Horror shorts are a wonderful thing. No, I’m not talking about those awesome under-roos with Freddy Krueger’s face on the crotch (although using the front hole to give him a weird “tongue” is massive fun); I’m talking about the often beautiful and terrifying short films that are floating around in our beloved genre. What makes these films so special is that a filmmaker is hard pressed to fit in the logic, emotional depth, and (most importantly) chill inducing terror known so well from feature length films into a tiny package of around twenty minutes or less. The time limit alone can either make or break the entire effectiveness of a horror short, which is why they’re so delightful when they manage their time well and so disappointing when they don’t. Making a horror short is by no means an easy task and by far a very unforgiving one if the effect isn’t delivered properly.

Writer/director Randal Plunkett’s (Lord Dunsany) latest short film, Out There, comes in at only 15 minutes and 22 seconds. The film’s story weaves an intricate web of confusion and discovery surrounding its protagonist, Robert (Conor Marren). Robert wakes up in a lonely forest with a flowing wound on his forehead and no recollection of how he got there. To make matters worse, the village he eventually wanders into seems to be completely deserted and left in shambles...I think you know where this is headed. It’s a premise we all know and love from many full length films; but with the duration of little more than a commercial break, does it manage to deliver?

There’s a lot to like about this horror short. Plunkett has crafted a script that fleshes out just enough to provide heapings of intrigue, dashes of clarity, and a wonderfully horrifying ending. There are many horror tropes present in the film that may come across as somewhat cliché initially, but actually serve the film well. When you have a limited time to inject fear and mystery into your audience it’s best to stick with familiar tropes and get those red flags waving. And wave, they do. The moment Robert enters the dilapidated Irish village with seemingly no signs of activity other than an increasingly loud power generator, tiny warning bells will be going off in the viewer’s head. We’ve seen this before and it didn’t end well…certainly it won’t now either. The film is full of these moments. However, some are more effective than others. For instance, the previously mentioned generator left a nice bitter taste in my mouth. I immediately expected doom to show up around every corner for as long as that sound kept ransacking the scene. It was a really nice touch to open the madness with. Unfortunately, there’s a similar moment that in general is fairly creepy but ultimately left me more bewildered than tense. Somewhere nearing the midpoint of the film, Robert happens upon a small cottage of sorts. The rooms are scrawled with bloody messages and what appears to be some Satanic imagery. Spooky stuff to be sure (at least Robert thinks so), but in the context of the rest of the 15 minute film this bit is left rather unexplained and comes across more as a creepy device than a terrifying accent to the rest of the piece. That moment aside, the rest of the playful visual cues and tropes used throughout the film had me smiling and waiting for the next bit in anticipation.

As I said before, in order to deliver a really good horror story in a short amount of time, you have to jam pack it a bit. Which is exactly what Plunkett did with Out There. This is by no means a complaint, either. Somehow Plunkett drafted a script that manages to not only lead you with Robert’s shambling confusion throughout the small Irish town, but also toss you clues about how he got there and what he was doing. How did he do this? With another beloved trope, the ever useful flashback. It’s through these well timed flashbacks that we get a glimpse into the events prior to Robert waking up in the empty forest. These segments are where we get to know Robert’s troubled girlfriend, Jane, who is played by rising Irish starlet, Emma Eliza Regan. Without spoiling the details of these flashbacks, I will say that I found myself a slight bit confused regarding Jane. It seemed to me that Regan’s performance was on the subdued side and it was unclear if this was strictly due to her performance or if the character of Jane was meant to be that way. Both interpretations are plausible, but neither is clearly the answer (without asking, of course). On the one hand Regan’s performance possessed a sort of haunting quality to it as if the character of Jane was deeply troubled by something she did not wish to speak of. On the other hand, there isn’t much mentioned or shown in the film to explain this personality. There’s no mention of depression, secrets, etc. Perhaps this is due to the time limitation, or perhaps it’s due to something else. In any case, I didn’t find myself dwelling too much on the issue and could still enjoy the flashback segments for the purpose they served. The segments provided a clear outline of the events leading up to Robert waking in the forest, and when you have all the pieces to the puzzle you are left with an appropriately disturbing image.

