3 Horror Films Worth Watching.....Over and Over Again!

Ever since I was a wee lad growing up in Eastern Kentucky in a quite town called Wheelwright I have always had a healthy obsession with horror films. Some might say unhealthy, others may even call it an addiction but regardless of what you call it it was no secret that Little Sam, as they called me, loved him some horror films. I would sit for countless hours and watch Joe Bob Briggs Monster Vision on TNT or watch old Universal Monsters films with my father. Heck as a child one of my fondest memories was watching "House of Wax" with my grandfather and becoming entranced at Vincent Price and how he seemed so much realer than he was.

I devoured horror films like candy during Halloween. Of course I had my favorites like "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Hellraiser" but several films just kept calling for me to watch and re watch them and no matter how many times I watched those epic old VHS tapes they just kept getting better. Sadly most horror films don't have that rewatchability factor. They rely on jump scares and once you know when those are coming than why bother re watching, right?

So let's get this journey into horror started and I must warn that you should keep all limps away from the side of the cart, and the mouths of any passing monsters, never fall asleep and for God's sake's if you are at camp behave yourselves!

I won't lie this may be one of the cheesiest horror films ever made but that does not take anything away from how much fun it is to watch. Staring one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's heavy hitters Chris Hemsworth cabin takes us on a trip to a remote cabin in the woods where some young folks are looking to have a good time. Of course they are not aware that said cabin is being controlled by a government agency that is trying to negate the end of the world by pleasing dark gods. I realize that last line may have confused you a little which is all the more reason to tune in and check out "Cabin In The Woods".

Before we go into detail I would like to note that effects on this film were done by Heather Langenkamp and her husband. Yes, the same Heather Langenkamp that stared as Nancy in the Nightmare series. How cool is that? Moving right along.

To appease these dark gods sacrifices have to be made and these sacrifices play out like a huge game. Of course this particular year the other countries have won their game leaving the USA to save the day. I know what kind of game is won by killing everybody, right? The best kind!

In the long run what makes this story so fun is the sheer amount of potential monsters to be seen. Zombies, vampires, mermaids, and even inbred redneck mutants all make an appearance. My favorite part is the puzzle sphere which summons an almost Pinhead type character. The residents of the cabin choose their own means of death according to what relic they stumble on. Again if you are looking for a serious romp into the world of horror this is not going to fit on your plate and may leave you with an upset stomach but if fun is your taste than eat up my friend.

Few films have ever captured my attention like Romero's original zombie thriller "Night of the Living Dead". It is so good that even after years and years of zombie films and television it still remains at the forefront of zombie cinema. Night takes us on a very disturbing story of a world where the dead have risen and feast on the flesh of their living counterparts. Sure this is a far fetched concept but Romero made the film in a way that not only made it believable but started an entire culture based and revolving around zombies.

What makes this film so captivating for me other than zombies of course, as always been the story some people ignore. Sure the overall point is the dead are walking around killing the living and chaos rains down like pudding at John Goodman's house, but underlying that morbid doctrine is a far more terrifying story all together.

The real appeal is the humans that remain alive. Look at how once civilized folk instantly become mad with the desire to stay alive at all cost. How a simple man who was just minding his business becomes the first real African American hero on film. How about how the fear of the unknown leads a sober minded man to trap his family in a basement, ultimately leading to their doom? It really is more of a look at human psyche than it is a film about zombies and that has always had me going back to this one time after time.

Romero really captured something special in this film that brought horror into a whole new genre of viewers and the demographic has never been the same since! I usually show this one at the library I operate several times in October and every time I show it we see new faces but most of the people who come to the first viewing come to all of them.

"Donnie Darko" is my favorite film of all time. It deals with the concept of time travel in a way that would make Doc Brown scratch his head in wonderment. This film takes us deep into the mind of troubled teen Donnie Darko who suffers from schizophrenia and in doing so has started to exhibit strange sleep habits. He walks to random locations at night and he wonders the streets after dark but the strangest of all is the appearance of Frank, the bunny. This morbid looking rabbit is there to guide Donnie into a path that will ultimately decide the fate of the entire world.

While there are a few suspenseful moments to be had in this masterpiece it is not what I would call scary. Well, at least not on the level of a Freddy or Jason film but it is a psychological thriller and will leave you questioning so much.

Donnie is thwarted into a time line not of his own but separate from it but running right beside his line. This tangent universe is creating rips in the fabric of reality that must be sewn back together and in doing so Donnie must decide to take his own life to save those around him.

It is a love story, a horror story, a story of time travel, and a story of youth under siege that glues the watcher to the screen in awe as Donnie seeks to decipher the grim messages Frank gives him and he struggles to stay himself as he unfolds at the things going on around him. School trouble coupled with trouble at home and a constant feeling that he is different lead him down some very troubled paths but in the end they all go right where Frank needed them to go. I can't express how amazing this film is in words and I would do it an injustice to try to do so but I have to say it is so worth watching at least twice!