I am a massive horror movie fan. Anything that is dark, macabre, creepy and has a gothic vibe will easily make my list of favourite movies. There are so many films that I love, but I promised that I would keep it to only 5 films. Keeping it only to 5 is going to be a struggle and excluding TV series is going to make my heart ache…
But these are the horror movies (or franchises) that have stood the test of time in my scary movie collection. All classics, in my opinion.
Without further ado and in no particular order, let’s jump straight into it!
The Omen
The Plot:
Speaking of jumping straight into it, The Omen has a lot of literal (and metaphorical) jumps, leaps and falls.
An influential political guy unwittingly enters into a deal with the devil when his wife delivers their first child stillborn. Apparently, adopting an unknown baby, who turns out to be the son of Satan is this guy’s preferred solution to the problem of telling his wife that their natural child didn’t survive. He soon learns that he missed the memo that the Book of Revelations prophesied the return of the unclean one on the 6th hour of the 6th day of the sixth month, the day and time of his son’s stillbirth.
Naturally, strange antics ensue as the Son of Satan grows older and the US’s ambassador to the UK decides that all these people high on Jesus might actually be speaking the truth, he sets about rectifying the situation. Again. With similar success.
Why I Love It:
This film was released in 1976 and it definitely is a classic of that era of film-making. The plot is just so perfect, and couple this with the odd ways of creating suspense and the excellent performances by Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, it is a film I come back to time and time again. It is the first in a series, and quite frankly, the following movies are a bit of a yawn fest. Stick with the original and the best, in my honest opinion.
PS The Omen was remade in 2006 with Julia Styles in the role of Mrs Thorne and Mia Farrow as Mrs Baylock. It is almost a line for line, scene for scene copy of the original, so was devastatingly disappointing.
Hellraiser
The Plot:
The Hellraiser franchise is built on the premise that there is a sadistic and masochistic parallel world governed by the Cenobites, “extra-dimensional beings who are mutilated and brainwashed into torturing humans for all eternity in the Labyrinth“
Demons to some, angels to others.
PinHead, The Head Priest.
This parallel world can be accessed via a Lemarchand puzzle box, the solving of which promises all the pleasures imaginable.
Obviously, the existance of a gateway to a new type of hell is bound to lead to some pretty interesting adventures. Although there are a couple of movies in the franchise which are connected by characters, the majority of Hellraisers are stand alone explorations of the places where our world and the Labyrinth meet.
Why I Love It:
Somebody once said “If you saw the Nine Inch Nails Closer video clip as an adolescent, you are now into BDSM.” The same thing as the Hellraiser series, as yet to see something that is so obviously about this kink but not saying it explicitly. My Domina side loves Hellraiser for this reason.
But all that aside, the world, created by the horror genius Clive Barker, is perfect. The aesthetic through all the movies, but especially in “Deader”, is dirty, creepy, chaos. In short, pure evil.
No wonder PinHead is considered to be the epitome of the evil in this genre.
House of 1000 Corpses
The Plot:
A family of sexual sadists living out in the middle of fuck knows where America, kidnap and torture whoever comes across their path as part of a fine family tradition. The first in a series of films by Rob Zombie, we are introduced to the ultimate house of horrors.
Why I Love It:
When this came out in the cinema, I saw it three times. Not only is it the directorial debut of Rob Zombie, but it absolutely lived up to the hype of taking the slasher film to a new level. Outstanding performances by Sheri Moon and veteran performers Karen Black and Sid Haig with the unsettling direction and cinematography of Zombie just make it an awesome film to watch. I have to definitely count this movie as an inspiration behind my own work.
The Shining
The Plot:
A struggling writer decides to take a job as a winter caretaker in a hotel in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. With his wife and son in tow, he unwittingly falls victim to the malevolent entities which haunt the empty hotel, and yep, you guessed it, horrific antics ensue.
Why I Love It:
Two words: Stanley Kubrick. This film is not only written by one of the best writers of the modern era (based on Stephen King’s book of the same name) but it is also directed by one of the most iconic directors of modern film. The styling and cinematography is absolutely top notch and every time I watch it (at least once a year), I am completely swept away. Although criticism has been made of the performances (particularly that of Shelley Duvall) and that “iT jUsT dOeSn’T mAkE sEnSe”, I think it is pretty much one of the most perfect movies ever. There. I said it.
Evil Dead
The Plot:
A group of friends head out to a creepy cabin deep in the woods, planning a weekend of fun and frivolity. However, the discovery of a book made out of human skin and a recording of some ancient summoning words which of course had to be played, results in the waking of evil entities. Chaos ensues as each member of the group becomes possessed by said entities and does things that cannot be classified as fun or frivolous.
Why I Love It:
Evil Dead is one of those classic horror films, whose basis on a world containing a Necronomicon (Book of the Dead), has inspired many a subsequent film, story and TV show. Yes, the special effects are pretty lame (in keeping with the time it was made) and there seems to be an extraordinary amount of blood and vomit and other gross bodily fluids in each of the possessed victims but THIS is what does it for me. The absolute absurdity. I love over the top movies because this is the ultimate escapism for me. By the way, the 2013 remake, is an excellent re-telling of the story, adding additional plot lines that contribute to the isolation of the group, and taking the actions of the possessed to new, horrifying levels. Definitely one of my favourite remakes.
What movies would make your top list? And why? I would love to hear your picks!
Rem Sequence is an Australian adult content creator, blogger, and internationally published alt model. She has a background in psychology, philosophy and political science and worked in health and sex education, youth work and trauma counselling for almost two decades. Now, she works full time in the adult industry, as well as indulging her passion for arts, writing and music in numerous side projects.
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