80: Amityville II: The Possession
Fear of: haunted houses...again!
The first Amityville Horror movie was pretty freaky as it was, thanks to the real-life tragedy that tainted the Amityville house's history (and, supposedly, the real-life hauntings). A bunch of sequels came along to capitalize off of the film's success; of the ones I've seen, I found #2 to be quite entertaining. It has plenty of freaky haunting scenes and strange occurrences. The film is moody and somber. Most surprisingly is its underlying issues concerning domestic violence, which makes the drama very hard-hitting.
My score: 4/5
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79: Carrie (1976)
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77: Frankenstein (1931)
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76: 1408
75: Final Destination 5
74: Death Note Parts I and II
73: Tales From the Darkside
72: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
71: Resident Evil
70: Child's Play
69: Mary Shelly's Frankenstein
68: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
67: Final Destination
66: 28 Days Later
65: Dawn of the Dead (2004)
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64: Trick 'R Treat
63: Castle Freak
62: Cat's Eye
61: Halloween II
To be continued...
The first Amityville Horror movie was pretty freaky as it was, thanks to the real-life tragedy that tainted the Amityville house's history (and, supposedly, the real-life hauntings). A bunch of sequels came along to capitalize off of the film's success; of the ones I've seen, I found #2 to be quite entertaining. It has plenty of freaky haunting scenes and strange occurrences. The film is moody and somber. Most surprisingly is its underlying issues concerning domestic violence, which makes the drama very hard-hitting.
My score: 4/5
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79: Carrie (1976)
Fear of: telepaths.
Adapted from Stephen King's debut novel, this film presents a story that's genuinely creepy and touching at the same time. One can't help but to feel for Carrie White - a girl alienated, bullied, and ultimately humiliated to the breaking point - and one can't help but to be freaked out by her rampage. Despite some oddities regarding the film's style (namely, an abundance of split-screen effects), it is a decent horror classic.
My Score: 4/5
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Adapted from Stephen King's debut novel, this film presents a story that's genuinely creepy and touching at the same time. One can't help but to feel for Carrie White - a girl alienated, bullied, and ultimately humiliated to the breaking point - and one can't help but to be freaked out by her rampage. Despite some oddities regarding the film's style (namely, an abundance of split-screen effects), it is a decent horror classic.
My Score: 4/5
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78: The Fog (1980)
Fear of: ghost pirates!
I've always felt this was a rather slow, drab, and dull film, but after a whole bunch of viewings, I learned to appreciate it for what it is: a classic ghost story, complete with cool coastal locales, ominous ghost pirates, and rich folklore to go with it. The film has a few thrilling parts, and a few truly freaky scenes. Despite the pacing, it is a solid ghost story.
My score: 3.5/5
I've always felt this was a rather slow, drab, and dull film, but after a whole bunch of viewings, I learned to appreciate it for what it is: a classic ghost story, complete with cool coastal locales, ominous ghost pirates, and rich folklore to go with it. The film has a few thrilling parts, and a few truly freaky scenes. Despite the pacing, it is a solid ghost story.
My score: 3.5/5
77: Frankenstein (1931)
Fear of: a man made from various spare parts. Unfortunately, part no. 12, the brain, turned out to have a manufacturing defect.
Frankenstein is a fun monster flick, immortalized by its solid filming style, and an iconic performance from Boris Karloff. The film has very little to do with Mary Shelly's novel, and the film does have a few silly twists and turns. However, it does have its somber moments (such as the scene with the little girl, which I always felt was pretty messed-up), and I think it is one of the better monster flicks.
My score: 3.5/5
Frankenstein is a fun monster flick, immortalized by its solid filming style, and an iconic performance from Boris Karloff. The film has very little to do with Mary Shelly's novel, and the film does have a few silly twists and turns. However, it does have its somber moments (such as the scene with the little girl, which I always felt was pretty messed-up), and I think it is one of the better monster flicks.
My score: 3.5/5
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76: 1408
Fear of: hotel room # 1408.
A seemingly small-scale film, but it makes the most of its limitations. You'd think a movie about a guy stuck in a hotel room would be dull, but enough weird things happen to keep it gripping. It can also dig up a surprising amount of depth to the characters and events. It keeps things rolling really well, and in the end, I can't help but to look at the state of room 1408 and wonder if it's a reflection on the character himself. Plus, it's good-looking film with style.
My score: 4/5
--------------------A seemingly small-scale film, but it makes the most of its limitations. You'd think a movie about a guy stuck in a hotel room would be dull, but enough weird things happen to keep it gripping. It can also dig up a surprising amount of depth to the characters and events. It keeps things rolling really well, and in the end, I can't help but to look at the state of room 1408 and wonder if it's a reflection on the character himself. Plus, it's good-looking film with style.
