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Fear is a universal emotion. Few things in life are as exhilarating as being absolutely frightened. We’ve all been afraid of something at some point or another. That is the very reason why horror films have had a continually enduring popularity. They allow us to become scared but within a realm of safety. We know that Freddy Krueger isn’t going to really kill us in our sleep. Yet it doesn’t stop our subconscious from haunting us with his gruesome visage within our dreams. The ghost of a young girl is never going to come through our television screen but some of us still flinch when we see a TV. screen flicker with static simply because we saw “The Ring.”
The golden age of modern day horror movies was undoubtedly the 1970′s. That decade brought us “The Exorcist,” “Halloween,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “The Omen,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” in addition to many, many other quality films. These movies created the formulas that are repeatedly used in nearly every horror flick that comes out today. The ’70s held a certain originality in cinema that will probably never be re-captured again.
The ’80s brought the genre we all know as the slasher film to the forefront of scary movies. It was then that “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare On Elm Street” both saw the birth of their now seemingly endless series. The 80s also capitalized on the novelty of sequels. While “Halloween II” was pretty cool, I think the whole world could have gone without “C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud” – not to mention any of the follow-ups to “Critters”. Sadly, I’ve seen far too many of those horrendous horror sequels. Those are many wasted hours I’d do anything to get back.
The ’90s were pretty quiet. Sure, there were a few gems, like “Dead Alive” and “Interview With A Vampire,” but then came Kevin Williamson to defecate all over the horror genre. I can concede that the “Scream” trilogy was somewhat entertaining but the knock-offs that it spawned were enough to want to make me yearn for the Apocalypse. I’m sorry but “I Know Whose Ass You Slapped Last Weekend,” or whatever those movies were called, do not even form a shadow of a scary movie. The only thing scarier was how the masses ate that garbage up.
“Dead Alive” or “Jason X,” whether it’s horror movies are generally fairly hit or miss. So which ones should you pop in your DVD player this All Hallow’s Eve? If you’re looking for the classics look no further than the original “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Halloween” or perhaps “The Hitcher”. If you want a gore-fest then maybe “Evil Dead 2,” the aforementioned “Dead Alive” or “Dawn of the Dead” is more your speed. If you like ghost stories then check out “The Fog”, “The Others” or a recent favorite of mine, “The Ring.”
So pop in that scary movie, turn off those bright dorm lights, and curl up with some popcorn and or that special someone- because what’s Halloween without a few good scares?
