Horror recommendations

As the bewitching hour of Halloween grows near, you may already be preparing for the Hallow's Eve festivities. October is a wonderful time to celebrate the weird, obscure, freaky, and of course scary, side of life. One of the best aspects of Halloween is getting together with a group of friends to watch scary movies. Sadly, however, most people don't know the best scary movies out there. Or, even where to begin. Most people are greatly misguided by pop culture when it comes to horror films. And, most people will just watch whatever is most popular at the time. (A.K.A.-"Boogeyman", "Ring 2.") Now, these aren't necessarily bad movies. But, there is a wondrous archive of horror films out there that most people don't know or care about. So, I wanted to write this blog in dedictation to one of my favorite art forms: The horror film. And, in most cases, the 1980's horror film.

You might say I've already been doing research in this area for quite some time now. I am, by no means, an expert on horror films. But, I have seen tons of them. It sort of became a hobby of mine. There is a certain humor in laughing at bad horror, and that's the allure for me. Another allure is discovering rare and obscure treasures that you could never discover without doing some serious searching. With this research, I will attempt to guide you to the best horror films to watch this October. And, don't worry. I won't steer you wrong. There are different types of horror films you may want to watch, depending on the situation. I am only all too aware of this. I'm sensitive to the disdain the average person may hold toward horror films. But, don't worry. There's something for everyone.

Here are my top picks for this year's Halloween fright fun:

The College Crowd:
The college crowd is a category I'm creating for people who want to watch horror for the campy value. You know, they get a kick out of bad acting, low budget special effects, etc. You don't literally have to be a college student to enjoy these picks. But, "college crowd" simply describes the type of film. These tend to be a bit more crude at times. Maybe a bit more violent. So, if you're not into that, college crowd films aren't for you. However, if you want to see something different to watch with your friends, and you want a good laugh, then look no further.

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn
Hilarious slapstick that could rival the Three Stooges. It's also a Bruce Campbell classic. Click here to read about the movie. Click here to visit Bruce Campbell's official page. Roger Ebert sums it up best in his review.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
It's important to note that I'm talking about the original TCM here. If you've seen the newer 2003 verison, please don't judge the original based on it. The original is a genuine work of art. In fact, you can click here to read a blog I wrote on it back in the summer. Click here for the rotten tomatoes TCM page.

The Lost Boys
An incredible 80's vampire flick, featuring Corey Feldam AND Corey Haim! Thoroughly entertaining, and overly "cool." It's one of my favorite 80's horror movies, and it's sure to be a hit with the "college crowd" who have never seen it. Click here to read about it.

More recommendations for Halloween coming up soon, with other categories!