The 2015 holiday season is upon us. Which means we’ll soon be visited by friends, family, and the ghosts of times gone by…
To celebrate, here’s a list of 9 of the Best Films to Haunt Your Holidays With. But first, per usual, we’ve got some great honorable mentions for you. Some little beasties that go bump in the night include the monsters in Gremlins, Puppet Master, and little Gage Creed in Pet Sematary. There are plenty of ghostly terrors in The Shining and “American Horror Story: Murder House.” Real-life human monsters are on the prowl in A Clockwork Orange and the classic slasher The Prowler, not to mention the insanely creepy Spanish film Sleep Tight. And as far as just ghastly monsters in the night, Midnight Meat Train is tough to beat.
Now, on to my picks for 9 of the Best Films to Haunt Your Holidays With!
Poltergeist (1982)
There are plenty of things that go bump in the night in Poltergeist, but there’s one specific beastie that we’ve mentioned time and time again when it comes down to insanely scary horror moments. Of course that’s the off-the-charts creepy clown doll that attacks young Robbie in his bedroom as Poltergeist really hits high gear. We have no doubt that this clown single-handedly destroyed any chance an entire generation of children had of loving those goofy circus jesters that had been so popular in the past. This clown is an absolute terror and the inspiration for countless nightmares throughout the years.
Paranormal Activity (2007)
So you’ve got about 15 grand lying around; what do you want to do with it? You can buy a decent used car, a cool motorcycle, or completely fund a horror movie about a couple dealing with a suspected haunting in their house. Take our word for it; buy a bicycle and pedal wherever you need to go and spend the money on the movie. In 2007, Paranormal Activity took the world by storm and completely stunned audiences with some truly scary moments. Katie and Micah became the horror couple of the decade, and the box office money just rolled in. Fans were simply blown away, enough so that the fifth offering of the series was recently released. Did you dig in for another round of spectral surprises?
The Babadook (2014)
The feature film directorial debut of Jennifer Kent (who also wrote the script) was one of the most celebrated films of 2014, and the main reason for that was the absolutely chilling vibe of The Babadook. As far as a haunting creature of the night goes, The Babadook was brilliant. With his gruesomely long fingers, stylish stovepipe hat, pasty white skin, and an uncanny ability to hide in the shadows, The Babadook was the best imagining of The Boogeyman since Michael Myers. The mysterious nature of the character added even more to his dark aura. An instant classic, The Babadook knew just how to make your skin crawl in the dark of night.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
James Wan turned up the heat when he returned to direct the sequel to his hit film Insidious. As if the first film didn’t get enough things right, including the Darth Maul-ish beastie known as the Lipstick-Faced Demon, by the time we got around to Insidious: Chapter 2, the bar was raised to an entirely new level with The Black Bride/Parker Crane. The advertising campaign revolved around the simple image of this insanely creepy looking veiled bride holding what appeared to be a candle on the opposite side of a mirror, and goddamn! Just that one image alone was enough to drive audiences to the theater in droves. And Wan & Co. did not disappoint as they put a great back story behind this visually stunning character and threw in plenty of scares to keep audiences jumping out of their seats.
1408 (2007)
As far as haunted stories go, 1408 is absolutely paralyzing. Based on a very short story by horror master Stephen King, 1408 is a very powerful read, but when transferred to the screen, it actually gains steam and becomes even more enchanting. Not only is there a plethora of paranormal goings-on in 1408, but by the time the movie gets around to unleashing the final, most powerful haunts, the viewer can’t help but to cower under the power of the movie. Especially for those audience members who have children, 1408 is a hammer of a movie that drives its subject matter deep into the heart of the viewer. There are many devilish beasties that creep and knock in the dark of night, but perhaps none more tragic than those in Room 1408.
Inside (aka À l’intérieur) (2007)
The birth of a woman’s first child may very well be the most joyous experience of her life. So the night before that child is born is indeed a time of inner reflection, anticipation, and excitement. That is, unless a psychotic woman shows up at her door and tries to break in and cut the unborn fetus out of her belly. A situation like that tends to put a damper on the good times enjoyed by the expectant mother. The film Inside is a downright bloodbath that occurs when a woman preparing to be a new mom finds herself fighting for her life when a mysterious figure appears at her door the night before her labor is to be induced and she will give birth to her first child. The night begins with new mom waking to find a stranger straddling her in her sleep, pressing a pair of dress shears against her pregnant belly, about to plunge them in. And things go quickly downhill from there.
The Strangers (2007)
In the same vein as Inside is The Strangers. But where the antagonist in Inside has a definite reason for her vindictive nature, much of the power in The Strangers is due to the fact that it’s a depiction of a completely random crime. And we see this illustrated in one chilling bit of dialogue at the end of the movie when one of the victims asks the killers, “Why are you doing this to us?” and the masked killer, known only as Dollface, answers, “Because you were home.” Check out the scene below. That kind of disconnect with humanity and an utter lack of concern for life make the trio of killers in The Strangers simply terrifying. Some things that go bump in the night are monstrous creatures. Some are just monsters.
Digging Up the Marrow (2015)
A unique look at the things that haunt us in the darkness, Adam Green’s Digging Up the Marrow is an unclassifiable film that is, in fact, a case study on monsters and where they come from. Filmed mockumentary style with a fantastic performance by the legendary Ray Wise, Digging Up the Marrow shows us not only the monsters of the world, but gives us a blueprint to exactly where they live. Part comedy, part terror, the film was another feather in the cap of writer/director Adam Green, who has become one of the most versatile horror entertainment creators working in the genre today. Always delivering product that is fresh, new, and unexpected, Green once again brought it with Digging Up the Marrow and made the dark a little more scary.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Has anyone been more legendarily haunting than the man of our dreams himself, the iconic Freddy Krueger? He is the definition of a thing that goes bump in the night. Whether it was his original imagining that blindsided a generation of movie-goers with a red hot terror, or his later versions that were more anti-hero than villain, wise-cracking jokes as often as slaying innocents, Freddy Krueger is the ultimate nightmare. It’s bad enough to lie awake in bed, listening to the house creak and wondering if a monstrosity is sneaking around your home waiting to pounce. What’s worse is the fact that Freddy is waiting for you after you fall asleep… to sleep, perchance to dream; aye, there’s the rub. Please enjoy the Krueger compilation below featuring the song “Are You Ready for Freddy?” by The Fat Boys (with a guest rap appearance by Freddy Krueger… yes, we’re serious).