Nostromo's Top 50 Cocktail Party

My Top 50's been a tad cold on horror so far, but fear not, bc here comes a hot streak! Kicking off with the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott, Ghostface, Gale Weathers, Dewey, & the rest of the Scream family. The films follow Sidney (Neve Campbell), who becomes the target in a mysterious series of murders where the killer haunts and terrorizes their victims. There's humor & twists, with references to the classics. These are the movies that revitalized the horror and slash genre in the mid to late 1990's. All three are really close in my mind, as far as quality and how much i enjoy them. And that's why they're all here packed together. What's your favorite scary movie?

It's Christmas break at the sorority house, and the sisters make plans for the holidays. Jess (Olivia Hussey) is the focal point, she's pregnant but doesn't really like her boyfriend all that much and is planning an abortion. Margot Kidder as Barb is the house drunk with stories and jokes. And John Saxon is Lieutenant Fuller, the police chief, a personal favorite actor of mine. A familiar face for fans of another slash franchise ;) Black Christmas was a relatively forgotten slash flick upon release in the 70's, one that is thick with creepy atmosphere, POV shots, & slow burn tension that builds up to a rewarding finale.

- Excuse me? Could you give me the number at the sorority house? Please?
- Yeah, sure. It's, uh... Fellatio 20880. Fellatio. It's a new exchange, FE.
- That's a new one on me. How do you spell it?
- Capital F, E, little L, LA, TIO.

Feels right that this edges out Scream, bc in space, no one can hear you ______. Ridley Scott's sci fi classic is essentially a B-movie concept, a haunted house slasher in space. Yet the visuals are quite possibly my favorite of any movie even up to modern times- thanks to the alliance of artist HR Giger and Ridley Scott. The story begins with a commercial towing starship carrying 20 million tons of mineral ore back to earth, until they are interrupted by a distress signal. Grimy industrial space machinery, biomechanical acid monster, and sweaty feminism courtesy of Sigourney Weaver.
I admire its purity. a survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality

Lean's sprawling and majestic epic, where to start? The story is about T.E. Lawrence, a real-life British Army officer who helped spring the Arab revolt against the Turks during World War I. He's played here by Peter O'Toole in one of the more memorable roles, period. It's fascinating bc there is ambiguity to his enigmatic character, the writing here is superb, to go along with the vast and awe-inspiring desert vistas. It's got to be one of the best screenplays ever written, and I'd find it difficult to argue it's not the best 'epic' yet made even up 'til today... 50+ years after its release. And how about the cast, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness, & Claude Rains join O'Toole. The only thing that can be said against it is that it is LoOoOoOng, and it doesn't pander and surrender to short attention spans. Depending on your point of view, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. Cannot deny that I suffer from a short attention span at times, yet I can't help but stand in awe of Lawrence of Arabia, even if i have to take a break and do something else once or twice during its 3.5+ hour runtime.

My friends, we have been foolish. Auda will not come to Aqaba. Not for money...
No.
For Feisal...
No!
Nor to drive away the Turks. He will come... because it is his pleasure.
Thy mother mated with a scorpion.

#19. HALLOWEEN
(John Carpenter, 1978)

This flick seems to be a point of contention amongst some of us regulars at MovieForums. Totally different kind of movie than the one above. I can put this one in and enjoy it like the breeze at pretty much any time. It brings me back to my memories in my childhood running around with my friends in the neighborhood tick-or-treating on Halloween night. I always loved to see the scary decorations people would put up. As a kid I loved the atmosphere of Halloween night, & the smell of burning pumpkins. Well, John Carpenter captures that same thing here, for me. He essentially created a legend of Halloween night... Michael Myers. The Shape... donning a pale white William Shatner mask. Carpenter's original vision was that he'd create a new Halloween story each year, but that didn't end up working out for him, as the market demanded more Michael Myers. It is low budget, crafty camera tricks, & that music. I never try and think of this as more than a fun Halloween adventure, and that's why I love it. Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year

Unfortunately there are going to be several 'obvious' picks that won't make the cut in my Top 50, just not enough room. But Psycho won't be one of them. The tale inspired by real-life wacko Ed Gein from Plainfield, Wisconsin. The grave-robbing, murderous, cannibal who wore masks made out of real skin. A struggling writer named Robert Bloch heard about Gein's shameless exploits and wrote the book Psycho. The story became a best-seller and Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, made it into a feature film. The movie is simple, low budget, and masterfully crafted. Now is a perfect time to love it... when much of what we get from Hollywood today is overblown, overbudget, & overlong fluff
It's not like my mother is a maniac or a raving thing. She just goes a little mad sometimes.
We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?

Rented this late one night about 2+ years ago, and to my surprise was treated with one of the best movies I'd ever seen. One of those rare movies that blew me away completely and had me entranced for every minute. This is up there for me as another of the greatest screenplays, written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. The story is about a hack screenwriter named Joe Gillis, played by William Holden, who helps re-write a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into obscurity... Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond. Thankfully I had explored some silent movies prior to my initial viewing of Sunset Blvd, so I recognized Buster Keaton in his short cameo, who I enjoyed in The General. Billy Wilder's dark and twisted roast of Hollywood is undoubtedly a favorite and a classic that I will always remember and treasure. I'd take it with me to my desert island

No one ever leaves a star. That's what makes one a star.

Poor dope. He always wanted a pool. Well, in the end, he got himself a pool

This movie draws me in, and makes me curious... so that I can't pull my eyes away, like a magnetism. As the story unfolds, weird stuff ensues that I wouldn't imagine in a nightmare. I very much like the character Father Damien Karras, played by Jason Miller, a guy who is worn out by his line of work as a jesuit psychiatrist. He's had enough of having to sort through people's issues and wants out... Little does Father Karras know, the motherload of dilemmas lies ahead with Regan (Linda Blair) and the demon Pazuzu... derived from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology by William Peter Blatty. Definitely one of the best horror movies, for me, and a strong movie overall regardless of genre
The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us.
The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don't listen to him. Remember that - do not listen.