Your Film Professor

It’s the Halloween season and so here is my annual re-posting of my two horror film lists.

Just in time for the Halloween season, I thought I would post an alternative to my all time favorite horror films list. A year after I posted my favorite horror films list last year, it occurred to me that probably most people are looking for just good “funhouse” horror films for Halloween, not so much what my horror list entails, which are mostly cerebral horror films, though having said that, I think some of those films on that list could make this list, e.g., Fido (2006, Andrew Currie), Cat People (1942, Jacques Tourneur), perhaps Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock), maybe May (2002, Lucky McKee), and I suppose some people think that The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick) is “fun” though for the life of me I’ve never understood that sentiment — yes, Jack Nicholson’s mugging for the screen is entertaining but the film overall is pretty long and and slow, a cerebral film and certainly not scary. In any case, you can find my blurbs for those films on my favorite horror films list, which I am going to re-post for the Halloween season. In terms of this “funhouse” horror film list, like other horror fans, I too enjoy a smart, well-made “funhouse” horror film, which, for me, are films that may or may not have some deepness, but these horror films’ enjoyment more stems from other elements, such as just being scary or creepy or offering vicarious (survivalist) stimulation or engaging story lines or something idiosyncratic (e.g., delicious visuals, perfectly integrated biting dark comedic elements, etc.). Most of these horror films are probably pretty predictable choices — which is probably why they are some of my favorite “funhouse” horror films, since they are favorites of so many others as well — but there are a couple of lesser known titles as well. Perhaps next year I’ll create a horror film list that encompasses all of the great hidden, unsung horror gems I’ve seen!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegel)

Though I prefer the original, all of the versions are in my view quality horror-science fiction films, well with the exception of The Invasion (2007, Oliver Hirschbiegel), a terrible film in my opinion! (Well, now that I think about it, I can’t entirely account for Abel Ferrera’s Body Snatchers, a film I remember liking quite a bit but it has been a long time since I’ve seen it.) For me, the key to Invasion of the Body Snatcher‘s effectiveness is the slow burn of the “invasion” scenario, where it starts with a few individuals and then builds from there, with each succeeding case building on our dread of a seeming inevitable takeover. Invasion films are a very popular horror genre formula, probably partly because of the survivalist element — e.g., I suspect we all love to put ourselves in impossible life or death situations, especially when the fate of humanity is at stake — which is very much an element in this film. To my mind, Don Siegel‘s Invasion of the Body Snatcher is still one of the very best invasion films. That the film was made during a period of extreme paranoia – paranoia stoked by the “Red Scare” of the 50s, e.g., a fear of a Communist takeover – adds an interesting layer of depth to the chills. We can’t realize how that feeling of being taken over felt at the time that the film came out, but we still have with us — perhaps more so today than ever before — real life feelings of some ominous loss of self to external agents (e.g., social alienation, the disturbing feeling that our self is determined not by our self but by exterior agents), that the film’s underlying dread of losing loved ones or self to some “alien” Other still resonates today.

The Fly (1986, David Cronenberg)

As I’ve painfully learned when I’ve taught two Cronenberg films – e.g., The Brood (1979) and my personal favorite Cronenberg film Videodrome (1983) – most of Cronenberg’s films are decidedly not “funhouse” horror movies. His horror brand of what has been dubbed as “body horror” horror films (e.g., in short, horror films with graphically grotesque images associated with the body) – combined with most of his films being extremely disturbing and weird – are just too much for most mainstream viewers to stomach. His lone exception (and I’m not counting the wonderful The Dead Zone [1983], a film that just doesn’t feel like a horror film to me) is The Fly (1986). For certain, the “body horror” elements are still there – the film is graphic and gross (as the above image testifies to!) – but the film is also not particularly weird (a certain birth scene notwithstanding!) and is in fact at times playful and even amusing at times. Indeed, part of the brilliance of the film is somehow making Seth Brundle’s deterioration both disturbing and somehow grossly and disturbingly comical (Seth cracking jokes over his body deterioration helps lighten the somberness of this otherwise sad degradation!) Moreover, Cronenberg even plays the ending straight, giving us some pathos for poor “Brundle Fly.”

Interview with a Vampire (1994, Neil Jordon)

I debated on whether to add Interview with a Vampire, because for me, I think this is a highly underrated film, one of the best vampire films ever, a deep and complex film. (At some point, I’ll do a fuller blurb or post that will better do this film’s depth justice.) Moreover, I suspect many might not see this as a “fun” film it is so somber and dreary at times, the pacing languid and dramatic. But I also think the film is thoroughly delicious in its various explorations of the dark side of humanity and especially in its gothic art direction — there are some really striking compositions and imagery in this film — which reflects and informs the film’s dark exploration of humanity. Again, I can’t fully explicate this film’s complex exploration of these dark (deep) elements here but I will say that what this film focuses on (via Anne Rice) are some of the “return of the repressed” elements that come through via the vampire film in general, sexuality in general and still taboo desires, such as homoerotic desire, and other deep explorations such as, via Louis’ tormented state of being, resisting a self-erasing hedonist way of life and trying to understand what constitutes a human self, a self existing for life enriching meaning, purpose, direction, fulfillment.

