Classic horrors are stuff bad dreams are made of

By Emilia Hwang
Daily Bruin Senior Staff The latest crop of fiendish flicks has
attempted to bewitch and bedazzle contemporary movie goers. Though
stick men witch figurines and Elizabeth Hurley as a seductive Satan
can be entertaining enough on most evenings, Halloween night
deserves a certain reverence for the horror genre that requires
going back to the roots of scary movies. Many slasher flicks have
left a legacy of disappointment and a string of never ending
sequels, however, the originals are worth calling upon to find the
quintessence of true cinematic terror. So before you retire to your
comfy couch for a quiet Halloween night, hit the video store, put
the Jiffy-Pop on the stove, dim the lights and endeavor to answer
the ever-pervasive question ““ What’s your favorite
scary movie?

“Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood
Hills” (1996)

You’ve heard about “Book of Shadows: The Blair Witch
2,” now check out the nonfiction work of its acclaimed
director Joe Berlinger. When three little boys are found stabbed
and mutilated in a small Arkansas town, the horrific crimes are
supposedly the work of Satanists. Suspicion falls on three
black-clad teens. Berlinger and his partner, Bruce Sinofsky, craft
their coverage of the real-life trial into a dark and intense
narrative documentary. By gaining an unprecedented level of access
to both the trial and the personal lives of virtually every person
involved in the case, Berlinger and Sinofsky demonstrate that a
movie doesn’t need a big budget, gruesome make-up and scary
special effects to create a truly disturbing atmosphere, especially
when reality can be stranger than fiction.

“Hellraiser” (1987) The recent
release of “Hellraiser V: Inferno” disappointed horror
fans by only delivering a short cameo by the infamous Pinhead (Doug
Bradley). Get your full dose of the nefarious hell demon is Clive
Barker’s feature directing debut, the original
“Hellraiser.” The film graphically depicts the story of
a man who gets more than he bargains for when he solves the puzzle
of the Lamont Configuration ““ a doorway to hell. His ex-lover
finds a way to bring him back, and his niece bargains with the
angel/demon Cenobites for salvation.

“A Nightmare on Elm Street”
(1984)

After “The Final Nightmare” in 1991, Freddy Kruger
came back from the dead for “A New Nightmare” (1997),
making a total of seven films in the “Nightmare on Elm
Street” series. In the original movie, find out how the badly
scarred, razor toting villain has become a horror film icon.
Written and directed by Wes Craven, the first
“Nightmare” centers around a teenage girl and her
friends who share the same frightening nightmares about Freddy. To
avoid being gruesomely murdered in their sleep, they must stay
awake and uncover the secret identity of the dream killer.

“Scream” (1996)

Wes Craven’s horror film about a killer who’s seen
one too many scary movies, “Scream” set off a series of
satirical scary movies such as “I Know What You Did Last
Summer” and “Scary Movie.” After a series of
murders in Woodsboro, Sidney (Neve Campbell) is confronted by the
stalker who has killed one of her classmates. In whodunnit
tradition, “Scream” introduces a cast of equally
suspicious characters, allowing the audience to hone their
detective skills and pin down the psychopathic killer before Sidney
does. Written by Kevin Williamson, “Scream” achieves a
clever balance between gratuitous slashing and movie trivia,
perfect for an intellectual.