Very scary and creepy.
Posted on 10/20/2009 5:58:40 AM PDT by Kaslin
Halloween is almost upon us and you're probably thinking, "Gee, wouldn't it be great to kick back on the couch and rent a few conservative horror flicks for the big night?"
Here's the problem: horror films aren't family friendly. They're gory, they're violent, and they're vulgar. Even setting that aside, there really aren't very many "conservative" movies overall and there are almost no truly "conservative" horror flicks. Still, as a Right-Wing horror film aficionado, I can at least make a few solid recommendations that might have some extra-added appeal for conservatives.
Cloverfield (2007): This is probably the best "giant-monster" film ever made. The monster was well done, the scenes were creepy, and there was a certain realness and fundamental decency to the characters. This is how you'd like to think ordinary people would react in a crisis. Meanwhile, the military was in the thick of the action, bravely fighting against the Cloverfield monster and handling an impossible situation the best way they could. It was ultimately a grim movie, but once things started rolling, the film keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The Dead Zone (1983): Christopher Walken is the lead in this Stephen King story about a deranged politician and the man who was willing to sacrifice everything to try to stop him from launching a nuclear war.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005): This is a cleverly written film that simultaneously treats Christian values respectfully, while leaving non-believers room to doubt. It was also inspiringly creepy enough to convince me to actually read a distressing book on exorcisms called, The Dark Sacrament: True Stories of Modern-Day Demon Possession and Exorcism.
The Exorcist (1973): This in one of the most genuinely disturbing movies that you'll ever see and it's not for the faint hearted. But, it does feature self-sacrificing priests who are fighting spiritually against true evil. That's very rare for Hollywood, where members of the clergy are habitually treated as drunkards, hypocrites, perverts, and villains.
The Fog (1980): This tale of woe visited upon the Northern California town of Antonio Bay because of the ignoble actions of their ancestors is chilling indeed. The brilliant timing of the movie, the sense of disquieting dread, and the remorseless approach of evil makes it a must watch film. Just a note: Don't confuse this outstanding film with the execrable 2005 remake which was so bad that every existing copy should be buried at the bottom of the Marianas Trench.
The Mist (2007): A sinister story about a deadly government experiment and how quickly human beings can become primitive again when they're isolated, alone, and in danger. Oh yeah, there are also weird monsters, a menacing mist, and a well-written Stephen King plotline. The ending is, ah -- let's just say, you don't want to know how it ends until you see it.
Quarantine (2008): When zombies infected with super-rabies are trying to kill you and the government shows up, count on them to stand outside, picking their noses and trying to figure out what to do, while you struggle for survival. It's a timely and true message: Don't count on your government in a crisis. Also, don't get trapped in a building with zombies. We shouldn't forget that either.
Re-Animator (1985): This movie is little funny, a little macabre, and a little gory. Somewhere in there is also a message about the perils of playing God with human life. That's a message that's all too timely given some of the morality free experiments scientists across the world are working on.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Fundamentally decent FBI agents match wits with one of the great horror villains of all-time, Hannibal Lecter, in an attempt to stop a serial killer. This isn't as pure a horror flick as some of the other films on the list, but it will keep you riveted to the screen.
The Tripper (2007): This movie is meant to be a slap at Ronald Reagan and conservatives. In a couple of spots near the end of the movie, it does manage to grate conservative sensibilities. However, that mild annoyance does not to detract from the sweet, sweet joy of watching a guy in a Ronald Reagan mask taking an ax to dirty, drug addled hippies throughout the movie. If a conservative had made this movie, instead of David Arquette, liberals would be calling it a "hate crime."
I am looking forward to the new Saw film. Best horror franchise in 20+ years.
Where’s ‘The Wicker Man’
Add to the List The Orphanage(2007).
Scary and suspenseful without any gore or sex. I highly recommend.
“The Wicker Man” (original) ping
Where’s the one about BO being elected president?
Are you serious? They looked like Torture porn to me.
Cloverfield sucked.
Sorry.
The hand-held “shaky cam” has run its course.
“Re-Animator (1985): This movie is little funny, a little macabre, and a little gory.”
That’s a major understatement.
Beat ya by 9 seconds.
Cloverfield and The Fog are two of my favorites. I may be putting them on for the Halloween party this year.
Scariest movie I have ever seen.
Not sure how “conservative” it is, but I believe “Poltergeist” may be one of the best family-friendly horror movies of all time.
IMO, it’s great to watch with the kids 10 and up if you don’t mind scaring them just a little bit.
Maybe conservatives, but not CHRISTIAN conservatives. A true born again Christian stays away from evil images.
The Evil Dead trilogy can’t be beat!
A few years ago, I would have derided you as “puritanical” and said “what’s wrong with a little fun?”
I’ve prayed and studied for discernment. Now I’m “puritanical”.
Just read “Screwtape Letters”. One of the tools of the tempters was to deride anyone that was discerning of good and evil as “puritanical”.
