Atomzero's Five Favorite Horror Films
Both Peter and Andrew of Atomzero split the list listing off their favorite horror films. A classic slasher and a film by Del Toro both make the list, so check it out!
Andrew:
"Dawn of the Dead" by George A. Romero
"Zombies have become cliché. Tv shows, books, graphic novels, movies, post-modern parodies. George Romero's follow up to his original classic 'Night of the Living Dead' is no parody, but it is rife with satire. The undercurrents of social commentary in 'Dawn of the Dead' did not become apparent to me until adulthood. As a 14 or 15 year old, what resonated more for me, aside from my hero at the time, Tom Savini's inventive (though now dated-but-still-charming) make-up effects, was the film's low-budget realism. The characters and situations seem entirely plausible. People take refuge in a mall. Small town biker gangs parlay their outlaw freedom into post-apocalyptic power. Dawn of the Dead is also a time capsule of life in middle America in the late 70's. Large indoor malls were a new thing, the video arcades were primitive, no internet, no cell phones. life was simpler. The synth heavy soundtrack by Italian prog-rock band Goblin is also really great."
"Pan's Labyrinth" by Guillermo Del Toro
Oct 19 2015
Andrew:
"Dawn of the Dead" by George A. Romero"Zombies have become cliché. Tv shows, books, graphic novels, movies, post-modern parodies. George Romero's follow up to his original classic 'Night of the Living Dead' is no parody, but it is rife with satire. The undercurrents of social commentary in 'Dawn of the Dead' did not become apparent to me until adulthood. As a 14 or 15 year old, what resonated more for me, aside from my hero at the time, Tom Savini's inventive (though now dated-but-still-charming) make-up effects, was the film's low-budget realism. The characters and situations seem entirely plausible. People take refuge in a mall. Small town biker gangs parlay their outlaw freedom into post-apocalyptic power. Dawn of the Dead is also a time capsule of life in middle America in the late 70's. Large indoor malls were a new thing, the video arcades were primitive, no internet, no cell phones. life was simpler. The synth heavy soundtrack by Italian prog-rock band Goblin is also really great."
"The Shining" by Stanley Kubrick
"Largely derided by critics upon release, the test of time has, as it always has, evaluated Kubrick's film as a peerless masterpiece. The criticisms are valid; It's very different than Stephens King's novel. Yes. Jack Nicholson is crazy from the start. Yes. Shelly Duvall is annoying. Yes. But in my view they all miss the point entirely. Like all of Kubrick's works, everything in it is deliberate and necessary. The pictures are stunning, atmosphere is un-nerving and creepy, the pacing hypnotic. The Shining has been analyzed from every angle, from it's groundbreaking technical aspects to the conspiracy theories of hidden symbols and meanings. The stark, relentless minimalism and ambiguous themes that permeate Kubrick's films leaves them open to wide and varied interpretation. But ultimately we have is what is on the screen; cinema of the highest caliber."
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" by Tobe Hooper
"If there is one film that I would pick as being the epitome of a horror movie it is 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. The grainy, saturated 16mm film feels like a news reel documentary. The cast feels authentic, the locations real. The situation is simple, plausible and nightmarish. Heat waves distort the picture, amplifying the sweat, stench, rot and decay. The Texas Chainsaw massacre is a film you can smell."
Peter:
"Hellraiser/Hellbound: Hellraiser II" by Clive Barker/Tony Randel
"I have a very particular taste in horror films, specifically those with a more visually fantastical twist. One such movie from my youth was 'Hellraiser' and it’s immediate follow up 'Hellbound: Hellraiser II' (the rest I thought were quite forgettable). Looking back these movies didn’t age very well with the acting being pretty horrendous in parts so I’ve intentionally stayed away from re-watching these since the 90s so as not to spoil my nostalgia. I thought it was rather brave at the time to try and bring Clive Barker’s work to the screen with it’s depiction or someone rebuilding themselves from the blood of others and the visit to hell itself. And to top it all off have Coil do a (rejected) theme and Ministry’s sampling for 'Cannibal Song' just neatly placed it on a metaphorical shelf for me where it was a perfect marriage of movies and music that I just happened to be heavily into."
"Pan's Labyrinth" by Guillermo Del Toro"Perhaps not a traditional horror at all, but again the macabre fantasy that is shown here in a unique time period and place just plays out perfectly. And weaving a number of themes successfully proves Guillermo del Toro’s expertise as both a director and writer. Not to mention the unique imaginative designs of the creatures inhabiting this film."
Steven Gullotta
info@brutalresonance.comI've been writing for Brutal Resonance since November of 2012 and now serve as the editor-in-chief. I love the dark electronic underground and usually have too much to listen to at once but I love it. I am also an editor at Aggressive Deprivation, a digital/physical magazine since March of 2016. I support the scene as much as I can from my humble laptop.
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