I Saw the Devil (2011)

Why: Korean horror, could have never been anymore savage, I swear this movie is so visceral. Get your head ready because what you see from this premise will stay within you for awhile. It's like "Taken" but way bloodier and way more demented!

Tagline: Why do you look like you've just stepped into shit?!

Actors: Byung-Hun Lee, Gook-Hwan Jeon

Director: Ji-Woon Kim

S & M: It depends!

Insidious (2011)

Why: Insidious should be your first choice of horror for tonight cause if you want haunted house, you will get it! If you want possessed kids or adults, you will get it! If you are looking for demons, other-worldly creatures, the dead or supernatural realms, you definitely will get them from this movie. More importantly, if you are tired of those happy ended horror movies, this movie will guarantee you a bitter sweet ending. This movie got the scares, got the creatures if you were shopping for some, you won't be dissapointed!

Tagline: What's in that picture?

Actors: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins

Director: James Wan

Scary+++: Hell yeah!

The Rite (2011)

Why: The Rite has some elements from both "The Exorcist" and "The Last Exorcism".  

Quote:  "You know, the interesting thing about skeptics, is that we're always looking for proof... the question is, what on Earth would we ever do if we found it?" ...father Lucas to Fr. Michael.

Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue

Director: Mikael Hafstrom

Scary+++***: Hell yeah!

Season of the Witch (2011)

Why: The most twisted ending ever in a remake. It is purely haunting! You will be brought back into the Middle Ages where the devil is being both hunted down and worshipped.  

Fav Quote:  "We are going to need more Holy water"...Debelzaq

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman

Director: Dominic Sena

Scary+++***: Hell yeah!

YellowBrickRoad (2011)

Why: One morning in 1940, an entire town of 572 people, disappeared in the wilderness, leaving behind their house, their clothes, their pets. Years later, a special task force uncovered the slaughtered bodies of 300 of the population deep into the woods and the remaining 272 people are left unaccounted for. What was in the woods that manipulated the townsfolks to abandon their town in the pursuit of such a macabre demise? Was it from the woods or was it from within? This movie requires your viewing if you are a true horror fan!

Tagline:  "They were searching for an evil in the forest...but the forest found the evil in them."

Actors: Cassidy Freeman, Anessa Ramsey

Director: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton

Messed up+++***: Hell yeah!

Stake Land (2011)

Why: A young boy (Connor Paolo, Gossip Girl) is about to learn how cruel the world can become. Martin was a normal teenager before the country collapsed in an empty pit of disaster, and a vampire epidemic swept across the nation's abandoned towns and cities. It's up to Mister (Nick Damici, Mulberry Street, World Trade Center), a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter, to get Martin to safety. Armed with a trunk full of wooden stakes and a desperate will to stay alive, Mister and Martin make their way through locked down towns, recruiting fellow travelers along the way. Among them are a devout nun (Kelly McGillis, The Accused, Top Gun) and a pregnant teen (Danielle Harris, Halloween, Halloween 2)

Tagline: "The most dangerous thing is to be alive"

Actors: Connor Paolo, Nick Damici

Director: Jim Mickle

Brains and Blood+++***: Hell yeah!

Halloween (2007)

Why: Following the Halloween tradition this last addition to the horrifying tale of Mike Myers, the misunderstood child, is very unsettling just like the others. In this remake directed by Rob Zombie, they show you the harsh reality that Mike as a kid had to face. A selfish, slutty older sister, a good for nothing guy living with his mother, a mother who has no time in her hands to give her ten year old boy the attention he needs because she's the money maker in the family. What a boy got to do, to get some affection? Pretty much, become bipolar.  Halloween is bound to keep you entertained from start to finish. Halloween fans, you will get your money’s worth.

Tagline: "Evil has a destiny"

Actors: Sheri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brad Dourif, Tyler Mane, Malcom McDowell

Director: Rob Zombie

Fun Fact: The Mask worn by Mike Myers is of the likeness of William Shatner. The budget for the film was so low that they had bought a Star Trek William Shatner face mask from a Halloween store. They had gorged out the eyes and pulled out the hair to give it a crazed used look.

Demented+++***: Hell yeah!

Trick r Treat (2008)

Why: This film showcases some very disturbing events that occur when some people from a small town decided to take Halloween off or not follow all the rituals. As we all should already know in some cultures, Halloween traditions were established to keep the dead from wanting us dead like them as they walk our streets on that faifhful night. Halloween is my favorite holiday, but I guess it wasn't the case for these townfolks who will find out how valuable it is to keep up with the rituals of Halloween or else. 

This film is very entertaining to watch as it has the best scare elements, twists and some of the best actors in Hollywood such as Anna Paquin (True Blood, X-men), Leslie Bibb (Midnight Meat Train), Brian Cox, Tahmoh Pinekett. In addition to scare elements, Sam (Quinn Lord) is a cryptic little trick or treater whose always around before something crazy and awful happens.

If you are scared of those creepy little kids in horror movies, beware, this factor plays a major role in this movie as Sam steals every scene he's in...he's soooooooo creepy in his little costume as he reminds us to keep the rituals alive on All Hallows Eve or pay the consequences!

Tagline: "...So many ways to take a life"

Actors: Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, Quinn Lord

Director: Michael Dougherty <--- to read a pre-Halloween chat from Creepyla.com

Fact: On October 8, 2009, Mr. Dougherty promised fans a sequel to the movie. He also helped design a Easter promotional trailer for a day long Trick r Treat marathon on Halloween for Fearnet.

Macabre and twisted+++***: Hell yeah!

