EIGHT
      FILMS
      FOR
      FRIGHT
      (OR
      LEAST
      MULLING
      OVER)
     
     
      *
      Debate
      and
      occasional
      devil's
      advocacy
      provided
      hy
      James
      Morrison
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      following
      are
      eight
      films
      that
      stand
      out
      in
      this
      horror
     
     
      buffs
      mind
      as
      films
      that
      are
      great
      for
      Halloween
      parties
      or
     
     
      events.
      They
      may
      not
      all
      be
      the
      best,
      they
      may
      not
      all
      be
     
     
      the
      scariest,
      but
      they're
      a
      lot
      of
      fun.
      After
      much
      debate
     
     
      with
      a
      fellow
      horror
      film
      guru,
      the
      final
      list
      looks
      some-
     
     
      thing
      like
      this.
      .
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      team
      of
      asbestos-removers
      are
      given
      the
      task
      of
      clearing
     
     
      out
      the
      very-real
      historical
      Danvers
      mental
      asylum
      in
     
     
      Danvers,
      Massachusetts.
      Over
      the
      course
      of
      the
      week,
      the
     
     
      building
      itself,
      coupled
      with
      its
      history,
      becomes.
      .
      .
      dis-
     
     
      turbing.
      Not
      only
      does
      this
      film
      depict
      what
      could
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      most
      anxiety-inducing
      jobs
      out
      there
      -
      it
      plays
      on
      fears
     
     
      that
      are
      definitely
      more
      mental
      than
      physical,
      and
      there-
     
     
      fore
      tends
      to
      get
      under
      your
      skin
      before
      you've
      even
      real-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
      ete
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      http:/Awww.moviegoods.com/
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ized
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It's
      corny,
      and
      at-times
      unintentionally
      funny
      (well,
      most
     
     
      of
      the
      time).
      However,
      there’s
      no
      denying
      that
      George
     
     
      Romero's
      original
      zombie
      classic
      is
      still
      great
      on
      so
      many
     
     
      levels.
      The
      sheer
      amount
      of
      allusions
      to
      xenophobia
      and
     
     
      invasion
      that
      hung
      over
      the
      cold
      war
      make
      it
      reason
     
     
      enough
      to
      watch.
      What
      is
      also
      effective
      is
      the
      paranoia
      and
     
     
      claustrophobia-inducing
      sets.
      Also
      notable
      is
      the
      fact
      that,
     
     
      given
      the
      time
      it
      was
      made,
      it
      featured
      a
      black
      man
      as
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      lead,
      taking
      charge
      and
      holding
      the
      film
      on
      his
      own.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Although
      it
      does
      tend
      at
      times
      to
      suffer
      from
      the
      same
     
     
      computer-generated
      monotony
      of
      a
      lot
      of
      modern
      horror
     
     
      films,
      the
      remake
      of
      "Dawn
      of
      the
      Dead"
      is
      a
      very
      differ-
     
     
      ent
      film
      from
      the
      original
      in
      regards
      to
      suspense
      and
      iden-
     
     
      tifying
      with
      the
      characters.
      The
      zombies
      and
      effects
      are
     
     
      very
      well
      done
      (with
      real
      horror
      make-up),
      and
      thus
      it's
     
     
      brutally
      violent
      but
      funny
      at
      times
      as
      well.
      Sarah
      Polley
     
     
      makes
      a
      good
      lead
      that
      doesn't
      feel
      like
      a
      "look,
      we
      have
      a
     
     
      female
      lead
      in
      a
      horror
      film!"
      attempt
      by
      the
      creators
      (and
     
     
      she's
      got
      a
      helluva
      lot
      more
      brains
      than
      the
      characters
      in
     
     
      most
      slasher
      films).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      now,
      most
      people
      who
      have
      wanted
      to
      see
      this
      film
     
     
      have
      probably
      seen
      it.
      |
      must
      admit,
      I
      didn't
      like
      it
      the
      first
     
     
      time,
      but
      found
      myself
      watching
      bits
      of
      it
      again
      in
      the
     
     
      weeks
      and
      months
      later.
      It's
      worth
      a
      second
      look
      if
      you've
     
     
      seen
      it,
      and
      worth
      a
      first
      if
      you
      haven't.
      Though
      as
      a
      whole
     
     
      if
      may
      not
      come
      together
      completely,
      there
      are
      some
      won-
     
     
      derfully
      horrific
      scenes
      that
      are
      worth
      noting
      and
      a
      true
     
