Editorials
What Are Some “Perfect” Horror Movies?
Just last night, I watched Jonathan Demme’s 1991 psychological horror/thriller The Silence of the Lambs and, just like every time I pop it in, was absolutely blown away by how near-perfect it is. From the casting choices and their performances to the brilliant direction. From the haunting DP work to the wonderful score. Seriously, it’s one of those movies that I can watch time after time and always find myself absolutely engrossed.
That got me thinking about horror movies that are considered to be “perfect” by the horror community. Are there more films that fall under that banner?
So let’s discuss this! I’ve got a few of my choices below (by no means all of them) and then I want you all to give me some of your own “perfect” favorites in the comments below!
The Shining
This may be one of my all-time favorite horror movies. Look at all those amazing qualities I mentioned above about The Silence of the Lambs and you can easily apply them to Stanley Kubrick’s absolutely terrifying masterpiece. Few movies manage to haunt me as much as The Shining and its brilliant representation of descent into madness.
Dawn of the Dead
Night of the Living Dead might have been the movie that kicked off the zombie craze that we’re still swept in today but it was the sequel that I feel really showed just how important and culturally significant these kinds of movies are. Featuring scathing social commentary, likable characters, and enough gore for any fan, this is the epitome of a brilliantly realized horror film.
The Fly
It’s hard to pick a Cronenberg film that isn’t stunning in some way or another. But this remake took the concept of the original 1958 film and took it in directions darker and more horrific than I think anyone could’ve imagined. Never straying from its tone, this film ends in such a way that we find ourselves questioning the very idea of who plays the villain. An absolute masterpiece.
Suspiria
Obviously this was going to appear somewhere on here. It’s a timeless classic and for damn good reasons. It’s gorgeous, it’s got a razor-thin plot that it never deviates from, and it’s simply a nightmarish yet highly entertaining journey that every horror fan needs to undertake at least once in their life.
The Thing
While many would consider Carpenter’s Halloween to be a better example of his work, I think The Thing is the director’s true masterpiece. Yes, Michael Myers has become a cultural icon but this alien biological virus is where true horror comes forth. I still question the ending every time I rewatch this film, all while marveling at how fresh and gorgeous the practical FX still look to this day.
The Sacrament
This may surprise some of you but I found this film to be an incredible achievement and a way to inject new life into the whole “found footage” craze. Additionally, while many found footage horror movies tackle something supernatural or otherworldly, The Sacrament stay firmly planted in reality, using a real life event as its inspiration. I remember watching this movie and going from horror to grief to anxiety in the third act. I honestly can’t remember a film that made me feel so much in the past several years.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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