twist of fait accomplis

I hope you all enjoyed the 31 Days, 31 Horror Movies series for October. I had a good time doing it, and it was surprisingly difficult at times deciding which movie to feature. Looking back, I probably had a few too many Bava films (but, really, is there really a such thing as "too many Bava films"?) and not enough classics (I don't think I had a single Hammer flick in there), but all-in-all, I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Here's a rundown of all the movies I covered, complete with links. Thanks for reading (and to those that did: linking) and I'd love to hear what you thought of it. I know Robert watched Phantasm after I mentioned it... did anyone else have special October horror movie viewing in their household?

1. The Fog
2. Baron Blood
3. Last House on the Left
4. Black Sunday
5. The Vij
6. Phantasm
7. Mystics in Bali
8. Dawn of the Dead
9. The Convent
10. Anguish
11. Kwaidan
12. City of the Dead
13. Hell of the Living Dead
14. Zombie Holocaust
15. Pieces
16. Opera
17. The Hills Have Eyes
18. Ginger Snaps
19. The Beyond
20. Wendigo
21. Vampyr
22. Friday the 13th, The Final Chapter
23. The Saragossa Manuscript
24. Uzumaki
25. Dagon
26. Kill, Baby... Kill!
27. Black Sabbath
28. Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn
29. Gates of Hell
30. The Frighteners
31. Halloween / Suspiria

Halloween, 1978
Director: John Carpenter
Availability: So easy it's scary (available on a DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

I know, I know... it's so friggin' obvious. I won't insult your intelligence by recapping what this classic is all about, since everyone in the world has seen it a dozen times anyway.

The Anchor Bay DVD with the extra TV footage spliced in is the best version to watch, but if you can only get the "regular" version, no big deal. The extra footage is mainly character development, and while it adds to the movie, it's not essential.

Since this one was so obvious... here's a bonus movie pick to round out the month:

Suspiria, 1977
Director: Dario Argento
Availability: Easy (available on a DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

Probably my second favorite horror movie of all-time, Suspiria has some absolutely killer visuals, amazing lighting, and an engrossing story of witchcraft at a ballet school. Plus, it's damned scary (despite what that heretic Robert thinks with his wussy 4-star review). Goblin provides an incredible soundtrack and Jessica Harper turns in a great performance.

The first ten minutes of this film are probably the most intense opening ten minutes I've ever seen... great stuff that simply should not be missed.

The Frighteners, 1996
Director: Peter Jackson
Availability: Easy (available on a crappy DVD from Universal)

Before Peter Jackson was directing the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he made a name for himself by directing such sickies as Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, and his gore masterpiece Dead/Alive (aka Braindead). But, in 1996 he teamed up with a big studio (Universal) and a big name (Michael J. Fox) to put together one hell of a fun ghost story.

Fox plays a low-rent investigator that helps rid houses of their haunts. No one realizes, though, that he's been working with the ghosts to run a scam on innocent victims. However, his ability to communicate with the dead and see death, as it is, stops being fun when he realizes that he's being made aware of people's deaths before they happen. Much hilarity (and horror!) ensues with some great guest appearances by John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, and R. Lee Ermey (playing the same drill seargent role he played in Full Metal Jacket... except dead).

Normally, I'm not a fan of CGI effects, but Jackson and crew did a great job with them on The Frighteners. If I remember correctly, at the time this was released, it held the distinction of having the most CGI-generated footage of any movie to date. Unlike most other modern CGI-driven horror, though, the computer effects only help, not hinder.

The Universal DVD is bare-bones as can be, without even a commentary. Hopefully with the popularity of Jackson's mainstream success (Lord of the Rings), we can expect a great special edition in the near future. After all, the Laserdisc version is supposedly spectacular, sporting a—get this—4 1/2 hour documentary! Wowza. Definitely worth a rental now, though.

Gates of Hell, 1980 (aka City of the Living Dead)
Director: Lucio Fulci
Availability: Medium (available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

When one of the seven gates of Hell is opened, a reporter and a psychic begin a race against time to shut it and prevent the dead from walking the earth. Yet another undead movie from the Maestro, Gates of Hell offers a number of particularly strong sequences, including a demon priest that makes people's eyes bleed, a wicked drill-to-the-head death, a very claustrophobic (if narratively lacking) bured alive sequence, and an unbelievable gut-puking scene (which was sampled for the introduction to a Regurgitate album).

Though not likely to go down as a critic's favorite, Gates of Hell has everything to please to modern gorehound: creepy lighting, cool music courtesy of Fabio Frizzi, some outstanding gore scenes, and zombies! Another fun movie experience from Lucio Fulci.

Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, 1987 (Script)
Director: Sam Raimi
Availability: Easy (available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

What October would be complete without the penultimate example of modern horror? Combining scares with laughs with blood-a-plenty, Evil Dead II really pushed the limits of what horror fans came to expect. Before Peter Jackson had New Zealanders assaulting zombies with a lawnmower, Sam Raimi had Bruce Campbell semi-surgically attaching a chainsaw to his arm, in place of a severed hand that had become possessed.

Full of great camerawork and special effects, Evil Dead II is a quicker-paced, funnier take on the same story offered up in the series' first film, but still offered up a lot of great scares in between the laughs (unlike Army of Darkness which, while still a great movie, was a pretty far cry from the "horror" element of the earlier entries in the series).

I've probably seen this movie more times than any other (except Dawn of the Dead), probably a dozen times alone with Ryder. It was, after all, one of our first bonding moments, watching a rented copy of Evil Dead II together from West Coast Video/Couch Potatoes. Still, it remains a staple in my collection and is a great go-to movie if I'm alone or have a group of likeminded friends over. And for those of you that have somehow avoided the gore galore, any entry in the series can be found quite easily at even the most mainstream of video rental stores.

Groovy. (You know I'd end on that note, right?)

Black Sabbath, 1963 (aka I tre volti della paura (The Three Faces of Fear))
Director: Mario Bava
Availability: Medium (available on DVD from Image Entertainment)

Yes, another Bava film. And, no, Black Sabbath isn't the related to Black Sunday.

This is probably my favorite of all of Bava's films. It's a series of three shorts, each standing well on its own, but even better as part of the whole. From my UA Journal review, here is a rundown of the three shorts:

The first of the three shorts, titled "The Telephone," places a young, attractive girl, played by Michele Mercier, alone in her apartment as she receives late night phone threats, presumably from an escaped killer that she helped put behind bars. This story is simple, but compelling, providing some tense moments laced with interesting lesbian overtones (which were cut out of the American release in 1964, being that the trio of stories was aimed towards children).

The second story, "The Wurdulak," stars Boris Karloff as a vampire-slaying grandfather who is bitten by the bug, so to speak. His family must deal with the fact that he has become a vampire and come to grips with the need to drive a stake through his heart. Again, the atmosphere is genuinely creepy—I frequently found myself staring at the landscape Bava created when I should have been listening to dialogue. The sets are more intricate, as are the characters, than in "The Telephone," but both manage to relay a similar sense of uneasiness.

The final short is "The Drop of Water," a wonderfully constructed piece about a nurse who steals a ring from a dead medium's hand and is subsequently haunted by the medium's ghost. This spine-chilling (quite literally) tale was clearly the inspiration for a number of movies and characters of more recent years. There's an interesting connection with Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 that one should pick up on the first watching. Out of the three tales, this one takes the cake for simple eerieness—every drop of water will make you shiver and you may never see houseflies in quite the same way.

Black Sabbath and Kwaidan would make for a great night of late-October viewing if you like your horror with some atmosphere.

Kill, Baby... Kill!, 1966 (aka Operazione Paura, and many other titles) [ ADD ]
Director: Mario Bava
Availability: Medium (available on a crappy DVD from VCI)

When you have a director that worked his way up through the ranks like Bava did, you have a director that truly knows the ins-and-outs of making a movie. Considering his success as a cinematographer and his early directorial success, it's no wonder that Kill, Baby... Kill! is such a kick ass gothic horror flick.

In this one, a small town is terrorized by the spirit of a young girl that was killed there a number of years earlier. The legend has it that if you see the girl, you are her next victim. Those who are unlucky enough to set their eyes on her are eventually stripped of their will and driven to impale themselves on sharp objects. An investigator and a coroner have doubts about the legends and set out to solve the string of murders, only to find out the legends are all too true. Bava, as always, creates some stunning imagery and makes very effective use of music and simple sounds (a child's laugh). This movie apparently was a huge inspiration for Fellini, Scorcese, and any number of other directors. It's easy to see why.

The VCI DVD is a washed-out transfer and is full-screen, but it's the only thing available at this point. I'm sure that it will eventually get the full treatment it deserves, but for now, the VCI disc is all we have. However, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) showed a colorful widescreen version of Kill, Baby... Kill! this weekend as part of their Friday Night Bava series that ran throughout October. Perhaps they'll show it again.

Dagon, 2001 [ ADD ]
Director: Stuart Gordon
Availability: Medium (available on DVD from Lion's Gate Films)

Stuart Gordon got a good reputation amongst horror fans after he released the 1980s classic Re-animator. Over a decade later, Gordon tackled another H.P. Lovecraft adaptation, Dagon (based on one of Lovecraft's earliest stories). In this modern take on the short story, a rich dot-commer and his girlfriend are sailing off of the Spanish coast with some work associates. Things are going well until a major storm hits and they find themselves off the coast, near a creepy, desolate town. It doesn't take long for the group of four to get trimmed down to two, and then the fun begins as Paul tries to find his kidnapped girlfriend amongst a town full of frightening, possessed monk-like creatures.

