13 Alternative Horror Movies for Halloween

There’s so many spooky and scary movies to watch during All Hallows’ Eve. So I took at look and found 13, yes 13, movies that mix up your usual trick or treat sweetie fuelled viewing.

 

1. Tetsuo: The Iron Man

It’s all thanks to Channel 4 here in the UK for my love of Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Shown during the channel’s late night slot, which was full of strange and fringe programmes, it was prime fodder for the edgy programming Channel 4 likes.

Tetsuo is filmed in such a way that it makes it physically difficult to watch – it has strobe-y, almost fit-inducing cinematography. The plot sees a Japanese salaryman hit a metal fetishist with his car. The salaryman and his girlfriend dump the body in a nearby ravine. The next day, the salaryman notices a piece of metal growing out of his skin. The metal continues to grow from his body during the film.

A strange and weird tale, but one very much worth watching. The scene where a woman is possessed by the metal fetishist then chases the salaryman through a subway is particularly memorable.

 

2. Happiness of the Katakuris

Another slice of Japanese weirdness here as Takeshi Miike brings us a comedy/horror/musical. A family opens a bed and breakfast in the shadow of Mount Fuji, on an old garbage dump. However, the B&B is a little off the beaten track and receives few guests. When they finally receive some guests, they find themselves dying in all manner of ways. In order to preserve the reputation of the business the family use the back yard to bury the bodies, which in turn begin to pile up.

The film becomes stranger and stranger thanks to the appearance of a US Naval officer who claims to be related to Queen Elizabeth II. The film blends surreal dreams, karaoke and claymation sequences into a bizarre yet fun little movie.

 

3. Nosferatu The Vampyre

I was disappointed to find out that in modern society the creepy shadow moving effortlessly up the staircase has been forgotten, or at least it would seem. That hooked nose, bald head and long, pointed fingers have been parodied and celebrated ever since the original Nosferatu’s release in 1922. But it’s the 1979 remake from Warner Herzog that deserves the attention here.

While it was successful, both the original and remake have been forgotten by mainstream audiences. Essentially a German version of Dracula, it too follows the plot of Bram Stoker’s book. Nosferatu The Vampyre is an much more artistic than man other versions of Dracula but in this version, he looks much less the dashing neck biter and more like the dark monster that he truly is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VXBZOaz7Ts

 

4. Cube

Low budget Canadian horror here from writer/director Vincenzo Natali. A simple premise, a group of individuals who appear to be strangers wake up to find themselves inside various cubes. Doors on all six sides lead to more cubes, some booby trapped, some not. The group must work together to make their way through all the cubes and escape.

The film has quite a Twilight Zone-y feel to it, but the script isn’t amazing and the acting is ropey at best. Cube received polarizing reviews, some slamming the film and other praising it. Despite all this Cube has a unique feel and the mystery of the cube and who will survive is enough to keep you going until the credits.

 

5. Cannibal! The Musical

Cannibal! The Musical is a dark comedy and musical loosely based on the true story of Alferd Packer, a prospector who had committed cannibalism in 1874. Written by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker and directed by by the latter, it marks the first time the pair would work on a movie.

The movie features ten original songs and is a lot of fun. It was later bought by Troma and it is easily one of the best films in their collection. Cannibal! The Musical has become a cult hit and has been turned into a stage musical on several occasions despite being cheap and rough. The film is a wonderful start for two men who would later create the juggernaut known as South Park.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alqtKb17Ggo

 

6. Bubba Ho-Tep

Pensioners Elvis Presley and JFK (but he’s black) have to stop an ancient Egyptian mummy killing residents at a retirement home is the summary for Don Coscarelli’s 2002 movie Bubba Ho-Tep. While it sounds rather like a cheese dream, it actually comes from the mind of Joe R. Lansdale, who wrote the novella.

The film follows the supposedly real Elvis, who swapped with an impersonator. No one truly believes that he is Elvis and while the film wants you to believe that he is indeed the king, there’s always that nagging feeling that he’s just a senile, confused Elvis impersonator. He’s joined by Jack, another resident who claims that he is JFK and survived the assassination before dying himself black and fled, leaving no one to believe him.

When residents start dying unexpectedly, the staff just put it down to old age, but Elvis and JFK discover a much sinister secret: the residents having their souls sucked by an escaped Egyptian mummy.

 

7. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

When Tucker and Dale save an unconscious college girl from a lake in the woods, her college friends believe she’s been kidnapped by psychopathic hillbillies. The student, Allison, soon realised the pair’s true nature and were only helping her. However, Allison’s friends misunderstand the situation and believe she is being held hostage by these backwater maniacs. During their attempts to rescue Allison, the group wind up dying in various accidents, which convinces the students that the hillbillies are actually killing their friends.

Tucker & Dale isn’t your usual horror fare at all. Sure it’s gorey and there’s the themes of many Hollywood horror movies, but this is played mainly for laughs. Tucker and Dale are played by Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine respectively and most audiences will know Tudyk from Firefly and Labine from Reaper, amongst many other things.

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