The idea for this week’s list is courtesy of site fan Matt Z., who hit me up with the following, “I was watching Predator 2 earlier and thinking to myself how I didn’t care for this film when I first saw it, oh so long ago, but now, I dare say that I enjoy it even more than the original. Got me thinking about the films, which have grown on me over time.
Not bad thinking amigo! Horror, particularly horror sequels are pretty good at giving us flicks that don’t live up to our expectations for one reason or another when we first see them, but can learn to appreciate over time as what they do well sinks in.
So take a trip down revisionist opinion lane with me friends, and if you’ve got a fav that didn’t used to be, spit bullets and let us all know!
READ PART 1 OF THIS LIST HERE
WARNING – NOOB SPOILERS BELOW!
5. BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2
This probably could have a been a great movie, and still would have fallen flat with audiences for two reasons. One, the backlash towards the original film was well underway by the time they actually got this in theaters. Two, for obvious reasons this had to take a slightly different approach than the first which put off some fans. But even though this was a fairly obvious cash grab, it still works well as a head tripping mind bender if you let it.
4. FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V – A NEW BEGINNING
It’s hard to know if fans were more disturbed by H3 or this, but my money might be on this. Because it is a traditional F13 movie, in fact a particularly brutal and nudity filled entry. All the splash one could wish for really. Right up until we find out the killer isn’t Jason. The genre community’s collective WTF?! was understandably loud. Still, if the killer was Jason this would probably be looked at as one of the strongest in the series. So there ya go. It’s a great F13 flick, if you can just get past that one gigantic issue.
3. THE BURNING
Still viewed as more of a casting curiosity than a legitimate player in the 80’s slasher craze, fans of this flick know that you’ve got a lot more going on here than your average unheralded entry. While not particularly varied, the kills in this are nasty. And the story is fairly typical, but is raised by some surprisingly effective performances. This flick is the kind that big genre fans sometimes use as a litmus test.
2. PREDATOR 2
Matt Z. was right that P2 grows on you hardcore over time. I’m not ready to go with him to a it’s better than the original place, but there’s no denying a lot of crazy shenanigans are just waiting to had. Danny Glover Action Star may be a tough fit, but he does bring an unexpected intensity to the role. The supporting cast is aces, with Busey and Paxton in particular pulling out all the stops. And I do think there’s a better attempt given to outthinking the Predator in this than in the original, which makes sense since his weaponry is so clearly superior. It also gives us the first glimpse of some AvP action, which has not been satisfyingly borne out yet, but still remains one of the great possible conflicts.
1. DAY OF THE DEAD
Man I was bored the first time I saw this. Yeah, the gore is off the charts, but overall it was a hyper social commentary even for Romero. What I didn’t realize at the time was that Romero made a horror film with NOTLD, an action flick with DAWN, and then moved into more dramatic territory with DAY. It works, just not on the level that most expected originally. Especially impressive is how well it holds up given that Romero had his budget cut in half because of a refusal to cut the film for an R-rating. We’ve got a very different type of zombie film here, but given Romero’s trajectory it makes perfect sense.
READ PART 1 OF THIS LIST HERE
Got a Top 10 idea? Hit me up at mattwithers@joblo.com