Shutter Island (2010)
Films in which Leonardo Dicaprio plays someone who may
(or may not) be losing their mind were like buses in 2010 - in the same year he
did this, and 'Inception'..! Joking
aside, this is, despite its bleak story and harrowing revelations, a joy to
watch - it is beautifully and evocatively shot, every performance is excellent,
and the story just draws you in. For me,
this is one of those films that if you happen upon it while flicking through
the channels on TV, it doesn't matter how far along it is, I have to watch
it. With its stormy, wind-swept setting,
this is another of those films which really feels autumnal, so to me it is very
much at home in this list of films to be watching right now.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
I feel sorry anybody of the current generation who's
first exposure to Freddie Kruger was via 2010's utterly forgettable remake;
having said that, there was a point in the late 1980's/early 1990's where
Freddie had become more of a jokey anti-hero.
But in the original 1985 movie, it's easy to see why he became an
instant icon of horror: a terrifying, indefatigable, and nigh in-escapable
character - with a wicked and sadistic sense of humour to boot. Although this movie established some genre
formula which the director, Wes Craven, would go on to poke fun at with the
'Scream' films, here there is a gleeful brutality to the deaths which mean
their impact isn't diminished. I use
that word 'gleeful' deliberately - although this film succeeds in being an
effectively scary horror movie, it is also a ton of fun, and it knows it - it
really demonstrates how the '80's were a heyday for horror movies which could
entertain as well as frighten you!
Halloween (1978)
I'm sure that quite a few people would wonder why I've
not included this in my final 'Halloween-night Triple Bill'; obviously, it is
an auto-include on any list of films to watch in the run-up to Halloween. And deservedly so - not just because it is
synonymous with the holiday (well, duh!), but because of what a bench-mark it
is in the horror genre: there were 'slasher' movies before this, but until this
film none had the impact that this did.
The funny thing I find when watching this movie now is that it's pretty
clear that it wasn't filmed around the time of year when it's set: all the
trees are still covered in a lush, green spread of leaves - so it's not really
one to include in this list because of an 'Autumnal' feel! Despite the fact this is a tremendous film,
I've not included it in my 'final three' because I've chosen another classic
horror, which like this one plays the scares seriously, and is also a high
bench mark for the genre.
Slither (2006)
This movie is a loving, big-budget tribute to the grimy,
gruesome, yet gleefully fun b-movie shlockers which were a staple of '80's
video rental stores. The cast are
clearly enjoying this - from Michael Rooker's alien-infected Grant Grant (yes,
really!), Nathan Fillion's heroic Sheriff, to the under-appreciated Elizabeth
Banks as the tenacious damsel-in-distress Starla, all play it at just the right level
to make the jumps shocking, the horror gruesome, and - above all - the humour
just the right side of parody. The
balance of horror and tongue-in-cheek, slightly black comedy is spot on in this
film - it's not necessarily the most frightening horror film, but it certainly
is one of the most fun of the last decade.
Halloween is about having fun after all, so that's why 'Slither' is in
this list.
Well, that's it for this week - more to come in the last few days before Halloween is actually upon us, thanks for reading!
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