I’m one week into my 31 days of Halloween (horror) movies and there have been some great and some… not so great. Ok, terrible. I want to recap what I watched but first, I thought I’d share what I feel makes a good horror movie. Obviously everyone has different tastes and different fears. I’ve said before, it takes a lot to scare me. Not many movies truly horrify me. Honestly, I wish more did! So what do I look for?
Suspense! I use this word a lot and it’s my favorite element in a horror movie. Nothing scares me more than the unknown. Where (who?) is the bad guy. When everything is still and quiet and I don’t know what’s around the corner… that’s what has me holding my breath. When I think of some of my favorite horror movies like Halloween or Paranormal Activity, I think of how little action actually happens in those movies. There is more build up and anticipation of what is going to happen rather than huge events actually happening. Of course it’s important that something does happen eventually. But think of how long it actually takes Michael Myers to start killing Lori’s friends. He watches them for half the movie, just lurking and making viewers wonder when he’s going to make his move. I love it. I also love a good paranormal element that isn’t too over the top.
I love that Michael Myers is almost immortal. I love when I think the bad guy is dead but he mysteriously disappears. I also love when I DON’T see the demon or monster that is the villain. Not because it scares me but usually because it makes it less realistic for me. And less likely to scare me because I know the likelihood of a 7ft goat/demon appearing in my house is slim. But not seeing what’s moving the furniture, opening a door slowly, or possessing an innocent victim? Now that’s creepy. Witchcraft, possession, ghosts, even aliens; the simpler the better. Don’t overdo it. Let the viewer imagine it. Let them believe what they are watching has even the remote possibility of being real and that will get me every time.
Sure, I like horror movies that don’t line up with what I just said. They just don’t scare me the way I want a horror movie to. So with that said, here is a recap of the first seven movies I watched this month, in order from best to worst in my opinion.
- Haunt (2019) – I can’t recommend this one enough. So creepy and so suspenseful. The premise isn’t new but it was done better than any other similar story I’ve seen. While the characters make some cliche horror movie mistakes, it’s still a story that can be believable.
- He’s Out There (2018) – I was surprisingly pleased with this one. This is definitely not a new or even unique story but it’s told well enough that it doesn’t matter. The suspense (there’s that word again) is constant and the villain is just psychotic enough to make it believable. And horrifying.
- Don’t Breathe (2016) – The premise is basically a blind man taking on some youth that break into his house. This did not sound interesting to me. Or scary. But I was wrong! This one is filled with surprises. And the concept of being right in front of someone who wants to kill you but can’t see you is downright terrifying.
- The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – I’m not sure how I missed this one for 3 years but it’s pretty decent. I found the suspense to be solid and the idea was creepy and intelligent enough to frighten me. It gets a little out there towards the end (remember what I said about not wanting to see what’s causing trouble) which is why it’s not higher on my list so far.
- In the Tall Grass (2019) – From Stephen King, I had high hopes. But this one was too weird for me. I didn’t dislike it but it wasn’t my favorite. It was also much more confusing than I prefer a horror movie to be. I love a story that makes me think and try to decipher what’s really going on (like the entire series of LOST) but this one wasn’t interesting enough on top of the confusion. I was too preoccupied trying to figure it out than to be scared.
- Demonic (2015) – This story has been told a million times and it was not unique or done well enough to make it stand out. It has some interesting parts but not enough. And the ending was obvious.
- I’m Just F*cking With You (2019) – Oh my word was this movie terrible. On IMDB it gets 5.7 stars out of 10. I’m shocked. If this movie was meant to be funny, they failed. If it was meant to be terrifying, they failed. There are too may plot holes and the whole thing is just executed so poorly. I seriously could hardly stand it and just kept waiting for it to be over.
That’s it! Stay tuned for next week’s recap. Follow me on Instagram for daily updates on my October movie journey.
