[A to Z] Z = Zodiac

ZODIAC is one of my all-time favorite movies regardless of how you choose to categorize the film.  I am calling it a "real life horror" for this list because the basic events happened - dramatized and embellished I am sure - but The Zodiac is a real life killer.  From the very first time I watched this film I was enthralled with the story, the details, the acting, and the creepiness in some scenes,  

ZODIAC is not just one of those random murder movies that has been made dozens of times.  There are moments where it creates a dreadful feeling in the viewer.  One such instance is where the cartoonist turned amateur sleuth is following up a phone call conversation by visiting this guy at his house for some evidence.  They go in the basement and while they are down there the little weasel guy he was visiting is turned different lights off and on as they walk around the basement.  You can hear footsteps upstairs from a big heavy person that is creepy if you watch it late at night.

Watch it!

[A to Z] Y = Your Favorite

No trailer and no recollections about any particular movie in this entry.  Just a simple question.

What is your favorite horror movie?

I have several films that are vying for the top spot.  My favorite 80s slasher is Friday the 13th.  My favorite found footage horror is probably Paranormal Activity.  For my all-time favorite - and some people will protest that it is a true crime thriller but I am calling it a "real life horror film" - you will have to read the Z post tomorrow...

[A to Z] X = Xtro

XTRO is on this list for one simple reason.  It is the only horror movie beginning with the letter X that I can remember seeing.  I admit it.  I do not remember much about this movie at all.  I think it is about a human woman that gave birth to a child fathered by an extraterrestrial.  No idea if that is completely accurate.  The only thing I do remember is that we got it from the video store and I believe some of the effects were the sort to gross mothers out.  I have to track down a copy of this after all these years.

[A to Z] W = Worst

 I am not discussing a film for the "W" entry but I am asking a simple question...

What is the WORST horror film you have ever seen?

I will do better than name one film but I will say these are the three worst horror movies I have even seen.  My son and I were on a SHARKNADO kick and we decided to find something similar.  I stumbled across the Shark Attack 3-pack at Wal-Mart for the low, low price of $5.  I thought they looked fun and bought the DVD.  I was about to find out just how very wrong I was just a short time later.

I attempted to watch these movies back to back and I failed.  I fell asleep several times and it took about a week to watch all three.  My son gave up much quicker than I did.  He still has not watched any of these movies completely to this day.  Besides having sharks in each movie, these three movies share some common traits.  The acting is wooden and amateurish at best.  The special effects are not really that special at all.  The stories are all slow and tedious.  The dialogue is pure gibberish.  They are all just AWFUL from start to finish.  There are NO similarities to SHARKNADO and no joke to "be in on" because the joke WILL be on you if you watch these films.  

I will not directly post the trailers here; I will, however, provide links to the trailers below.  Be warned - just watching these trailers may be similar to reading passages from The Necronomicon!!! Be cautious if you choose to tread further and view these trailers below.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

Sharkenstein trailer

Raiders of the Lost Shark trailer

Shark Exorcist trailer

[A to Z] V = V/H/S

V/H/S was a film I gambled on and I wound up being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories.  If I recall correctly, I knew nothing about VHS until I saw a preview on another movie I rented from redbox.  Then I rented VHS from redbox on my next visit.  The film has 5 found footage short films bookended by a 6th story.  I found the sequel VHS 2 to be just as good as the original.  The third film, VHS: Viral, was a disappointment to me.  The stories did not hold my attention as well as the previous two films.  A third film, VHS 94, has been announced but I have yet to hear any more information.  I am sure I will give it a shot... 

[A to Z] U = Us

US seems to divide horror fans into the "great" and "meh" camps.  I personally thought it was a great film.  It was not another mindless slasher and the story was unique.  US is an interesting twist on literally facing your inner demons and also touches of broader societal issues.  I have not seen US in some time and I regret now owning it; I will remedy soon.  Simply put, US is an engaging film that not only asks who the enemy is but it also answers it.

[A to Z] T = Trick 'r Treat

TRICK'R TREAT is a horror comedy anthology film from 2007.  The four stories take place on Halloween night.  Each of the stories is a standalone tale with the exception of the appearance of Sam in each tale; showing up when the rules of Halloween are broken.  I enjoyed all of the stories and the bookends included at each end of the film. 

TRICK'R TREAT is a fun movie.  I always include it in every Halloween horror movie marathon that I do every year. There was some talk of a sequel but so far nothing has materialized.  I have not come across any rumors of a sequel lately either.  One one hand, I think that is great because they have not tried to turn this into a franchise by quickly releasing a follow up movie of questionable quality.  On the other hand, I think it is unfortunate that there have been no follow up films.   CREEP and CREEP 2 have shown you can have several films years apart and maintain the quality.  I think TRICK'R TREAT could do the same thing.  If a sequel is never filmed I will still be happy with one very good film.

[A to Z] S = Silent Hill

SILENT HILL is based on the video game franchise bearing the same name.  I have played a bit of the first two but I never completed either one of them.  I remember enjoying this movie and I used it for this challenge for no other reason than it does a great job of adapting the video game to the big screen.  SILENT HILL looks and feels right to me.  I will not try and argue that is perfect; it IS an adaptation after all.  It does, however, do a much better job of adapting the game to the big screen than many other video game movies have done.  

[A to Z] R = Race with the Devil

RACE WITH THE DEVIL is one of those movies that played on several Friday or Saturday nights when I was a young boy during the 1980s.  According to the wikipedia entry RACE WITH THE DEVIL was released in 1975. It would fit right in with some 80s movies like Mazes & Monsters, Witchboard, etc. that used Witchcraft and/or Satanism as part of their horror.

The plot of RACE WITH THE DEVIL is pretty easy to follow.  Two couples are on vacation in a RV and camp for the night.  The men run across a ritual where a woman is sacrificed.  They get noticed and chased throughout the rest of the movie.  I remember bits and pieces of this movie but what really caught in my memory was the ending.  No spoilers; see for yourself!  

[A to Z] Q = Q: The Winged Serpent

Q: THE WINGED SERPENT is from 1982 and I most likely saw it in 1983 or 1984.  I honestly remember nothing about the movie other than the fact that we got it from a local VHS rental store and it prompted a little bit of discussion about the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl.  Maybe I will track down a copy and give it a go after all these years.  

Have you seen it?  If so, what are your thoughts?