By Geno McGahee
In 2006, a Scared Stiff Reviews debuted as a blog. The next year it turned to a website and we had the very first “Scared Stiff Halloween Picks”, with the hope of broadening the horizons of the casual horror fan or maybe even uncovering a hidden gem for the die-hard horror fanatic. Every year, I look forward to this time. I love Halloween, the fall, and of course, horror movies. This year, on top of presenting this compilation of horror recommendations, I wanted to show my appreciation for the readers that come to this site and enjoy its content. Thank you very much for your interest in our site.
Now, onto business… Halloween is the best holiday of all time, but I must say that I do get irked by trick or treaters that are in their fifties. I had several of them last year and felt strange about slipping them my Butterfinger. I feel strange saying “slip them my Butterfinger” in the first place. Although that irritates me, I want to mention certain things that I truly love. If you are not interested in my love, then scroll down to the picks.
I love the fact that I have a woman that makes her entire backyard a TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE-themed horror set and she escorts you through, dressed as a bloody bride. I love the big and obnoxious inflatable black cat that my neighbor puts up on his yard every year. I love the older men that compliment the children on their costumes in a non-creepy way. I also love taking my two children around the neighborhood and seeing the spectacle that is Halloween.
The Scared Stiff Halloween Picks aren’t here to point to movies like HALLOWEEN and THE EXORCIST. We are going for the obscure quality films that you may not have checked out. These are films that are perfect for that dark rainy night, or if you have a Halloween gathering and are looking for something to show the crowd.
Kevin Scott
SuperDuperShockCinema.com
Jennifer (1978)
I’m always partial to lower budget knock offs of big studio blockbusters that are actually good. It doesn’t happen very often, and I do realized that the term “good” is in the eye of the beholder. “Piranha” has achieved a well-deserved cult status, while capitalizing on the success of the water terror phenomena of “Jaws”. In that same vein, other good films like “Barracuda” are left only for the B movie devoted. That’s fine. That’s how it is sometimes. It affords guys like me the opportunity to recommend them to somebody else. “Jennifer” is a clear cut “Carrie” knock off, and embraces it with the tagline of “Makes Carrie look like an angel.” This is an American International Pictures film, and I’ve got a soft spot for all the stuff they did in the 1970’s.Their trademark was grindhouse fodder made with love by the talent in front of and behind the cameras. “Jennifer” is a classic example. She hails from West Virginia where she was raised in a Primitive Christian church where snake handling was used as a test of faith. She had a special knack for it, and seems to have a mysterious power over the snakes. Her and her father leave West Virginia after an unfortunate accident, and they seem to be adapting as they run a pest store, and she gets a scholarship to a prestigious all-girls school. When the rich girls don’t let her forget where she came from, she unleashes her snake control powers on all her tormentors. This is a perfect 1970’s time capsule that even features game show host icon Bert Convy, and it showed me at a young age that I would rather die at the hands of a blood soaked wallflower in fiery gymnasium fire, than have anyone throw snakes on me.
I Come in Peace aka Dark Angel (1990)
I know that this could be classified as sci-fi, but it’s just too enjoyable not to include on this list. The camp factor is way high, and a deeper look into the plot could give the viewer some appreciation on how clever it really is. Dolph Lundgren had come into his own as an action star in his own right by then, and I’ve always thought that he was capable of better roles than he got after this. He plays a cop that threw the book away and gets things done his own way. Granted a stereotypical stable of action films, but he pulls it off with more skill than that of his higher profile contemporaries of the day that he would be in the “Expendables” films with a couple of decades later. He and his unlikely yuppie FBI partner are on the trail of a space drug dealer named Talec. Talec has been murdering human drug dealers with some cool alien weaponry, and taking their heroin. He’s not taking the heroin back to his home planet, but instead is using it to inject into his human victims, causing their brains to produce endorphins which he then harvests with a huge spike into their foreheads. He uses the synthesized human endorphins to make a popular drug on his home planet. The director was also the stunt coordinator for “Predator”, and it shows. As much as I love “Predator”, I love the concept of this one a little more. I can’t say enough about how unique I’ve always thought this film was, and how it doesn’t deserve the obscurity that has befallen it.
Mausoleum (1983)
If there were ever a film that makes me nostalgic for the video store, it’s this one. I can still see the faux wood grain box the VHS tape came in, and how I had no idea what to expect. “Mausoleum” is dripping with the sweet nectar of the nexus of late 70’s and very early 80’s horror that had all the advantages of both. It tells the tale of kept wife, Susan who is played by Bobbi Bresee. She’s great in this, and while she did a few more notable flicks like “Ghoulies”, she never achieved Scream Queen status, even though she should have. Her husband is played by Marjoe Gortner, who is only second to Englebert Humperdink for being so cool that no one could ever give them crap about their name. Susan and her husband are enjoying an idyllic life until she reaches the age where an evil murderous, succubus possesses all the women in her family. The special effects are not bad for a midnight movie, and in one unforgettable scene, her boobs morph into monsters themselves. That last line alone, should make you want to see it. One of my all-time favorites that just doesn’t get enough love.
