Fifteen Underrated Horror Films!

1. Near Dark

(Seriously - how is this movie so routinely forgotten about...?!?!? You've got half the cast of "Aliens" playing vampires as modern-day, nomad outlaws. This is a GREAT movie, as good as almost anything the 80's produced. It was also directed by the gal behind "Point Break" and "Hurt Locker"...weeeeiiird.)



2. The Gore-Gore Girls

Regularly ommitted from discussions of HG Lewis' finer works, "Gore Gore Girls" is zany, dark, at time nonsensical, and ultimately one of the Gore-Meister's more enertaining viewings. One scene alone is worth watching... all I'll say is, it involves milk...)



3. The Duel

(Speilberg. Spielberg doing gritty horror. Spielberg doing gritty horror for a made-for-television movie. As weird as this premise is, the result is an awesome, white-knuckle ride, and one of the greatest simple-but-effective premises ever. Highly underrated.)



4. Slither

(James Gunn has had a sporadic career, in terms of quality [Scoony-Doo, anyone...?]. But this, his homage to 80's "Gross-Out" horror films, is spot-on, and HILARIOUS. I really thought this movie would be on the lips of horror fans, but...no. Sad. If you haven't seen it, do so - you'll thank me.)



5. Martin

(While one may argue whether this could truly be considered "Horror", what is obvious to your GHOULY is that this film remains George Romero's most underappreciated work. With no easy answers, Martin is the kind of movie you'll find yourself thinking about hours after you've seen it. And nowadays, that's the rarest kind of accomplishment.)





6. The Changeling

(George C. Scott does horror. This movie succeeds in as a slow-burning, spooky horror nearly as well as "Rosemary's Baby" or "The Exorcist", but somehow remains under the radar of many horror fans. B+ )





7. Planet Terror

(I feel like, because it didn't do well at the box office, and because it's conceptual sibling "Deathproof" was such a suprisingly-disappointing piece of boredom, most people disregard this one. Which is a shame - Planet Terror is an over-the-top, action-packed love letter to 70's/80's horror. And not enjoying this is far harder than looking for fault in it.)





8. Lord Of Illusion(Not the BEST of Barker's translations into film, L.O.L. still retains enough of the writer's signature style - sex, magic, mystery, life-after-death, etc. And Scott Backula as the occult P.I. Harry D'Amour proves a very intrguing protaginist. Plus, there are moment of true creepiness. )



9. The Woods

(Have you seen it? No? That's okay - neither has anyone else. Which is a real shame. This tale of witchcraft is Lucky McKee's most "even" film (May was seriously flawed, honestly). Watch it. It has schoolgirls. And Bruce Campbell. You'll like it.)



10. Shiver*

(a really well-made Spanish film that was sadly swept under the rug in the US. It sort of ends in a let-down, but is definitely worth a view. Another example of Spain's rising status as producer of quality horror films. )



11. The Last Man On Earth

Iit seem like Horror Hosts are the only people who recognize how good this movie really is... Probably because it's one of the best of the Public Domain movies, but anyways... While lacking in the pizazz of "Omega Man", this movie take a more somber approach to a vampire Apocalypse. Price killing vampires. Good stuff.)





12. The Frighteners

(Sure. People like this movie. But not enough people like this movie enough! This is the nexus of Peter Jackson's work - flexing his muscles as a director of "mainstream" films, while still showcasing the fun, quirkier spirit of his earlier works. It's also one of Maichael J. Fox's last performances before Parkinson's Disease curbed his acting career, and as far as I'm concerned, it's a pretty damn good swan song.)





13. Trick Or Treat**



(Family Tie's "Skippy" as a metalhead. Ozzy Osbourne as a Catholic Priest. Gene Simmons as a radio dj. Cheesy metal, cheesier F/X. This is a movie you'll watch with your friends to make fun of, but it will ultimately just have fun with.)





14. Event Horizon

(Lovecraft in space. Aliens-meets-Hellraiser. The only thing Jack Noseworthy ever did that didn't suck. Proves Latin is spooky. Spawned a crapload of bad rip-offs, but that's not its fault! If you play "Dead Space" you probably owe Paul W.S. Anderson money.)





15. Martyrs

(THIS is what's wrong with American audience - that this film could go unnoticed while "Saw PI" continually gets big numbers. More than any movie in the past 5 years, this movie left a brand upon my brain long after witnessing it. You have NO idea where this movie is heading, and you won't know fully what you've seen when you're done. This is BRUTAL. But more than that, its a powerful, highly compelling piece of cinema. WATCH IT.)





HONORABLE MENTION: C.H.U.D.

(Anyone who doesn't like this movie is a Douche.)





* Not to be confused with Chronenberg's classic "Shivers". Which I suppose could be considered underrated, too. (Release this on DVD already, damn it!)



**Not to be confused with the 2009 release, "Trick R Treat". Which I also enjoyed, and could also be underrated. But damn it, I can't list them all...!