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The Omen

The name Damien instills thoughts of pure evil and menace in those who know the film. Damien’s ice-cold demeanor and charming British looks combine to make one sinister character. The movie, written impeccably by David Seltzer, was released in 1976. Director Richard Donner would go on to direct box office hit Superman two years later, and other films such as Lethal Weapon and The Goonies. The Omen was made on a modest budget of $2.8 million and went on to gross over $60 million. The movie was about a couple who raise a child that turns out to be the Antichrist. There are many chilling and shocking scenes in the film, including one where Damien’s nanny sacrifices herself for him during one of his birthday parties. With political undertones and religious contexts, the story is rich and filled with action, keeping you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next, all the while hosting a foreboding and ominous atmosphere. The score won an Oscar for Jerry Goldsmith, and a series of novels were produced in conjunction with the three sequels. The first novel was written by Seltzer, and was released two weeks before the film debuted in order to garner more interest in the movie. There are still many pop culture references to the film today.

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The Others

This eerie, intriguing horror film was both written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar in 2001. As the film opens, we see Grace (Nicole Kidman), a woman whose husband has went off to war while she stays home taking care of the children. The kids are afflicted with being photosensitive, and therefore must be kept in the house with the curtains drawn to protect them. It is a life of isolation and sadness for Grace. She accepts the help of three servants who appear on her doorstep one day. Events become odd when they start to hear noises in the house. Fearing intruders, Grace grows increasingly paranoid. Soon the children claim to be seeing ghosts, and from here the movie spirals into fear and suspense. Amenabar is able to build the suspense by creating a dream-like, surreal atmosphere, and using quiet, tense moments. The film did remarkably well at the box office pulling in $218 million.

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The Other

Adapted from the best selling novel of the same name, The Other was a little known film after its release in 1972, and only gained notoriety after a series of successive airings on television in the late 1970s. The author of the novel, Tom Tryon, also wrote the script. Two identical twin boys, Holland and Niles, harbor some serious secrets. With their mother grieving the recent loss of their father, the boys are being watched over by their Russian emigrant grandmother. The boys begin to play jokes that have deadly consequences, and hiding in the apple cellar where they’re not allowed. The grandmother begins to suspect that something is going on, and when she confronts Niles, the twist to the story is revealed. Tryon went on to state his dissatisfaction with the film later even though it has been received well over the years. Roger Ebert went on to defend director Robert Mulligan’s work when the film received criticism for being too cheerful.

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Night of the Living Dead

George A. Romero made a defining moment in cinematic history when he directed his first feature-length film, the indie film, Night of the Living Dead. A group of people become trapped inside a home in rural Pennsylvania and have to fend off reanimated corpses who are hungry for human flesh. Romero filmed the entire movie on 35 mm film due to budget restrictions, giving it the familiar raw, gritty feel. The special effects and makeup also needed to be conscientious of the $114,000 budget. Most of the movie was filmed around Evans City, Pennsylvania. Romero was coaxed to cut some of the more graphic scenes and reshoot another ending by film companies, but he refused and finally found a distributor. After it was released in theatres, Night of the Living Dead was met with much controversy. The shocking premise and taboo subjects of cannibalism combined with a non-Hollywood ending were met with some resistance. However, the film did well at the box office, earning upwards of $15 million in a decade. In 1999 the movie was inducted into the National Film Registry, and along the years has been added to many prestigious “Best of” lists. Romero has discussed coming up with the original idea for the film as a knock off of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend. Where Matheson used vampires for his antagonists, Romero wanted something different that would induce fear and horror into the viewers. Eventually he came up with the idea of the dead not staying dead. Now considered one of the classics in horror, Night of the Living Dead has a large cult following, generated five more films in the Living Dead series, has been remade twice and has influenced countless movies since. Romero truly earned his title of “Godfather of all Zombies”.

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A Nightmare on Elm Street

1, 2, Freddy’s coming for you… Wes Craven introduced America to Freddy Krueger in 1984 with the release of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Craven began writing the script in 1981. There were many influences, but one in particular was a rash of articles in the LA Times during the 70s that spoke of Khmer refugees who after fleeing to America would suffer nightmares and some died in their sleep. This helped to form the basis for the movie. Teenagers in the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio, began having troubling nightmares featuring Freddy, a disfigured man with knives on his gloved hand. If the kids died in their sleep, they died in real life. After many failed pitches, Craven finally landed New Line Cinema as a distributor for the film. Filming lasted from June to July in 1984, and the movie was released that November. With a budget of $1.8 million, A Nightmare on Elm Street was a commercial success grossing over $26 million. Over the years there have been six sequels, a tv series and tons of merchandising. Freddy is still a popular Halloween costume over 25 years since its introduction.

