Ginger Snaps (2000)

What happens when you take the curse of a werewolf’s bite and a victim who is a teenage girl who hasn’t started puberty? You have “Ginger Snaps”, a clever and entertaining movie about that special time in a young woman’s life when her body is going through certain changes…or not. I love how this movie takes this premise and utilizes it for all it’s worth.

“Ginger Snaps” is a movie about Ginger (16) and Brigitte (15), two sisters whose  are obsessed with death. They spend their free time posing for pictures depicting horrible death-like scenes and talk about various ways that they could kill themselves. Of course their behavior makes them outcasts as their high school and they get in fights with the other girls from time to time. Late one night, the girls are out at a playground when Ginger realizes that she’s having her first period. After this realization they are attacked by a werewolf. Ginger is bitten but the werewolf is killed when as it continues to chase them into the street, being hit by a local drug dealer named Sam. Over the course of the movie, Ginger begins to experiences changes, which their mother says is all a part of becoming a woman. As Ginger tries to hide her tail and other wolf-like qualities and starts to date, Brigitte forms a friendship with Sam as they try to find a cure. Time is running out as Ginger becomes increasingly violent and deadly, steadily losing her humanity and turning into a giant wolf.

This movie is followed up with the sequel "Ginger Snaps: Unleashed" and a prequel "Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning". Both films were filmed back to back in 2003 and continue to star Emily Perkins as Brigitte and Katharine Isabelle as Ginger.

Favorite moment – I really enjoyed watching the steady visual changes that Ginger goes through in the film. First a few white strands of hair appear, and then so on. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, or what’s left of it.

28 Days Later (2002)

“28 Days Later” is one of the few movies that truly gave me chills the first time I saw it. Director Danny Boyle was already internationally known after helming “Shallow Grave”, “Trainspotting”, and “The Beach when he took on his first major horror movie. For this endeavor, he brought in a talented British cast consisting of Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, and Christopher Eccleston aka Dr. Who. Using a script written Alex Garland (who also wrote the “Beach”), the movie is a gritty and realistic thrill ride in present-apocalyptic England, beginning 28 days after the infection Rage is unintentionally released upon the world.

“28 Days Later” has, in my opinion, the best explanation as to how or why its “zombie apocalypse” begins. I want to say that I use the term zombie lightly because the monsters are not undead like they are in every other movie. Instead, they are living, breathing, mindless creatures who live only to kill. They become infected in the same manner as zombies infect the living in most movies, by biting, scratching, and any form of blood transmission. This is the only movie where I have seen the “zombies” die of starvation. Its’ also a pleasant change of pace where the infected don’t have to be shot or damaged exclusively in the head.

The second half of the film is a frightening scenario of how a military, or any group that outnumbers another in both people and/or firearms, could treat others looking for help. It’s a shame that the only member of the military who did not agree with the popular plan was displayed as overly philosophical during the dinner scene. I’m being vague in case you have not seen this movie yet or in a long time.

My favorite moment – I love how the film quality seems gritty as if this was a low budget film. I also love the soundtrack, or lack thereof, throughout the movie. These two elements helped to create an atmosphere that drew the viewer even deeper into the film than they were expecting. 

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

“Evil Dead 2” is a unique movie to say the least. It’s more of a reboot than a sequel; the first portion of the film goes over some of the same story points that the first film was about before going on to new material. “Evil Dead 2” is also unique because it includes some very dark comic moments throughout the film but still remains a horror movie. Most of the horror movies I have seen fail whenever they try to change the mood more than once.

The movie is about a couple who go to a cabin in the woods for a romantic weekend. In the cabin they find a tape recorder and when it’s played a professor of sorts is heard explaining his research about the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, also known as the Book of the Dead. After the tape is played Ash’s girlfriend becomes possessed. He is forced to kill her and shortly after becomes possessed as well. He recovers when the sun comes out and he returns to the cabin after seeing that he is trapped in the forest. The movie continues with new the material which includes laughing inanimate objects, more possessions, more people coming to the cabin, and a creepy demonic hand.

Note - The Book of the Dead has a different name in the original Evil Dead and it's recent remake. In those films it's known as Naturon Demonto. I wonder why there was a change between the films...

Favorite moment – I have to be predictable and say that my favorite moment of “Evil Dead 2” is when Ash’s hand becomes possessed and smashes plate after plate against his head before noticing a knife and dragging his body towards it.

The Fly (1986)

In 1986, famed horror director David Cronenberg decided to remake one of Hollywood’s most famous horror movies from the 50’s, “The Fly”. The basic premise is the same; a scientist who has created a machine that allows teleportation but is forever changed when tries to use the machine himself, unaware that a single household fly is in the pod with him, and the horrifying results that come from this experiment. In the original film the doctor and the fly swap body parts, an arm and their heads. In this version it’s not as simple. Instead the scientist Brundle and the fly are merged and throughout the film, we watch as Brundle slowly becomes a human sized fly. The change comes slowly first effecting his confidence, strength and stamina. Soon fingernails and teeth fall out and the doctor discovers new methods to eat. The movie is graphic and violent and we love it.

Practically everything about this movie is perfect from the quality of the story to the strength of the actors; both Jeff Goldblum, as Brundle, and Geena Davis delivery quality performances throughout the film. And since the movie was produced in the 80s, the special effects are clever and relied more on make-up more than anything else. I strongly believe that a movie of this nature would include too many CGI effects if this was filmed today. I also strongly believe that this is one of the best remakes of any movie I've seen; it honors the original while feeling updated and current. This is a horror movie for people who like horror movies.

