The 31 Days of Horror- #5

A Xenomorph, The Chin, an obscure gem , and a really good remake...

The 70's

Alien (1979)- A lot of people credit Alien with finally making Horror mainstream in the late 70's, and as good of a movie as it is, I can understand that. It may be Sci-Fi, but make no mistake, it's a Horror movie through and through. A creature stalks a crew through the dark corridors of their ship, and picks them off one by one... if that isn't a slasher flick, I don't know what is! Ridley Scott is one of the best directors ever, his unique visual style and storytelling abilities making his movies come to life, and this may be his best effort (though that's highly debatable.) This is a masterful movie, perfect in every way. You must own this.

The 80's

The Evil Dead (1981)- I know that many say that Evil Dead II is the better movie, but this is the one that started it all. I mean how many movies can boast a "tree rape scene?" Not that many would want to, but they couldn't even if they did! This movie is creepy, messy, gory, and fun, and it looks like it cost about $10 to make. Bruce Campbell is the man, and this movie shows why; he's absolutely likable and isn't afraid to "go there." Evil Dead is a great example of 80's horror, and is a classic in every sense of the word.

The 90's

Cemetery Man (1994)- With as much crap that came out in the 90's, it amazes me how a movie like this couldn't get even a small release here in the U.S.; Sure it's an Italian film, but let's face it, Dellamorte Dellamore was better than 90% of the crap Horror movies that the U.S. churned out during the entire decade. This isn't only one of the best Horror movies ever made, it's a surreal and fantastic masterpiece, a benchmark for the genre. It combines blood, gore, surrealism, humor and FX perfectly; even Martin Scorcese praised this as being one of the best Italian movies of the 90's, and I swear I'm not making that up. You owe it to yourself to see Cemetery Man.

The 2000's

The Ring (2002)- "Before you crap your pants, you see the ring." That's right, I just said that out loud. Well, I typed it, but you get my point. The Ring is a truly great movie, which amazes me because most American remakes of J-Horror tend to suck horribly. Part of what makes foreign Horror, and cinema in general, so fantastic, is that there are different cultural aspects that shine through in the films, and make them work. This one didn't lose too much in the translation though, relying mostly on atmosphere and a strong story to wow the audience. You need to see this movie if you haven't already, but feel free to skip the sequel, because it pretty much sucked.

See you tomorrow with #4...