The Old Dark House (1932, James Whale)

What a wonderfully delicious gem of a horror film! Beginning with the rudimentary seeds of a horror film (stormy night, strangers stranded in a creepy “old dark house,” mysterious tenants — especially the too precious for words Boris Karloff — ominous dialogue, overall darkly expressive atmosphere), the film slowly peels back in layers to reveal the “madness” at the heart of this family, a wonderfully climactic (mad) villain who may or may not be revealing hidden truths (“hidden” being the recurring motif in this film!)! Lots of juicy, surprising dialogue and sprinklings of jarring (especially for this time period!) oddities (“have a potato”! “That will rot too”!) and symbolism (auteur Whale focusing in on the devouring-her-food fundamentalist sister!). This film is a precursor (maybe the first???) to the crazy family sub-genre of the horror film that would become a staple of horror, made most famous of course by the cannibalistic family in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, Tobe Hooper). The Old Dark House is a must see horror film!

The Orphanage (2007, Juan Antonio Bayona)

For a reason I won’t go into (no spoilers for this post!), this is a really unique ghost story. Part of its uniqueness stems from it maintaining its humanity, by never just being about getting easy scares out of its audience, instead using the ghost story formula to explore how children can be terribly Othered because of their differentness and suffer because of it. The lingering trace of such suffering metaphorically informs the ghostly presence of the children in this film, signifying how such treatment resonates beyond the moment of suffering, lingering in adults who suffered as children and lingering in spaces where terrible things happened to them, spaces becoming a marker for past abuses and atrocities, a way for us to not forget. Ah, but I’m making this film sound too serious; this ghost story is also chilling and creepy, a horror film that is then both scary and thoroughly satisfying.

Village of the Damned (1960, Wolf Rilla)

I remember watching Village of the Damned with wonder the first time I watched it decades ago. The film ostensibly plays on our fear of children, a fear stemming from their ingrained Otherness, their latent Lord of the Flies (vicious) potential, stemming from their still incubating morality, not wholly yet normalized to societal and cultural standards of “normalcy” and morality. (And this element is played for effect as these still immature “alien” “children” almost seem to throw temper tantrums at the slightest provocation, though their temper tantrums can kill!) But of course the children aren’t really human (breathe a sigh of relief!) but rather aliens infiltrating themselves into humanity through the most personal way ever in alien movies, by impregnating women of villages around the world. This angle in itself introduces a fascinating dynamic in the film, as unwanted pregnancies bring all sorts of complex issues to the villagers. The real deep element though in the film is how these “alien” “children” have no empathy or emotional warmth/connectivity to Others, hyper-emphasizing just what makes us human. The ending (hint: “brick wall” ) is one of the all time great endings!

The Substitute (2007, Ole Bornedal)

The Substitute is a minor treasure of a sci-fi/horror film. Stylishly photographed, cleverly written (no dumb kids here doing dumb things), and even deep in its exploration of empathy, e.g., the film poses a catch 22 for the alien species in the film: How does a war-like race with no empathy (thus destroying themselves–hmmm, sound familiar!) “learn” how to…have (take?) empathy? They have come to Earth in a desperate mission to solve this riddle but of course the alien with no empathy can do no other than destroy anyone who gets in “her”/its way. I love the moment when Jesper, the father, is about to kiss Ulla, the “teacher”/alien, and “she” isn’t sure whether to kiss him back or…eat him!

Curse of the Demon (1957, Jacques Tourneur)

Curse of the Demon (aka Night of the Demon) is another adored film from my youth that I have seen many times and still love to watch periodically. For me, the scene that is most precious to me is a children’s party that the villain Doctor Karswell is putting on, Karswell putting on a clown costume and doing magic tricks for the kids. In this way, Tourneur gives us a pretty complex villain, by night a vicious demon wrangler and by day a fun old guy who loves kids and entertains them accordingly, not to mention that he is also an aristocratic sophisticate, giving us also a kind of “return of the repressed” character, a figure who puts on a glossy surface, which hides a malevolent Real “monster,” resonating real life (seemingly benevolent) figures who are then the more dangerous monsters in our world, predators hiding in plain sight. Apparently, director Tourneur didn’t want us to see the demon, but I’m glad that the demon is shown; as dated as the special effects are for us today, the demon is, to me anyway, pretty terrifying, and the feeling of impossibly escaping such an all powerful being makes the fate of the hero seem all the more intense, e.g., how can he possibly defeat such an all-powerful monstrous entity? Like Tourneur’s best work (Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Out of the Past), the film has some wonderful (shadowy) atmosphere, to go along with smart dialogue and an organic (contrivance free) feel to it.

