#there's more there's always more and my horror movie watchlist grows ever larger all the time

[cyanide-latte]

TURNABOUTS FAIR PLAY what are your top five horror movies??

Aaahhh, I've been uno reversed~. Touché, darling!

The last three are in no particular order and they're all trilogies I'm counting as a set. Second place is usually subject to change at any given point in time, it just fluctuates depending on my mood.

1: Candyman (1992) - Not just my favorite horror movie, but my favorite movie of all time, period. Taking the mythology from "The Forbidden" and turning it into the story that they did? The shots, the symbolism, the casting, the sheer power of how seductive the relationship is between Helen and Candyman, the tragedy. Truly a movie for all disaster bi's out there. Helen's story and the way it's handled! This movie gave me such a triumph out of tragedy, and it's so beautiful. It holds up brilliantly, it's high art, it's everything. The 2021 sequel was also excellent.

2: Malignant (2021) - Absolutely bonkers in the fucking yonkers. This movie was made for fun and that one specific fight sequence in the police station. It's wild, it's not taking itself seriously, and yet it's fascinating to analyze and comb through. Periodically I just get hit with the need to reassess and think about elements of this movie. Maybe one day I'll get back to that fic trilogy I had planned for it. An excuse to pour my analysis into a written narrative? Perhaps...

3: Hellraiser original trilogy (1987-1992) - Is that the religious trauma talking? Maybe a little. These movies grabbed me by the throat. The first was a near-perfect adaptation of "The Hellbound Heart" and an interesting look at Clive Barker doing directorial work. I actually adore the second one to pieces. It dives beautifully into its own mythology, into revenge, into the horror of medical malpractice as well as the body horror and sexuality. Kirsty Cotton is, imo, perhaps the Final Girl of all time. I also appreciate Tiffany, she's a very good example of a positive neurodivergent deuteragonist in that movie. The third one is...WOOF~. In all seriousness though, I'd always been curious about the films since childhood (the posters and box art of the Hell Priest and the other Cenobites used to grab my attention whenever we went to the video store, Mom used to have to come find me and pull me away from "my staredowns with Pinhead") but I'd been anxious for so long to try them because I hadn't had much exposure to body horror in films. Finally gave them a shot, went "oh, huh, this isn't that bad," and then got sucked in by the movies' approach to the topics they tackle.

4: Scream original trilogy (1996-2000) - My gateway to horror, as I saw the first one when I was seven. My uncles were babysitting me and they never really worried about whatever I saw them watching. They've stuck with me my entire life and honestly they're just so damn fun. The writing is solid and while 2 and 3 have their flaws, I'll defend them to the death, they're still fun and they still work well. Sidney Prescott was my first Final Girl and she'll always hold a special place in my heart.

5: The Shining 3-part TV film (1997) - it's the superior adaptation. Full stop. Kubrick's adaptation has some gorgeous camera work, a few memorable tracks in its score and some iconic lines but it's so lacking. It misses the true heart and strength and point of the story because Kubrick went and did his own thing. The 90s made-for-tv adaptation is brilliant. It has its weak points and there's a few things that visually aged in a clunky way, but the heart is there. The catharsis and the hope is there. It moved me to tears and it gave me everything I could have asked for and more.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Fear Street trilogy (2021) - They were fun, a lot of fun, and for someone who's never been a fan of R.L. Stine, these were still easy to enjoy. I heard about the trilogy being released and it felt like the kind of thing I remembered from childhood as far as gimmicky releases went, so each weekend, I dove onto the couch and watched them drop on Netflix one by one. I still have a lot of issues and complaints with them, dgmw, but they're a solid summer watch, they really played around with popular subgenres and I think Janiak and her cast and crew did well. One day I'll get back to my fics for this trilogy too. Justice for my girl Ruby Lane.

Us (2019) - ngl this one sat in my brain for weeks afterwards. I need to rewatch it, it's such a good psychological horror.

Urban Legend (1998) - I have a fuckoff weird relationship with this movie. Like, that deserves its own post, probably. But because I have such a weird relationship with it, I felt the need to give it an honorable mention.

Halloween (2018) - I'm here for senior citizen final girl Grandma Laurie Strode kicking ass, I love seeing a survivor reach that age and still be willing to do what it takes to survive and protect those she loves.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - this is a weird one because I wouldn't say I enjoy watching it like most other movies. But it's a really interesting study piece, especially the more I read nonfiction books that go into depth and detail about the film and the time period it's contemporary to. I don't watch this movie for fun, I watch it to study, to analyze, to self-inform and to then improve my ability to apply those skills to other horror movies I watch.