It's been a while since I've seen a movie that really felt like it reached out and grabbed my face. Dagon did just that, and then proceeded to rip it clean off. I had the fortune of seeing this on the big screen, and while there were a few moments of humor thrown in, the majority of the film was fast-paced, very tense, and quite eerie. The end is a bit of a downer when they go for some weak CGI effects, but the rest of the film makes up for it. If you enjoy being drawn into a movie and feeling your pulse race, Dagon is the film to do it. A great flick for a rainy October night.

Side note: the posted-a-day-late entry for day 24 is now online.

Uzumaki, 2000 [ ADD ]
Director: Higuchinsky
Availability: Hard (available on Region 3 DVD via Diabolik DVD)

Inhabitants of a waterfront Japenese town are slowly become obsessed with uzumaki (spirals). They seek to find spirals in every day life, to collect spirals, and eventually, as they're driven to madness, to become spirals. How does one become a spiral, one might ask?

Put yourself in an industrial washing machine and turn it on.

This movie is every bit as bizarre as its plot. God bless the Japanese for their insane take on the horror film. Where else could you expect to find human-sized snails crawling up a skyscraper? Only in a film version of a Japanese comic book, directed by a Japanese music video director.

I risk sounding like a fourth grade book report for a book I've never read, but the only way to describe Uzumaki is with words like "great," "strange," "transcendent," and "the ultimate kick-in-the-head."

The Saragossa Manuscript, 1965 [ ADD ]
Director: Wojciech Has
Availability: Medium (available on DVD from Image Entertainment)

The Saragossa Manuscript isn't your typical horror movie. It doesn't have jump-out-and-grab-you scares, there's no blood, and you won't be biting your nails because of its intensity. Rather, it's a Polish movie based on an early 19th century epic by Jan Potocki. It's described as a "Chinese box" of stories-within-stories-within-stories, creating a multi-layered masterpiece with tales of ghosts and lesbian demon sisters (yes, really). The book covers close to 700 pages and 69 days. The movie only takes on about a tenth of those days, but trust me: that's enough. In this three hour film there are so many little stories, requiring significant thought just to keep the characters straight, let alone the intertwining plotlines.

This movie had a profound impact on Jerry Garcia and apparently influenced his entire musical career. I know about as much about the Grateful Dead as I do about Polish horror, though, so I'm just trusting the word of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola (who were responsible for the restoration of The Saragossa Manuscript). Nonetheless, if you enjoy being challenged by your movies, you'll want to take a peek at this relatively unknown treat from Poland.

Friday the 13th, The Final Chapter (Part IV), 1984
Director: Joseph Zito
Availability: Easy (available on DVD from Paramount)

Pretty much any entry in the series will do and picking part IV (the painfully mistitled "Final Chapter") was kind of arbitrary. I liked part VI the best, in part because it had Thom Mathews (Return of the Living Dead, Return of the Living Dead Part 2) in it and I was probably the only person on the planet that kind of dug the telekenesis angle of part VII. So, feel free to substitute any other Friday the 13th; Jason movies are like cookies... everyone has their favorite flavor. Part IV is among the better respected of the many sequels. Corey Feldman plays young Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews plays the "grown-up Tommy" two parts down the road), a horror movie and special effects buff who proves to be Jason's best match yet. Tom Savini rejoins the Friday fold (having trouble keeping all the Toms straight?) serving up some solid slasher fun.

Grab your hockey mask and your machete. No October is complete without a little bit of Jason in your life.

Vampyr, 1932
Director: Carl Dreyer
Availability: Medium (available on DVD from Image, but apparently a gorgeous remastered version is in the works by Criterion that might be worth waiting for)

I won't proclaim to be very knowledgable about silent films, even silent horror. I've only seen a few in my time, and while I've liked what I've seen, I won't try to fake being a movie snob (this time).

That said, when I saw Vampyr in an International Film class in college, I was mighty enthralled. Even with the scratchy transfer, the photography was gorgeous and some neat cinematic tricks were employed, namely the "backwards digging" scene. It gave me chills when I saw it, much like Mario Bava's ultra-cool aging trick in I Vampiri. Fans of creepy imagery won't want to pass this one up.

In Vampyr, a man is haunted during a stay at a hotel in a strange village by visions in the shadows of spirits and ghouls. Dreyer's vision of horror in 1932 is much like much of the visual horror we have become accustomed to 70 years later. Though you won't see many severed limbs or buckets of blood, you will be creeped out by the famous coffin shot and impressed by the well-constructed tracking shots.

If silent movies are your bag (or you're willing to give them a shot), Vampyr should not be missed. It laid the groundwork for an entire genre and set a bar that some directors still can't reach.