Melissa Ann
True Horror Fans
Scared Stiff Reviews
Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Trick ‘r Treat is a Halloween-themed anthology that tells four related stories. Sam (Samhain) is a small trick-or-treater who wears a burlap sack and orange pajamas. He shows up when someone breaks a Halloween tradition and is the embodiment of Halloween itself. The stories are about a killer principal, undead children who were murdered on their bus, sexy female werewolves, and a Halloween-hating old man who is connected to the dead school children. Trick ‘r Treat is the perfect Halloween movie and will put anyone in the haunting spirit.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a comedic horror that will change the way you watch slasher movies. Leslie Vernon is an aspiring serial killer who allows a film crew to follow him and document his success and challenges. He explains that all slashers are human and shows the training and dedication it takes to become a legend, such as Michael Myers. There’s a fun twist along the way and cameos from horror icons Kane Hodder and Robert Englund. This is one of the most underrated horror movies from recent times. Fans of the slasher sub-genre should definitely check it out.
The Ugly (1997)
The Ugly is a New Zealand horror film about a serial killer, Simon Cartwright, who asks a famous psychiatrist to evaluate him because he believes he has been cured. As they meet and discuss his past crimes, Simon opens up about the voices (or “The Ugly”) in his head telling him to kill. As he revisits his kills, the victims appear around him oozing black blood and look terrifying. The movie is dark, creepy and intense from beginning to end. Although the movie won many festival awards in New Zealand and the United States, few people have heard of this psychological gem. This is definitely recommended for horror fans that have “seen it all”.
Brent Hannon
Scared Stiff Reviews
Steak Land (2010)
This film follows Mister (Nick Damici), an old vampire hunter, and Martin (Connor Paolo) a teenager learning the trade from his older mentor. The world is overrun with vampires to a degree that is similar to most zombie films. The pair are making their way North to New Eden in hopes of finding the safe haven they have heard of. On their journey they run into plenty of vampires, and a variety of people, some of them are better than others. This is the perfect film for lovers of vampires and zombies alike. They are definitely vampires, but the majority of them are mindless and after blood instead of brains.
Dead Snow (2009)
A group of seven friends head up to a cabin, near Oksfjord, Norway, for their Easter break. One of them discovers treasure hidden under the floorboards of the cabin, and one of the gold coins is pocketed. Unfortunately for them there is a group of Nazi zombies that protect that treasure. This is another amazing movie that is a must see for any self respecting zombie fanatic. The Nazi zombies are awesome, and there is no lack for gore in this film.
Dog Soldiers (2002)
What would halloween be without a good werewolf movie? Six British soldiers are dropped into the Scottish Highlands to run through some training against another squad of SAS. They soon find the squad torn to shreads and only one survivor. They are pursued by werewolves and wind up taking refuge in the house of a woman they run across while retreating through the woods. This is a prefect movie for anyone remotely into werewolf flims, and a definite must for lovers of practical effects. This movie is right up there with An American Werewolf in London as far as the werewolves are concerned.
Andrew Bard
Scared Stiff Reviews
Witchery (Ghosthouse 2) (1988)
Where else will you find Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff together in a supernatural horror movie set on an island off of Massachusetts? In this Italian horror film of course!
The plot which is about as basic as Cheerios is as follows, Gary (David Hasselhoff) and his gal pal Linda (Catherine Hickland) visit an island off the coast of Massachusetts where a haunted resort hotel looms to do research on witchcraft. The Brooks family stumbles in because more people need to die to make it a horror. Then they are hunted by the spirit of the witch!
Ooooooo scary right? Not really but its good fun, full of cheese and there’s a kinky little scene that involves sex with the devil or a demon or its just a weird interpretive dance who knows but it goes on longer than it should have. This film isn’t for everyone, hell its really not meant for anyone but since its out there I recommend it if you want a good laugh and a few actually spooky scenes.
I give this a 3/5 for David Hasselhoff for saying “Who were you expecting? The Phantom of the Opera?” No, no David I was expecting Mitch Buchannon.
Suspiria (1977)
What is with Italian horror?
