FILMS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED TO SEE 666
Looking for a cool Horror movie to see on Halloween night? Well, then you’ve come to the right place! How cool is it that the 6th (or 666) edition of FILMS YOU DIDN’T KNOW… fell on Halloween? I know, right? For those of you guys and gores new to the site, here’s the rundown on how this post works…
There are several movies out there that don’t necessarily get the same recognition or promotion as others. Films that at times can be quite good. Films that are currently collecting dust in the “Favorites” aisle at your local video store. We here at THE LIST have taken it upon ourselves to bring these films to the forefront and present you, the movie going public, a list of FILMS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED TO SEE.
This time around, we are presenting you with the all horror edition to help with some spooky suggestions for your Halloween viewing pleasure. To help me out this time around, I’ve recruited the following:
Terri from GOREGIRL’S DUNGEON: The queen of gore serves up her 2nd contribution to these posts.
Andy from FANDANGO GROOVERS MOVIE BLOG: Also a repeat contributor with a unique spin for this outting.
Meredith Carter from M. CARTER AT THE MOVIES: Returns fresh off an October Horror Marathon.
Jason from INVASION OF THE B-MOVIES: The King of all things “B”.
And to kick things off, your friendly neighborhood…
TRICK ‘r TREAT (2007).
If Halloween (the movie) is the Miracle on 34th Street of Halloween (the holiday) then Trick ‘r Treat is easily the Christmas Story of the fall and should be watched everytime October 31st roles around to get in the mood for the spookiest of holidays. Told very much in the vein of the old Creepshow films, this little flick tells 4 intertwining stories, set at Halloween, that encompasses everything that makes Halloween great: Werewolves, Vampires, Serial Killers, Urban Legends, Ghost Stories and creepy little monsters with potato sacks on their head. Also, a good watch for people who don’t handle Horror too well.
FEAST (2005).
You guys remember that whole Project Greenlight thing where Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had a show on Bravo to give unknowns a chance to write and direct their own projects while Bravo made a TV show chronicling the entire process? Don’t feel bad… not many do. However, their last outting produced a fun film to watch starring Balthazar Getty, Henry Rollins, Jason Mewes and a smoking hot Krista Allen as, quite simply, patrons locked in a bar fending off genetically mutated animal monsters. Very tongue-in-cheek and fun to watch… spawned a few sequels as well!
ALTERED (2006).
Directed by one of the guys that brought you The Blair Witch Project, Altered is sort of like A Fire in the Sky… only different. I’ll let IMDB explain: Fifteen years ago, five men were abducted by aliens. Only four returned. Now, these same four men have managed to capture one of the creatures who killed their friend and ruined their lives. It’s time for payback but payback swings both ways. This is by no means a great movie but could be a lot of fun for a Halloween watch as they do a great job of making the aliens be very sinister in a way I’ve never seen in a film before.
FRONTIER(S) – aka: Frontière(s) (2007).
The premise is fairly standard on this one: A gang of young thieves flee Paris during the violent aftermath of a political election, only to hole up at an Inn run by cannibalistic neo-Nazis. OK… not totally standard but it is a pretty formulaic film in the sense that young 20 somethings hole up in the wrong backwoods motel and bad things happen. What makes this one stand out is the fact that nobody does gore like the French and this one is a Gorefest in every sense of the word. So, get your popcorn ready and watch the red river flow!
I’m entitling this trio of films DIVA LA FRANCE as all three are French horror films featuring strong female characterizations.
INSIDE – aka: À l’intérieur (2007).
Plot: A pregnant woman is terrorized the night before she is due to give birth.
A perfect mix of tension, excellent performances, and graphic gory death. Watching a very pregnant woman being terrorized is nasty enough but there are actually moments in the film where they have the audacity to show the action from the fetus point of view. Inside is not for the squeamish but if you are looking for a lively, gory horror flick this Halloween look no further!
EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960).
Plot: An accident has left a young woman horribly scarred and forced to wear a featureless mask to hide her disfigurement.
Mesmerizing from beginning to end and one of the most striking finales ever to grace a horror film. Plus, for a flick from 1960 it even features some impressive gore! A strikingly original, atmospheric, bleak and beautiful contribution to the horror genre. A great Halloween horror flick for those looking for a classic.
HIGH TENSION (2003).
Plot: Friends Marie and Alexa are forced to fight for their lives when a ruthless killer invades Alexa’s family home.
This intense horror film is beautifully filmed, gory and suspenseful. It is an unrelenting attack on the senses carried by an outstanding and very believable performance from its lead actress. High Tension definitely lives up to its titular promise! If you are looking for some serious suspense with your gore than you should definitely add this one to the queue.
CATHY’S CURSE (1977).
For all I know, this is a ’70’s made-for-TV film about a girl who gets possessed by a ghost. What makes this movie stand out is the hilarious acting, the obvious fake mustache on the dude at the beginning of the movie, and the housekeeper who pretends to clean shit up.
SLUGS (1988).
I don’t even know how to describe this movie in a short paragraph. Basically, human-eating slugs take over a town, there a dude named Mike Brady, and someone doesn’t have the authorization to declare happy birthday!
