Best Of The Rest

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS

Before I finish my Halloween Countdown, I just want to give a brief name-check to some of the films that didn't make the final list. I did say in my Carrie post that I was going to give honourable mentions so, in no particular order, here they are:

Halloween 

It's actually a shame that I couldn't push myself to do a top ten, because Halloween (1978) is so worthy of praise. One of the first in a long line on slasher flicks, Halloween is just a perfect scary movie for, well...Halloween!  I usually watch it every year and it's still as creepy as ever. Complete with butcher knife and white mask, Michael Myers is one of the most infamous movie killers in the horror genre. He personifies the idea of the "Boogeyman" and the notion that true evil can't be destroyed; hence him always surviving whatever is thrown at him. His apparent immortality is frightening enough, but what's even more scary is that fact that in Halloween, there appears to be no motive to his killings. As slasher flicks go, Halloween is simple. There's no complex plot, not even much blood/gore, just a creepy tale of how an escaped homicidal maniac has returned to his hometown in order to kill again. It's a terrific film that's really joint #5 with Carrie

 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Now this was one of the only scary films that actually gave me nightmares and I still feel a bit uneasy watching it, even now. This film is just generally unsettling; mostly due to the atmosphere and location, but also because of the unhinged, murderous family the main group fall victim to. 'Leatherface' (Gunnar Hansen) is another well known horror antagonist and it's not hard to see why he'd deemed so terrifying (human flesh mask and chainsaw anyone?!) but the character that majorly freaks me out is the hitchiker - the guy is just too convincing at being a total weirdo! Of course the main scares come through Leatherface as he picks off the group one by one until only Sally (Marilyn Burns) is left. As far as blood/gore goes, this film isn't a bloodbath but it's gruesome enough to make an impact - hanging a girl on a meathook is a fine example. Shudder...

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Another horror classic with an infamous antagonist, Nightmare On Elm Street just can't be left out. Freddy Kruger is certainly a horror movie villain to remember and the story of his killings taking place in people's dreams is a great twist. The plot is, again, fairly simple: Main character Nancy trying to figure out how to put a stop to Freddy Kruger. But, like in Halloween, Freddy doesn't stay beaten for long and it's another case of the antagonist living on through numerous sequels. However 9 times out of 10 in these cases, I always stick by the belief that the original film = best; this is no exception. This film did freak me out when I first saw it, not majorly, but enough - Tina's death scene (below) has always stayed with me. It does come across as a bit corny now, but it's still a great film that gave us a horror icon. It's also fun to see Johnny Depp make his film debut! 

Braindead

A strong stomach is definitely in order for this one! Forget scares, this zombie horror flick is purely for amusement. It's so ridiculously over the top that all you can really do is laugh. Braindead is one of Peter Jackson's early films - and sometimes you wonder how he ever ended up in charge of 'The Lord Of The Rings'!! It's basically and out and out gorefest and it's just dripping with blood, guts and zombies! It's cheesy, it's fun and it's crazy as hell. If you're looking for something that you just switch your brain off for, then this is perfect. I'll re-iterate though, it's certainly NOT for the squeamish. Oh, and there's a chance that it could put you off custard for life.