Grandma Tina's Horror Reviews

Stars: Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, Kevin Bacon 

Director: Sean Cunningham 

First, a quick note. As I started writing this review, I learned that Rob Reiner and his wife had been murdered. As a child of the 80’s, Reiner’s films were a huge part of my growing up and I will always hold films like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and Misery close in my heart. The fact that he also was widely regarded as a kind, generous man who tried helped others just adds to a truly devastating loss. Rest in peace with your lovely wife. 

And now on with the show… 

There are multiple ripoffs of Halloween and this is probably the best one. Sean Cunningham sold the title without a script and it shows but it also, somehow, strangely works. 

Brief synopsis: 

It’s 1958 at Camp Crystal Lake and two teen counselors sneak off from the bonfire to get lucky. Unfortunately, all the get it stabbed to death. 

Over twenty years later, Steve Christie is reopening “Camp Blood” and the locals are not happy about it. Crazy Ralph tries to warn off camp cook Annie but she ignores him. After hitching a ride in a Jeep, Annie is chased and killed by the unseen driver. Meanwhile, the rest of the teenage staff are having fun cleaning up the grounds and messing around in general. Steve heads into town to get more supplies and check on his cook so the teens decide to have some fun as a storm hits the camp and night falls. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

Slowly they campers are killed one by one. Steve returns to camp and is killed by the unknown assailant. Eventually, Alice is the only counselor left. She sees a Jeep pull up to the camp and runs into Pamela Voorhees, an old friend of the Christie’s. Alice is relieved at first until Pamela begins talking about her son Jason, who drowned at the camp in 1957. Hearing Jason’s voice in her head, Pamela turns on Alice and attacks, determined to stop the camp from opening. Her reasoning is simple – stop another child from drowning due to inattentive counselors. After a bitter battle, Alice eventually cuts off Pamela’s head with a machete. In shock, she jumps into a canoe and floats out to the middle of the lake. 

In the morning, the police arrive and Alice is pulled out of her daze. She looks to be about to wave to them when a decayed boy jumps out of the lake and grabs her. She awakens in a hospital bed and asks about the boy only to be told there was no boy. Haunted, she stares out into space and says, “Then he’s still out there.” 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

Before there was Jason, there was his mother Pamela. Originally intended to be a one-off potboiler, Friday the 13^th turned into one of the most well-known horror franchises in history due to the last minute decision to add the jump scare of Jason popping out of the lake. That one decision led to 9 sequels, an in-name-only television series, a Freddy vs Jason one off, and a reboot. There is supposed to be a prequel series starring Linda Cardellini coming but I will believe it when I see it. Last word is it was to come out at Halloween 2025 however there is one week left in 2025 and I have not seen it anywhere yet.

 Let’s be honest, Friday the 13^th is not a good film. It is shot professionally enough and the acting borders from good to horrible. It is absolutely unfair of the filmmakers to create a who-done it-and never place the actual murderer in the film until she reveals herself. You cannot guess a person as the killer if you never meet them. The dialogue is stiff and a little cringy. But yet, somehow, it works. The cast is game to try anything and, even if they fail, they still are engaging enough to keep us interested. You also understand Pamela’s motives at the end of the day. She is crazy, yes, but she also sees herself as a protector. She couldn’t save her son but by stopping the camp from opening, she is saving other children.   

There are some genuinely good performances and, no, Kevin Bacon is not one of them. Despite popular belief, this is not his first film. He had a memorable role in Animal House in 1978 and had also appeared in numerous theatrical productions in New York. Here, he is a himbo and plays it fine. The standouts in this film are Adrienne King as Alice and Betsy Palmer as Pamela. Both women attack the roles with gusto, especially in the final battle, and bring some interesting nuances to their characters. Neither woman was going to be up for any awards but the characters were at least believable. Sadly, this film also led to Adrienne King leaving acting for a while as she was stalked relentlessly following this film. Watch the documentary “Crystal Lake Memories” for more information but it was truly harrowing stuff. 

There is not much else to say about the first film in the series. It is a rip-off of a better film but it knows and acknowledges it. It may not have started the sex=death trope but it certainly cemented it in the slasher lexicon, along with the notion of a final girl. It is not even my favorite of the film series but you can bet that if I can, I will be sitting down on Friday the 13^th and starting a marathon with this film. 

Other films from 1980 to check out: 

Caddyshack – Golf comedy that stars Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and (shout out to my MST3K fans) how much O’Keefe? Miles O’Keefe. Silly but fun. 

The Changeling – Creepy ghost story starring George C. Scott as a man trying to recover from the loss of his daughter and wife in a tragic accident only to come across ghosts and a truly haunting mystery.     

Motel Hell – Fun little black comedy about a pair of siblings and their smoked meats, which is actually smoked people. Things are going great until senior citizen Rory Calhoun falls in love with a pretty twentysomething. Quite a few twists and turns and not very violent despite its crazy concept. 

The Empires Strikes Back – The long-awaited sequel to Star Wars still hits, especially if you watch in release order. Dark and downbeat, it has marks of horror with the dismemberment of C3PO and Han Solo being tortured for no reason at all. Many fans tout this as the best of the series. I don’t agree but it is still in my top three constantly battling with Return of the Jedi for that number two spot based on my mood.

Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen 

Director: Paul Lynch 

Welcome to the 80’s! These are my formative years of horror film viewing. In a few years I will spend a lot of time going through the video rental aisles to find new and weird films to watch. I spent so much time in the video store that it was no surprise to anyone when I was hired to work there at 17. By that time, I almost knew the store and its stock better than the employees. Weekends and holidays were spent going through the aisles and finding anything new or maybe something I missed during my previous trips. 