Wendigo (see also; trailer), 2001 [ ADD ]
Director: Larry Fessenden
Availability: Medium (available this December on DVD from Artisan)

Larry Fessenden isn't exactly a mainstream name, but his trilogy based loosely on the classic Universal monsters is one of the more interesting developments in indie horror during the last 15 years. His first, No Telling in 1991, was an animal-rights/pro-organic farming horror movie (!) based loosely on Frankenstein, while his second, the highly respected Habit explored the modern vampire theme in a completely new way. Wendigo, released last year, is the last entry in the series, focusing (barely) on werewolves.

Erik Per Sullivan (Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle) stars in this story of haunted woods, murder, and quick-as-a-cockroach tree spirits. What makes this one so thoroughly tense and nail-biting are the frightening, believable situations set against such a gorgeous, if haunting, backdrop of the deep woods during the winter. There's a lot to like here, and if you've been jaded by weak major-studio attempts at horror, Wendigo is a breath of fresh air that will unsettle you and have you checking over your shoulder after watching. Fessenden does a great job of weaving a narrative, creating a mood, and bringing together the whole package in such a satisfying way.

The Beyond, 1981
Director: Lucio Fulci
Availability: Medium (on special edition DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

Considered by many to be Fulci's greatest work, The Beyond is the quintessential example of Italian horror. While Italian splatter films of the late 70s and early 80s were often considered "rip-offs" of standard American themes, Fulci always managed to bring something brand new to the table. Even Zombie, which many believe was a copy of Dawn of the Dead actually bears very little resemblance to the Romero film from the year before. The Beyond stands out, though, as a perfect example of a zombie movie that captures the feeling of true feelings dread and horror that one feels when death is closing in. With some astonishing visuals (like a blind girl with hazed-over eyes walking down a long, deserted highway with only her guide dog), great gore, and even some unintentional humor in the form of pipe cleaner tarantulas, this zombie epic delivers on every level.

Though it was always a staple of true horror fans' catalogs via bootleg videos, it wasn't until Quinten Tarrantino's Rolling Thunder Pictures teamed with Grindhouse Releasing that the film got its deserved notice in the United States. Anchor Bay came through with an incredible DVD release of the movie with a wonderful transfer and a commentary track with stars Catriona MacColl and the late David Warbeck.

Ginger Snaps, 2000 [ ADD ]
Director: John Fawcett
Availability: Medium (avoid the weak, featureless, full frame American DVD and get the special edition DVD from Canadian distributor TVA International)

There's been a sore lack of truly original, clever horror on the big screen in the last decade (or more, depending on who you ask). Ginger Snaps, though, breaks the mold. It serves up a modern werewolf plot with a feminist edge and lots of intelligent humor and action. Can't say that about Halloween: Resurrection.

Two outcast sisters, both in their mid-teens and not yet... "women", head out one night to cause some trouble. Sure, a number of dogs in the area have been mauled in recent weeks, but what do they have to worry about? Well, when it's a werewolf during the mauling, you don't want to find out you're having your first period outside, in the dead of night. That's the type of thing that gets a werewolf's attention (the movie's clever tagline is: "That's why they call it 'the curse'"). Ginger, the older sibling, is attacked and dragged away by a vicious beast. Her younger sister comes to her rescue, but not before Ginger is severely battered, bruised, and scratched.

In the following weeks, a number of changes start to take place. This is where things get good. As we learned in The Howling and other werewolf movies, the transformation is the most interesting part of the story. Director John Fawcett certainly lingers on this, making Ginger's transformation into a werewolf (and also into womanhood) a decisive factor in her freshly wounded relationship with her younger sister. Times change and people change, but not usually like this.

If you're up for a couple hours of great fun, Ginger Snaps is good means to that end. In terms of modern horror, it's one of the better films of the last five years and has developed quite a nice little following.

The Hills Have Eyes, 1977
Director: Wes Craven
Availability: Medium (on VHS at most rental stores)

I like to think of The Hills Have Eyes as Last House on the Left's more mature older sibling. Filmed five years after Last House..., Hills... similarly explores the theme of two very different groups of people battling for survival. In this one, a relatively normal family is stuck in the desert (playing the role of the two young girls in Last House...) while being stalked by creepy desert people named after planets (paralleling David Hess and crew's part). Revenge and brutality are heavy elements in both films and you can expect a lot of quality chases and death scenes.

So what's different besides the desert and the woods? A more mature Wes Craven is in the director's chair, resulting in a much more polished looking film. That's neither good nor bad for the film on its own, but allows Hills... to differentiate itself from the even more mean-spirited Last House on the Left. Some all-around horror fun that's definitely due a special edition DVD release.

(Avoid the pointless sequel at all costs.)

