It’s almost the time of year again when ghosts and goblins come out to play.
So many things are associated with Halloween. There are costumes, candy and the horror movie marathons on cable. Yes, I know, it is impossible to enjoy these horror movies.
They are edited for time and graphic nature, the commercials and the quality of choices.
I am here to let you in on my movie choices for a great fright night for those who are too old to go trick-or-treating.
Throughout the month of October I’ll share my “Top Ten of Terror” with you. Each week, I’ll unveil two or three of my picks. I hope to get some feedback from you as to what you think are the top ten horror movies of all time.
Let’s begin, shall we? (Notice: you will not see a “slasher” flick or a PG-13 horror movie in this list).
#10 – House on Haunted Hill
The remake of this movie started a trend. The trend is the twitching of characters on screen. I admit I’m not a fan of remakes. However, this one was well done. I have yet to see the original, but I wouldn’t mind checking it out. Sometimes classic horror movies need a facelift and sometimes they don’t (i.e. House of Wax).
It was cool was how they used the camcorders and other visual aides to see what was really going on inside the many rooms of the house.
This movie freaked me out so bad I couldn’t finish it. I was quite young at the time, and had to settle for a cable airing. I haven’t been this scared since the masterpieces of the ‘80s. I’ll try to watch the unedited version, but I won’t make any promises.
“House on Haunted Hill” takes place in a mansion. A promise of $1 million is made if the people in the house survive after 24 hours. Things become a little eerie after a couple of hours in.
That is all that I will leave you with. I won’t ruin it for those that haven’t seen it.
#9 – The Audition & Saw
Yes, it’s a tie. I know I was supposed to pick only 10, however, I had to squeeze these two in.
“The Audition” is a Japanese horror movie. No, it does not follow suit as “The Grudge,” “The Ring” or “Shutter.”
There were times in this movie that made me jump. The director did a really awesome job. The goals the director, Takashi Miike, set were all met.
I admit there are some bad things about “The Audition.” Those bad things include the slow build up and the subtitles. There are times in the movie you might get a little confused as to what is real and what is a dream. If you need to pause and collect yourself, do it.
Some of the images can be disturbing.
The television network, Bravo, ranked “The Audition” eleventh in their scary movie moment countdown from 100. If this doesn’t make you curious about “The Audition,” I don’t know what will.
“The Audition” is about a man that lost his wife a while back. He holds an audition for a movie that does not exist in order to meet the new woman of his dreams. He comes across a woman that seems young and innocent during this audition.
I’ll let you watch the movie to find out what happens.
The first “Saw” movie was quite innovative. It was one of the best horror movies that came out in a very long time.
The “Saw” franchise has mixed feelings, some love them and some hate them. As you can see, I only chose the first one. After the first one, it got repetitive. We knew what to expect. EW.com from “Entertainment Weekly” listed the “Saw” franchise as one of many franchises that needs to stop. I couldn’t agree more.
“Saw” is about people who take life for granted, and they are taught a really harsh life lesson.
The opening sequence captures you right away. This scene was brilliant because it captured the audience within the first couple of seconds. That is what a movie should do to keep the audience interested. “Saw” stars a veteran of the silver screen, Danny Glover. The movie also propelled Tobin Bell into super-stardom with his role of Jigsaw.
Something as small as the puppet on a tricycle made me scared. The way he looks in a fuzzy television made it that much more scary. It took me to the “Child’s Play” days.
One good thing about the “Saw” franchise is the link between each film. We know there is one more movie and it hits theaters later this month. How much longer they are willing to beat a dead horse is beyond me.
Rookie • Oct 3, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Great Reviews *****(5 stars)
I’m goin have to check out the Audition.