This is also the point where there will be more than one review for most years. There are so many horror offerings during the decade that is the 1980’s that it is much harder to narrow it down to one movie. I will also tell you that there will be films that others would include on their list that I will not. This is a subjective list of films, not objective. Just because I can recognize that a film is well-made or influential does not mean I have to like it. 

Which brings me to The Shining. I acknowledge that it is a well-shot film and has some striking imagery, but this has never been a film I like to watch. My biggest issue with the film has always been Jack Nicholson. There is no nuance or character arc to his performance. He starts off crazy and ends crazy. Given his obvious instability, there is no reason in this world why Wendy would agree to be at an isolated location with this madman, especially after he had already broken their son’s arm. One look in his eyes and it is apparent that alcohol only made his insanity worse and was not the cause of it. We will discuss what I consider the better film when we get Mike Flanigan’s Dr. Sleep in the 2000’s. 

1980 was the year of Jamie Lee Curtis. She would appear in three horror films this year. Prom Night is, in my humble opinion, the best of the three. 

Brief synopsis: 

A group of children named Nick, Wendy, Jude, and Kelly are playing a weird hide and seek game called “Killers are Coming” in an abandoned building. Wanting to be a part of the fun, young Robin tries to join them. The older bullies taunt the 10-year old girl and she accidentally falls out a second story window to her death. A local pedophile is blamed for the murder and ends up in a psychiatric asylum after a horrific car crash. 

Six years later it’s prom night and everything is alright! Well, except for Robin’s family who are still mourning her death. Mom is sad that, even though older daughter Kim (Curtis) is Prom Queen, Robin is missing the dance. Dad, played by a pre-Airplane Leslie Nielsen, is the principal and trying to keep peace in the school while also being happy for his daughter. Robin’s twin, Alex, is the DJ for the dance and protective of his older twin. 

But Robin’s family isn’t the only one having issues with the date. Kim’s boyfriend and Prom King, Nick, is actually one of the kids who was involved in Robin’s death. He is feeling guilty and wants to confess what happened but can’t seem to find the words. Jude and Kelly have become friends with Kim and apparently have no guilt over their part in her sister’s death. Queen bee and ex-girlfriend of Nick, Wendy, is just pissed that he dumped her and is going to the Prom with Kim. In shades of Carrie, she plans a prank with local hooligan Lou at the dance to humiliate. It's too bad these four don’t talk about Robin’s death or anything else. Maybe they would realize that they are all getting mysterious phone calls that just happen to coincide with the dreadful anniversary… 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

It’s a slasher, people die. Just kidding, we have some effective stalk and kill scenes along with a fun dance scene with Jamie Lee Curtis at the prom. Jude and her date are killed after having sex in a van. Kelly is killed after refusing sex with her boyfriend, and Wendy gets a prolonged chase and kill scene. It culminates with the announcement of King and Queen. Lou knocks out Nick to take his place next to Kim. The killer decapitates Lou and his head rolls out onto the runway. In the chaos, Kim finds Nick and helps him fight off the ski masked killer. She manages to land a blow to the killer’s head only to recognize his eyes. She follows the killer outside and cradles him as he collapses. She takes off the mask and reveals Alex, her and Robin’s brother. He had witnessed the accident and wanted to make them pay for his sister’s death. Alex dies in his sister’s arms. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

Is Prom Night a great film? No, absolutely not. Is it a fun film? Heck yeah. This film was made when Canada was giving tax breaks to anyone making a film in their country and it led to a bunch of cheap horror films being made there to save even more money. Prom Night was one of the first. But it takes that low budget and uses it very well. 

Jamie Lee Curtis was nearing the end of her scream queen phase and used the films to build up her bank account. But she respected her fans too much to phone in the performance. Indeed, without her, this film would not be even half as good. The pain and horror in her eyes as she realizes that her brother is the killer is devastating and far better than a slasher flick like this deserves. Her conflict between being happy about being voted Prom Queen versus her sadness of the anniversary of her sister’s death is palpable and real. And she has some great dance moves despite the horribly frumpy dress they put her in. 

The rest of the cast does a good job but no one really stands out. The only actor I recognized is Eddie Benson, aka Anne-Marie Martin, and that is because she was on Days of Our Lives and Sledgehammer. She was married to Michael Crichton and co-wrote Twister with him before their divorce. Everyone else is good and work for the film they are in. As a fan of Forbidden Planet from the 1950’s, I knew that Leslie Nielsen was more than the spoof king he would become but he doesn’t even really try here. It is a rote performance for a basic role of principal/father. Nothing special but he and Curtis have good father/daughter chemistry. 

This is a horror film that has stakes and ends up being a tragedy. Kim loses her sister at an early age and then ends up accidentally killing her brother at the end of the film. This family is destroyed. The mother was already lost in her grief for the loss of her daughter and you can only imagine that she will be destroyed by the loss of her son. It won’t matter that he was a killer, all that will matter is Kim killed her son. An actual sequel to the film could have explored that but instead we got in-name only sequels which are varying degrees of quality and a generic if fun remake. One thing the remake did get right was the decision to end it as a tragedy too, with our heroine destroyed by what she has lost. 

The soundtrack is also a blast. This was filmed at the end of the disco era and the scenes were filmed using the greatest hits of the day, hits that the budget wouldn’t allow them to actually use in the film. Instead, the music department had to create new songs that were similar. They were sued after the film came out and had to settle with the record companies for their plagiarism. Doesn’t matter, these songs will get stuck in your head and get you chair dancing at the very least. 