Opera, 1987 (aka Terror at the Opera)
Director: Dario Argento
Availability: Easy (on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

As you might expect from Argento, Opera is both stylish and brutal, beautiful and disturbing, vicious and loving.

The story begins with a popular opera singer breaking her leg (har!), requiring that her understudy take over her leading role in an adaptation of Macbeth. This probably isn't a good thing, as Betty (the understudy) is attacked by a gloved assassin (Dario will always work those giallo elements in), has her eyelids held open by pins underneath her eyes (in one of the more squirm-inducing torture scenes I've seen), and is forced to witness the murder of her boyfriend. The murders continue, as does Betty's bad luck.

Though Opera is never mentioned in the same breath as Suspiria, Profondo Rosso, or Tenebre, it was the first Argento film that I ever saw. As a high schooler witnessing one of Italian horror's best directors for the first time, it was like getting kicked in the head. Since I've always had an "eye thing," I am particularly bothered by movies that have the least bit to do with eye gore. Of course, being bothered is one of the fun parts of horror movies, and the very reason I love Opera, any of Fulci's movies, and Anguish. Just please, please, don't ask me to try to touch my own eye or put in a pair of contact lenses.

Pieces, 1981 (aka Mil gritos tiene la noche ("One Thousand Cries Has the Night")) [ ADD ]
Director: Juan Piquer Simón
Availability: Hard (on OOP DVD from Diamond Entertainment, a future remastered release from Grindhouse Releasing)

This Spanish horror, ahem, piece of garbage is a load of fun (as with the other recent pieces of garbage I've included on this list). Who says you can't have fun with your horror movies? In this very Fulci-esque film, we got a lot of gore (certainly not up to Fulci standards) and lots of laughs. I don't think Simón intended for us to bust a gut at his film, but I'm sure he understands. After all, when the killer walks into the elevator with a girl as he hides a chainsaw behind his back, how can you not snicker? The ultimate scene, though, involves some midnight kung-fu... I'll avoid saying any more to avoid spoiling what may be the most (unintentionally) absurd scene ever filmed. Really.

I had the chance to see it on the big screen, and am I glad I did. Now I'm just waiting for the DVD to come out so I can have a Pieces party for fellow fans of cheese.

Tomorrow we'll get back on track with some actual scary horror...

Zombie Holocaust, 1980 (aka Doctor Butcher, M.D.) [ ADD ]
Director: Marino Girolami
Availability: Medium (on DVD from Media Blasters)

If zombies are you bag (like they are mine, if you haven't guessed), you've no doubt seen Lucio Fulci's Zombie. But perhaps you haven't seen the movie shot shortly afterwards on many of the same sets with two of the same actors: Zombie Holocaust (aka Doctor Butcher, M.D. -- that's "Medical Deviate"). Think zombies v.s. cannibals, with more cannibals than zombies. With groovy looking undead (though not as cool as Fulci's), Marino Girolami serves up a nasty little piece of gore derivative in every way, but gloriously so. A zombie catches a motor to the face, a woman has her scalp removed, and there are plenty of disembowelments. What more do you need? Bad dubbing? Got that, too!

Though there will never be a sum of Zombie and Cannibal Holocaust that is greater than its parts, Zombie Holocaust smushes the two titles together and acts as a nicely duct taped combination.

"Patient's screams disturbing me, performed removal of vocal chords."

Hell of the Living Dead, 1960 (aka Night of the Zombies)
Director: Bruno Mattei
Availability: Easy (on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

There are some movies that I can only describe as "a total shitheap," yet I've seen them more times than movies that I love. I can't explain it, and I won't try to. Hell of the Living Dead is one of those movies. It's a terrible zombie Italian rip-off flick (one of the many) by a total hack of a director (Bruno Mattei). Not only did he intersperse National Geographic stock footage into his jungle scenes, but he straight ripped off the Goblin score from Dawn of the Dead. He didn't replay it with a different band, he used the exact same music. Amazing.

But even in a total pile of crap movie like this, there are redeeming values. Like the scene in the abandoned town. The sands whipping around a lone jeep about to be attacked by zombies, as the unknowing group looks about nervously... it's an eerie scene that almost made me think Mattei had had some schooling beyond the first grade. And the ending... for a movie with such a mindless plot, the final ten minutes are actually well-paced and pretty intense, especially for a Z-grade zombie splatter film.

So, sure, it's a waste of the celluloid it's filmed on. And, sure, every moment of this movie was ripped off from another movie (some in more direct ways than others). But, hell, people dig this nonsense anyway. And there are few better ways to kill an evening than making fun of a Bruno Mattei "film."

