Most days I can be found almost exclusively on my couch with whatever furry critter is in the vicinity watching a bloodbath on my TV screen. This gets predictably worse as we get closer and closer to Halloween season and the number of horror movie titles on Netflix increases.
I’ve compiled a few of my favorites for this time of the year, ranging from the horrifying to the hilarious and absurd. If you’re a horror-junkie like me, I’m sure you’ll have a lovely — if frightening — night.
“The Birds”
Growing up (and to this day) I had a massive fear of birds. Regardless of the way it started, I remembered friends, teachers and classmates always telling me not to watch “The Birds,” because it’d be too much for me.
Eventually, I did finally watch the thing, flinching all the way through scenes of swooping feathers, crowing and eye plucking. But, the coolest thing about this movie was finding the message beneath about the relationships between women.
Heavy-handed as it is, the “birds” of this film are both the winged monsters and the ladies. And, ultimately, it’s those interactions between both birds that proves to be the most horrifying.
“A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”
If you have watched any of the Freddy Kreuger films, you have to have a sense of humor. Freddy’s a flamboyant, charismatic villain who became such a commercial entity during his reign of terror that the later films in the series were cheese-fests.
“Dream Master” in particular has this loud, colorful feel that is somehow more outrageous than the other films.
And if you can stomach painful music videos paired with your movies, look no further than “Are You Ready For Freddy” by The Fat Boys ft. Robert Englund (the actor behind Kreuger).
“Alien”
I can’t remember the first time I watched Alien in its entirety, or the first time I watched it without peeking between my fingers.
The film has this claustrophobic, hyperventilation-like quality that I find perfect in a horror film.
It’s only made better when paired with a protagonist that inspires empathy on such a visceral level. Without a doubt, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley will always be one of my favorite characters in science fiction/horror.
“The Exorcist”
The first time I watched “The Exorcist” I was about ten years old. I’d heard stories about “the creepy girl who pukes on a priest” and it was enough to peak my interest.
While the effects are now considered tame, maybe even adorable, there’s something mythic about the writing and storytelling of this film that keeps me lost in the magic — and terror — it inspires.
The 360 degree head spin is also too iconic and perfect to leave off this list.