Favorite moment – When Gina Davis delivers the famous line “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” 

A man and his teleportation machine

A man and his baboon

A fly-man and his food

The Thing (1982) #3

Anytime you have an intense weather condition occur in a movie, the feeling of helplessness automatically rises. And if the setting is somewhere such as the Arctic and the intense weather condition is a blizzard that is about to hit, the overwhelming sense of isolation and despair take that feeling of helplessness even higher. Throw in a thawed out alien that can change shape and wants to consume everyone at the base camp and you have John Carpenter’s remake of “The Thing”.

The premise is your basic “start with a large group and kill them one by one in entertaining ways” story arc with the fun twist of not knowing if and who in the group is the killer alien. The feelings of paranoia and distrust are fairly acted out and I enjoy the attempts that are made to confuse and frame the various crew members. Never knowing if someone is who they really are continues up to the credits as the last two survivors wait for either the other to act or for the freezing temperatures to finally kill them.

"The Thing" showcases a stellar cast led by Kurt Russell as MacReady, Wilford Brimley as Dr. Blair, and Keith David as Childs. Their performances, along with those of the rest of the cast, have the perfect chemistry as a scientific research team in the middle of the Arctic. They have their friendships, their annoyances, and personality quirks believably established before the chaos truly erupts. The soundtrack, composed by Ennio Morricone, elevates the sense of cosmic dread and paranoia. 

The alien is this film is really fun to watch. It will do whatever it needs to in order to survive including tearing a portion of itself off and growing its own legs to crawl away. The special effects in “The Thing” are amazing and has me longing for the days of long ago when CGI wasn’t available. I have seen the prequel of the same name that came out in 2011 and while I appreciated the familiar sights and forms that the alien took in that film, seeing them rendered in CGI made the effects look silly and less frightening. Puppets, models, anything physical will (almost) always look more believable.

Favorite moment – The scene when some of the survivors check the cabin to see how the exiled Wilfred Brimley is doing and seeing the noose hanging in the background.

One of the best, original alien forms I've ever seen!

The Shining (1980)

I was nine when I first caught a glimpse of “The Shining”. It was the moment when Shelly Duval was staring at the elevator as it opened and a wave of blood came spilling out of it. Having witnessed one of the most graphic parts of the movie at a young age, I had an iron will and was prepared for anything when I sat down to watch it from beginning to end many years later. The film was slower than I had expected, wasn’t as graphic as I had imagined, wasn’t nearly as eventful as I thought it would be, and was easily one of the best movies I had ever seen. This is what a ghost story is meant to be like!

The atmosphere is perfect for a ghost story; the visuals of the hotel and the grounds are gorgeous, and the background sounds, especially the sounds from Danny’s Big Wheel as he is racing through the hallways over the rugs then on to the hard wood floor and on to rugs again, is in itself haunting. Casting Jack Nicholson in the role of Jack Torrance might at first seem unwise since he already looked so disheveled and manic but as the movies progresses and he slowly succumbs to cabin fever and his own inner demons, you see exactly how fantastic of an actor he really is. Shelly Duvall is impressive in her own right, looking absolutely terrified and helpless during the last quarter of the film.

Famed director Stanley Kubrick had claimed that “The Shining” was going to be the scariest movie of all time. Not everyone may agree with this but I think most people would give this some serious thought. Stephen King would be the first to disagree since he has always been very vocal about how this movie doesn’t follow the book precisely, and I’m thrilled that it doesn’t. I have only read the first few chapters of the book but I did see the made-for-TV series that came out in the late 90’s and I feel that Kubrick made the right choice in slimming down the importance of the ghosts and their roles from the book.

Favorite moment – Every moment.

Ghastly visions

Mr. Torrance at the bar

Halloween (1978)

“Halloween” is my all-time favorite horror movie. I love this movie so much that I’ve had the theme music as the ring tone for my phone for the past 7 years; or perhaps I just like the movie and really love the music…Anyway, the story is about Michael Myers, a homicidal maniac bent on killing his sister and her friends who happen to be near-by. Does this plot sound familiar? Will it should! This low budget movie from 1978 became the highest grossing independent film for years and, for better or for worse, encouraged a wave slasher flicks to be produced as well as a dismal franchise of its own. The success of “Halloween” proved that young director/writer John Carpenter and newcomer producer/writer Debra Hill were going to be well known and leave a lasting mark. “Halloween” also introduced the world to Jamie Lee Curtis, who would earn the title of Scream Queen just like her mother, Janet Leigh. “Halloween” has had such an impact that in 2006 it was included into the United States National Film Registry due to its significance.

I feel like I’ve known this film most of my life. I remember catching a glimpse of the first few minutes before being told to leave the room when I was little. Hearing that amazing and haunting melody and not being able to watch only increased my curiosity. When I finally was able to see it, while it was shown on broadcast television, I was blown away. It didn’t matter that it was edited for TV because the film really isn’t that violent or filled with nudity or drenched in profanity, it didn’t need those elements to tell the story. The other element that it didn’t need was the NEED to explain everything. When asked why Michael was so dangerous, Dr. Loomis replied that Michael was pure evil. That’s it and it was enough.

Favorite moment – When Dr. Loomis is hiding behind a hedge near the old Myers house and whispers creepy-like at the children who are daring each other to go up to the front door. His amused look after they run away terrified is priceless.