City of the Dead, 1960 (aka Horror Hotel) [ ADD ]
Director: John Moxey
Availability: Medium (on DVD from VCI)

If you can get past the corny opening moments, City of the Dead is an unheralded classic about witchcraft and the occult. A young student travels to a creepy New England town to do research and gets caught up in the town's history and weird goings-on. The town has a wacky cast of characters, from the accomodating, but sinister, inkeeper to the clueless bookstore owner (where do her customers come from, anyway?) to the random people in the street that stop and stare. The use of heavy fog and dim lighting adds to the atmosphere of a possessed New England village, long haunted by its evil past.

There's lots to like here. The movie is relatively tame (and short), but it's one of those that sticks with you for a while afterwards. Hard to believe the director went on to create shows like Matlock and Magnum, P.I..

Kwaidan, 1965
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Availability: Medium (on DVD from Criterion)

This series of four Japanese ghost stories is nothing short of a masterpiece from every angle: the cinemetography, storytelling, acting, and direction are all simply superb. I can't think of a more visually beautiful movie or a more hauntingly presented ghost story. Here's a rundown of the four stories, lifted from my review, linked above.

"The Black Hair" is a good opening story of a samurai who is looking for fame and riches only to realize that he cannot have the wealth he desires and the love he needs at the same time. He realizes his mistake and attempts to return to the true love he left behind. The sets are gorgeous in "The Black Hair". The indoor shots are gloomy and despairing while the outdoor shots are eerie and forboding. One of the most (literally) spine-tingling shorts I've ever seen, "The Black Hair" is one whose images will stick with you long after the movie is over.

"The Woman in the Snow" is the story of a woodcutter who finds himself stranded with his eldery mentor in a snowstorm like you've never seen. They find refuge in a woodshed, until a woman comes and steals the mentor's final breath. She spares the young apprentice, but makes him promise that he will never speak of the events of that night. Though the ending is predictable, the story is unique and the cinematography is one-of-a-kind. There's a particularly beautiful scene where the woodcutter and the love of his life are running through a field. In this scene, the camera's angle and tracking distort the speed at which the man is running, resulting in a memorable perception-bending visual.

In "Hoichi, The Earless," a young blind man with a talent for musically retelling the story of a bloody sea battle between the Heike and Genji clans. The problem is that the performances he's giving are for ghosts and not living beings. In order to protect Hoichi from the ghosts, the monks that have befriended him paint his body from head to toe with holy text, which renders him invisible from the ghosts. Unfortunately, they forget to paint the young man's ears. While this story appealed to me the least of the three, I have a feeling it's the one that will grow the most on me. The sparse use of traditional Chinese music and stunning use of silence during the battle scenes make "Hoichi, The Earless" absolutely eerie.

Kwaidan closes out with "In a Cup of Tea," where a samurai warrior is tortured by visions of a man in his tea. The tea-borne man eventually manifests himself in a more flesh-like form, which drives the samurai to insanity. The closing scene of this story (and the movie, as well) is one that will remain with you.

At 161 minutes, this is one of the longer horror films you'll experience, but every second of it is sublime. If you've never had a chance to witness this gem, be sure to hunt it down and give it a shot.

Anguish, 1986 (aka Anguista)
Director: Bigas Luna
Availability: Medium (on DVD (review contains spoilers you may not want to read until after you see the movie) from Anchor Bay Entertainment)

Like the first link above says, this is one of those movies that's better the less you know about it. So I'm going to try and convince you to watch it without giving away plot points.

When this movie was originally released, it came with warnings about subliminal messages, probably from the early scenes with Zelda Rubenstein (Poltergeist, Skittles commercials) and Michael Lerner. But it's not the subliminal messages that screw with your head: it's the filmmaking. The twists and turns throughout the film will keep you guessing and recounting previous scenes. It's like a Spanish (though shot in English) verison of Demons, but with less gore and more psychological horror.

From the first moment I saw this movie as a teenager on late night Cinemax, I knew it was one of those quality horror films that even most hardcore horror fans were unaware of. In that sense, I've always felt like Anguish was my find. I even had the movie store at the Pennsauken Mart (who always had the coolest horror movies) order a special copy for me on VHS back in the day.

And, yes, I had a crush on Talia Paul, the young lead actress whose only other roles were bit parts in the 1995 Born to be Wild and the 1996 AIDS drama It's My Party. But wait just a minute! Through the magic of the web, I see she's now a songstress! Kick ass.

Anguish is a solid horror film from an established Spanish arthouse director that's well worth checking out for its unique, er, look at life.

The Convent, 2000
Director: Mike Mendez
Availability: Medium (on DVD from Lions Gate)

So you've got Adrienne Barbeau reprising her role as an ass-kicking heroine, Coolio as a cop (!), and a tagline that reads "Nuns, Guns, and Gasoline!" Clearly, The Convent is quite a ride, and a joyfully sacreligious one, at that. Mike Mendez and Chaton Anderson created an indie horror film (made for under $1 million) with a big movie feel. The effects and off-center humor will appeal to fans of fun 80s horror gore, giving audiences a fast-paced horror film they can dig their teeth into.

