The 31 Days of Horror- #15

A haunted house, some rock n' roll vampires, a terrifying acid trip, and home invasion...

#15

The 70's

The Amityville Horror (1979)- Some people are going to be surprised that this one is this far down on the list, others will be surprised that it's on the list at all; you either love it, or you hate it. I personally think it's an ultra-effective haunted house story, with some truly creepy shit going on in it; the famous "Get out!" scene still gives me chills to this day. This is a flick best watched at night, when it's quiet and you're all alone and in the dark; if that doesn't have you looking over your shoulder, then I'm not sure what will. Check this classic out if you haven't already.

The 80's

The Lost Boys (1987)- This is Machine's (and almost my) favorite Vampire movie of all time. It's not scary at all, hell, it's not even the best made, but something about it just screams perfection. Even the Soundtrack is near perfect, as evidenced by the fact that most of the songs from it get a solid rotation on my iPod. When you watch Lost Boys, you can't help but be sucked in by its smooth exterior; the vamps are among the coolest ever committed to film, everyone is cute/attractive, the look of everything is polished... but underneath lies something even better... cool characters, and a good script that doesn't treat the audience like an asshole. Plus, the frog brothers rule. I 100% love this movie. 150% even.

The 90's

Jacob's Ladder (1990)- I had a hard time deciding whether or not this movie was going to make the list, and two things made up my mind for me; first, the 90's was a pretty weak decade for Horror, and smart, effective movies like this were few and far between; second, this was a pretty damn unsettling movie. It's interesting too, because while being freaky, it is a powerful drama with an interesting premise and message. I won't spoil it here in case you haven't seen it, but it's not a movie that you'll soon forget.

The 2000's

Them (Ils) (2006)- This is one of my favorite new movies; Horror over the past few years has sucked for the most part, and if we're being really honest, this whole decade has been a big letdown. One of the bright spots however, has been the emergence of French Horror... harsh, brutal, and dare I say artistic, the French have been turning out some of the best horror flicks that I've ever seen in recent years. Them is an utterly effective home invasion flick, much along the lines of The Strangers, but a better version of the story. Trapped in a house by a group of unknowns, a couple is terrorized and unsure what they can do about it... It's tense and creepy, and the ending made me say "that's fucked up." I urge you to check this out, as it's a hidden gem that most Horror fans have probably never even heard of.

See you tomorrow with #14...