Not Reviews Necessarily: Gateways Into Horror - Personal Favorites from the Genre

There's no one-single answer to the question, "what's your favorite horror movie." Actually, there's no one answer to "What's your favorite movie in general."
I picked out some horror I consider favorites for a variety of reasons. There are too many favorites to include. These one's stand out above the rest. As I base a movie on how much I was entertained (that's the purpose of a movie, after all) these stand above others for a different reasons whether they tell a fantastic story, I find their imagery memorable, or most importantly, they scared me. 

In the Mouth Of Madness (1994) - I first laid eyes on this movie sometime around the mid-nineties when visiting some cousins. They had this movie on, and I caught a few scenes which stayed in mind for years after. This was back in the laser disc era. This tells a dark tale unlike other movies I've seen. Original, with an essence of Stephen King-ness, though he had nothing to do with the movie. Scary, unsettling scenes, with a satisfying, and unsettling ending- just the way a movie should conclude...that things haven't really been resolved the way the audience expected, or hoped for. It's a horror movie after all. Why walk away with a happy ending? 

Freaks (1932) - This is a movie ahead of its time. Directed by Tod Browning, who also directed Bela Lugosi in Dracula, this movie still fits in today's social climate. It tells the story of performers, especially one in particular, in a circus freak show (played by actual freak show performers) who face humiliation by a "normal" performer for the mere fact that they're paraded for their physical differences and abnormalities. The message is simple, yet impactful - people who are different are still people. And a person with evil in their heart will soon turn out to be the real freak. This is a movie that shouldn't become forgotten.

It (2017) - Not too many horror films present their monsters in the daylight. This one did, and it was fantastic. Respectful of the source material. Plus, I really had to include at least one Stephen King film adaptation in this list. Obviously, it's not my only favorite King film - The Shining, The Mist to name a few more. Portraying a clown that's the epitome of all things scary doesn't sound like an easy task. This movie pulled it off well. I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw this. But the imagery, the scares, and the acting were great. Not a perfect film, but still very satisfying. And Pennywise the Dancing Clown has officially taken in place among other legendary movie monsters thanks to Director Andy Muschietti and actor Bill Skarsgard.

The Conjuring 2 (2016) - Out of the two Conjuring movies, and those in the
same lineage (The Nun, Annabelle, etc) this sequel film is the one that did it for me in scares and intrigued. I found the imagery memorable and scary, and the story line entertaining. The movie is based on an allegedly true case of supposed poltergeist activity in Enfield, England, also known as the "Enfield Poltergeist." I recommend watching the behind the scenes footage of this movie when it comes to the "crooked man." That actor - WOW!

Frankenstein (1931) - Of all the Universal monster movies, this one is the most captivating for me. It tells a story surrounding the failure behind man playing God. And the one who suffers for that is the creation itself. Frankenstein's creature has always been referred to as his "monster." But, perhaps, the scientist is the real monster. On top of that, it spawned a well known, and successful sequel.  

Nightmare on Elm Street 3 (1987) - As long as a sequel is good, it doesn't have to be "as good as the first."
For a third installment in a series, this movie is good in story, scenes, scares and ending. If only New Line Cinema had stopped there. It was at part four where things really rolled down hill for the Nightmare franchise. This was even better than part two. And it has the most memorable scenes and lines in all the Nightmare movies.






Cujo (1983) - What makes this Stephen King story stand out is both it's originality, and the fact that it's a horror story that could really happen. The story surrounds a mother and son trapped in a stalled car as a rabid St. Bernard keeps them trapped inside. There's a lot of realism in the scenario. That's what makes it terrifying.
It's a story I wish I had thought of. It's a movie that has definitely left it's mark in cinematic pop culture. I wish the people at Funko would hurry up and turn this rabid St. Bernard into a Pop Vinyl figure.

Invasion of Astro Monster (1965) - Sometimes called Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, this is one of my favorite Godzilla movies. It's the sixth film in the Godzilla movie line-up, and has a much more sci-fi twist in the plot than other Godzilla movies.
Aliens come from Planet X to seek the help of Godzilla and Rodan in their battle against "Monster Zero." And who do we discover Monster Zero is none other that Ghidrah (aka King Ghidora) the three-headed monster.
But those same aliens end up playing some mind shenanigans on Godzilla and the crew, and they start their attacks on earth. Aliens! You just can't trust them. For a crazy story line, this movie is very entertaining, and has a smooth flow. It stands out as being the