October is just a week away and you know what that means: scary movie time!
While I enjoy a good scare any time of year, next month is when I really get my fright on. I try to cram as many televised terrors into the weeks leading up to Halloween as I can.
I called my favorite horror movie buff, my oldest son, Josh Levesque, for film recommendations. Josh got his start on scary movies at a young age and unlike his mother, he tends to remember every gory detail.
With all that’s going on in the world, I asked him: Do you think people really want to watch a scary movie? “Everything’s scary right now, Mom,” he said, “Have you watched the news lately? Horror movies are different. They’re not real — they’re an escape. And we really need them, especially this year with haunted houses, costume parties, and trick-or-treating postponed. Scary movies are all we have.”
Josh’s list of movies was massive — enough for a movie every night of the year! Here are his Top 5 — four R-rated, one family-friendly — plus a bunch of honorable mentions. Next week, I’ll serve up another round.
• “The Exorcist” is considered, by many, to be one of the scariest movies of all time. If the idea of supernatural possession keeps you up at night, check out “The Taking of Deborah Logan.” When three young filmmakers are invited to make a documentary about a woman’s battle with a particularly aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease, they discover something far more sinister behind her bizarre actions. This movie is one of the strongest additions to the “found footage” subgenre in recent years. Available on Tubi and Amazon Prime.
• Speaking of found footage movies: if “Paranormal Activity” gave you the creeps but you wish they’d left the house more, check out “As Above So Below.” When archaeology professor Scarlett Marlowe convinces her cameraman, her ex-lover, and some French locals to join her in the Paris catacombs on a quest to find the Philosopher’s Stone, things go south fast. Very south, in fact. Now, if the plot sounds silly, that’s because it is. But the scares are plentiful and well-executed. Available on Netflix.
• If home invasion is more your style (à la “The Strangers”), I can’t recommend “Hush” enough. Maddie Young is a deaf woman living an isolated life in a cabin, working on her next big novel. When a masked sociopath with a crossbow finds himself in her neck of the woods, he overestimates her disabilities and underestimates her abilities, leading to an intense and bloody game of cat and mouse. Available on Netflix.
• Another solid home invasion flick that has managed to stay under the radar since its release is “You’re Next.” When Erin joins her boyfriend, Crispian, on a trip to rural Missouri for his family reunion, she thought meeting the parents would be the hardest part. But before everyone even has a chance to finish their drinks, a trio of masked madmen begin picking off the group, one by one. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Well, not quite. Don’t let anyone spoil this one for you. Now streaming on Peacock.
• I know what your readers are thinking. All these movies are R-rated — so what about the little ones? Well, I watched movies like this when I was a kid, and I turned out fine. But if these films give you nightmares, how about an animated feature that’s suitable for the whole family, but still delivers plenty of thrills and chills? “ParaNorman” tells the story of Norman Babcock, a young boy who communicates with ghosts. Norman must use his unique talent to save his New England town from a witch’s curse. The film is as beautifully crafted as it is hilarious and spooky, thanks to animation studio Laika’s brilliant and unique stop-motion filmmaking technique.
Honorable mentions:
• “Host”: Found footage, filmed via Zoom in quarantine, under an hour, and terrifying. (I, me Josh’s mom, Susan, watched this on Shudder and it scared the heebie-jeebies out of me.)
• “Happy Death Day”: “Groundhog Day” meets “Scream” in this fun horror take on time loops.
• “Krampus”: A cold, creepy tale for those that want to be scared but are also already looking forward to Christmas. (What? Christmas? No, Josh, no!)
• “The Orphanage”: Spanish language story wrought with dread that will keep you guessing all the way to the shocking finale.
• “Terrifier”: Not for the faint of heart or the easily offended, this indie flick featuring Art the Clown is a cult favorite for people who just can’t get enough blood.
• “Green Room”: A punk band finds themselves trapped by a gang of brutal neo-Nazis in this vicious thriller. (Oh my, I saw this one too. Very disturbing film.)
So that’s the first round. I don’t know if I should be worried or proud. Nah, just kidding. I’m a horror movie freak, and so is my kid. And there’s nothing scary about that.
Susan Joy Paul is an author, editor, and freelance writer. She has lived on Colorado Springs’ northwest side for more than 20 years. Contact Susan at woodmennotes@pikespeaknewspapers.com.
"Movies" - Google News
September 22, 2020 at 01:00PM
https://ift.tt/3mFLP2E
It's scary movie time | Northwest Notes | Woodmen Edition - Colorado Springs Gazette
"Movies" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2xuBIZW
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "It's scary movie time | Northwest Notes | Woodmen Edition - Colorado Springs Gazette"
Post a Comment