HALLOWEEN TOP 10: MOVIES IN THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON

This year I've been a tad lazy and decided to just make two Halloween Top 10 list. All work and no play has diminished my time to actually sit down and dig through the range of new favorite characters, inventive costumes or debuting  filmmakers. So I've narrowed it down to two lists; my favorite Halloween jingles and the following - a list of the ten movies which I feel best embody the spirit of Halloween. 

10. Creepshow (1982)
This collaboration between director George A. Romero and author Stephen King brings five tales of terror to the screen, inspired by the E.C Comics of the 1950's (which were also the basis for the popular Tales From the Crypt TV series). The five stories are framed within the pages of a comic book which a young boy's insensitive father has thrown in the garbage, and are linked to each other with animated bridges in the style of the old comics. Romero and King have effectively approached this movie with a combination of thrills and gimmickal humor.

9. Pumpkinhead (1988)
A Ten Little Indians story set in Deliverance outbacks, Pumpkinhead presents a season inspired Boogeyman, conjured by a man whose son is accidentally killed by a group of teenagers who pass across their land. Despite the hollowness of the acting (at times) and the questionable props (mostly the costumes), this is a dark fairy tale that teaches us that vengeance isn't always the best course of action. At its heart this is a tale of morality that stands out from the 80's crowd of low budget horror movies. The design of the monster is a thrilling representation of something vaguely humanoid but at the same time completely alien and foreign.

8. Halloween (2007)
Rob Zombie's resurrection of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) is one of my few favorites in the modern remake wave. It perfectly balances the brutal gore that can only be produced by Rob Zombie, and the tinkly chilling feel of 70's original. I know most Rob Zombie fans were disappointed after his landmarks House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005), and I can agree to the extent that the little boy who one day snapped and killed his sister for no apparent reason is far more scary than the Michael Myers background story that Zombie presents. However, I adore Rob Zombie's twisted touch, his perfect ear for accompanying butcher scenes with 70's country music and the way he avoided turning it into another high school slasher but instead made it a slaughterhouse stabathon.

7. Scream (1996)
As a half-parody, half-tribute to the "dead teenagers" movies of the 70's and 80's, Scream is the 90's answer to classic slashers which instantly became a success. Though the introduction and the ending are merely simple and bloody roughness, the complicated plot in between skillfully plays with the conventions of horror movies in a clever mix of irony, self-reference and blood spills. With constant references to its classic horror predecessors, Scream pays endless homage while at the same time subverting and adhering to the "rules" of horror films. This is truly the most entertaining fright fest of the 90's.

6. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
For the die hard fans of Michael Myers (myself included) it might be hard to accept the fact that he's not the villain of the third installment of the Halloween franchise. In fact he only appears briefly on a TV screen when the main characters watch a commercial for the first Halloween movie. As a sequel to Halloween and Halloween II this movie plainly sucks. On its on though, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a perfect little midnight movie for the season, and once I got over the disappointment that Michael Myers has no place on this film, I started to notice the aspects of it that make it such an alluring movie on its own. The key element (which is also its link to the previous movies) is the mask. It holds a gateway to a greater evil that wishes to take the life away from children. As the children put their Halloween masks on they themselves become the boogeyman, the monsters and the ghouls. The trigger of the masks is the Halloween commercial from Silver Shamrock Novelties, which is an effective detail and has become a memorable aspect of the movie.

5. Trick 'r Treat (2007)
This delicious, gleeful anthology intertwines four different Halloween stories in a brilliant way, with each story complimenting the other. It holds a morbidly charming tone through out the movie and with its campfire-tale shivers and surprisingly fresh screenplay it never has a dull moment. With its thick autumnal atmosphere, jack-o-lanterns and bloody tricks, Trick 'r Treat is a full on homage to the Halloween season.