The story is as such: in the 1960s, a woman walks into a convent, beats the nuns inside and proceeds to burn the place down. Ouch. 40 years later, the abandoned nunnery is a favorite location for frat boys and sorority girls as well as amateur Satanists. It doesn't take long for things to go awry after a human sacrifice, and demonic nuns are soon on the offensive, taking out a crew of teens one-by-one, Demons-style.

The Convent is another great party movie; the more people, the better. And word is that a sequel is underway... don't worry: Coolio's coming back.

Dawn of the Dead, 1978 [ ADD ]
Director: George Romero
Availability: Easy/Medium (on OOP(?) DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment, a definitive edition is reportedly on the way next year; also easily available on video)

This is one of those "no-brainers" (which would disappoint the zombies involved, clearly). Dawn of the Dead is one of the most influential and important horror films of the last 30 years. Though Night of the Living Dead was a turning point in the horror genre, showing that a low-budget zombie gore film could be successful and remain true to the director's vision, but Dawn of the Dead may be the best horror film ever made. Or, at least, that's what I think.

With zombies spreading from major cities to small towns, a small group of people flee in a helicopter, looking to go somewhere, anywhere, to get away from the plague that is taking over the entire east coast. They wind up at a recently abandoned shopping mall and set up shop, finding that they can keep the zombies at bay and remain hidden with relative ease.

But, hey, this is a Romero zombie flick! Of course it's not that easy. What follows is a battle with zombies, renegade bikers, and the characters' own personality conflicts. And there's gore galore in this film: exploding heads, machetes, torn apart entrails, and any number of gunshots and decapitations. Savini handles the effects beautifully, making for a movie that has not only a strong script, but strong visuals.

If you've somehow missed seeing Dawn of the Dead, don't hesitate a second longer. There's a reason that this movie has the following it does: it's gory and smart at the same time, a truly rare combination in the horror genre.

Mystics in Bali, 1981 (aka Leák)
Directors: H. Tjut Djalil
Availability: Difficult (on bootleg import video from Bizarre Videos)

Imagine, if you will, an Indonesian horror film that features a woman whose head detaches from her body, flies around at night (with the spinal cord still attached), and seeks out pregnant women to eat their babies. That is the wonder of the penanggalan myth featured in Mystics in Bali, an insanely absurd, yet extremely watchable, offering from the Far East. If I owned a DVD company, this is one of the first five movies I would remaster and re-release.

The story begins with an American reporter who travels to Bali to learn about black magic. After all, she has experience with voodoo in the Carribean, how different can it be? Very, it turns out. She finds herself in a mess of trouble, and thankfully so, for how else would we get to witness a flying head? The movie's charmingly awkward script is well-paced with plenty of high spots to please gorehounds and fans of the obscure. The traditional Balinese soundtrack is a treat, too, as I doubt such percussion-laden music has ever been used in a horror film before.

Fans of this flick will also want to be sure to check out the even more obscure Witch with Flying Head (available only as an nth generation copy of a non-subtitled, Vietnamese-dubbed rental copy) for more penanggalan (and kung-fu!) wackiness.

Phantasm, 1979
Directors: Georgi Kropachyov and Aleksandr Ptushko
Availability: Easy (on Special Edition DVD from MGM... super cheap, too!)

If you grew up in the 80s, there's no doubt you remember Phantasm airing as part of HBO's regular rotation. The Tall Man and the flying silver ball are classic 80's horror imagery, and with good right: Phantasm is actually a scary horror movie (if you can get past the dopey ass lead kid). With much of the action taking place in a surreal, bright white mausoleum, Phantasm's appeal lies in a fear of the unknown. Sure, there's death, but what about the creepy old man and his pet orb? That's horror.

Something else interesting about Phantasm that sets it apart from the slasher trend that was forming around the time of its release: at the end of the movie, there's an awful lot that's left unexplained. Who the Tall Man is, what the hell the orb is doing flying through the air, why there are rifts in time inside the mausoleum, where the heck they found the bizarre mop-top lead character, are all questions left unanswered. Sometimes it's nice not to have everything laid out on the table for you.

This is one of those great party movies that's even more fun with a group of friends. And the special edition DVD retails for a mere $10, so there's no reason not to check it out.

The Vij (aka The Viy and The Vij: Spirit of Evil), 1967
Directors: Georgi Kropachyov and Aleksandr Ptushko
Availability: Medium (on DVD from Image Entertainment)

The Vij is one of those horror movies that comes from a place you wouldn't expect: the Soviet Union (in the 1960s, no less!). Based on a famous ghost/vampire story by Ukranian writer Nikolai Gogol, The Vij's cinematography, set design, and effects create a number of genuinely tense moments that make this movie one not to miss. Floating caskets, witches flying men like a horse, and an all-out assault by zombies, demons, and other ghouls highlight this virtually unknown gem.

