Horror Movies

I spent the past weekend lying in bed and getting better, and in turn I had a luxury rarely afforded to me: A chance to catch up on some movies.

In my room is something I swore 10 years ago I would never do; buy movies and not watch them for years. There is a box full of movies, never opened, never watched, some going as far back as 2004. While I didn't make a sizable dent, I do want to share that I got to watch 5 horror movies this weekend, 3 of which I've never seen before.

Shaun of the Dead

I had never actually seen this film. I'm actually am shocked it came out in 2004! It seems a lot more recent than that, and it turns out I've had the DVD since then. I enjoyed it very much! Its billed as a "romanitc comedy with zombies", and it is true to that description as much as possible. While I wasn't thrilled with the dryness of the humor from time-to-time, there were some great moments, such as Shaun finally getting to his mom's house to kill his step-father who's a zombie, only to find out he's fine. Or the scene in the pub where Queen comes on the jukebox and they systematically act in unison with the music.

Friday the 13th (original)

Another in the "Never saw it, heard about it" pile. I've actually never seen a Friday the 13th movie, and I can't say I'm interested in the sequels. The fact is, Jason Voorhees is dead in the first film, and the main reason for the murders is actually brilliant: The mother, angry and feeling betrayed by the camp she worked at, seeking revenge for her son's death. At the end, you're left to wonder if Jason's body was in the water and if, truly, he was alive. Eh... I didn't think it was great.

Edward Scissorhands

This is a personal favorite! I hadn't seen this movie in years and it really is a lesson in good film making. Johnny Depp takes on the roll of Edward, a man created by a doctor in a mansion, being brought down to a suburban community where he fits in incredibly easily, only to be cast out thanks to the boyfriend of the woman he falls in love with. Its a movie about finding your place in the world, staying true to yourself, love, diversity, and a chilling look into the way societies are quick to praise someone and in turn cast them out.

Poltergeist

This is the type of film that you never see, but you've seen too many parodies of it not to see it. Family Guy did an entire episode that was basically a spoof of this nearly 2-hour long film. Blame it on being spoiled by those spoofs, but I didn't enjoy this film that much. Some good moments, but I really can't explain what it was that didn't seem to fit.

Rosemary's Baby

This is Shaun of the Dead have one plot element in common: The main character is clueless about the evil around them until its far too late. I first saw this movie about 4 or 6 years ago and... well, its not your average thriller. The film is over 2 hours long and it focuses on a year-long process of manipulation and deception, making Rosemary the mother of Satan's child, and various people in her apartment building, including her own husband Guy, to help foster the Antichrist.