4. Fright Night (1985) 
Along with my top two choices, the original Fright Night has always been my must-see-every-season-movie. Perhaps not a classic, Fright Night still is a spook show of season spirit, wit, charm and the perfect amount of suburban creepiness. The story is simple and believable (if you're a horror-obsessed geek like Charley Brewster) and Chris Sarandon's suspiciously good looks is the perfect mask for the centuries of decay and seduction that this vampire neighbor has hidden in his closet.

3. The Exorcist (1973)
It really doesn't matter if you're a first time viewer or if you've re-watched this movie since you were too young to see it in the first place; there's no mistaking the gruesome tale and unnerving shocker that is The Exorcist. It's as disturbing today as it was 40 years ago. Few movies have managed to have the same mental impact on me (The Blair Witch Project, The Fourth Kind included) and the beautiful but brutal, yet simple, special effects contribute to the indescribable obscenities. Based on the last documented and known Catholic sanctioned exorcism in the US, The Exorcist displays a journey back in time where religion triumphs modern medicine and shakes the foundation of Christianity, which contributes to the movie's great historical value.

2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Although not a horror movie per se, this low-budget freak show offers an entertaining and bizarre cocktail of musical scores, weird costumes and outrageous characters. The Rocky Horror Picture Show came to be more of a social phenomena than a great picture of cinema. It turned social identification upside down with its fetish-based transsexual love musical. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cult classic and would best be experienced as a double feature at the drive-in midnight theaters. 

1. Halloween (1978)
Not only my favorite Halloween movie, John Carpenter's Halloween is my all time favorite horror movie. After all these years it remains untouched by the endless numbers of imitations and maniac-on-the-loose suspensers. Halloween is basically the original slasher movie; it came out of nowhere, was filmed in only 20 days and revitalized and patented the whole genre of slashers. With a stunning opening scene (seen from the child-monster's point of view) this suburban horror smash takes a scary stalkerish turn with its murder-incestious plot and twists into the bloody crescendos, which have made it one of the most influential movies ever.

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: SEASONAL SERENADES

As always, I let music play a big part in my horror watching. Therefore I've decided to put together a little list of ten jingles from this year's movie releases I feel represent the 2012 Halloween season best.

10. Michael Rault - Call Me On the Phone (Grave Encounters 2)
I really had to do some digging to find this one. I remembered I'd heard something that caught my attention watching the sequel to what actually was a decent mocumentary. But Grave Encounters 2 was such a dissapointment for me. Obsessing over a movie showing a student obsessing over a movie that's obsessing over a haunted facility? Nah, not really my thing. But this featured track was a good distraught from the poor plot and even more poorly executed acting.

9. Foreigner - Feels Like The First Time (True Blood) If you would have to choose just one song from last season of True Blood it would literally be impossible. Each episode is filled to the brim with great new indie bands, southern tunes, old classic American rock and modern punk. And old classic I was reminded about when watching the first episode of season 5 was Foreigner's debut single Feels Like The First Time. Which is a good description of my giddiness every summer when the fang banging resumes.

8. Claudio Simonetti - Kiss Me Dracula (Dracula 3D)
Writer and director of cult classics Suspiria, Inferno, Phenonema and Opera, Dario Argentino, has now returned with a 3D remake of Dracula. Some people desperately wish Argentino would stop making movies and instead aim to preserve his legacy. I, on the other hand, am all for letting the old sports return to mix their cult minds with us mortals of the modern world. I haven't seen Dracula 3D yet but doing some research on trailers and teasers, I quickly came to like this song.

7. REO Speedwagon - Roll With The Changes (The Cabin In The Woods)
I'm all about old American rock and REO Speedwagon has produced two of my favorite rock songs from the 80's - Can't Fight This Feeling and Keep On Loving You. Avoiding mainstreamíng and making the obvious choice, The Cabin In the Woods chose one of the band's more low-key songs which I feel make a great atmospheric statue of the otherwise uncanny genre deconstruction.