While the chase scenes may go on a little too long at times and there are too many red herrings, this is still a fun little film and may be more fun than your actual prom night. 

Other films from 1980 to check out: 

The Fog – Atmospheric ghost film from John Carpenter that stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Adrienne Barbeau. It is good, not one of Carpenter's best, but the images of the ghosts coming out of fog to attack is truly horrifying. 

Terror Train – The third of the Jamie Lee Curtis films made in 1980. A prank in freshman year leaves a geeky student permanently scarred, physically and psychologically. A New Year’s Eve costume graduation train party becomes the setting for his revenge. The use of a moving train with no phones or way of escape makes an interesting place for the stalk and kill. 

9 to 5 – Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda in the classic working woman comedy. Still sadly relevant after all these years but, just like these lovely ladies, I also refuse to kowtow to a “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot”. 

Airplane – The film that changed how we viewed Leslie Nielsen. An over-the-top laugh fest with too many jokes to count about a flight where everyone gets food poisoning, including the pilots, and a soldier with PTSD is forced to find the courage to land the plane and win back his lady love. A little dated and I can see references to things like Hari Krishna being missed by younger generations but still hits at least 80% of the time.

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt 

Director: Ridley Scott 

Another rough year for the horror film as movie studios tried to jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. Thankfully the 1980’s were right around the corner and ready to provide us with all of the horror we could want. For this year, though, this is really only one choice, a film that combines sci-fi with horror – Alien. 

Brief synopsis: 

The crew of the mining vessel Nostromo is in stasis, sleeping their way home to Earth following their mission. Mother awakens them to intercept a distress beacon and help. Forced to help or lose their wages from their haul, they explore the empty ship to find weird flower-like pods that eject a face hugging organism onto one of the crew’s space suits. Ash, the medical officer, disobeys quarantine and a direct order from warrant officer and second-in-command Ripley and lets the man onto the ship. They quickly discover that the alien creature has acid for blood which means it cannot be cut off the victim’s face. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

Everyone is shocked when the creature suddenly unattaches from his victim, Kane, and dies. While eating supper, Kane suddenly starts convulsing and dies when a baby alien bursts out of his chest. The crew is stunned at first but quickly realizes that they must destroy it before it kills them. The alien grows in size and starts dispatching the crew. It is discovered by Ripley that Ash is actually an android working against them for their employer. He wants to bring the creature back to Earth to be used as a weapon and the crew is considered expendable. Eventually, everyone is killed but Ripley and the car Jones. She kills the alien and returns to stasis with Jones, letting the ships computer Mother fly her home. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

I had a lot of debate with myself regarding Alien and whether or not it is considered a horror movie. I think the case can be made that it is actually a predecessor to the slasher films of the 1980’s and fits the category. One killer, no motivation, small space that is impossible to escape, final girl survivor, it does fit. The big differences are this takes place in space and the killer is an alien creature. Plus, this is my list so if I want to bend the rules a little, I can. 

Alien starts off with a feeling of isolation and dread. Everything is stark and basic, colored in shades of gray, black and white. There is very little color in this world. Since everyone is in sleep stasis, it is also deathly quiet. Much like the opening of Star Wars, we start out with just different shots of the ship. We see that there is plenty of darkness in the ship, a foreboding sense of dread growing with each space we see. The only light comes from our crew, as they are awakened out of stasis. 

This ship and the creature come from the mind of H.R. Giger, a famous artist who created the entire atmosphere of the film and the one of the greatest creatures of the modern era. The alien is shown in many stages and gets more terrifying as it grows. The final creature is large, and the double mouth that shoots out of it is a sight you never forget. Despite the many flawed films that come after this (ahem, Alien vs Predator Requiem), the creature remains one of the scariest ever put on screen. 

This script is tight and flows naturally. There is no wasted space on love stories or storylines that do not contribute to the narrative. One thing that always impressed me was that any of these characters could be male or female, it didn’t matter. Does it play a little differently that Ash disobeys Ripley’s orders because she is a woman, yes, but in the end it doesn’t change Ash’s decision. If the Captain Dallas, who was a man, had given the order it still would have been disobeyed. In the end, these are just employees, sexless and there to do a job. You get the sense that none of them really like each other and, once the job was over, they would never see each other again. The only one the crew really seems to care about is the cat, Jones. Ironically, as much as they care for Jones, he could seem to care less about the crew. Indeed, one of the most famous kills from the movie involves Jones watching dispassionately from the sidelines as the full-grown Alien slaughters Harry Dean Stanton’s Brett. He just doesn’t care. 

Alien is a classic for many reasons and Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal of Ripley is one of the main ones. She is determined, smart, and a survivor. Weaver would even get an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Ripley in the sequel Aliens, the same year she was also nominated for playing the villain in Working Girl. This was the start of Weaver’s long and successful career and you can see why she is still a working and relevant actress. If you have only seen the sequels, you owe it yourself to see where it all started. 

Alien is foreboding, scary, shocking, and a lot of fun. Plus, the cat lives to the end, always a plus for me. 

Other films from 1979 to check out: 

The Muppet Movie – Love The Muppet Show, love The Muppets. Spent a lot of time watching this one as a kid and showing it to my own kids and grandkids. Just a fun film and brought us the iconic “Rainbow Connection”. 

North Avenue Irregulars – Underseen Disney film about a preacher and a group of his congregation taking down a gambling ring. Stars Edward Herrmann, Grandpa Gilmore and future star of Lost Boys, as the preacher and Cloris Leachman as one of the parishioners. Silly fun and hard to find. 