All in all I rather enjoyed Out There. You can sense the filmmaker’s passion for the genre throughout and the film’s narrative has a rather sympathetic protagonist to keep things going. This is always refreshing in the current sea of unsympathetic leading roles in the horror genre. Having a confused and sympathetic guy leading you through a maze of confusion and terror helps you put yourself in the poor guy’s shoes…which eventually becomes a nightmarish thought. However, due to some of the issues mentioned (unexplained bloody symbols, unexplained depression in Jane) perhaps giving this film the full length treatment would be a good thing. It seems as if Plunkett’s ideas somewhat transcend the time limit allotted. The main plot of the film serves well for such a short, but the tiny details could benefit from some further explanation. That said, Plunkett still managed to fill up a relatively short amount of time with a fairly rich story that didn’t feel rushed or heavy-handed. Likewise, the familiar tropes sprinkled with an Irish twinge made for a surprisingly fresh experience in an otherwise known tale.

I’m a sucker for a good horror short, and I honestly thought that Out There was exactly that: a good horror short. There could still be a bit of refinement here and there concerning particular plot elements and performance delivery, but the film’s story is A-grade. I’d also like to quickly point out the rather pleasant camera work in this film. For a short film this one had some rather impressive camera angles and lighting choices. With the feel of a feature-length indie film, Out There serves its purpose well and is certainly a little film for horror fans out there to really sink their teeth into.

Tags: Blood , British horror, Drama , gore , haunting horror films, Horror , horror genre, independent films, indie horror, short horror films, zombie films, zombie movies, 15mins, Chandler Bullock, Conor Marren, Emma Eliza Regan, Horror shorts, Horror-Fix Review, Irish Horror, Lord Dunsany, Randal Plunkett

I’m proudly Finnish, so I wanted to write about a masterpiece of Finnish horror, Sauna. Now, Finnish horror is not a term you hear in everyday conversation. That’s because Finnish horror is not really a thing. Which in turn means that being a masterpiece of Finnish horror doesn’t really mean anything. But let me tell you, Sauna is a masterpiece. I’m very, very picky when it comes to Finnish movies; I hardly like any of them. Sauna I do like. In this post I’ll tell you why.

Knut and Eerik are on a mission to outline a new border after a war that was waged between Sweden and Russia. Since Finland was part of Sweden back then, Finland was involved in the war. But I won’t bore you with the historical details any further (although I myself am quite partial to historical details) since this is not a boring history movie. Knut and Eerik’s journey is shadowed by the memory of doing a dreadful deed along the way: killing a father and leaving his daughter to rot in a basement in the middle of nowhere. Eventually they happen across a mysterious village that boasts a special kind sauna. This sauna radiates an enigmatic atmosphere that shrouds all the residents under its pious aura. This is a sauna where you go to atone for you sins.

Hang on, a sauna? How can a sauna have anything to do with atonement? I should mention that while you’re all very familiar with saunas and it’s not a special Nordic mystery anymore, there’s more to saunas than just naked sweating and beer drinking (or relaxation and pore cleansing, if you’re into a healthier lifestyle). In the olden days in Finland, a sauna was a spiritual place, almost like a peculiar chapel. When you gave birth, your newborn  was washed in the sauna. When you died, you body was washed in the sauna. It was a sacred place, a place for rites of passage, where the soul entered and exited the realm of the living.