6. Little River Band - Lonesome Loser (The Loved Ones)
Though released in its homecountry Australia back in 2009, I didn't come across The Loved Ones until this year. Apart from Wolfmother I've never really found any interesting classic rock from 'down under'. But Little River Band makes a good impression in the midst of the 21st century high school drama and sadistic prom theme.

5. Jessica Lowndes - In All My Dreams I Drown (The Devil's Carnival)
For a musical nerd like myself, what could be better than a rock opera? Saw II director Darren Bousman's experimental short horror film The Devil's Carnival has Aesop's fabels as its core, with the main characters each representing a fabel. Bousman has stated that The Devil's Carnival will be an ongoing project with chapter two and three already being written. With the intention of being more of a subversive experience rather than just a dark and enchantingly comedic movie, The Devil's Carnival set on a multi-city road-tour in April 2012 and with it released a 12 song album. From it I've chosen my favorite soundtrack; All In My Dreams I Drown sung by Jessica Lowndes.

4. Mozart - Requiem (The Lords Of Salem)
Being schooled in piano (Baroque, Classical and Romantic) it would be sinful not to have Chopin, Mozart, Bach and Beethoven as rolemodels and/or musical inspiration. Mozart's Requiem (in D Minor) is one of my favorite pieces. It was left unfinished by its composer upon his death and was completed by the Austrian composer Süssmayr within 100 days of Mozart's death. Whether the two men had discussed the Requiem during Mozart's last days is unknown, but Süssmayr took on the task of completing the score and his version is to this day the most played. The Requiem's well-contained complexity and the incorporation of many different musical elements and vocal forces in each bar and section makes this a triggered and atmospherical sequence to Rob Zombie's upcoming The Lords of Salem.

3. The Carpenters - On Top Of The World (Dark Shadows)
Featured in Tim Burton's latest horror comedy Dark Shadows (based on the 1960's gothic soap opera with the same name), is the 1972 song On Top of the World by the Carpenters. Although having listened to a rather large extent of 60's and 70's music during my childhood, this vocal and instrumental duo was never part of my favorites. Although this song belonged to the sibling's record-breaking run of hits, it's so far up the clouds with its cheesiness and 70's groove that it literally makes me cringe. That's why it's the perfect match for a 200 year old vampire indulging in interior design. 

2. The Singing Nun - Dominique (American Horror Story)
Safe to say, the common room scenes are my least favorite in the second season of American Horror Story. It's impossible not to balance on the verge of insanity when constantly fed this high-pitched bird like jingle. And as AHS is all about the clues, the interesting fact is that Jeanine Decker (known as 'the Singing Nun') left her nun position at the church to live with her female partner (clue #1), with whom she eventually engaged in an OD suicide. The Express also notes that she was the daughter of a baker (clue #2) and that the song originally was praise to the Spanish-born founder of her order, St Dominic. Instead American humourist Joe Queenan has written: "The song would have us believe that St Dom­inic was a humble, lovable monk who fought valiantly against the forces of darkness (clue #3). In fact he founded the religious order that brought mankind the monstrous Spanish Inquisition.”

1. Doris Day - Que Sera Sera (American Horror Story)
With its usual creepy take on everything it touches, American Horror Story: Asylum is using Doris Day's classic Que Sera Sera as its teaser tune for the second season of the US' most popular horror show. What creeps me out the most is that this is a tune my grandmother used to sing to me when I was little. It has been one of my favorite tunes ever since.

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: CELEBRATIVE COSTUMES

Halloween 2009

Okay, so I'm not celebrating Halloween in the sense of dressing up this year. Mostly because it's not that big of a holiday here in Sweden. And secondly, I'm working all weekend and next week so I haven't had time to set up a party, and have apparently very boring friends who are free from work but haven't bothered to arrange anything remotely festive. So this year's Hallow's eve I'll spend baking scary but tasteful cupcakes, eating good food and watch even better horror movies with my boyfriend.


