Top Ten 3D Horror Flicks!
Steve Barton
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9. Piranha 3D (2010)
Crass, drive-in exploitation found its way to the multiplexes this past summer and while the upconverted 3D was little more than a sloppy and insignificant gimmick, the movie was another story altogether. Deftly handled by director Alexandre Aja, Piranha smartly understands that the key to nonsensical success is to refrain from winking at the audience. Everything here is played straight and it’s an amazing juxtaposition against the ludicrous threat of prehistoric fish. A fantastic cast (Elisabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames) adds class all the way around this watery horror story, but it’s the dollops of boobs and blood that cement this one at number 9 on the list. The penultimate set-piece, a balls-to-the-wall massacre of dozens of drunken college kids, is worth the price of admission alone.
Here’s one of those forgotten flicks that came on the coattails of the initial slasher ‘boom’. Archival screenings are rare, meaning we don’t know how the film’s hopelessly dated 3D FX played from behind polarized lenses but it remains an engaging slasher for those of you who like this sort of thing. It gets underway with a hilarious computer mix-up, resulting in a psychotic murderer being released from a mental institution, and moves at good clip with lots of victims along the way. Rotoscoped hatchets fly toward the screen (even hovering in the air for maximum 3D effect!) while Creepshow’s Aunt Bedelia (Viveca Lindfors) steals the show with her limited presence. Sleepaway Camp fans will be delighted with this ‘reunion’ of sorts between two of Camp Arawak’s counselors, Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo) and Meg (Katherine Kamhi), even if they don’t actually share any screen time in this one. A vintage 80’s slasher, this one. By now you probably already know whether or not it’s your cup of tea but I’ll go on record as saying it’s worth tracking down.
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