Dramatic psychological horror builds a home in this grouping. And, probably the biggest surprise of the whole survey shows up here! You won’t believe what’s at #36! (How’s that for click bait?)
EDIT 9.29.18: Mike and I botched the recording, with a lot of microphone bangs showing up on the edit. So, because we didn’t want to punish our listening audience, we’ve re-recorded Episode 39! (Sorry bout that!)
Many of the films in this batch explore horror in its psychological forms. The family unit put under extreme duress is a great way to squeeze some horror out of a story, and there are a number of films in this run that really put families to the test. Whether it’s a mother and son coping with the depression of a lost father, or the shattering of the family dynamic at the loss of the family baby, or the desperate measures that people will go to when they can’t bear to see their loved ones go.
We also get a chance to explore the noir, with a heady examination of psychology vs. the arcade, and provides a discourse on belief, faith, and fate. Speaking of faith and fate, original evil is explored, in one of the best 1970’s studio horror blockbusters. If you like a big production, big stakes horror movie, you probably love #40.
On the opposite side of the studio funding is probably the most influential independent horror movie ever made. It influenced how young horror filmmakers could do a serious independent movie, and really make a mark, and was so influential that it helped spur the MPAA to create their movie ratings. That movie comes in at a well earned #32.
Every now and again, we get a new take on Vampires. One that recasts your concept of the vampire, while remaining true to its roots, and we get one here in a bloody, but endearing Swedish tale of a bullied boy and his new vampire friend. And sometimes, we get a very familiar trope, but done up in such a way that it feels entirely fresh. Our #35 is exactly that, as it takes a very funny, very British take on the zombie apocalypse.
And as promised, we have a big surprise. A movie that is certainly one of the all-time great thrillers, but it is debatable as to whether it’s truly horror. This is the #1 film from two of our esteemed judges, including our most prolific horror journalist, Joseph Perry (Ghastly Grinning, Diabolique, and Gruesome magazines to name but a few) and Scott Allie, the editor and a writer of Hellboy. Listen in to the podcast and hear Mike and Eric debate as to whether this one deserves to be on the list, and even if we can call it horror.
Without further ado… Episode 39:
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