I won’t even be watching my former favorite Halloween flick “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” this year.
Interesting side note about this film. During the research for his role, actor Scott Glenn spent a substantial amount of time with John Douglas, founder and at the time, head, of the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit (later renamed Investigative Support Unit). Glenn's character was loosely based on Douglas as a pioneer of criminal profiling, and in introducing Glenn to the world of serial criminals, Douglas showed Glenn crime scene photos and other evidence including an audiotape one killer had actually made while he tortured and killed his victim.
Glenn would later admit that prior to the film he considered himself a staunch opponent of capital punishment, but after his time with Douglas, he came to support it.
A true horror movie for Conservatives coming out in November: 2012. Plot is conservatives nightmare where liberals get their dream wish to kill 5/6 of the world’s population.
Hmmmm...
Other than Silence of the Lambs, which I don’t consider to be in the horror genre, I think all the above are crap.
jw
The Keep
It’s what Jesus approves of that’s important, correct? :)
And not sinful man’s opinion.
Anthony Hopkins was great, but for some reason Jodie Foster just turns my stomach, no matter the role or the flick.
I thought cloverfield was OK, but I am so sick of Shakey cam anything. I did a count shaky cam cuts in the last bond film during the car chase scene. In 30 seconds, there were 45 cuts and the cam was shaking so much you couldn’t even figure out what was happening.
The new Red Dawn movie is coming from Dan “Shaky Cam” Bradley so it’s probably going to be an unwatchable mess.
The Mist diverged from the book ending and I was disappointed in that. It was a shock value ending. Shrug.
Yeah, you got me.
Check out “Death Dream” (1971?).
Oh man - one of the all-time classics!!!!
You do know that Stephen King is a huge liberal right? Even though I did like "The Mist", the one religious character in the film is portrayed as a bible thumping zealot who is assumed more dangerous than even the creatures in the Mist. Which is pretty typical of Stephen King.
However, I do like your list...for some other scary stuff might I suggest:
Halloween (Carpenter's original)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
Evil Dead
Death of A Ghost Hunter
Maniac
I join y’all in that sentiment.
Best to be very cautious in that arena and let wisdom prevail.
jw
Just flipped through a book recently that was all about “interpreting” the Bible according to your own belief system - ie, “deconstructionism”.
It was simply some “Christian” Episcopal “Priest” trying to justify comtemporary society’s worldly (ie, Satanic) worldview.
I have to agree, but I also suspect that Foster's "Agent Starling" was the prototype on which the makers of the X-files would later model Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).
And for that, I'm truly grateful ;-)
Is it gory? I don't do gore :)
That aside, it was a good film, well paced, suspenseful, and of course Anthony Hopkins. What can you say about such a great actor that hasn't been said?
“The hand-held “shaky cam” has run its course.”
I hope so, I hate shaky cam.
What do you mean by ‘evil images’? The depiction of evil?
I think the shaky-cam reached it’s zenith with The Blair Witch Project, which I thought was a fairly decent film, ‘though I know many disagree with me on that point.
She was playing a character who was trying to hide her accent.
At some point, these movies simply become desensitization.
This is why we have “Saw” - because they have to keep “ramping it up” as people become desensitized.
It used to be that the shadow of a man changing into a werewolf was “very scary”.
Not necessarily. Halloween is not an occasion to be celebrated by Jews, Christians, Buddhists or Hindus... it is a pagan witchcraft holiday...
However, horror movies, depending on how you define them to be such, can contain an edifying message. The Shakespearean plays made into movies such as Macbeth, Othello, or Hamlet are perfectly compatible with the Bible.
“The ICE... is gonna BREAK!”
Loved “The Dead Zone”. Walken’s a genius freak.
For an offbeat film that is fun to see (not gory, but it has a killer ala the Boston Strangler) and plenty of good vs. evil content try Woody Allen's ‘Shadows and Fog’ with a really wonderful cast (really!). Some adult content.
Poltergeist was a condemnation of former hippies who it exhorts to be better parents.
Seeing Cloverfield and The Exocist on the same list seems strange. The former was less “horror”, more borderline silly, IMHO.
Yeah, I remember that, but the overall effect was very annoying. You just want to grab her by the collar and drag her off to a speech therapy clinic or something.
Very scary and creepy.
i’ve lost track of how many horror movies we’ve watched this month. the evil deads, couple haloweens, couple jasons, bunch of master of horrors stuff, some hitchcock, exorcist.. my favourite is secret window. strange, suspenseful, not overly gory.
for comic relief, check out shaun of the dead and zombieland.
The Blob (1958)
Michael Moore could have played the lead.
What is a “conservative” horror film? One thing I like about horror flicks is I typically don’t see any politics in them. That aside, I liked Pumpkinhead and Jeepers Creepers.
I regret ever seeing Silence of the Lambs, not because it wasn’t a well made and acted movie but because the subject matter was thoroughly disgusting.
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