POPCORN (1991).
This movie is a tribute to old 50’s horror and sci-fi films, while being an 80’s slasher flick. Some film students run a film festival by showing movies called “Mosquito!”, “The Stench”, and “The Incredible Electrified Man” and the kills in this movie are just amazing.
October 29, 2010 at 2:34 am
Some wonderful choices here – some I haven’t come across before – The pic for the slugs film is great!
I love Meredith’s choices – Black Christmas and The Brood are two of my favourites. The Devil Rides Out is another one I love. All appeared in my top 30 horror movies list for releases between 1967 and 1979: http://www.top10films.co.uk/archives/4444
I also really like Switchblade Romance (Haute Tension).
October 31, 2010 at 7:50 am
Yeah, I saw that in some countries it’s called Switchblade Romance and I thought that was one of the coolest movie titles ever!
October 29, 2010 at 6:23 am
Good God, I need to brush up on a lot of these. Big fan of High Tension though, that was some upsetting shit.
And I remember hearing about Feast when it first came out and wanting to see it ’cause Henry Rollins is the fuckin’ man. No idea why he isn’t in more movies. But, yeah, will be seeing that. Thank you much, Kai.
October 31, 2010 at 7:49 am
YW, sir… Feast will not disappoint. If nothing else, you can just stare at Krista Allen for an hour and a half!
October 29, 2010 at 6:24 am
Glad to see some “Feast” and “Altered” love on this list!
October 31, 2010 at 7:48 am
I CANNOT STRESS how much of a fun film Feast is. It takes an approach to Horror a lot like Scream did. It jokes at all the typical conventions of Horror films similar to it. The opening especially which is just classic!
November 1, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Yeah… I watched that season of Project Greenlight when it aired, followed it through. And then I caught it (Feast) the day it came on DVD. I love that movie. The sequels totally blow, though… like, hardcore bad.
October 29, 2010 at 8:35 am
Holy Crap Kai, you’ve seen Altered!! I was skimming through Netflix Instant and took a chance on it because it sounded like it could be neat…and it WAS!
Despite the very low budget (and that one laughable shot where the alien looked like a rubbery green midget) this was such a cool concept and worked very well. That one uber-redneck kept getting on my nerves but I found it a fun diversion of a film. Also I totally liked the alien spacecraft at the end too. This is one of those times where less is more works fantastically. Like you said, fun for Halloween.
October 31, 2010 at 7:46 am
Yeah, the redneck angle takes you out of the film but it was a good idea. And the alien looked cheesy at times but was also really pissed off and scary in others!
October 29, 2010 at 9:24 am
Jason: Well done sir, SLUGS is a personal favourite! Hilariously bad dialog and some pretty sweet gore.
Some killer picks all around, The Brood, Altered, Trick R’ Treat, The Devil Rides Out. Good Stuff!
October 29, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Great collection again. A few I haven’t seen. Thanks for letting me take part again.
October 31, 2010 at 7:44 am
TY, Andy. You are always welcome, my friend!
October 29, 2010 at 1:57 pm
You will all rot in Hell for using the unspeakable number!!!! 😉 As demonstrated by my virtually nonexistent knowledge of horror movies, I have seen none of these…
October 31, 2010 at 7:44 am
666 is just an area code….. in HELL!!! Muhuahuahua!!! 🙂
October 29, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I’m glad y’all see this crap, so I don’t have to…I need a shower…
October 31, 2010 at 7:43 am
Can I come???
October 29, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Fantastic list, nice mix of old and newer classics. I’m glad to see High Tension on there, a lot of people slag on it for some reason but I love that film.
October 31, 2010 at 7:43 am
Lot of people don’t like the ending but I enjoyed it as well. And welcome to the site, Murphy!
October 30, 2010 at 7:34 am
Well, I’ve seen one of these movies (The Devil Rides Out) and that was fine entertainment. Considering my lack of drive or interest in horror I consider that to be very good for me.
By the way I’d like to file a protest that you need to include 616 as well as 666 in the heading of this post. 666 is widely considered to be the number of the beast, but a few years back they found one of the earliest known parchments containing the number which read 616. Therefore I feel the need to make sure both are well represented to get the appropriate vibe 😛
Thus ends the 1 thing Uni knows about this sort of stuff is complete.
October 31, 2010 at 7:42 am
haha… If I called it 616 the internet would let out a collective “HUH???” 🙂
October 31, 2010 at 8:36 am
It may be a collective ‘huh’ but you’d be educating the masses. Not only building your already stellar reputation as an awesome dude, but also an intellectual awesome dude. Win-Win.
October 30, 2010 at 10:35 am
[…] The ListScene of the Crime: Films You Didn’t Know You Needed To See 666Killed By: The […]
November 2, 2010 at 10:52 am
Eyes without a face is fantastic stuff. Glad it got a mention.
Haven’t seen any of the other stuff…maybe I should check it out. Heard tons of praise for Trick ‘r Treat.
November 2, 2010 at 4:05 pm
That one is very watchable, James. Good one to start with!
November 10, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I’m awesome. I’ve seen NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THESE.
I knew M. Carter did Black Christmas. Love that kitty cat.