Halloween(ie)

I like to be scared. I get scared easily. Therefore, I'm always good for entertaining people when we watch horror movies together. As this month progresses, they will be all over the tv, so I thought I would list some of my favorites. Some scared the bejesus out of me, some made me laugh, some I hate to admit I've even seen.

Scaring the shit out of me:

1. Candyman (1992) I slept with my light on for a week after watching this movie. I had a mirror on my closet door, it just wasn't a good scene.
2. The Exorcist (1973) You know, a lot of people say this isn't scary because of its age. It doesn't have all the scary special effects and it looks dated. You know, maybe you just need a really good imagination to be terrified by this, but I don't think the date matters nearly as much as the content. No, the special effects aren't particularly frightening, but the movie is about more than split pea soup.
3. The Omen (1976) I have no idea why this movie scared the crap out me, but it did. And, to add insult to embarrassment, I watched in the middle of a Sunday afternoon! Broad daylight! Scary. Is it a coincidence that that little shit who played Damien hasn't done much else since then?
4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) & (1956) I don't really like the idea that your friends, family, whoever could be evil aliens. Nope, not a good thing. I think the '78 version is scarier, though.
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) I haven't seen this since 1986 so I imagine its pretty stupid now. It was probably stupid then, but it scared me half to death.
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) I love this movie. Even today, knowing full well how stupid it is, I still love it. The first time I saw it, I thought there were parts of it that was hilarious and parts that made me not want to fall asleep. Freddy movies were a lot like Star Trek movies, though. Every other one was good....
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Sometimes, I can still hear that song. "One Two, Freddy's coming for you..." That shit was (is) scary!!
8. The First Power (1990) I think I may have been one of three people who actually went to see this movie. I thought it was scary. The people I went with laughed.

Horror-esque:

1. Interview with the Vampire (1994) I can't believe its been ten years for this movie! That can't be right! Anyway, great film. I don't think of vampire movies as horror movies, but millions of people disagree. I think this is one of TC's best movies, actually.
2. Evil Dead & Evil Dead 2 (1981, 1987) The first one was scary. The second one was scary, yet silly. Yet scary. I'm not crazy about Army of Darkness (1993) outside of the fact that Bruce Campbell is in it. Just my opinion.
3. Dawn of the Dead (1978) I laughed. I jumped. I hid my eyes. I had no idea a sequel was out this year. Ving Rhames, even. Where was I?
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) Its so old, I couldn't take it seriously. Exactly what some people say about The Exorcist. But, I still had a few shaky moments watching this. I'm not a fan of zombies.
5. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) I really liked the first half of this movie. The second half.... not so much.
6. Event Horizon (1997) I still haven't seen this movie from beginning to end. I've seen the beginning. I've seen the middle. I've seen the end....not all at the same time.
7. Pitch Black (2000) Riddick...... No, really, this was a great movie. There are some who were scared half to death by it, and I find that incredibly amusing. To me, this is more SF than horror, but people tell me I have that absolutely wrong. I would classify it along the lines of Aliens.(1986)

Bad Movies that I love:

1. Blood Ties (1991) I'm not sure all the people who were in this movie even saw it. Made for tv, not the highest of anyone's priorities. And, in all honesty, it wasn't very good. It was entertaining.
2. Witchboard (1986) I was young. I didn't know any better. The money was good.... Actually, I'm not nearly as ashamed to say I liked this movie as I am to admit I liked...
3. Waxwork (1988) It was supposed to be a horror movie. I can see how parts of it were clearly supposed to inspire terror and fear. I have seen this movie multiple times, but I can't say I was ever scared.
4. Phantoms (1998) Michael DeLorenzo, Liev Schreiber, Nicky Katt, Ben Affleck.....

No Redeeming qualities whatsoever:

1. The People Under the Stairs (1991) This is on the short list of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. Not scary. Not funny. Not worth my time or my money. Wes Craven, I expected better!
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street #'s 2, 4, 5...