After indulging my love for horror movies for four decades, I consider myself something of a horror movie expert. Too often, truly scary and entertaining horror movies are overlooked for big-budget blockbusters. Some of the best horror movies of the last thirty years have gone almost completely overlooked by mainstream movie audiences.
The next time you hit up the video store, your Netflix queue, or your local movie rental kiosk, look for one of these three truly scary and unfortunately overlooked horror movie gems.
1. Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Megan Fox starred in ‘Jennifer’s Body’, a casting decision not welcomed by everyone.
Audiences didn’t seem to know what to do with this movie. Jennifer’s Body was screenwriter Diablo Cody’s first movie after the wildly successful Juno, so we all expected there to be something of a sophomore slump. Part of the reason for this film’s flop could be the way it was marketed; audiences expected a black comedy or maybe a teen scream fest, not an honest attempt at horror. Diablo Cody has never backed down from her statement that she wants to make “unusual films,” and Jennifer’s Body is certainly unusual. It also happens to have one of the scariest and most intense ending sequences of any horror film in the last ten years. The script is tight, the mood perfect, and though casting Megan Fox may have been a mistake (she stumbles her way through her lines like a wooden puppet), Jennifer’s Body was my biggest movie surprise of 2009. Every horror movie fan that I expose to this film walks away with the same reaction: why didn’t I see this movie on the big screen?
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Let’s climb into the way-back machine to take a look at a truly creepy movie from the 1940s. The Picture of Dorian Gray is not a blood-and-guts gorefest, it’s not a fast-paced psychological thriller; it’s just a damn good movie shot beautifully and stuffed with the kind of tension I like in my horror flicks. Based on Oscar Wilde’s novel, this movie spends so much time developing characters and creating tension, horror fans won’t even miss their usual quota of slit throats and intense action. Shot in black and white, The Picture of Dorian Gray uses two quick shots of technicolor for effect, a trick more black and white horror movies should have embraced. The shock value of those two moments of full color can’t be overstated. Looking for something a little different for your next scary movie night? Check out this classic creepy (Academy Award-winning) black and white film.
3. The Tenant (1976)
Sometimes found under its French title Le Locataire, The Tenant is part of Roman Polanski’s “apartment trilogy” that includes Rosemary’s Baby and Repulsion. Considered more of a psychological thriller than a true horror movie, I include The Tenant on this list because so few people in America have actually seen it. This film has gained a huge cult following in America, though not usually as a horror classic. The paranoia Polanski infuses into every frame and the hallucinogenic visions and dark dream-scapes of the main character make this a classic horror title in my book. A great Halloween movie, The Tenant deserves a place in the pantheon of modern horror greats, right alongside Polanski’s more popular Rosemary’s Baby.