Phantasm – Beware the Tall Man and the flying silver orbs. Made me scared of funeral homes for many years. Not a classic but worth at least one watch. 

Love at First Bite – George Hamilton as Dracula in the modern age seducing model Susan Saint James. Light comedy with an impeccable Richard Benjamin as the descendant of Van Helsing.

Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance 

Director: John Carpenter 

This is more like it. After the disappointment of 1977, at least in horror movies, we reach a bona fide classic with 1978’s Halloween. One of the best slasher films of all time. 

Brief synopsis: 

On Halloween night in 1968, six-year-old Michael Myers kills his sister Judith after she has sex in their house. Fifteen years later, on the night before Halloween, he escapes from the sanitarium where he has been staying under the watchful eye of his psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis. Loomis has recognized the evil in Michael and knows he is heading home and follows him and his trail of bodies to Haddonfield, Illinois. 

The next morning, teenage Laurie Strode is helping out her real estate agent father by leaving the key to the now abandoned Myers house under the doormat on the porch. This act puts her on Michael’s radar as he stayed there the night before. He watches Laurie as she interacts with her friends, Lynda and Annie, and the little boy she will be babysitting that night, Tommy Doyle. Eventually, the night falls and the terror starts. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

Laurie ends up with the child Annie is supposed to be watching, Lindsey Wallace, at her house so Annie can spend the time with her boyfriend. She is then killed by Michael, followed quickly after by Lynda and her boyfriend Bob, who both arrive at the house Wallace’s house to have sex. Tommy has seen Michael and is convinced he is the boogeyman, out to get him. After getting the children to bed and not being able to get in touch with her friends, Laurie goes to find them. She discovers their bodies and is attacked by Michael. 

Dr. Loomis has been working with Sherriff Brackett, Annie’s father, to find Michael all night. He ends up on the street where Laurie is babysitting. Tommy and Lindsey, sent to get help by an injured Laurie, run into him and send him to the house. Loomis saves Laurie, shooting Michael and sending him flying off the second floor balcony. Loomis runs over to verify his patient’s death only to find him gone. He goes back to check on Laurie who asks him if that was the boogeyman. Loomis just says, “As a matter of fact, it was.” 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

There are certain films that go beyond being a part of a genre and help define it. Halloween is one of those films. Yes, there were slasher films before it, but Halloween is the film that helped push the genre into the mainstream. Wonderfully shot, well-acted, and a simple storyline, Carpenter’s second film is his calling card and a must watch for any horror fan. 

The film is minimalistic, a babysitter is stalked by a killer. Laurie has done nothing to the killer to earn his ire, she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had someone else gone up to the front door of his house, Michael would have followed them instead. This is different than other slasher films where there needs to be a reason why the victims are attacked. There is no reason, it just is. And that is what the sequels and the remakes of Halloween miss – there is no reason for the attacks. Michael is scary because he is just evil, plain and simple. From the brief glimpse we get of his home life, they are a normal nuclear family with parents and two kids. I will never like Rob Zombie’s takes on any of these characters, honestly Dr. Loomis is truly done the dirtiest in those films, but his decision to give Michael a tragic back story takes away from the true horror of the character. Loomis says it best in this little monologue: “I met him, 15 years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this... six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and... the blackest eyes - the Devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil.” 

The camera work in this film works perfectly to create tension. The film opens with a Steadicam shot that seems to be without a cut, putting us in the killer’s point of view. As Loomis first talks to Sherriff Brackett, the Smith’s Grove Sanitarium station wagon drives past them in the background. Annie walks past a glass door with Michael in the background and in the next pass, he is gone. And, of course, the slow fade in on Michael’s mask as he stands behind Laurie, ready to attack. This was the legendary Dean Cundey’s first film with Carpenter, working as Director of Photography. Cundey would go on to work as the Director of Photography and as Cinematographer on films like Apollo 13, Jurassic Park, The Thing, Back to the Future, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Who Framed Roger Rabbit. As opposed to the camera tricks DePalma used in Carrie to push forward the narrative, Carpenter’s directing is more straight-forward, using the camera to observe the action and soak it in. 

Music is an important part of a horror film, something Carpenter understood when he wrote the score for the film. Using 5/4 time, the beat is relentless, just like Michael, never stopping, beating into your head and adding tension to every scene it appears in. Carpenter even noted that the film did not work without the music. The music is so iconic that it has been synonymous with the holiday Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis made her film debut in Halloween and she is the heart of the film. Her Laurie is not just some innocent victim, she is a teenager girl with wants and desires. She smokes pot with Annie on the way to her babysitting assignment. She has a crush on Ben Tramer, a fellow high school student, and is embarrassed when Annie tells him. The difference between her and her friends is that she is also serious and pays attention to the world around her. Annie and Lynda are both caught up with their boyfriends and having fun. Neither one notices the danger around them. Laurie is a good babysitter and she cares about her charges and her friends. When Annie and Lynda stop answering the phone, she locks up the house and goes to check on them. Laurie is too late to save her friends but the children will be safe.

 Donald Pleasance makes Loomis a tragic character, a man who can see the evil inside this child but cannot convince anyone that he is right. From the beginning, he refers to Michael as an it, a thing. He is the only one who understands how dangerous the killer is and where he is headed. Loomis slowly loses his control on his own emotions as the evening goes on, getting more and more insistent that “death has come” to the town. He is finally able to do what he has wanted to do for years, shoot Michael and try and take him out of the world, and release some of the tension. But he is also wise enough to not be shocked when he discovers that even being shot and falling two stories doesn’t not kill Michael. After all, evil is near impossible to kill. 

