I'll admit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I do like scary movies. Not so much "slasher" movies: of the Big 3 ("Halloween", "Friday the 13th" & "Nightmare on Elm Street"), I've only ever seen "Halloween 3: Season of the Witch" and "New Nightmare". I prefer my scares more subtle, and one can't go wrong with horror comedy! Scares and laughs at the same time? I'm in!
Anyway, in the "spirit" of the season (pun very much intended), I've decided to list a few of my favorites, in 3 categories: General Horror/Thriller, Zombies, and Comedy. Since (with one exception) it's hard to pick favorites, I'll not rank them, but list them in good old-fashioned alphabetical order. Also, there are a few repeats, because I couldn't decide which they fit in better, so why not both?
General Horror/Thriller
- The Babadook - I'll admit that the kid in this movie drove me crazy, The movie itself is a good scare-fest. Both slow burn frights and jump-scares a-plenty, it's a twist on grief and recovery.
- Bram Stoker's Dracula - Both a straight-up fright and an erotic thriller, if you can get past Keanu Reeves' accent, it's a thrill. Two words: Gary Oldman.
- Carrie - Quite possibly my all-time favorite movie of any and all genres! Underneath the blood and jumps, it's actually a great anti-bullying story. While, yes, I'm talking about the original, I also enjoyed the remake.
- Les Diaboliques - The movie that made me enjoy watching movies with subtitles. Unfortunately, I must honor the disclaimer on the movie that says not to give anything away. (You've got to love a movie with that kind of disclaimer!)
- Dracula (1979) - I was about 14 when I first saw this, and Frank Langella made one very beans of a sexy vampire to me. The ending still sticks to me, even after all these years.
- The Invisible Man (2020) - I was surprised how much I liked this movie! I didn't know what to expect. It had to many twists and turns, and you wonder through the whole thing how it's going to resolve itself...or if it even does.
- It Follows - The Little Movie That Could. A not-very-well-hidden lesson in "safe sex", but it moves and has characters you get to like.
- Tourist Trap - Probably my biggest "guilty pleasure". It's not a great movie - I'm not even sure if it's a GOOD movie - but for some reason I really like it. When I was a teen, I probably watched it every time it came on The Movie Channel. Oh, and yes, I've watched it recently.
- Us - People can be as "hipper-than-thou" and say they saw the twist coming a mile away, but I sure couldn't. This one kept me glued to the edge of my seat...and that voice...*shudder*
- Wait Until Dark - Probably the movie that made me fall in love with psychological thrillers. This and "Carrie" have my favorite movie endings of all time.
Zombies
- 28 Days Later/28 Weeks Later - I'm lumping these two together because it's my list and I can! I won't get into arguments about how these aren't "real" Zombie movies. I just enjoy the scares.
- Anna and the Apocalypse - A Zombie Horror Christmas Comedy Musical? Yes, Please!!! Definitely one of the most original concepts I've come across. Also, the music is really, really good!
- Day Of the Dead - The third Romero Zombie flick has a sympathetic character in Bub the Zombie. Now, while George Romero IS the Godfather of the modern Zombie movie, Bub is the REAL reason this is on my list.
- The Dead Don't Die - One of the best casts in a Zombie movie. It's almost unbearably meta, but in the best way possible. I'll admit that, at first viewing I didn't like how it ended; it took a second viewing for me to "get" it...then it shot up in my estimation.
- Life After Beth - This one also has an original plot, where a boy discovers that the girl he likes has become a Zombie. It's cute, sweet, funny, and scary.
- Little Monsters - A teacher and a slacker take a bunch of children to a theme park/zoo, only to find themselves in the middle of a Zombie Apocalypse. This movie is hilarious! You'll never hear Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" the same way again.
- Night of the Living Dead - One simply can not have a list of Zombie movies and not include the Granddaddy of the Modern Zombies! They're still coming to get you, Barbara!
- Shaun of the Dead - If you can't tell by now, I tend to like my Zombies on the lighter side. I wasn't sure I'd like this...but I do. I really do.
- Train to Busan - OK, THIS one is more of a traditional Zombie horror, but it's a non-stop ride, if you'll forgive the train metaphor. It will keep you riveted; there's not a single slow moment.
- Warm Bodies - R is a Zombie. Jules is a living girl. They fall in love. Their "families" try to keep them apart. Yes, it's a modern Zombie Romeo & Juliet...and it's a wonderful, fun movie.
Horror Comedies
- Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein -This classic comedy by one of the greatest comedy duos of all time is never-ending fun. Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, and the Wolfman all come to the party.
- Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man -The duo returns, trying to help a framed boxer reclaim his innocence. I'll admit that the ending freaked me out as a small child, but now I love it.
- Anna and the Apocalypse
- Beetlejuice - Don't say his name 3 times! Tim Burton and Michael Keaton tell a wild, wonderful tale of a couple who end up haunting their own home, when they make the mistake of seeking the assistance of the titular boogie.
- The Dead Don't Die
- The Final Girls - This tongue-firmly-set-in-cheek movie plays on so many horror tropes, putting them in the forefront, when a group of teenagers end up sucked into a classic B-movie horror which starred the late mother of one of the girls. The effects are wonderful, but it's really the humor that carries the whole movie.
- Ghostbusters - What else can I say, but...Who Ya Gonna Call?
- Little Monsters
- Shaun of the Dead
- Tremors - While I don't know if I'd call it a true comedy, it's certainly funny, and is a loving homage to B-movie creature features. Reba McEntire and Michael Gross are an absolute riot as a survivalist couple.
