The Hills Have Eyes (1977)- Wes Craven was a truly twisted person in the 70's; the guy was all about brutal, visceral and ultra realistic exploitation, and he did it all very well. This is his little family camping movie, packed full of shootings, burnings, dog attacks, dog deaths, and just plain old all out murder. It's a bit dated, but that doesn't make it any less classic or important; The Hills Have Eyes was there at the beginning of the horror Renaissance of the 70's, a forefather of what was to come. Brutal, dark, creepy, and unsettling, this is a gem of exploitation.
Near Dark (1987)- This is one of the best vampire movies that many people may have never seen. Bishop, Hudson, and Vasquez from Aliens are all vampires in this horror-western; even Johnny Depp auditioned for a role, that's how cool the script was. This is a slick and well made vampire flick, and for some reason it's not a very well known one outside of horror circles. Bill Paxton is brilliant as the bad ass of the vampire clan, Severen, and it's worth checking this movie out for his performance alone. If you like vampire flicks, or just plain old great horror flicks, go get this one now.
Ringu (1998)- This is the movie that put J-Horror on the map in the U.S.A., and what an absolutely great premise for a horror movie; a cursed videotape will kill whomever watches it within 7 days. This movie made me not answer my phone for a good while after seeing it, and made me hate my TV as much as Poltergeist had almost 20 years earlier. Sadako (the little girl) is one of the most terrifying horror villains ever, and the scene at the end... well good luck sleeping after watching it. An excellent film that will please you if you liked the remake, because it's actually better.
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)- This is one of my favorite movies ever, because it's really unlike anything I've ever seen before; living legend Bruce Campbell stars as Elvis, (who years ago traded identities with an impersonator to escape stardom) who is now an old man living in a nursing home, whose best friend is a black guy who has the brain of JFK in his head... well, people at the home start dying, the handy work of a mummy who sucks their souls of their assholes... and its up to Elvis and JFK to stop this "Bubba Ho-Tep." Seriously. It sounds ridiculous, but I'm dead serious when I say it's an amazing mix of fun, funny as hell, touching, moving, and action packed... I feel bad for you if you don't get to see this one, because it's f-ing brilliant.
See you tomorrow with #15...
