I LOVE Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday. This year, I participated in 3 challenges. The first was the Unsung Horrors Podcast’s Horror Gives Back 2022. The second was the 2022 Scarecrow Video Psychotronic Challenge. I did both of these challenges with my best buddy RyanBMD. We both picked out movies for each challenge and did a round robin of picking each other’s picks. I also made up my own in which both me and Hubs both picked our own choices. Ryan and Hubs were both troopers and made it through all the challenge movies with me. I also watched a lot of extra movies. In all, I watched a total of 170 films. If you want to see them all, they are listed in order in my Halloween 2022 Letterboxd list. Without further ado, here are my Top 13.
13. Rude Awakening (1980)
This movie was an episode of Hammer House of Horror. It was everything I look for in an hour long TV anthology series. It was like a long episode of The Twilight Zone (but not that weird Twilight Zone Season 4 with the long episodes). Ever wish you could kill your wife? This guy dreamed he did … over and over and over again. The ending is not surprising, but it is such a fun trip to get there. It is currently streaming on Tubi.
12. Bloody Pit of Horror (1965)
I don’t know how, but I had completely missed this Mickey Hargitay classic. This movie is like if the Corman-Poe Cycle and SAW had a baby. Stupid plot that gets people stuck in a creepy castle? Check. Completely yoked sadistic masked killer? Check. Intricate traps and killings? Check. This film was offbeat and quirky in the best kind of way. Totally exploitative crud at its best. It is currently streaming on Tubi.
11. The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
This final sequel in the Creature series was full of so much heart. While the mad doctor was working on the Creature, there was an ethical debate about what they were doing. I thought that was really cool for the 1950’s. I’m going to be honest that I’m a Frankenstein gal, but this movie made Creature a lot more loveable. If someone gave me lungs and made me walk on land when I’m clearly a creature from the sea, I would burn down the city too. It is currently streaming on The Roku Channel.
10. The Queen of Black Magic (1981)
Oh man. I had only ever seen the remake of this movie with the great Joko Anwar script. However, this original film reigns supreme! This was like if a revenge horror movie had a baby with a Hong Kong or Bollywood action film. Suzzanna absolutely slays it as the woman scorned. If you haven’t seen it, you must see it. It is currently streaming on Shudder.
9. The 4th Man (1983)
I had never seen this Paul Verhoeven classic. As a bisexual person, I was so happy to see a bisexual male thriller. This movie was shot so well. The scenes were gorgeous. I loved the interplay between his sexuality, faith, and mental state. Watching someone completely descend into madness was just superb. I now want a cut of Showgirls is more like this and has more Gina Gershon. If you are a fan of Verhoeven, you can’t miss this. It is available on Internet Archive.
8. Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)
This film was fantastic. I love me some dysfunctional family Mario Bava. He was the master at capturing that vibe. In a lot of ways the spite between characters in this reminded me of one of my favorites, Bay of Blood. Never would I have guessed that a wedding dress factory and some unadressed trauma could cause a man to go so insane. I guess that’s what happens when you’re married to a woman named Mildred. The score by Sante Maria Romitelli is just superb. It is available on Internet Archive.
7. Dreamscape (1984)
Before my husband picked this out, I had never even heard of it. What a completely insane and stupid movie. A very baby faced Dennis Quaid stars as a womanizing criminal who is put into a government sleep study program. His foes include super villain Christopher Plummer and an absolutely fantastic psychic rival David Patrick Kelly. The bad dreams are on par with something I expect to see in an 80’s film. It is currently streaming on Tubi.
6. I Married a Witch (1942)
Normally, if I see tags like romance in the 1940s, I’m not really that interested. However, this Veronica Lake classic was superb. This movie was laugh out loud funny and lighthearted like you would expect to find in something like I Dream of Jeannie or Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I loved the cheesy fog and every stupid shtick the movie threw at me. This movie truly deserves all of the recent attention it has been receiving. It is currently streaming on YouTube.
5. The Seventh Victim (1943)
This movie was fantastic. Part of the reasons I really loved this movie was that I want those bangs and dramatic hair. I love these old talky detective films, especially when the mystery is very real. Kim Hunter was perfection. It is hard to believe this was Mark Robson’s first direction credit. This movie had some amazing shots for being such an old film. If you have never seen this, do it. It is available on Internet Archive.
4. Terrifier 2 (2022)
I loved All Hallows’ Eve. Terrifier was great. Terrifier 2 is the best Art the Clown yet. It was fantastical and tickled the funny bone. It was gorier than the goriest movie you’ve ever seen. The only downside of this movie was the final 30ish minutes. It really could have been edited down. Save some of those kills for #3! That being said, this is exactly what Halloween viewing is all about. If you want to see Terrifier 2, you’d better have a subscription service or march yourself down to the theater.
3. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
I recently watched all of the Werewolf Game movies. (I actually have an unfinished article on the series that I should get to.) When I heard Bodies Bodies Bodies was yet another version of the great concept, I had to see it. Stupid young people who all have baggage stuck in a house together during a hurricane. What could go wrong? Exactly what we expect. I really loved this movie. You can currently rent it on pretty much anything.
2. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
I love Godzilla and the associated kaiju universe. This was part of a Crud Buddies monthly challenge that I participated in. (Side note: If you want to meet other kaiju and tokusatsu fans, there are a lot in the Crud Buds Discord server.) I had no idea these movies existed until recently. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is like the Godzilla reboot we asked for, but we never got. Miniature destruction and other practical effects were on point. This is exactly what I’m looking for in a kaiju film. While I am a huge Mothra fan, this movie made Gamera shoot up my list in popularity. It is currently streaming on Tubi.
1. Barbarian (2022)
I had to wait soooooo long to see Barbarian. I was looking forward to it from the moment I heard it was coming out. Justin Long is my generation’s Scream King, and I pretty much watch anything he’s in. From my experience with my friends, it tends to be a movie women like more than men. Here’s my hot take: this is my favorite new movie so far in 2022. This movie plays every stupid trope of what you might do in a situation and yet also allows a woman to be a hero. That’s pretty rad in my book, even though she makes some truly stupid choices along the way. I can’t dissect too much more in this article without giving away the plot. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter to chat more about it in a spoiler free environment. If you want to see this, I suggest going to see it in the theater!