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Nosferatu

Nosferatu is a 1922 silent film that was based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Directed by F. W. Murnau, The screenwriters were instructed to write a screenplay that would follow the novel, but needed to be changed in subtle ways because Prana Film had not obtained the film rights. The setting was changed from Britain to Germany, the names of the characters were changed, for example Count Dracula is called Count Orlok, and Orlok kills people and can be killed in sunlight. There have been many rumors over the years concerning the actor who played Count Orlok, Max Schreck. In 2000, the movie Shadow of the Vampire referred to Max Schreck having been an actual vampire. The estate of Bram Stoker sued Prana Film for copyright infringement when the movie was released. Prana Film declared bankruptcy and the court ordered that all prints of Nosferatu were to be burned. One copy was reported to have been distributed and duplicated, resulting in the film we see today. The film garnered many positive reviews and has a huge fan base.

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Night of the Comet

When Earth passes through the tail of a comet, it turns almost everyone to dust, and the one’s that are left behind become zombies. Reggie and her sister Sam have made it through because they spent the night in steel covered locations. Now they must protect themselves from the zombies who want to eat them, and the scientists who want to harvest their healthy blood. Directed by Thom Eberhardt in 1984, Night of the Comet performed well at the box office. The film pays homage to various science fiction B flicks, and relies on fewer scares and more hard-hitting themes.

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Night Gallery

I’m breaking the rules a little bit by bringing you a television series instead of a movie, but that’s ok, they’re my rules anyway. ;) Rod Serling followed up the successful show, The Twilight Zone, with Night Gallery, a show where Serling would still be the host and would write scripts, but he had less control over this show than he did with The Twilight Zone. The premise was that Serling would unveil a painting for each episode that would introduce the tale. The painting occasionally played some part in the story. The series ran for three seasons from 1970-1973.

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*This letter also had many wonderful movies. It was hard to choose, again, so I will list some honorable mentions: Men In Black, Mimic, Minority Report, Monkey Shines, The Mothman Prophecies and My Bloody Valentine. 

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Martin

The “Godfather of all Zombies”, George A. Romero, wrote and directed the 1978 horror film Martin. A removal from his usual zombie apocalypse films, Martin was the tale of a man who believes himself to be a vampire. His desire for human blood drives him to seduce and kill women. Often called Romero’s best work, this film explored societies consequences of a failing economy during the 1970s stagflation. Tom Savini, the award-winning special effects and makeup artist, collaborated with Romero on this film for the first time and also played the part of Arthur. The movie received high reviews and is still considered to be one of the best horror films in certain lists.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Kenneth Branagh directed and starred in this 1994 film that was perhaps the best representation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Robert De Niro played the part of the creature, with Branagh portraying Victor Frankenstein. Helena Bonham Carter plays Elizabeth, Victor’s fiancée and later the creature’s love interest. The film was able to render the feelings of isolation and rejection that the creature experiences in Shelley’s novel. De Niro did a fantastic job, and the makeup effects were superb. The U.S. release was not successful, however worldwide the film grossed $90 million, making up for the $45 million budget. While not a perfect representation of the book, it is closer than most other versions, and being the book lover that I am, I can respect this.

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Maximum Overdrive

The first and only directorial effort by novelist Stephen King, Maximum Overdrive was loosely based on one of his short stories, Trucks. King also supplied the screenplay for the film. A comet passes by the earth, causing all inanimate to become omniscient and attack humans. Filmed near Wilmington, North Carolina, the majority of the movie takes place in the Dixie Boy truck stop, an elaborate set constructed just for the movie. It was convincing enough that local truckers would stop by, believing it to be a working truck stop. A soundtrack was supplied by the band AC/DC. One of the film’s most memorable antagonists, the semi-truck with the Green Goblin head attached to the front, is still recognized today. The film received poor reviews, and did not do well at the box office. King has admitted that he was “coked out of [his] mind all through its production” and has not attempted to direct since.

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Motel Hell

Directed by Kevin Connor, Motel Hell was the story of Vincent and his younger sister Ida. They lived on a farm with an adjoined motel. Vincent was known locally for his delicious meat that he smoked at his farm. What no one knew was the real source of the meat. Long-time actor, Rory Calhoun, played the role of Vincent and actress Nancy Parsons portrayed Ida. The film doesn’t rely on heavy gore, but instead the gruesome references and scenarios provide more than enough horror. The film has become a cult classic over the years.