I've actually only dressed up three times before for Halloween. The first time was for a really big Halloween party in church during high school (FYI; the reason why I was hanging in church for a couple of years was because I lived outside of town and the church arranged a hell lot better after school activities than the youth club in school did) when I went as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I had long, flaming red hair back then and used to dress in not so appropriate clothing for someone my age, so Magenta seemed like the perfect choice. Safe to say I didn't have to go buy anything for the dress up; all garments used were already part of my closet, erhm.... Well, well.

Halloween 2008

The second time was a couple of years ago for a friend's combined Halloween- and birthday party to which I went as a character from And Then There Were None (1945), based on one of my favourite books by Agatha Christie And Then There Were None/Ten Little Niggers. I was so proud over the 30's headband that I'd sewn by hand, the dotted dress, the black gloves and the boa.... and no one knew who I was supposed to be, haha!

The third time was two years ago when I went to a friends house for a party. She had recently moved back to Sweden from the States and brought her American boyfriend with her, so the two of them throwing a Halloween party wasn't such a big surprise. I went as a high school girl zombie which was very much appreciated later that evening when we went out to a night club. Last year I went to a Halloween party in the outskirts of Portland, OR, which I unfortunately didn't have time to get a costume for. I, however, pointed out that I was dressed as a European (in the literal sense) and was immediately excused.

If I would have gone to a party this year, here's a list of 10 fabulous incarnations I would have chosen between.

#10 - One-legged Cherry Darling

If this was somehow possible to pull off, Cherry Darling's one legged appearance in Planet Terror would be an awesome Halloween costume. However, this would be a long shot, since the sported post-accident fake leg is exclusively a computer-generated props, the real life fake leg wouldn't nearly be as fierce and ass-kicking as this M-16 rifle.








 
#9 - The Halloween pumpkin mask

If I hadn't had such a huge fear for masks in general and people wearing masks in particular I would definitely go for the scary approach, no doubt about it. Apart from the insanely disturbed female mask (with which I would probably scare myself to death with) in Curtains (1983), the pumpkin head from Halloween III: Season of the Witch would be a challenge to take on. The movie itself is not one of my favorites in the Halloween installment as it lacks the most vital character; Michael Myers. But the pumpkin head would be great fun to try to make.



#8 - Tina's body in a plastic bag

Not only has Tina probably the best death scene in the Terror on Elm Street installment as her dream self gets stabbed in a dark alley whilst her physical body in slashed and thrashing back and forth in front of the eyes of her boyfriend Rod, in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Although, another fantastic scene with Tina is when she appears in Nancy's dream at school, standing on the hallway covered in a plastic bag.

No explanation needed really. This would make an awesome, but sweaty, costume.


#7 - Frankenstein's Bride

Who wouldn't want to dress up as the fabulous and perhaps strongest and most impressive woman of horror; the bride of Frankenstein? Although the bride's appearance in Bride of Frankenstein always will be too short according to me, the impression that the birth of the monster's mate made was even bigger.

Not only is this of the most iconic women of horror, the physical details of her character would make a perfect Halloween costume; the electric black-and-white hair, the distinct makeup around her eyes and lips as well as the scars surrounding her face.




#6 - The transformation of Babyvamp Jessica

Sure, Sookie Stackhouse in a waitress' uniform would probably would surely get some attention, with well-tanned bare legs and a blonde ponytail bobbing on top of my head. But.... naaah. If I would go for cute, I would go for a hell lot of cuter as in the petulant, emotional and a bit immature Babyvamp Jessica. It would be fun to be Jessica during, or right after, her transformation; still dressed in her church dress, her hair all tangled and clothes all dusty and dirty from being underground for a couple of days (or nights?).



#5 - A pre-death Mary Jane Kelly

Who doesn't love the Victorian era with all its bustiers,  figure glass proportion creating corsets and unbreakable crinolines? Well, maybe not wearing them for real, but the look of them. And who wouldn't wanna be wooed by a deadly sexy Johnny Depp in From Hell (2001)? I would probably go for the full on dress and not just the underwear garments since my tattoo covered arms aren't exactly an example of the Victorian era.

