Tag: horror

Happy Friday the 13th!

We’re not superstitious, but we’ll take any excuse to watch some creepy movies! We do have Friday the 13th (HU DVD 859) if you’re feeling on the nose about it, but here are five very different alternate suggestions for your viewing pleasure this unlucky evening. Stoker (streaming): More tense than horrifying, Stoker is a stylish, unsettling, … Continue reading “Happy Friday the 13th!”

We’re not superstitious, but we’ll take any excuse to watch some creepy movies! We do have Friday the 13th (HU DVD 859) if you’re feeling on the nose about it, but here are five very different alternate suggestions for your viewing pleasure this unlucky evening.

  • Stoker (streaming): More tense than horrifying, Stoker is a stylish, unsettling, and has no vampires in it.
  • Eyes Without a Face (HU DVD 9701): Plastic surgery is always creepy.
  • Audition (HU DVD 397): This movie is too gory for humans. Don’t watch it.
  • The Thing (HU DVD 1410): Weirdly, I mostly remember the dog.
  • Get Out (HU DVD 14595): Yes, yes, everyone but me loved this movie. We have it. You’re welcome.

For a blast from the past, check out our 2010 suggestions for Friday the 13th here! All still good. Especially The Orphanage (HU DVD 639).

Happy viewing!

We Welcome the Adult Losers Club

I completely unexpectedly loved It last year, and I just found out that they cast the adults for the sequel! You can read about it here, and there are definitely…choices…that have been made…but like everyone on the planet, I’m super excited for Isaiah Mustafa as Mike!

I completely unexpectedly loved It last year, and I just found out that they cast the adults for the sequel!

You can read about it here, and there are definitely…choices…that have been made…but like everyone on the planet, I’m super excited for Isaiah Mustafa as Mike!

Horror films had another strong year

For all the jokes about 2016 being terrible, last year was in fact a year of horror – for film at least. As Slashfilm points out, 2016 had an unusually strong showing of horror movies of all stripes, and the site’s Jacob Hall attempted to break down what led to the genre’s success. Hall mentions … Continue reading “Horror films had another strong year”

For all the jokes about 2016 being terrible, last year was in fact a year of horror – for film at least. As Slashfilm points out, 2016 had an unusually strong showing of horror movies of all stripes, and the site’s Jacob Hall attempted to break down what led to the genre’s success.

Hall mentions a litany of factors, like a focus on character and intimate settings. Two of the biggest driving forces, though, seem to be politics and auteurs. Last year’s horror movies embraced politically charged messages (like the uncomfortably timely Neo-Nazi horror of Green Room), and many others fit the mold of an alienating arthouse film that might turn off broader audiences. The author cites the divisive The Neon Demon in particular filling a niche that wouldn’t exist without the director’s vision.

We see some immediate parallels to the best horror of the 70s, movies like Dawn of the Dead that used their horror for inventive scares, terrific visual art, and social commentary. We’ll admit some skepticism too, but the horror renaissance kicked off by It Follows in 2015 is apparently still going.

The new great directors of horror share their favorites

The horror genre has had a bit of a resurgence in the last few years – not the stereotypical jump-and-scare horror movies, but a wave of subtler, creeping horror like The Witch. All their filmmakers draw on a rich history of horror film for their personal style. So for a look into what the new … Continue reading “The new great directors of horror share their favorites”

The horror genre has had a bit of a resurgence in the last few years – not the stereotypical jump-and-scare horror movies, but a wave of subtler, creeping horror like The Witch. All their filmmakers draw on a rich history of horror film for their personal style. So for a look into what the new face of genre loves to watch, The A.V. Club asked these directors to program a 24-hour scary movie marathon.

As you might expect, their picks range from classics to unusual but terrifying gems. Wolf Creek director Greg McLean picked Jaws, for instance, and raved about how animatronics can be special in the CGI era. Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl‘s A.D. Calvo went weirder and picked Burnt Offerings, a haunted house film starring “late-period Bette Davis.”

