THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE MEDIOCRE
OF HORROR FILMS

MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR SPOOK-FILLED OCTOBER

THE GOOD

EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1962)

Rotten Tomatoes audience rating:
87 percent

his French black and white flick

documents a scientist’s obsession with
experimenting on animals and eventually,
his own daughter. After an accident, his
daughter’s face is deformed—so he looks
for victims to find a replacement for her
face. This flick is a full course dinner. Eyes
Without a Face offers memorable characters,
haunting imagery, seamless symbolism,
fantastic writing, an eerie soundtrack, and
an utterly satisfying ending. This film is
consistently entertaining, and the story is
fully realized and meaningful—never losing
steam or coherence like so many other films
in the genre. Eyes Without a Face is simply
no-nonsense entertainment that serves
beautiful and horrifying scenes that will
always sit with you.

IT FOLLOWS (2015)

Rotten Tomatoes audience rating:
66 percent

teenager learns of a curse spread

hrough sex after sleeping with her new
boyfriend for the first time. The film follows
as the girl and her friends are run froma
presence the audience never sees. Death
creeps towards her at the most carefree
moments, giving the impression that we are
never really safe from this entity. This movie
has a simple yet terrifying premise that is
beautifully executed. It creates unsettling
horror it a totally unique way. It never
overwhelms or confuses the audience, has
great pacing, and is visually appealing. It’s
everything you could ever want in a horror

film.

By Jessica Berget & Janis McMath,
Editor-in-Chief, Assistant Editor

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DAWN OF THE DEAD 1978)

Rotten Tomatoes audience rating:
go percent

he film is about an outbreak of the dead
coming back to life—the fact erupting
in chaos at a radio newsroom. A radio
employee, his girlfriend, and some renegade
SWAT members escape on a helicopter
and find safety from the zombie outbreak
in the best place possible—a mall. Zombie
fighting hijinks naturally ensue. This movie
makes our good list because of the fantastic
plot and the development of the characters;
they're all people you root for the whole time
to make it through. You can watch the movie
again, and again—and love it every time.
Recommended viewing for this one is the
first of the Romero zombie franchise, Night
of the Living Dead.

THE EVIL DEAD 1 & 2 (1981/1987)

Rotten Tomatoes audience rating:
84 percent and 89 percent

Five college students take a trip to a cabin

in the woods for a night of partying. After
finding a creepy book (the Necronomicon)
and listening to some audio recordings in

the basement, an unspeakable evil terrorizes
the group. One of the crew, Ash Williams
(Bruce Campbell) tries to save himself

and his friends from becoming possessed
until daybreak. The sequel consists of
essentially the same plot but has much

more of an emphasis on comedy. This low-
budget cult classic generously offers creepy
atmospheric cinematography, great character
development, and impressive practical effects.