Although this might come off as a rather unimaginative option, it's one of the few that could actually satiate my obsession with the Edwardian and Victorian era, unless I would go as a pre-version of Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which planned film adaption, as you all know, hasn't been produced yet.


 #4 - The pie baking Mrs. Lovett

Speaking of the Victorian era... I know the character of Mrs. Lovett from the film adaption Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) has become very popular during the last few years and her costume can be rented at most costume shop. I, however, like a challenge and would love to sit down and sew together the fabulous incarnation of the cannibal meat pie maker.

I love Helena Bonham Carter and would love to dress up as either Bellatrix LeStrange from the Harry Potter film series or the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland (2010). But since the character should (at least according to me and in this specific list) be taken from a horror related movie, I would go for her portrait of Mrs. Lovett. And yes, the pies would make excellent accessories.


#3 - A blood soaked Carrie

I would probably not be let into any bars or night clubs but I would make a hell of an entrance at a party!

Making a very gory appearance without much effort (other than spending too much money on fake blood) is an easy and safe bet for a Halloween costume. Perhaps not the most inventive for the evening, however, Carrie entered the prom stage a long time ago and the idea of portraying her has probably slipped every 80's or 90's born kid's mind but would still make a strong impression since everyone knows the story about the dumped-on, telekinetic loner whose late-blooming menstrual cycle and sexual maturation react disturbingly with her fundamentalist mother's psychological chastity belt.


#2 - The zombie (double rainbow) version of Brittany

I love Glee, love old 20's and 30's hairdos and fur accessories and I love fierce looking female zombies! I could definitely go as the zombie version of Brittany from S02E11 'The Sue Sylvester Shuffle', or as she calls it herself; a zombie double rainbow.

I'm somewhat fed up with slutty dressed zombie women dragging themselves around on numerous Zombie Walks. Sensuality and sassiness can however be achieved in so many other ways; the growing femininity of the 20's and 30's when corsets and crinolines were thrown aside and the strength in the raising female independence and productiveness was displayed in the more practical and tidy wear. The night time glamor was still intact, with budding rounded busts and waistline curves. The hair was softer and prettier as hair perms improved (in Brittany's case, probably not so much) and foreheads which had been hidden by cloche hats were now revealed. The sensuality and strength of women were in general revealed by the change in women's fashion.


#1 - Baby Firefly in PJ's

My all time favorite woman of horror! Although I love her in her slutty summer dresses and boots, her cheerleader outfit or her being psychotically dressed up for her stage performance with 'I wanna be loved by you', I prefer her in her PJ-looks in House of 1000 Corpses.

Not too extravagant, which means no big budget or time effort needed to pull this costume off. Already having the blonde hair, the blue eyes and the school teacher glasses, I would only need a pair of flowered leggings, some socks and an old tank top.

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: HORROR FRAGMENTS THAT HAVE AFFECTED MY PAST AND FUTURE

Long have I loved horror movies and many have the elements been that somewhat have altered my view upon life and disabled me in some aspects of it. I'm referring to elements that have put such a mark on my childhood and youth that I, still on this day, have a hard time looking past the frightened memories from my earlier years.

#10 - Pandemics
After watching endless of hours of zombie movies topped up with the most recent pandemics like Rec, Quarantine and The Walking Dead, I'm convinced that these stories have some real life influence. After watching History Channel's Zombies: A Living History I'm even more convinced that 1) zombie-like states have existed within humans through out history, and 2) if the cause for this state will spread, it will do so through some pandemic. And every time I hear reports on some new H5N1 or SARS I'm convinced it's the start of some Armageddon/Ragnarök pandemic.

