Three films about killers in houses: FRIGHT (1971). THEY'RE PLAYING WITH FIRE (1984) and TORMENT (1986). Fright utilizes the babysitter-killer motif marvelously and is one of the best British horror films ever made. They're Playing with Fire is a highly entertaining film about a cougar seducing her student and utilizing his services in a murder scheme to gain an inheritance from her husband's mother and grandmother.
Torment follows a cop on the trail of a serial killer who finds up setting his sights on his girlfriend who is staying at his mother's house, this is a fantastic little film with a twist you probably won't see coming.
Three backwoods inbred horror films: NIGHT OF FEAR (1973), GEEK (1987) and LUTHER THE GEEK (1989). The first of which concerns a woman whose car breaks down on a lonely stretch of country road where she is attacked by a hick and his army of rats; very nasty and effective. Geek follows a couple who run afoul of an inbred, well…geek, after saving the life of his sister and being invited to the homestead of their grateful father. The standout of this film for me is the surprisingly poignant, nuanced performance by Dick Kreusser, as the father, Eben, whom you really feel for. Lastly, Luther the Geek is a straight up crazy film which revolves around a nutjob, sporting metal dentures, recently released from prison with a penchant for tearing out throats.
Three films for those of us who need some horror with their sci-fi: LIQUID SKY ('82), THE HIDDEN ('87) and DARK ANGEL (aka I COME IN PEACE, 1990). Liquid Sky is a one-of-a-kind film about heroin junkie aliens who suck the phermones created in the brains of people who have just had sex because they find it gets them higher than their previous drug of choice. The Hidden is a David Lynchesque sci-fi film about a body hopping alien being pursued by a cop and an intergalatic detective impersonating an FBI agent.
Dark Angel, starring Dolph Lundgren is the sci-fi-action love child of the previous two films. Stop me if this sounds familiar; a cop with the help of an alien lawman is pursuing what he comes to find out is an alien drug dealer sucking people's brains for endorphins which junkies on his home planet use for their high.
Three Japanese horror films: BIOTHERAPY (1986), SWEET HOME (1989) and EVIL DEAD TRAP (1988). Biotherapy is a slasher film which concerns a group of scientists stalked and sushi-fied by a trenchcoat wearing alien. Sweet Home is a supernatural horror film about a TV production crew who are attacked by the ghost of a dead painters wife whom they are making a documentary about. Finally, Evil Dead Trap is a slasher film that feels quite a bit like a Dario Argento film, right down to the music. A TV crew investigate an old warehouse which was the sight of a snuff film they were sent and they pay for doing so.
Three films about people with supernatural abilities: INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (1956), THE PSYCHOTRONIC MAN (1980) and STIGMA (1980). Indestructible Man stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as an executed criminal brought back to life and given supernatural powers through a scientific experiment and his attendant rampage through Los Angeles. The Psychotronic Man is a fairly creepy film about a guy who has bizarre experiences and develops telekinetic powers he uses to kill with. Despite its low budget, it manages to be unnerving and hypnotic. Stigma is another Jose Ramon Larraz film and another particular favorite of mine that deals with past lives, incest, telekinetic phenomena and murder committed by one, Sebastian, a young man with the power to kill with his thoughts.
Ghastly1,
Thanks again for these fine recommendations! I can vouch for a few and can’t wait to track down the rest! FRIGHT (’71) really is one of the best babysitter inn peril films ever made and I wish I had seen it a lot sooner! I would have loved it back in the day but I didn’t catch up to it until abut 10 years ago! TORMENT is another great thriller. I always associate it with SCALPEL (’77) which I also have on VHS. Hitchcock would be proud of both! LIQUID SKY is a must see classic! The score alone is a reason to check it out. Never made the connection with I COME IN PEACE/DARK ANGEL before, great observation!
I'm a big fan of Liquid Sky, The Hidden and I Come In Peace. Liquid Sky has a great musical number in "Me and My Rhythm Box." The whole movie is the cinematic equivalent of New York City's funky downtown music scene (of No Wave groups like DNA and dance punk acts like Bush Tetras). It's also the only other film appearance by Paula Sheppard, who played Alice in (of course) Alice, Sweet Alice.
I Come In Peace played on cable television (under that title) frequently in the early 90s, which is where I first watched it.
The Hidden, besides being a great action/horror film, has a great ending, in a genre (well, two genres) that too often drops the ball in wrapping up the story. There is a direct-to-video sequel, which I have avoided (probably for the good).