To count down the few days left before Mischief Night and it’s follow-up, Halloween, I will be posting a day-to-day guide to my favorite horror films. All are highly recommended. Most will date from the 70’s/80’s, as I’m less familiar with 90’s/00’s horror….or maybe I’ll turn that around, I just thought of some great recent horror, let’s just see how this goes, because it’s my world to control.

Sleepaway Camp (1983) – No spoilers. An absolute necessity. I once watched this with an earth-shattering hangover, and felt as if something was trying to yank my brain two feet to the right. Watch for the scene involving 1 – 2 year old toddlers being told to “FUCK OFF!!!!”

Jack Frost (1997) – Not the Michael Keaton pants-accident about the benevolent snowman embodied by a dead-daddy ghost, but the rollicking pants-accident about exactly what you think. You may be saying, “I’m a little too old to be wasting my time with a killer snowman movie,” and well, I’m a little too old to be writing about a killer snowman movie, but I’m also a little too old to be eating meals that are all one color. Followed by Jack Frost II: Return of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000), and surprisingly, both films were written/directed by the fellow that went on to write Identity.

Grizzly (1976) – Don’t rent this. I just felt like mentioning it, and if any readers have seen this movie, please get in touch. Again, scared the living shit out of me as a child…on TV as an afternoon horror/thriller (Channel 24 or 30…for Memphis people). Victims are squeezed to death and vomit blood, and one has an arm ripped off. Quite violent for TV/PG rating.

A Shivers/Rabid/The Brood triple feature of early (1975 – 1979) Cronenburg is a sure guest-pleaser.

John Carpenter’s ’82 remake of The Thing is an all-time fave. Whadda cast. Step off my Brimley!!!!

The original Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – Also Carpenter, but pre-Halloween and not really horror. Shot before there were bans on depicting child death. I’ll leave you with that.

Currently listening:
My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama
By Dweezil Zappa
Release date: By 25 October, 1990