The Walking Dead (2010)

#9 - Camping
My undying love for 80's horror brought me to Friday the 13th at a very young age. Followed up by Campfire Tales, Cabin Fever and most recently The Ruins and Eden Lake, the brutal consequences of going camping or hiking are rather evident. Combined with the old story about a couple of young people who got brutally stabbed do death whilst camping in the same woods as where I was born, these movies haven't really contributed to the safe and comfortable feeling of camping. My love for the outdoors and my obsession with sleeping in tents or whatever hut is available (yes, I was a girl scout for many years) still take the overhand, and mostly I can enjoy camping even though it wouldn't surprise me if some lunatic showed up in the middle of the night and attacked our tents.

Friday the 13th (2010)

#8 - The woods
The house where I was born is surrounded by thick, tall beech trees that during fall have a striking resemblances to the woods in The Blair Witch Project. This movie has probably had the strongest influence on me. I've been interested in the paranormal since I was in Junior High and the unexplainable has always fascinated me, making ghost stories and mocumentaries the most intriguing movie and book material. Although I haven't lived in that house, or those woods, since I was very young, I've still gone there several times a year with my family, and during October to February the place has always led my mind back to the great impact that The Blair Witch Project had on me.

To make matters worse, my other family home (in which I grew up and moved away from 4 years ago) was also surrounded by thick woods of pine trees. And as you might've guessed already I'm a huge fan of Twin Peaks and have been since I watched the show for the first time when I was 14. Being 14 years old, struggling with my own social life and inner troubles, I was very emotionally affected by Twin Peaks. Given the strong but subtle importance of the woods in the show, and its underlying importance in life, the story that it held in the show became somewhat present in my everyday life as well.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

#7 - Off-beaten tracks
Every damn time I'm out driving I'm worried about running out of gas, making a wrong turn, stopping at the wrong gas station or offending some outback douche while I'm asking for directions, just to end up in some sequence from Deliverance (I actually don't understand why my parents let me watch that movie at all), The Hitcher, Wrong Turn or The Hills Have Eyes. This was my first fear when I was on my road trip through the Pacific Northwest, US and BC, Canada last fall. Driving alone for five days. Taking shortcuts through the mountains in Washington State so I wouldn't get caught in the snowstorm (or the Twin Peaks woods) before I'd reach the border. I was sure there were gonna be some banjo playing inbred kid just waiting for me to make the wrong turn. Luckily my driving skills are exceptional!

Deliverance (1972)

#6 - Children
Although my biological clock is turning and churning and tolling I have a hard time forgetting the mass psychoses that was Children of the Corn, the hamstring slashing Gage in Pet Sematary, Antichrist personified in The Omen or becoming mysteriously pregnant as in Rosemary's Baby. The list could be made long. What if my kid turns into Samara or an Esther psychopath?

Pet Sematary (1989)

#5 - Motels
My conviction that some motel managers run their business for other than money making purposes made me a bit skeptic during my road trip in the States and Canada last year. I tried out carefully at a hostel in Seattle the first night, but after being stalked by a drug addicted South American guy all night (who later that night fled over the Canadian border since his Visa expired that same day) I realized that crowded places might not be the best option after all. Since my budget didn't allow me any 5-star suites I swallowed my fear and spent two nights at different motels in Squamish and Nanaimo, BC. These sound like very harmless small towns which they in fact were. But stopping in the middle of the night after driving for hours and checking in to a motel alone with three unknown men in the reception claiming that no room is available but the one right above the reception when you know that the parking lot in front is not nearly half full... is kinda unsettling. After watching Psycho and Hostel I knew I would never set my foot in a motel. But now I have. And all by myself.

Psycho (1960)

#4 - Space
Probably nothing is as scary as the uncomprehending. Never ending space? Distant planets? The serious risk of getting lost and never be able to come back? Disgusting creatures as in Alien? Writhing tentacles as in The Faculty? Nuff said. 

Alien (1979)

#3 - Empty school hallways and locker rooms
Basically every teen slasher has a sequence taking place either in empty hallways, dark locker rooms or bathrooms in school. Scream has Mr. Hambry's death scene in his school office. Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master has Sheila's classroom death and the 2010 remake A Nightmare on Elm Street has Kris' nightmare sequence in both class room and hallways. Cherry Falls has Jody's chase in the school corridor and the library. Carrie has the bully scene in the locker room.

When I went to school for the last two years I was always a bit nervous staying after hours. And now at work I have to move through a huge locker room to get to my locker. And the lights can't be turned on manually, instead they automatically turn themselves on with a motion sensor that reacts painfully slow.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

#2 - Clowns
The headline speaks for itself. Not only have I been terrified of clowns ever since I can remember, but being a Stephen King fan since early years didn't really help my case when I insisted I'd watch It. Such a terrible mistake. Not even today, as an (in most cases) grown adult, can I face a clown or even see one at a far distance without having this gut wrenching horror gripping my insides, making my palms sweat and my brain cells FREAK OUT. This fear has stretched so far that it also goes for people wearing masks or being disguised in general. I have a hard time even when my boyfriend wants to run around in his Autobot-mask (yeah, he's turning 30 soon and is a die hard fan of Transformers). 

It (1990)

 #1 - Haunted Houses
Combining my fear for masked people in general with the fact that all people are born with two fears in life - one of them being frightened of sudden noises or movement, results in my most awkward fear of Haunted Houses. And I'm not talking about being a little spooked; I'm talking about panic attack-hyper ventilation-type of fear. This is however something that's grown on me during the years, as I can't remember being this afraid when I was a child.

When I visited The Haunted House at the local amusement park in Stockholm last summer I completely freaked out. Simply because people wearing masks or other forms of disguises make me so uncomfortable that I can't function properly. I panicked, hyper-ventilated and screamed so much that not only did I get the condescending looks from a freakin' 10-year old, but I made the British personnel who were working the house as ghosts for the season, stop their haunting routine and come check that I didn't need medical attention.

The same thing happened at The London Dungeon. Not only is it scary itself since the torture chamber, Sweeney Todd's barber shop, Mary Jane Kelly's bedroom and all other parts of the dungeon is in fact reenactments and replicas of actual historical places and events. But its simple ghouls and haunted settings are enough to utterly terrify me from all my sense.

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: SEXY SUPES

From vampires and shifters, to ghosts and succubusses. Pause and drool. Bask in it.

#10 - Louis de Pointe du Lack in Interview with the Vampire (1994)

#9 - Logan in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

#8 - Lestat de Lioncourt in Queen of the Damned (2002)

#7 - Leigh Turner in The Gates
 

 
#6 - Eric Northman in True Blood

#5 - Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries

#4 - Queen Sophie-Ann Leqlerc in True Blood

#3 - Young Moira in American Horror Story

#2 - Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night (2011)

#1 - Alcide Herveaux in True Blood

 

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: MACABRE DANCE NUMBERS

#10 - Cherry gives the dance of death in Planet Terror (2007)

#9 - Kim's frisky dance moves in Prom Night (1980)

#8 - Satanico Pandemonium gives a table dance in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

#7 - Iris starts a rebellious dance in The Ward (2010)

#6 - Violet does a sweet robot dance before getting stabbed to death in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

#5 - Baby Firefly performes 'I wanna be loved by you' in House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

#4 - Arlene gives Stuntman Mike a lap dance in Deathproof (2007)

#3 - One of Leland Palmer's many compulsive dance moves in Twin Peaks (1990)

#2 - Boy in hat does the creepiest dance scene in Insidious (2011)

#1 - The infamous 'Time Warp' dance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: GIRLS WITH ATTITUDE

Here's one for the mean girls and the girls with attitude in horror!

