Modern Femme loves....Scary movies!

I remember when I was a teenager (back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth), and USA Network had their "31 Nights of Terror," or whatever it was called, where they played a scary movie every night in October.  It was awesome - especially because as I remember it, none of the movies were too terribly scary, and all built up your anticipation for Halloween.  I don't think USA has done their month-long scary movie marathon for a while, which is tragic.  But then again, I don't have cable anyway, so it doesn't really make a whole lot of difference to me.  If I want a scary movie marathon, thanks to Netflix Instant streaming, I'm good to go.

I'm a fan of cheesy horror films.  I don't like any of the genre's grotesque films that are so popular nowadays - give me Mike Myers over that creepy puppet from the Saw franchise any day.  I do appreciate some of the classic films from the genre, but overall I prefer to laugh at myself being scared than to cringe in real fright.

Poor Dracula's Daughter...no one takes her seriously. She's just weird.

In anticipation of Halloween, I’m listing the 10 movies that would make my "31 Nights of Terror" movie queue**.  Let's start with the campy - i.e. the movies I can watch at night with all the lights off:

1.  Halloween H20: 20 Years Later:  Okay, so I know its sacrilege to not name the original, but until the slashing gets going, I'm admiring the picturesque town and house Jamie Lee's character lives in and making mental interior decorating notes.

2.  Freddy vs. Jason.  Do I even have to explain? Freddy. Versus. Jason.  The movie is essentially a love letter to Halloween's two most unsuccessful villains. The zingers are awesome, and the nonsensical is elevated to an art form.

3.  From Dusk Till Dawn.  A totally irreverent vampire film such as only Quentin Tarantino could write (and star in).  George Clooney at his dustiest, with a neck tattoo and a good dose of Clooneyesque head-tilted skepticism.  And of course, Salma Hayak and her dance partner, the world's biggest snake.

4.  Army of Darkness.  Perhaps one of the most quotable horror movies ever, and the king of all horror camp. "Hail to the king, baby."

5.  The Lost Boys.  Vampires, hair gel, 80s music, California beaches, and both Coreys.  Something so wrong never felt so right. 

Okay, now we transition to the movies where I need one light on:

6.  Dracula.  Gary Oldman sports some of the best wigs I've ever seen in any movie in this film.  Keanu Reeves spends most of his screentime looking confused.  And Winona Ryder's Mina is so heartbreakingly beautiful to look at, with her porcelain skin and her gentle demeanor, that you don't know whether to be excited or terrified for her when her dark prince shows up.

7.  30 Days of Night.  On the other hand, anyone who thinks vampires are romantic should watch this movie about what happens when darkness descends on a remote town in Alaska.

8.  The Others.  Nicole Kidman looks like she's on the verge of a total breakdown for almost all of the movie, which is enough to make you nervous even before the bumps-in-the-night begin.  And ugh, I'll never forgot that creepy grandma speaking in a little girl's voice. ::shudder::

9.  Alien.  Original is best, in this case.  Somedays I think this is horror, and somedays I think it's action, but in any case, Sigourney Weaver is boss.

10.  The Ninth Gate.  Only Johnny Depp, who plays a rare books expert, could make old tomes seem creepy.   The music helps too - some of the creepiest "plink-plink-plink" synthesizer I've ever heard.

So there you have it!  Dim the lights, grab some popcorn and order up one or two of these on Netflix.  I don't know about you, but I've figured out what I'm doing this Saturday night.  Mmmm-waaa-haaa-haaaaaaa.

Creepily yours,
BOO!
xoxo,
MF 


**Lest you all think I'm a total troglodyte, there are some more psychological horror films that I want to give a nod to, but wouldn't be on my 31 Nights of Terror List, because they're too dang serious: The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, 28 Days Later, or too dang scary:  The Exorcist, The Ring.