It’s been a long and festive October, quickly coming to an end. Each week we’ve given you movies that we love to watch to get in the spirit; some vampires, some werewolves, some horror, some comedies. But some movies just can’t be categorized. For our final Halloween Movie Marquee, here are some of our community team’s favorite films to watch.
Leslie’s Picks
Let the Right One In (2008)
Most vampire flicks, especially modern ones, are much less about horror and follow a more introspective into living life as a vampire. Let The Right One In is not exception but rather than focus on living as a mature adult vampire, it focuses on the dynamic of a young girl living as a vampire and her new friend next door.
The film quickly becomes less about the fact the lead girl is a vampire and more about the loneliness of two children and the bond they form. That isn’t to say there’s a lack of horror in the movie, but it’s certainly one of the more unique movies in it’s genre that you can find and one that’s worth a watch.
Lady Vengeance (2005)
I’m calling this horror adjacent since it acts more as a thriller but has horror elements. If you like highly stylized, Tarantino-esque filmmaking matched with Korean horror film vibes then I highly recommend this Lady Vengeance. It’s Kill Bill times one hundred.
Directed by Park-Chan wook is known for films such as Oldboy, Snowpiercer, and The Handmaiden. So highly stylistic violent films are in his wheelhouse and this film is the last in his ‘vengeance’ trilogy. The ending is also somewhat controversial but I highly recommend giving it a watch.
Steven’s Picks
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
Behind the Mask stands out to me among most horror movies because because Leslie Vernon blows the lid off of the Slasher Flick trope by revealing the secrets of how the icons do it. This movie takes place in a universe where Freddy, Michael, etc… all exist but there is nothing supernatural about them. They are just in the business,
I’ve always been a fan of mockumentaries and found footage films. Well, Behind the Mask delivers in that regard. Leslie dons a blue mask with a simple frown and an old farm sickle, and uses an old local legend to fuel the fear that “The One” feels. “The One” is the quintessential final girl that is common in all classic slashers, and he reveals all of this information to the documentary crew that follows him. This gives an almost eeriness to the casual nature of what he’s doing. The cast is full of people that may be unknown to most, but also has a few roles portrayed by icons in horror! The movie isn’t inherently scary but focuses on the horror elements and tropes. This results in a fun ride into what it would be like if Slasher Film killers were real.
Llamageddon (2015)
Llamageddon is an absolute masterclass in modern horror cinema. The story follows an alien llama that crash lands on earth and is ready to ruin your day! Starring the ever famous and stunning Louie the Llama, this absolute blockbuster is full of amazing visuals and a soundtrack that you’ll be talking about for years to come.
In all reality, this movie is absolutely nuts. It feels like the kind of movie you would make with your friends in your freshman year of college. There are running gags, horrible edits, and awful acting. Still, somehow it manages to be fun. I found myself laughing for the majority of the film. If you’re looking for a hilariously bad go to this year and you’ve already seen Rubber, Thankskilling, and Velocipastor then this is definitely the move! It’s available on Prime Video.
Brittney’s Picks
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Of all the classic horror monsters, Freddy Krueger has always been my favorite. I dress up as Freddy at least once a year, and treasure my box set of the complete series. It was one of the first horror movies I really fell in love with, before I even really liked horror movies.
I could go into a long thesis about my love for this series, but I’ll try to keep it short. One of the reasons I love NoES is because it’s disregarded reality from the start. It’s a slasher movie that’s also fantasy, and identified itself that way in movie one. That means that Freddy can do a lot of shocking, campy, and hilarious things you wouldn’t find in a more run of the mill slasher. Also—Freddy’s just funny! He’s full of witty one-liners and bad jokes, which is a nice change from the stoic silence of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Nancy is one of my favorite final girls, and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is one of the coolest mid-series reality breaks that I’ve personally ever seen.
Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue (2009)
This is another film I rewatch every single year. Okay, so it’s not a horror movie. It’s a documentary about horror movies. Maybe documentaries aren’t your thing, but watching this, you’ll learn so much about horror. Maybe horror’s not your thing! This documentary is one of the things that made me so fascinated in the subject.
Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue tracks the American horror movie from the 1930’s all the way through the early 2000’s. As current events like wars and technological advances changed society, society’s fears and outlets changed too. It’s fascinating to think about how we got films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers from something like the Cold War. Horror icons like John Carpenter and George Romero all weigh in on their personal favorite films, and what it was about the horror genre that drove them to create the work they did. If you have any interest as horror as a genre, I highly recommend this one!
