Top 5 Horror Films of 1984

As I look through the list of 1984, it was really not a big year for horror movies but 1984 was not boring at all.  This is the year for some big horror blockbusters.  Real classics that made the genre what it is today.  Let's see what we got, shall we?

Night of the Comet

I just saw this recently for the first time.  Not really so much scary as just cheesy 80's awesomeness.  It was good enough to make #5 on the list.

Children of the Corn

A Stephen King book turned to the big screen with a bunch of creepy fuckin kids who are out to kill all the adults in Gatlin.  Oh yea, Linda Hamilton is in this one too!!

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter 

Love or hate this movie, it is one of the better Friday sequels.  Certainly not the best but Ted White did an excellent job of playing the larger more destructive Jason and a young Corey Feldman that was pretty alright as well.  While Kimberly Beck was no Amy Steel as a final girl she was a hell of a lot better than Dana Kimmell.  As much as I like Part III I still have to admit Dana was pretty awful.

Silent Night Deadly Night

My absolute favorite movie to watch around the holiday season.  This film really is a slasher film in every way.  Unfortunately it was picketed by the PTA so bad that it only lasted a couple of weeks in the theaters and not getting a release on VHS till some time after.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Of course this was going to be #1 on the list.  The first big hit released by New Line Cinema and another masterpiece in horror for Wes Craven.  Introducing everyone to Freddy Krueger played by Roger Englund and his glove of blades.

Texas Frightmare Weekend 2014

With Texas Frightmare Weekend literally just weeks away, there will be no shortage of things for convention goers to do. Let's go through some of them, shall we?

This year is full of the most "reunions" I've ever seen at one time. From Repo! The Genetic Opera to the 60th anniversary reunion of The Creature From the Black Lagoon, there will be plenty of things to do and people to see.

Fans of Aliens will no doubt enjoy the reunion of some of their favorite Marines including Mark Rolston, Jenette Goldstein and Michael Biehn. Speaking of Michael Biehn, did I mention there is a Terminator reunion? No? Well there is! Familiar faces from three of the action/sci-fi films will be in attendance. But wait, there's more! Children of the Corn, Night of the Demons and even a CENOBYTE REUNION! I could keep going but I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment.

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The Fields 2011 - REVIEW

Who doesn't love a good, creepy corn field movie? It's the stuff that nightmares are made of right? Oh, the things that can come out of a corn field... scarecrows hell bent on revenge (Dark Night of the Scarecrow), aliens intent on taking over earth (Signs) or winged creatures on a 23 day feeding frenzy (Jeepers Creepers II). I remember back in '84 when Children of the Corn came out, I don't know if it was because I was little or not but that movie scared the hell out of me. Just the thought that there could possibly be sadistic kids out there like Isaac (John Franklin) and Malachai (Courtney Gains) terrified me.

A young boy (Joshua Ormond) goes to live with his grandparents (Cloris Leachman and Bev Appleton) while his mother (Tara Reid) and father (Faust Checho) fight to save their failing marriage, and makes a horrifying discovery in the corn field behind their house during the Manson Family trials. Warned by his protective grandmother to stay away from the sprawling fields, young Steven nevertheless strays into the stalks and sees something he will never forget. Meanwhile, as the nightly newscasts offer all the lurid details of the Manson murders, something begins to stir in the corn field. By the time the family dogs disappear and the threat becomes real, it's already too late to run, and Steven must face his greatest fear head on.

I don't care what anyone else says, I thought there was solid acting throughout this film. Leachman was hilarious when she was suppose to be and serious when the script called for it. The relationship between her and Appleton as a married couple reminded me so much of my own grandparents it's was scary. At times it was like they hated each other, especially since they spent half the film screaming and cursing, but when it came right down to it, they really did love each other. Newcomer Ormond is a natural and I expect we'll see a lot from him in the future. Reid, donning a really bad wig, was her normal wooden self but as little as she was on screen, it didn't really affect the film at all. Checho I thought lacked a little with his performance as the abusive, domineering husband. I just didn't get that vibe from him which is great in the real world but not so good when the role calls for it.

Directing duo Tom Mattera and David Mazzoni do an awesome job building up the atmosphere of the film and succeed at creating a stylish, classy film. However, it wasn't without it's flaws. Let me explain... Having all the information needed to understand a film is a necessity and leaving things out can definitely hurt it. That said, adding elements that aren't relevant to the story can also hurt it. There's a happy median in there somewhere that this film just didn't hit. Some viewers will find the "too much information" bothersome but for me it wasn't so distracting that it took away from the film. Another issue I had with the film has more to do with the marketing than anything else. It's billed as a horror film when technically it's not. It's an uneasy, unsettling suspense thriller but it's not a horror. I would definitely recommend this film to fans of the genre. It's a great starter film so if you know someone who really isn't that into horror and you want to ease them in, this is the film to use.