It's Halloween, and everyone is entitles to one good scare. For us in The Basement, that scare came Friday night when we interviewed the ghost of deceased movie producer, director and actor William Castle!
For those that missed our first ever live chat with the dead, there is the podcast to your right that you can listen to at your leisure. Given that the interview was carried out via live chat in a Facebook discussion page, we've included a link to it here. Feel free to give it a read and catch parts of the interview that didn't make it onto the show. And thanks again to psychic Mike S, who mediated the interview for us. You rock!
How could we not broadcast every question and answer? Well, being a movie review show, we did have to talk movies. And Shawn and I just had to share our thoughts on the best underrated horror movies of all time. Being the generous radio hosts that we are, we've included our lists and brief thoughts on each film for you below!
And a big shout out once again to our resident ghost, the late great Mr. Castle! Thanks for making Halloween 2010 a great one for us Basement Dwellers!
The 10 Most Underrated Horror Films
According to Shawn:
Eight Legged Freaks - One of the greatest giant spider movies ever made. Having arachnophobia, this movie is an eye squinter for me when I watch it. Toxic waste spill mutates the spiders at a side-of-the-road spider zoo. The zookeeper is quickly devoured and the spiders take refuge in the town's old gold mines. They grow, and eat people. Awesome!
The Devil's Backbone- Ghosts, war, bombs, and lots of scares. I remember being a bit squeamish watching it. Thanks for the nightmares, Guillermo Del Toro.
Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot - I was a kid when I watched this TV movie. I remember it freaked me out. We do live in Bigfoot country after all. Plausible? Call Mythbusters.
Dead Alive (Brain Dead)- Terrible beginning. Terrible ending. The bits in between are gold. Rare monkey is found, bites lady. Cue zombie apocalypse. Features a priest who kicks ass for God. How cool is that?
Freaks – An old, weird movie. Watched it once when I was young and it's stuck with me ever since. Maybe because they used real genetically unfortunate persons. May not be the scariest movie on earth, but disturbing.
An American Werewolf In London – I was 10 years old when I watched this. The werewolf itself wasn't the scariest part. It was the dead victims that impacted me and still stick with me today. Really. I see one of them now!
John Carpenter's The Thing - Again, I was 10 years old when I watched this. That must have been a defining year for me and movies. Thanks to George's dad too, who let me watch it. It was evening, I lived one short block away. He says "Hey Shawn, have a good walk home and watch out for THE THING! It could be anybody". Thanks. Words I've lived by. That molded me.
Pontypool - Awesome one-location, limited-cast apocalyptic film. Truly makes you use your imagination, gets you thinking, and is pretty damn scary. Highly underrated!
and No. 1 . . . Dog Soldiers – Werewolves versus soldiers. Soldiers kick ass. The werewolves are the best ever put on film. I don't care what Mike S. thinks! Violent, gory and believable. Scary even. It's what we in The Basement look for in a horror movie!
According to Jason:
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - A group of high-schoolers invite Mandy Lane, a good girl who became quite hot over the summer, to a weekend party on a secluded ranch. While the festivities rage on, the number of revelers begins to drop quite mysteriously. Quirky and well done despite its low budget. Got Amber Heard noticed, and for good reason!
The Woman in Black - When a friendless old widow dies in the seaside town of Crythin, a young solicitor is sent by his firm to settle the estate. Pure terror ensues for the solicitor and the audience. Guaranteed to keep you up at night.
Session 9 - Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back. Limited violence, no jump scares but unsettling none-the-less.
The Orphanage - A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, where she opens an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend. From producer Guillermo Del Toro, and scary as hell. The kid in the sack mask still gives me nightmares.
Pontypool - A psychological thriller in which a deadly virus infects a small Ontario town via the spoken word. What Shawn said.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes - When hundreds of videotapes showing torture, murder and dismemberment are found in an abandoned house, they reveal a serial killer's decade-long reign of terror and become the most disturbing collection of evidence homicide detectives have ever seen. Two words describe this film: fucked up! And not for everyone.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them. A must see. Why haven't you seen it yet? Get out there and SEE IT!
Dog Soldiers - A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scotland wilderness as a group of soldiers find themselves under siege by a pack of werewolves. Again, what Shawn said.
Trick r Treat – Actually a better film than my No. 1 choice, but much more well know and therefor it does not rank as No. 1. Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband. One to put in the Blu-Ray player every October.
and No. 1 . . . Splinter - Trapped in an isolated gas station by a voracious Splinter parasite that transforms its still living victims into deadly hosts, a young couple and an escaped convict must find a way to work together to survive this primal terror. Brutal, disturbing and a masterpiece despite the low budget. Great characters who react in rational and believable way to the nightmare they face. I love this movie!
I would have to say that MY 10 under rated horror movies not mentioned above are:
ReplyDelete10. The Good Son- Stars Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood. Mark is visiting his aunt after his mother passes away- only to find himself wrapped up in his cousing Harry's sadistic games. (A Bad Rating)
09. The Abandoned- Marie returns to Russia after her mother's death, and discovers that not only does she have a brother... but that something has been waiting all this time for them to return. (A Bad Rating)
08. Red Riding Hood- A nice little Italian film about a girl who lives by herself and her "Friend" George... who happens to be a vigilante with a wolf mask. (A Bad Rating)
07. Dorothy Mills- A well done British movie about a psychiatrist and her patient Dorothy Mills who seems to be the focus for strange and supernatural forces bent on seeking revenge on the living. (A Bad Rating)
06. Profondo Rosso (The Hatchet Murders)- A nice little number by Dario Argento. A musician witnesses a murder, and investigates as those that know about the possible killers past are eliminated one by one. (A Good Rating)
05. Dementia 13- A Roger Corman produced film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. A scheming woman tries to influence her recently deceased mother into changing her will... only to become part of an ax murder's spree of carnage. (A Good Rating)
04. The Terror- An early Jack Nicholson horror movie done with Boris Karloff. Nicholson plays a soldier who is seperated from his comrades, and winds up at a castle with a mysterious owner... and a ghostly woman. (A Good Rating)
03. Long Distance- What would happen if you dialed a wrong number, and heard a murder taking place over the phone? For one young woman, she becomes the next target for the killer... who gets closer with each phone call. (A Good Rating)
02. Hallowed- Gabriel saw his father kill his mother, then himself. Twenty years later, Gabriel becomes the instrument of God's judgement. (A Good Rating)
01. Bloody Wednesday- A man with emotional problems begins to experience strange things in the abandoned building he lives in... taking his first steps to a blood bath. (A Good Rating)
That is an interesting list!
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