Jaws (1975)

Everybody know the famous opening in which the shark attacks the woman. I don't feel any need to discuss why the scene is so great because you probably already know. For the rest of you who haven't see the rest of the movie, Jaws is a masterpiece to add to your list. Jaws has a very simple plot: great white shark + 4th of July+ Amity Island= big big problem.

Jaws evokes a primal fear that many horror movies don't. You could be eaten by a shark any day at the beach, but some evil girl is not going to climb out of your television screen. Jaws is slightly realistic which is why it is so scary. Although the chances of an event actually happening like this are slim, you may never go in the water again.

Steven Spielberg does an excellent job on second movie here. The viewer does not actually see the shark for a good 45 minutes and when we do, it has quite an effect. Spielberg uses to subjective shots to put us into the shark's body and make us attack a woman. It adds to the chill factor of the movie.

Some people may say that Jaws is not a horror movie, but I would have to disagree. It is one of the few horror movies to scare me. We can only hope that this will never be remade. Also, I just have one more comment to make: isn't it amazing how a man getting eaten by a shark can get into a PG movie?

Suspiria (1977)

Suspiria is one of the few artful horror pictures that I know of. Dario Argento has directed this "giallo", a pulpy Italian horror movie. His brilliant colors and imagery bring his story to life.

Jessica Harper plays a girl who moves to a ballet in college in Italy. The school seems fine until strange and unexplained events occur. When the girl does some investigating, she finds out that the school is being run by a witches covent.

Dario Argento's direction is the real reason the film is so good. It's eerily bright colors and Goblin soundtrack are spooky and draw the viewer in. In the first and best scene of the film a double murder occurs. The scene is so graphic that it even shows a girl's heart being repeatedly stabbed. The rich color of the blood splashes onto the odd yellow color of the glass behind her.

These days it may be considered a somewhat hokey, obscure foreign movie, but it truly is a horror masterpiece. By the end, it morphs into something so strange and beautiful that it is hard to resist it. One of Dario Argento's better films.

Unfortunately, this film is being remade in America. A poor choice considering the old one is good enough.

Repulsion (1965)

Sometimes you shouldn't just be left alone. One of Roman Polanski's earliest films, Repulsion is a shocker, especially for its time. Unlike the generic horror that comes out these days, Repulsion is psychologically unnerving. There has never been a film and never will be a film to leave you so numb afterwards.

Repulsion is the story of a sexually repressed woman played by Catherine Denevue. She is very shy and does not talk very much at all. When her sister goes out for vacation and leaves her in their apartment by herself, she falls apart and goes crazy.

Perhaps the most memorable and shocking scenes are the rape scenes. The woman often imagines herself being raped by an unknown man. America has become used to rape scenes, but this is different. It is inexplicit, but Polanski makes it go silent so we only hear the ticking of a clock on her nighttable and we only see her struggling under him.

The creativity of this film and clever direction are what has earned its place in celluloid history. Roman Polanki is daring and the story is even more so. Catherine Denevue is superb in her role. The audience is left feeling shocked. Everything is so perfect about this film that I do not think there will ever be another one like this.

P.S.-If Hollywood remakes this, I will begin a rant.

The Strangers (2008)

Based on a true story. Well, sort of. The Strangers is a minimalist thriller that preys on the fear of an unknown assailant trying to hurt and/or kill you. Patience is required to watch this one.

The Strangers is the kind of movie that must have been thought of very quickly. It's about a couple who gets home at one in the morning and is attacked by three people with masks. It doesn't get any simpler than that and the plot doesn't thicken at all either. Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing.

Give this movie a chance before you turn it off. There is barely any dialogue in the script. Actually there was more, but it was cut before the movie was released. Also, we never do see the villains' faces. Some people may be angered by this, but those who are really able to see a good horror movie will not.

Another thing many people think about is how much this movie rips off of other home invasion movies. Sorry, but this is absolutely and in no way a remake of the French film Ils (Them). Though it may be similarly themed, they are not related. Funny Games is also similar to this film, yet The Strangers is not meant to be shocking or a cinematic masterpiece.

The Strangers is a good scare for Halloween although it demands the viewer to lend a lot of attention. There is a lot that could have been cut from the film, but wasn't. The Strangers is no longer a strange topic in Hollywood, but this film does bring something new to the table.

Note: This film is available in two cuts, the theatrical cut and the unrated version. They include different endings.

Videodrome (1983)

It's kind of ironic that I'm even telling you to watch this, but I will anyway. Videodrome is a nasty little piece of shock cinema from master director David Cronenberg. Videodrome is perverse, gory, and the ultimate anti-movie movie.

Videodrome is a shocking story all in its own. It is the tale of a man who stumbles across a kinky Asian porn film. When he traces the signal to Pittsburg, he uncovers the fact that the film is a snuff film and that it is not the only thing being transmitted. It also causes people to become incredibly violent.

Cronenberg's groundbreaking imagery is the real reason I recommend this. There is some fantastic special effects and makeup, especially for its time, and does never cease to amaze me. The scene in which the man's stomach vaginates and he actually drops his gun inside is stomach churning, but your eyes are glued to the screen. We watch as he reaches his hand deep into his stomach and we must wonder about the makeup.

Videodrome is a film like no other. You may feel uncomfortable about watching anything on your television for a while. Cronenberg shows his skill in this movie and knows how to creep people out very well.

Fight Club (1999)

"Rule number one: you don't talk about fight club." has become one of the most iconic lines in film. Fight Club is humorous, pulpy, and thrilling all at the same time. The story based on Chuck Palahniuk's book of the same title is about an unnamed man (Edward Norton) who befriends Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). The two decide to make an underground fight club in the basement of a bar. Everything is perfect until the situation gets out of control.

David Fincher gives his best direction in this film. Tricky camera angles and amazing artistic shots are dotted throughout the film. His camerawork also coincides with the film's quirkiness.

I'm also surprisingly amazed by Helena Bonham Carter and Meat Loaf's performances. Carter plays Tyler and the man's love interests very well. Her character is dark and depressed as in all her other movies. Her performance is fine and slick. Meat Loaf plays a man nicknamed Bitch Tits who has grown breasts after undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Palahniuk's quirky and twisted mind carries over into this movie as does the originality of his first novel. David Fincher is at the top of his game, as are the solid performances of the actors. Watch for a major plot twist as well as some subliminal messaging carefully done by Fincher.

Movies You Shouldn't See: Shortbus (2006)

Let's just face it. Shortbus is a full length, artful porn film. Even though it has cinematical value, there is just way too many sex scenes! The plot and movie are meant to be groundbreaking, but it is almost a failure.

Shortbus is about a sex therapist named Sofia (played by Soo-Yin Lee). Sofia is possibly the most ironic character to be seen on film. Why? Because she can't achieve an orgasm. Big whoop. Aside from her, the film also follows a gay couple on the verge of a breakup, a dominatrix, and Sofia's boyfriend. All the characters' stories eventually collide at a club called Shortbus where they experience a sexual awakening.

The thing that draws many people to this film is its long and overwraught sex scenes. Well, I should probably warn you that there is not a scene of simulated sex in this film. Egad! The autofellatio, the masturbation, the gay anal sex. It's all real. Whoever came up with this idea failed. Epically. The sex scenes aren't even erotic.

Be it not for John Cameron Mitchell's direction in non-sex scenes (which there are very few of) and Soo-Yin Lee's performance, the film just falls flat on its face. A porn could be better than this movie, only there is no direction from Mitchell in it. There are better sex movies around that aren't porn, and this just isn't one of them.