Nov 012014
 

Halloween Horror, Page and Screen

– Recommendations from the Geekzine team

Here at Geekzine Towers we feel very strongly about all things spooky, and what better excuse to indulge our love of horror films and books than the annual marketing ploy that is Halloween.

Below you will find recommendations from the Geekzine team, some of which you will no doubt be familiar with, others less so. There are a few from the Geekzine’s chief editor (me), Andy Jamieson, from the Geekzine’s chief correspondent, Jim Taylor, and from erstwhile reviewer, Sonya Doig. Enjoy.

Movies

(in no particular order)

Event Horizon (1997)

This widely-underrated UK/US co-production has gained a cult following in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why.  Using its science fictional setting to maximum effect, Event Horizon is intensely creepy and atmospheric, featuring terrific set design and great performances from Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne and Joely Richardson.  As horror, the film succeeds for the same reason that the computer game Doom does: it suggests that Hell is a place we can reach through the use of technology, thus dragging the concept of an actually existing realm of the damned uncomfortably close to our 21st century reality.  Director Paul W. S. Anderson (a man whose career has been patchy, to say the least) also creates one of the most inventive and unsettling depictions of Hell ever seen on screen. (Jim Taylor)

 

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The Wolfman (2010)

From its troubled production (out with original director, Mark Romanek, in with the ever-reliable Spielberg protege, Joe Johnston) to its lukewarm reception, life was not easy for this remake of the original Lon Chaney Wolfman. Time has been kind to it, and it is rare to find a horror film that revels in its gloopy, gory moments (Anthony Sher, meet iron railings) and in ripe melodrama (Anthony Hopkins). Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt are the heart and soul of this deliciously stylish, atmospheric back-to-basics lupine yarn, and the human story is as powerful as the theatrics on show. Awesome Danny Elfman soundtrack too.  (Andy Jamieson)

 

Possession (1981)

Polish director Andrzej Zulawski’s avant-garde horror film is beguiling and infuriating in equal measure.  It’s about the breakdown of a marriage, a man’s descent into insanity, cold war espionage, the creation of a monstrous creature and (possibly) the end of the world.  A sequence of increasingly surreal scenes forces the audience to question the sanity of the main characters, in particular Mark (Sam Neill in another fine turn) and Anna (an astonishing and disturbing performance from Isabelle Adjani); the latter’s infamous solo scene in a Berlin subway station is shockingly intense, and contributed to the film being ranked as a notorious “video nasty” by the British press.  To say any more would give too much away, but if you like your horror bizarre, then this one’s for you. (JT)

 

Halloween (1978)

How original, I hear you cry.  Recommending John Carpenter’s stone cold classic, one of the grandaddies of the slasher sub-genre?  No-one’s ever heard of that!  Perhaps, but I want to recommend it in a slightly different way: this year, try watching Halloween not simply as a superior horror film which spawned a thousand imitators and a string of inferior sequels, but simply as a film.  When you abandon your preconceptions about the limitations of genre, the movie reveals itself as a cinematic masterpiece.  Beautifully shot, scored and paced, with atmosphere practically oozing out of the screen, Halloween also remains cagey enough about the true nature of unstoppable killing machine Michael Myers to be nicely ambiguous in its supernatural leanings, and thus makes for an interesting watch on many levels. (JT)

 

From Beyond the Grave

From Beyond The Grave (1967)

… is a beautifully executed film comprising a series of 4 vignettes, a production from the legendary Hammer Horror made at their peak in 1967. Peter Cushing, the owner of an old curiosity antique shop, is swindled by his customers, each of whom meet a grisly end for their wrong doings. Ironically, the only honest patrons amongst them are the most irritating and the ones whom you’d kinda like to meet a nasty end. But we can’t have it all! Cushing is joined by British greats such as Donald Pleasance, Diana Dors and David Warner and although it’s dated and not remotely scary, the prick to the conscience and the uneasy sense of guilt when we ask ourselves about our own propensity to manipulate to prosper, is quite unnerving. (Sonya Doig)

 

The Crazies (2010)

Remakes in Hollywood, as a rule, tend to fall short of originals, especially where horror is concerned.  This, however, cannot be said of Breck Eisner’s reimagining of George A. Romero’s 1973 film The Crazies, which surpasses the original and proves itself a solid modern B-movie.  Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell play a couple caught up in the chaos after a small midwestern town is exposed to a military-engineered virus, finding themselves stuck between a deluge of homicidal maniacs and the increasingly brutal containment measures taken by the armed forces.  Playing like a zombie movie with a twist (in that these zombies can use guns and open doors), The Crazies is fun, thrilling and is a perfect choice for the more lightweight “middle film” in your Halloween movie marathon. (JT)

