Tag Archives: horror movies

5 Horror Movies to Get You Ready for Fall

September 23, 2019 thefrightowl Leave a comment

It’s the first day of Fall, my favorite season! The leaves are turning, the weather is getting cooler, and the best holiday ever is right around the corner, followed shortly by the food fest that is Thanksgiving.

I’m in the mood for fall all year long, so when it hits, I’m ready. But some of you might be in warmer climates, or maybe you’re just not feeling it. Well, why don’t you watch some horror movies to improve your mood?

Children of the Corn (1984): Stephen King’s tale of some youngsters leading a religious cult in the midst of corn fields in the Midwest, backed by “He Who Walks Behind The Rows,” is a great movie to start with in your quest to get in the fall spirit. Corn mazes are a symbol of the season, and a supernaturally charged one is just a no-brainer.
Halloween (1978): This one is obvious. Of course you should watch Halloween to get in the mood. No discussion needed.
Trick ‘r Treat (2007): I love this movie so very much. If you haven’t seen it, I sincerely hope you add it to your normal rotation of horror movies. It’s an anthology of Halloween stories, and it’s got a lot of great moments. And a cool soundtrack. If you’ve seen it, you know the best scene has a little Manson playing in the background. Not a huge fan of his, but the song fits so well, and – well, you just need to watch it.
Sleepy Hollow (1999): Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team up in this retelling of the classic story by Washington Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” This has always been one of my faves. The spooky tone Burton sets really makes you think of chilly weather, jack o’ lanterns, and apple cider.
You’re Next (2011): Yeah, technically this one takes place during a wedding anniversary, but it just really gives off a Thanksgiving vibe to me. Just watch the mayhem, and hope that your Thanksgiving celebration doesn’t turn out that way. A drunk uncle or two? Whatevs. Multiple masked killers? Maybe not.

That’s definitely just the tip of the iceberg for fall-themed horror movies, so if you’re still not feeling it, I recommend you get into some sequels. Seriously, I’m pretty sure there are at least 34 sequels to Children of the Corn. And we all know you’ve got additional options with Halloween.

What are your favorite fall horror movies? What gets you in the mood for the season? Let me know in the comments!

Holiday Horror, Movie Reviews, Movies

Scary Easter?

April 14, 2017 thefrightowl Leave a comment

So I’m all about horror and making things fun and scary, but I’m really struggling with a creepy way to celebrate Easter, the most pastel of all holidays. There just aren’t a lot of options here. I mean, the holiday mascot is a fluffy bunny.

But I’m going to try my hardest.

First of all, the Easter horror movie selection is (not surprisingly) lacking. There are only a handful, so I would recommend watching Easter Sunday (2014) and Peter Rottentail (2004). I haven’t seen either, but Easter Sunday has some pretty good reviews, and Peter Rottentail just looks weird and funny in a very B-movie way. Just Google it to look at the villain. Michael Myers he (she?) is not, but it’s still promising.

Also a good idea would be to check out Critters 2. It takes place near/on Easter, and there’s an excellent scene of the Easter Bunny getting attacked and killed. Not the real one, just a guy in a suit. Check it out:

Pretty cool, right?

Second, maybe find a way to maximize the creep factor of the day by being creative. Start by making some spiderweb dyed eggs. Just check out the many tutorials online. You could even draw some skulls on non-dyed eggs with a sharpie. That’s pretty simple. And if you have kids that are on board the horror train (Side note: I feel like if that’s not a thing, it should totally be), give them some scary movies and gross toys in their Easter basket, which could totally be jet black, by the way.

Pastel is not a requirement.

So there you have it. I tried and – just maybe? – succeeded. I hope you all have a very creepy Easter. Let me know if you have any other scary ways to celebrate.

Movies

Coming Soon 2017

January 9, 2017 thefrightowl Leave a comment

For all the horror movie fans out there like myself, 2017 is going to be a fun year. We’ve got a lot of new ideas to enjoy and some old favorites to revisit. Here’s the list:

