Five Films For Halloween

With October comes Halloween, and with Halloween comes horror movies, and with horror movies comes horror movie recommendations. I'm not going to waste your time talking up the Nth generation slasher movies where "The Collecter" or "Ghostman" or "Clowny-Face" go on a typical killing spree, butchering topless college girls and their idiot friends in remote locations. Similarly, I'm not going to bother with torture-porn or Asian Ghost remakes, because who really wants to see two more hours of either plotless sexualized torture or washed up WB teen-drama stars being pestered by murdered Korean ladies? So here are five movies that fit the Fall mood, aren't trite, and don't pander to the lowest common denominator.

1.) "The Changeling" (1980)
 There was a time when horror films were slow and atmospheric, before the grindhouse turned everything into a loud, splattery mess. 'The Changeling', with its' slow burn and lonesome palatial setting, occupies a special place in the world of horror: a place where the absence of action is where the real horror lies. Set in an empty historical mansion in Seattle, widower John (played by George C. Scott) happens upon a decades old mystery that takes its' sweet time unraveling. I'll spare everyone spoilers, but I will say that this movie features one of the best seance scenes ever. This film sets the standard that other haunted house movies strive for to this day. Spooky, well paced and with the perfect amount of ghostly rumblings, this is easily one of the best and most under appreciated horror movies ever made.

2.) "The Innkeepers" (2011) 
 Ti Wests' second film, 'The Innkeepers' looks like a ghost movie from the outside, but really is about fate and the futility of trying to change an outcome you have no control over. In a way it's really an Indie movie: a film about twenty-to-thirty somethings stuck in a dead end job with no foreseeable prospects in life who spend the better part of the film talking about absolutely nothing. I can see how that could easily turn off quite a few viewers. I mean, you expect a traditional ghost movie that goes through the motions, only to get a movie that barely features ghosts and ends on a vague note that offers no easy answers. The magic here is in the understatement: somewhat pointless scenes, casual conversations, the inanity of a barista droning on about boyfriend woes or the irritation of a coworker forgetting to restock towels in a room all give the film a realistic feeling that puts the spooky elements in sharp contrast, making them much more effective. That, and the whole movie has a lingering sadness that comes full swing by the climax that perfectly fits the socially lost vibe of the two main characters and their general malaise about life. A major complaint I've heard is that the supernatural elements are too brief and too few, but I personally feel that the directors' use of restraint works out brilliantly. It's not a film for everyone and will undoubtedly disappoint people who want an escapist horror flick, but for those of us who want a chunk of life's mundane nature with our creepy crawlies, this is a perfect film.

3.) "Session 9" (2001)
 I'm not going to lie: I don't really know how to explain this movie. A team of renovators are sent to an old sanitarium to clean and remove asbestos before remodeling can happen. There aren't any ghosts or spooks here, just these blue collar workers. The only problem is that they all have their own internal demons and some aren't the best at dealing with them. As a film it leans heavily on the loneliness, despair and isolation of its setting to convey the mental state of some of the characters, and by the end you're left with more than a handful of questions about the men, their pasts and who or what is at fault for what happens. It's pure psychological horror at its' finest. 

4.) "Sauna" (2008)
 A Finnish film set in sixteenth century Russia, this particular story centers around two brothers at the end of a war and how they handle what they've done in battle. One brother is soft and thoughtful, the other is violent and brutish, and both have sins to atone for. They happen upon what seems to be an untouched settlement deep in a swamp, but things aren't what they appear. It's a dark and grisly film that meditates on the idea of repentance and offers up an intriguing watch, even if it has the rambling plotting of a folk tale. Sometimes the horror lies within.... or at least I think that's what this movie gets at.

5.) "Meet The Feebles" (1989)
 This movie is an absolute nightmare. Before Peter Jackson was an A-list Hollywood director he made some of the most gleefully anarchic films ever made. 'Bad Taste' and 'Dead Alive' are some of the most excellent examples of comically cheap and inventive gore my eyes have ever seen, but it's his send up of The Muppets that really makes me squirm. The film is shot entirely with puppets, who unlike The Muppets are an unwholesome, screwed up mess. From drugs to sex, Russian roulette to mass murder, 'Meet The Feebles' is a crazily dark and depressing movie that honestly gave me a weeks worth of nightmares when I was a teenager. It's funny, kind of, but in a way only those of raised on 'Seasame Street' can fully understand: deeply disturbingly funny.