Interestingly, there's a loose connection between The Vij's story and Black Sunday, something I hadn't realized until I read this review of the latter. Both movies offer up an experience unlike most other horror films, even amongst those from the same time period. It's a more mature and intellectual experience that remains creepy and effective many years later.

Black Sunday, 1960
Director: Mario Bava
Availability: Medium (on DVD from Image Entertainment)

I wanted to avoid offering up two Bava movies in one week, but I had to reconsider once I saw that Turner Classic Movies is airing the horror classic tonight (tomorrow morning, really) at 2am. Now you have no excuse not to set your TiVo/VCR and tape it for yourself.

A female Satanist is burned at the stake while forced to wear a large metal mask with spikes inside. She vows to return from the grave to get revenge, and guess what... she does!

This stylish black and white masterpiece is truly one of the best horror movies ever made. Barbara Steele does a great job here, as with most of her films from that time period. She pulls double duty in this film as Asa, the Satanist, and her look-alike, Katia. There's a lot written about Black Sunday that describes the film's history better than I ever could, so I will gracefully bow out and point you to those pages before you check out the movie on TCM tonight.

It's been too long since I've watched this movie and can't wait to fire up the DVD this Halloween season.

Last House on the Left, 1972 [ ADD ]
Director: Wes Craven
Availability: Easy (on DVD from MGM)

While most of us grew up in a time where brutal horror movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were relatively common, the first American film to really push the boundaries of good taste was Wes Craven's debut, The Last House on the Left. In this low-budget sicko, a trio of escaped killers stalk a pair of teenage girls in the woods, raping and torturing them in scenes that are still uncomfortable to watch, 30 years later. The movie takes an interesting revenge twist as the hunters become the hunted, and despite a few out-of-place moments of goofiness, the tension doesn't let up one bit.

I've read a few reviews that claim the lighthearted music (penned by actor David Hess) and dated feeling of the film make it less effective several decades later. I find it to be just the opposite. The light pop music, primarily the movie's theme ("The road... leads... to nowhere...") lend a particularly eerie and disconcerting mood to the already squeamish storyline.

While it's a downright meanspirited movie and will still offend viewers today, keep telling yourself, "It's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie..."

Baron Blood, 1980
Director: Mario Bava
Availability: Medium (on DVD from Image Entertainment)

Maybe it's because it's the first Bava film I saw, but Baron Blood (aka The Torture Chamber of Baron Blood) holds a special place in my heart. Though it's not near the level of Black Sunday or Black Sabbath, it's still an extremely stylish (hey, it is Mario Bava, after all) gothic horror flick. The story is a familiar, but entertaining, one: man is cursed many years ago, modern man reads an incantation that brings him back to life, parchment with incantation burns before the evil unleashed can be sent back, havoc is wreaked.

Bava's imagery is consistantly among the best of his time. His sets are often so beautiful, I find myself staring at them in awe rather than focusing on the plot. But that's not to put down Bava's ability to tell a story, either (though some belittle his ability to tell a narrative). Baron Blood manages to effectively capture the gothic atmosphere and weave an intriguing story of torture and witchcraft. Gorehounds won't be disappointed, either, with some torture scenes for the soul.

The Fog, 1980
Director: John Carpenter
Availability: Easy (on special edition DVD)

After the success of Halloween, John Carpenter was looking to make a ghost story with more implied horror and less of a slasher element. Carpenter brought in his one-time beau Adrienne Barbeau and called in Jamie Lee Curtis, who had just made a name for herself in Halloween. This underrated film was actually one of Carpenter's top five, due to it's eerie atmosphere and lighting. If you like your horror creepy, but not graphic, The Fog is great fun a good way to start off a month's worth of horror flicks.

October is my month. Not because I was born in this month, but because October is the month that horror movies come out of the woodwork. The weather gets colder, the nights get creepier, and even people who despise horror movies consider watching one as Halloween gets closer.

Inspired by this thread on DVDManiacs.net, I've decided to start a "31 Days, 31 Horror Movies" category on my blog, featuring a different horror movie each day. Some movies you'll recognize, some you won't, but all are there for the taking if you're looking for a good scare this October. You will be able to keep up with the movies in the main section of my blog or in the archived section for these entries: http://www.laze.net/fait/archive/cat_31_days_31_horror_movies.php. I've also included an "availability" ranking... "Easy" means that you should be able to rent or buy it at most video stores, "Medium" means it's available on DVD or video, but you may not be able to find it at Blockbuster, and "Difficult" means it's out-of-print or so obscure, it may take a while to come by a copy.

On a related note, you may also want to checkout a feature I put together last year for Halloween: Recipes for a Wicked Halloween.

So, let's start this.