At The Movie Buff it’s officially ‘Halfway to Halloween’—a time to reflect on horror films, and celebrate the mark of 6 months before spooky season. We’ve held this theme month for a few years now, and it always brings some good titles to the mix. It’s also a time to celebrate and discover not just old horror classic favorites, but indie horror as well. “Curve,” and “Polaroid” were some favorites of one theme year, and this year Matt DeCristo wrote some praise about “Heartless,” Haukur Björgvinsson’s emotionally terrifying short.
This year, we’re pleased to announce a horror collaboration with The Night Morgue, a horror-themed social media account we’ve come to know over this past year. Very active on Facebook and Instagram, James Spate from this account brings delicious horror celebrations to timelines daily. The group will also have a podcast later this year, to be released on Spotify. But for ‘Halfway to Halloween’ 2024, we spoke to James of The Morgue, who shared his top 10 horror picks to watch this month, while we patiently (some of us) wait for October and Halloween.
10. ‘The Burning’ (1981)
A scene from “The Burning.” (Photo: Miramax Films, 1981).
This 1981 slasher follows a bunch of camp counselors all trying to enjoy their summer, unaware they are being stalked by a madman armed with a pair of garden shears. Although similar in terms of premise to the legendary “Friday the 13th,” “The Burning” stands on its own merits with its solid story and amazing practical effects. Special FX guru Tom Savini really outdid himself with this movie. This is one film that deserves to have a cut of the summer. (Read our review).
9. ‘Creature From the Black Lagoon’ (1954)
The Gill-man in a scene from “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” (Photo: Universal International Pictures (UI).
This iconic creature-feature introduced the world to the Gill-man. A true universal classic and the creature’s design would go down in cinematic history. Certainly, he earns his place in the Universals Movie Monsters. “Creature from the Black Lagoon” is a fantastic blend of mystery and adventure. It’s one movie that every horror fan should see.
8. ‘Jeepers Creepers’ (2001)
Gina Phillips and Justin Long in “Jeepers Creepers.” (Photo: United Artists).
Jeepers Creepers, where did you get those peepers? “Jeepers Creepers” is a brilliant summer horror film. When two siblings are on the road, they soon find themselves chased by a mad trucker. However, unbeknownst to them there is a lot more of a sinister motive to this trucker. The creepers design is iconic. There are some great tense moments in this. This is a great summer horror flick to chill out to on those summer nights.
7. ‘Night of the Creeps’ (1986)
Tom Atkins in a scene from “Night of the Creeps.” (Photo: TriStar Pictures).
Thrill me! “Night of the Creeps” is a brilliant horror/comedy that somehow mashes together zombies, slashers, and even an alien invasion. Legendary actor Tom Atkins is having a real blast in this movie. It’s a loving homage to the 1950s B movies. It’s a dark comedy, perfectly blended with gruesome effects. Whilst not initially successful at the Box Office, Fred Dekker’s masterpiece has gone on to develop a real cult following. Fun fact: all the characters are all named after iconic horror directors!
6. ‘Witchfinder General’ (1968)
Vincent Price in a scene from “Witchfinder General.” (Photo: Tigon British Film Productions).
“Witchfinder General” is a classic British folk/horror movie which tells a fictionalized story of the real infamous Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins. Despite the folk/horror of the movie, it has all the traits of a classic Western too. A young soldier travels the lands in search of Matthew Hopkins, determined to stop the evil of the Witchfinder General. Vincent Price gives one of his best performances as Hopkins. He is menacing and imposing. His icy stare is enough to chill anyone’s blood. Ironically, Price was not Michael Reeves’ first choice as Hopkins. He frequently clashed with him on set. Despite the clashes, this movie is a cult film and has gone down in cinematic history.
5. John Carpenter’s ‘The Fog’ (1980)
Jamie Lee-Curtis in a scene from “The Fog.” (Photo: AVCO Embassy Pictures).
