Friday Five: Horror/Monster Movies

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Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know us a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Horror/Monster movies!

A good horror movie and monster movie are two very different categories. While one throws you into a situation where nothing but chaos and destruction seek the main protagonists, the other looks to freak you out so bad that you have trouble sleeping at night. That doesn’t mean you can’t still be a bit nervous that Godzilla could come stomping down the street! While both genres are fairly different, they have something in common. The intention to scare you. I dare you to watch some of these without being afraid of what may be lying in wait in the dark corners of your home. . .

Chris

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street
2. Sinister
3. Alien
4. Evil Dead II
5. Candyman

 
Honorable Mention for Cabin In The Woods – While not a real monster movie, it plays off that genre so freaking well.

Audra

I don’t like slasher movies. This of course comes with a few exceptions.

1. Silent Hill – The first one. I still have to catch the newest one.
2. Paranormal Activities – I know, I know. It’s pretty lame, but yet soo good at the sameime.
3. Blair Witch Project – I was 12 when this came out. I saw this movie for the first time in a camp ground down in Maryland and the company I was with fell asleep through it. Leaving me wide eyed and frightened to finish the movie late at night. (side note – the movie took place in the Maryland woods.)
4. The Ring – I was a teen when this came out. My cousin and I were soo excited to watch it. Within 30 minutes into the movie I was out cold. Boy oh boy was my cousin mad at me for leaving her to watch that movie by herself.
5. Saw – I think this was my first legal “R” movie that I got to see in theaters. I really did enjoy it and the twist ending blew my mind.

 

Eric

The Horror/Slasher genre isn’t really my cup of tea. I tend to get really tense and immersed in this crap. Next thing you know my dog barks and I nearly shit my pants. Yeah. . . Here’s my preferences in no particular order.

1. Paranormal Activity – Like my wife said, we know it’s corny. But for super low budgets these movies make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, and it’s totally worth it.
2. The Ring – I first watched this with my family. We rented it. Of course everyone knew the premise: Watch a movie, get a phone call, die 7 days later. Of course I couldn’t pass this one up, so after the movie ended I called the home phone with my cell. Just imagine the hilarity.
3. Tremors – I don’t think this is classified as a horror movie, but it freaked me out as a kid. I remember my friend and I being afraid to walk on dirt and grass for a week after seeing this one.
4. 28 Days Later – Not really a horror movie, but a really bad ass zombie movie. This one pretty much started the movement of the quick moving zombies seen in a lot of our current games, tv shows, and movies.
5. Dead Space – Not a movie. Deal with it. Hands down the creepiest, scariest game I have ever played. Try playing in broad daylight, with the surround sound cranked up, and not freaking out whenever anything happens!

 
Honorable Mention: Amnesia: The Dark Descent – A Horror/Adventure game available on Steam. Audra, Shahid, and myself spent the better part of a night playing this one and dear god is it freaky! If you think Slender is bad, then stay away from this one.

Anthony

Monster movies, or Beast movies, as I like to call them, are some of my favorite! I really like the old, terrible claymation style stuff. The fact that just about everything on my list has been remade shows that these were important films.

1. King Kong – 1933 original- Merian C. Cooper is my hero.
2. Gojira – The original Japanese version of Godzilla. If you never saw this then you don’t know the real story! Although I find it amazing the way they edited it to make the US version. People don’t like to read, so instead of subtitles they added an actor to experience the whole thing and narrate what was going on in English.
3. Clash of the Titans – 1981 Original – When Pegasus takes flight it’s remarkable! I know this movie wasn’t really meant to be scary, but it’s got monsters!
4. The Howling – 1981 Original – I’m a big fan of non-computer generated special effects and the Werewolf transformation in this movie is amazing. Or was..
5. Predator – Way too badass to not make this list. Tell me you don’t have nightmares of being hunted by one of these!

 
Honorable Mentions: Jurassic Park and Gremlins, when you think scary you don’t usually think of these two. So I didn’t include them in my 5, but they are still monster movies, think about it.

Eric is not a boss. You can Email Eric or follow Eric on Twitter @EricSweeten or Facebook

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