This is a film that everyone should see at least once in their life. Grab the popcorn, turn out the lights, and keep the knitting needles close while you enjoy a night with Laurie Strode and Michael Myers.   

Other films from 1978 to check out: 

Watership Down – When I worked in a video store, I actually had a Mom bring this in and slam it on the counter demanding to know what it was doing in the Children’s section as this was clearly a horror movie. A cartoon but definitely not Disney, this story about rabbits trying to survive is not for the weak. 

The Cat from Outer Space - Silly film but I enjoy it. Also gave me the name for my cat, Jake.

Superman – The original with my Superman, the late Christopher Reeve. Great despite the cop out ending. 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers – This came very close to getting its own full review but lost out just because the original is my favorite version of the story. Still a great take on the film with an all-star cast.

You will notice that there is not film listed for this year and there is a simple reason for that – I do not have a favorite horror film for 1977. Trust me, this is a rarity. Usually there is at least one horror film that stays in, at the least, my Halloween rotation every year but 1977 is the exception to the rule. There are films I love that came out this year, Star Wars being the big one, but none of them would be considered horror or even horror-adjacent. The Sentinel is a creepy little supernatural film but a little boring for rewatches, Eraserhead is a nightmare but one I do not want to see again, and Suspiria may be a classic but is a one and done for me. 

Let’s just skip to the films I would recommend for 1977: 

Star Wars – The original and still my favorite. I had always thought I wanted to be Princess Leia until I saw Carrie Fisher’s live shows and realized I wanted to be her. 

The Rescuers – Two cartoon mice attempt to save an abused girl from a nasty woman. A rare Disney cartoon without songs and definitely darker than the princess movies. Underrated. 

Pete’s Dragon – Speaking of underrated, I have always loved the adventures of Pete and his dragon Elliot. Running away from an abusive adoptive family, Pete tries to find a new home with Helen Reddy and Mickey Rooney. Candle on the Water is a classic song and deserves an update. 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Not my favorite Steven Spielberg film but still an amazing follow-up to Jaws. Plus, it has Teri Garr, which is always a plus in my book. 

Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown – The Peanuts gang heads to camp and a raft race. My personal favorite of the full-length Charlie Brown films. 

Smoky and the Bandit – Burt Reynolds at his cockiest best with Sally Field as a runaway bride who hitches a ride with him. Funny if a little dated. 

Slap Shot – Hockey film with Paul Newman – think Major League but with pucks instead of baseballs.

Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, Nancy Travis 

Director: Brian DePalma 

We now reach our first Stephen King movie in this review series, Carrie. When I reviewed this year in horror films, there was really only one other film that was in serious contention, The Omen. I like The Omen, as far as creepy kid films go it is one of the best, but is it a favorite of mine? No, it is not but I have watched it more than once. The atmosphere is great and the thought of my child being the devil is certainly a scary one, but I never really reach for this when I am in the mood for a horror film. I have only watched The Omen a couple of times while most of the films on this list, including Carrie, are pretty much annual watches. 

Brief synopsis: 

Carrie White has a complete meltdown when she is taking a shower after gym class and starts her period. Completely sheltered by her religious fanatic mother, Carrie has no idea what is happening and believes she is bleeding to death. She begs for help only to get pelted with pads and tampons by her fellow students. The gym teacher finally calms her down but not before all of the lights burst in the locker room, the first sign of Carrie’s burgeoning telekinetic powers. Carrie goes home and is punished by her mother for becoming a woman. Mrs. White is convinced that Carrie is being punished for impure thoughts. While Carrie is being punished by her mother, the gym teacher is punishing the girls who tormented Carrie by putting them through an exercise marathon in detention. Chris Hargenson, the leader of the pack, eventually cracks and refuses to participate. Her rebellion costs her the prom. She vows revenge. 

Meanwhile Sue Snell, another one of the participants, gets her boyfriend Tommy to ask Carrie to the prom as penance for her part in the attack in the locker room and Carrie begins to come into her powers and assert herself with her mom. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

Carrie goes to the prom with Tommy and they are crowned king and queen following a rigged election. After a cruel prank by Chris where a bucket of pig’s blood is dropped on Carrie’s head, she goes into a trance and unleashes her full powers on the laughing crowd. After killing everyone in the gym and setting fire to the school, she heads home. Chris and her boyfriend Billy try to run Carrie down in the street but she uses her powers to crash the car, killing them both. 

Carrie gets home to her mother and finally breaks out of her trance. Her mother stabs Carrie in the back in attempt to kill her. Carrie saves herself and kills her mother. She then pulls the house down on herself, dying in the rubble. Sue visits the site of Carrie’s death with flowers and she grabbed by Carrie through the ground however, this is just a nightmare Sue is having. She wakes up screaming and is comforted by her own mother. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

Carrie is one of the earlies horror films I ever saw. I was probably in 5^th or 6^th grade and it really made an impression on me. Carrie did not ask for the life she was given. She was the victim of a religious fanatic mother whose husband couldn’t handle her and left. Carrie suffered the brunt of her mother’s insanity. She was abused, locked in a closet if she did not behave, and forced to recite her mother’s version of scripture. She went into school so beaten down and unable to socialize that she never had a hope of being popular. 

Teenage Carrie just wants to survive high school. Because of people like Chris Hargensen, that was not going to happen. Chris is a mean girl to the core, pissed that she was rightfully punished for abusing Carrie and determined to make her pay for the punishment doled out by the gym teacher. She is a sociopath, completely devoid of empathy or even sympathy for Carrie. Carrie is an easy target for her hatred because Carrie doesn’t fight back. Or at least she didn’t until she developed telekinesis. Once Carrie realizes she can move things with her mind, she starts asserting herself. She stands up to her mother, accepts Tommy’s invitation to the prom, and actually seems happy to be going. But Chris cannot let that happen. Because of her need to always come out on top, she dooms their entire class to death. 

