UNDERRATED/UNKNOWN HORROR MOVIES IDEAL FOR HALLOWEEN FROM JESSE NELSON AT DIALBOLIK DVD
Messiah of Evil (1973) - From filmmakers Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz who are more well known for writing American Graffiti and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as well the infamous Howard the Duck film. There are so many movies that attempt to mimic the otherworldly dread of HP Lovecraft's writing but few succeed. I honestly don't know if the film makers intended for this to be so, but it is absolutely the most Lovecraftian film not based on any of his writing. When a young woman ventures to a California coastal town to find her father, she finds more than she bargained for with an unsettling doom cult.
Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) - With all the press around Longlegs and its director Osgood Perkins lately, it's high time that people visit (or revisit) his earlier film Blackcoat's Daughter. An utterly soul crushing film of dread and loneliness masked by a story of possession that seemingly takes place in the same universe as Longlegs - or at the very least echoes much of the same unsettling filmmaking from Perkins. The really great cast includes the underrated James Remar and 3 women that all went on to bigger things - Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton.
Midnight Hour - This 1985 TV Movie with Shari Belafonte and LeVar Burton is one of the best Halloween movies you should be watching every year EXCEPT you can only find it on YouTube because there is no physical or official stream of the film ! A group of friends accidentally raise the dead on Halloween night and tons of seasonal fun is to be had ! Director Jack Bender is an unsung hero of genre TV having worked on and / or produced multiple shows including Lost, Mr Mercedes and The Outsider !
Deathdream (1974) - Most people don't know that Bob Clark directed A CHRISTMAS STORY. Sure, they see his name 12 times while they watch the marathon on TV every year but what they don't know that, aside from this seasonal classic, Bob is also reasonable for PORKY'S (!!) and 3 pretty amazing horror films: Black Christmas, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things and DEATHDREAM! While all of these are perfect spooky time viewing (Black Christmas after the 31st though if you please), none are quite as amazing as his spin on the popular Monkey's Paw story where a family mourns the death of their son in Vietnam only to find him return not quite the same as when he left. John Marley (the horse's head scene in The Godfather) stars.
Wicked Wicked (1973) - Mostly a novelty film but one that really took an immense amount of skill to pull off. Shot almost entirely at the famous Hotel del Coronado (Location of Some Like it Hot) and filmed entirely in DUO-VISION ! What's that you say? The entire movie is shot in split screen. So while one thing is happening on the left of your screen, another view or an entirely different event is happening on the other side ! The movie itself is an unhinged slasher film about the maintenance man killing young blonde women in the hotel, but you aren't watching this movie for the plot.
Dead and Buried (1981) - Genre legend Dan O'Bannon only made a few films but is probably most famous for writing Alien and this great tale about a series of murders in a small coastal town (yes, I realize now that I picked two horror films that take place in sleepy coastal towns for some reason) from director Gary Sherman (Deathline) Look for a young, pre Nightmare on Elm Street, Robert Englund, as well as James Farentino and Jack Albertson (Chico & the Man).
Suspiria (2018) - People complain about remakes, and granted, some of them are lazy and uninspired but every once in a while something like The Thing, or The Fly throws that complaint on its head. Same for Suspiria. The 1977 Dario Argento original is an absolute classic and one of my all time favorite films. I have seen it dozens of times, watched it while sitting next to star Jessica Harper, watched the band that composed the music play it live. One of the best ! But Director Luca Guadagnino's remake is a whole different animal. A long, compelling look at themes and ideas only suggested by the original film. Shot in drab tones (unlike the original) featuring a low key score (unlike the original) and serving up a delicious story of witches running rampant at a prestigious dance academy (like the original). Stars Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swenton and Chloe Grace Moritz - with a cameo by Harper!
Burn Witch Burn (1962) - Terrific British horror film about a woman protecting her husband from what she perceives are diabolical forces. Also known as NIGHT OF THE EAGLE, the film is charming and creepy with an ace screenplay by Twilight Zone alumni Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson.