THE RETURN OF MY TOP 13 HALLOWEEN HORROR MOVIES – For the Stan Winston School.

As many of you probably saw last year, I did my TOP 13 HALLOWEEN HORROR MOVIES OF ALL TIME for the Stan Winston School of the Character Arts last year.  In case you missed it, here are links to both PART 1 & PART 2. http://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/top-13-halloween-movies-part-one http://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/halloween-movies-top-13-part-two But like all good horror movies themselves, that list needed a …

10/31/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #31 – Rosemary’s Baby

When I do these lists each year, people inevitably ask me, “You’ve missed some obvious and amazing horror movies. Why haven’t you put (insert film here) in yet?” Well dear friends, as any good horror writer/filmmaker knows, it’s just as important how much you hold back as it is how much you deliver. And as …

10/30/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #30 – Halloween II

I had to get one more Jamie Lee Curtis flick in here before this year goes bye-bye. And this time I’m going sequel. I know this film can be divisive. Hell, let’s be honest, aren’t ALL sequels?? But in my humble opinion, Halloween II is actually a great follow-up to the original Halloween. For one, …

10/29/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #29 – The Lost Boys

Yep, another 80’s horror movie. I’m sorry, I can’t help myself. But come on, this is The Lost Boys here. This is Peter Freakin’ Pan for the horror crowd. This movie is what Twilight WISHES it could be. This is teen vampire angst done right. The storyline follows a newly divorced mother and her two sons …

10/28/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #28 – Pumpkinhead

In honor of my most recent article I wrote on Halloween Horror Movies for the Stan Winston School (https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/top-13-halloween-horror-movies-jeff-dixon), there’s no better horror movie to write about today than Stan Winston himself’s directorial debut, Pumpkinhead. As with most of the movies I choose for these lists, I have an interesting connection to this film. It …

10/27/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #27 – Phantasm

Okay, let’s get bizarre. But let’s not just get typical bizarre, let’s get 70’s bizarre! Oh man, Phantasm is such an amazingly insane movie. There's a reason it's considered a cult classic. Let me attempt to describe the premise. Hmm, let’s see. There’s this VERY tall man (aptly named, the Tall Man), who seems to …

10/26/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #26 – Final Destination 2

Yeah, I know there’s been five Final Destinations (and yep, a 6th is in development), so I get all the jokes that it’s never quite “final”. But you know what? I so don’t care. I love this franchise. It’s exactly what I enjoy at the movie theater. It’s silly. It’s fun. It doesn’t take itself …

10/25/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #25 – House (1986)

You’ve heard me say it before, but I’ll say it a million times. In my humble opinion, there was no better time for inventive, crazy horror flicks than the 80’s. Yes, I grew up during that time, so I may be a bit biased, but if you compare what they were doing then to now, …

10/24/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #24 – American Mary

Some people are afraid of ghosts. For others, serial killers send them hiding under the covers. Regardless what it is, everyone has that one thing that chills them to their core. For me personally, my Achilles Heel is that I’m absolutely petrified by extreme facial plastic surgery. I know it’s a niche phobia, but it’s …

10/23/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #23 – Insidious

Here we are again in the realm of recommending a relatively recent hit horror film. It’s always a funny situation because once a film becomes a huge hit, its success usually overlooks the content itself. Well, with Insidious, I want to take it back to why this film became such a huge hit in the …

10/22/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #22 – The Orphanage

  This Spanish gem was brought to us a few years ago with the help from one of my favorite madmen, Guillermo Del Toro.  Although, the fact that he only produced it and didn’t write or direct it is apparent.  There are definite influences of his various styles of fantasy and mood, along with some …

10/21/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #21 – Dog Soldiers

I can’t think of a better way to start the week than with a kickass British military werewolf flick.  Yep, that old genre.  Dog Soldiers has been one of my favorites for years, and it will just flat out entertain the hell out of you.  This is one of those movies that people may hear …

10/20/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #20 – Nosferatu (1922)

Going seriously old school today. Back to what some say is the ultimate and original tale of a vampirism. I’ll leave the whole Dracula vs. Nosferatu argument to you. I like them both, so I don’t have anything to add to that age old horror conversation. Nosferatu is easily one of the oldest films I’ve …

10/19/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #19 – The Abandoned

Okay, once again it’s time to give a very small and obscure little movie its due. The Abandoned is a film that I would pretty much guarantee only the hardcore horror fans saw when it came out a handful of years ago. It was lumped into the short-lived “8 Films to Die For” series that …

10/18/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #18 – Carrie (1976)

Come on, you KNEW I was going to...  In honor of today’s theatrical rollout of the remake of Carrie, it’s a complete no brainer that my choice today is the original Stephen King and Brian De Palma masterpiece from 1976. People of the universe, hear my plea… If you haven’t seen this film, SEE THE …