The acting in this film is top rate. DePalma and George Lucas did joint auditions for this film and Star Wars at the same time (there is actually footage of William Katt, who plays Tommy, auditioning for Star Wars) and the young acting talent on display is wonderful. Sissy Spacek is perfect as Carrie White. Spacek says so much with just her eyes and the scenes where she is setting the prom on fire are chilling. A quick turn of the head and a glare of the eyes and you know exactly what is going on in her head. She has to make the biggest turn of the film, from meek to killer, and it is a believable turn. Spacek received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination and it is easy to see why. 

Piper Laurie also received an Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress. and it is easy to see why. Margaret White is a complex villain, a woman scorned by a cheating husband and left to raise a daughter you can tell she never wanted. She turned to religion, but she has to twist it to her own narrative, trying to keep her daughter from every experiencing any kind of connection with anyone but the Lord. Margaret White is terrifying and Laurie’s portrayal of her, especially at the end when she is trying to kill her daughter, is bone chilling. 

DePalma’s direction is amazing and really creates a different feel than a traditional director might have done. DePalma knows every trick of the trade and is not afraid to use it. Slo-mo, fast forward, kaleidoscope, dream sequences, and of course the infamous split screen at the prom. While he may get a little carried away with these tricks in his later films, they work well here, adding to the disconcerting feeling of the film. 

Carrie is a classic, plain and simple. Do yourself a favor and skip the prom. Instead, grab a group of friends and settle in for a horror movie marathon and make sure to invite Carrie. But don’t invite the sequel or the remakes, they can take their chances at the dance. 

Other films from 1976 to check out: 

Silver Streak – Classic comedy with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor on a train filled with intrigue and laughs. 

Family Plot – Alfred Hitchcock’s last film and, while not one of his best, it is still a fun watch. 

Murder by Death – An old mansion, a murder, and plenty of comedy. A millionaire calls famous detectives to his house to solve a crime. A lot of fun and plenty of familiar faces for movie fans.

Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss 

Director: Steven Spielberg 

There are years when choosing a favorite horror film is going to be difficult for me. This is not one of those years. Jaws isn’t just the best horror film of 1975, it is one of the best horror films of all time. 

Brief synopsis: 

A tourist named Chrissie is attacked and killed in the waters off Amity Island. After her remains are found, Police Chief Martin Brody is told she was the victim of a shark attack by the town coroner. Fearful for the people he protects, Martin attempts to shut down the beaches but his efforts are thwarted by the greedy mayor and town council. They pressure the coroner to change the cause of death to a boating accident and the beaches stay open for business. This decision proves fatal to a dog named Pippin and young Alex Kitner, who is attacked while floating on his raft in front of dozens of horrified people. Unable to deny the shark’s existence any longer, Mayor Vaughn agrees to close the beaches for 24 hours. Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute comes to town to check out the situation while local fisherman Quint offers to get rid of the shark for $10,000. 

Alex’s mother offers $3,000 for the capture of the shark that killed her child. The town becomes overrun with fishermen hoping to capture the shark and earn the bounty. A shark is caught however Hooper quickly determines it is not the shark that attacked Alex or Chrissie. The mayor refuses to listen and opens up the beaches for the 4^th of July only to be proven wrong when the shark attacks again, almost killing Michael, Chief Brody’s oldest son. Finally backed into a corner, the mayor agrees to Quint’s demands and Quint, Brody, and Hooper set off on the fishing vessel Orca to kill the mammoth beast. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

After multiple attacks, Hooper ends up at the bottom of the ocean in scuba gear and Quint is eaten by the shark as it destroys his boat. Martin ends up on the mast of the sinking ship with a gun and, hitting the air tank the shark has stuck in its mouth, blows it up. Hooper comes back to the surface and the surviving men swim home. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

Welcome to the first blockbuster and one of the first films to be sent out in wide release. Until Jaws, films were usually sent out in smaller releases to different markets at different times. If a film didn’t do well in one market, it may never make it to your town. That changed, for better or worse, with the film Jaws. The film opened in 450 theaters nationwide and went on to be the highest grossing film of all time for a couple of years until a little film called Star Wars took the mantle in 1977. 

But why? What was it about Jaws that drove people to the theaters and away from the ocean? I would say that there are multiple reasons for this. For starters, most people have a fear of the unknown and the ocean is full of the unknown. There are creatures of all sorts in the water, many of which we cannot see until it is too late. Spielberg captures that fear perfectly, hiding the shark and using the camera to stalk his prey. Yes, he was forced to do so due to the malfunctioning shark, but the ability to pivot and create that deep sense of foreboding and fear without the creature on screen is something only a master of visual storytelling can do. As we go through films, you will see directors’ names and wonder whatever happened to them. This is Spielberg’s first major film and, 50 years later, we all still know who he is. 

But even the best direction cannot prop up a badly written script or badly acted characters. The script is perfect, a prime example of taking the source material and improving upon it. Peter Benchley’s original novel is good but with too many unnecessary subplots that take the focus off of the shark and our three main protagonists. We do not need an affair between Hooper and Martin’s wife Ellen or the mayor being pressured by the mafia to keep the beaches open. In the case of Jaws the movie, less is more. Martin and Ellen are a believable and loving couple. We want to see him come home to her, to be her hero. That goes away if she is cheating on him with Hooper. Mayor Vaughn also comes off a little bit better without the mafia involved in his story. Yes, he is letting greed get the better of him but he is also looking out for his hundreds of citizens who depend on the summer tourists for their very lives. No money from tourists means that they may not be able to afford food or heat in the off-season. The mafia storyline took that nuance away from him. 