Sauna the movie is proper scary, which really surprised me when I first saw it. The only feeling a Finnish movie had ever awoken in me was depression and gloom (except for a few glorious comedy movies made in the nineties). While Sauna has the same Finnish signature atmosphere of depression and gloom, it works well with the transcendental and psychological terror that slowly creeps up on Knut and Eerik. And let’s face it, Finland in the 1500s was a gloomy and depressing place. So, gloom and depression are very much legitimate in this movie. Now I shall move on and try to write a sentence without the words “gloom” and “depression” in it.

What really impressed me on the first viewing of Sauna were the ghosty characters. I say ghosty characters, because they’re not exactly ghosts, and there’s absolutely no explanation given in the movie as to what they exactly are. And that’s just brilliant. I love not getting explanations. Sometimes not getting explanations means humongous plot holes and all around a crappy screenplay, but in this case it magnified the horror tenfold and preserved the mystery of the sauna, just as it should do. Enough is explained, and just the right amount is left unexplained. Because of this, your average Finn with their own sauna will get to enjoy elevated blood pressure, chills and paranoia every time they enter it, which is a sign of a job well done.

Ghosty characters and mystical saunas aside, there’s something truly terrifying about a gaunt, pertinacious Finnish man. I mean, just look at Ville Virtanen (Eerik) in this movie. His unyielding face makes me recoil in whimpering panic. His stare makes me doubt myself and everything I’ve ever achieved in life. His severe disposition makes me melt into an insignificant puddle of petrified goo. It’s not your usual “I’m an angry scary man” –effect; Eerik is a broken, war-weary man who just wants to go home. His terror stems from deep trauma combined with short temper and absolute authority. He’s like a mini villain on his road to penance. I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Finnish character in a Finnish movie, but here goes: what a juicy character.

There you have it, my thoughts on a Finnish horror movie. I have to admit, Sauna owes a lot of its scare tactics to Asian horror. But the rest of the movie is purely Finnish. There’s nothing quite like Finnish melancholy, and this movie depicts it and harnesses it perfectly: once I got over the ghosty scaries it became clear to me that the real horror of the movie is the notion of having to carry your sins with you. That’s a thought that sticks, since the audience can relate (even if the sins of the audience aren’t as serious as Knut and Eerik’s). That’s also a melancholic thought if there ever was one.

“Sen päivän jälkeen kun muutettiin tänne, ei yksikään meistä ole uskaltanut oikein kunnolla elää. Eikä kuolla.”

– pohjalainen talonpoika -

(“Ever since the day we got here, not one of us has really dared to live. Or to die.” – Northern Finnish peasant - )

Tags: haunting horror films, Antti-Jussi Annila, Evil Rising, Finnish horror, Sauna, Ville Virtanen

Hi, new blogger here! I go by the name of Anski. I just want to say a couple of things about my blog before I get started. First, I don't really review movies as much as I write about the thoughts that come to mind whilst watching them. Sometimes these thoughts are analytical, sometimes they are nonsensical. Second, I like my horror nice and non-Hollywood, so I hope I can bring some movies to the attention of my readers that they might not have discovered otherwise. 

All right then, here we go! Kairo (Pulse, in English). Now I know some of you will roll your eyes and go "Geez, enough with the Asian horror movies already". But the fact of the matter is, Asian horror rocks. And I guarantee that this one is not about a girl ghost that hides behind a curtain of long, black hair. Kairo was on the list when I had the urge (that I now sincerely regret) to really traumatize myself with good horror, since it had been a while. So I made a list of supposedly great Asian horror films and watched them. I had already seen Ringu, The Grudge, A Tale of Two Sisters and The Eye, so I didn't have many options in the top ten lists people had assembled around the internet. I watched Uzumaki (delightfully peculiar but not trauma material), I got halfway through Marebito (despite my love of vampires, this vampiric mystery made me go "Meh") and finished Noroi (got really freaked out by aborted embryos, but then they started to move like monkeys and I couldn't hold on to my willing suspension of disbelief). So I was left feeling rather unsatisfied. Was there nothing out there that could really creep me out good old Ringu style?