My score: 4/5
75: Final Destination 5
Fear of: bridges, gymnastics, laser-eye surgery, acupuncture, hooks, wrenches, and airplanes.
Wow, five of these suckers, can you believe it? The neat thing about #5 is that it's not really #5, it's actually a prequel (and #4 is still THE Final Destination). Still, it is pretty much more of the same: more people escape death, and death continues to hound them with weird and outlandish accidents. The deaths in this film are as wickedly fun as ever, and the film moves at a good, brisk pace. Even though the series slumped a little for the third and fourth installments, the fifth one makes up for things pretty well.
My score: 4/5
--------------------Wow, five of these suckers, can you believe it? The neat thing about #5 is that it's not really #5, it's actually a prequel (and #4 is still THE Final Destination). Still, it is pretty much more of the same: more people escape death, and death continues to hound them with weird and outlandish accidents. The deaths in this film are as wickedly fun as ever, and the film moves at a good, brisk pace. Even though the series slumped a little for the third and fourth installments, the fifth one makes up for things pretty well.
My score: 4/5
74: Death Note Parts I and II
Fear of: using a notebook to kill people.
Death Note is a pretty neat, somewhat dark tale of death from Japan. This double-feature tells the story of a kid who happens across a notebook which, when one writes in it, a person will die in the exact manner in which it was written. Things get pretty interesting as the kid goes along and dishes out death with his notebook, attracting the attention of secret organizations and some weird otherworldly spirits. It's a pretty fun and interesting story well worth checking out.
My score: 4/5
--------------------Death Note is a pretty neat, somewhat dark tale of death from Japan. This double-feature tells the story of a kid who happens across a notebook which, when one writes in it, a person will die in the exact manner in which it was written. Things get pretty interesting as the kid goes along and dishes out death with his notebook, attracting the attention of secret organizations and some weird otherworldly spirits. It's a pretty fun and interesting story well worth checking out.
My score: 4/5
73: Tales From the Darkside
Fear of: witches, mummies, cats, and monsters.
This wicked horror anthology features a few moderately thrilling and entertaining pieces of work. My favorite has always been the odd and gnarly tale of a murderous black cat. The film also has the intriguing tales of a student re-animating the dead to take revenge, and a dude's chance encounter with a weird monster. It's all told by a guy being held as witch-fodder. Pretty fun set of stories.
My score: 3.5/5
--------------------This wicked horror anthology features a few moderately thrilling and entertaining pieces of work. My favorite has always been the odd and gnarly tale of a murderous black cat. The film also has the intriguing tales of a student re-animating the dead to take revenge, and a dude's chance encounter with a weird monster. It's all told by a guy being held as witch-fodder. Pretty fun set of stories.
My score: 3.5/5
72: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Fear of: Halloween masks, brought to you by Silver Shamrock!
What's this? A Halloween movie with no Michael Myers?! That's thrown off a lot of fans, but approaching it as a stand-alone oddity, the film is pretty solid. It moves a little slowly, but the mystery story is intriguing, and some of the stuff that happens is very creepy and weird. And it has robot henchmen, how cool is that?
My score: 3.5/5
--------------------What's this? A Halloween movie with no Michael Myers?! That's thrown off a lot of fans, but approaching it as a stand-alone oddity, the film is pretty solid. It moves a little slowly, but the mystery story is intriguing, and some of the stuff that happens is very creepy and weird. And it has robot henchmen, how cool is that?
My score: 3.5/5
71: Resident Evil
Fear of: zombies...and a homicidal supercomputer.
With six video games and five feature films, Resident Evil is a pretty big deal, but really, only this first film qualifies as a genuinely scary movie-going experience (Apocalypse, Extinction, Afterlife, Retribution, are all fun as action-packed popcorn flicks, but they're all quite a far cry from this first film). RE maintains a steady mood and pacing as the characters explore a zombie-ridden underground lab, and are forced to contend with a killer computer. There is action to be had, but fundamentally, it is a pretty slick zombie horror flick.
My score: 4/5
--------------------With six video games and five feature films, Resident Evil is a pretty big deal, but really, only this first film qualifies as a genuinely scary movie-going experience (Apocalypse, Extinction, Afterlife, Retribution, are all fun as action-packed popcorn flicks, but they're all quite a far cry from this first film). RE maintains a steady mood and pacing as the characters explore a zombie-ridden underground lab, and are forced to contend with a killer computer. There is action to be had, but fundamentally, it is a pretty slick zombie horror flick.