     
      “what
      the
      hell?"
      ending.
      Basic
      plot
      -
      a
      videotape
      seems
      to
     
     
      be
      causing
      the
      death
      of
      people
      seven
      days
      after
      they
      watch
     
     
      it.
      Sounds
      like
      a
      lot
      of
      movies
      these
      days.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Exorcist
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Though
      it's
      probably
      a
      cliche
      to
      call
      it
      a
      classic,
      it
      is.
      The
     
     
      now-famous
      story
      of
      a
      girl
      possessed
      by
      a
      demon
      and
      the
     
     
      priests
      who
      are
      forced
      to
      question
      their
      faith
      in
      an
      attempt
     
     
      to
      exorcise
      it
      from
      her
      has
      disturbed
      many
      in
      the
      past,
      and
     
     
      it
      still
      does
      today.
      For
      the
      theist,
      it
      definitely
      throws
      the
     
     
      darker
      side
      of
      the
      faith
      in
      audiences!
      face,
      and
      for
      the
      athe-
     
     
      ist
      it
      sheds
      light
      on
      the
      rituals
      of
      religion,
      particularly
      those
     
     
      of
      Catholicism,
      and
      asks
      what
      happens
      when
      scientific
     
     
      explanations
      fail.
      Twisted
      and
      demented
      fun.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      very
      name
      of
      this
      one
      turns
      many
      people
      off.
     
     
      However,
      let's
      get
      some
      things
      straight.
      If
      you
      saw
      the
     
     
      2003
      remake,
      disregard
      it
      in
      relation
      to
      the
      original.
      While
     
     
      the
      underlying
      premise
      remains
      the
      same,
      the
      two
      films
     
     
      are
      very
      different
      in
      style
      and
      education.
      While
      the
      new
     
     
      one
      seemed
      to
      rely
      on
      the
      usual
      gore
      and
      slime,
      the
      supe-
     
     
      rior
      original
      used
      its
      extremely
      low
      budget
      to
      its
      best
     
     
      effect,
      and
      produced
      a
      film
      in
      which
      your
      imagination
     
     
      must
      fill
      in
      the
      gaps.
      The
      acting
      is
      pretty
      much
      non-exis-
     
     
      tent,
      but
      that
      isn't
      the
      point
      -
      it's
      the
      completely
      irrational
     
     
      yet
      unsettling
      concept.
      The
      fact
      that
      some
      of
      the
      most
     
     
      frightening
      scenes
      occur
      in
      the
      daytime
      makes
      the
      film
     
     
      worth
      a
      look.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      October
      26,
      2004
      page
      10
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      strange
      choice
      perhaps,
      but
      I
      found
      this
      film
      to
      be
     
     
      incredibly
      suspenseful.
      Again,
      there
      are
      some
      excellent
     
     
      scenes
      that
      make
      up
      for
      the
      fact
      that
      the
      film
      is
      not
      always
     
     
      the
      sum
      of
      its
      parts.
      The
      real
      fear
      here
      is
      not
      the
      threat
      -
     
     
      itself,
      but
      more
      the
      way
      the
      media
      is
      used
      in
      the
      film
      and
     
     
      the
      all-too
      eerie
      feeling
      of
      what
      it
      would
      be
      like
      to
      witness
     
     
      the
      end
      of
      the
      world
      on
      your
      TV
      and
      radio.
      It
      alsomanages
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      http:/www.moviegoods.com/
      ;
     
     
      to
      pull
      off
      a
      good
      amount
      of
      humour
      as
      well,
      all
      too
      brief
     
     
      but
      welcome
      breaks
      from
      the
      dread
      that
      hangs
      throughout
     
     
      the
      film.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Not
      a
      sequel
      to
      the
      Sandra
      Bullock
      film
      28
      Days.
      Another
     
     
      zombie
      film,
      but
      thoroughly
      British
      with
      an
      excellent
      dose
     
     
      of
      social
      and
      ethical
      philosophy
      thrown
      in
      (and
      for
      those
     
     
      who
      just
      rolled
      their
      eyes,
      you
      won't
      even
      notice
      it
      while
     
     
      watching
      if
      you
      don't
      want
      to).
      Jim
      (Cillian
      Murphy)
     
     
      wakes
      up
      in
      a
      hospital
      to
      discover
      that
      the
      world
      has
      gone
     
     
      to
      heli
      and
      is
      filled
      with
      uber-angry
      zombies
      that
      are
      sur-
     
     
      prisingly
      sneaky
      for
      creatures
      that
      don't
      seem
      to
      have
      any
     
     
      rational
      minds.
      The
      reasons
      for
      the
      zombie
      carnage
      is
      a
      Jit-
     
     
      tle
      sketchy,
      but
      the
      film
      will
      stay
      with
      you
      and
      is
      definite-
     
     
      ly
      more
      gutsy
      in
      its
      character
      development
      and
      its
      lengths
     
     
      to
      wring
      emotion
      from
      the
      viewer
      than
      most
      American
     
     
      horror
      films.