Underrated Horror Films for the Season: Part II
The Funhouse (1981, Tobe Hooper)
There's something about the traveling carnival that always brings a certain creepy vibe to a town. From the old eerie sideshows, the freak shows, the carnies themselves and of course the funhouses. To which this film clearly plays on and draws influence from the likes of films like the great Nightmare Alley (soon to be remade by Guillermo del Toro) and of course Freaks.
Director Tope Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) had actually turned down Spielberg's offer to direct E.T. in order to make this chiller, and man does he direct the shit out of this. With an opening homage to both Psycho and Halloween, it basically revolves around a typical suburban family who's daughter pretends to go to the movies but instead heads to the shifty traveling carnival on her first date with another couple.
But things get real, after deciding to spend the night at the funhouse when they witness a murder by a terrifying anomaly. It's no longer fun and games, and the star of the show here defiantly goes to the main barker (and father of the anomaly) Kevin Conway, in a most chilling performance. Though this may be the least forgotten film on this list, it's still incredibly under-rated.
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Burnt Offerings (1976, Dan Curtis)
A film (and book) that is said to have influenced Stephen King's The Shining, this was indeed a pleasant surprise for me, as I had only just discovered this little horror gem. Directed by cult TV director Dan Curtis, who previously directed The Night Strangler, of which I'm a big fan, and who is also known for his infamous television series Dark Shadows, which Tim Burton later remade.
It begins with a family deciding to rent a large shabby 19th century secluded mansion for the summer, with a price that seems all too good to be true. Which of course it is, and it's soon evident that the house itself holds a somewhat sinister power over it's inhabitants. Furthermore, we get a great cast with Karen Black, Oliver Reed, a brave performance from diva legend Bette Davis and even a small appearance by Burgess Meredith.
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Dead of Night (1974, Bob Clark)
Not to be confused with the British horror masterpiece Dead of Night, it was later renamed Deathdream for it's American VHS release. Director of such great films like Black Christmas (influencer on Halloween and the slasher subgenre phenomena) and the classic A Christmas Story. And some of the worst films of all time like Rhinestone and Baby Geniuses.
An adaptation of The Monkey's Paw short story, this brilliant low budget horror film opens with American solder (Andy) killed in action in Vietnam. We then see his family receive the horrible news via telegram, only to have him return that very night. But Andy isn't the same old Andy, he's a little stiff, a little off and he doesn't even blink. In addition to this, a sting of strange murders have occurred in their area leading from the very night Andy has somehow returned, undenounced to anyone.
Clearly a take on the PTSD syndrome, the film has many layers and to which it's of course an anti-war film at it's core. It's incredibly creepy giving you that great chill down your spine that we so desire from a great horror film, mostly due to Richard Backus chilling deadpan performance of Andy. Do yourself a favour and re-discover this forgotten gem.
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It's Alive (1974, Larry Cohen)
Ok here me out. If you're looking for a horror film that's a bit bonkers but played for straight, look no further. Directed by the cult film legend who gave us Black Caesar, God Told Me To (my fav) & The Stuff, this film ended up spawning 2 sequels and a remake.
The premise here is beyond simple. We get a couple who are about to have their second child, only her contractions are nowhere as normal as her last, needless to say she's a tad worried. When it comes to delivering the baby, complications arise and the "baby" comes out with the wrath of god, managing to kill a few doctors on his way out of the delivery room. Now the entire city is on the hunt for this killer mutant "baby".
You'd expect with a title such as this and a premise this comical, we'd be in for some absurdly campy delivery. Yet despite it all, it's well made, packed with suspense and contains a terrific performance from John P. Ryan. My only issue with the film is the "baby" itself, fortunately it's given the jaws effect and we hardly ever see it up close. I had a ton of fun with this one.
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A young English couple are on holiday in Spain and are soon heading to a nearby tiny island, where he once visited as a child. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, bodies begin to wash-up on the shores. When they eventually find a small boat to rent, they venture alone to the island, only to encounter it abandoned with only a few strange children. However shit really hits the fan when some children are seen in a barn, with a man hanged upside down (piñata style) being tortured with scythes for fun. The children have all of a sudden savagely revolted towards the adults on the island.
The set up here is well built, perfectly paced, and helms a director (who previously directed The House That Screamed) who knows how to build suspense in a way that reminds us of the eeriness of The Birds. Then of course there's the protagonists main problem here which lies in the title itself, who can kill a child? Well if you've seen Children of the Corn, you know to just pull the damn trigger!
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HONOURABLE MENTION:
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974, Jorge Grau)
This Spanish-Italian sleeper zombie flick, aka The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, may not be for everyone. But if you consider yourself a zombie film fanatic, you may wanna check this one out.
Basically an English man (George) and woman (Edna) cross paths on their way and encounter these living dead, but with a blundering inspector after them, George is constantly being blamed for the deaths. The highlight of the film is the ambience, it's clearly influenced by the work of Romero and the gore factor here is quite height for 1974. It's an unsettling film that is a clearly a political stance on environmentally harmful products, which is what is basically causing this epidemic.
Granted the acting (or dubbing) isn't exactly top-notch here, nor are the characters even really likable. What really stands out is the incredibly over the top performance from veteran actor Arthur Kennedy. An incredibly short-sighted inspector sporting a hilariously fictitious "Irish" accent that thinks all of today's youth are hippie junkies, as though imitating an authority figure from Reefer Madness.
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