Splat.
That’s horror.
A bucket full of blood--blood cannons hidden beneath a table.
Latex Limbs falling from the ceiling.
Since the dawn of the silver screen, gore and horror cinema have walked hand in hand,
best friends down a long and winding road--trying their hardest to avoid the plastic fantastic
entrails coming their way.
You see, since the 1963 movie, Blood Feast, written and directed by Herschel Gordon lewis
and widely considered to be the first Splatter Movie, the appetite for horror cinema raising
the blood-soaked ceiling as high as it can go, hasn’t exactly been sated, and the morbid
fascination with just how vulnerable the human body can be has been pushed to the max.
Exploitation cinema aside--some of these movies have transcended what puts the Splat in Splatter
Horror.
So, let's take a look.
Hello horror fans, what’s going on, and once again 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 curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Splatter Horror Movies.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you--that particular scene was taken from the warning trailer shown
before the original screening of the aforementioned Blood Feast, written and directed by Herschel
Gordon Lewis way back when in 1963.
And hey--stuff like that makes it pretty immersive, right?
The point is, there are many--many movies that technically deserve their place on a
list such as this--but truth be told, gore is an acquired taste--and it’s movies that
find the right sort of balance that truly hold their own in Splatter Horror.
Cannibal Holocaust, Hostel, Two Thousand Maniacs--the list goes on and on.
So, you know what to do--let me know your picks below.
Kicking off at Number 5--Zombie, 1979
Woah!
We’ll stop there!
Hahah.
Yeah, sorry guys--but that’s reason enough to check this movie out, and truth be told--Lucio
Fulci’s Zombie is perhaps one of the finest examples of latex based Giallo-Zombie Horror,
and let’s be honest with ourselves--whilst everyone was taking a literal stab at the
zombie genre in order to get in as many buckets of gore as possible, it’s also the point
where both of these genres cross over.
Essentially, what I’m saying is--Splatter Horror and Zombie Cinema go hand in hand,
so yeah--expect the living dead.
And on that point, this movie--1979’s Zombie, also known as Zombi 2--was adapted from a
script intended to serve as a sequel to one of the most iconic zombie movies of all time,
George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.
So yeah, the more you know.
You see, the thing is, unlike Romero’s Dead series--this Zombie doesn’t do anything
in terms of narrative.
In that sense, it’s a pretty trashy movie--however.
No one is watching this movie for the narrative--they’re watching it for the gore.
And in that regard--Zombie is one of the ultimate undead movies.
Plain and simple--it is buckets of gore.
Directed by the legend of Giallo cinema, The Godfather of Gore--Lucio Fulci, and written
by Elisa Briganti and Dardano Sacchetti--Zombie tells the tale of a Caribbean Island cursed
by an ancient voodoo, where the long dead ancestors of the Island rise from the dead
and attack the living.
Classic fare, really--and as we said--it was adapted from the original screenplay by Sacchetti
that was intended to serve as a sequel to Dawn of the Dead.
It stars Tisa Farrow as Anne, the daughter of a scientist who has been at sea for months--when
his boat washes up into New York City Harbor--sparking her to search for him, which eventually leads
her to the Caribbean island of Matul.
Again, yadda yadda yadda--she meets a few people along the way who, obviously, are compelled
to help her on her journey--and then as soon as she arrives on the island--we’re talking
underwater zombies, we’re talking eyes impaled on wooden splinters which is pretty difficult
to watch to be honest--and some of the most anatomically explosive scenes of the late
70s and 80s.
This movie paved the way for Italian Cinema’s propensity for splatter horror--and because
of that, it’s one of the best.
Coming in at Number 4--Ichi The Killer, 2001
Okay.
Here we go.
Let's slow down for a moment.
Truth be told, I’ve wanted to feature Ichi the Killer on this channel for quite some
time--and whilst I’ve also seen a few of you guys bringing it up in the comment section,
the truth of the matter is, it’s pretty hard for it to find a place on any list.
Because--well, it’s one of the strangest and most unique movies ever made.
Really, it’s that weird--but also that’s exactly what makes it so great.
In fact, I’m not even entirely sure if it should be on this list--but still--maybe that’s
the point of it.
Asian cinema, particularly Korean and Japanese Cinema--has quite the penchant for delivering
gore in a wholeheartedly unique way--and truthfully, we could fill an entire list with some of
their best movies.
Also, as a side note--we already have a J-Horror List, if you’re wondering why they’re
not included here.
