Serena’s Halloween Watch List

When you’re an online horror buff, Halloween is always the busiest time of year.  It’s the one time of year when a horror aficionado’s DVD collection is met with praise instead of the usual eye-rolling glances from their friends and lovers.  To me, Halloween is the perfect time to catch up on horror nostalgia. A time when the horror section in video stores was larger than the new release section. A time when no one knew what ‘CGI’ meant.  A time when it was exciting to put a jacket over our costumes to trek to house to house in the freezing cold for candy we could have purchased at the nearest grocery store.

Whether it’s a dreary Sunday night alone, a drunken Saturday with your closest friends, or an intimate night for two, I promise all of my Halloween picks will deliver in all your October viewing needs.

1. The “Stoner” Pick- $la$her$

This low budget 2001 slasher flick is one of those movies that will make all your friends go silent after first viewing the film’s gory opening Japanese gameshow intro. Although $la$her$ may look like one the cheapest horror films ever made, it was definitely light years before its time in regards to its The Running Man meets Battle Royale storyline. Director Maurice Devereaux delivers unique camera angles and movie magic tricks to entertain all horror fans! Once your friends see killers “Chainsaw Charlie” and “Preacherman” (both played by Neil Napier) hit the screen…they will be wondering what was in that bong you handed them.

2. The Horror Anthology Pick-Campfire Tales

This 1997 anthology film went under the radar, but it features a ton of Tinseltown’s favorite B-list actors. Christine Taylor, Ron Livingston, Amy Smart and James Marsden are only a small number of cameos featured in this film. Campfire Tales also features bone-chilling urban legends and a clever twist ending that has been quietly ripped off in later horror films.

3. The Gore Pick-Peter Jackson’s Brain Dead

Braindead is often referenced as the goriest film of all time and although this may not be entirely true,  Brain Dead is the epic horror film of slapstick gore! Watch it if only for the ass-kicking zombie priest!

4. The Blu-ray Pick-30 Days of Night

30 Days of Night is easily the best horror film to watch in a higher resolution as the action sequences are so crazy and intense!  Watching the blu-ray of this film during the bird’s eye view vampire attack on a high definition flatscreen television will brings tears to any horror geek’s eyes.

5. The Theatrical Pick-Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity is a horror film that everybody is talking about and it’s for good reason. The Blair-Witch esque film is ingeniously shot and the scares are truly terrifying! It took me until sunlight to go to sleep the other night after watching it. It’s that scary! This is the perfect date movie!  If your city is not playing the film yet, demand it here! http://eventful.com/performers/paranormal-activity-/P0-001-000212499-6/competitions

6. The Canadian Pick- Happy Birthday to Me

Being Canadian, I like to think I  take pride in my country when it comes to horror classics and gems made in the “Great White North.” 1981 Canadian horror classic Happy Birthday to Me hits DVD this week and it’s a must-see with unintentional laughs and “six of the most bizarre deaths you have ever seen!” (Well…two are really bizarre.)

7. The Obscure Pick-Botched

If you liked Severance or The Cottage, you will definitely enjoy this little known Darclight films horror flick starring Stephen Dorff and Dexter’s Jamie Murray. This horror comedy starts off a as simple crime caper and evolves into a splatter film full of great kills and tunes from the 80’s funk group, Shalamar. And really…who can say no to a film that features a kick ass cameo from Mr. Sean Pertwee?

8. The Zombie Pick-Dead and Breakfast

I can’t believe it’s been five years since this ensemble cast zombie comedy was unleashed to the horror geek world. It’s an unique take on the genre featuring performances from the always great Jeremy Sisto, Watchmen’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the late David Carradine and dancing and singing zombies. What’s not to love?

9. The Slasher Pick- Stage Fright

The giallo director Michele Soavi may be most known for his 1993 horror cult zombie classic Dellamore, Dellamorte, but Stage Fright is one of the greatest slashers I’ve ever seen. This giallo slasher is brillantly shot, features a sax solo that rivals Tim Capello’s solo in The Lost Boys, and a killer with owl head. Catch Stage Fright/Bloody Bird/Deleria and Aquarius today!

10. The Guilty Pleasure Pick-Frankenhooker

I honestly had trouble putting this film down as a guilty pleasure because as absurd as this Frank Henenlotter classic is, I find no guilt in my pleasure for it.  Have your remote handy when the exploding crack head hookers sequence comes on, because you will be pushing the re-wind button quite frequently. Note: If anybody remakes this film, please cast ANNA FARIS as Frankenhooker!

11. Mainstream Pick-Identity

Six years ago, Identity hit the multiplexes everywhere and received much critical praise. However, imagine my dismay when I hear my friends have never even watched this great mystery flick! A star-studded cast and an “omg…that twist was so obvious yet never seen it coming” ending makes Identity a treasured gem in my horror-filled heart.

12. “Might get you laid” Pick- An Erotic Werewolf in London

Last year, I had written an article entitled, ‘how watching horror movies on dates can help you score’ and I still think the Halloween season is the one of the easiest times to get laid in front of the television.  Catch horror’s soft-core pornstar, Misty Mundae (Erin Brown) in this very loose erotic remake to An American Werewolf in London. Hopefully by the end of it…Misty won’t be the only one grunting and howling.

13. The Ultimate Halloween Pick-Trick r Treat (2009)

Michael Dougherty has definitely outdone himself as he has skillfully crafted the Pulp Fiction of horror anthologies.  Instead of taking the four separate stories and splicing them together with only a ghastly narrator`s introduction as the sole connection to the stories, Trick ‘R Treat is a broken-narrative tale following five different stories that all take place on Halloween night. It’s the perfect halloween movie for any movie-goer!!

I hope you enjoyed the Halloween watch list and please feel free to comment back or send me an email at serena@killerfilm.com to comment on your own watch lists! Until time boils and ghouls….(yeah, I’ve been watching a lot of Tales From the Crypt lately. )

Tags: $la$her$, 30 days of night, An Erotic Werewolf in London, Botched, Campfire Tales, Dead and Breakfast, Frankenhooker, Happy Birthday to Me, Identity, Paranormal Activity, Peter Jackson's Brain Dead, Serena's Halloween Watch List, Stage Fright, Trick 'r Treat