My dissatisfaction ended abruptly and chillingly with Kairo. My goodness, what a sneaky film. When I was watching it, I was rather bored. The story unfolds with a very slow pace, so it couldn't really hold on to my interest 100%. But I did watch the bits with the ghosts carefully, holding my breath and sucking in the atmosphere of dreadful despair. And my god man, did the ghosts start haunting me too!

The basic storyline is about ghosts that have run out of space in the Beyond, so they start to ooze into our world through the internet. Once they have established contact with an unsuspecting web surfer, the surfer starts to feel depressed and eventually offs him/herself, only to become a creepy black stain on the wall that endlessly whispers "Help me, help me". The stain even manages to call up friends who arrive to the home of the deceased only to stare at the stain in horrified disbelief. Oh, it's genius.

The mood and tone of the film are exactly spot-on to cause the "I can't look" -type terror in the audience. I had to hide behind a blanket for more times than I care to admit. The slow pace of the movie that I whined about earlier contributes to the eeriness beautifully. Most importantly, the ghosts are perfect. I can't tell you how many times I've been disappointed in a ghost movie because the ghosts shows themselves too much, too clearly or just show themselves, period. Kairo's ghosts are blurry, sooty, stain-like. Even when one pushes its face right up to the face of Toshio (who has just discovered that his friend is now a stain on the wall), you can't properly see all the features. And the manner of face-pushing is brilliant, too: the slowest of ghostly, glidey walks towards the guy hiding behind a couch, which ends in the slowest and most horrifying game of Peekaboo ever. I see you, indeed...

What still haunts me every day, though, is the noise the ghosts make. The ghosts that ooze through the internet and reach our world make exactly the same sound as new, well-functioning refrigerators. I mean, that's just not on! We have a new, well-functioning fridge and it creeps the hell out of me. Every time I hear it making a sound, I have a flashback to a video in Kairo that one of the protagonists was watching: a ghost is seen walking past an open doorway over and over again, making the fridge sound. I don't think I'll ever get over that. I mean, I saw Kairo months ago, and I'm still terrified of being home alone. With the fridge.

All I can say is, mission a-bleeding-complished! I am traumatized for life. Thank you Asian cinema, you never fail me. And I do know that there are hundreds, even thousands Asian horror gems out there that I haven't seen yet. I will continue my search, if I ever recuperate enough to be ready for a fresh trauma.

"Death was... eternal loneliness."  - anonymous ghost in Kairo -

Tags: haunting horror films, Asian horror, Kairo, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Pulse

I’ll be honest. I completely missed out when Ti West hit the horror scene in the face with a hammer with his debut feature, The House of the Devil (2009), and I still haven’t gotten around to checking out that little gem for myself. However, Mr. West’s reputation was enough to peak my interest when I got around to picking up his latest full feature, The Innkeepers. And boy am I glad I did!

Our very own Ash Hamilton recently dropped a review for V/H/S (2012), which featured a chilling segment written and directed by West. Now, while West showed some pretty impressive chops in the found footage anthology, The Innkeepers is where his writing and directing skills get to shine like golden, blood-splattered gods. That may have been an exaggeration…or maybe not. Let’s see!

As I often like to do with a review, I’ll start us off with a very quick round up of the film’s main plot. Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are two unfortunate innkeepers at the Yankee Pedlar Inn. The two are given the task of running the place during its final weekend of productivity while the owner enjoys some fun and sun in the Caribbean. Since neither of the two live near the inn, and with the owner away, they are forced to stay at the inn with one or two guests they manage to acquire over the weekend. Claire is an enthusiastic young woman with a quirky chip on her shoulder, while Luke is a more down-to-Earth internet geek. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet of the inn’s final weekend, Claire and Luke take it upon themselves to find proof of the fabled ghosts of Madeline O’Malley (Brenda Cooney)—a young woman rumored to have committed suicide in the inn during the Civil War. At first the two are unable to find any conclusive evidence, until Claire digs deep and potentially stirs things up that may have been better off remaining dormant. Did Claire really unleash the ghost of Madeline O’Malley, or is her imagination getting the better of her and those around her? The answer is just as puzzling as the question.