Movie Title	IMDb Link	Release Date
Underworld: Blood Wars	IMDb	January 6
The Bye Bye Man	IMDb	January 13
Split	IMDb	January 20
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter	IMDb	January 27
Rings	IMDb	February 3
Patient Zero	IMDb	February 17
Get Out	IMDb	February 24
Raw	IMDb	March 10
The Belko Experiment	IMDb	March 17
Life	IMDb	March 24
Prevenge	IMDb	March 24
The Void	IMDb	April 7
Phoenix Forgotten	IMDb	April 21
Alien: Covenant	IMDb	May 19
It Comes at Night	IMDb	June 9
The Mummy	IMDb	June 9
47 Meters Down	IMDb	June 23
Amityville: The Awakening	IMDb	June 30
Wish Upon	IMDb	June 30
The Dark Tower	IMDb	July 28
Annabelle 2	IMDb	August 11
Polaroid	IMDb	August 25
Temple	IMDb	September 1
Jackals	IMDb	September 1
It	IMDb	September 8
Mother!	IMDb	September 15
Friend Request	IMDb	September 22
Flatliners	IMDb	September 29
Happy Death Day	IMDb	October 13
The Babysitter	IMDb	October 13
The Snowman	IMDb	October 20
Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween	IMDb	October 20
Saw: Legacy	IMDb	October 27
Polaroid	IMDb	December 1
He's Out There	IMDb	December 1
Keep Watching	IMDb	TBD 2017
Insidious: The Last Key	IMDb	January 5, 2018

Sequels, remakes, and reboots are everywhere you look, but I’m not complaining. Jason Voorhees gets to drop in for a visit in October along with Jigsaw, and the new It movie really has my interest. What movies are you looking forward to most in 2017?

UPDATE MARCH 18, 2017: The list has been updated after consulting IMDb to see what I’ve missed. You might notice that the newest Friday the 13th movie has been removed. I’m sorry to say that it’s been cancelled due to the poor performance of Rings. I know, I know. I’m sad, too, but we still have many horror movies to keep us busy this year.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Home Invasion Horror Movies

August 29, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

Don’t Breathe hit theaters over the weekend, and it seems to have struck a chord with moviegoers. It has impressed critics and topped the box office, so it got me thinking; what else can I and other horror movie fans do to satisfy our home invasion horror movie craving?

Never fear, because there are quite a few horror movies out there involving home invasions. Here are my faves:

The Collector (2009)

This movie is pretty gruesome. A man doing helping with maintenance at a family’s home is revealed in the beginning to actually be (SPOILER ALERT) casing the residence to break in while the family is away on vacation. He follows through with his plan, but after he’s inside, he finds himself in a house rigged with Saw-like booby traps and the family being tortured. It’s pretty crazy, but if you can’t take so-called “torture porn,” you might want to watch this one with your finger on the fast forward button.

The Strangers (2008)

This movie gets a lot of flack for the poor decisions made by the lead characters played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, but I still love this movie. An on-the-rocks couple is spending some time at an isolated house, and terror comes knocking on their door in the form of a skinny, young lady looking for “Tamara.” She ain’t, and soon the lady and a few other masked creeps begin to freak the hell out of the couple and (SPOILER ALERT) ultimately kill them in a “gut-wrenching” way.

That was a pun I just made.

Silent House (2011)

Elizabeth Olson is helping her father and uncle renovate a cabin to get ready for its sale and soon becomes isolated from them. She gets trapped inside with intruders and has to try out a few hiding places in the house. I don’t want to give anything else away, so just watch it. This one is creepy and filled with some great twists and turns.

The Purge (2013)

The Purge movies have become pretty popular, and although I like Anarchy and Election Year better than the first, it’s still a pretty great example of home invasion horror. Even a super-rich family with all sorts of security measures protecting their home isn’t safe from annual purgers after their son lets in a man trying to escape being murdered.

High Tension (2003)

This is one of my favorite French horror movies, and I love the craziness of it all. A woman travels to her family’s country home to visit and brings along her friend. They’re brutally attacked, and the thrill ride that follows is so stressful and insane. I love it.

That’s only a small portion of home invasion horror movies out there. If you run through those, you can try The Last House on the Left, The People Under the Stairs, or the French movies Martyrs or Inside. I haven’t seen Inside yet, but I plan on remedying that within the next week or so.

And I only recommend Martyrs if you’re ready to be messed up for a little while. That movie, man. It’s rough.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Independence Day Trilogy: A Patriotic Tribute to Horror

July 4, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

Happy 4th of July! We Americans are celebrating our independence hard today with hamburgers, ice cream, and fireworks, and if you’re like me, you’ll want to add a little fright to the mix.

Unfortunately, there aren’t too many Independence Day-themed horror movies out there, but there are at least enough to add a little horror to your holiday. So if you were wondering what kinds of horror movies to watch on the 4th of July, wonder no more.

I recommend starting with the horror-comedy Uncle Sam (1996), because I think it’s always best to start off light and end fierce with make-your-own trilogies. There’s a science to it, people.

