I'm bringing you some of my favorites for this week’s Bloody Streams; maybe not great technical achievements or Oscar-worthy plots, but films that I try and watch every few years just because they're fun and they remind me why I enjoy the genre so much. It’s understandable to always search for something new and fresh to watch, but, let’s be reasonable, that’s not always a viable option. For times like these, it’s nice to have gems to fall back on. So, without further ado, enjoy this week’s Bloody Streams!
The Frighteners (1996)
I love The Frighteners - for so many reasons. First and foremost, Michael J. Fox was always one of my favorites after the BTTF Trilogy and Teen Wolf. So, for him to embody the really cool character of Frank Banister, who sees ghosts and is a fairly sleazy businessman was really cool. Secondly, the ghosts are hilarious. It’s the perfect combo of comedy and pretty cool CGI when they’re in the mix. Thirdly, Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, Bride of Re-Animator) does not disappoint in providing the film with an extraordinarily weird co-star that has more than a few phobias bouncing around in his belfries. Last, but certainly not least is that this film was directed than none other than Peter Jackson. That’s right, before the man helmed some seriously giant-budget flicks like the LOTR trilogy, King Kong and the still-releasing Hobbit series, he made some really good, classic and respectable horror films. This one most certainly included in that list.
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Braindead / Dead Alive (1992)
I really didn’t mean to do this, but it just so happens that this film was one of those earlier horror films also directed by Peter Jackson. In this case, the action takes place on his native Kiwi landscape and follows a flesh-eating virus from a monkey to a family living in a tiny community. The family is an adult male living with his overbearing mother. It’s not unlike Psycho in that respect, but where Psycho keeps the ordeal as straight-laced as possible, Braindead blows normalcy right out of the damn water. This film should be on every horror fans short list of favorites. Once again, the comedy is rampant and here the blood and guts are delivered by the buckets. The last scene when he picks up the lawnmower and yields it as a weapon….well, let’s just say that it was one of the brighter spots of my younger cinematic life.
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Dr. Giggles (1992)
As a youngster, almost every Friday night I’d go to the local video store where they had a 5 for $5 deal on Fridays. You could get 5 “older” movies for 5 days and it only cost 5 dollars. I can't count the number of hours I read and re-read the VHS cases that lined the shelves. I’d say that it was the most integral activity that made me the horror fan I am today. With that being said, Dr. Giggles was brought home as a part of that deal more than a few times and it always freaked me out. First off, I hate doctors of all kinds. Medical Doctors, Dentists – they all make me queasy. I’m sure if I spent enough time on a leather couch then I could find out why but that’s for another day and I’d technically have to spend time with an actual Dr. Anyways, the titular character here (the villain Durant from the incredible Darkman) is an escaped mental patient who thinks he’s a doctor (even worse). He goes back to take revenge on the town that killed his father. Yes, it steals from a good number of other horror films but who doesn't in this day and age. I’m sure most of you hard-core fans out there have already seen this, but it still deserves to get streamed every few years.
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It (1990)
In the immortal words of my favorite horror clown, Captain Spaulding, “Don’t you like clowns? Don't we make you laugh? Aren't we fucking funny?” It, with its three hour run time and sketchy tv quality may be more of an undertaking than a movie, but I undertake it quite a bit. I don't really have a problem with clowns. They're weird as hell and I don't really care to be anywhere a clown would be (primarily because they're usually at carnivals or children’s parties – two places that just give me a headache), but they definitely don't scare me. I know plenty of people that they do scare though and they will not watch this movie. That kills me. Anyway, I enjoy the movie because of the psychological effects that these events have on the characters. Also, just the creepy scenes like the paper boat floating down the side of the street; images that have stayed in my head all these years. So, if you've got some time and patience, hunker down for a night with the demon clown, Pennywise!
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