Everybody knows the classics. The horror movies everyone watches, such as “Halloween,” “Scream” and “Friday the 13th” are classics in the horror genre… However, the constant rewatches can make these movies become stale. With Halloween approaching, here are four horror movies that don’t get as much attention, but are still equally– if not more– scary.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Where to watch: Peacock
“The Cabin in the Woods” seems on the surface like any other slasher horror movie: a group of teenagers go on vacation to a secluded cabin before discovering a slowly unraveling mystery of ancient occult artifacts and incantations. The excitement of the movie starts when one of the incantations is read aloud that the group has chosen their fate – death by a family of zombies. If “The Cabin in the Woods” was any other slasher horror, the rest of the movie would proceed in a relatively predictable manner. Each zombie would kill a member of the main cast in a clever and brutal way, until only one remained. That one teen would escape the zombies, and the movie would be left with infinite possibilities for sequels. That is not “The Cabin in the Woods.” Instead, the movie puts a unique spin on a predictable plot. The story takes place in an office, with each worker betting on which monster will come and kill the teens. This is the heart of the movie, and what sets it apart from other slashers. These office segments slowly reveal more and more of the plot, which goes deeper the longer the movie goes on. The movie wants the audience to guess at the plot, using the clues it lays to figure out exactly what is going on with this mysterious cabin in the woods. The movie also does an excellent job at keeping the audience wrong about the plot they are witnessing. While the plot might seem obvious at one point, it won’t be long before a new wrinkle is added that completely changes the viewer’s perspective on the movie. With an excellent screenplay by Joss Whedon, writer/director of the first two “Avengers” movies, and Drew Goddard, writer of “The Martian” and “Cloverfield,” “The Cabin in the Woods” serves as a unique deconstruction of the slasher genre. With excellent performances by Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly and Fran Kranz, this movie is an amazing, gorey and terrifying adventure fit for the bravest of viewers.
The Thing (1982)
Where to watch: Prime Video, Peacock
In a scene from John Carpenter’s 1978 film “Halloween,” a young child is seen watching the film “The Thing From Outer Space” while a serial killer known as Michael Myers lurks outside his house. Four years later, after Michael Myers became one of the most recognizable characters in all of horror, John Carpenter would remake the movie featured in that scene with 1982’s “The Thing.” Similar to “The Cabin in the Woods,” “The Thing” is a movie based around not knowing some details. Dissimilarly, “The Thing’s” horror is based mostly on what the audience does know. The audience knows exactly what the killer is, but not who. The very first scene, which consists of a man in a helicopter shooting at a dog running along the Antarctic tundra, creates a sense of mystery and distrust. The dog finds its way to a research station, where it’s taken in and kept with other dogs. As it turns out, that dog is no dog at all, but rather an alien that can perfectly mimic the form and mannerisms of any organism. The crew of the station slowly come to the horrible realization that the alien can morph into anyone in the crew. From that moment on, they know the thing is one of them, but not who. The movie excels with its use of practical effects to create shocking body horror. The thing itself is, in essence, a shapeless creature, and the movie takes advantage of this by developing unique, horrific ways to mutilate the human body that look not only terrifying, but convincing. Stellar performances from Kurt Russell and Keith David paired with a haunting score by Ennio Morricone make this movie one of the best horror experiences available today.
Get Out (2017)
Where to watch: Peacock
Coming out of sketch comedy series “Key & Peele,” comedian Jordan Peele’s turn to directing high-concept horror movies may come as a shock. Peele’s directorial debut shows almost none of the humor that his series “Key & Peele” is known for, as “Get Out” is a horrifying and thought-provoking movie that examines race and its role in society. The movie opens with Chris Washington, played by Daniel Kaluuya, in the car with his girlfriend Rose Armitage, played by Allison Williams, on the way to meet her parents. The plot starts to reveal its hand early on, as Armitage hits a deer crossing the road, and a police officer demands to see Washington’s driver’s license due to the collision. The immediate point that is brought up from the conversation is that it was Armitage who caused the crash but the officer only wants to see Washington’s license because Washington is black. This ties into one of Washington’s fears for the rest of the movie, being that Rose’s white family will not approve of her choice to date Chris, a black man. Although the family presents themselves as accepting and friendly, Peele’s camerawork gives an eerie, almost disconnected feel to the Armitage household. From the moment Chris steps foot in the house, something is wrong. Every scene where everything seems normal is met with more scenes where nothing is. Peele slowly builds up a story under the surface, which comes to a head near the end of the movie when all is revealed. It’s a horrifying conclusion that brings the story to a satisfactory end. “Get Out” is similar to “The Cabin In The Woods” in the sense that it always keeps the audience guessing. Even the most casual of scenes have an unsettling undertone that makes the viewer think that anything could happen at any moment. Everything in the movie is specially crafted to make a plot that one can follow while only getting bits and pieces of the real story happening below the surface level.
Event Horizon (1997)
Where to watch: Fubo TV
Science fiction horror is one of the most interesting subsets of the horror genre. Science is always evolving and changing, altering humanity’s understanding of the universe. Some science fiction tries to make what lies beyond understandable to humans, such as the Xenomorph in the “Alien” franchise. Paul W. S. Anderson’s “Event Horizon” leans in the opposite direction. The horror in this movie is Lovecraftian in nature, understanding and embracing that the audience will not fully wrap their heads around the monster in this movie. The movie follows a crew sent out to space to examine the remains of the Event Horizon spacecraft, which had been lost in space years earlier. The crew comes to realize that the ship is alive in some way, manifesting each person’s deepest underlying fears and insecurities into reality. The ship slowly degrades the crew’s sanity by creating disturbing visions, until it is finally revealed what exactly happened to the crew of the Event Horizon. This scene is what kicks off the real Lovecraftian horror. There is no monster in “Event Horizon,” but instead an incomprehensible force that humans will never be able to understand. This movie does not necessarily try to put the force in terms the audience understands, but what it shows is enough to terrify. “Event Horizon” is one of the scariest science fiction movies ever released.
As Halloween comes closer and many want to celebrate its festivities by watching scary movies, there are a variety of horror movies ranging from slasher to science fiction that are a staple to this season.