This movie is about a Desert Storm veteran who returns from the grave on Independence Day to punish the unpatriotic citizens of his hometown. And he does it with a super-cool Uncle Sam mask. Full of blood and gore and absurdity, this is a great flick to start off on.

Next up in the unofficial 4th of July Horror Movie Trilogy is I Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). Jennifer Love Hewitt shows off her “talents” in this movie about a group of friends who runs over a stranger after an Independence Day celebration and covers it up by dumping the body. Of course, said stranger comes back to terrorize them resulting in madness and mayhem for them and fun for you.

Finally, let’s wrap this thing up with the always classic Jaws (1975). You can’t very well have a 4th of July Horror Movie Trilogy without it. I’m not even going to go into details with this one. It’s Jaws, for god’s sake.

Well, there you have it. The Official Unofficial 4th of July Horror Movie Trilogy. I’m feeling pretty good about this one.

And for a little extra credit: if you’re just way too pumped after your hella patriotic firework display, you can throw a little of The Purge (2013) or The Purge: Anarchy (2014) into the mix. Sure, they don’t have anything to do with the 4th, but you have to admit that the new founding fathers from these movies have created a super-patriotic holiday, sans fireworks.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday! Let me know what you think of the trilogy in the comments.

Throwbacks

Throwback: Late 90s Teen Horror

June 30, 2016 thefrightowl 1 Comment

Ah, the 90s. They were fun, right? So many great things came from that decade – the fashion, grunge, Must-See TV, Beanie Babies, The Backstreet Boys. And, hey, what about that Macarena?

These guys get it.

Fortunately for us, the decade also spawned a ton of horror movies – some great, some not so much. But for this post, I want to focus on the last half of the decade and the rash of teen slasher movies all started by one little movie you might have heard about: Scream.

Scream came out in 1996 and revitalized the slasher genre. I love this movie. It’s a funny, bloody, self-aware good time, and the sequels – although they’re not as great – keep the punchline going. Neve Campbell established herself as a worthy addition to the scream queen hall of fame, and Ghostface has now become almost as iconic as Michael Myers, Freddy, and Jason.

Following Scream, we had:

I Know What You Did Last Summer (October 1997)
Scream 2 (December 1997)
Disturbing Behavior (July 1998)
Halloween H2O (August 1998)
Urban Legend (September 1998)
Bride of Chucky (October 1998)
The Faculty (November 1998)
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (November 1998)

I mean just look at that list! I’m feeling the nostalgia. For real. How about you? What’s your favorite movie from the list?

List, Top Horror Lists

TFO’s Top 5 Favorite Shark Movies (That Aren’t Jaws)

June 28, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

Who doesn’t love a good shark movie? After Jaws made everyone scared to go into the water in 1975, movies featuring our fearsome finned friends popped up everywhere. And after SyFy entered the picture with its seemingly endless supply of shark-themed craziness, we certainly have enough movies to satisfy our bloody cravings.

To coincide with both Shark Week and the newly released “The Shallows” starring Blake Lively, I thought it would be quite appropriate to list my top 5 favorite shark movies that aren’t Jaws…because what shark movie list wouldn’t have the most famous shark at number 1?

And, for the record, I’m not saying these are good movies; I’m saying they’re my favorites.

Here it goes:

5. Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark

Oh? Did you not expect me to have SyFy shark movies on this list? Yes, they might be over-the-top, terribly-acted pieces of junk with horrible special effects, but damnit, they’re fun.

Yeah. Pretty sure these effects beat good ol’ SyFy.

SyFy has crafted a very big guilty pleasure for a lot of people. From giant crocodiles to weird mashups of creepy-crawlies, there’s no creature that’s safe. And sharks are one of their favorite subjects.

Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark is terrible – just terrible. But in a good way. There are some “unforeseen” complications when a shark-shaped submarine is sent to kill a huge shark that’s terrorizing people. Yep. They fight. People die. It’s awesome.

4. Open Water

Two divers get left behind by their tour boat and have to fend for themselves against the terrors of the ocean…including some – you guessed it – hungry sharks. This movie is intense. It’s not one I can rewatch over and over, but it’s a good one.

3. Ghost Shark

Another SyFy masterpiece. There’s a ghost shark haunting a small coastal town, and it’s just spectacular. The deaths in this movie crack me up (don’t judge me). A guy gets eaten on a slip-n-slide and one guy gets split completely in half after he drinks – yes, drinks – some ghost shark-infected water.

