Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict’s House of 100 Horrors (page 7)

Edward Woodward, Britt Eckland, Ingrid Pitt and Christopher Lee in "The Wicker Man"

61. The Wicker Man (1973) Great British mystery/thriller finds Edward Woodward as self righteous religious police officer who finds himself on a remote English island in search of a missing girl. During his investigation, he discovers that the residences of the island long ago turned their back on Christianity and have adopted pagan rituals and beliefs to insure that their crops will grow. Also, they all seem to know more about the disappearance of Rowan Morrison than they are willing to let on. Christopher Lee stars as their enigmatic leader and Britt Eckland is charming as the innkeeper’s seductive daughter. Ingrid Pitt is also featured as the village school teacher and Lee’s companion. This film is full of wonderful scenery, shot completely on location and using genuine locals as extras.  The Wicker Man also features some great musical numbers, with the real show stopper being Britt Eckland’s erotic “Willow’s Song” which she performs naked. The Wicker Man has a great mystery that unfolds bit by bit to the shocking finale, which leaves you with a hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach. Also, don’t settle for imitations. If you decide to skip the original and see the Nicholas Cage remake then you might as well set yourself on fire upon a sacrificial pyre. If you accidentally saw that tragic remake, don’t let it prevent you from watching the original film.  Some movie just can’t be remade.  Nothing can replace the majesty, mystery and horror of the original Wicker Man.

62. Black Christmas (1974) If there is one thing that should be learnt from Black Christmas it’s that if you live at a sorority house, for the love of god, go home for Christmas break! Although it seems to be very formula driven, Black Christmas is one of the more disturbing films of the genre. A group of sorority sisters are harassed, hunted down and then one by one murdered by a mysterious killer who contacts them through a series of obscene phone calls over the Christmas break. However, unknown to the girls, the killer isn’t calling from the outside. He’s in their house! Black Christmas is a tense film full of grizzly, yet subtle, murders and decent acting performances by a strange collection of mismatched actors that aren’t known for appearing in horror films, including Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin, John Saxon and Keir Dullea. Furthermore, the use of Christmas music and decorations, as well as the bleak snowy cityscapes add an eerie juxtaposition to the horror presented to the audience. However be warned. Make sure you don’t accidentally pick up the 2007 remake by mistake which totally substitutes subtle horror with shock gore and misses the point that the true fear that the viewer gets from the original is not knowing who is killing the girls, instead of knowing too much. Next Christmas pass over It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story and pour some egg nog and turn off all the lights and get ready to scare the yuletide joy right out of yourself with this freakishly delightful holiday fare.

Bill Finley as Winslow Leech - the Phantom in Brian DePalma's "The Phantom of the Paradise"

63. Phantom of the Paradise (1974) Brian De Palma takes The Phantom of the Opera, Dr. Faustus, and The Portrait of Dorian Grey. packs them together in a little ball and turns it into a glam rock musical. Believe me or not, the result is far better than it may sound. Composer Winslow Leach will forever regret the day that the powerful record producer Swan (played surprisingly sinisterly well by 70′s songwriter Paul Williams) saw him perform his beloved music. Swan steals Leech’s music and destroys his life in the process. Deformed in a freak accident, Leech dons a leather suit and a metal mask and terrorizes Swan’s rock palace “The Paradise” until he falls in love with a young singer named Phoenix and makes a deadly pact with Swan to make her a star. Compelling and well paced, Phantom of the Paradise suffers as it doesn’t know if it wants to be a straight horror film or a comedic spoof (it would have made a better straight horror film in my opinion). However, it contains fun characters, including gay metal singer Beef and Swan’s head thug Philbin; great costumes and sets, and perhaps some of the best original musical numbers in any film like it. Paul Williams music was even nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to Nelson Riddle’s score for The Great Gatsby.  Fun, bright and full of energy, Phantom of the Paradise is an overlooked gem which cult status seems to be growing each year.

Gunner Hansen as Leatherface in Tobe Hooper's horror classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"

64. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Although the film would be imitated, remade and made into a series of lackluster sequels, the terror and shock of Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre can never be reproduced. A real product of it’s time, this classic horror film is unlike anything that was ever, or ever will be, made as effectively again. Cardboard cutout story of five college students who take a Sunday drive to the country to check on an old abandoned family homestead and find themselves tortured and killed one by one by a chainsaw welding madman known as Leatherface is accompanied by fast shocks and heart pounding thrills. The strangest experience of watching this film is that, despite it’s reputation, there is barely any gore and the killings are short and fast instead of drawn out and gory. In fact, the fact that Leatherface doesn’t fuck around is far more frightening then if he tortured his victims in long and gory sequences. Today’s horror directors could learn a lot from this movie. Adding to the effectiveness is the grainy cheap film used for this 1970′s cheapy, proving, once again, that an effective horror film doesn’t need to be slick and contain numerous special effects to create a true sense of horror. From the encounter with Leatherface’s cannibal family, the bizarre decor of his home and his bezerker dance at the end, it’s no wonder the film has become the legendary cult hit that it has become. Too bad the sequels were made, which has done nothing but tarnish the name of this masterpiece in terror.

