Top Five Sci-Fi Horror Classics
Horror, to me, is generally supernatural. Ghosts, haunted houses, et cetera, et cetera. Sci-fi horror isn't quite the same to me. I tend to not be afraid of things I can make logical sense out of. An alien creature would likely be terrifying if I came face to face with it, but since the scenario could actually happen, the thought of it isn't so scary to me. Yeah, I'm strange. What of it?
But, since these lists have turned out to be fun, I figured I would compile one of the sci-fi horror films that I feel either went beyond the expectations of the genre or were simply goofy fun.
5. Slither
This was a fun little movie. If you're a fan of classic 80s movies like Night of the Creeps, or the Cronenberg feature Shivers, then you'll enjoy this homage. Nathan Fillion surprised me by being more than a pretty boy, Elizabeth Banks proved she was better than a couple lines per Spider-Man movie, and the supporting cast is great. Michael Rooker, who is one of those actors who's always great in bad movies, is great here once again. He's creepy and weird and incredibly amusing. Gregg Henry is hilarious as the redneck mayor. And the effects are all well done, with limited use of CG.
It's not a great film, but it's the only one made in the last 10 years that's worth putting on my list.
4. The Incredible Melting Man
I became aware of this movie through Mystery Science Theater 3000. It features incredible make-up effects by a young Rick Baker, and that's about the only thing incredible about the film. It's terrible. Steve the astronaut sees the sun through the rings of Saturn (and you haven't lived until you've seen the sun through the rings of Saturn), which somehow kills his crew, but leaves him alive to melt. Perhaps it was his awesome mustache that saved him?
Steve is at first cared for by Dr. Ted Nelson. Ted Nelson, who tells the news of his wife's pregnancy like she's got cancer. Ted Nelson, who exclaims "hotchka!" when he's burned by his soup. Ted Nelson, whose main priority is to obtain crackers. Yes, folks, Ted Nelson is our hero. When Steve breaks out of the hospital (chasing the overweight nurse in one of the best slow motion sequences caught on camera), it's up to Ted Nelson to hunt him down.
This is a terrible, terrible movie. But it's absolute fun. Given where I first saw it, you can assume that it's hilariously bad. So much so it earned a spot on my list.
3. The Fly (1986)
David Cronenberg's remake is astounding. He took a goofy monster movie and made it scary and tragic. All the cliches were removed. Instead of a scientist switching his head with a fly, the scientist is fused with the fly, giving him a disease that slowly mutates him into a giant insectoid monster. Cronenberg has since said the film wasn't specifically a metaphor for AIDS, as many have speculated, but for disease in general. Of watching someone you care about die slowly in front of you from something they can't control. Brundle has cancer in the movie. It's just a cancer that's turning him into a human fly.
The cast in this movie is amazing. Everyone will talk about Jeff Goldblum's performance, and some will mention Geena David, but I'm always surprised at how few people give John Getz the credit he deserves. As Goldblum transforms from likeable man to a monster, Getz transforms from a scumbag to a sympathetic hero. And he makes it believable. When bad things happen to Stathis, you feel sorry for him because Getz has successfully made you understand where his character is coming from.
It was hard to pick only one Cronenberg film for this list. I chose The Fly because it's the first movie of his I saw, and it's also my personal favorite.
2. The Thing (1982)
Yes, another remake. Howard Hawk's original is a great movie. But it's not scary. This movie is scary because you never actually know who the Thing is. It could be anybody. The movie is built on paranoia and tension, with gory scares thrown in for good measure.
John Carpenter directs with his typical low key style, allowing the setting, the lighting, and the acting to create mood and atmosphere. No back story is given to any of the characters, so the actors all use subtle performances to add personality and dimension. The suspense and tension is augmented by gross out effects sequences that make the monster a truly terrifying beast. And the score is eerie and atmospheric. All the parts come together to make a masterpiece of sci-fi horror. One can only wonder why it wasn't a hit when it was first released.
1. Alien
This is just a great film. I love the story, the characters, the set design, the music, the effects. Everything. I refuse to accept the thought that there could be even one flaw in this film. It's a classic. I could watch it a dozen times in one day and never get tired of it.
Every decision made on this movie was the right one, from the cast down to the design of the creature. Dan O'Bannon rightfully pushed to get the studio to use H. R. Giger's designs for the creature and the alien ship it came from. And Ridley Scott was wise enough to support that decision. His designs create that discomforting feeling I've said before should be part of every good horror movie. The openings of the derelict ship are giant vaginas. The face hugger is raping John Hurt, a man, and impregnating him. He gives birth to a large penis. The sexual connotations are subconsciously disturbing.
Beyond that, the acting is phenomenal, and the pacing is non-stop. Once the movie gets going, it never lets up, even when we think the Alien is gone, it's there again. The danger is never over. This may also be the first film in horror history to feature a woman as the main protagonist. That alone would make this movie great. Add that to all the great things I've mentioned, and you've got yourself a classic sci-fi horror movie, sir.
