Vampyr (1932)
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Okay, admittedly for my final recommendation, I've gone pretty highbrow. Dreyer is one of the undisputed masters of cinema, a creator of austere but emotionally devastating masterpieces that will remain relevant as long as people care about film, or art for that matter.
This is my point. Horror is an often maligned genre, seen and dismissed as only suitable for the most trashy and exploitive material. Admittedly, I've included some pretty trashy material in this list and that was because I wanted to give an indication of the wide variety of subjects and styles that can categorized, broadly, as "horror". Yes, it includes the "trash" but it also can include as sublime a work of art as Dreyer's Vampyr.Loosly adapted from Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (as would many vampire films in the coming decades) Vampyr tells the story of a young student of the occult who, when investigating the illness of a friend's sister, encounters a Vampire and her coven of acolytes. The plot is simple enough, but hardly the point. This was Dreyer's first sound film and it contains very little dialogue. The heart of the storytelling is in the eerie, poetic visuals that can invoke wonder to this day.
Okay, admittedly for my final recommendation, I've gone pretty highbrow. Dreyer is one of the undisputed masters of cinema, a creator of austere but emotionally devastating masterpieces that will remain relevant as long as people care about film, or art for that matter.
This is my point. Horror is an often maligned genre, seen and dismissed as only suitable for the most trashy and exploitive material. Admittedly, I've included some pretty trashy material in this list and that was because I wanted to give an indication of the wide variety of subjects and styles that can categorized, broadly, as "horror". Yes, it includes the "trash" but it also can include as sublime a work of art as Dreyer's Vampyr.Loosly adapted from Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (as would many vampire films in the coming decades) Vampyr tells the story of a young student of the occult who, when investigating the illness of a friend's sister, encounters a Vampire and her coven of acolytes. The plot is simple enough, but hardly the point. This was Dreyer's first sound film and it contains very little dialogue. The heart of the storytelling is in the eerie, poetic visuals that can invoke wonder to this day.
Mysterious, dreamlike and ultimately unlike any other vampire film, this movie may be a bit abstract and slow paced for modern audiences. However, if you have any interest in the history of film and the great works of horror genre in particular, Vampyr is required viewing.
A sublime and ethereal way to spend an October night.
Whew, that's it, 31 new recommendations in as many days. I know this list is all over the place. As I warned at the beginning it contains a lot of odd choices but all are enjoyable in their own way. As usual there was a lot of films I would have liked to include, but couldn't find a space.
Some of these would include: David Lynch's dark and disturbing Eraserhead, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's love-letter to the genre, Cabin in the Woods, Stuart Gordon's equally twisted follow-up to Re-Animator, From Beyond, the extraordinary Finnish film Sauna and either Dario Argento's Deep Red or Inferno. It also bothers me that there are no Japanese titles on the list but I am woefully undereducated in J-horror.
Anyway, I hope this list provides some interesting new viewing ideas for fans of the genre, or movies in general.
Have a safe and Happy Halloween, or a dark, disturbing Samhain, whatever you prefer.
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