When you go out trick or treating, you want to get a pillowcase full of every possible brand and flavor of candy imaginable. Also, you want to have a unique costume to set you apart from the crowd. Nobody wants repetition and blandness on Halloween. Why not feel the same about scary movies? Here’s a list of very different horror films from around the world, to give you a diverse grab bag of frights and chills no matter where you live.
In honor of Oct. 31, let’s start with a film released in 1931: Fritz Lang’s “M.” This German masterpiece about a killer who is being hunted by both cops and criminals remains one of the most taut and thought-provoking dramas of all time, due in no small part to the performance of Peter Lorre as the desperate and frightful killer.
New Zealand native Jonathan King brings the dark horror-comedy “Black Sheep” into the mix. Without revealing too much, I’ll just say that something has happened to all the sheep in New Zealand, and they transform from docile creatures into bloodthirsty killing machines. Fans of practical makeup effects will get a real treat with this one.
It may not be a horror film per se, but the French oddity “The City of Lost Children” contains copious amounts of nightmare fuel. What do you get when you combine an old man who cannot dream, clones, a talking brain and the awesomeness of Ron Perlman? Probably what director Jean-Pierre Jeunet sees when he closes his eyes.
Are you a fan of meta-horror flicks such as “Scream”? Well, “Peeping Tom” was combining moviemaking with murder decades before it was cool. Directed by Michael Powell, this British film follows the life of a man who is driven to capture the essence of fear on film, and he goes about doing so in unpleasant ways.
Italian filmmaker Dario Argento is considered horror royalty, and with one viewing of his film “Suspiria” you will see why. This film centers on a ballerina who finds out a nasty secret about the school she is attending, but it is all really an excuse to showcase gloriously psychedelic colors, dreamlike logic and the indisputably freakiest score ever put to film.
Within the last decade or so, South Korea has proven that they can craft horror better than almost anyone else, and Kim Ji-woon’s “I Saw the Devil” is no exception. This unrelentingly brutal movie depicts what happens to a good man after his wife is slaughtered by a fierce serial killer. Seriously, do not watch this if you have a weak stomach. You will thank me.
Nobody ever gets tired of a good old ghost story, and the Spanish film “The Orphanage” is just about one of, if not the most, haunting and shockingly beautiful ghost stories in cinematic history. J. A. Bayona’s tale about a mother who begins to have paranormal encounters after her child goes missing will haunt you long after the credits stop rolling.
Finally, just in case you’re feeling oddly patriotic on Halloween, or you’re just too lazy to read subtitles, I’d like to introduce you to Lucky McKee’s film “May.” This American movie delves into the psyche of its titular character and her search for the right companion. Spoiler alert: there isn’t one, so she resorts to, shall we say, unique methods of obtaining one.
For more information on these movies go to IMDB.com.