Horror, to me, is generally supernatural. Ghosts, haunted houses, et cetera, et cetera. Sci-fi horror isn't quite the same to me. I tend to not be afraid of things I can make logical sense out of. An alien creature would likely be terrifying if I came face to face with it, but since the scenario could actually happen, the thought of it isn't so scary to me. Yeah, I'm strange. What of it?
But, since these lists have turned out to be fun, I figured I would compile one of the sci-fi horror films that I feel either went beyond the expectations of the genre or were simply goofy fun.
5. Slither
This was a fun little movie. If you're a fan of classic 80s movies like Night of the Creeps, or the Cronenberg feature Shivers, then you'll enjoy this homage. Nathan Fillion surprised me by being more than a pretty boy, Elizabeth Banks proved she was better than a couple lines per Spider-Man movie, and the supporting cast is great. Michael Rooker, who is one of those actors who's always great in bad movies, is great here once again. He's creepy and weird and incredibly amusing. Gregg Henry is hilarious as the redneck mayor. And the effects are all well done, with limited use of CG.
It's not a great film, but it's the only one made in the last 10 years that's worth putting on my list.
4. The Incredible Melting Man
I became aware of this movie through Mystery Science Theater 3000. It features incredible make-up effects by a young Rick Baker, and that's about the only thing incredible about the film. It's terrible. Steve the astronaut sees the sun through the rings of Saturn (and you haven't lived until you've seen the sun through the rings of Saturn), which somehow kills his crew, but leaves him alive to melt. Perhaps it was his awesome mustache that saved him?
Steve is at first cared for by Dr. Ted Nelson. Ted Nelson, who tells the news of his wife's pregnancy like she's got cancer. Ted Nelson, who exclaims "hotchka!" when he's burned by his soup. Ted Nelson, whose main priority is to obtain crackers. Yes, folks, Ted Nelson is our hero. When Steve breaks out of the hospital (chasing the overweight nurse in one of the best slow motion sequences caught on camera), it's up to Ted Nelson to hunt him down.
This is a terrible, terrible movie. But it's absolute fun. Given where I first saw it, you can assume that it's hilariously bad. So much so it earned a spot on my list.
3. The Fly (1986)
David Cronenberg's remake is astounding. He took a goofy monster movie and made it scary and tragic. All the cliches were removed. Instead of a scientist switching his head with a fly, the scientist is fused with the fly, giving him a disease that slowly mutates him into a giant insectoid monster. Cronenberg has since said the film wasn't specifically a metaphor for AIDS, as many have speculated, but for disease in general. Of watching someone you care about die slowly in front of you from something they can't control. Brundle has cancer in the movie. It's just a cancer that's turning him into a human fly.
The cast in this movie is amazing. Everyone will talk about Jeff Goldblum's performance, and some will mention Geena David, but I'm always surprised at how few people give John Getz the credit he deserves. As Goldblum transforms from likeable man to a monster, Getz transforms from a scumbag to a sympathetic hero. And he makes it believable. When bad things happen to Stathis, you feel sorry for him because Getz has successfully made you understand where his character is coming from.
It was hard to pick only one Cronenberg film for this list. I chose The Fly because it's the first movie of his I saw, and it's also my personal favorite.
2. The Thing (1982)
Yes, another remake. Howard Hawk's original is a great movie. But it's not scary. This movie is scary because you never actually know who the Thing is. It could be anybody. The movie is built on paranoia and tension, with gory scares thrown in for good measure.
John Carpenter directs with his typical low key style, allowing the setting, the lighting, and the acting to create mood and atmosphere. No back story is given to any of the characters, so the actors all use subtle performances to add personality and dimension. The suspense and tension is augmented by gross out effects sequences that make the monster a truly terrifying beast. And the score is eerie and atmospheric. All the parts come together to make a masterpiece of sci-fi horror. One can only wonder why it wasn't a hit when it was first released.
1. Alien
This is just a great film. I love the story, the characters, the set design, the music, the effects. Everything. I refuse to accept the thought that there could be even one flaw in this film. It's a classic. I could watch it a dozen times in one day and never get tired of it.
Every decision made on this movie was the right one, from the cast down to the design of the creature. Dan O'Bannon rightfully pushed to get the studio to use H. R. Giger's designs for the creature and the alien ship it came from. And Ridley Scott was wise enough to support that decision. His designs create that discomforting feeling I've said before should be part of every good horror movie. The openings of the derelict ship are giant vaginas. The face hugger is raping John Hurt, a man, and impregnating him. He gives birth to a large penis. The sexual connotations are subconsciously disturbing.
Beyond that, the acting is phenomenal, and the pacing is non-stop. Once the movie gets going, it never lets up, even when we think the Alien is gone, it's there again. The danger is never over. This may also be the first film in horror history to feature a woman as the main protagonist. That alone would make this movie great. Add that to all the great things I've mentioned, and you've got yourself a classic sci-fi horror movie, sir.
As for the seal, that particular friend is very enamored with anime so I kind of tailored the picture toward that aesthetic. Now I kind of want to draw an adorable zombie seal, crawling its way out of a shallow ice grave.