The 10 Best Horror Movies of 1982

There is no doubt about this: 1982 ranks among the very best years in horror history (it's a pretty awesome year for sci-fi too with The Empire Strikes Back, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, Blade Runner, and the here ranked The Thing). Many legit classics were released, as well as some of the finest work from the genre's true masters. Slasher movies continued to dominate the genre, though you will notice that only one actually made the top ten (though they are more in the honorable mentions).

Honorable Mentions:
The New York Ripper
Alone in the Dark
Amityville II: The Possession 

10. The Slumber Party Massacre- A deliberate pace and better than usual acting, for this kind of flick, help to raise the bar on this slasher movie. Also helping the flick to stand out is the feminist undertones which play in sharp contrast to the more exploitative qualities of it. The girls are all gorgeous and there is frequent skin on display. Finally assuring its cult status is the the well done climax which is quite intense and suspenseful. In all, this is easily one of the best slashers of the 80s.

9. The Beast Within- This has to be one of the most bat-shit crazy monster movies ever made. A newly married woman (Bibi Besch) is raped by a swamp monster and gets pregnant. Fifteen years later the son, which resulted from said rape, slowly begins to turn into a hideous cicada-like monster. There is a lot more, but that is kind of the cliff-notes version of the story. It has strong acting, incredible FX work by Tom Burman, and some spectacular gore. For more on my love of this wacky flick check out my write-up here.

8. Q: The Winged Serpent- This is, in my humble opinion, Larry Cohen's best movie (at least from the ones that I have seen). The flick is one of the most wild and bloody American made giant monster flicks, ever. Sure the FX work ranges in quality, but you won't care, as it is a genuinely good time. Plus, it has superlative performances from itcast, especially Michael Moriarty.

7. The Living Dead Girl- Jean Rollin's beautiful, haunting, and enthralling tale of a gorgeous, living dead girl (Francoise Blanchard) is his masterpiece. The acting is excellent and the gore is gruesome. It also has an ending that is one one of the most nerve shattering finales that you are likely to ever see, and one that will haunt you long after it is all over.

6. Cat People- While, the original is the better film, this remake is still excellent in its own right. It also happens to be one of the sexiest horror movies ever made. Natassja Kinksi drips sex from every pore in her body and is excellent in her role. Here she plays a beautiful, young lady who turns into a panther if she has sex with a normal human man. The rest of the cast is great as well, in this erotic, stylish, and gory movie. Throw in a wonderful soundtrack and the result is one best remakes ever, as well as a movie that gets better with each and every viewing.

5. Creepshow- An incredibly fun anthology from director George A. Romero and writer Stephen King that is one of the very best movies of its kind. The stories vary in quality but all are at least good. It really picks up steam with the third tale, "Something to Tide You Over". This leads to the two last ones, the monster fun of "The Crate" and the skin-crawling final tale that is "They're Creeping Up on You" (my personal favorite even if it never fails to gross me out!). Tom Savini's excellent work is quite possibly the finest of his career. And, the wonderful cast is excellent. Romero's directing keeps the movie a blast to watch throughout, plus it looks like an actual comic-book (further showcase its love for EC horror comics of the '50's).

4. Basket Case- This is a wonderful example of ultra-low budget horror at its very best. This highly unique flick is often hilarious, sometimes scary, and always original. It is also a gory and fun time, that could only come from the 70s/ early 80s. And, that I mean in the best way possible. Truly one of Frank Henenlotter's best movies, which of itself, is a tall compliment from me, as he is one of my favorite directors.

3. Tenebrae- Dario Argento's third best movie (after Suspiria and Deep Red, respectively), Tenebrae might also be his goriest. His barque style is on full display with dizzying and extraordinary camera work. His vibrant kills are blood rushingly good, including a spectacular, wall painting amputation via a crashing ax. It also manages to be a very suspenseful flick, especially in its spectacular climax. with a killer soundtrack. Complimenting the look of the film are the gorgeous women that inhabit the excellent cast. This movie also has what is definitely one of, if not my actual favorite role of the late and great John Saxon. And, finally the unnerving ending is one of the best in horror from any country.

2. Poltergeist- First off, let's fucking drop the whole Tobe Hooper didn't direct, but instead Steven Spielberg directed this classic. As Joe Bob Briggs, himself, has said, it is disrespectful to Hooper. And, honestly watching the movie you fucking know what parts were definitely made by the guy who made The Texas Chain Saw Massacre! Honestly, its second only to that classic as far as his amazing career goes. The movie is exhilarating, thrilling, and scary, with amazing special FX. Yet, it never lets this get in the way of the fright and heart (which greatly helps to elevate it) it has. These are things that barely any ghost movie can accomplish, especially in the last couple of years. The acting is excellent specially from the gorgeous Jo Beth Williams, one of the greatest moms in horror history.

1. The Thing- When I was younger, Halloween was my favorite John Carpenter movie, but in recent years, something changed. I began to see that it is this superior (to an already great classic in the form of The Thing from Another World) remake that is without a shadow of a doubt, his true and finest masterpiece. Rob Bottin's amazing and jaw dropping FX should serve as true examples that you don't need fucking CGI in a movie. Drenched in graphic gore, cool monstrous forms, and a feeling of paranoia throughout, this is a masterclass in sci-fi/ horror film making. The cast is great, with Kurt Russell being one of the genre's greatest heroes ever. The ending is pitch perfect, as is the classic Ennio Morricone score collaborating with Carpenter. In short, this is one of the true classics of the decade. And, as close as Poltergeist came, it is The Thing that reigns supreme in 1982!