Their selection add up to a pretty solid 24 hours, from tired-and-true scares to horror that will claw its way into your brain for days. If you want to follow along at home, we have many of the films on this list available to check out!

The Conjuring – HU DVD 11358
The Night of the Hunter – HU DVD 1235
Black Moon – HU DVD 12544 and streaming
Eraserhead – HU DVD 1491 and streaming
Jaws – HU DVD 98
Alien – HU DVD 885
The Exorcist – HU DVD 2002

Halloween nears! Check out our horror movie collection

Halloween weekend is but two weeks away, and like most film nerds, we’re ready for horror movie season. Because it would be weird to watch Halloween in April, right? Almost 100 years have passed since Nosferatu and some of the earliest feature-length horror films, and they’re still as terrifying as ever. If you’re looking for … Continue reading “Halloween nears! Check out our horror movie collection”

Halloween weekend is but two weeks away, and like most film nerds, we’re ready for horror movie season. Because it would be weird to watch Halloween in April, right?

Almost 100 years have passed since Nosferatu and some of the earliest feature-length horror films, and they’re still as terrifying as ever. If you’re looking for a horror movie to watch, you have nearly a century of choices that still hold up. So where do you start?

Our horror-themed Pinterest board includes 200 movies in our collection, from The Babadook to the old Phantom of the Opera. You might recognize a few classics like The Evil Dead, but if you’re looking to jump off the usual path, you could try something like zombie drama Maggie or the extremely descriptive Slumber Party Massacre.

You could watch 10 horror movies from the AU Library every day until Halloween and still not make it through everything. It’s a deep genre! You should probably start on that today.

See horror’s John Carpenter in DC… at a concert?

Master horror filmmaker John Carpenter is beloved for directing Halloween, They Live, and The Thing. Many people don’t know that he scored many of this movies as well. Carpenter composed the famous Halloween theme song, and since largely setting aside his film career, he has continue to dabble in the minimalist, terrifying synthesizer music that … Continue reading “See horror’s John Carpenter in DC… at a concert?”

Master horror filmmaker John Carpenter is beloved for directing Halloween, They Live, and The Thing. Many people don’t know that he scored many of this movies as well. Carpenter composed the famous Halloween theme song, and since largely setting aside his film career, he has continue to dabble in the minimalist, terrifying synthesizer music that he has helped popularize as the soundtrack of horror.

Even so, we’re surprised that John Carpenter has launched a national concert tour where he’ll be performing horror themes and original music. His second album, Lost Themes II, debuts on April 15th. To support it, Carpenter will be visiting DC’s Lincoln Theater on July 12th for a retrospective night of his music, past and present. He’ll probably perform the Halloween theme – of course – but we’re curious about what else will “[inspire] people to create films that could be scored with this music.”

Tickets are pricey, starting at $55, but we can’t really think of another event this unusual. Horror fans especially should jump at the rare chance to see a famed auteur working his craft.

HitFix hunts for the top 100 horror movies

What is the greatest horror film of all time? Is that too broad? How about a top 10 or even a top 50? With enough aggregated stats and expert opinion, you can probably make a killer list of the best in the genre. The editors at HitFix have done just that, polling horror directors, writers, … Continue reading “HitFix hunts for the top 100 horror movies”

What is the greatest horror film of all time? Is that too broad? How about a top 10 or even a top 50? With enough aggregated stats and expert opinion, you can probably make a killer list of the best in the genre. The editors at HitFix have done just that, polling horror directors, writers, critics, scholars, and superfans to create a ranked list of the 100 greatest horror movies ever.

The upper end of the list is stacked and difficult to argue against: The Exorcist takes the top spot, followed by The Shining, Rosemary’s Baby, Alien, and the usual bedfellows. Once you get further down it gets a little odd, as these lists tend to, with rule-skirting oddities like Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom showing up or the American remake of The Ring ranking higher than the Japanese original. Part of this might be the fault of the odd methodology, which weights the number of mentions over their relative ranking.

