Fall is here! And with it (besides the impending threat of snow), comes everyone’s favorite holiday about demons, ghouls, and whatnot… Halloween! I personally love Halloween, but if there’s one thing I love more, it’s movies! More specifically, terrible B-Movies full of schlocky effects and awful acting. These movies hold a special place in my heart, so I’ve compiled a fun list from both the 80s and 90s (I had to restrict myself to one director per movie, otherwise the whole list would be Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson).
“Evil Dead II” (1988), directed by Sam Raimi
I’m starting off with a pretty well-known one, the sequel to 1981’s “The Evil Dead.” I’d make a fair argument to say this is one of the best movies of all time. The practical effects are incredible, making use of stop-motion, puppets, and sweaty prosthetics; the mix of horror and comedy is superb (seriously, the ending is one of the most insane things I’ve seen in a movie in general); and most importantly, Bruce Campbell’s performance as Ash Williams is incomparable to anything I’ve seen in a horror-comedy.
“Pieces” (1982), directed by Juan Piquer Simón
If you like schlocky gore and exploitation movies, this movie will change your life. “Pieces” is a grotesque murder-mystery slasher film by Spanish director Juan Piquer Simón, an infamously misogynistic director. This film is half gratuitous nudity and half guy chopping women up with a chainsaw. There’s also a kung-fu professor in there for some reason. In two words, it’s trash. In sixteen, it’s the best exploitation movie ever made, and a must-watch if you like genre garbage. It will make you laugh so much from its gonzo-like qualities that your face will hurt after any viewing.
“Brainscan” (1994), directed by John Flynn
If the sentence “the main villain wreaks havoc in the protagonist’s bedroom while listening to Primus” doesn’t entice you to watch this, nothing will. “Brainscan” follows a young horror movie fan who purchases a video game that allows him to simulate killing people… but it turns out that it isn’t a simulation! He’s doing it in real life, and if he doesn’t play, he dies. It has clunky pacing, a bad script, and really terrible acting from the entire cast, but the film’s charm and sense of humor is enough to keep you entertained the whole 96 minutes.
“Braindead” (AKA “Dead Alive”) (1992), directed by Peter Jackson
If you are curious, it is that Peter Jackson. For those who don’t know, Peter Jackson actually started his filmmaking career in horror with his splatter trilogy! (“Bad Taste” in 1987 and “Meet the Feebles” in 1989). “Braindead” is a movie with the same ethos as “Evil Dead II” (although, this is a zombie movie, rather than a possession). It’s low-budget, full of so much fake blood that you’ll be surprised the leads aren’t tinted red, and so much fun.
“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” (1986), directed by Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper, writer and director of the original “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” decided that instead of making another slow and atmospheric film about five people slowly getting picked off in the Texas wilderness, he would make an over-the-top black comedy (the Sawyer family’s lair is a death trap carnival). It even introduces Chop Top, the twin brother of Nubbins from the previous film who has a plate in his head. It is so insane watching the grit of the original be replaced with an almost carnival-like vibe (Oingo Boingo’s “No One Lives Forever” plays during a death scene at the beginning of the film).
“Freaked” (1993), directed by Alex Winter
Directed by the same genius behind “Smosh: The Movie,” “Freaked” is a body-horror comedy about former child actor Ricky Coogin and his friend Ernie going to South America to promote fertilizer — before ending up in a freak show and becoming the attractions themselves! To describe any more of the plot would deprive the experience of watching this absolutely insane body horror romp. It is unfortunate that this movie was so unsuccessful in theaters (it opened on only two screens in the United States, grossing $29,296), because this would be the absolute perfect movie to watch on the big screen.
