It's a Horror to Know You: Gillig!
1. What is the first film that ever scared you?
Robert Wise's THE HAUNTING (1963) – Still one of the most frightening films ever made.
2. What is the last film that scared you?
James Wan's INSIDIOUS (2010) – Specifically the scene with the little boy (?) in the house after they move out of the first house.
3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.
THE CRAWLING EYE (1958) – aka The Trollenberg Terror. Based on a stage play and chillingly Lovecraftian. What some consider cheesy effects undermine this film's credibility but I always thought the Eyes were pretty terrifying, in particular those weird noises they make.
MATANGO (1963) – aka The Attack of the Mushroom People. Based on a chilling short story by William Hope Hodgson and brought to life by Godzilla's creator, Ishiro Honda. This movie is still one of the most freaky pieces of celluloid ever nearly fifty years on.
RAVENOUS (1999) – Darkly humorous, yet still creepy tale of cannibalism with an amazing performance by Robert Carlyle, not to mention a fantastic soundtrack by Blur's Damon Albarn.
Honorable mentions:
GARGOYLES (1972) – Simply one of the best made-for-TV movies ever, some of the most chilling movie scenes ever and some fantastic effects from Stan Winston on a very low budget.
GHOST STORY (1981) – A classic haunting story with a great, slow build-up to an amazing conclusion. Phenomenal performance from Alice Krige!
4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.
THE GREEN SLIME (1968) – some would say science fiction but it's really a horror movie at heart. Cheesy music, monsters and effects combined with stiff, hammy acting…Love it!
KILLER SHREWS (1959) – the isolation of the island and the voraciousness of the shrews win me over on this one. The black and white somehow enhances this one.
THE LAST DINOSAUR (1977) – once again, borderline science fiction I guess but to me just a creature feature. There is nothing to really like about this movie but somehow I just love it. Makes you wonder how Richard Boone ever got work.
5. Send us to five places on the Internet!
Don't really surf much (Kindertrauma's my home page!) but I do enjoy outsider art. Here are a few faves…
Joshua Hoffine. (outstanding stuff!)
So many outstanding movies mentioned here Gillig! The Haunting is one of my all time favorites and I also very much enjoy The Crawling Eye (such atmosphere! & I think John Carpenter is a fan of that one too) and Matango is one of a kind. That one always gets dismissed because of the "mushroom people" title but it's really a cool, freaky movie. I remember you even had a traumafession for that one a couple years back! I'm gonna have to get that one on DVD because I think it's just amazing looking. Thank you for giving me another chance to play The Green Slime song too!
Ooh, you are a person after my own heart. I love The Crawling Eye! The effects are not exactly 'special' but it's still surprisingly effective. That scene up in the cabin, where you don't see the monster but you know it's out there and slowly coming for the climber…brrr (pun noted but not intended). The Green Slime was on Turner Classic Movies recently and I had forgotten what a 60's-era hoot it is. Those monsters are just adorable; they walk/waddle just like little kids, which makes sense, since that's who was inside some of the rubber suits. And the song…Greeeeeyen Sliiiiime!!!
I am going to marry this post and we are going to raise a family of cute little tweets.
The original The Haunting is such a wonderful movie for so, so many reasons. Russ Tamblyn (When he was a Jet he was a Jet all the way!) and Julie Harris' performances made that film so much more than an average spookfest. The atmosphere and soundtrack just complete the package.
I remember the marketing for Ghost Story relying heavily on the great old stars (Astaire, Faribanks, Houseman, Douglas, etc.) coming together again, but it was so much better than that gimmick. We watched this recently as a family and even our cynical 13 year old son got caught up it the fun of it. Lots of good jump scares backed up by a compelling story arc.
I discovered Gargoyles thanks to the afternoon movies on the Louisville NBC affiliate. They showed all of the classics from Day of the Tarantula to Ssssss…. to Gargoyles. These beat the Hell out of the ABC After School Specials. Who wants to learn about the dangers of drugs when there are winged monsters attacking pick up trucks?
The Green Slime, Killer Shrews AND The Last Dinosaur? Swooning. I'm swooning over here.
Ghost Story is SO scary. Thanks for the reminder about that one!
Love Ravenous, I loan it out to all my friends. And yes the music is unforgettable!
It would be tough for me to take a lot of those movies seriously because, and I'm sure I'm not alone here, I first saw so many of them on MST3K!
And regarding The Crawling Eye—am I the only one who had a crush on Janet Munro? (see also D'arby O'Gill & the Little People)
Finally noticed that my "Horror to Know You" went out this past May. Thanks all for the corroboration. Dylan, you make me blush (sound of feet shuffling).
I only remember seeing Killer Shrews and Crawling Eye on MST3K but it was after seeing the films in pure form so they remain unsullied. If the others were lambasted by the 3K crew, I missed it.
And BB, I too developed a crush on Janet and was sad that she never did anything beyond Darby.
Thanks for posting Unk. You're the best.