As someone who lives, breathes, and writes horror, I abso-friggin-lutely love the Halloween season. Theaters makes space for spooky stories, streaming services dig deep into their vaults of creepy content, and folks like me fly our freak flags a little higher than usual.
So, inspired by a blog post by Stage 32 moderator Maurice Vaughn, I thought I'd share my own favorite horror films. And, I'm sorry, it has to be films plural, because for me, these two are so special to me that choosing between them would be like picking a favorite child.
Up first, only because I'm going in chronological order according to release date:
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
For my money, this is the greatest werewolf movie ever made. The plot is so simple and the characters so relatable that I find myself immediately and fully immersed in the world presented onscreen. Director John Landis's ability to seamlessly blend horror and comedy always tricks me into letting my guard down, so that when the scares hit, they hit hard. Not to bury the lead, but nothing before or since has matched the Kessler Wolf design or the insanely iconic transformation scene, courtesy of Rick Baker. But, I think what works best for me is the absolute sense of isolation the comes across for the David Kessler character. I love that, unlike many other werewolf movies, if there was ever a hair of a notion (see what I did there?) that being a werewolf would somehow be cool, this depiction destroys that idea and presents a man (and monster) consumed by grief and guilt and driven by an uncontrollable force that makes him as sad and sympathetic as he is scary.
Next:
The Fly (1986)
Cronenberg's masterpiece. This movie gave me nightmares. For years. Most people, understandably, remember this as an over-the-top, gross-out body horror bonanza, thanks to the practical FX of Chris Walas. And it was. The final Brundlefly design is absolute abomination nightmare fuel, and the degradation makeup stages always make me spend a few more minutes staring into the bathroom mirror, checking for anything out of the ordinary. But, what makes me even queasier and makes me love this movie even more is the complete and absolute unraveling of Seth Brundle's existence by his own hand. At what should've been the greatest moment of his life, he loses his chance for fame and wealth, his opportunity to change the world, his girlfriend, his humanity, and ultimately his life, all because he got drunk and got jealous. In his most human of moments, he turned himself into something inhuman and destroyed what could've been. And, again, while the Brundlefly is one of the most grotesque creatures ever committed to celluloid, it's the slow, unrelenting march toward an inevitable fate that makes this so unsettling for me.
On a side note, I should point out that both of these had incredible casts and exquisite scores. Elmer Bernstein's for AAWIL is shockingly underrated and under-discussed. It's lean and subtle, but effective.
So, I guess this is all to say that the magic formula for me is a sympathetic monster, some well-justified gore, and a tale that straddles the line between horror and tragedy.
Anybody else got a favorite horror movie, or a suggestion for one I should check out this spooky season? LMK!
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Hey, Paul Guidry. Glad my blog inspired you. I remember watching An American Werewolf in London and The Fly growing up. I liked both. The Fly creeped me out!
I love writing and watching movies with simple plots and well-developed, relatable characters!
Check out Outside on Netflix.
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If Final Destination can be called a horror, then they probably are.
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Thanks Maurice Vaughan. Adding "Outside" to my queue.
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Aleksandr Rozhnov the Final Destination series definitely qualifies. I dare anyone who saw FD2 to drive next to a logging truck.
You're welcome, Paul Guidry. I might rewatch An American Werewolf in London this month. What's your favorite Horror movie of the year?
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Well, I guess Final Destination is more of a mystery than pure horror. I think I prefer mystery overall. For example, I really like Cube — all the parts are great films. And if we’re talking horror, then probably The Ring — the Japanese version.
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And of course, the classics — Freddy Krueger and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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The Insidious/Black Phone/Poltergeist-type films always scare me, but I can do atmospheric or straight up grotesque.
Mad God is one of the most polarizing films I've ever talked to people about, a thirty year long stop motion animation passion project and one of the most disturbing things I've ever watched.
Mandy and Suspiria are two favorites with great scores. I'll also be the annoying person that mentions The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari though I can't help I love it.
I'm really excited to see Weapons and Good Boy hopefully in the near future
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It’s interesting when you think about it. Take Alien by James Cameron and Men in Black. In both, you have extraterrestrial organisms — in one, it’s a single terrifying alien, in the other, various not-so-friendly, scary-looking aliens. But Alien is clearly horror, while Men in Black is more of a comedy with sci-fi elements, or maybe sci-fi with comedic elements. Why does that happen?
I get it — music, tone, presentation… Probably Will Smith’s smile is funnier than Sigourney Weaver’s. But still. In both films, there are monsters, yet in one it’s horror, and in the other, comedy.
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Maurice Vaughan Of course I can’t pick just one. While I can’t wait to see “Good Boy” and “Bring Her Back”, some favs from this year have been:
“Daddy’s Head”
“The Rule of Jenny Pen”
“Weapons”
“Presence”
“Oddity”
Some were released in 2024, but I saw them this year.
Weapons is my favorite Horror of the year, Paul Guidry. I picked up some screenwriting tips from it, like how to hide something (I'm being vague so I don't spoil the movie).
Oddity is creepy. I'm looking forward to seeing the other movies you named, especially Good Boy!
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Kate Hanton the original Poltergeist is a classic and def one of my favs. Mad God is just an incredible exercise in experimental film making. So bizarre that I can't stop watching. And I was shocked how much I like Suspiria. All great choices.
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By the way, I was really impressed by the film The Ugly Stepsister. It’s a Norwegian body horror movie — very unusual and striking. I definitely recommend watching it if you haven’t seen it yet.
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I haven't watched it yet, but it's also in my queue. I feel like European horror is having a moment the way Japanese horror had a moment in the early 2000s. Films like "Moloch", "Tropic", "Amulet", and "Caveat" are among my recent favorites.
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These are good choices. For me, my favorite horror movie is probably "Rosemary's Baby." It is so haunting! "Psycho" and "The Exorcist" are also really powerful classics. And I think the first "Halloween" is quite good too!
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"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" is another one of the best!
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Lawrence Stern those are all great films! I finally watched "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" earlier this year. Definitely ahead of its time.
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Yay - sounds like we have similar taste!
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Paul Guidry I haven't heard of any of these! So thank you, lots more for the queue. I think you're completely right, Speak No Evil has probably come up as "what film genuinely terrified you the most." I read the synopsis and that was more than enough for me. Add in Aleksandr's suggestion of The Ugly Stepsister, which I've heard was great, and they definitely seem to be having a moment.
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Maurice Vaughan It's so interesting you brought that up about Weapons, I read an older version of the script the other day and thought it was a master class. I'm trying to write comedy and am struggling with hiding things as well. The way Cregger formatted the script was so easy to follow and didn't give any of the twists away. Granted, this now drags up the whole issue of whether novice screenwriters can deviate from the traditional in any way, which I've now discovered is a minefield of a topic on it's own, and best for another Lounge post haha. Though to bring it back to horror, Aronofsky did something similar with Mother! which I think is another good candidate for our horror list.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading the Weapons script now, Kate Hanton!
I think novice screenwriters can deviate from the traditional. The only rules I think writers have to follow are be entertaining and be clear.
Mother! is on my watch list. I might watch it today. I have no idea what it's about. I like watching movies that way!