This film is a trip and actually pretty scary. Suzy (Jessica Harper) A new student joins a ballet school in the middle of fucking nowhere in German because those are the best ones apparently… She notices another student running from the school in the middle of the night only to find she has been found dead the next morning. She soon discovers a string of murders where everyone at the school is trying to cover up as she begins to uncovers the true horror that is lurking within the walls of the school.
From an army of maggots infesting the school, dogs killing their owners and the discovery that this school was the home for a large witch coven everything begins to spiral out of control! It’s supernatural, its trippy, is surreal and the musical score is actually quite frightening.
I give this a 4/5 for the overall story and execution. It was scary but modern sfx may have ruined me in someway because a few of their gags were silly.
Dagon (2001)
If done well any story from H.P Lovecraft has the ability to frighten and and disturb you. From some of the campy stories of Re-animator, From Beyond and The Unnameable to the dark truly frightening world created for In The Mouth of Madness these stories all have a similar thread that ties them together. Dagon brings in more of the Mythos into the film with the backstory of a poor fishing village being swayed to worship an ancient god named Dagon. The plot follows a young couple who were in a boating accident and flee to the shores of a dilapidated Spanish fishing village. It is soon discovered however that the inhabitants are hybrid sea creatures who murder people and skin them to wear their skin as their own. Paul Marsh (Ezra Godden) is having dreams and fantasies of a beautiful women whom he later meets and discovers she’s basically the princess of the hybrid villagers. There is a lot of tension in this film and enough sincerely creepy factors in it that help mask the not so great sfx that pop up once in a while. As a whole though, this is a great movie to watch when you’re all alone and want to feel more so. I give this a 4/5 for the sheer hopelessness you feel and the decent into the Dagon mytho’s, flashbacks of the cult leader turning people and the overall aesthetic this film brings.
Geno McGahee
Scared Stiff Reviews
STAGE FRIGHT (1987)
The Italian horror movies of the eighties were something special and that goes especially for the lesser known title “STAGE FRIGHT”. A gathering of actors putting on a play about a killer in an owl mask, only to contend with a real killer in an owl mask, makes this one a must see for slasher fans. The kills are great, the pacing is nice and the atmosphere is great. The Italians knew how to make a stylish horror films. Much like DEMONS, the usage of color and creepiness have you glued to the screen.
PROPHECY (1979)
For everyone that loved GRIZZLY, you will find great joy in the 1979 killer mutant bear movie “PROPHECY.” A slow burn at first, but the film picks up in the second half and it becomes an incredibly fun and crazy. David Seltzer wrote this and he is responsible for THE OMEN, just to give you an idea of the quality you should expect. This is one of those films where you cheer for the killer and as powerful and cool as the bear was in GRIZZLY, this steps it up about fifty levels and we get to see some very fun deaths. This is a must see.
THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE (1985)
If you take I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and take away the serious tone, you get the great whodunit slasher/nail-gunner, THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE. This is a rape/revenge story with an over the top approach. It screams the straight to video 80’s boom of VHS horror and it’s actually head and shoulders above most. If you love the 80s, this one is a great film to give a go. If you love getting nailed, then this film will do it for you. You won’t get screwed here.
Melissa Antoinette Garza
Scared Stiff Reviews
Burial Ground:The Nights of Terror (1981)
So often you will see horror films play the original Night of the Living Dead in the background of scenes where one is watching television; and with good reason. It’s public domain and has some of the most frightening imagery ever put on screen. Undeniably, it’s a classic, even for those of us who don’t love zombies.
In recent years, we have had a bastardization of that sub-genre. No story, bad make-up, worse CGI and shaky camera nonsense makes for a tedious watch, yet there is a never ending supply of them. That said, there was a time when they were done right yet were still different than the beloved classic of George Romero’s.
Burial Ground is an Italian cult classic with a lot of sex, little dialogue, a strange incestuous relationship between a mother and her young son whose age is impossible to determine and most importantly bad-ass zombies that utilize weaponry and the mindless desire to kill.
The basic premise is that some “brilliant” professor decides to open a crypt which releases these awesome creatures. They’re not as grateful as one would expect and the professor meets a quick demise.
Meanwhile, a bunch of folks head over to the professor’s home for a scheduled visit. Instead, they are greeted by death. That’s the whole story.
Generally, I’m one who needs character development, structure, dialogue, a plot…you know, the little things. That said, every once in awhile I’ll encounter a fun and well-made ‘brainless’ production. It’s not trying to change the world or make a point. It’s just a strange cool form of art on film and definitely Halloween worthy. If the scenes of the zombies won’t scare you, the relationship between the mother and son will.