My score: 4/5
70: Child's Play
Fear of: scary dolls.
Who would have ever thought that a doll could kill. And not just kill, but mock you while doing so? Chucky the doll is a crazy and creepy little guy so full of wicked humor and bloody mayhem, and it makes for quite a wild and fun little thriller.
My score: 4/5
--------------------Who would have ever thought that a doll could kill. And not just kill, but mock you while doing so? Chucky the doll is a crazy and creepy little guy so full of wicked humor and bloody mayhem, and it makes for quite a wild and fun little thriller.
My score: 4/5
69: Mary Shelly's Frankenstein
Fear of: a monster made from various cadavers.
Even though Boris Karloff provided an appealing performance of the Frankenstein monster, only Kenneth Branaugh's film matches up with Mary Shelly's original novel (at least at the time of this writing). It takes just a few liberties, but mostly stays true to the source. Robert DeNiro does his best to illicit the audience's empathy, but still plays a cold-hearted monster, who commits some very wicked murders. The film has its limitations, but I think it's still the best Frankenstein adaptation to date.
My score: 4/5
--------------------Even though Boris Karloff provided an appealing performance of the Frankenstein monster, only Kenneth Branaugh's film matches up with Mary Shelly's original novel (at least at the time of this writing). It takes just a few liberties, but mostly stays true to the source. Robert DeNiro does his best to illicit the audience's empathy, but still plays a cold-hearted monster, who commits some very wicked murders. The film has its limitations, but I think it's still the best Frankenstein adaptation to date.
My score: 4/5
68: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Fear of: Michael Myers, coming back again! The dude just won't die!
After being absent in film #3, the undying boogieman returns in another Halloween film, breaking out of a hospital and wreaking havoc in a town in a seemingly-unstoppable rampage. The man proves to be at his most invincible here, taking out power and communications in a whole town before taking on a posse and the police. It actually gets pretty crazy and ridiculous, but the film is still pretty stylish and thrilling enough to entertain.
My score: 4/5
--------------------After being absent in film #3, the undying boogieman returns in another Halloween film, breaking out of a hospital and wreaking havoc in a town in a seemingly-unstoppable rampage. The man proves to be at his most invincible here, taking out power and communications in a whole town before taking on a posse and the police. It actually gets pretty crazy and ridiculous, but the film is still pretty stylish and thrilling enough to entertain.
My score: 4/5
67: Final Destination
Fear of: airplanes, showers, clotheslines, computers, mugs, knives, speeding buses, trains, random pieces of flying debris, down power lines, trees, billboard signs...pretty much EVERYTHING!
The first of a massively entertaining series of wicked films, Final Destination presents one of the most unique premises among horror films. It's all about death itself hunting down these group of kids who were supposed to die. Each death that follows is not just a swoop of the Grim Reaper's scythe; each scene starts off with something small and inconsequential, before it causes a chain reaction that leads to a very wicked and gruesomely imaginative end. Even though the various sequels have a ton of crazy scenes, this first film remains deviously-entertaining. It does have a few unlikable moments (mostly involving stupid characters acting a little too brashly), but even after four sequels, it still holds up well.
My score: 4/5
--------------------The first of a massively entertaining series of wicked films, Final Destination presents one of the most unique premises among horror films. It's all about death itself hunting down these group of kids who were supposed to die. Each death that follows is not just a swoop of the Grim Reaper's scythe; each scene starts off with something small and inconsequential, before it causes a chain reaction that leads to a very wicked and gruesomely imaginative end. Even though the various sequels have a ton of crazy scenes, this first film remains deviously-entertaining. It does have a few unlikable moments (mostly involving stupid characters acting a little too brashly), but even after four sequels, it still holds up well.
My score: 4/5
66: 28 Days Later
Fear of: zombies! Really really really fast zombies!
I've always had a love/hate relationship with 28 Days Later. I can't say I always loved the film's erratic and ugly-looking editing, or its bizarrely-constructed plot. However, it does have its share of suspense, presenting zombies that are hyper and crazy. It is quite sobering to watch Jim wander around a ravaged London in the opening act, and some interesting social themes emerge with the soldiers in the last act. The film tends to get artsy and weird, but it has its moments.
My score: 3.5/5
--------------------I've always had a love/hate relationship with 28 Days Later. I can't say I always loved the film's erratic and ugly-looking editing, or its bizarrely-constructed plot. However, it does have its share of suspense, presenting zombies that are hyper and crazy. It is quite sobering to watch Jim wander around a ravaged London in the opening act, and some interesting social themes emerge with the soldiers in the last act. The film tends to get artsy and weird, but it has its moments.
