Let’s talk about horror movies. Yes, I know this post would be better suited for next month when Halloween is actually within spitting distance (gross phrase, I know), but time has lost all meaning, so we can talk about this holiday now, and we can chat about Christmas or Easter or Arbor Day next month. Horror movies have been keeping me sane the past several months; when I’m in a funk or struggling in whatever way, I’ll throw on a schlocky horror flick and almost immediately feel better. I’m not sure what it is about these films relieves the existential dread that’s constantly creeping around my periphery, but I welcome it with open arms. Okay, enough about me, let’s dive into three flicks that have been particularly comforting as of late. If you play your cards right, I’ll create another list next month to keep the fun (and heads) rolling.

Re-Animator

A loose adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft short story, Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator has it all; a creepy, obsessed scientist, the bringing-back-to-life of the dead, wild special effects, and — my favorite — bright green ooze. Re-Animator is one of the rare movies that succeeds in being genuinely funny and spooky. This is a tough balance to achieve, but Gordon and the phenomenal cast does it well. There is a lot of gore in the film, but it is far from seeming realistic; it works more as a comic gross-out, which is entirely welcome. As a bonus, the film co-stars Barbara Crampton, one of the greatest horror actresses of all time.

The Funhouse Massacre

The Funhouse Massacre is way better than it has any right to be. It came out five years ago, and I didn’t even hear about it until last week when I absent-mindedly put it on close to midnight. I didn’t intend to even watch the film; I was originally looking for some background noise to wind down with, but I ended up hooked within the first five minutes. The film is essentially about six psychopaths who escape from an insane asylum in order to terrorize a Halloween funhouse that is using said psychos’ past crimes as its theme. Naturally, this won’t stand, so the murderers go to add some bloody realism to the funhouse’s depictions. Lots of terror ensues. I personally love haunted houses as a backdrop, so I was sold from the start. Furthermore, the movie is paced excellently and the actors are all solid. The special effects seem to be practical, and they deliver in a big way. As an added bonus, Robert Englund has an extended cameo at the beginning of the movie. Totally radical!

Hellraiser

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser is a classic for a reason. It paints an incredibly creative — and gruesome — depiction of Hell and examines the fine line that exists between pain and pleasure. It follows this duality to its natural conclusion, tracing what lengths people will go to in order to maximize their pleasure, dealing with the immense (and eternal) pain that inevitably follows. The film is genuinely scary but not in a realistic way. You’ve surely seen the primary antagonist, Pinhead, on myriad movie covers while strolling the horror aisle in your local video store many years ago. If you never gave in to the morbid curiosity that his visage evokes, now is the perfect time to give it a try. As a fun side-note, when I first started dating my now-fiancee, we were at her Dad’s house for a couple of days, and I made the mistake of putting on this movie in front of her extended family. This was not a wise move.

 

Next time you’re staring into the void, on the brink of falling into a state of 2020-induced madness, consider putting on one of these films. It may prolong your mental well-being.

 

Gefen Kusin-Kline, MS-LS Candidate 2021