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Why: This film adaptation of Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is very compelling and very cryptic. After all, this is a Tim Burton directed film and it delivered on the gothic level as well as the cast ensemble performances. The score to this film was very appropriate and kept you on your toes with every scenes as they climaxed. The twist ending to this film is one of the most demented ones ever.

Actors: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken

Director: Tim Burton

Fact: Based loosely on the short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving

Perversed and spellbound+++***: Hell yeah!

Hocus Pocus(1993)

Why: Three centuries ago, three sister witches were condemned to death for witchcraft by the local townsfolks. However, before they get hanged, they swore to be awaken from their demise on a Halloween night by a virgin. It's Halloween in 1993, guess what, the witches got their wish and mayhem is sure to ensue.

Tagline: "It's just a bunch of Hocus Pocus"

Actors: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimi

Director: Kenny Ortega

Fact: When Bette Midler takes the stage at the town Halloween Party, she says "Hello Salem, my name is Winifred. What's yours?". This is a take-off of the famous line, "Hello world, my name is Rose, what's yours?" that is spoken by Mama Rose in the musical "Gypsy". Midler played Mama Rose in the television version, Gypsy, the same year this film was released.

Spellbound and witchy+++***: Hell yeah!

Favorite thing: The Score to this film "I am gonna put a spell on you"

Jack O' Lantern (2004)

Why: After a car accident, Jack became a catatonic strange man and eventually was institutionalized for his demented state. Shortly after he was released from the asylum, he decided to carve a pumpkin for Halloween but Jack goes through a trance and later finds that the ones whom caused his accident were all murdered one by one by a crazed creature in the likeness of a Jack O' Lantern.

Tagline: "Vengeance shows no mercy"

Actors: Dave R. Watkins, Tracy Yarkoni, Kevin L. Powers 

Director: Ron Mclellen

Fact: The Director knocked himself unconscious while filming the climatic scene in the barn where Jack O' Lantern chases Bret. Ron Mclellen played the demonic creature along with two other actors, Brooks Ross and Barry Norman.

Demonic and Demented+++***: Hell yeah!

Red State (2011)

Why: It's a story about morality or what one thinks is morally right, set in middle America, filmed as a documentary. Three male teenagers are lured into going to Cooper's Dell town for a night of debauchery. Once they arrived, they soon find out that their hosts had a very different agenda for them. You cannot easily pick and choose who you want the antagonists or the protagonists of this story to be because what's wrong in your eyes may be absolutely right in someone else's. 

Actors: Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman

Tagline: "Love thy Neighbor" 

Director: Kevin Smith

Unapologetically disturbing+++***: Hell yeah!

Fright Night (2011)

Why: I know what I wrote primarily about this remake was tasteless and in some level quite revolting. As a fan of Fright Night, I truly felt that no sequel or remake can ever do the original Fright Night any justice. As a result, I pointed out only the negative from the remake but watching it over again made me feel obligated to reverse my prior post about the performances, the acting, the special effects, the rehash plot, the modified versions of the old characters that essentially culminated into a very effective and fun filmed horror comedy with scenes and character developments that ultimately fill in a lot of blanks in the former movie. Fright Night is a pure blend of great character portrayals and one-liners that will be stuck with you for your remaining days as TBHM fans!

Actors: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette

Tagline: "You can't run from evil when it lives next door" 

Director: Craig Gillepsie

Unapologetically vampiric+++***: Hell yeah!

Let The Right One In (2008)

Why:  This vampire movie is one of the most talked about vampire movies of 2008 with the bloodshed, the gory, the scary, the body parts, and the violent scenes to back it up. It made the number one on my list because it's realistic, it deals with everyday issues that are so dark, we usually tend to turn our eyes the other way. But you won't be able to turn your head the other way this time as the story unfolds, it centers on the following issues: pedophiles, bullies, friendship and love. The movie mostly revolves around Oskar, a shy, beta, loner, 12 year old boy whose life changes enormously when he befriends Eli, this pale, enigmatic, creepy, unfazed by extreme cold weather temperatures girl who moved in next door with her "father". She happens to be twelve years old as well. Suspiciously a series of violent killings have been spreading throughout the area after Eli moved into town. It was only a matter of time for Oskar to understand what kind of a girl Eli was, in fact, she was no girl, she was a vampire...

Actors: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson

Tagline: "Let the Right one In" 

Director: Tomas Alfredson 

Unapologetically Visceral+++***: Hell Yeah!

The Thing (2011)

Why: The Thing is always going to remain one of the greatest Alien movies ever because the storyline is both plausible and unimaginable. The Prequel to this Claustrophobic and Paranoiac tale of a shapeshifting alien that overpowered a Norwegian Research team by assimilating them is likely to be both highly anticipated and mostly watched - wrong. But I loved the storyline, I loved how it ended to merge with the beginning of the former movie, I loved the special effects, I also loved the actors I thought they did a very good job overall. This Prequel will make you feel that it was necessary to The Thing franchise as it explains the Alaskan Malamute being chased after and shot at by a rifleman from a Norwegian helicopter.

Actors: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen

Tagline: "It's not Human. Yet" 

Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr 

Shapeshifting to the max+++***: Hell yeah!

Dream House (2011)

 Why: A la Shutter Island, this movie gave me the biggest mind-fuck. I live for movies such as these, they build you up for something completely and utterly different than what it's really about. It is truly a twisted tale. If you liked Shutter Island and The Amityville Horror movies, this movie will fit quite nicely in your collection of supernatural and psychological thrillers.

Actors: Rachel Weisz, Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts

Tagline: "Once Upon a time, there were two little girls living in a house" 

Director: Jim Sheridan

Mentally debilatating+++***: Hell yeah!