Every role is perfectly cast in this film and I applaud Spielberg’s decision to use locals to fill out the smaller cast and background roles. Using locals adds a realism to the film that is needed to help immerse the viewer in the story. Roy Scheider is great as the hydrophobic Brody. We believe him as the Chief but also as a father and husband. Robert Shaw, who also helped script doctor the famous Indianapolis scene, is hard and grizzled as the slowly unraveling Quint. His speech near the end of the film is haunting and helps explain his need to kill all sharks. Richard Dreyfuss is good as Hooper but, if I am being honest, comes off a little brattier than I think was intended by the filmmakers. 

However, Spielberg did not create this film in a vacuum. I would be remiss if I did not mention the brilliant and Oscar winning editing of Verna Fields. Each edit in the film is made for a specific reason and they work to keep the tension high. I watched the film in the theater just this summer with several of my friends. During the scene where Hooper checks out Ben Gardner’s boat under water and Ben’s head floats into view, one of my friends jumped and the other grabbed me in terror. This kind of reaction, especially in a 50-year-old film, only happens if the editing is perfect. 

And last but certainly not least, we have the award-winning score of Jaws by the legendary John Williams. It starts off simple and low, just two notes slowly played back and forth. As the shark gets closer to its prey, the notes go faster and faster, adding in more instruments and building until the attack happens and the orchestra is in a fury, gnashing back and forth between the notes like the shark tearing apart its prey between its teeth. It is also never used for a false scare. If the theme is playing, the shark is coming. I will ding the jaunty music during the initial days that the three men are at the sea, it does not work for me, but the Jaws theme is a classic. 

The sequels are various degrees of declining quality. Jaws 2 is basically a teen slasher with the killer being the shark and couple of good kills. Although Jaws 3D is bad, the bad movie lover in me has a soft spot for it and its stupid plot of the shark invading Sea World. Jaws the Revenge is just awful and I do not think near as fun as Jaws 3D. 

Truthfully, there is only one film in the series that you ever need to see and that is the original 1975 classic. All the others are just chum. 

Other films from 1975 to check out: 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – The film that rightfully beat out Jaws for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Louis Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched almost beats out Bruce the Shark as most terrifying villain of the year. 

Escape From Witch Mountain – Lost alien kids with telekinetic powers trying to get home. Underrated Disney film with Eddie Albert and Kim Richards, older sister of Kyle Richards aka Lindsey from Halloween. 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Hilarious and endlessly quotable. This is my personal favorite of the Monty Python movies.

Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, John Saxon 

Director: Bob Clark 

Another year with two classic horror films. Once again, my personal taste is the deciding factor and I much prefer the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the original by Tobe Hooper. This is a film where I think the overhyping of its reputation may have ruined my viewing of it. I was promised a bloody and terrifying film but the film I saw was an almost bloodless 80 minutes of screeching and chainsaw revving. I respect the film’s place in horror history but up again Black Christmas, it wasn’t even a close contest. One of the first modern slasher films, my favorite subgenre of horror films, was the easy winner. 

Brief synopsis: It is almost Christmas and sorority girl Jess has just gotten an unwanted gift – she is pregnant by her music scholar boyfriend Peter. Peter wants to get married but Jess is a modern 1970’s gal who wants to exercise her right to choose and have an abortion. In the middle of this romantic drama, the sorority girls and house mother are getting ready for the holidays while receiving obscene phone calls, and an escaped madman has taken up residence inside the house. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

It’s a slasher film – almost everyone dies in various ways. The police get involved and discover the phone calls are coming from inside the house. Jess, crazed from being chased by the killer all night, begins to think Peter is the killer and ends up dispatching him with a fireplace poker. The police think the case is solved. Jess goes to bed and the phone starts ringing as the killer emerges from the attic. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): When I first saw A Christmas Story in 1983 it never occurred to me that the same man who directed it also directed the slasher film Black Christmas. While Clark definitely had some bombs, including the notoriously bad Baby Geniuses, he also had two classics in two different genres and that takes talent. Rest in Peace Bob and thanks for the memories. 

Black Christmas is a creepy ride with great atmosphere and setting. The sorority house is covered in dark wood and has a more morose feeling than you would expect for college girls. We very rarely venture beyond its walls, adding a sense of claustrophobia to the film. Clark moves the camera well and creates a real sense of fear throughout the film. He also gets the most out of his cast and what a cast this film has. 

One of the things I love about watching older horror movies is seeing who may appear before they became famous and this one has quite a few. Unfortunately, the star of the film could be considered on her way down. Olivia Hussey was best known for Romeo and Juliet and, while she worked steadily her whole life, these two films are probably her best known. But then, we are treated to Margot Kidder before she was Lois Lane, John Saxon before he fought Freddy Kreuger as Lieutenant Thompson, and Andrea Martin before she was a comedy genius in everything. 

Another interesting thing about the film is that we never get a full view of the murderer, Billy. We hear his voice and we see him in shadows, but I could not even tell you the color of his hair. Because of this, we the audience can believe that Peter could be the killer, set off by Jess’s decision to have an abortion. Jess’s decision isn’t treated lightly but she makes it clear that, for her, it is the right decision. When the fireplace poker comes out and Jess kills Peter, we can believe it is justified, that she feared for her life or at least what Peter would do to stop her from following through on her plans. It isn’t until she is left alone that we realize she killed the wrong man and it is left ambiguous as to whether or not she will survive the night. 

