WARNING: HELLA SPOILERS
So, these are my favorite classic horror films. I have many many more but I decided to just narrow it down to these ones. This post is completely opinion based so if you don't like it, deal with it. If you click on the titles of each movie, it will take you to the trailer. Enjoy!
What Happens:
The movie starts out with five friends driving in an old van to the house that the main characters Sally and Franklin's grandfather lived in before he died. On the way they pick up some crazy hitch hiker who starts talking a bunch of nonsense and you instantly realize, this guy is no good. He starts taking pictures of everyone and gets angry when they won't pay him for the pictures. Soon after that he pulls out a switch blade and cuts his hand open then attempts to attack Franklin before everyone forces him out of the van. They eventually make it to Grandpa's house and one by one they start splitting up, eventually getting caught by Leatherface, tortured, and then killed. As it turns out a little later, the crazy hitch hiker is Leatherface's brother and that comes to light during a family dinner where Sally is pretty much auctioned off around the family as to who should kill her. In a very dramatic climax, Sally ends up getting away and runs into a road, jumps into the back of a pick up truck, and escapes while Leatherface chases her down. It kind of trails off from there and the credits start rolling which causes the viewer to make their own decision as to what happened.
Why I love it:
So, the first time I saw this movie I was seven years old. My grandma had put it on for me and then fell asleep (thanks, grandma), and all I remember about my first time seeing it was that I peed my pants and I'm pretty sure I didn't blink once. Needless to say, my mom was
LIVID that my grandma let me watch it even though I swore up and down in my Uh-Oh Undies that I wasn't scared. That was the last time I watched it until I was 19. Again, I didn't blink once and this time I only
almost peed my pants.
This movie definitely isn't for someone with a light stomach. It's loosely based on the serial killer
Ed Gein but I am very reluctant to believe most of the stuff that happened in this movie, actually happened in real life.
There is a lot of blood and gore and it's not easy to watch if you aren't into these types of movies. I think for me, I love the shock value I get from it. This movie has almost zero boundaries and I feel like Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel used this opportunity to just go off and write the most fucked up shit they could think of. And if the blood and tortured screams aren't enough to get your skin crawling, then Leatherface himself will do the trick. Especially when he is dressed up as a woman.
What Happens:
Jill Johnson is just your typical teenager spending her weekend night babysitting for some extra cash. She starts getting these bizarre phone calls from someone asking "Have you checked the children?" She passes it off as a prank call until the phone calls keep getting more and more frequent and more and more hostile. She calls the police and they tell her they will track the call and not to worry. Once again, the man calls, asking her "Why haven't you checked the children?" Jill hangs up and the police call back. They tell her the calls are coming from inside the house and to get out. Jill runs out of the house looking for help. The police arrive and find the children have been murdered. The killer is still in the house and he is arrested and taken to an insane asylum. Fast Forward a few years, Jill is now an adult, married with children, and it seems like she is finally starting to get back on track. That is, until the killer Curt Duncan escapes from the asylum. The doctor whose children were killed that night hires an investigator to find him. Duncan has made it his mission to find Jill and kill her. So yada yada yada the movie goes on, Jill and her husband are out to dinner when the host walks up to her and tells her she has a phone call. "Have you checked the children?" asks Curt. Jill and her husband race home and everything is fine. Later that night Jill wakes up and Curt is in her house. Just in the nick of time, Detective Clifford shows up and shoots and kills Curt leaving Jill and her whole family unharmed.
Why I love it:
So, although this movie is more of a Psychological Thriller than it is an actual Horror movie, I put it here because I still can't babysit alone without constantly checking on the kids and making sure there is nobody in the closets. I feel like the movie is a bit slow and I had to watch it couple times before really getting into it. I love the story line compared to the 2006 remake, even though that one was a lot more fast paced and entertaining. This movie just left an effect on me, so that's why it has always been one of my go to movies whenever I'm looking for a little horror high but don't want to be scared shitless.
What Happens:
Teenagers are dying (shocker). But they aren't dying in car crashes or while having sex in the woods. They're being brutally murdered in their dreams and it is up to Nancy Thompson to make it all stop.
First we meet Tina, the assumed hero of the movie. She's walking through a boiler room and is soon being chased down by a man with razors for fingers. When he finally catches her she wakes up hysterical. The next day she goes to school where we meet Nancy, her boyfriend Glen, and Tina's boyfriend Rod. Tina tells Nancy about the dream so Nancy and Glen offer to go to her house that night and keep her company. Rod ends up crashing the party and after some rough lovin in Tina's room, she and Rod fall asleep. Everyone wakes up to the sound of Tina's screams and Rod watches in horror as Tina is being flailed around the room and sliced up by an invisible force. Tina dies and Rod is arrested and charged with her murder. While Rod is in jail, he too gets killed by the invisible dream force. Soon, Nancy starts having dreams of a man with a burnt face in a red and green sweater, with razor fingers. Her alcoholic mother tells her the story of Freddy Krueger, a child murderer whose house was set on fire by a mob of angry parents after he was released from jail. Nancy realizes he's back for revenge and she and Glen must stop him. However, Glen
dies so Nancy is on her own. Seeing as there's like 5 more of these movies, and she lives to make it to the last one, it's safe to assume she did the best she could but Freddy, like most horror movie villains, can't be stopped.
