HORROR TEN SPOT: Top 10 Reminded Movies

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

One of my favorite things about reveling in the post-Halloween glow is that gift buying season is rapidly approaching and now I’m armed with all sorts of good stuff to ask for. Why? Because the scary movie marathons running non-stop in October, and especially the final week all do a great job of reminding me of horror DVD’s that I don’t own yet, but really want.

Sometimes it’s an oversight of a classic, sometimes I simply rediscover how much fun a certain B-movie cheese fest is, and occasionally I finally catch a flick I’ve either missed or been ducking, and find out that I shoulda boogied with that sucker a long time ago.

So this week I’ll take your through a tour of 10 flicks that I’ve recently recalled I want. Consider it a Christmas wish list if you like. But whether or not anybody purchases these for me, by the time the calendar turns on the New Year I will have these in my collection. Spit bullets on what you’re missing these days.

1. TRICK R TREAT

How this genre gem never got a theatrical release eludes me. Even though it couldn’t possibly live up to two years of hype, when I did get a chance to sit down with it in October I was blown away by the awesome mood, setting and the unexpected twists in it that elevated it well above typical horror. Add in the standout Sam, or Pumpkin Jack as I think of him, and you have a must own, legitimate treat that I’ll be getting from Amazon within the week if my tracking info is to be believed.

2. FRAILTY

Probably the greatest horror film that I consistently forget about. Even when people ask me to recommend a lesser known genre pic I usually forget FRAILTY. And I absolutely cannot tell you why. It’s an amazing piece of work that should be in every collection – including mine. In fact, it’s the only entry on the list that I’m ashamed that I haven’t already bought it.

3. THE BLOB (1988)

I’ve been hearing this is a ton of fun for a very long time, and always avoided it because the actual Blob looked stupid to me, and seriously, how much fun could a new Blob pic be. Well, a lot it turns out. I finally caught it last week and was immediately sucked in by the well drawn characters, shady government intervention, and I have to admit, the creature F/X actually work pretty damn well once you get used to the new look.

4. TH13TEEN GHOSTS

I hate the hyper kinetic editing, and it’s nearly a criminal offense that Shannon Elizabeth doesn’t get naked. But even given the slow set up and ham handed execution, I end up watching this start to finish every single time I have a chance to watch it. I couldn’t even really tell you why, except that I seem to have a crush on the Angry Princess.

5. RESIDENT EVIL

I do not own any of this current trilogy, even EXTINCTION which I went on the set visit for. Honestly the suck fest that is the second installment seems to cast a shadow over all the films for me. But every time I catch he original I love it. You get to play spot the nudity with Milla Jovovich, enjoy a decently involving what’s going on type plot, and experience some really great creepiness mixed in with fun zombie chow downs. It probably helps that I’m not a big gamer so I never played the games.

6. MOTEL HELL

Here’s the sick puppy that DERANGED is packaged with. Quite a double feature eh? The idea of dark comedy mixed with horror isn’t new by any means, but this is one of the first to really knock the concept out of the park. Why I don’t yet own it is simply an oversight, or perhaps I just knew on some level that if I waited I could pick it up as an awesome double feature.

7. JASON X

I used to equivocate about why I liked this entry in the F13 series, but forget that noise. I think this flick is a f*cking blast. I love the kills, the creative set ups, the scantily dressed cast, and Jason in space. Hell, I even dig Terminator Jason. This is one of those movies I could probably watch daily and not get tired of it.

8. DERANGED

Had only heard about this flick peripherally, but after Eric talked it up on the Halloween edition of the AITH podcast, I had to look into it. Anything that leaves a New Yorker as disturbed as DERANGED left Eric is worth a cold buy. Plus it’s currently bundled with another entry on the list that we’ll get to in a minute. Hard to go wrong.

9. THE HAUNTING (1963)

It’s weird to find a movie that is this stupid in many aspects of plot, performance and general vibe, yet manages to have some startling effective scare scenes. When ghostly shite starts going down in this it’s all about mood, atmosphere, sound design and misdirection. Every horror fan, and especially every budding horror director needs to watch this film and see just how much you can do with hardly anything at all.

10. HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH

On the terms it presents itself, aka a HALLOWEEN movie, this sequel is best forgotten. But if it wasn’t saddled by it’s unfortunate name, it’s actually a decent B-movie that is as notable for it’s brutal gore as it is the annoying jingle heard throughout. I’ve never bought it because I hate it as a sequel, but I’m gonna have to lock it down and maybe just scratch out the title on the cover.