Is Black Christmas the best slasher of the 1970’s? In my opinion, no, but it is one of the better ones and a great starting point for someone wanting to get into the genre. The acting and directing are great and the story builds well, even leaving us on a cliff hanger that will never be resolved. Avoid the remakes and stick to the original.    

Other films from 1974 to check out: 

Young Frankenstein – Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, and Madeline Kahn all at their best in this loving homage to the classic Universal films. 

Blazing Saddles – Another great Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, and Madeline Kahn film, this time a Western parody. Throw in legendary performances by Harvey Korman and Cleavon Little and this is a must see. Word of warning – avoid TV edits. This is a film that must be seen in its original theatrical form. 

The Towering Inferno – A grandaddy of the disaster film genre with famous faces like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, and Fred Astaire stuck in a burning building.

Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland 

Director: Robin Hardy 

Let us deal with the elephant in the room – no, I did not choose The Exorcist for 1973. This is my favorite movies and The Exorcist just is not one of them. Do I think it is a classic of the horror genre? Yes, but that doesn't make it one I necessarily enjoy or want to watch again. I can appreciate the acting and direction of The Exorcist. As someone who was raised Catholic, I can definitely relate to the religious aspects of the film but, in the end, I never really connected with the story or the characters. 

However, The Wicker Man still chills me to this day. What starts out as a detective story turns into a story of paranoia, gas lighting, and cult behavior and I love every moment of it. 

Brief synopsis: 

Edward Woodward is Sergeant Neil Howie, a devoutly religious Christian who is searching for a missing girl named Rowan on a small island called Summersisle. As he attempts to find the child, he is constantly hindered by the local citizens, many of who deny that Rowan even exists. Howie refuses to be distracted by the people of the town, the strange customs of the cult he has stumbled into, or even the beguiling charms of Britt Ekland as Willow. He is steadfast and single-minded, determined to solve the mystery. After finally finding evidence of Rowan’s existence at the local school, he is sent to the graveyard and Rowan’s grave. Christopher Lee’s Lord Summersisle allows Howie to exhume the grave but all he finds is a dead hare in the coffin. 

Putting together all the clues he has gathered throughout his investigation, Howie becomes certain that Rowan is set to be a sacrifice for the farming community to guarantee a good harvest. Finding all modes of escape destroyed, Howie decides to at least save Rowan from being sacrificed. 

Spoilers below (you have been warned): 

Sadly, Howie has misread the clues. He is the sacrifice, not Rowan. She was just the bait. After being tricked by Rowan to come to the ceremony, it is revealed that Howie was chosen for multiple reasons, including the fact that he is a virgin. Howie tries to reason with the villagers but they do not listen. He is forced into a giant wicker statue and burned to death. 

My thoughts (with spoilers): 

You can have Reagan’s spider walk or the head turning around – for me, Howie’s screams as he is being burned alive are far more haunting. From beginning to end, The Wicker Man keeps you on edge. This isn’t a straight-forward detective film, this is a game of cat and mouse. You can understand Howie’s suspicions of the people he is investigating but you can also understand why they are none too keen to talk to him. He is an outsider and visibly disdainful of their beliefs. He rejects anything that does not fit into his belief system as evil and wrong. He isn’t looking for Rowan because he is concerned about her, it is simply his job. 

Sadly, Howie’s tunnel vision stops him from missing obvious clues that this is a setup. He is personally sent the information about Rowan and her missing status at his home, not assigned the case by his supervisor. The people deny her existence from the outset, but no one encourages him to leave. He is a pure man, refusing to partake in anything that might stain his soul or character, no matter the temptations the town constantly places before him. He even dismisses it when his only way of leaving the island is sabotaged, stranding him there for good. 

But it is Howie’s refusal to bend from the straight and narrow that eventually seals his fate. He refuses to be enticed by Willow to lose his virginity or even have a small drink. His obvious discomfort and inability to change only makes each scene more tense. Edward Woodard, who would later find fame as another lawman in The Equalizer, is perfect as the fastidious inspector. We don’t really like Howie, but we understand his motivation and admire his determination to save Rowan. 

His foil, Lord Summersisle, is perfectly played by the legendary Christopher Lee. Lord Summersisle is a man on his own mission who wants one thing – to make sure the sacrifice goes off as planned. He is the cat toying with mouse Howie. Lee has a smarmy charm to him and it is easy to believe that his people follow him without question. Just as Howie blindly follows his Lord, Jesus, the islanders blindly follow their Lord, Summersisle. 

The Wicker Man is a must watch for any horror fan. The horror of it is not as in your face as The Exorcist but more of a slow burn that creeps into your head and creates a sense of dread and unease. We know something is wrong with this community and the dawning realization that Howie is in real danger from them builds and builds. Once we reach the final crescendo with the titular Wicker Man and his date with Howie, we can’t help but be devastated that he didn’t manage to escape his fate. As his screams echo through the final scene, all hope leaves the film. The Exorcist leaves with you hope that Reagan and her mother might eventually have a normal life, that Father Karras’s sacrifice was for the greater good. Howie’s death is for nothing as another person innocent person will die the next time the crops wither even a little bit. 

Other films from 1973 to check out: 

Disney’s Robin Hood – love the animals, especially fox Robin Hood and vixen Maid Marian 

High Plains Drifter – not normally a fan of Westerns but this tale of ghostly revenge is more horrific than a lot of the horror films released this year 

Live and Let Die – Roger Moore’s first outing as James Bond and an amazing them song by Paul McCartney and Wings