2008 Woodie Awards
Switch up holiday movie traditions
By: Thomas Marcetti
Issue date: 10/31/07 Section: Lifeline
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For some it just wouldn't be Halloween without a marathon of thrillers, chillers and slashers.
Most of the time horror fans will settle for one of the 7 million installments of "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th."
Sometimes they need something new, or something new to them.
There are hundreds of obscure but amazing horror films that rarely get the credit they deserve. If you're not a film major or a horror fanatic the following is a list of truly terrifying movies you have probably never heard of.
"Ôdishon" (English translation: "Audition") (1999)
Asian cinema has been producing some of the most disturbing and terrifying movies around for years. Such popular titles as "The Ring" (2002) and "The Grudge" (2004) actually are remakes of much more frightening and effective Japanese movies.
"Audition" by director Takashi Miike combines all the elements of story telling to create a truly terrifying experience.
The movie builds such a suffocating sense of suspense that when the climax does arrive, the relief is almost palpable. The brutality and monstrosity of the last act will leave even the most die-hard horror fans whimpering and reaching for their stuffed penguins.
"El Espinazo del diablo" (English translation: "The Devil's Backbone") (2001)
Guillermo del Toro has proven his ability to tell fantastic stories with compelling visuals. "The Devil's Backbone" spares neither of those to deliver a truly haunting ghost story.
The story is set in an orphanage during the end of the Spanish Civil War and focuses on the story of the ghost of a little boy who was beaten and drowned there years ago.
Not only does the story manage to be existential and moving, it is hauntingly scary, but that could be because there is nothing scarier than a creepy little kid.
"Duel" (1971)
"Duel" is often described as the "Jaws" of the highway.
The idea of a 90-minute chase sequence between a single man and semi-truck might seem boring or contrived, but Steven Spielberg manages to keep the suspense and terror alive the entire time.
Most of the time horror fans will settle for one of the 7 million installments of "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th."
Sometimes they need something new, or something new to them.
There are hundreds of obscure but amazing horror films that rarely get the credit they deserve. If you're not a film major or a horror fanatic the following is a list of truly terrifying movies you have probably never heard of.
"Ôdishon" (English translation: "Audition") (1999)
Asian cinema has been producing some of the most disturbing and terrifying movies around for years. Such popular titles as "The Ring" (2002) and "The Grudge" (2004) actually are remakes of much more frightening and effective Japanese movies.
"Audition" by director Takashi Miike combines all the elements of story telling to create a truly terrifying experience.
The movie builds such a suffocating sense of suspense that when the climax does arrive, the relief is almost palpable. The brutality and monstrosity of the last act will leave even the most die-hard horror fans whimpering and reaching for their stuffed penguins.
"El Espinazo del diablo" (English translation: "The Devil's Backbone") (2001)
Guillermo del Toro has proven his ability to tell fantastic stories with compelling visuals. "The Devil's Backbone" spares neither of those to deliver a truly haunting ghost story.
The story is set in an orphanage during the end of the Spanish Civil War and focuses on the story of the ghost of a little boy who was beaten and drowned there years ago.
Not only does the story manage to be existential and moving, it is hauntingly scary, but that could be because there is nothing scarier than a creepy little kid.
"Duel" (1971)
"Duel" is often described as the "Jaws" of the highway.
The idea of a 90-minute chase sequence between a single man and semi-truck might seem boring or contrived, but Steven Spielberg manages to keep the suspense and terror alive the entire time.
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