If you're like me, by now you're probably looking for some good alternatives to the typical classic films, like Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street, that we horror fans tend to watch every year during this spooky season, ... So I've dug around in the movie bin and picked out a few horror flicks worth watching for something a little different this Halloween season.
Clownhouse... I watched this one as a child and for someone who already had a fear of clowns... let's just say it stuck with me. This late '80s film about three brothers who happen to get left alone for the night and also happen to go to a carnival the same night that three mental patients escape from an institution, who then end up dressing up as clowns and proceed to terrorize the three boys on said night, may have a convenient plot, but is still scary as hell, mostly because these clowns like stalking in a non-talkative Michael Myers sort of way. Also noteworthy is an adorable teenaged Sam Rockwell in one of his first roles.
Scarecrows... Let's admit it, scarecrows have always been a little bit creepy. This film about a group of thieves on their way to Mexico, who are then forced to land near an abandoned house which just happens to also be surrounded by creepy scarecrows and cornfields, is one of the eeriest and best horror finds of the '80's. The thieves come to find that this house has a mysterious past and that they aren't alone on this farm filled with readily available farm equipment... Suspenseful and full of goosebumpy scares, I found myself feeling bad for these thieves. Wouldn't envy their situation.
Dolls...Yes, there are tons of killer doll movies out there, but this European film about a creepy old couple who live in a mansion filled with a whole lot of killer dolls... and I do mean a WHOLE LOT of killer dolls relies more on suspense (for instance: disappearing dolls from fireplace mantels) than actual gross out gore. And it works. Let's just say after this one you'll be checking your sheets nightly and watching your ankles.
Sleepaway Camp... This twisted slasher film about a slightly disturbed Angela Baker who is sent to summer camp at the same time that mysterious killings start occurring is unique to the other campy slasher flicks of the '80s. Despite the predictable deaths and typical annoying characters, the film is still good and unsettling, especially the unforgettable last scene.