Why I love it:
Well first off, this is one of the most classic 80's horror films ever made. It has everything a good teenage horror movie needs. Sex, blood, parties (sleep overs count, yeah?), and a villain who stands out and never stands down.
I love Freddy, I really do. He isn't like other horror movie villains who silently stalk the victim and then kills them and moves on. Freddy is very sick and twisted and seems to have a sense of humor. He screws with the kids' heads, talks with them, makes jokes, and everything he does is so...heartfelt if you will? He has more of a personality which in a way makes him more likeable which makes the movie that much more fun to watch. Also, I applaud Johnny Depp for everything he ever does in life, but especially in this movie. He did awesome in his debut role and his death scene is one of my favorites in all of horror history.
What Happens:
It's Mari's 17th birthday and she and her best friend Phyllis are getting ready to go to a concert. Mari's parents are very reluctant to let her go seeing at they don't trust Phyllis and don't want them roaming around the city by themselves but they let Mari and Phyllis go anyway as an excuse to set up a surprise party for Mari.
After making it to the city, Phyllis and Mari are walking around looking for pot when they run into Junior who takes them back to his place. There, they meet Sadie, Weasel, and Krug. It is then that they learn that the Sadie, Weasle, and Krug are a group of psychopaths who recently escaped from jail. They beat and gang-rape Phyllis while Mari watches. Then they take the girls into the woods where they are both raped and tortured. Phyllis gets away and tries to distract the three psychos so Mari can get away but Junior is left behind to guard Mari. Mari then tries to win Junior's trust by giving him a necklace her parents gave to her. Junior lets her go but she is soon caught, raped, and killed by Krug and her body is left in a lake.
The four criminals need a place to stay so they go to a nearby house which actually ends up being Mari's. Mari's mom sees Junior wearing Mari's necklace and finds all their bloody clothes. Then she over hears them talking about Mari's murder. Mari's parents find her body in the lake and then take it upon themselves to torture and kill the group of criminals just as they did to Mari.
Why I love it:
Y'know. I don't love this movie. I don't even really like this movie. The only reason this movie is on this list is because it was so good, I almost passed out and I couldn't function normally for a few days after watching it. Have you ever seen or heard something that just made you feel...dirty afterwards? That's what this movie did to me. It got to me because shit like this actually happens to people all the time. The acting and directing were so good it almost felt real. It was such a brutal and disgusting movie it made me feel numb and disturbed after watching it. And might I add, it is nothing like the remake. Comparing the remake to the original is like comparing a butterfly to a murderous, possessed, rabid bear. If you are into true, down to the core, almost sickening, real life, makes you want to pass out, horror, watch this. If you said No to any of those, don't even bother.
What Happens:
Michael and his brother Sam are forced to move with their recently divorced mother, Lucy, to Santa Clara, California. They start spending all their time down at the boardwalk where Sam meets "Vampire Hunters" Edgar and Alan Frog who warn him about all the "blood suckers" in Santa Clara, which Sam doesn't take too seriously. Later on Michael meets Star who he is immediately attracted to and does everything he can to get close to her. As it turns out, she is with David, who is the leader of some motorcycle gang. Soon you realize that David and his crew aren't just crazy, rebellious teenagers. They're vampires. They peer pressure Michael into drinking a "special drink" (blood) which ends up turning him into a vampire as well. While all this is happening, Lucy, gets a job at a video store working for a man named Max. As Sam starts to notice how Michael is changing he eventually calls upon the help of the Frog Brothers who were actually right about the vampires all along. So as the story progresses, good vs. evil blah blah blah, they have to kill the "Head Vampire" in order to stop all the chaos. After killing all he vampires, including David, they realize that David isn't the "Head Vampire". It's Max, the video store owner and Lucy's love interest (awkward). So yeah, he is eventually killed by Michael and all is well.
Why I love it:
Okay, there are so many places I can start when it comes to this movie. It is one of my all time favorite movies and the theme song "
Cry Little Sister" is so badass I can't help but close my eyes and sing it with all the passion my little valley girl voice will allow every time I hear it. Not to mention, this was made when vampires were still sexy
AND scary. I mean, look at them! Marko? Die. Paul? SHUT UP PAUL. PUT ON A SHIRT. Unf <3
Anyway, it has a bit of a comedic flow to it mainly because it was aimed towards teenagers when it came out. The
bon fire scene is one that gets to me every time *shivers* but it's probably one of the best scenes in the movie aside from "
Death by Stereo". I very highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it, anyone who is still experimenting in the horror genre, and especially to Twilight fans. This movie is just so good from beginning to end. And after watching it, you will never look at Chinese Food the same way again. "They're only noodles, Michael."