That was a very basic gist of the events that transpire throughout The Innkeepers. There’s so much more to discuss—such as the aged actress-turned-medium, Leanne Rease-Jones (Kelly McGillis) and the heart-wrenching story of the Old Man (George Riddle)—, but this film is truly Claire’s show. Sara Paxton’s performance is both endearing and unnerving all the way through. Paxton’s portrayal of the quirky and enthusiastic Claire is so over-the-top that she instills the viewer with this feeling of bubbly warmth. Despite all of her personality flaws, it’s just impossible to dislike Claire. This makes the sinister third act of the film all the more chilling as you are urged to root for Claire to escape the clutches of the disturbed spirits slowly closing in on her. Pat Healy’s portrayal of good-guy-geek, Luke is equally well crafted, but there still lacks a sense of innocence possessed by Claire to make him truly likeable. Now don’t get me wrong, this is exactly how it should be. Luke is a straight up asshole at the best of times, and he proves to be an increasing source of insecurity for Claire. The combination works perfectly. Luke fuels the fire in Claire that makes her so loveable for the audience. Writer/director Ti West did a phenomenal job setting up the film’s two protagonists during the first act. To say that The Innkeepers is a slow burn would not even touch the pacing of the film’s first two acts. Although it takes what seems like ages before the film’s climactic payoff, it’s a well thought out decision by West to do so. Due to the length at which the characters are set up and developed throughout the film’s duration, the final payoff is that much more powerful.

This brings us to that wonderful payoff I keep mentioning. All of you creepy ghosts fans out there, fret not, there be creepy ass ghosts in this film. I understand that creepy ass ghosts alone don’t really make for a great film. So what’s the payoff all about? Well, West’s super slow burn for the first two acts of the film’s three act presentation manages to cause a rather unexpected amount of dread and turmoil by the climax. The first two-thirds of the film are not only rather uneventful; they also don’t feel much like a horror film. While sitting back and enjoying the clumsy banter between Luke and Claire it’s quite easy to forget that you’re not watching a cooky ghost-comedy. Thankfully the third act takes it upon itself to remind you with a boot to the face. Not only is the third act of this film quickly paced, but it’s also downright dark. The imagery alone is a completely unexpected presence amidst the film’s almost comical tone. That’s where the payoff lies, though. West has managed to craft a film that manages to disarm the viewer in such a way that the bleak reality of the situation is all the more unsettling. Helping along this dark twist are Claire and Luke, who stay true to character throughout the sinister events that take place. You’ll find yourself yelling at the screen for the two loveable dorks to get the hell out of there and never look back. However, their characters are set up so well that any stupid decision they make has already been established as logical for them, which makes it all the more frustrating when they cause themselves to be stuck in some mighty precarious situations (literally).

Ok, so the The Innkeepers is intense and well written, but how does it look? Surprisingly nice, actually. The visual clarity throughout the film is rather pristine, yet a bit “off” at the same time. This creates a rather unique visual tone for the film that compliments the world and characters that have been established in the film’s world. Claire can be overbearingly silly at times, but it’s ok due to the camera’s insistence that such behavior just belongs in the world presented to the viewer. Now, as I said before, I have no idea how The House of the Devil played out or looked, but I can only hope that the visuals, writing, and performances complimented one another as well as West managed to accomplish with The Innkeepers. Part of the film’s misleading tone is directly linked to the visual presentation of the world surrounding the Yankee Pedlar Inn. When things take a turn for the dark, the camera provides accordingly. The black levels of this film are as thick as oil and suffocate the image at times. And I mean that in the best way possible. You only see what West wants you to see, and trust me…you see exactly everything you want to see. That said, the makeup and effects work in this film are just as well crafted as the camera work. I am thoroughly convinced that if it weren’t for the superb ghost make up and design present here, the film’s payoff would not have been near as unsettling as it was. The Innkeepers has some of the best ghost make up I’ve seen in a long long time.

