Monday, November 30, 2009

Holiday Horror - A Top Five List

I know it's been a while since I've posted, things have been a little hectic at the Warfreak househould. Anyway, who cares? There's a nip in the air, and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. December is just one day away, so what better way to ring in the season than to list off my five favorite Holiday Horror Flicks!

1. Gremlins (1984) - Joe Dante shows off his love for classic creature features with this family-friendly horror flick. I say family friendly, but I do rememeber getting many a nightmare from watching this and its sequel. Our young protagonist Billy doesn't obey the rules laid out for him for his new exotic pets, and he pays the price for it. The creature effects are fantastic, the story is fun, and it's a definite product of the 1980s. I imagine that most of you have seen Gremlins, so I don't think I need to expound much more. Oh, and don't forget Phoebe Cates. Nice.

2. Black Christmas (1974) - Often cited as the first modern slasher, Black Christmas is the story of a murderous little bastard that sneaks into a Canadaian sorority house just before Christmas break and wreaks havoc on unsuspecting co-eds! Bob Clark, who would later direct A Christmas Story, is behind the camera on this holiday classic. Interesting trivia: originally John Carpenter's Halloween was conceived as a sequel to Black Christmas. It was to be the start of a "holiday themed" horror series - each movie focusing on a different holiday.

3. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) - After his parents are slain, and he is abused in an orphanage, a teenage boy dons a Santa suit and ensues on a blood-drenched rampage. The first one in the Silent Night series is nowhere near as silly as the sequels, and it's actually pretty decent, but you'll still be able to get a few laughs it and some of the crazy antics (I mean, it is a killer in a Santa suit, after all). The one thing that would have really put it over the top, would have been some really excellent grue, but beggers can't be choosers. I heard there was a remake in the pipeline, so maybe they can work that in there.

4. Christmas Evil (1980) - Played straight, Christmas Evil is the story of a young kid who loves Christmas a bit too much. Upon finding out that there's no such thing as Santa (sorry, should've put a spoiler alert there, kiddies), the boy is scarred for the rest of his life. Obviously from there, things go from bad to worse and bad things start to happen. Not a bad little film - defintely worth a watch this holiday season, and Synapse has recently released a pretty stellar DVD edition of the film that would make for a wonderful Christmas gift.

5. Jack Frost (1996) - No, not the one with Michael Keaton, this is a Full Moon type picture - straight to video, B grade all around. The story is something about a serial killer dying and coming back as a snowman, obviously this isn't Oscar material. As bad and silly as the picture is, it has a certain charm that begs to be watched with a group of people. If you watch it and you hate it, don't blame me. It all depends upon your sensibility. You've got to like bumbling crap to enjoy this one.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent list. Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is my number one. Garbage Day!

J. Astro said...

Neat list, and Synapse's CHRISTMAS EVIL is a fantastic disc. The thing I love about that movie is that it manages to be truly a little unsettling, but also kinda warm and inspirational, all at once. I watch it every year.

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