What Happens:
Rhoda Penmark lives with her mother, Christine, while her father is out on military duty. She seems to be your typical, sweet, well behaved little girl. However, there is something different, something off about Rhoda. First of all, she goes through these crazy bipolar anger spells which it turn her into a completely different person until she snaps out of it. Second, she is a master manipulator and only a few people see who she really is because her third and biggest flaw is, she's a murderer.
In the beginning of the movie, Rhoda explains to her landlord Monica that she is jealous of a boy named Claude for getting the penmanship medal she thought she deserved. During a school trip a few days later, Claude ends up drowning in a lake and oddly enough, the last person he was seen talking to was Rhoda. Rhoda also somehow acquired the penmanship medal which she said Claude gave to her before he drowned. Rhoda then starts acting a bit weird and secretive and more and more people start dying before Christine realizes it is Rhoda who is killing everyone. It turns out that Rhoda's grandfather was also a murderous psychopath and Rhoda inherited his crazy antics. Christine then decides to try and kill Rhoda by making her overdose on sleeping pills before she attempts to shoot herself in the head. She and Rhoda are both saved and upon returning home, Rhoda goes down to the lake in the middle of a thunder storm and it struck by lightening and killed.
Why I love it:
I first saw this movie when I was in third grade. My mom rented it for me and I haven't forgotten it since. It was one of the first "forgotten classics" I had ever seen and it is definitely one of my favorites. I love the story, I love Patty McCormack and her pig tails and her face when she's having one of her spells is terrifying! The fact that it is a child creating all this mess and chaos is really what I think makes it a great movie. You always hear of big, strong, adults being the crazy ones but never about the sweet, blonde, beautiful sociopath who commits all her murders in braids and pink dresses all while taking on (or taking out, I should say) the entire fourth grade.
And now, my number one, all time favorite, can't be topped, Favorite Classic Horror Movie:
FREAKS
This 1932 classic is about a group of circus sideshow performers who want nothing but to be love and accepted by the "normal" people of the outside world.
Midgets, Hans and his fiance Frieda, run the sideshow portion of the circus. They are loved and respected by everyone and they love and respect all their fellow freaks. Cleopatra is a beautiful trapeze artist who is a bit arrogant and stuck up. She does not want anything to do with the Freaks of the circus because she above and beyond them, in her own mind. One night, she hears Hans talking about his inheritance and she decides to seduce him. Cleopatra tells her boyfriend Hercules about the inheritance and they decide that Cleopatra will marry Hans and then kill him so that she and Hans can run off together and live as millionaires.
After seducing Hans, he breaks off his engagement to Frieda and quickly marries Cleopatra. At their wedding reception, all the Freaks tell Cleopatra they love and accept her. She poisons Hans' wedding wine and for a few days afterwards keeps feeding him poison. One night, while in Hercules' carriage, Venus, another circus performer, hears Cleopatra and Hercules talking about their plan and how they are going to kill Hans. Venus runs away and when Cleopatra comes out of the carriage, all the Freaks are waiting for her. They end up killing Hercules and then mutilating Cleopatra leaving her as a Freak for the rest of her life.
Eventually Hans gets better and marries Frieda and they live happily ever after with the rest of their Freaks.
Why I LOVE this movie:
Well first off, nothing in this movie is computer generated (obviously). All the people with no arms or legs, the lady with the beard, everything was completely legit and real. MGM actually had to cut out a good chunk of the movie because they were getting sued left and right for the disturbing scenes in it. In 1933, the movie actually was banned until its re-release in the 40's.
By the way, that is what they made Cleopatra into and I LOVE IT ^^^
You don't see what happened to Cleopatra until the very end of the movie and it's a very quick glimpse. Trust me, when you are not expecting to see THAT it is very scary. She doesn't even talk anymore, either. She gobbles and clucks like a chicken. I love old movies like this simply because they didn't have the technology back then that we do now so all the acting, effects, and even some of the stories had to be SO over the top good, to keep people interested. Now, just put some blonde girl with big boobs in front of a camera and tell her to scream and you have a masterpiece. It's a bit sad.
So anyway, there you go. My Top 7 Favorite Classic Horror Movies. Whether you haven't seen these, haven't heard of them, or have seen them so many times you can recite every line from memory, I suggest giving them all a chance and try to think "What makes this movie so great?" or y'know, what makes them bad. Because sometimes, the bad ones are just as good as the great ones.
