As hardcore horror fans, sometimes it feels like you’ve seen it all. There are no surprises left to discover, no classic slasher film waiting around the corner to thrill you and slap a childlike grin on your face. You try to feed the fix by searching through lists of “The Scariest Films You’ve Never Seen” only to come across titles like “May”, “The Descent”, and “Suspiria”. These are, of course, films that us diehards know and love all too well. That’s where I come in, dear reader. We’ll be taking a deep dive into the bowels of obscure horror from decades past and uncovering titles that might have fallen “Through the Cracks”.
When it comes to horror fans and Halloween, two things are a given. One, we will most certainly increase our horror movie viewing habits in the month of October. Two, in that timeframe we will watch at least one of the following, Trick r’ Treat or John Carpenter’s original Halloween (or one of the myriad of sequels). Outside of those two stone cold classics, the subgenre of fright films celebrating All Hallow’s Eve is surprisingly light. Given my passion for dusting off obscure titles from the past that may have gone unseen or forgotten, I decided this a great opportunity to highlight some Halloween titles you might have missed.
Trick or Treat (1986)
No, this carries no relation to the previously mentioned anthology classic from writer/director Michael Dougherty. Trick or Treat is a rock n’ roll slasher that attempts to launch a new Freddy Krueger -esque franchise villain in the form of Sammi Curr. Curr is the wisecracking lead singer of a metal band who dies and is resurrected by what else? A record being played backwards, of course. With cameos by rock legends Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmon, Trick or Treat is well worth a blu ray re-release here in the states.
Satan’s Little Helper (2004)
Genre vet, Jeff Lieberman (Squirm, Just Before Dawn), directs this subversive Halloween tale. The story revolves around a kid named Dougie, apparently not the brightest bulb, who mistakes a sadistic serial killer in a Satan mask as the real life personification of his favorite video game character. He basically tags along as ya know…Satan’s Little Helper, aiding and abetting this madman as he slices and dices his way through their small town on Halloween night. Dougie thinks it’s all a game until it’s much too late. This is a fun one off from a director who hasn’t been that active in the genre since the 80s. Not enough people have seen this gem, and they need to get on it.
Hellbent (2004)
When it comes to gay-centric horror films we haven’t got a lot to be proud of. Most titles that fall under the sub-genre are just piss poor excuses to have some muscle bound dude take his shirt off while his eyes glow or something. Seriously, DeCoteau, you can do better. That said, it’s not like a homosexual horror film has to carry with it the weight of an entire civil rights movement on its back. It does, however, need to be entertaining. In 2004, a film entitled Hellbent started making its way across the festival circuit. It was a slasher film about a hulking beast of a man in a devil costume slicing up a group of friends out celebrating on Halloween night. Sounds pretty generic, right? Exactly! That’s why it works. Yes, the characters are mostly gay men in West Hollywood, but the focus of the film isn’t their sexuality (like most LGBTQ cinema in general). At the end of the day, this is a well made, fairly suspenseful slice n’ dice.
Lady in White (1988)
Lady in White exudes the exact type of Amblin riffing, nostalgia fueled entertainment that has driven It and Stranger Things to the top of pop culture notoriety. Nostalgia before nostalgia was cool, I suppose. Lady in White is almost overwhelmingly genuine, crossing the line into schmaltz at times. That’s part of the charm, though, and you’ll quickly find yourself remembering that feeling of being a kid when everything supernatural seemed natural and ghosts were always chilling outside your window…or under your bed.
Cemetery of Terror (1985)
An insano Mexican horror film from the director of the equally bonkers Don’t Panic, Cemetery of Terror is a boatload of fun. You’ve got a creepy old graveyard, a crap ton of zombies, the corpse of a recently deceased serial killer, and a group of randy kids looking to have fun with the occult on Halloween night. What could go wrong? A lot, naturally. For those who love their seasonal spooks with a full plate of cheese, Cemetery of Terror is a true undiscovered gem.