The Ring (2002, Gore Verbinski)

For me, The Ring has everything you could want in a “funhouse” horror film, a truly scary and oh-so creepy “monster,” a terrifying premise (watch the video and you are dead in seven days), a chilling investigation into the background of the tape and Samara, the already disturbing child, and some truly terrifying moments (that scene where Rachel is in the well with Samara’s corpse is truly pulse pounding stuff) while trying to end this horror from continuing its killing of people, killings that we find out are truly gruesome. I especially want to highlight that seven days element, a way for our terror to grow (e.g., we can’t help but put ourselves in the place of those who have watched the tape), especially as we see how death is wrought by this oh-so creepy “monster” coming out of that well! The ending choice punctuates a film that heart poundingly keeps us on the edge of our seat, not just in terms of the actual threats to the characters but to our growing investment into plumbing the depths of this dark story.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012, Drew Goddard)

The Cabin in the Woods is, for me, a truly unique and innovative horror film, a rarity these days! Instead of the same old same old formulaic (yawn….) narratives, The Cabin in the Woods manages to take those formulaic plots and use them for its own end, a kind of more complex Scream (1996, Wes Craven). In other words, the film is part satire (beginning with those jarring opening clashes of signifiers!) and part its own attempt (successful in my opinion) at bending the (sub) genres of slasher film and survivalist horror films into something new and fresh. Though Joss Whedon didn’t direct it, the film has his innovative signature all over it, including delivering the (are you kidding me…a killer unicorn with accompanying gooey music!?!) goods! You have to see it to believe it.

Sleepy Hollow (1999, Tim Burton)

I have to say that while I think Tim Burton has made significantly better films, Sleepy Hollow may be the film that I enjoy the most! So beautifully photographed (that saturated blue just feels like it soaks off the screen) and composed, the visuals and art direction of the film are so tactile that one feels as if one is enraptured into the world of this story. The film plays like a folklore but the actual monster hues its ways through its victims with such ferocity that the horror element refuses the safe feeling that a folk tale gives us. Most interestingly, the ostensible villain of the film may be the headless horseman but as we come to see, the headless horseman is merely a reflection (or the “return of the repressed”) of greedy, power hungry individuals. A thrilling, funny, and horrific experience. I could watch this film every year!

The Conjuring (2013, James Wan)

I just love The Conjuring simply because of how smart and well made it is, how it unfolds organically (e.g., not give us any contrivances), how it seamlessly blends subtle moments with the more shocking ones — and Wan making it clear that the more subtle and nuanced moments are the more substantive part of his finely tuned edifice of a film, a refreshing shift from the graphic and shocking that seems to be the emphasis of most horror films these days — how it gives us genuinely likeable characters we come to care about, and, finally, how it seems to care about the characters more than it does what too many horror films seem to be about, e.g., bludgeon us with shocks and scares for effect rather than as secondary to the human element in the film. In terms of this human element, though Wan invests us in the family, he really invests our selfs in the wonderfully drawn characters Ed and Lorraine Warren (so well acted by the great Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson), characters who are essentially superhero ghost hunters. Their very real and deeply felt anguish at having to put their very selfs on the line for Others against unspeakable “evil” wrenches the heart and thus we are with them all the way as they do battle with the forces of evil, which, again, then becomes the heart and soul of this sublime haunted house horror film.

Get Out (2017, Jordan Peele)

I’m going out on a limb a little bit with this film only because I have only seen the film once, which is never a sure indication of my view of a film. But, based on the pretty much consensus, gushing positive reaction to this remarkable film, I think I’m on pretty sure ground. Like many others, I was astounded by this film — by its depth and complexity — and, at some point, I’ll do a fuller and deeper blurb on the film. For now, in addition to its deep elements — centered around an element few films have tackled, e.g., liberal racism — I will just comment on also what a delightful, smart, and “fun” horror film Get Out is, a kind of horror-comedy. But that doesn’t do it justice, since the film is also intense and disturbing, its horror elements thoroughly realized, in more ways than one, e.g., the film being about not just losing one’s self, but being perpetually in a state where one sees this loss but can do nothing about it, a state of unimaginable, constant suffering not unlike what African Americans have had to endure in this country for 400+ years. A must see film for horror fans and non-horror fans alike!