The Scariest Monsters are Human
Typically, horror movies fall into one of three categories: Malevolent Force, Torture Porn, and Monsters. The first can be anything from the unstoppable slasher (Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street) to demonic possession (The Exorcist, The Omen, Evil Dead), to ghostly apparitions (Poltergeist, Amityville Horror, Blair Witch). Torture Porn is what the title suggests, and examples include such gratuitously violent fare as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, The Hills Have Eyes, and Hostel. The final category is where horror gets its meat and potatoes: King Kong, Godzilla, Alien, Frankenstein, vampires and werewolves and zombies, oh my! Yes, there are other sub-categories, and no, this is in no way a complete list, but you get the idea. No sense picking nits this early in the review. None of these, in my opinion, hold a candle to the scariest protagonist of all: Human Beings.
As a writer of horror, I know that no matter how dark or twisted or macabre my imagination gets, nothing I could possibly pull out of my creative butt is more frightening than the reality of what human beings do to each other. Reality is far more terrifying.
With that in mind, I offer the following three examples.
Reality is far more terrifying.
Jeff Thomson
The first movie, Identity, includes one of my favorite things in psychological horror, but if I told you what that was, then I’d spoil the ending. I know . . . I’m a tease. You can spank me later. For now, however, the gist of the story is a group of characters, all of whom seem to be keeping their own secrets, are trapped at a seedy motel in the middle of nowhere on a dark and stormy night.
That alone is worth the price of admission, but when you add a deliciously twisted plot, you end up with the stuff nightmares are made of.
Jeff Thomson
One by one these characters begin to die – horribly. Essentially, it’s a whodunit within a whodunit, with a great cast, including John Cusack, the late, great Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea Duvall, and Rebecca De Morney. That alone is worth the price of admission, but when you add a deliciously twisted plot, you end up with the stuff nightmares are made of. IMDB scores it 7.3 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes gives it 63% critics, 75% audience, and I give it 4.5 Skulls.
The next entry, The Bone Collector, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, with Michael Rooker, Queen Latifah, and Ed O’Neill, received a 28% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, so automatically, you know that’s going to pique my interest, because, let’s face it, professional critics suck. Rank amateur reviewers, such as myself, however, rule! Be that as it may, the audience has given it 63%, and IMDB scores it 6.7/10. I give it Four Skulls. So much for the math.
Arbitrary numerical designations aside, Denzel plays a world-renowned criminalist who was injured during another case, turning him into a quadriplegic. He’s decided to “make the final transition” to the Great Beyond, but he isn’t quite dead yet.
Angelina is a beat cop who stumbles upon the scene of a grisly murder, where the killer has left an intriguing, yet obscure set of clues. She proves naturally adept at preserving the evidence, going so far as to stop a speeding train. Hey, it’s Angelina Jolie – what train wouldn’t stop? The always fabulous Ed O’Neill finds the clues so inexplicable, he seeks the advice of his old friend, Mr. Washington, who is so impressed by the job Ms. Jolie did that he enlists her help to act as his hands, legs, and eyes as the case progresses.
And believe me, this killer is one sick puppy, which, of course, I love. I know. I’m warped. But then you’re here on Mar Garcia’s delightfully demented site, so that means you are, too. Hooray for us!
Jeff Thomson
And it does, leading from one bizarre crime scene to another, following the clues that will hopefully allow the police to stop the next murder from happening. Twisted psychological suspense ensues, making it an interesting and entertaining race against the clock. And believe me, this killer is one sick puppy, which, of course, I love. I know. I’m warped. But then you’re here on Mar Garcia’s delightfully demented site, so that means you are, too. Hooray for us!
This leads us, finally, to what I consider to be the best serial killer movie ever made: Silence of the Lambs. Quite frankly, if you haven’t seen this movie, then there’s something seriously wrong with you, but assuming you’ve been trapped in a dark and movie-free cavern since before 1991 (or you’ve just reached an age when your parents no longer fear or care about your psychological trauma), allow me to enlighten you.
This is only the third movie in history to be so awarded (the other two are One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and It Happened One Night). That fact alone makes it worth watching, but the real reason is the brilliant job done by the two top actors.
Jeff Thomson
To begin with, it swept the top five Oscar categories for that year: Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Screenplay Based on Previously Published Material (Ted Tally, from the novel by Thomas Harris), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins) and Best Actress (Jodie Foster).
This is only the third movie in history to be so awarded (the other two are One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and It Happened One Night). That fact alone makes it worth watching, but the real reason is the brilliant job done by the two top actors. Both performances are mesmerizing. You can’t take your eyes off Jodie Foster, and Anthony Hopkins has set the serial killer bar so high, it’s possible it will never be topped. His Hannibal (the Cannibal) Lector, however, is not the only killer. Oh no! There’s also the alarmingly creepy Ted Levine, as Buffalo Bill (It puts the lotion in the basket . . .).
Honestly, what the story is about doesn’t matter, just watch the damned thing. In the dark. Alone. I dare you.
Until next time . . .