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The Mummy

In 1932, Universal Studios sought to find a novel they could base an Egyptian horror film on following the earlier success of Dracula and Frankenstein. No novel was to be found, and John L. Balderston was hired to write the script. Karl Freund was chosen to be the director only two days before filming was to start. Both Balderston and Freund had been connected to Dracula, and Balderston also to Frankenstein. Boris Karloff would star as the mummy, Imhotep. Karloff’s iconic transformation into the mummy took 8 hours in makeup and was painful to remove. There have been no direct sequels to this movie, however, a kind of remake was completed by way of B-film The Mummy’s Hand, which saw many sequels. The 1999 version of The Mummy is the closest to be considered as a remake to the original, however the storyline deviates.

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Mars Attacks!

An homage to 1950s science fiction films, director Tim Burton decided to make Mars Attacks! based on the 1960s trading card series. The movie employed a huge list of stars including Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Glenn Close and Danny DeVito to name a few. The movie is about a fleet of malicious Martians who come to earth. With a budget of $80 million and an extra $20 million spent on marketing, Burton’s original wish to have the Martians filmed in stop-motion was changed to using computer-generated imagery. The movie was met with mixed reviews, and had greater success overseas.

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 The Matrix

In 1999, the science fiction genre experienced a revolution with the introduction of The Matrix. Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the film is set in 2199, and tells of machines that have taken over the earth and are harvesting human energy by keeping them plugged into a “matrix”, an altered reality, where they live out fake lives while they are kept in liquid filled pods in the real world. Neo, a hacker, becomes aware of the situation, and joins other humans who are unplugged from the matrix, in order to fight against the machines. Neo is foretold to be the One who will end the war. The Wachowski brothers employed groundbreaking filming techniques that have since been emulated many times. The action scenes were at the time unparalleled, and there are many philosophical themes present in the movie. The Matrix went on to gross over $463 million worldwide and spawned two sequels.

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The Lost Boys

Two brothers and their mother move to Santa Carla, California. Living with their grandfather, the boys find out soon there is more to Santa Carla than meets the eye. The older brother, Michael, gets involved with a local gang. Sam, the younger brother, finds friends in two quirky brothers that run a comic book store. Sam finds out that Santa Carla is plagued by vampires. The brothers join forces and go up against the vampires in this 1987 horror comedy directed by Joel Schumacher. The cast was stellar, including then unknowns Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland and Jami Gertz, along with Corey Feldman and Dianne Wiest. There are many references to the classic Peter Pan story in the film. The movie performed well at the box office, and won a Saturn Award. There have been two sequels.

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Lost Highway

David Lynch, director of Eraserhead and Blue Velvet, to name a few, came up with the idea for Lost Highway while he was filming Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. A psychological trip, the movie is about Fred Madison, a professional musician who lives with his wife in a modern home in Los Angeles. His life is changed when he hears someone in his home’s intercom saying, “Dick Laurent is dead.” The film explores several themes and carries a tricky storyline, both common occurrences with Lynch’s work. Likened at times to a fever dream, the movie received mixed reviews.

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The Legend of Hell House

A movie about a haunted house, The Legend of Hell House is firmly rooted in the idea of investigators fooling around with the possible existence of ghosts (see my earlier write up of The Haunting). Directed by John Hough in 1973, the movie was adapted from a novel by Richard Matheson titled Hell House. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for the film. An elderly millionaire, Mr. Deutsch, invites a physicist and his wife, and two mediums to come and investigate the Belasco House – an extremely haunted house. After a series of increasingly disturbing events, the investigators begin to be subjected to a malevolent force. Hough uses dark scenery and slow pacing to build the suspense, making the audience wonder what will happen next.

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Killer Klowns from Outer Space

A fun little movie about aliens disguised as malevolent clowns that come to earth in order to capture and eat humans, Killer Klowns from Outer Space has become a cult classic in the horror genre since its release in 1988. Part comedy, the movie has the aliens arriving in a circus tent, and all of their equipment is clown centered. Written and directed by The Chiodo Brothers, the film boasts a unique and recognizable title song that is played throughout the movie. There is a fair bit of merchandising that can still be found including figurines and masks. The Chiodo Brothers have said there will be a 3D sequel to the movie in 2013.

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The Keep

The Keep is a little seen horror film from 1983. The movie was loosely based on a novel by F. Paul Wilson, who later went on to communicate his aversion for the film. The movie is set during World War II, in Romania. The German Army comes across a deserted fortress, the Keep, and decides to use it in order to gain control of the Dinu Mountain Pass. Unknown to them an evil presence is trapped underneath them, and it is soon loosed upon them. Once it begins to kill them, it becomes stronger. The Germans seek help from a Jewish professor who, in a twist of events, ends up indebted to the entity and tries to aid in its escape from the castle. The film uses a Gothic setting and alluring visuals with some success.

