving the fears of my childhood.
This year, I thought I would do something different. I wanted to relive some lesser-known movies that I remember really freaking me out and that held the same point of views about the existence of pure evil. So, here's my list (in no particular order) of movies that might not be as well known, but definitely deserve a screening in a dark room in the middle of the night. Maybe tonight.
The Amityville Horror (2005, R)
Directed by Andrew Douglas and Starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George
The house is the horror.
A year after a brutal family murder, an unsuspecting young couple George (Reynolds) and Kathy Lutz (George) along with their children move into the house where it all happened. Over the course of 28 days, the evil presence in the house grows and ultimately infects the mind. This film is based on True events.
Angel Heart (R)
Directed by Alan Parker and Starring Robert De Niro, Mickey Rourke, and Lisa Bonet
A down and out detective, Harry Angel (Rourke), in the 50's is hired by a strange man (DeNiro) to find someone who has been missing for a number of years from a veterans hospital. Over the course of the investigation, dark spirits are revealed and truths are discovered that will forever alter Harry Angel's world.
The Descent (R)
Directed by Neil Marshall and Starring Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Saskia Mulder and Alex Reid
After a tragic accident, six friends reunite a year later for a caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves very far from being alone. They find themselves in a desperate struggle to survive the dark and each other.
Frailty (R)
Directed by Bill Paxton and Starring Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Booth, and Matt O'Leary
Fenton Meeks (McConaughey), comes forth to tell the FBI that his brother Adam may be the serial killer who calls himself "God's Hands". The film uses flashbacks to show Meeks' childhood with a father (Bill Paxton) who believed he was on a mission from God to destroy demons that inhabit human bodies. Fenton saw his dad as evil, while Adam saw him as a hero. One of them was right.
High Tension (R)
Directed by Alexadre Aja and Starring Cecile De France, Maiwenn, and Philippe Nahon
Two female college students, Marie and Alexa, set off to Alex's parents' secluded homestead in the country to relax and study. Come nightfall, Hell pulls up at the front door when a mysterious killer breaks. After a murderous rampage, Alex is now bound and gagged, taken off by the killer. Marie follows not far behind eluding the intruder and trying to find a way to save her friend.
The Hitcher (1986, R)
Directed by Eric Red and Starring Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell and Jennifer Jason Leigh
A young man, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) transports a car from Chicago to California and picks up a stranger (Rutger Hauer) to help him stay awake. In moments, the stranger becomes much more than a passenger. The stranger is a relentless serial killer who eventually frames Jim for a string of murders. Chased by police and shadowed by the killer, Jim's only help comes from a truck stop waitress.
The Mist (R)
Directed by Frank Darabont and Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andrea Braugher and Toby Jones.
After a violent storm attacks a town in Maine, an approaching cloud of mist appears the next morning. As the mist quickly envelops the area, a group of people get trapped in a local grocery store. The people soon discover that within the mist lives strange and unworldly creatures that entered through an inter-dimensional rift, which may or may not have been caused by a nearby military base. As the world around them manifests into a literal hell-on-earth, the horrified citizens try desperately to survive this apocalyptic disaster as well as themselves.
Session 9 (R)
Directed by Brad Anderson and Starring David Caruso, Josh Lucas and Peter Mullen
Donning protective gear, the men of the Hazmat Elimination CO. venture into the eerily vast and vacant asylum that is filled with an evil and mysterious past. Rampant patient abuse, medieval medical procedures and rumors of demonic possession are some of the many dark secrets the hospital holds. The men there for the Hazmat removal team have their own dark secrets as well.
The Strangers (R)
Directed by Bryan Bertino and Starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle to survive.
Let The Right One In (R)
Directed by Tomas Alfredson and Starring Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson
Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, dreams of revenge. He falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl who can't stand the sun or food and to come into a room she needs to be invited. Eli gives Oskar the strength to hit back and eventually he realizes that Eli needs to drink other people's blood to live. He's faces a choice. How much can love forgive? It is a story both violent and highly romantic, set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982.
Happy Halloween.
Enjoy.
Brice M. Spencer
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