The 31 Days of Horror- #13

Some rape-revenge, a large fog bank, a creepy kid, and an even larger mist bank...

The 70's

The Last House on the Left (1972)- Wes Craven began his directorial career with this flick; this is not a "great" movie per-se, but it is a classic that made a huge and lasting impact when it was released. This movie isn't about style, its about the sick, twisted, revenge filled substance. Three escaped convicts (2 guys and 1 chick) capture, torture, and rape 17-year-old Mari and her friend, eventually killing them both. When they move on to do the same to Mari's family, what ensues is a bloodbath of retribution. David Hess, plays Krug, the head creep, and is easily one of the most terrifying villains ever captured on film. Last House is sadistic, harsh, and messy, and a must see for Horror fans. Not for the squeamish.

The 80's

The Fog (1980)- To this day, The Fog remains one of those movies that can still creep me out, even after 28 years. It's maybe the most atmospheric of Carpenter's films; from the slow rolling of the fog, to the utter quiet that comes along with it. The score is perfect here as it is in most of his films, and the dead pirates are truly inspiring. The remake that came out in 2005 is nothing less than an abomination, and if you haven't seen the original, you can't use it to gauge what you can expect from the 1980 version. This is one of my favorite Horror flicks of all time.

The 90's

The Sixth Sense (1999)- I hate M. Night Shaymalanananan. His pomposity and self importance became absolutely clear with Lady in the Water, where he told us he was going to save the world with his movies... He did, however, make a few great films at the beginning of his career, The Sixth Sense being perhaps his best. It's a ghost story with a twist, which will truly blow you away when you see it; and no, I don't believe everyone when they say "Oh, I knew what the twist was from the beginning", because most people are full of shit. It's a great movie, and an important one for the genre, and shouldn't be missed. Too bad his last three movies have been utter garbage.

The 2000's

The Mist (2007)- Stephen King is still bringing us movies based on his books, and this is one of the best of the bunch. The Mist is based on a short story by King, telling the story of a small community trapped in a grocery store by a strange fog, and the monsters that live within its borders. I really like everything about this movie, except for the ending; it wasn't anything like the ending in the book, and it truly made me say "What the f**k?!?!?" The DVD comes with a second disk that has a totally black and white version of the movie, which I think may be better than the color version. I can't recommend this one enough, but be prepared to be in shock when it's over.

See you tomorrow with #12...