It's Friday the 13th, so get ready for some terror!
On a recent Saturday night, I stumbled into a Halloween store and found bliss surrounded by monster masks, fake bats and zombie garden décor. For some, this might sound like a sad dear diary entry. Others might see this as a much-needed Halloween fix till October rolls around. Thankfully today is Friday, the 13th. A day of superstition, fright and the perfect excuse to add some scares into your life.
Not sure how to celebrate this wicked day? Well, you could go into an abandoned hospital searching for ghosts. But I wouldn’t recommend that for beginners. Let’s start you off slow. How about a scary movie night?! Or better yet, a scary movie sleepover?! Remember how fun and exciting those were as a kid? I still have mental scars from my own.
Once the invites are made, the real dilemma lies in what to watch. I’m not gonna hate you for putting on some Jason Voorhees today. It is Friday the 13th, after-all. How about some new picks, or stuff you might have heard of but haven’t seen?
Here are 8 selections that will terrify and entertain. If you’re a hardcore horror fan—the kind that wears horror shirts five days out of the week—this list isn’t for you. This is for the casual viewer that likes a scary movie every now and then.
Grab some popcorn, turn off the lights and let’s begin.
Lovely Molly (2011)
In real life Johnny Lewis, the lead male actor in the movie, ended up killing his 81-year old landlord, her cat and then himself. Now I’m not saying the movie is to blame, but this movie is still seriously creepy. It’s a haunted house film revolving around newlyweds moving into the bride’s troubled, childhood home. Director Eduardo Sanchez, of The Blair Witch Project, weaves together terror, addiction and human drama. The end result is an unnerving experience for the viewer. And the winner for the most messed up father-daughter horror movie goes to...
House of the Devil (2009)
A babysitter alone in a creepy house that learns that all is not what it appears, as she’s not alone. You’ve heard this setup before but filmmaker Ti West does a damn good job crafting a good throwback scary movie. Even though it was released in 2009, it’s straight out of 1982. From the retro fashion to the aesthetics and pacing, West places you back in that era where an innocent girl looking to make some extra money could conceivably cross paths with crazy devil worshippers.
This one’s a slow burn, but I promise if you stick with it, the payoff will be bloody and insane. The beautiful Jocelin Donahue also makes for a great final girl!
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
They’re clowns. From outer space. And they kill and eat people. If you need more than that, you might as well stop reading here.
Somos Los Que Hay (We Are What We Are) (2010)
Not a fan of subtitles? Too bad, cause you’re missing out. Outside of Hannibal Lecter and the Texas Chainsaw clan, cannibals don’t get much love from movies. Luckily, Mexican filmmaker Jorge Michel Grau introduces us to a family surviving in Mexico City that happens to have a taste for human flesh. Low on gore and mindless action but high on tension, complex characters and the macabre, the movie delivers. This is more gripping than the 2013 English language remake.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy discovers she’s a vampire. Easily the most original and smart vampire film in the last 10 years.
Shot in black and white, the first Iranian Vampire Western ever made is like fine horror art. What you have is a vampire film mixed with a cool graphic novel, smothered on top with Tarantino style and attitude. A sure cult classic that you’ll recommend to friends to add on their Netflix queue.
If you’re a scaredy-cat or your significant other is, this is a great non-squeamish pick.
The Fog (1980)
Can’t you hear Brad Pitt yelling out, “What’s in the fog? What’s in the fog?!” The answer is pirate ghosts and bad, bad stuff.
You can’t have a scary movie night without a John Carpenter film! So I’m picking one of his lesser-known hits starring his go to heroine, Jamie Lee Curtis and '80s babe, Adrienne Barbeau. This is a good, old-fashioned ghost story that takes place in a small coastal town that comes under attack by the supernatural, in the form of an iridescent fog. This too had a remake (2005), and it’s horrible.
Check out the fantastic vintage trailer that warns you to “Get inside and lock your doors.”
Tucker And Dale Versus Evil (2010)
This is a hilarious horror-comedy about two loveable but dumb backwoods pals that get mistaken for redneck slashers packed with laugh-out-loud moments and cringe-worthy death scenes that will satisfy everyone in your group.
Funnymen Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk have great chemistry as they create two fleshed out Scooby Doo-type characters that grow on you. Most horror-comedies offer you either/or and usually poor regardless of what you get. Tucker & Dale cleverly utilizes horror clichés and setups to create a bloody fun time!
The Loved Ones (2012)
Take Molly Ringwald’s character from Sixteen Candles and sprinkle some pyscho horror dust on her and you get The Loved Ones. This Australian horror fan favorite shows us the underbelly of high school prom from the eyes of a deranged wallflower and her sadistic and creepy father. Once the young girl is rejected by the object of her affection, all hell brakes loose as she goes full Carrie on him.
While there’s plenty of dark humor throughout, don’t worry, as there’s also lots of blood, violence and “cover your eyes” moments (including a lobotomy scene). This is the closest we’ll get to torture porn on this list.
