My 5 Favorite Horror Films

Enough about books already. Let’s talk horror movies.

Here’s my top five list:

1. The Babadook (2014)

A boogeyman story for the ages, I’ve never been able to shake off the heebie-jeebies from this film. Plenty of smarter folks have explored this movie as an allegory for troubled parenthood, mental health problems, trauma coping—even LBGTQ+ repression—but this film works for me as a simple monster tale. I had a vivid imagination as a kid; I was scared of boogeymen. The Babadook tapped into those dark childhood fears. I had plenty of shadowy monsters living in the closet and breathing heavily behind the basement furnace, and somehow the feeling of their elusive presence is captured in the gangly, smiling Babadook. The Babadook is that flicker of paranoia that I never grew out of. It's that thing flitting in the corner of my eye at night, that shadow in the closet door growing larger. Or is it just my imagination?

2. Requiem for a Dream (2000)

It’s been 15 years since I watched this film, and I can still hear those horrible violin strings playing in my head. Darren Aronofsky directed a nightmare masterpiece of human despair--a dysphoric spiral to the darkest depths of addiction, which left me melted in my seat. I will never watch this film again. It was like glimpsing into Hell. But there is such terrible beauty and truth even in the darkest depths of humanity. This film is a powerful testament to the horrors of addiction and death of hope.

3. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Okay, zombie fans, I can hear all that angry moaning out there. Settle down. Everyone’s got their favorite zombie flick, so don't bite my face off for loving this one. I do generally like fast zombies—and 28 Days Later is a top contender for heart-pounding ghoul terror—but this film just checked too many boxes for me. Humans besieged in a strip-mall? Check. Zombie babies? Check. Outlandish violence, dark humor, and big ol’ shotgun boomsticks? Check. This flick is feels like what post-apocalyptic survival horror should be like: campy and violent and fun.  

4. It (Parts 1 & 2)

Stephen King works his best magic when he's writing small-town horror, and “It” plants us firmly in his dearly beloved americana of Derry, Maine.
The story is fresh and encapsulates the best King has to offer. The screen-writing and acting is superb and remains faithful to the book (...my little literary heart sings with joy!). But I'll be damned if this story isn't more terrifying on the silver screen. This is one of those rare horror films that dares to reveal the boogeyman early on—and continues to terrify you with the same grinning clown through two feature films. Pennywise is just a fear you can't grow out of.

5. The Thing (1982 and 2011 remake)

Oh, yes, I combined both versions, because I am a madman with a reckless disregard for originality. What can I say? I happen to enjoy both the ground-breaking special effects of John Carpenter’s 80’s hit, and the glossier, bloodier makeover of the modern remake. "The Thing" is the perfect horror story made for TV. It's set in an isolated arctic research station with a shape-shifting parasite and an uncanny game of paranoia and mimicry. The suspense is palpable. The horror is visceral. And the flame-throwers are gratifying to an inexplicable degree.

***

Other Top Horror Movie Contenders for Oddly Personal Reasons:

Arachnophobia – fear of spiders

Lake Placid – fear of crocodiles, love of Betty White

The Alien franchise – fear of squiggly parasites, love of deep space horror

There Will Be Blood – fear of Daniel Day-Lewis

Evil Dead Rise – a reinvented classic that goes darker and dirtier than expected, this one is terrifying and disgusting

*

(PS. Yes, I have seen The Shining, and yes, I understand that it's a masterpiece.)