10/17/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #17 – Prince of Darkness

Growing up when I did, there are certain filmmakers that just simply walked on water for me. John Carpenter was one of those. In fact, to this day, if anyone asks me what my top five movies of all time are, TWO of them are John Carpenter flicks. So when it comes to a favorite …

10/16/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #16 – Ginger Snaps

If we picked great movies based on titles alone, personally I think Ginger Snaps would be pretty high on that list. I just love that name. Ginger Snaps is a film that is very well known within the horror community, but outside of that, not so much. You may call it more of an underground …

10/15/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #15 – The Mist

For a major studio released, nicely-budgeted, sci-fi horror movie, directed by Frank Darabont, and based on some seriously strong Stephen King material, it’s amazing how many people have never seen this film.  Strangely, it seemed to come and go in the theaters without much fanfare.  But dammit, I’m here to give The Mist a little …

10/14/13 – OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #14 – The Stuff

Okay, I decided to get a little nutty with today’s pick.  Sometimes you just need a little madness.  And who better of a filmmaker to represent this madness, than Larry Cohen.  First, let’s get this out of the way right up front.  If you look at The Stuff by today’s standards, It’s not a good …

10/12/13 & 10/13/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS #12 & #13 – Detention (2011) / John Dies at the End

       NOTE:  I’m out of town this weekend, so this longer “double Feature” post works for both days and will allow me ample Vegas time.  Thank you. Have you ever seen a movie where you honestly have no idea what you just watched?  Something that defies logic so hard that it makes you …

10/11/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #11 – Tales From the Darkside: The Movie

First an admission.  This movie will forever be tied with my adolescence, so there’s an obvious bias to its inclusion here.  After watching so many horror films at home on VHS, and obsessing over every page of Fangoria, this was one of the first big horror movies I got to actually see in a movie …

10/10/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #10 – V/H/S/2

This was the horror movie I saw at Sundance earlier this year that absolutely knocked my socks off.  I’ve been a fan of the horror anthology film ever since I was young.  In fact, *spoiler alert*, I plan on doing another horror anthology film for tomorrow's pick as well!  But let’s talk about V/H/S/2 right …

10/9/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #9 – Pontypool

  I saw this movie right after I finished my 2012 horror list last year.  Even though I had to wait a year, I knew immediately it was going on my 2013 list.  This is the kind of movie that continues to give me faith in the modern day horror community.  Just when you think …

10/8/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #8 – Stephen King’s IT

  Sometimes a film can be flawed, have a few gaps in logic, be a bit uneven, and yet still have one perfect element that elevates the entire thing into something incredible.  Stephen King’s IT is exactly that.  Originally made as a TV miniseries, it has many of the pitfalls of a TV miniseries (and …

10/7/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #7 – A Clockwork Orange

The definition of “horror” can sometimes be stretched.  What each individual finds terrifying definitely wavers from person to person.  Sometimes “horror” is supernatural.  Sometimes “horror” is a pus-oozing monster.  And sometimes “horror” is a social commentary that makes us look at the potential of our own unhinged dark sides through a twisted psychological mirror.  A …

10/6/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #6 – The Others

I almost hate to include this movie because it gave my (just budding) horror writing career such a horrible ride for a few years.  After this movie came out, the ONLY scripts anyone wanted to see around town was, “elevated horror, like The Others.”  And of course, my horror writing back then was in no …

10/5/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #5 – ParaNorman

Every year I put one or two films on this list for (as my dad used to the say) “the whole famn damily.”  This year I have to put ParaNorman on this list.  But here’s the scoop.  Completely forget that it’s supposed to be a kid’s movie.  Just forget that whole notion.  Trust me.  Much …

10/4/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #4 – Silent House (2011)

Here’s a movie that I’ve had to do some battle over in the past, and I’m sure it will continue.  No biggie, I welcome all comers. I saw Silent House at Sundance a few years back and I seriously loved it.  At the time I’d never seen the original foreign film it was based on, …

10/3/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #3 – Prom Night (1980)

  What, you think I'm not going to load this year's recommendations with a few Jamie Lee Curtis films?  Come on now.  The queen needs her just due.  I'm so excited to be working with this fanboy icon, not to mention just amazing person.  So why don't we look back at one of her films …

10/2/13 – 2013 OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE RECOMMENDATION #2 – Friday the 13th: Part 2

Some of you may be surprised that I've never put a single Friday the 13th movie on these lists until now.  And now that I have, why did I skip right over the first entry, and go right with Part 2?  Well, let me put it into perspective.  The Friday the 13th series to me …