Slasher films are making a comeback and I see sort of a redemption era for horror films. With the economy in the can, maybe political movies and films about Forrest Gump-types aging backwards aren’t exactly what people want to see. Aside from the slasher sub-genre, what else can we offer this new rush of neo-fans that no longer want to see the “achingly poignant” flick over the weekend? Let’s give them killer animal films. It will work as a test in a way. Medial doctors have to pass exams to experiment on humans and so shall we. To become true horror fans we must inundate these newbies with every sub-genre of horror we can think of – starting with films that involve animals. Enjoy!
10. Night of the Lepus (1972): “Rabbits”
I stumbled across this film night-surfing and I couldn’t figure it out at first. I saw Janet Leigh and I thought it had to be something cool and then when I saw that everyone was trying to get in doors as soon as possible, I assumed is was a film about the war. Imagine my humble surprise when the next shot is of giant bunnies hopping across the valley. I’m not kidding; the film is about killer rabbits. Also, I nominate it for best action sequence using miniature cars for “aerial” shots (Ahh, the pre-CGI days).
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9. The Fly (1986): “Fly”
David Cronenberg is totally sick as a director (in a good way). This film about a science experiment gone wrong finds Jeff Goldblum getting turned into a new hybrid. Is it cheating to have this movie on the list? I’m not quite sure, but I know that he could actually count as half animal. All I remember about the after effects of this movie were the countless games of, “if you had to be split with something else, what would it be?” The fly was scary, but it was also just ick. One wonders if the film would have been different and still scary if they had used something cooler, like maybe a koala.
8. The Ghost and the Darkness (1996): “Lions”
This movie was pretty good and I believe it falls into the category of an intellectual’s horror film. It seems that every time someone knocks the horror genre, it’s because it lacks substance. Well, take that. This film has serious actors, it’s a period piece, and it’s based on a true story that happened in Africa with a lot of important messages about life and corruption through wealth blah blah blah. It also has a pair of killer lions. I’ll let Michael Douglas who stars in the film sum it up. With a look of absolute shock on his face, referring to the lions he says, “They’re doing it for the pleasure”. Personally I think the lions were tired of seeing their natural habitat demolished by industrialization so they decided to kick some ass and take names.
7. Lake Placid (1999): “Crocodile”
Who didn’t love seeing Rose from the Golden Girls showing whose side she’s really on? The big bad of Lake Placid is a massive croc with a taste for human flesh. If there was a list with every prerequisite character a horror comedy is supposed to have, this film definitely hit all of the marks. Bill Pullman is the lead in this film and thinking about him begs the question, does every horror film involving animals need a down-to-earth type of guy to be the male lead? We’re guessing yes. When fighting the elements, these films have to have an all-American hero.
6. Arachnophobia (1990): “Spiders”
I’m pretty sure everyone has watched this film at some point or another. I have found myself watching this movie on TBS while having lunch on a boring Sunday afternoon. It’s the kind of film that you can watch while doing other things like packing up for a move or laundry. Killer foreign spiders make their way onto US soil and start to take over a little town in Middle America. There are so many themes worth exploring in that last sentence, but this is about the killer spiders. There are several doctors and specialists in this film and all but one dies. Who comes to the rescue? The pest control guy, John Goodman, who shows that simple doesn’t necessarily equal lack of survival instinct.
5. Cujo (1983): “St. Bernard”
The family dog goes ape shit with rabies, what do we do? Stephen King has a way of bringing terror into our every day life and we respect him for it. My only answer to the question above is to make sure your kid picks the Chihuahua when he wants a pet. I’m an animal lover, but what do you do when man’s best friend is trying to kill you and your kid? The film evokes a lot of questions about life. Yes, you can fight your way out of it, but what kind of guilt would you feel afterwards?
4. Frogs (1972): “Frogs”
Writers and directors in the 70’s were really high. These eco-horror films are really fun and silly to watch and this film is similar to Night of the Lepus. I would imagine these films were great hits at the local drive-ins when they came out. This movie finds nature getting revenge on humans for just being a waste of space. Characters in the film are attacked by spiders, snakes, and in the end frogs. There’s also a cool scene of Sam Elliot fighting off snakes in the water with a paddle. The movie wasn’t that scary, but to this day frogs still give me the creeps.
3. The Birds (1963): “Birds”
Hitchcock broke the cardinal rule for horror films in this hit by hurting children, not even Jason hurts kids, but it set up the theme that no one is safe. There is no music in this film; there is only silence and the amazing shots that Hitchcock creates with his star. I’ll leave the analysis of this film to the Hitchcock film snobs and will simply say that it’s worth seeing and stays within the theme of animals gone wild.
2. Phenomena (also known as Creepers) (1985): “Insects”
This film made the cut not only because Jennifer Connelly being a kid that can communicate with insects is kind of cool, but also as a shout out to Eater of Entrails who really hearts this film. This Dario Argento masterpiece has a lot to offer: suspense, mystery, and a really cool chimpanzee. Connelly’s character is a daughter of a movie star who gets shipped off to boarding school, which is not far from Argento’s own family life (his wife plays a key role in this film and his daughters are also in the biz). Those not familiar with the work of Argento would do good to start with this movie.
1. Jaws (1975): “Great White Shark”
Classic. Can you swim in the deep end of a pool at night without remembering this film? Spielberg not only set the bar for suspense, but he created the way we examine monsters. He didn’t show us the big bad until halfway towards the end so we didn’t know what was under there. It built up the suspense throughout the film and with the haunting score let us know that there was evil out there and we can do our best to imagine it. Stay scared of the water.
I envision the soul of the horror film genre being the sixteen year old serving popcorn at his or her local movie theatre during the evening shifts on a Saturday night – because they asked for it. This guy or gal is now seeing a lot more people showing up and that’s what horror films are seeing right now too.
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