Top 100 Horror Flicks #100-91

#100 – THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN (1966)

Directed by Alan Rafkin
Genre:  Comedy
Last Year’s Rank:  100
Rating:  4 stars

Don Knotts stars in this movie that always puts me in a Halloween mood.  There aren’t a whole lot of genuine scares, but it’s a nice take on the haunted house genre, complete with an organ that plays itself, secret passages, and garden shears stuck in a portrait.  Well worth checking out any time of year.

 

#99 – THE MYSTERIOUS MONSTERS (1976)

Directed by Robert Guenette
Genre:  Docudrama
Last Year’s Rank:  99
Rating:  2 stars

I saw this when I was seven years old and it scared the bejeezus out of me.  This is a pseudo-documentary that examines Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Abominable Snowman.  I don’t remember much about this movie, but I do remember I had nightmares for a month after I saw it.  Probably wouldn’t scare me quite so much now.

 

#98 – FEAST (2005)

Directed by John Gulager
Genre:  Monster
Last Year’s Rank:  NEW
Rating:  2.5 stars

A fairly decent monster movie with a healthy splash of gruesome gore.  This sort of reminded me of Maximum Overdrive, except, you know, scary.  I guess I should note this was a Project Greenlight winner.  The plot revolves around a group of strangers trapped in a diner by monsters who want to eat them and the ensuing blood soaked battle waged between the two forces.

 

#97 – THE FUNHOUSE (1981)

 

Directed by Tobe Hooper
Genre:  Slasher
Last Year’s Rank:  90
Rating:  3.5 stars

Tobe Hooper makes his first of three appearances on the list.  I always did like this movie.  It captures that feel of the small town carnival pretty well.  A group of teens witness a murder and subsequently get trapped inside the funhouse.

 

#96 – RACE WITH THE DEVIL

Directed by Jack Starrett
Genre:  Devil
Last Year’s Rank:  88
Rating:  3 stars

I was totally freaked out when I first saw this movie.  I was probably around 10 years old.  It’s similar to Duel, except the bad guys are devil worshippers.  Two couples on an RV road trip accidentally witness a satanic ritual and are then chased by the Satanists.  I re-watched this a couple of weeks ago and I’m happy to report that it holds of fairly well, with some pretty disturbing stuff.

 

#95 – THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (2008)

Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
Genre:  Slasher
Last Year’s Rank:  NEW
Rating:  3 stars

I’ll state right now that I’m a big fan of Cliver Barker.  I first read the story this movie is based on back in the late-80s in one of the Books Of Blood.  Great stuff.  Check it out.  This is a fairly faithful adaptation, but it kind of loses a little something in the translation.  Much of what I liked in the story was about Mahogany’s inner monologue.  None of that is explored here.  But you do get some truly horrific gore, shockingly brutal violence, and a surprisingly suspenseful film.    As of this writing, playing for free in On Demand.

 

#94 – VACANCY

Directed by Nimrod Antal
Genre:  Snuff
Last Year’s Rank:  NEW
Rating:  3 stars

I’m not a huge fan of Luke Wilson and, while stunningly beautiful, I’m afraid Kate Beckinsale has been in some really, really shitty movies.  But I like this one.  It’s sort of an amalgamation of stuff we’ve seen before, but it’s done really well and there are enough surprises to keep things tense.

 

#93 – GHOST SHIP

Directed by Steve Beck
Genre:  Ghost
Last Year’s Rank:  87
Rating:  2.5 stars

There’s one reason this movie is included on this list:  the opening 10 minutes.  The rest of the movie is pretty standard fare, but that opening scene is incredible.  Definitely worth checking out.

 

#92 – DEMENTIA 13

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Genre:  Psycho
Last Year’s Rank:  83
Rating:  2.5 stars

Years before directing The Godfather, Coppola made this film for cult producer Roger Corman.  Dementia 13 is all about atmosphere and Coppola does a great job of creating a spooky atmosphere to place his crazy characters in.  A classic.

 

#91 – THE HITCHER (1986)

Directed by Robert Harmon
Genre:  Psycho
Last Year’s Rank:  NEW
Rating:  2.5 stars
Sequels:  The Hitcher II (I’ve Been Waiting) (2003, Louis Morneau, 1 star)
               The Hitcher (Remake) (2007, Dave Meyers, 2 stars)

The original version was a fairly standard 80s horror movie elevated by the performance of Rutger Hauer, with a passable turn by C. Thomas Howell.  The sequel was terrible.  The remake wasn’t great, but somewhat entertaining.  Stick with the original.

 

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