65.  Race With the Devil (1975)  Chevy Chase never had problems like this when he went on vacation!  Peter Fonda and Warren Oates star in this thriller which is part horror film/part road trip movie that cashs in on the RVing craze of the 1970s.  Fonda and Oates play two Texas studs, Roger Marsh and Frank Stewart, who pack up their wives and the dog into a top of the line RV and take off for a fun filled vacation of skiing in beautiful Colorado!  However, when Frank and Roger stop for a day of dirt biking, they stumble across a satanic cult performing a human sacrifice during a black mass!  Detected by the cult, Roger and Frank quickly run back to the RV and now their happy vacation has become a race for their lives, with Satanists behind every corner and every friendly face!  Despite the predictability of the bulk of this film, Race With the Devil is an exciting little thrill ride which keeps the viewer wondering how our heroes are gonna get out of this one.  The film also features MASH star Loretta Swit as Oates’ wife Alice and Dark Shadow’s Lara Parker as Fonda’s wife Kelly, who gives the film’s finest performance, and whose paranoia  motivates the action in the second part of the film.  It is also rumored that director Jack Starett hired a real life satanic cult to perform the ritual on film, which would explain the eeriness of the scene where Fonda and Oates first find the Satanists, and the shocking, yet cliqued, ending.  However, for the remainder of the film, Satanists appear to be nothing more then just stock stunt men getting in car crashes and hanging off of the speeding RV.  But, despite the study in horror, Race with the Devil is also a great look back at 1970’s machoisim with Oates and Fonda playing the typical macho studs of the 1970s which was lost to the 1980s sensitive male.  The testosterone flowing from the pair is blinding at times, and the scenes of Fonda riding on top of the RV with huge 1970s sunglasses and blowing pursuing Satanists away with a shot gun is classic!  Race With the Devil is a great 1970s adventure flick with a touch of horror thrown in, and is a fantastic period piece of a neglected era of this great decade.

Tim Currey, Richard O'Brien, Little Nell and Patricia Quinn as Dr. Frankenfurter, Riff Raff, Columbia and Magenta in the cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"

66. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Richard O’Brien’s classic tribute/spoof to the sci-fi/horror genre has become synonymous to Halloween viewing, spawning a cult of followers that flood into midnight viewings complete with costumes and participation. Straight laced Brad Majors and Janet Weiss (played by Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, in which was probably the only cool thing she ever did) find themselves in a strange mansion in a rainstorm when their car breaks down. Inside they meet a cast of creepy and interesting characters, most importantly the star of the picture. Dr. Frankenfurter (played by Tim Currey); a transsexual transvestite who is making “a man.” What follows is a very colorful and clever sexual farce with a series of great musical numbers and homage’s to every plot device to the genre it pays tribute too. Songs such as “Late Night Double Feature,” “Sweet Transvestite,” “Toucha Toucha Touch Me,” “Dammit Janet,” and “The Time Warp,” which spawned it’s own popular dance,  have become favorites amongst film buffs and music fans alike.  The Rocky Horror Picture Show also features fantastic performances by Richard O’Brien himself as creepy manservant Riff Raff, Patricia Quinn as his incestuous sister Magenta, Little Nell as the sexy groupie Columbia and a pre-Bat Out Of Hell appearance by Meatloaf who, as biker Eddie, sings the song “Hot Patootie Bless My Soul.“   Most notably, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has become famous for it’s midnight screenings which has audience members dressing up as the characters and participating in the story by yelling phrases at the screen and throwing objects such as toast, toilet paper and rice around the theatre.  Rocky Horror has become both a horror and a comedy classic and is required viewing for all movie fans.

Gregory Peck and Lee Remerick are joined by Harvey Stephens in the role of Damien in "The Omen"

67. The Omen (1976) Is there nothing scarier then an evil child?  Following in the footsteps of Linda Blair and the Village of the Damned kids, as the impish Damien, Harvey Stevens became the next pint sized embodiment of evil in this great horror classic.  Gregory Peck plays a US ambassador whose wife Katherine, played by Remerick, miscarries in Italy. However, instead of letting his wife know of their newborn son’s death, Peck takes a child whose mother died during child birth as his own son. Six years later, back in the US, a strange Irish priest (played by former Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton) comes and warns Peck that his son Damien is evil. As strange happenings occur, Peck, teaming up with news photographer  David Warner, begins to unravel the mysterious origins of his adopted son and realizes Damien is indeed the spawn of Satan. A great horror classic, this movie is outstanding when watched back to back with Rosemary’s Baby.  Unfortunately The Omen was also the victim of a lackluster remake, which nearly copies the film scene for scene without the master performance by Gregory Peck, one of Hollywood’s all time greatest actors.  Also made into various sequels, and parodies (my favorite being the South Park episode with Damien being enrolled into South Park Elementary), but, again, all without Gregory Peck.  Believe me, if Peck isn’t involved, it’s just not worth watching.  Everything is better with Peck.  Don’t ever forget it.