2. Deep Blue Sea

Oh, man, I loved this movie when it came out, and I still think it definitely has some rewatch value. Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, and LL Cool J feature in this movie about super sharks genetically engineered at a science station in the middle of the ocean. The point is to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, but things don’t exactly work out as planned. And (SPOILER ALERT) Samuel L. Jackson’s death scene is one of my favorite surprises of any horror movie.

1. The Sharknado Series

I. Freaking. Love. These. Movies.

They are so stupid. They are so crazy. They are so awesome. If you like shark movies, how can you not watch the triple-threat that is the Sharknado series. The last movie, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No, was fantastically terrible. They resorted to space travel to vanquish the Sharknado. Space! And the fourth movie in the series, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (LOVE IT!) premiers on July 31!

So. Effing. Excited.

Anyone disagree with this list? Or maybe you agree and just want to add an observation? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

Movies, Top Horror Lists

10 Horror Movies to Get You Ready for Summer

June 14, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but it is hot as HELL outside. The first day of summer is rapidly approaching, and if you want to know what horror movies to watch to get you in the mood, let’s count down the top 10 best horror movies to get you ready for summer. Whether they take place at a summer camp, a beach, or just a dusty, hot locale, these movies will get you in the right mindset.

10. The Ruins (2008): A group of friends on a trek through Mexico happen upon some ruins that hold a terrifying secret. You can practically feel the heat coming out of the television.

9. Sleepaway Camp (1983): This cult-favorite slasher takes place at a summer camp.

8. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997): Recent graduates celebrating after the summer pageant victory of one of their own accidentally mow down an innocent pedestrian.

7. Piranha 3D (2010): Beachgoers are terrorized by bloodthirsty piranhas and try to survive. Makes me want to go for a dip right now…

6. The Final Girls (2015): A girl and her friends are sucked into a crappy slasher movie and have to fight to survive. This is another one that takes place (at least the movie within the movie) at a summer camp. If you want to survive a horror movie, don’t go to a summer camp.

5. The Cabin in the Woods (2012): College friends on vacation are manipulated into playing out every horror movie ever made – ever.

4. The Hills Have Eyes (1977): A family gets stranded in the desert on summer vacation and get attacked by crazy, desert-dwelling mutants. Summer fun? Not so much.

3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): A group of friends go on a summer road trip and get stuck in a nasty, dusty, hot town in Texas. This one makes me sweat just watching it, and I’m not about from fear.

1. Jaws (1975) and Friday the 13th (1980): Well, I just couldn’t decide between the two of these for the top position, so I let them share the title. Beach vs. summer camp. It’s really hard to pick. And both are classics, so…yeah. I’m not up for that kind of decision-making at the moment.

So what movies get you in the mood for summer?

Movies

Upcoming Horror Movies

June 10, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

For this edition of Friday Night Frights and in honor of the release of The Conjuring 2, I thought I’d update the list of upcoming horror movies. I initially made this list for my second blog post, but after going to see X-Men: Apocalypse last weekend and coming across a movie poster for Bye Bye Man, a movie I had not heard about until then, I thought it was time for an update.

So without further adieu, here it is:

MOVIE TITLE	RELEASE DATE
The Conjuring 2	June 10
Clown	June 17
The Shallows	June 24
The Neon Demon	June 24
The Purge: Election Year	July 1
Ghostbusters	July 15
Lights Out	July 22
Don't Breathe (AKA A Man in the Dark)	August 26
Patient Zero	September 2
Before I Wake	September 9
When the Bough Breaks	September 16
Delirium	September 30
Underworld 5	October 14
Ouija: Origin of Evil	October 21
Boo! A Madea Halloween	October 21
Rings	October 28
The Strangers 2	December 2
Bye Bye Man	December 9

It has grown considerably since I created it in April, and I bet I’ll have a few more to add or delete before the end of the year. The movie I’m most ready for is Lights Out, and they’ve actually moved it up from its September release date. *Happy dance, happy dance*

I’m thinking about expanding the list to go out a full year and adding it as a page at the top of the blog that I’ll update regularly. I’ve been looking at the upcoming movies for 2017, and let’s just say that the words “remake” and “reboot” will be popping up aplenty. Not that I’m complaining, but there have to be some original ideas left somewhere. Right?

Well, now that the big part is finished, is anyone going to see The Conjuring 2 tonight? I’m so excited. I might have another happy dance left. Let me check.

*Happy dance*

There it is. Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Fright Owl