In horror, the best film genre on this beautifully bold planet of ours, the slew of frighting films we often get varies quite a bit. From the maniacal monster movies of the ’30s, the big bug/creature features of the late ’40 and ’50s, or the welcomed realism of the ’60s and ’70s, horror certainly has a storied past.
While some are simplistic yet highly executed, with John Carpenter’s timeless Halloween standing as the shining example, others are extremely entertaining in their quest for high concept. Some are great, others not so much, with our beloved genre often going through more changes than the tires at Big O.
So sit back, put those hands in a bag of spooky popcorn, and get ready for five of the most original films in the history of horror!
James Wan’s ‘Saw’-Courtesy of Lionsgate
“Do you want to play a game?” – Jigsaw
Beginning our list of the five most original films in horror’s history, 2004’s Saw is cutting its way into our countdown with its intensively keen carnage.
Directed by James Wan, Saw’s narrative conception is a sharp as bloody blade. Wan, later going on to be one of cinema’s best and brilliant filmmakers, co-wrote the script with frequent collaborator Leigh Whannell. What the two Australian-born creatives created, which became horror’s most profitable franchises, has yet to be duplicated.
Spawning six surreal sequels to date, with Saw: Legacy currently on the way in 2017, Saw’s sadistically sick, and highly unusual, illain is a huge part of film’s luster. Nicknamed Jigsaw, whose real name is John Kramer, Billy’s puppeteer, and his motives, make Saw special.
While creating a villain whose motives were rooted in empathy, or whose ideologies were so, Wan and Whannell created one of the most complexly films in our genres history. Jigsaw, do we want to play a game? Yeah, I think we do. Only it better not be a trap!
Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator-Courtesy of Empire Pictures
“Don’t expect it to tango; it has a broken back.” – Dr. Herbert West
Re-Animating our list at number 4, our countdown continues with Stuart Gordon‘s Re-Animator. Stunning audiences in 1985, the year of the zombie, Re-Animator is beyond crazy in concept. With its gory story of a mad scientist and his quest for graveyard greatness, Gordon’s Re-Animator is truly one of horror’s most tantalizing terror tales – for the living and the dead.
Showcasing one of horror’s greatest performance, as Jeffrey Combs’ Dr. Herbert West is simply sensational, Re-Animator is crazy good. With its tone of fear, fright, and amazing fun, there’s no other film in horror history quite like Gordon’s Re-Animator. If you’ve seen the last 25 minutes of the ’85 classic, you’ll know how truly twisted the film is.
Based on a short story by H.P Lovecraft, Re-Animator may be about the undead, but like its viscous villains, it comes to life in victorious ways.
Clive Barker’s ‘Hellraiser’- Courtesy of New World Pictures
“Demons to some. Angels to others” – Pinhead
With puzzle box hand, Clive Barker’s 1987 classic Hellraiser is making Jesus weep at number 3 on our list.
Hellraiser, based on Barker’s own 1986 story “The Hellbound Heart,” is about as insanely original as any creative mind could hope to produce. Made for a scant $1M, but torturing audiences out of $14M, Hellraiser would go on to solidify itself as one or horror’s greatest exports.
Telling a tale of forbidden lust and bloody revenge, not to mention those creepy Cenobites, Hellraiser is a film like none other. Boasting a solid performance by Doug Bradley, an actor eventually performing the role eight times, Hellraiser is the work of genius…
That genius, of course, coming from celebrated writer Clive Barker. What Barker created is so exquisitely exceptional it’s truly hard to put it into words. As I’m sure you’ve seen the film, the way Barker infuses family drama with his insane story of hell servants in service of pain is brilliant.
An angel to some, and demon to others, Hellraiser is a true unflinching hell-ride.
Don Coscarelli’s ‘Phantasm’ -Courtesy of New Breed Productions Inc.
“The ice cream is gonna be flyin’ fast and furious.” – Reggie
Weaving a twisted tale of bizarre dimensions, fallen family turmoil, and the mysterious one known simple as “The Tall Man,” Phantasm is creeping out our list at number 2.
Directed by Don Coscarelli, who would later go on to helm the cult classic Bubba Ho-Tep starring genre favorite, groovy Bruce Campbell, Phantasm is a work of originality most can only dream of. With its insane story of two brothers, and their ice-cream truck driving amigo, fighting the forces of terror from another dimension, 1979’s Phantasm is one of the most respected and hailed horror films in history.
If you’ve seen the classic, and BOOOOOY!! you better have, you’ll no doubt know the film is unlike anything else in our amazing genre. Spawning four sequels, including the highly anticipated Phantasm V: Ravager, which is set for release this October, Coscarelli’s original classic is about as imaginative as one could hope for when crafting a creepy narrative.
Though the film isn’t without its flaws, each often adding unique intricacies to the Phantasm experience, Coscareilli’s original is a truly remarkable work of art. One that packs a more powerful punch than The Tall Man’s deadly sphere.
Wes Craven’s ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’- Courtesy of New Line Cinema
“I’m your boyfriend now Nancy” – Fred Krueger
Opening November 9th in the blissful wonder of 1984, the horror genre saw itself welcoming A Nightmare on Elm Street. The most original film in the phenomenal history of horror, Elm Street is a true work of powerful imagination. A dreary dream of a tale, director Wes Craven, whom we still miss dearly, used Elm as a mechanism for blending imagination with unimaginable terror when debuting his most respected piece of film in ’84.
While it could be argued other films on this loony list are more unique conceptually, with Phantasm and Hellraiser arguing the toughest case, A Nightmare on Elm Street is truly unlike any other fright film in history. Originally dismissed by almost every producer with deep pockets, Elm Street is a true masterpiece of macabre. With Bob Shaye of New Line Cinema only seeing the script’s brilliance, Craven’s classic is still standing the test of time.
Starring Robert Englund as the infamous dream demon Freddy Krueger and Heather Langenkamp as the object of his disturbing desires, A Nightmare on Elm Street’s nightmare narrative is in league all its own. With its ingenious story of sleep and slaughter, Elm Street is truly unparalleled. You knew the deal: Die in the dream, and you die for real. Too bad for us, Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street is so damn dreamy.