What are your picks for the 10 best of 1982? Let me know in the comments section below. And, be sure to check out the earlier years by clicking on the links below!

The Best Horror Movies of 1980
The Best Horror Movies of 1981

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Horror Crush: Natassja Kinski

With Feb being Women in Horror Month, I figured I would try and give you some horror articles that are related to ladies who have worked/ are working in our beloved genre. I hope to give you as many as I can, on this subject, but note that I need to work on my Adult Entertainment Expo/ AVN coverage as well.

Anyway, let's start things on the right path with one of the sexiest, most sensuous, and truly ravishing women to have ever appeared in horror, the gorgeous Natassaja Kinski. She was born Nastassja Aglaia Nakszynski in Berlin in 1961. Her father is German actor Klaus Kinski (who can be found in some horror movies of his own). She only appeared in two horror films, but both are definitely worth talking about, albeit for a few different reasons.

The first of them would be the last movie that the legendary Hammer Studios would make for many, many until their revival: To the Devil... A Daughter. As I discussed in the review in the link, this movie isn't that great, in fact it is highly flawed. But, it does have it's merits, however limited they maybe. Kinski was only 14 (or 15 or 16 depending on what your read) when she appeared in this movie, fully nude! Due to her age in that movie, you won't find the nude pics here. I will only say this Kinski was always gorgeous, you are more than welcomed to do any further research on your own.

 

NOTE: the above image is actually not the movie. She is actually fully nude in the above scene. I doubt you are very pissed off about this bit of news.

 Just in case you wanted to see something not really sexy.

Nuns are only hot in horror and exploitation films. Trust me, I went to Catholic school.

Her next horror film is my personal favorite movie that she is in: Paul Schrader's 1982 remake Cat People. She plays the female lead in that one. Her brother, played by Malcolm McDowell, and her are the last of a race of people who turn into panthers upon having sex with others. They need to kill to revert back. They can only have incestuous sex, so that they won't go all feline and murderous. This rightfully grosses her out. Besides, she develops feelings for the zoo curator played by John Heard.

I've seen Cat People several times, and I think it only gets better with each viewing, as the relationships become more interesting. The acting is top notch, and Schrader's directing is stylish. The movie always looks beautiful. It's sexy and gory, too. Kinski is pure sex in the movie. She looks AMAZING and gets fully nude a couple of times in it. Add some great music, including a song by the late David Bowie, and you have a movie that has slowly and rightfully won some cult status. These days, I think it ranks among the best remakes ever and has become a personal favorite of mine.

 

It's too bad that she didn't appear in more horror movies. But, her roles, in particular Cat People, have left a last legacy as one of the hottest women to ever be in appear in a terror flick.

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Fearmakers Vol. 1

 

Written, Directed, and Narrated by: John McCarthy

John McCarthy made a series of short docus on horror filmmakers that was based on his book of the same name: The Fearmakers. This first of two volumes, this one complies the first half of them and is more centered around classic horror. Each of them deal with one director per segment, as various experts, including fellow horror filmmakers, as well as writers in the horror world, talk about the filmmaker, and McCarthy narrates giving us some history on each director. The segments/ directors are as follows:

Tod Browning- One of horrors first masters, Browming's career is documented here. It's interesting to see where he started from and where he went on to. Of course, Dracula is his best-known film, but it's a shame that his actual best movie, Freaks, was the one that killed his career. This was due to all the controversy it caused. This is covered in depth here and is one of the highlights of this volume.

Roland West- The only filmmaker I wasn't aware of before watching this was West. And, this was a fascinating introduction to him. Especially in terms of his lost film The Bat. Finding out what happened to it was definitely a highlight for me. Then we learned about his remake of it, which was called The Bat Whisperer. The cinematic breakthroughs that he came up with here are really interesting, even if the movie itself wasn't an actual success. Most fascinating, though, is the telling of the tragic death of his wife and his possible or not involvement in it.

Jacques Tourneir- Here they discuss this great filmmaker who is sometimes overshadowed by his producer/partner Val Lewton (which is discussed here). Most fascinating, to me, is when they talk about his masterpieces like Cat People and my personal favorite of his Curse of the Demon. The talks with the horror experts on these movies are excellently done.

William Castle- This one is about one of horrors greatest showman, if not the greatest one: William Castle. That said, I wish they talked a little more about the movies and not just focused on the gimmicks. But, they do talk about them, nonetheless, just not as much as I would have liked. Since, I do think he made some solid movies during his career. Still the most fascinating talk here really comes in discussing Roman Polanski's classic Rosemary's Baby, which Castle produced.

Jack Arnold- The classic sci-fi/horror director Jack Arnold is lovingly discussed in this segment. I really enjoyed hearing them talk about movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon, which is my favorite of his. Talks about other classics of his like Tarantula are also fun and captivating.

Robert Wise- Unlike the other segments, this one just has one interview only, that takes up the whole segment, and it's with Wise, himself. I would have loved getting interviews with others in following the same format as the other segments in this volume. Regardless, it is intriguing to hear him talk about his movies like Star Trek: The Motion Picture and my absolute favorite of his, The Haunting.

Roger Corman- My favorite director of the ones featured here, ends up being on my favorite segment. I loved hearing the horror experts talk about all of his classics like Not of this Earth and, of course, his Poe movies.

This is a fun, informative, and well constructed documentary series. I have been a long time fan of John McCarthy thanks to both volumes of his review books The Official Splatter Movie Guide. I highly recommend this documentary for fans of classic horror.

***1/2 out of ****

You can order this DVD here: http://www.oldies.com/

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