It’s still a solid list, though, and its greatest asset might be its interviews with film figures about their favorite horror movies. Clive Barker apparently loves Bride of Frankenstein, and we’re better hearing him gush about it than knowing that it’s #37 on the list.

RIP Wes Craven, master of horror

We wanted to start this semester off with a list of all the exciting titles we added recently, but we first need to acknowledge the very sad death of Wes Craven, horror director and producer extraordinaire whose slasher films defined and later deconstructed the genre. Wes Craven is best known, of course, for his creation … Continue reading “RIP Wes Craven, master of horror”

We wanted to start this semester off with a list of all the exciting titles we added recently, but we first need to acknowledge the very sad death of Wes Craven, horror director and producer extraordinaire whose slasher films defined and later deconstructed the genre.

Wes Craven is best known, of course, for his creation of A Nightmare on Elm Street and indelible horror movie icon Freddy Krueger. That alone would cement him as one of the most beloved figures in a genre full of cult personalities, but he also directed The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes and served as producer on their remakes. And in a terrific act of self-reflection, Craven also created Scream a series dedicated to dismantling the tropes and structure of the genre he helped popularize.

(He also directed a segment in Paris, je t’aime… which is weird.)

To honor Craven, we want to recommend not just his biggest movies but the love he put into his craft. So in addition to watching Elm Street and Scream, we suggest you watch three documentaries in which he offers a behind-the-scenes peek as his work and offers advice to upcoming filmmakers. Craven treated violent horror with artfulness and skill, and we’ll miss his presence in the genre.

Scream – HU DVD 6
Scream 2 – HU DVD 7
A Nightmare on Elm Street – HU DVD 864
Paris, je t’aime – HU DVD 3378

The American Nightmare – HU DVD 998
Getting Started in Tinseltown – Streaming video
Successful Teamwork in Filmmaking – Streaming video

Dare you plumb the depths of public domain horror?

Halloween is rapidly approaching (only 17 days away!) so our patrons are understandably checking out loads of horror films. [On a personal editorial note, I find it fantastic that there is an entire month dedicated to fear.] We’ve previously covered our horror collection on Pinterest, which is still the best resource for finding the various … Continue reading “Dare you plumb the depths of public domain horror?”

Halloween is rapidly approaching (only 17 days away!) so our patrons are understandably checking out loads of horror films. [On a personal editorial note, I find it fantastic that there is an entire month dedicated to fear.] We’ve previously covered our horror collection on Pinterest, which is still the best resource for finding the various scary movies in our collection.

But what if you want to dig deeper? For the hardcore horror aficionados – as well as anyone who wants to get a good horror movie without leaving their dorm – we wish to direct your attention to Horrortheque.

Horrortheque collects public domain horror movies (essentially, ones for which the copyright has lapsed) and provides videos of them where available. Many films released in the 1930s or earlier have entered the public domain, but others as recent as the 1980s are also freely available. Some of them, like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, are stone-cold classics. Horrortheque grabs many of its videos from public YouTube uploads, many of which have been removed, so their availability within the site is a little iffy. But once you have the names, they should be readily accessible via a quick Google search.

This is a fun site for horror enthusiasts and film history buffs looking for something seasonal that’s a little less trodden. The public domain overflows with of all sorts of film oddities, and there’s perhaps no better time to dive in than during a holiday about the mysterious and scary.

This Just In: More scary movies!!

That’s right, just yesterday a few more spooky films were added to the Home Use Collection. Take one home this weekend. Also, don’t forget about the most recent entry about scary movies, which also links to other films that will be perfect to check out this Halloween weekend. Beetle Juice – HU DVD 9030 Masters … Continue reading “This Just In: More scary movies!!”

That’s right, just yesterday a few more spooky films were added to the Home Use Collection. Take one home this weekend. Also, don’t forget about the most recent entry about scary movies, which also links to other films that will be perfect to check out this Halloween weekend.

Beetle Juice – HU DVD 9030

Masters of Horror – HU DVD 9040

Saw – HU DVD 9061

They Live – HU DVD 9020