A List of Little Known Horror Treasures — By Amanda By Night
[EDITOR'S NOTE: In our 2-year plus history at Horror Yearbook we have done our best to bring you the best in overlooked and unappreciated horror films. We may have covered some of these films in the past, but once is never enough. For more great, older horror film suggestions, check out Brain Hammer's Picks From the Crypts, and keep updated on all Amanda By Night's articles in her HYB Archives here.]
What makes a great horror film anyway? Of course the answer is subjective and it truly relies on your ability to open yourself up to your own fears. The rest depends on the madmen behind and in front of the camera. Dario Argento says his greatest inspirations come from his dreams and almost any great horror film I can think of does lie in a surrealistic domain where one can feel the impossibility of the situation. But all dreams come from some germ of reality so in the end, the movie also has to anchor the viewer in a place, however strange, where we relate to at least a nugget of truth either in the situation or within ourselves.
That’s a full plate of want from people who enjoy a good, scary movie but it has been done and it has been done well. This list obviously doesn’t encompass every little known great horror movie, but it does pay tribute to films that deserve more praise and a more viewings.
Brotherhood of Satan (1971) – LQ Jones, one of the most prominent character actors of the 70s and 80s wrote and stars in this Bava-esque horror film about a town where all of the kids have gone missing. A slow-burn of a film, Brotherhood creeps up under your skin. Director Bernard McEveety practically paints the terror across every frame, leaving the viewer with a beautiful nightmare.
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) – This lost treasure finally got a DVD release. To say it’s one of the best horror films ever made still wouldn’t do it justice. In fact, Jessica is everything a good horror film should be. It’s ambiguous, haunting, intelligent and scary as all get out. Jessica, played by Zorah Lampert, is a woman recently released from a mental institution. She, her husband and a friend give up city life and buy a large house in a small town. Once there, they encounter a beautiful squatter who may or may not be a vampire. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death is the horror film to see if you want to remember when they did it right.
Terror at the Red Wolf Inn (1972) – Fans of The Waltons will get a kick out of Mary Jackson who played spinster Emily Baldwin on the G rated 70s hit. Here she is the matriarch of a fairly screwy family who own an isolated hotel, a place where you can check in but you don’t check out. Enter Linda Gillen, the spunky college girl who puts the mystery together. Dark comedy at its best, Red Wolf Inn is an odd and amusing thriller. Aka Terror House, Folks at the Red Wolf Inn.
The Baby (1973) – One of the nastiest films of the 70s, The Baby seems to have slipped through the cracks over the years. Guaranteed to leave your jaw dropped to the floor, The Baby is about a full grown man in diapers and his social worker. She believes Baby’s family (a mom and two sisters) have kept him in a state of perpetual infancy to fulfill their own depraved desires. She ends up going toe to toe with them and it leads to a mind blowing ending. An amazing and unique film, The Baby simply has to be seen to be believed.
Deathdream (1974) – A Viet Nam take on the horror short story, The Monkey’s Paw, Deathdream is about a young soldier who is said to have died during battle. His mother wishes his precious life back and he shows up the next day…just a tad different. This is an affecting allegory about a time of war and the lost souls left behind when a loved one dies. It’s creepy as hell too with an excellent performance by Richard Backus as Andy, the soldier. They don’t make them like this anymore. Aka The Night Andy Came Home
Shock Waves (1977) – A great spooky zombie movie featuring terrific performances from John Carradine and Peter Cushing. Shock Waves is about a group of shipwrecked survivors barraged by Nazi Zombies. Yup, you read that right. In fact, Shock Waves marked the beginning of a new sub-genre of Nazi Zombies, but this is really the only one you need to see. And you’ll probably want to see it again and again.
The Attic (1980) – A heartbreaking portrait of a life wasted, Carrie Snodgress is the repressed librarian who dwindles away her days reminiscing about a lost love and taking care of her invalid father, played maliciously by the great Ray Milland. Finally, Snodgress builds a backbone, but may not have the last laugh. Tragic, horrific and ultimately paralyzing, this tale of human horror will stick with you.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) – As a fan of Made for TV Movies of the 70s, it was hard for me to narrow down the best of the bunch, but Dark Night embodies so much of what the big screen counterparts were brining to the table, which is why it came out the winner. Charles Durning plays Otis, an evil mailman who is hell bent on ruining the life of simpleminded Bubba (Larry Drake). When word gets out that Bubba accidentally killed a little girl, Otis gets his band of merry hoodlums together to exact revenge. They find Bubba hiding inside a scarecrow in his backyard and shoot him dead. Then the murderers discover that not only didn’t the girl die, but Bubba was actually saving her from a vicious dog attack. Then the guilty party gets a nasty lesson in revenge. Excellent film across the board with tight direction, wonderful acting and a ghostly story that will leave the viewer on the edge of their seat, it’s nothing short of a masterpiece.
The Boogens (1982) – OK, this is certainly not the scariest movie on the list, but it’s an awesome throwback to the monster movies of the 50s while still reveling in the violence of the 80s. The Boogens also has some fine actors who play the characters just right, making them a more likeable bunch then a lot of the young, pretty adults we usually get. The story? Well, some slimy creatures lurk underneath a house with two over-sexed couples. It’s a non-stop, icky rollercoaster ride.
The Slayer (1982) – One of the best slasher films, The Slayer is a gruesome, methodically paced horror film that takes no prisoners. The story is about a troubled artist vacationing on a desolate island with three friends. Her disturbing dreams begin to exact themselves in the real world and she starts to think maybe she’s bringing something over from the other side. Fans of Nightmare on Elm Street, which was released after The Slayer, will enjoy the dark dreamlike quality of this.
Pin (1988) – This Canadian horror film is as cerebral as they come. Don’t go in expecting wall to wall gore and you’ll be fine. Pin, which is about young Leon and his warped mind, is an excellent character study and is very, very human. The heart of the film is about love, loss and loneliness and the final frames will haunt you.
When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) – Featuring the underrated and sadly forgotten late 80s scream queen Jill Schoelen, Stranger boasts Jill’s strongest performance to date (and worst hairstyle!). Essentially, Stranger starts off like the original but this time the madman comes to the door, teasing Schoelen into submission. The intruder takes off with the kids she was babysitting and 5 years later he appears again, driving her even more insane. Carol Kane and Charles Durning return and help Schoelen figure out the mystery. Well paced and with some surprisingly shocking moments, Stranger is filled with dread and is one of, if not the scariest film of the 90s.
