For one, the home video and VOD market is wide; lots of films come out and sometimes people just happen to miss them. Another is that sometimes the genre fans just don’t show up to the theater (even though they scream and holler for new original films) and they really miss out. But the primary reason for this list is this: It’s for the casual fan, the people that only know about the mainstream horror movies of yesterday and today. These people always want to know about good horror movies, so it’s only fair that we pull up the rug that so many movies have been swept under and show them what is out there. Who knows? Maybe it will turn them from a casual horror fan into life-long addict like the rest of us.
Also, I’ll do my best to be spoiler free in my analysis, however, some of these movies have been out for many many years and it’s not my fault that you haven’t seen them. So be warned, there could be spoilers.
Teeth
This flick works great on so many levels. It harbors such poetic irony throughout that it’s overall just a great flick to watch. Jess Weixler gives an almost career defining performance as the meek but secretly ferocious Dawn O’keefe (see what they did there?). The movie, while very clearly a horror-comedy, does what a movie of that caliber should do, it’s heart attack-inducing funny, but when the shit hits the fan it’s also pretty terrifying to watch. This movie is awesome and everyone, regardless of your adoration for your reproductive organs, should watch it.
Deadgirl
I wasn’t sure what to think of this movie when I settled in to watch it the first time. But when the credits rolled I knew I had just watched what I would consider a neo-classic. The young actors in this flick are great, and especially since they’re not recognizable from other films it gives them a more real feel. I think there’s a lot to be said about the underlying tones of the movie, in particular of course regarding sexuality and teenage sexuality in particular. With great performances, production values, and one of the smartest scripts of the past ten years, this isn’t just a good horror movie, it’s a great movie.
Infection
The movie, while a slow burn, has a lot of elements within it that make so many classic and modern movies enjoyable. It’s plot is very moralistic, the contents of the story wouldn’t have happened without the actions the characters took in order to save their own asses. In that respect it’s very Twilight Zone-esque, but then when you watch the rest of the movie and it has the very bizarre and totally demented contents that we all know and love from Japanese movies. This is a strong flick. All the characters have their own voices, they all seem different, and they’re all in one of the most disgusting situations that one can think of. If you want to be grossed out (and I’m not talking “Dead Alive grossed out” – this is a whole other level) and love a great character piece and wickedly entertaining movie, this is your dream come true.
Session 9
Session 9 is on an entirely different stage from other horror movies of the time. It has some of the best atmosphere that I’ve felt in a modern horror film, and it’s constructed with such detail and intricacy that the eventual payoff makes it one of the best well-rounded horror stories. Plus, with some of the best character actors taking up the reins for the entire film you can’t help but be mesmerized by every aspect of it. David Caruso and Peter Mullan are fantastic in this movie, and there aren’t a lot of horror movies where you can pick out individual actors as really achieving in the realm of acting but this movie is definitely one of them.
Jennifer’s Body
Jennifer’s Body works well in a few different areas. Its function as a supernatural horror film is great, the effects perfected the twisted faces and teeth that the Fright Night remake couldn’t get right. It has a great fantastical set up for a movie and, from there, it develops into one of the more original stories for a horror movie concerning teenagers. Also, its function as a teenage drama and an analysis of the relationship between Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox’s characters is a great dissection into female friendships. Plus, with one of the most chilling and cool endings, it’s one of those movies that paves the way for a sequel, but feels stronger because it doesn’t have one.
Grace
If you fit into the group that isn’t familiar with the film, it is in a lot of respects a modern take on Little Shop of Horrors. Except, instead of a large plant that eats humans it’s about an infant, who was presumed dead in the wound is actually alive when she’s birthed. Now as a huge fan of Little Shop, I love that story and I think it translated well into the frame that the filmmakers intended with this picture.
Like some of the other films on this list, Grace functions as an all around good movie in addition to being a cool horror movie. It has a lot of qualities to it that make it feel like an art-house picture. It tackles a lot of unorthodox themes for a horror movie such as feminism, midwifery, veganism. Overall, the movie has a subject that sets it apart from other features in the field, making it probably the most unique film on this list (next to Teeth that is).
Pontypool
Pontypool is a zombie movie. Now, if you’ve seen it calm down before you chastise me. It’s a zombie movie as much as 28 Days Later is in that the people are infected and behave like zombies but technically are not dead. But in terms of genre, it’s a zombie movie. However, it displays one of the most unique and interesting ways that the infection is spread. I won’t spoil it for you because there’s no way I can make it sound as cool and intimidating as the movie does by spelling it out for you.
The movie is aesthetically seamless, and plays perfect. It’s shot beautifully and has a wicked smart script. Lead Stephen McHattie takes his role and becomes it. He owns every minute he’s on screen and makes you believe in him. The tension builds up so well throughout the first hour that it becomes increasingly more unsettling to watch let alone imagine yourself in the situation. It also represents a quality that separates so many classic horror movies from modern ones, patience.
Midnight Meat Train
Both of those things aside, this movie is great. It’s an old school ’80s slasher movie and features a startling performance by Vinnie Jones (but what else would you expect from the Juggernaut?). Since it’s based on a Clive Barker story, one can expect a certain amount of weirdness to its plot, and there’s plenty of that to be had, but it’s so intriguing of a story that you can’t imagine it playing out any other way. This movie also possesses some of the most beautiful cinematography I’ve seen in a recent horror film. The grimy, disgusting vibe of the city is omnipresent and the photography lovingly highlights the demented deaths that Vinnie serves up in the film. You can’t help but love seeing Ted Raimi take a meat tenderizer the size of a brick to the back of his head!
We’ve only scratched the surface with these movies. The rug that so many horror movies hide under is a big rug, you can expect to see part 2 of this list in the coming weeks and maybe a few spin-offs that are sub-genre or era-specific in the not-to-distant future.
You can follow Spencer on Twitter at @ScarySpencer.