So go check that one out.
This movie though, Ichi the Killer--deserves its place here today, not only because of
it’s remarkably well written adaptation of an equally awesome story--but because of
its use of physical effects, and in that sense--it’s one of the best demonstrations of the correct
blend between digital and practical gore.
Directed by Takashi Miike, one of the most brilliant Japanese directors to have ever
lived--with a screenplay by Sakichi Sato based upon the manga series of the same name created
by Hideo Yamamoto.
The film tells the tale of Ichi--an otherwise unassuming and cowardly young man, who also
just so happens to be a deeply disturbed psychopathic killer.
After being used as a pawn by the scheming Jijii, who manipulates Ichi into brutally
murdering the local Yakuza boss--a man named Kakihara, the crime bosses sadomasochistic
enforcer--is despatched to figure out just exactly what went down.
You know what--Ichi the Killer isn’t a horror film, and it harkens back to what we said
previously about this movie being one of the most unique films ever made--but the *elements*
of horror behind it, particularly when it comes to Splatter Horror--are something else
entirely.
Ichi The Killer is a whirlwind of a movie.
I’m not sure what it is--but deep down beneath it’s DNA--this movie defines what gore in
cinema *can* be.
In that sense, it subverts the oversaturation of violence and bloodshed and an incredibly
intelligent manner.
In many ways, in it’s own unique manner--it is critical of violence for the sake of violence--but
most importantly--this movie is really bloody entertaining.
And that’s all that matters.
Next up at Number 3--Re-Animator, 1985
YIKES!
And it’s also important to note, that I’m feeling spicy--so I’m also including the
whole Re-Animator series on this point--because Splatter Horror abound--and they are certainly
some of the best.
So yeah, Bride of Re-Animator, and Beyond Re-Animator too--although the latter isn’t
in the same league, but hey--three’s company.
The truth is--excuse the pun, but 1985’s Re-Animator embodies what it means to truly
pull of Splatter Horror--and hopefully it will be a theme that you will pick up on in
our next few entries.
Splatter Horror, for lack of a better phrase--needs to be funny.
There is a reason why gore needs a morbid humour to it for it to be enjoyable--else
it would just be far too harrowing for the sake of it.
It links it back to an opening point--splatter horror is the demonstration of the vulnerability
of the human body.
It taps into that you either laugh or you cry kind of mentality.
You see, particularly throughout the late 70s and into the 80s--Splatter Horror hit
a kind of fever pitch.
It was a time where physical effects were still at their most creative--and that’s
exactly what was needed to make this kind of gore palatable.
Re-Animator is perhaps one of the greatest demonstrations of that, and of course--it’s
down to the awesome Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna partnership that deliver us some of
the most memorable moments in splatter horror history.
Written and directed by Stuart Gordon, and based upon the H.P Lovecraft short story--Herbert
West--Reanimator--it stars the remarkable Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West himself, a student
of medicine at the University of Zurich who unwittingly brings his professor, Dr. hans
Gruber, back to life.
As is always the case when you employ a medical monkey’s paw though--or, you know, you get
the dosage wrong--there are some pretty horrific side effects--and so ensues 90 minutes of
some of the most remarkable splatter horror caught on film.
Really, Re-Animator is such an entertaining movie that it’s hard not to bring a smile,
and it defines the point we were trying to make earlier.
We’re in on the joke.
The gore *works* because we’re entertained by it.
The physical effects in this movie are absolutely brilliant--and John Naulin, the artist behind
them--explicitly stated that this was the goriest movie he’d ever worked on.
He used 24 gallons of fake blood.
That’s like--a pretty large fish tank.
Of Blood.
Coming in at Number 2--The Evil Dead, 1981
And it would only take a sequel for us to realise that some deadite’s bleed green!
Who would’ve thought it?
The thing is though guys--we just can’t talk about Splatter Horror without giving
credit to one of the most definitive horror movies of the sub-genre--and whilst Evil Dead
2 is perhaps heavier on the Splatter in Horror than the original, in terms of scary--Sam
Raimi’s The Evil Dead hits the sweet spot right between the two.
Truth be told, 1981’s Evil Dead is a pretty frickin’ terrifying horror movie for the
uninitiated--and yeah, I’m including the trees--the trap door--and all the Necronomicon
Nasties that you could imagine in that estimation.