Michael Berryman as Pluto in Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes"

68.  The Hills Have Eyes (1977)  Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes has become the horror film which I compare all horror films to.  This excellent thriller is probably one of the horror films that sunk under my skin the most over recent years.  When Sheriff Big Bob Carter’s family takes a detour to go searching for an inherited silver mine during a vacation in California, their car gets wrecked in the middle of a nuclear testing range.  Now, while Bob and his son in law Doug go searching for help, the rest of his family, including his wife, three kids and baby granddaughter, become victims to a family of mutated cannibals, lead by the demented family patriarch Father Juno, who dwell in the strange rocky hills that surround the stranded travelers.  Now the family must fight for their lives against their attackers, who have their eye on a morsel of food that they don’t see very often in their desert.  Shocking and brutal, The Hills Have Eyes is full of fantastic performances and likeable characters that you both care about, and disgusting villains who you loathe.  There really is no shades of grey between the good guys and the bad.  However, what separates this film from those that have come before and after are the reactions by the characters as their loved ones are picked off by the cannibals one by one.  In most horror films, the deaths of friends and family goes with a quick shriek and a moment of shock value but then is forgotten as the hero either fights for their life or seeks revenge.  In The Hills Have Eyes, the characters actually show great emotional anguish as they mourn for their fallen family, which is much harder for the viewer to watch.  While their anguish is what motivates them in their battle against Father Juno and his family, you know that they aren’t coming out of this one without a few mental scars.  The Hills Have Eyes does suffer, however, by an ambiguous ending which was all the rage in the 1970s and better executed in films like The Wicker Man.  However, a far better ending was filmed by Craven, and was included in the two disc DVD set as one of the special features.  The original ending is possibly one of the best scenes shot for the film, and gives the viewer much needed resolution to the horrible and emotionally draining film that they just watched.  Somebody should have been slapped for leaving this ending on the cutting room floor.  Despite this one flaw though, The Hills Have Eyes is remains to be a shocking, dramatic and breath taking film full of incredible cinematography, compelling characters and tons of emotion.  Followed by a weak sequel and an even weaker remake that doesn’t have the same emotional punch as the original.  Why do people need to try to remake films like this?  Enough already.  Stick to the original.  The Hills Have Eyes is really one of the best studies in emotional horror.

69. Shock Waves (1977) When a ship a grounds on the shore of an uncharted jungle isle with Luke Halpin, and the skipper too, a used car salesman and his wife, the afro guy, the drunken cook and Brooke Adams, here on Peter Cushing’s Isle, the seven stranded castaways have a hell of a lot more to deal with then occasional head hunters and a guy in an unconvincing gorilla suit.  Would you believe Underwater Nazi Zombies?  You better believe it!  No.  I don’t know who makes this stuff up, but hold on to your lifejackets for the most thrilling adventure of people stranded on a deserted island this side of Lost!  Simple plot about a crew of vacationers on a small cruising ship, captained by John Carradine, get marooned not far from a remote Island where strange Nazi hermit Peter Cushing tells them that they have arrived at a very bad time.  Unfortunately for them, a legendary platoon of SS soldiers that were created from the dead have come back to terrorize the Island.  You can’t kill them and can’t outrun them.  Now the vacationers must find a way off the island before they become the next victims of these ferocious leftovers from the Third Reich.  Trust me when I say this film is far better then it sounds.  The zombies are truly scary as they silently rise and descend from the water, to drown their victims in quiet deaths.  An overlooked thriller from the 1970’s, Shock Waves is like no zombie film that had ever been made before or since, and is a real treat for fans of the zombie genre and 1970s films.  One of the best B films of the era. 

70. Suspiria (1977)  Jessica Harper’s horror follow up from Phantom of the Paradise was Italian horror mastermind Dario Argento’s masterpiece Suspiria which, although highly regarded amongst film fans as one of the greatest horror films of the 1970′s, goes virtually unnoticed. Harper plays Susie Banyon, an American ballerina who finds herself enrolled at Berlin’s esteemed Freeborge Academy. However, the bizarre death of two students on the evening of her arrival dips Banyon in a mysterious world of murder, witchcraft….and dance! Suspiria is a disturbing and eerie journey into darkness which makes you feel like your looking into a new surreal world. Imaginative use of color and lighting, especially primary colors with bright red, green and blue washes, make a very unique and surreal experience. Adding to the horror is the incredible soundtrack by German band Goblin, which has become nearly as infamous as the film itself. Suspiria is truly the European “Exorcist” and is essential viewing for all lovers of 1970′s horror films.