That leaves with the last remaining element of what makes The Innkeepers pack such a punch: the sound design. Sound is an easily overlooked aspect of a good horror film. If done well, the sound design and score of a film can meld so seamlessly with the visual presentation that it’s often forgotten. If done badly you’re left with an overbearing and dramatic music score that seems to have a life of its own. Thankfully, The Innkeepers falls into the former category. The sound design in this film is a rare gem as it acts as the “burn” of the slow burn. Every time Claire picks up a pair of headphones and a microphone, the viewer is bombarded with a deeply droning bass that represents her expectations and fear perfectly. There were moments I had to actually turn the volume down just to double check that the bass I was hearing was really coming from my speakers. The deep rumbling of the bass complimented the bright and vibrant visuals so well. Furthermore, the film plays with subtlety very well. During the first two acts the sound design maintains a sort of subdued, yet bubbling sense of “the possible”. Whereas the high octane third act unleashes a slew of blasts and whipping music score that confirms all of your worst fears. When things get dark, the film’s score tags right along and blasts you away where appropriate while staying silent where it’s most uncomfortable. Without spoiling anything, perhaps the film’s most intense scare develops through the use of well-timed silences. This is A+ sound design on display.

So with all of that in mind, what’s the general consensus? To put it simply, if you haven’t checked out The Innkeepers, you’ve done yourself a great disservice. Emerging in a sea of reboots, rehashes, and Horror-101 formulaic cash-cow films, Ti West has crafted a truly original take on the haunted house genre. Not only has he managed to write an original story in a vast amount of adaptations, West has also managed to present a truly original take on an already beloved genre in the world of horror. Do yourself a favor and get a breath of fresh and bloody air. Go check out The Innkeepers as soon as you can!

Tags: 2011 , haunted house movies, haunting horror films, indie horror, Thriller, 2011 , Chandler Bullock, Horror-Fix Review, Kelly McGillis, Pat Healy, R, Review, Sara Paxton, The Innkeepers, Thriller, Ti West

It’s no mystery that I am more excited for Prometheus than any normal human being should be. With that in mind, it’s a delight that the film will be released in just a week here in the Netherlands (May 31^st) and soon after in the UK (June 1^st) and US (June 8^th). In honor of Ridley Scott’s return to the realm of science fiction horror after a 33 year hiatus, I’ve put together my top ten films of the sci-fi horror genre.

Before we begin, here’s a quick synopsis of what to expect with Prometheus:

Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle
to save the future of the human race.

Now on to the list!

I’d like to start things off by being clear on what I feel qualifies as “science fiction horror”. That’s a pretty specific yet vague term. As such, I have set one bit of criteria for the films on this list: they have to have a scientist in them at some point. That’s it. That said, here’s my top ten, starting with…

10. The Invisible Man (1933)

The oldest addition to this list, The Invisible Man was a cornerstone in the science fiction genre. The H.G. Wells story centers on a scientist (Claude Rains) who discovers the secret to turning one’s self invisible. Unfortunately, the scientist is unable to reverse the effects of his serum and slowly goes mad as a result of his alienation with the outside world. What makes this film so influential in the sci-fi horror genre is the depiction of a desperate man succumbing to his inner demons and acting on his darkest desires. If it weren’t for Claude Rains’ phenomenal portrayal of the film’s protagonist/antagonist, The Invisible Man would be just another science fiction story amongst countless others. Luckily, Universal lucked out with having Rains take the helm and develop a truly tortured character for us to cheer and revile all at the same time.

This is a story of knowledge versus society where, ultimately, society wins.