Although we spoke briefly about Splatter Horror needing to cut some of the fat by keeping
it a little tongue in cheek for an audience to get behind it’s buckets of blood--The
Evil Dead seemed to balance it to near perfection, and perhaps that’s why Evil Dead 2 got away
with being pretty much a straight up remake, just with more gore and a boat load of laughs.
The original though, there’s nothing *that* funny about it--because it’s scary, guys.
This movie perfectly blends the horror fantasy of practical effects with straight up atmospheric
dread that it’s a master class in the art of making movies that you love.
And so, it’s certainly a good job that as kids--Sam Raimi and Ash Williams were best
friends--because they went on to live their lives with that same kind of DIY-horror punk
spirit--and they went on to make a movie, that on paper shouldn’t have worked--but
they crafted it with such love and affection that it can do no wrong in the eyes of many
horror fans.
You see, it doesn’t really matter if you love the Evil Dead Universe or not--because
the original 1981 movie is the definition of a horror showstopper.
In many ways, it’s a melting pot of pretty much every cinematic trope that works well
together--and perhaps that’s why it gets away with the morbid fascination of Splatter
Horror.
The woods, teenagers in a cabin--a trap door, an evil demonic book.
That’s all we want, really.
And also, The Evil Dead has one of the most remarkable character arcs for any horror icon
ever.
Ash Williams goes from annoyingly lucky coward to unrequited badass in 85 minutes--and gets
covered in buckets of blood in the process.
The Chainsaw Hand certainly becomes him.
And finally, coming in at our Number 1 spot--Dead Alive, 1992
Whilst all of the movies that have appeared so far on this list are a credit to the art
of gore in horror cinema--only one of them is pretty much perfection.
Hint, it’s this one.
Dead Alive is one of the goriest movies ever made.
And whilst it is comfortable as one of the goriest movies ever made--it is also one of
the most charming horror movies ever made--and when we talk about striking this weird kind
of balance between gore for the sake of gore, and the actual craftsmanship and creativity
behind utilising physical effects in horror--this movie is the definitive demonstration of that.
This movie is so ridiculous--and employs gore at literally every given opportunity--that
it becomes a layer of comedy in itself.
Where you think there couldn’t possibly be a moment for a deluge of blood to come
cascading down a corridor--that’s exactly where it strikes.
This movie blends ears with custard--and it makes us eat it along the way--and you know
what?
We’re fine with that.
You see, we spoke previously about The Evil Dead being made with love--and so too was
this movie--and deep down, despite its comedic trappings, Dead Alive is actually a pretty
moving tale about a young man finally standing up for himself.
Hey, like I said--layers--and you can pull them away like the decayed flesh of a Sumatran
rat-monkey.
And who better to deliver us such a tall tale, than the remarkable titan of cinema, Peter
Jackson.
You see, Dead Alive, also known as Braindead--tells the tale of Lionel Cosgrove, played by Timothy
Balme, who is awesome in this movie--an unassuming man who lives with his domineering mother
Vera--in a huge Victorian Mansion out in the suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand.
Unbeknownst to him though--Vera has been bitten by a ravenous Sumatran rat-monkey that was
discovered during an expedition to the legendary Skull Island and shipped back to Wellington
Zoo without anyone batting an eyelid.
Yeah.
Don’t ask.
Because after that, Vera and her meddling ways unleashes the kind of Splatter Horror
chaos never before seen--the kind of which that has more blood, gore and guts than pretty
much all of the entries on this list combined.
Really, it is staggering how much gore there is in this movie--but, you see, that’s not
just the be all and end all of Dead Alive--because Peter Jackson also managed to cram in some
absolutely brilliant dialogue and characterisation into this horror extraordinaire.
This movie was made with love, and before Jackson was at the top of his filmmaking game
with Lord of the Rings--he was at the top of his Splatter Horror game--with this.
Highly recommended.
Well, there we have it horror fans--our list for the Top 5 Scariest Splatter Horror Movies.
What do you guys think?
Do you agree?
Disagree?
Have any more to add to this list?
Then let us know your thoughts down in the comment section below, as well as any choice
picks of your own.
Before we depart from today's video though, let’s first take a quick look at some of
your more creative comments from over the past few days.
Lee Gray says--
You’ve got a cult following at my fire station.
We have y’alls channel on almost all shift.
Much love from Alabama, USA.
-- You know what, Lee Gray?
This is one of the favourite comments of all time.
Thank you guys, really.
And also, keep saving lives.
And we can’t really top that--so unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got time for in today's
video, cheers for sticking around all the way until the end.
OUTRO.