John Carpenter’s “The Fog” is a perfect ghost story, taking place in the seaside town of Antonio Bay. Celebrating its 100th birthday brings not only celebration but the town’s dirty secrets. Who are the ghostly figures in the fog? John Carpenter came up with the story when visiting the ancient landmark Stonehenge. He and Debra Hill were surrounded by a fog at the time. Carpenter famously said, “What do you think is in that fog?” Boasting a stellar cast of Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, and Adrienne Barbeau. This film was not the easiest for Carpenter to shoot and went through extensive reshoots. Carpenter wrote the music for the film which is spine-chilling. This is one of my favorites. Carpenter does not consider it his best, but a lot of fans disagree; it has really has earned its cult following
4. ‘Lake Mungo’ (2008)
A scene from “Lake Mungo.” (Photo: Mungo Productions).
“Lake Mungo” is an Australian psychological ghost story which is presented as a mockumentary. When young Alice drowns in Lake Mungo, her grieving family soon start experiencing unexplained phenomena. Is Alice back or is something else going on? This film took me by surprise with how chilling this was. It is clever and precise. Each scene made me look twice and caused me to question what I saw. It is a shame how criminally underrated this film is. I would put this film in the top horror movies of the last 20 years. It is a very effective ghost story, which leaves you wanting more in each scene. I am happy to recommend this film to any horror fan. (Read our review).
3. ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978)
A scene from “Dawn of the Dead.” (Photo: Laurel Group).
First, we had the night. Now we have Dawn. “Dawn of the Dead” is the second part of legendary filmmaker George A. Romero’s zombie movies. During the zombie apocalypse, a group of survivors find shelter and barricade themselves inside a giant shopping mall. All the while surrounded by hordes of the dead. Special effects guru Tom Savini made eye-boggling effects on this movie. The film showed the effects of a larger scale zombie apocalypse and how society crumbles around it. To me it’s not just a zombie movie, but it is also a social commentary poking fun at consumerism. It gained critical acclaim and spawned multiple homages… and even a fantastic remake. It still has one of the best tag lines of any movie “When there’s no more room in hell. The dead shall walk the earth”… (Read our review).
2. ‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)
Christopher Lee in “The Wicker Man.” (Photo: © Rialto Pictures/ Studiocanal).
When I think of summer horror movies, there is one movie that always immediately comes to mind. This movie is none other than “The Wicker Man.” Robin Hardy had crafted one of the greatest folk horror of all time, starring Christopher Lee and Ed Wood in this masterpiece. When a young girl goes missing on a remote Scottish island, devout Christian policeman Sergeant Howie is dispatched to investigate. However, he soon finds himself at odds with the peculiar and disturbing locals, all led by the enigmatic Lord Summerisle. The movie explores themes of Christianity and paganism. The film is full of wit and whimsy as numerous musical songs are sung. Each scene is slowly layered with menace before the bone-chilling finale. Christopher Lee had said that out of his long and extensive career, Lord Summerisle was his favorite role.
1. ‘Jaws’ (1975)
Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss in “Jaws.” (Photo: Universal Pictures).
Considered by some to be one of the best movies of all time, “Jaws” was and still is one the greatest summer blockbusters. Based on the famous novel by Peter Benchley, Amity Island is bracing itself for another summer. They look forward to all the guests and revenue coming in… however they soon find another visitor.
This is one visitor that strikes fear into every beachgoer. This movie helped to put Steven Spielberg on the map. Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw, the film’s production was described as a disaster due to bad weather and the mechanical shark constantly breaking. This led to Spielberg getting creative and using the first-person camera to portray the shark. John Williams’ “Jaws” theme is one of the most memorable and iconic scores of all time. 49 years later and people at the beach still worry about sharks in the water. The mechanical shark was named Bruce after Steven’s lawyer. Fun fact: Peter Benchley has confirmed if he knew how great white sharks really were, he would have never written “Jaws.” (Read our review).
So there you have it, do you agree with this list? What would be on your list? PS—Stay spooky.