My score: 3.5/5
65: Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Fear of: zombies!
The story's been done before, but this remake comes at the forefront of the modern wave of zombie-horror media. The new Dawn of the Dead has its share of awesome parts, including scenes with armored trucks plowing through crowds of zombies, complete with chainsaw action! There's a ton of zombies getting run over, zombies getting their heads blown off, and everything. Despite some dumb parts and a cast of unlikable characters, the film remains intense and gripping.
My score: 3.5/5
The story's been done before, but this remake comes at the forefront of the modern wave of zombie-horror media. The new Dawn of the Dead has its share of awesome parts, including scenes with armored trucks plowing through crowds of zombies, complete with chainsaw action! There's a ton of zombies getting run over, zombies getting their heads blown off, and everything. Despite some dumb parts and a cast of unlikable characters, the film remains intense and gripping.
My score: 3.5/5
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64: Trick 'R Treat
Fear of: obviously, tricks, or treats, or worse of all, tricks disguised as treats.
Another fine anthology of spooky stories, this slick and modern film showcases a few intriguing cases of bloody and gnarly mayhem. The film begins with a married couple trying to get their groove on, but fall victim to a lingering trick 'r treater. There's the story of the principal who catches a kid stealing candy, and disciplines him in a rather morbid manner. One group of kids suffers the wrath of a bus-load of ghouls. Another group goes out to party, but finds themselves being stalked. And then there's the story of the old fart who doesn't like Halloween, and winds up contending with one wicked little trick r' treater who gives him a change of heart. Each story is pretty wickedly fun, and the film captures the right mood and atmosphere of Halloween. Overall, it's like receiving a handful of assorted candy, but offered by some creepy guy that you're not sure is even human.
My score: 4/5
--------------------Another fine anthology of spooky stories, this slick and modern film showcases a few intriguing cases of bloody and gnarly mayhem. The film begins with a married couple trying to get their groove on, but fall victim to a lingering trick 'r treater. There's the story of the principal who catches a kid stealing candy, and disciplines him in a rather morbid manner. One group of kids suffers the wrath of a bus-load of ghouls. Another group goes out to party, but finds themselves being stalked. And then there's the story of the old fart who doesn't like Halloween, and winds up contending with one wicked little trick r' treater who gives him a change of heart. Each story is pretty wickedly fun, and the film captures the right mood and atmosphere of Halloween. Overall, it's like receiving a handful of assorted candy, but offered by some creepy guy that you're not sure is even human.
My score: 4/5
63: Castle Freak
Fear of: there's some freak living in the castle dungeon.
This is a pretty short and simple little flick, but it is pretty darn wicked! The film plays out in a pretty standard fashion at times, and the characters do act a little dumb. But when the actual castle freak appears, he is a truly gnarly thing to behold. Despite a few flaws, the film is tight and gripping.
My score: 4/5
--------------------This is a pretty short and simple little flick, but it is pretty darn wicked! The film plays out in a pretty standard fashion at times, and the characters do act a little dumb. But when the actual castle freak appears, he is a truly gnarly thing to behold. Despite a few flaws, the film is tight and gripping.
My score: 4/5
62: Cat's Eye
Fear of: cats, heights, and trolls.
In this anthology of horror stories, penned by Stephen King, we're shown a thrilling set of stories following in the footsteps of some wandering cats. First, there's the story of a man going through a rather extreme therapy for quitting smoking. The second story (my favorite of the lot) features a guy being forced to traverse the narrow ledge of a building. The last story involves a monstrous troll terrorizing a little girl. It's a pretty interesting and amusing sampling of thrillers.
My score: 4/5
--------------------In this anthology of horror stories, penned by Stephen King, we're shown a thrilling set of stories following in the footsteps of some wandering cats. First, there's the story of a man going through a rather extreme therapy for quitting smoking. The second story (my favorite of the lot) features a guy being forced to traverse the narrow ledge of a building. The last story involves a monstrous troll terrorizing a little girl. It's a pretty interesting and amusing sampling of thrillers.
My score: 4/5
61: Halloween II
Fear of: Michael Myers.
Of the classic Halloween series, I enjoyed this one the best. Michael Meyers returns to terrorize a hospital and chase down Laurie Strode. The scenes in this movie remain consistently thrilling, the style is pretty cool, and it is a decent sequel overall.
My score: 4/5
--------------------Of the classic Halloween series, I enjoyed this one the best. Michael Meyers returns to terrorize a hospital and chase down Laurie Strode. The scenes in this movie remain consistently thrilling, the style is pretty cool, and it is a decent sequel overall.
My score: 4/5
To be continued...
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