The Omen (1976)- The Antichrist is such a cute little boy... wait, no he isn't, he actually looks evil. Part of 70's horror was the fascination with Satan and the occult, and this is the best movie dealing with the Devil's kid that has ever been made. A story about the Devil's child is something that you have to love, especially when everyone who finds out about him ends up dying. The Omen is an all time classic, with one of those "Best of" horror movie endings. It's all for you, Damien!
Friday the 13th (1980)- This is the movie that started the slasher craze in earnest. As popular as this series went on to become, it's fun to note that Jason Voorhees, the series icon, wasn't even the killer in this. Now, I should really recognize the first movie starring Jason (part II), because he is the franchise after all; then again, if I did that, I'd have to start with part III because he didn't even get his trademark hockey mask until halfway through that one. It doesn't matter though, because part I, Jason or not, was really the best one of the series. Stupid teens being stalked and slashed while getting high and having sex... that was truly 80's horror. Ch-ch-ch-ha-ha-ha.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)- This is the movie that I've dreaded getting to. Many people love the BWP, and just as many people hate it; passionately. Either way, it was a landmark moment in horror, and gave us something that has been mostly devoid from horror movies over the past 20 years: originality. I'm not the biggest fan of "Hand held reality" movies, but it worked here, making the fact that the protagonists were lost in the woods and being stalked by a witch even more unsettling. You never see the witch, which really pissed me off, but it doesn't take away from the effectiveness of this movie. The key to loving Blair Witch is to believe the premise; the footage were seeing was real footage recovered by police, and was a document of three missing kids last days. That's pretty damn terrifying if you ask me.
Session 9 (2001)- Hands down one of the creepiest movies ever made. Many people haven't even heard of this bad ass little movie, and that makes me sad. It's not much for blood or kills, there aren't jump scares or evil creatures running around, but nothing tops it for atmosphere; between the creepy "Session" tapes that we hear playing throughout, to the music and the isolation of the asylum, this movie unsettles the viewer and by the end, you will want to turn all of the lights on in your house. I especially like the ending; was the voice on the tapes just a disturbed patient, or something more...something that drives people to murder? One of my all time favorites.
See you tomorrow with #8....