9. Pontypool (2008)

Hailing from Ontario, Canada comes this highly inventive and deeply unsettling film. The concept of Pontypool is its selling point, and what a cool concept it is. The story’s premise is simple (if, albeit, a bit silly): a small town in Ontario is overrun by a virus that causes the infected to hunt down and slaughter the uninfected. It’s been done to death (if you’ll pardon the pun), but not quite like this. You see, the coolest part of Pontypool, apart from Grant Mazzy’s (Stephen McHattie) too-cool-for-school-smooth-as-butter voice, is that most of the action takes place offscreen.

Set in a local radio station, Pontypool relies on delivering scares through graphic descriptions via phone and internet sources. It’s the descriptive nature of the carnage, coupled with Mazzy’s rockin voice, that make Pontypool an intriguing and truly spine-tingling film.

8. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

If The Invisible Man is one of the grandparents of science fiction horror (Frankenstein being the other), Night of the Living Dead is the genre’s abusive mother. The film, made during the height of the Vietnam War, was both topical and terrifying in its day. Oh, who am I kidding? The film still holds up today!

Upon first viewings, Night of the Living Dead still manages to captivate and terrorize its audience through George A. Romero’s masterfully in-your-face approach to a society eating itself alive…literally. The black and white image does little to take away from the graphic violence presented on the screen. In fact, it does quite the opposite by making the audience use their imagination to really get a feel of the carnage they’re witnessing. This is Romero’s Magnus Opus and it set the bar for all science fiction horror films afterwards.

7. Sunshine (2007)

More science fiction than horror, Sunshine is the story of a team of scientists and astronauts who are delivering an atomic bomb to jump start the dying Sun. Unfortunately, the crew come across unforeseen obstacles along the way ad eventually find themselves in a deadly game of cat and mouse. That’s where the horror of the story comes into play. Danny Boyle has crafted a brilliant looking film with a phenomenal cast (including Cillian Murphy’s eyes). The pace lags a bit in some parts, but it’s all for the high-octane third act.

Mark Strong’s Pinbacker is a perfectly creepy depiction of a religious zealot taking matters into his own hands. Mix this up with some deeply disturbing subliminal shots and the awe-inspiring score by John Murphy, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a frightfully good time.

6. Event Horizon (1997)

There’s a lot of hate aimed at this film, but I quite enjoyed it. Paul Anderson, now famous for his Resident Evil films (and for being Mr. Milla Jovovich), served us all this little morsel back in 1997 and it fits the time period well. Sure the graphics are a bit dated. Sure the story sort of unravels around the end. Sure the odor of cinematic cheese can be smelled throughout.

So what? This is the mid-90s we’re talking about. For every Terminator 2 there was a Mac & Me. Event Horizon manages to balance between the two, resulting in a pretty darn entertaining film. In fact, it’s even hard to believe with some of the more gruesome sequences that this film was directed by the same guy who recently gave us The Three Musketeers. Sam Neil is great. Laurence Fishbourne is great. And, the Event Horizon is a delightfully hellish ship.

5. Re-Animator (1985)

Take one part Weird Science, one part Night of the Living Dead, and one part H.P. Lovecraft. Mix them together, and you have Re-Animator. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if Re-Animator is “so bad it’s good”, “so gross it’s funny”, or “so funny it’s scary”. My opinion?

All of the above.

Re-Animator is a fantastic little romp through 1980s humor, horror, and bat shit crazy antics. Loosely based off of H.P. Lovecraft’s “Herbert West – Re-Animator”, the film is just as much fun as it is disgusting. Jeffrey Combs’ portrayal of Herbert West is a delight throughout, and the gore is enough to please any horror fan.

P.S. Be on the lookout for some awesome references to other films in the horror genre!

4. 28 Days Later (2002)

Danny Boyle rears his twisted head for the second time in this list. Where Sunshine was more science fiction than horror, 28 Days Later is more horror than science fiction. But, hey…it has a scientist in it at some point. That’s good enough for me.

