We’re taking a page from the music scene this week as fellow NZHF writer Simon Kingsley-Holmes and I discuss our Honest Horror Playlists.
Once you’re done with us, head over to the New Zealand Horror Fans Facebook page, join the Horror Fans community (if you haven’t already), and share your own horror playlist. We love to hear from other horror peeps!
Favourite Horror Film:
Kristie: I love so many for different reasons, but a film I’ll always hold in high esteem is George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead from 1968. I saw it for the first time in my early teens and loved it for the zombies. Now I love the film for all the things it represents about human culture, intended or not.
Simon: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It scared me years before I even saw it, it lived up to the hype, it still does and gives back more and more every time.
Least Favourite Horror Film:
Kristie: Prometheus. I’ve given it multiple chances, but I just can’t stand it. It’s such a poorly made film, with so many plot holes and characters who don’t make sense. The fact that it’s connected to one of the greatest horror series in the genre is abysmal.
Simon: Cannibal Holocaust. Far smarter and more open-minded people than I can and have made interesting and informed opinions on it but I hate it. I hate the combination of cynicism and hypocrisy quite apart from the more obvious racism and animal cruelty. Loathsome.
The Film I’m Ashamed to Admit Scared Me:
Kristie: This one is so embarrassing, but Thirteen Ghosts from 2001 starring Matthew Lillard and Shannon Elizabeth scared me so bad. I was 20 years old too! It was specifically the First Born Son, Billy Michaels, with the arrow in his head. Child ghosts used to scare the crap out of me; now they’re just creepy.
Simon: Halloween (2018). At the time, when it was released, I was delighted that it made me jump but with the subsequent release of the downright awful Halloween Kills, I realise I had the blinkers on and actually it’s rubbish.
First Horror Film Memory:
Kristie: Gremlins. I grew up in the 80s when kids were exposed to gore and violence at super young ages due to the very lax censorship rules. From what I’ve heard, my first horror memory is pretty tame compared to others whose parents let them watch Jaws or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Simon: The Mummy Returns. This could easily have gone in the previous category because it did frighten me but my defence was that I was 13 and hadn’t seen any horror films by that point.
Favourite Kill:
Kristie: There are so many to choose from, but machete to the face in Friday the 13th Part 2 is easily one of my top favourite kills. Mark and his wheelchair rolling down the staircase afterwards is just the icing on the cake.
Simon: Zombie nurse in Diary of the Dead. For all the focus there is on the political content of his work, Romero doesn’t get enough credit for his gross-out kills. Also, seeing it with a packed audience in Wellington back in ’08, when the goo popped out of her eye sockets, it got an unforgettable reaction.
Favourite Franchise:
Kristie: Friday the 13th without question. Even though I felt cheated with the original due to a serious lack of Jason, I watched the rest of the films as quickly as possible. I would have been 10 when I saw Part 1, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Jason forever.
Simon: Final Destination. I still have yet to see Bloodlines but late as I am to this franchise, I love it for its sheer wit and invention without ever taking itself seriously. It’s the Minions of horror franchises.
Most Rewatched:
Kristie: Army of Darkness. My brother and I used to watch a movie over and over until we could quote it word for word, and Army of Darkness was one of those films. I’ve probably seen it twenty or more times, and I still love it.
Simon: Shaun of the Dead. That is, more often than not, with the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg commentary. Not that I don’t like the film but that is perfect easy viewing for me. Close second: The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 with The Hysteria Continues commentary.
The Horror Film I Suggest to Non-Horror Fans:
Kristie: I’m a bit of a sink-or-swim type of person, so I don’t usually hold back when I introduce a horror film to a newbie. The Descent is my favourite to recommend because it’s a fantastic example of a horror that expertly blends strong scares with a psychological component. If a non-horror fan can get through that opener, then they’re probably going to stick around for the long haul.
Simon: The Skin I Live In. A typically classy and stylish take on horror from Pedro Almodóvar with a queer twist. There’s little in the way of scares or gore but it never feels like Almodóvar is above the genre.
Favourite Horror Film as a Teen:
Kristie: The Craft was the standout for me. As a 16-year-old girl, I wanted nothing more than to be a witch and do cool shit. My friends and I had a Ouija board and played ‘Light as a feather, stiff as a board’. Plus, all the outfits and soundtrack were amazing.
Simon: Bubba Ho-Tep. Weird but seeing this aged sixteen was my introduction to how broad my cinema choices were in my adopted city of Dunedin as opposed to the retail outlet multiplexes I’d been stuck with in the UK.
The One That Made Me Fall in Love with Horror:
Kristie: I can’t actually remember a time when I wasn’t in love with horror, but I remember sitting in my friend’s basement for a sleepover, and she insisted we watch Critters. I was a bit unsure because the cover looked a bit scary, but I went along with it. I loved the little monsters, and it was then that I realised that horror wasn’t always scary; it could be fun too.
Simon: The original Wicker Man, probably, although hormones would’ve had something to do with my ‘appreciation’ of this one. I still love it, though. It has a completely different feeling to any and every other horror film I’ve ever seen before or since.
The Horror Film I Can’t Go Back To:
Kristie: There aren’t many films I’ll never revisit, but Eden Lake (2008) is easily one of them. I screamed at the screen as Jenny and Steve continually made the worst decisions possible, with the consequences of their actions getting worse and worse as they went along. Five minutes before the horrific finale, I realised what was about to happen, and it was devastating. I still think about how upsetting that ending was. It’s a huge nope.
Simon: Death Proof. When it came out, I was still a fan of Tarantino and I so wanted it to be good, I convinced myself for ages that it was rather than the turgid, interminable, self-indulgent waffle that it really is.
The Classic I’ve Never Seen:
Kristie: Re-Animator, and I can’t believe I still haven’t seen this one. I really need to tick it off the ol’ horror bucket list. I’m hoping that after so long, I haven’t built it up in my mind too much, but it’s kind of in my wheelhouse of crazy 80s flicks that I enjoy, so I’m sure it will be alright.
Simon: Deep Red. I’ve been so slow catching up to Dario Argento’s work; it’s shocking.