Evilspeak (1981)
Based on the true story of the Chaos Computer Club and one of the most accurate portrayals of hacking ever, Clint Howard shines as the black-sheep bullied kid who overcomes obstacles to succeed in the computer industry. Okay, everything in that statement aside from Clint Howard shining and portraying a black-sheep bullied kid is a blatant lie, but I just reviewed this so I figured I’d spice it up and confuse the hell out of you for a moment.
Stanley (Howard) is a great kid at a military academy that just wants to fit in. He’s on the football team but sucks. This angers the rest of the bunch that tries to force him to sit games out. When he refuses the war is on. He’s pushed too far when his new puppy and only friend, the runt of a litter, is killed by Bubba (Don Stark) while being cheered on by his douchebag friends. I’m okay with humans being killed but animals piss me off. I tend to cheer for bad guys, but if they hurt a defenseless animal, I have no choice but to root for the hero.
Stanley goes nuts and summons evil Father Esteban (Richard Moll) via his computer, and then the football players have no idea what to do. It’s like Carrie meets Dungeons and Dragons and somehow, someway it works.
On a side note, Richard Moll was in a bunch of underrated horror movies AND he was in But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) the best romantic film since Harold and Maude (1971). What I’m trying to say is give Richard Moll a lifetime achievement award of awesomeness.
Some Guy Who Kills People (2011)
I have to put this one up here! It’s not scary but it’s awesome and has enough horror components to make it a watch for Halloween. It’s a heartwarming horror comedy. If video-stores were still around, they’d definitely put it in horror but consider it a Gremlins style horror.
First, Kevin Corrigan stars in it. That should be enough for you to run out and buy it. Second, Barry Bostwick has a large role in it. Any true RHPS fan should be Googling this right now! Especially, on RHPS’s 40th Anniversary. So Rocky Horror crew, when you’re checking your cart out on Amazon with the blu-ray copy that comes with Dr. Frankfurter’s gloves make sure you add this too. It’s definitely worth it and if anyone will understand it, it’s RHPS fans.
Anyways, back to the film. Much like Stanley in Evilspeak, Kenny (Corrigan) was bullied by jock assholes in high school. When he pokes fun at them in a comic book, they terrorize him, literally. They tie him to a chair and scar his face. He ends up trying to kill himself and goes to an institution.
Fast forward 12 years, he’s released from the institution and works at an ice cream shop with a buddy from high school. Irv (Leo Fitzpatrick) sees the potential in Kenny, that Kenny is blind to. He gets assigned to dress like an ice cream cone and serve at the birthday party of a former bully who still has the high school mentality. You know the type. Everyone has a guy like this in their family. Mine is embarrassed by his He-Man action figure collection and doesn’t want his friends to know he has them. Me and my hubby proudly collect figurines. I’m staring at my Chucky doll right now, but the guys who peaked in high-school are fucked. They have no idea how to deal with real life and so they try to go into ‘cool kid’ mode which is really sad when you’re 30. So, like this idiot in my family, Marty (Britain Spellings) tries to act like a big-shot at his birthday party and makes a few rude comments to Kenny. He laughs at him for wearing the costume and is just one of those guys you want to see get pummeled.
We get better. Shortly after the party, he is chased down by an unknown assailant and brutally murdered.
Sheriff Fuller (Bostwick) investigates and since he’s dating Kenny’s mother Ruth (Karen Black) he is really hoping that despite the eccentricities and hermit way of life, that Kenny is innocent. The bodies begin piling up and they are all the basketball players that had screwed with Kenny in high-school. This makes it harder for Fuller to ignore the connection and Kenny is arrested.
Before the arrest, Kenny is finally finding himself and happiness. This is thanks to the new relationship he has with his daughter Amy (Ariel Gade). She seeks him out after discovering her mother lied about him being dead. She helps him come out of his shell and he’s a great dad. Amy even helps him secure a relationship with an understanding and caring girlfriend that doesn’t judge and loves him for him.
This movie is like a mish-mash of genres that you wouldn’t think could fit, yet here it does. It’s an anomaly that works and it so under-appreciated which is why it’s on my list. Twenty years from now, I think people are going to see this and be blown away by how ahead of its time it was.
With all that in mind, if you’re looking for something to scare the hell out of you on Halloween, this isn’t it. That said, if you want a smart fun film with a whodunit feel and an unbelievable cast, you can’t go wrong.
This is actually a movie I’d like my sister-n-law to see. She’s not big into scary movies, but as this is a tame where the horror is concerned yet still adult oriented, I think she’d enjoy it immensely. When I reviewed I gave it a 10 out of 10. I watched it quite a few times after that and I still give it a 10/10.
If you’re having a Halloween Party and some of the gals and who knows, maybe some of the guys say, “I can’t watch anything too violent or scary…” throw this on. It will entertain everyone as it has something that each person will love.