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King Kong

The original movie version of King Kong appeared in 1933 and was directed and produced by Merian C Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. It was the tale of a giant ape, Kong, who dwells on an island. The island is to be used to film a movie and the natives kidnap the beautiful lead actress and leave her to be sacrificed to Kong. Kong decides to keep her and the film crew sets off to find her. Along the way they encounter dinosaurs and must battle Kong himself.  Incapacitating Kong with gas bombs, they capture him and take him back to New York to be put on display. Kong and the dinosaurs were created using stop-motion filming with a number of different models. The movie was filmed in eight months. The release was very successful giving RKO its first profit. King Kong was accepted into the National Film Registry in 1991.

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Jacob’s Ladder

A Jacob’s Ladder, in the biblical sense, is a ladder to heaven that was perceived in a dream. In the 1990 film Jacob’s Ladder, we are told the story of a man, Jacob, played by accomplished actor Tim Robbins. A soldier in Vietnam, Jacob’s unit is attacked and Jacob is injured. Back home, strange occurrences begin to happen. Jacob finds out that the military was using an experimental drug on the soldiers without their permission, named “The Ladder”. Jacob experiences disturbing visions, and the other surviving members of his unit begin succumbing to horrific deaths. The film supplies a surprise, twist ending. Director Adrian Lyne offered up stunning visuals by way of utilizing various filming techniques, including the body horror technique where an actor waves his head back and forth at a low frame rate that results in an unsettling blurry, shaking motion in real time. A subsequent special edition DVD was released in 1998 that showed the audience three deleted scenes and supplied a short documentary.

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Jaws

A trip to the ocean would never be the same after 1975’s shocking, industry changing film, Jaws. One great white shark and one small New England beach brought audiences in astounding numbers. Directed by Steven Spielberg, in what is now considered his career-changing pivotal movie, the production was filled with problems from the start. Due to issues with the mechanical sharks, the scenes shot involving the shark were mostly cut from the film, or reduced to merely fins or the presence of the hauntingly familiar soundtrack. This turned out to be in the film’s favor, cranking up tension, suspense and fear for the audience. Jaws had large marketing and promotion before its release, and went on to hold the title of the highest-grossing film until Star Wars bested it two years later. The film won multiple awards and was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2001.

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Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park, another creation from director Steven Spielberg, based on the novel from Michael Crichton, the film is known for the amazing special effects and computer generated imagery that was cutting edge for the time it was released, 1993. A billionaire decides to invest his money in a project that would involve recombinant DNA research allowing the cloning of dinosaurs in order to open a theme park on a beautiful, tropical island. Spielberg brought the dinosaurs to life on the screen in a believable way with a combination of animatronics, go motion and computer animation. Jurassic Park earned an overall $914 million worldwide, passing up E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and eventually being surpassed by Titanic. The movie earned 3 Academy Awards, along with several others.

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In the Mouth of Madness

John Carpenter directed this film as part of his Apocalypse Trilogy that consists of The Thing, In the Mouth of Madness and Prince of Darkness. In this film, there are many references to Lovecraft and his work. When best selling author, Sutter Cane, goes missing, John Trent, an insurance investigator, has to go find him. Cane’s fictional town, Hobb’s End, becomes a reality, and Trent is subjected to mind-bending realities and characters.  

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers

I decided to write about the 1978 remake of the original 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers because of the film's commercial success and popularity. In California, when the city's inhabitants would go to sleep, unbeknownst to the victims, their bodies were being replicated and taken over by alien hosts that were devoid of emotions or personality. The film went on to collect many nominations for awards, and recognition in the industry. In 1993, the original 1956 version was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. There's a good list of comparisons between the 1956 and 1978 versions that can be found here.

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It

Have I ever mentioned my intense fear of clowns? This little tale from Stephen King is probably to blame for some of my loathing for them with his novel, It. In 1990, a television miniseries was produced based on the book, and “Pennywise the Dancing Clown” was given a face. The fantastic actor, Tim Curry, portrayed Pennywise in brilliant, malevolence. A group of seven friends find out about “It” as kids, and return as adults to defeat the evil force. Originally it was shown in two parts on tv, and garnered high ratings. Later it was released on a double set of VHS tapes, and eventually as a double-sided DVD.

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Invaders from Mars

Another tale involving aliens taking over human bodies, Invaders from Mars was a science fiction movie released in 1953. Told from a child’s perspective, the film is about an alien invasion that occurs as witnessed by the child, David. People in the community are being abducted by the aliens, and returned with their personalities drastically changed. David must convince someone to help him, and try to thwart the alien takeover. The director, William Cameron Menzies, utilized different camera angles, creative budget-friendly special effects, and an ethereal score to create the at times surreal atmosphere in the film.