#10 - Andrea blames Dale for taking away her choice to die in The Walking Dead (S02E01, 2011)

#9 - Girl on girl drama when Debbies kills Tara and Sookie shoots Debbie in True Blood (S04E12, 2011)

#8 - Psycho Jill Roberts mutilates herself in Scre4m (2011)

#7 - The Queen, Sophie-Ann LeQlerc, lashes out at Eric Northman in True Blood (S03E01, 2010)

#6 - Eun-joo, the evil stepmother in A Tale of Two Sisters/Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)

#5 - Aunt Mei's fetus stuffed dumpling cooking in Gaau Ji/Dumplings (2004)

#4 - Mandy kills Chloe in All the Boys Love Many Lane (2006)

#3 - Lynda gets pissed at ghost Bob and then stabbed to death in Halloween (1978)

#2 - Needy confronts Jennifer in Jennifer's Body (2010)

#1 - Norma, Sue and the others pour pig's blood over Carrie during the infamous 'prom scene' from Carrie (1976)

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: JUICY JINGLES

#10 - Tainted Love by Hannah Peel (American Horror Story 2011)

#9 - Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me by Susan Sarandon (The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975)

#8 - I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me by Katie Irving (Carrie 1976) 

#7 - Questions In A World of Blue by Julee Cruise (Fire Walk With Me 1992) 

#6 - Run Baby Run by The Newbeats (The Ward 2010)

#5 - Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes (Halloween 1978)

#4 - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels by Kitty Wells (The Devil's Rejects 2005)

#3 - The Love You Save by Joe Tex (Death Proof 2007)

#2 - Bleed to Feed by C.C. Adcock & The Lafayette Marquis (True Blood 2008) 

#1 - Tiptoe Through the Tulips by Tiny Tim (Insidious 2010)

 

HALLOWEEN TOP 10: CREEPY CHARACTERS

As per tradition, I will celebrate this Halloween and its seven day countdown with my Halloween Top 10-lists, warming up with some bizarre and creepy movie characters.

#10 -  Captain Spaulding, House of 1000 Corpses

I love Rob Zombie, both his music as well as the directorial debut of House of 1000 Corpses. Known for creating utterly and perversely bizarre characters, he's taken the worst scary figure, bordering on phobia, from my childhood and turned it into one of the most disgusting personalities hitting the screen.

#9 - Masked guy, Fire Walk With Me

There are a lot of symbols and characters I have yet to figure out the meaning behind in both Twin Peaks and Fire Walk With Me. It's safe to say that the masked guy and his little rendezvous with The Little Man From Another Place, BOB, Mrs. Tresmond and her grandson during a dream sequence in FWWM is one of them. 

#8 - Frank, Donnie Darko

Death manipulated or not, the point is not who's in there; the point is the costume itself.

#7 - The Stranger, 30 Days of Night

I don't do well with backwoods-dressed, redneck-accented guys who act and look like mad rapists. Especially not the appalling  appearances of the stranger in 30 Days of Night.

#6 - Margareth White, Carrie

No, sin never dies, but hopefully it get what it deserves and takes the rest of the nutty crusaders with it.

#5 - Mrs. Bertha Mills, The Others

Who doesn't love atmospheric ghost stories? Especially when you don't know which party is dead. Although I've always had a hard time seing Fionnula Flanagan as anyone else than Molly Culhane in How the West Was Won, she does the role of Mrs. Bertha Mills with beautiful and frightening ambiance. 

#4 - Constance, American Horror Story

There really isn't anything gory or obviously disturbing about FX featured murder house's next door neighbor Constance except the creepy atmosphere of her appearance.

#3 - Leatherface, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Uuhh, if I hadn't been so desensitized I'd probably have some serious nightmares about his face. There's something Transvestite-going Joker in Batman-going panicking retiree about this patchwork that makes me a little nauseous.

#2 - Dr. Frank-N-Furter, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The 1975 film adaption "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" of the British horror comedy stage musical "The Rocky Horror Show" presents Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter; the self-proclaimed "sweet transvestite" from Transsexual, Transylvania.

#1 - BOB, Twin Peaks/Fire Walk With Me

The garmonbozia fetishist Killer Bob is hands down the most frightening, psychological torturer/molester/terrorizer and with him David Lynch created a character that very few writers/directors could ever compare with.