Friday, October 1, 2010

The 50 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen: Part 1

Ah yes, it's October. A month chock full of haunted houses, scary stories, and my personal favorite aspect, horror movies galore. All of which culminates at the end with Halloween, the best damn holiday of the entire year as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, as far as horror movies go, we all pretty much know the good ones from the bad ones. Classics like John Carpenter's "Halloween" and George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" are traditionally watched and so they should be, but for every classic horror film out there, there are quite a few underrated ones that sadly have not been seen by as many viewers.

Throughout this month, I'll be providing you with a list of the best damn horror flicks that you've never seen (or possibly even heard of) that deserve your time and attention. Strap yourselves in bitches...



50. TRAILER PARK OF TERROR (2008)
Director: Steven Goldman
Starring: Trace Adkins, Priscilla Barnes, Stefanie Black

Based on the Imperium Comics series, "Trailer Park of Terror" follows a group of troubled high school students who get stranded in the mountains, and seek refuge in a not-so abandoned trailer park. Schlocky as all hell, the film offers plenty of blood and guts, and a decent dose of dark humor as well that makes it worth checking out.



49. GRACE (2009)
Director: Paul Solet
Starring: Jordan Ladd, Stephen Park, Gabrielle Rose

After losing her husband and unborn child in an accident, Madeline insists on carrying her dead child to term regardless. When she does, the baby is miraculously alive, or so it would seem. It isn't long before she realizes that her baby has a craving for blood... What's most surprising about "Grace" is the shocking degree of emotional terror that permeates throughout the film, and its shocker denouement is worth the price of admission alone.



48. SEVERANCE (2006)
Director: Christopher Smith
Starring: Danny Dyer, Laura Harris, Toby Stephens

A team-building exercise in the mountains of Eastern Europe turns horrifically funny for a group of sales division wankers when they are targeted by a group of crazed killers. Shockingly funny, biting, and gore-filled to boot. Plus, there's a homicidal maniac with a flamethrower bitches!



47. THE LAST BROADCAST (1998)
Director: Stefan Avalos/Lance Weiler
Starring: David Beard, Jim Seward, Rein Clabbers

A "Blair Witch"-style faux-documentary in which a trio of filmmakers venture into the forest searching for the legendary Jersey Devil. Days later, only one returns, and becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of the other two, while another local filmmaker partakes on his own excursion to find the truth. The end result proves being more shocking, as "The Last Broadcast" puts "Blair Witch" and any other handheld camera-style horror flick to shame.



46. THE RESURRECTED (1992)
Director: Dan O'Bannon
Starring: John Terry, Chris Sarandon, Jane Sibbett

Also known as "Shatterbrain", "The Resurrected" is based on an H.P. Lovecraft tale involving the hiring of a private eye to investigate the mysterious experiments of a chemical engineer. Turns out, he's trying to bring back the dead, but the results of which don't go quite exactly as planned...



45. JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER (2007)
Director: Jon Knautz
Starring: Robert Englund, Trevor Matthews, Daniel Kash

After witnessing his family get murdered by monsters as a child, plumber Jack Brooks uses his inconsolible rage to combat monsters and demons, including those recently set loose by his community college night class professor. Very fun in an "Evil Dead"-type of way, and Robert Englund is a fucking hoot.



44. SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983)
Director: Robert Hiltzik
Starring: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen Fields

An underrated slasher classic that has a cult following, the original "Sleepaway Camp" may work as a "Friday the 13th" knockoff, but its shocker conclusion is what makes it so memorable to this day.



43. AMERICAN ZOMBIE (2007)
Director: Grace Lee
Starring: Austin Basis, Jane Edith Wilson, Al Vicente

Another mockumentary, only this time it follows a team of documentary filmmakers seeking to learn as to whether or not the rising zombie population are an actual threat to humanity, or if they just want to live in harmony. Scathingly funny and also pretty damn creepy.



42. LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (1974)
Director: Jorge Grau
Starring: Cristina Galbo, Ray Lovelock, Arthur Kennedy

Also known as "The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue" and "Don't Open the Window" (among many other titles depending on the country), this zombie flick focuses on two hippies who are suspected by a clueless cop as being the culprits behind the Manson Family-style murders going on in town, when it is actually the result of the ravenous zombies being created by the chemical pesticides used on the local farmland. A terribly underrated zombie film by every stretch of the imagination.



41. ISOLATION (2005)
Director: Billy O'Brien
Starring: Essie Davies, Sean Harris, Marcel Iures

On a lonely Irish farm, a scientist researching the genetic modifications of cattle accidentally unleashes a killer batch of murderous farm animals. It sounds funny on paper, but "Isolation" is so damn suspenseful and surprisingly creepy that you'll never want to eat meat again.



That's all for now, but as the month goes on, the list will continue to count down, enjoy!

3 comments:

  1. Seen Severance. It's shit.

    Seen The Resurrected. It's totally brilliant. Also, you get to see Chris Sarandon almost naked. What a body!

    Seen The Last Broadcast. Instantly forgettable.

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  2. Hey Nick! Thanks for the mention. I would certainly agree about Halloween. I really miss NYC this time of year, but it certainly is fun to share with my little boy. I will share your blog from now on and I will put a link on my website. All the best, Jonathan Tiersten.

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  3. Thank you Jonathan for the kind words and sharing my blog. You are the man!

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