By Marie Hansen-Lehmann
Halloween 2009 has seen quite a significant drop in horror movie festivals in New York City. I used to look forward to October to watch the campy, fun, or just plain strange horror movies that were shown at the Pioneer Theater in the East Village. Sadly, the Pioneer closed its doors last December and the city has seen a significant drop in spooky themed film series this year. Luckily, the annual showing of Nosferatu (1922) at The Church of St. John the Divine is still happening on October 30th and the Film Society at Lincoln Center is having a whole showcase of creepy favorites until the 22nd.
If you can’t make it out to any of those events, here’s a list of some of my favorite horror movies to rent for an evening at home:
Let the Right One In (2008): This Swedish romantic horror follows the relationship between a 12 year old boy and a vampire girl who becomes his neighbor. Far from campy, the film is dark and ominous with some very powerful acting. Widely considered to be one of the best original horror movies to come out in recent years, Let the Right One In won several awards including “Best Narrative Feature” at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. If you missed it in theaters last year, be sure to rent it on DVD this year, you won’t be disappointed!
Cemetery Man (1994): Francesco Dellamorte is the caretaker at a small cemetery in a rural Italian town where the dead keep coming to life. While not trying to protect the town from the living dead, Francesco keeps meeting girls who look strikingly like his first lost love. Far from a traditional zombie flick, Cemetery Man is equal parts humor, horror, and beauty.
Phenomena (1985): One of the lead directors in Italian horror, Dario Argento, presents a creepy story about a series of murders occurring at an elite Swiss boarding school and a strange girl with the ability to communicate with insects. This gorgeous movie shows Jennifer Connelly in one of her first starring roles.
Return of the Living Dead (1985): Having no connection with George Romero’s movie Night of the Living Dead, Return of the Living Dead is a high camp film about a toxic gas that reanimates the dead and a group of rowdy punk-rock teenagers caught in the middle of the action. Right from the opening credits that warn “this movie is based on true events,” you’ll be laughing. Full of slap-stick comedy and hilariously bad acting!
Shivers (1975): Cult film director David Cronenburg spins a story about medical experiments that go array in an exclusive high-rise apartment complex. A mad scientist develops what he thinks will be the cure for sexual dysfunction but instead, creates a fast-spreading disease that causes violence in those infected. Shivers was one of the inspirations for the contemporary popular film 28 Days Later.
Blood Feast (1963): One of the most hilariously “bad” horror movies of all time, Blood Feast tells the story of a bizarre Egyptian caterer that tries to bring to life goddess Ishtar by killing suburban Floridan women as a sacrifice. The story follows the inept detectives that try to track him down and is full of some of the worst acting and dialogue ever to grace the silver screen (or should I say “scream!”). The movie is a great one watch to have a laugh with friends while getting into the Halloween mood.
In addition to these lesser-known films, be sure to check out some well-known horror classics such as John Carpenter’s appropriately seasonal Halloween, Alfred Hitchcock’s infamously frightening Psycho, Tobe Hooper’s spooky and gory Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the always creepy Stanley Kurbrick film The Shining and Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s high school horror Carrie!
Marie Hansen-Lehmann is a Young Adult Librarian. She has reviewed books for School Library Journal and has a blog about teen lit, librarianship, and sometimes music called The Cupcake Witch. She is part of the anthology Cassette From My Ex (St. Martin’s Griffin) and had a show on 90.1 fm WUSB for six years. She currently lives in Queens and works in the Village.