Boyle’s approach the zombie epidemic is both fresh and brutal. The camera work is as gritty as the film’s plot, which surrounds a group of average citizens in the UK (also starring Cillian Murphy’s eyes) as they try to evade the hordes that are infected with “rage”. The pace varies throughout, keeping a sense of tension that could cut through steel like butter. Bravo Mr. Boyle, bravo!

3. The Fly (1986)

Now things are getting serious…deadly serious. David Cronenberg’s The Fly is the perfect example of how a remake should be implemented. Same story…different approach. Cronenberg took the classic, made famous by Vincent Price, and pulped it up in a bloody blender. Everything is done better in this film. Even Jeff Goldblum actually manages to give Vincent Price a run for his money where the portrayal of “tortured scientist” is concerned. And let us not forget the magnificently excruciating “Brundle-fly” scene.

From the suspense to the drama; from the tone to the intense visual effects; The Fly is one of the most innovative horror films of the 1980s.

Speaking of innovation…

2. The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter’s classic tale of paranoia and bodily horror is as scary today as it was in 1982. I’ll admit that I hadn’t seen this film until about a year ago, and I cursed myself for neglecting myself with this masterpiece. The Thing is a deeply disturbing film based on the very basic human fear of everyone else around us. Carpenter took the wonderful premise from 1951’s “The Thing From Another World” and injected it with nightmares (blood test scene anyone?).

The practical effects used in this film alone are enough to warrant it such a high position on this list. The monster designs were (and still are) spine-tingling and disgusting. Toss in an excellent film score from composer Ennio Morricone and career-defining performances from Kurt Russel and Keith David, and The Thing is easily one of the best things to come out the horror genre (let alone science fiction horror).

1. Alien (1979)

As if you didn’t see this coming? Maybe it’s the fact that Prometheus has me excited beyond or words. Or maybe it’s just an honest position.[1] In any case, I think Ridley Scott’s original “haunted house in space” is by far the best-crafted and most terrifying film in the science fiction horror genre.

It’s not just one or two things that stand out to make Alien such a memorable film. It’s the collection of details put together as a whole that makes the film so potent. Ridley Scott’s almost drill sergeant approach to directing is clear throughout as every single frame of the film has his signature seemingly written all over it. Scott put together the perfect cast for the right roles (spearheading Sigourney Weaver’s soon-to-be prosperous film career in the process); hired the right artist to designs the film’s signature creatures (Mr. Giger, my therapist thanks you for the continuous sessions); and got the perfect composer to make the right musical score to accompany the horrific events that unfold over the course of the film (even if Mr. Goldsmith wasn’t exactly pleased with the way his music was edited for the screen).

Alien is a true slow burning film, but it’s that slow burn that makes it so effective. From the moment the computers spring to life after catching the distress signal, there is a sense of dread that drives the film forward. With possibly the most famous shocks in a horror film (next to The Exorcist), Alien serves as an example for the standards all science fiction horror films should strive.

Which leads to the big question: Can Ridley Scott do it again? Will Prometheus be able to knock The Thing down a notch and take the number 2 spot (it will never surpass Alien, the first is always best folks)? The short answer is: probably not. I expect that Scott has delivered yet another film to be talked about for ages, but I just can’t imagine him being able to repeat the success of Alien. Perhaps I’m wrong. I’ll just have to wait until May 31^st (here in Holland) to find out.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know about any films I’ve overlooked or missed. Leave a comment or toss us a shout out on Facebook and/or Twitter!

Tags: Benedict Wong, Charlize Theron, Damon Lindelof, Emun Elliott, Guy Pearce, haunting horror films, Hollywood Treasures, Idris Elba, Kate Dickie, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Ridley Scott, Best of, Chandler Bullock, horror remakes, John Carpenter, Prometheus, Science Fiction Horror

Tags: haunting horror films, Lexi Fernandez, Yam Laranas, The Road