» mean more violence or more gore,

 

 

So I’m sitting
stress of ano
away, when

>,

we're friend:

   
  

 
 

comprehensibly wile
making all sorts of wild hand gestures. I
stare at him in sla awe until he
to slow
dowfi a little ani

Halloween

music, and all the
know you’re a fan of th
I arch an eyebrow,
ones?” :

“Check it! I got rese
The — and the re

 

my “friend.” I’m sorry if

harsh, but Halloween is a
the year for me. You see, Pm a
cult horror fan. No, hardcore do

it usually has it in abundance. Hardet
means you like to be scared, some
that’s different from being grossed 0

So, as a public service and an act of

good faith, we present to you a list 0
underappreciated horror
films. Many of these films flew under the
radar and are decidedly different from the
bulk of Hollywood horror. Yes,
Hollywood has been improving, and the
aforementioned four films are all pretty
good, but you will find their roots in these
films. They represent the real deal; some
are terribly frightening, some genuinely

overlooked,

disturbing, some are “dry-heave” gory,
some deliver a below-the-belt sucker
punch, and some are even clever, satirical,
and highly intelligent.

Rush out and rent them now——if you
can still find them—for these titles are the
way to my heart. The way to my heart is
the way to get me to go to your stupid
party.

The Bragd (avid Cronenberg, 1979)
The most successful Canadian director to
spurn Hollywood, Cronenberg is respon-
sible for a flood of recognizable and
controversial titles including Spider,
eXistenZ, Crash, The Fly, Scanners, and
Videodrome. His films have always been
obsessed with biological human tamper-
ing gone awry, and his third film, The
Brood, is still his best. Dr. Raglan (a great,
understated performance by Oliver Reed)
is an anger-management therapist operat-
ing a secluded hospital deep in the

| QTHERPRESS

Features ——

     

     
      
   
 
  
    

 

Fe

 

the audience’s primal fears. Rife with
‘homage to the Brothers Grimm, the
“nice” family’s descent into ruthless, sav-
e batbarianism is absolutely fascinating

away from nothing and benefits from

  

wholly believable performances. The
films credibility is tarnished by a misguid-
ed, comic relief subplot involving a pair

  
 
  

of bumbling cops.

 
  
  
 
 
   
     
     
  
 
 
   
  
   
 
 
 
  
 
   
 
      
   
 
     
    
  
    
  
 
 
       
  
 
    
  

    
  
  

t Af 1,000 Carpaes
abie, 2002)

rectorial debut is an entertain-
ightening homage to The Hills

RAVENOUS (Antonia Bird, 2000)
An overlooked cannibal film that spent
about five days in the theatres. Soldiers at
a Wild West trading post battle each other
and their insatiable appetites for human

    
 

  
 

gears ex- “hubband, fighting to

daughter away from “Mommy’s minions.

flesh. Ravenous boasts a fantastic ensemble

  

cast including Guy Pearce, Jeffrey Jones,
Neal McDonough, and Robert Carlye,
and also benefits from a great sense of wit
and a stunning soundtrack.

  
   
   

 
 
 

Pawn af the Pead
(George A. Romero, 1979)
Romero's follow- up to his groundbreak

 
 
 
 

     
 

Repulsian (oman Polanski, 1965)

Polanski’s psychological thriller is about as
unsettling as they come. A sexually
repressed Paris girl (Catherine Deneuve)
goes insane when she’s left alone in her
sister’s apartment for a week. The walls

  

crack, a rabbit decomposes, and strange

  

men, who may or may not be figments of
her imagination, begin infiltrating her
apartment. Slower paced than most films
id but skilfully crafted and calculated.

 
 

 

Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)

Dario Argento is the master of the gia/i—

aright

means you like -
ett 1

samething

rl aie

ae mil:

ee Te

     
         
     
      
     
     
      
 
     
 
   
   
   
 
      
 
 
 
    
 
  
 

murder
mysteries. He’s also the master of style

extremely violent, Italian
over substance and Swspiria, his best-

known and most applauded film, is a full-

  

throttle attack on the senses. Essentially a
Brothers Grimm-like fairy tale, the film
revolves around murderous shenanigans

 
 

at the Tranz Akadamie, an exclusive ballet
school operated by Helena “The Black
Queen” Marcus and her coven of witch-
es. The plot and logic of the film are
ridiculous, so pay them no heed; this is a

 

compilation of stunning set pieces. Shot
on oversized sets in gorgeous, saturated

 
 

colours, and set to an unnerving sound-
Gick by Italian rock group, Goblin, the
: hasa lucid, dreamlike feel to it.

The eater an the hefty
(Wes Cray
Abhorred |

  

studio eid take refagetta n
mall. The gore flies by the buc
head of an innocent bystande
off within the first ten minutes),

  

        
 
   
 

/ tims. When her parents di
20 the truth, they retaliate with ruthless
ning. Stark and unflinching, this film s

obvious ]
effective, di

Qcetaber 27/2004