There is no shortage of reasons to be afraid these days. No matter which side you look at – political, economic or environmental – there is something to fear. That’s why scared people, myself included, turn to horror movies for refuge.
Posted at 6:00 am
Yes / Yes. The fearful and fearful often become great fans of horror movies because it allows them to fight evil with evil, inflicting them incredible horrors that purify those who live them in real life.
Fall, as we approach Halloween, is her favorite time of year because it’s a bit like every day at the Cannes Film Festival when horror movies and series get rolling. While we debate problematic Halloween costumes according to various sensibilities, they tend to stuff themselves on stuff that traumatizes them over and over again. The more uncomfortable they are, the happier they are.
One of the reasons I fell in love with my boyfriend is because we are both horror movie lovers. No remote control issues, and Netflix’s algorithm reminds us to watch it often. He’s my Jason, I’m his Carrie, our first movie outing together was Halloween H20, the seventh movie in the franchise – we knew it clicked when we thought the third, unrelated to Michael Myers, was underestimated.
What I like most about horror cinema is the fan aspect, which doesn’t really care about the concept of a masterpiece.
Sometimes all it takes is one powerful scene in a not-so-great movie to stick in your memory for the rest of your life and confirm your deep love for what other moviegoers would mistake for a turnip.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Brigitte Poupart during the shooting of the film Les affamés by director Robin Aubert
Take a film like Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum, for example. I was deeply saddened to learn of the untimely death of this brilliant Micmac director at the age of 46 on October 13th from a cursed cancer. I went to Listuguj reserve for his shoot in 2018, I loved the experience and my interview with him. Barnaby knew his horror cinema inside out and wanted to involve his community in this popular line. Because while Blood Quantum isn’t perfect, it’s still the first indigenous zombie movie, which I found extremely important, in the way that Robin Aubert directed Les affamés, the first Quebec zombie movie.
In both cases there have been undeniable and unique finds that are precisely the subject of the documentary series The 101 Scariest Horror Movies Moments of All Time on Shudder, the platform dedicated to genre cinema to which I subscribed despite a threatened budget multiple subscriptions. In eight episodes we compile a list of the most outstanding moments of horror cinema, whereby I must specify here that the other tinker tinker is the price lists. Hours of bickering can ensue over these lists, whose top positions move very slowly. In this chapter, the writer Patrick Senécal, much too difficult because professional horror, is the most demanding on social networks, but everyone likes to fight with him.
Impossible to escape from The Exorcist, Jaws, The Shining or Psycho, which are indelible classics despite the decades that have passed. I think it’s mainly because of one thing: the computer special effects can’t match the incredible inventiveness of the craftsmen who handcrafted horrible things like Rick Baker, Tom Savini or Rob Bottin. Most importantly, the actors actually have the bitch in front of these creations (and the camera) instead of pretending to be afraid of blue screens.
Fear is a special emotion that is less respected than sadness or laughter, yet it is instinctive. I think it can wreak havoc in a society that refuses to acknowledge it.
Still, in Shudder’s list of the 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time, without selling you the punch of placing the other 100, John Carpenter’s The Thing comes in second. It’s silly, but I was super happy because it’s my favorite horror movie “of all time” and, without being silly, I’ve seen it at least 50 times. A commercial failure upon release in 1982, the year Spielberg’s ET took the planet (and my inner child) by storm, I’ve also watched The Thing climb the charts as if I needed that climb to to confirm my impressions.
Shudder’s list has the merit of showing newer films and other underrated ones, like The Exorcist III, which still gives me nightmares, directed by William Peter Blatty, the author of the novel that spawned the William Friedkin masterpiece. We’re trying to shake up the usual hierarchy, all commented on by enthusiasts deciphering memorable moments of horror. Of course there are omissions and the positions are very controversial (that’s all the fun) but there are two or three titles in there that I’ve never seen that will inspire me for my movie night this Halloween.
I wish all amateurs nice chills!
My suggestions
The Thing, by John Carpenter (1982)
A team of men isolated at a base in Antarctica discover an alien parasite that has the ability to replace the host it is attacking, and whom they call “the Thing”, indescribable as it is. Let’s experience 109 minutes of paranoia and absolutely horrific physical transformations that we will never forget. What do you want, I’ve always had a fear of hostile environments, and this bunch of guys has no way of escaping in deadly temperatures. What’s most intriguing is seeing the dynamism of this boys’ club, as there isn’t a scream queen on the horizon (unless ‘the thing’ is female and therefore the symbol of fear of the female). I always forget that it’s one of the rare John Carpenter movies where he doesn’t sign the soundtrack because Ennio Morricone pays a nice tribute to his style.
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Hereditary, by Ari Aster (2018)
It’s getting harder and harder for me to be scared in the cinema because I’ve seen too many horror movies. Hereditary helped with that to such an extent that I was torn between utter horror and pure joy at experiencing such a thrill that doesn’t wear off despite multiple viewings. This family camera, which I won’t tell you about, plays with our deepest emotions, and Ari Aster proved in one film that he’s a master director.
Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video. Hereditary will also be screened this Friday night at 9:30pm at the Cinéma Moderne as part of the SPASM festival.
Fright Night (VF: Vampire, Did You Say Vampire?), directed by Tom Holland (1985)
If you like your horror movie to be more humorous, Fright Night is for you. It’s my Halloween candy movie, funny and unclassifiable, and frankly irresistible. A young man, Charlie Brewster, discovers that his new neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (polite Chris Sarandon), is a vampire. The problem is that Dandridge recognizes this and wants to eliminate him. Charlie, a big fan of the TV show dedicated to old horror movies and hosted by Peter Vincent (amazing Roddy McDowall), will ask this former actor for help to fight the villain. This film has gained a cult following among fans of the LGBTQ community because it’s full of weird references that worried many teenagers in the 1980s.
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