Travelling at such breakneck speed, horror cinema can sometimes feel like a dime a dozen
when it comes to movies that are actually worth watching.
When we really get down to brass tacks though, there are a staggering amount of horror flicks
released each year - and since the 1970’s, an average of 250 feature films per year were
released into the visual slipstream of horror.
Now though, that number has skyrocketed - and an average of 900 films per year are released
worldwide, including independent cinema.
And although we wish we could, there are only so many hours in a day, and it’s difficult
to find the time to fully digest some of the greatest flicks vastly forgotten by horror
cinema.
But - that’s why we’re here, right?
So let’s take a look.
Hello horror fans, and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top 5 Scary
Videos - as per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we rummage through
the vinyl collection of the long, lost greats - and take a look at the Top 5 Scariest Forgotten
Horror Movies.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that clip was from Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher masterpiece,
Scream - and on that note - I’ll be right back.
-- Oh, not again Lucy.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Roadgames, 1981
And the fact that this film is widely forgotten by the mainstream is a feat in and off itself
- because stylistically, Roadgames is a visual treat that was way ahead of its time.
It’s also widely considered by none other than Quentin Tarantino to be his favourite
film ever made.
If that’s not an accolade, I don’t know what is.
Released in 1981, Roadgames is an Australian horror-thriller set in the outback, produced
and directed by Richard Franklin, and written by Everett De Roche - and starring, you just
wait for it - the one, the only - Jamie Lee Curtis - during a time when her career as
the greatest Final Girl of horror history had already been cemented in John Carpenter’s
Halloween.
She figured she’d head over to Australia, shoot this film - and everyone kind of forgot
about it.
But they shouldn’t have - because it’s really, really good.
What plays out is an incredibly straightforward storyline - a truck driver named Patrick Quid,
played by the formidable Stacy Keach - travels across the outback, picks up a hitchhiker,
Jamie Lee Curtis - all the while, a killer is on the loose.
And because of that simple storyline, what plays out is an almost Hitchcockian runaway
train - with direct nods to the tight dialogue and characterization of Rear Window and North
by Northwest.
If you’re into equal parts sweeping vistas and equal parts close quarters violence - you’ll
love this film.
Coming in at Number 4 - Parents, 1989
Alright - you’ll either love this film or you’ll hate it - because the very DNA of
this film is divisive in nature, and it’s a questionable subjective approach to confront
what is, essentially psychological child abuse - with what is also essentially a throwback
horror comedy.
But for me, it works - and 1989’s Parents is a gem of over-amplified yet endearing horror.
Directed by Bob Balaban and written by Christopher Hawthorne, Parents tells the story of a ten
year old kid named Michael, and his parents Nick and Lily - who’ve just moved from Massachusetts
to a new neighborhood in 1954 suburbia.
Also - turns out that his parents are cannibals, and they’re in the habit of killing people
- chopping them up, and serving it to the poor kid, unbeknownst to him - in his Spaghetti
Bolognese.
Not cool, parents - not cool at all.
Yeah, listen - this film was an absolute flop at the box office - and Balaban’s foray
into feature filmmaking never truly recovered - but if you scratch away the surface, Parents
is just an incredibly entertaining and straight-up grotesque display of mom and pop suburban
horror.
While the tone may be off in some parts, the fact that we see this whole thing through
the eyes of a child is horrifying enough.
Next up at Number 3 - The Gate, 1987
And for many people throughout the 90s - this was the film that would randomly pop up late
at night on a rerun horror channel, unsuspectingly to scare the living daylights out of us.
For a kid, 1987’s The Gate is actually a terrifying movie - but watching it later in
life, it’s such an entertaining horror flick that it’s hard to pass it by.
And also, given that this film was given a meager 2.5 million budget for what was essentially
intended to be a blockbuster feature, it’s incredible what was stylistically achieved.
Written by Michael Nankin and directed by Tibor Takacs - The Gate is essentially The
Goonies for lovers of Lovecraftian fiction.
The plot follows a kid called Glen, who alongside his buddies, discover a portal to a nightmarish
domain of evil gods, right in his backyard - and what plays out is a classic tale of
a bunch of ramshackled suburban kids trying to battle the forces of evil.
But this film shines in its small nuanced scenes where the true horror begins to reveal
itself.
I don’t really want to ruin anything - but there’s a scene where Glenn dreams that
he’s dancing with what he thinks is his dead mother -- but it turns out to be something
much, much more horrifying.
Give this one a watch - you’ll have fun either way.
Swinging in at Number 2 - Opera, 1987
Uhhhhh - man.
This film is insane.
We briefly spoke about Italian giallo horror a week or so ago, and 1987’s Opera is perhaps
one of the best modern demonstrations of this strange and alluring style of horror cinema.
Also known as Terror at the Opera, this film was written and directed by Italian cinematic
legend, Dario Argento - the man also responsible for the fantastic 1977 supernatural thriller,
Suspiria - and Opera follows the story of a woman named Betty, the unwitting star of
an avant-garde production of Verdi’s Macbeth, who is stalked by a mysterious and exceedingly
violent killer.
It’s a fantastic, horrific mystery - and stylistically is a frantic joy to watch.
The thing is though, director Dario Argento refused to budge when the studio tried to
cut the last eleven minutes of this film - and because of that, Opera was never released
theatrically - only being made available in the US as a VHS release.
I think perhaps, if it was released fully to theatres, then this film would have cemented
its place amongst the greats of horror cinema - 1987 was a year of hits and misses for horror
cinema, but Opera would have probably taken the box office top spot.
And finally, at our Number 1 spot - Cronos, 1993
And dammit - I just love this film.
And for those of you that don’t know, Cronos is the first-feature film ever made by the
main man himself, Guillermo del Toro - although widely, it never truly received the recognition
that it deserved.
Released in 1993, and written and directed by Guillermo del Toro - Cronos tells the story
of Jesus Gris - a religious antiques dealer who miraculously comes into possession of
an ancient mechanical, scarab like device - that inadvertently dishes out the power
of eternal life.
But, by eternal life - what we really mean, is vampirism.
It’s interesting though, because like with most of del Toros’ work - this isn’t exactly
a film about vampires, yet relies on his painfully original blend of mythology and religious
iconography to deliver an authentic tale of fantasy and suspense, rooted in atmospheric
horror.
Again, like with most of his work - Cronos could easily be lifted straight from the folklore
of South America and Europe - none of which is based in oversaturated gore - but instead,
delivered as the dark horror and violence of humanity’s brush with the magical and
the mystic.
As del Toro painfully continues to remind us - there is a price to pay for the curious.
Cronos is great.
Just give it a watch.
Well - unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video - why don’t
you let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below, and speak your mind on
the forgotten movies of horror cinema.
Before we depart though, let’s read out some of your more creative comments from over
the past few days.
First up, Luna Flame says -- Can I have a shout out?
Your channel is amazing!
-- Well, yeah!
For sure Luna Flame, you got it.
You are also equally amazing.
Next up, Gunther Coco says -- Let me get a shout bro plz I love your videos man.
-- Well, whilst we’re on the topic - of course you can Gunther Coco.
Four for you Gunther Coco.
You go Gunther Coco.
-- That was a Mean Girls reference guys, if you didn’t get it.
And finally - Jiggy Joe says -- Hey I love all your videos so much could you please shout
me out if you don’t mind -- and well Jiggy Joe, I don’t mind at all my good buddy.
My work here is done.
Well, on that note horror fans - cheers for sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video, make sure to hit that thumbs up button - as well as
that subscribe bell, and I’ll be seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.