 

Lost Highway (1997)

No list of recommended Halloween watching would be complete without an entry from David Lynch, which is slightly strange when you think about it, as the iconic director has made very little that could be considered out-and-out horror (even Eraserhead is, I would argue, borderline).  Regardless, some of his works come pretty damn close, and I’m going to take a leftfield approach and recommend his underrated 1997 surreal noir Lost Highway.  Why?  Well, mainly Robert Blake’s chilling peformance, the crazy industrial soundtrack and the fact that the film remains one of Lynch’s most infuriatingly ambiguous works (even if some critics have claimed that it’s essentially the same film as Mulholland Drive).  Plus, it’s very creepy.  AND…it’s one of the only horror movies ever to be adapted into an opera.  Can’t go wrong. (JT)

 

 

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The Prophecy (1995)

This remains a testament to the acting prowess and screen magnetism of one Christopher Walken, who blazes across the screen as the Archangel Gabriel, an antihero like no other. In his quest to gather an army to take on Heaven, he is as deluded as he is quotable. Eric Scholtz, as the Archangel Simon, learns of Gabriels’s plan and foils him by stealing the soul from the dead human general that Gabe is seeking to help him in his warmongering. Yes, the plot is batshit crazy, but gives plenty of room for the star wattage of Walken to strut his stuff, sniffing and grunting as he hunts his prize. Elias Koteas and Virginia Madsen co-star as the humans trying to stop him. And Viggo Mortensen cameos as Lucifer! Incredible stuff, this has to be seen to be believed. From the mind of Gregory Wden, one of the original creators of the Highlander series. Watered down by four worsening sequels that had the gumption of firstly giving Walken a long grey wig (the third film) and adding Sean Pertwee to the mix (the fourth). (AJ)

 

 

 

Books

(once more, with no order)

 

 

Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James

The master of the winter ghost story.  We’ve waffled about how great M. R. James is in these pages before, but for that gently chilling, dreadfully slow-burning style of horror there’s simply no-one else who comes close.  Criticised these days for not being “scary enough”, James’ stories still have plenty to offer in exercising the more horrifying parts of your imagination.  H. P. Lovecraft was a big fan (although the admiration was not mutual), which is as ringing an endorsement as any, and no reader can tell me that Count Magnus and Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to YouMy Lad don’t send a chill through the old bones… (JT)

 

 

 

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

Less a novella than a story cycle of four sinister tales, Chambers’ hugely influential piece of horror writing has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity this year, due to being repeatedly referenced in the hit HBO TV series True Detective.  Revisiting it now, one discovers a deeply macabre mystery surrounding a peculiar play called The King in Yellow which seems to bring madness and death to all who read it.  Chambers’ atmosphere of creeping terror and hints about cosmic entities directing human affairs influenced many 20th century writers, including H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King and Grant Morrison.  Suffice it to say, it’s aged well. (JT)

 

DeadofWinterThe Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

Edgar Allan Poe. M.R. James. Wilkie Collins. Add Chris Priestley to that list; an esteemed storyteller of ghostly delights. Following on from his Tales of Terror trilogy (of which this book is a great companion piece to), Priestley’s 2010 novel oozes a rich, gothic-laced atmosphere. Young orphan, Michael, moves to the country manor of Hawton Mere, set amongst misty marshland, to live with his guardian, the sickly and troubled Sir Stephen. But something is not right at the estate and, from the off, Michael is certain that there is a ghoulish mystery waiting to be uncovered… Michael’s adventure is gripping, and by the end you will be feverishly turning pages to discover what happens next! This is an exceptionally well-crafted book, and more than matches the high standard of the Terror books. It’s simply a great pleasure to read and reiterates that Priestley is very, very good at what he does. If you read one book over the winter months, look no further than this masterpiece of festive chills. Superb. (AJ)

 

 

 

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Ring by Koji Suzuki

The original novel that started the craze, Suzuki’s breakout novel in the West is better than any of the films. The heartbreaking tale of Sadako is rendered with layers of mystery as journalist Asakawa investigates the mysterious deaths of four teenagers, one of whom he was the uncle to. His investigations lead him to a holiday resort, weher the teens were last all seen together. There he discovers a peculiar VHS tape (that’s VIDEO, kids, not a dvd-blu-ray in sight…) that has what appears to be an abstract short film recorded on it – ending with the message that the viewer has 7 days left to live… The initial set-up lures you in and as the week deadline encroaches on Asakawa you quite simply cannot put the damn book down. Essential for horror fans. (AJ)

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