Writer / Producer Kevin Sommerfield’s Top 10 Horror Movies

Scaretissue is proud to present another guest contributor, Kevin Sommerfield from Slasher Studios.  Slasher Studios is responsible for such short films as Teddy, Popularity Killer, and Blood Brothers.  Their first full length feature, Don’t Go To The Reunion, is now available on DVD after winning the Audience Choice Award at Killer Film Festival.  The film tells the tail of a prank gone wrong as someone is out for some blood revenge.   You can follow Kevin Sommerfield (and his partner at Slasher Studios, Steve Goltz) on the web at  http://www.slasherstudios.com, or on Twitter (@slasherstudios) and Facebook (slasherstudios).

We asked Kevin what movies haunt/inspire him, and these are his answers:

10. Curtains (1983)

With an upcoming Blu-ray release from Synapse on the horizon, this
underrated slasher will finally see the light of day for the first time in
the United States. Several actresses drying for the role of a lifetime
tormented by a psycho in a hag mask? It’s even better than it sounds.

9. Tourist Trap (1979)

Creepy as hell. As a kid I would have nightmares of someone pouring
plaster over my face to make me into a wax figure like the characters in this film. It still freaks me out to this date and the score is one of my all time favorites.

8. Terror At The Red Wolf Inn (1972)

If there is a movie on this list that most horror fans need to check out ASAP, it is this one. Only available in the United States in a cruddy 2 pack but soon to be re-released by Code Red, this one tells the tell of a college student who wins a “trip” to a farmhouse for an “all you can eat” week. It’s all very strange with some delightful black humor.

7. Happy Birthday to Me (1981)

Happy Birthday to Me is preposterous, over-the-top, and silly but so very fun. A blend of all of the 80’s excesses rolled into one far too long film (outside of the Scream franchise NO horror movie should run upwards of two hours). Nonetheless, Birthday works. Maybe it is the silly deaths (gotta love the shish-ka-bob to the mouth or the weights to the crotch) or maybe its the outlandish ending that doesn’t even try to make any sense whatsoever. Whatever it is, this movie put a blood red smile across my face for the majority of its running time. Great atmosphere, steady cinematography, and a capable cast also help matters considerably.  I can’t say this is a great movie by any stretch of the imagination but if you are looking for a fine, fun 80’s slasher, this is definitely one of the better ones.

6. Cabin Fever (2002)

Cabin Fever is a no-holds-bars white knuckle horror-comedy that is both scarier and funnier than 95% of the other crap out there. The setup is simple: Five teens decide to go camping out in the woods at an old cabin when, one-by-one, they begin to become the victims of a killer flesh eating virus. As one might expect, many characters are killed in an awesome over-the-top gory fashion and there is a solid amount of nudity for a 2003 horror flick. It can be argued that this movie is not for everyone but fans of 80’s gore films will be in gore heaven.

5. The People Under the Stairs (1991)

This movie works as a social parable about the rich and the poor but works even better as a balls-to-the-wall action/horror comedy that is just about as weird and crazy as you would imagine. I can’t recommend this movie to everyone but for those looking for a little leather gimp action, a crazy incest plot, and lots of hillbilly kids. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

4. Detention (2011)

One of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen and I mean that in the best possible way.. A test to see if you will like this film, when a confrontation gets ugly a reply to the bully is, “Sorry, I gotta go. Hotel for Dogs is on cable.” Make you laugh or smile a little? Well then, Detention is the movie for you. Loaded with gore, strong performances by a more than capable cast, one kicking soundtrack, and more pop cultural references than you can shake a stick at…”Detention is Scream meets Scott Pilgram with a dash or two of Kaboom? It makes for one wild cocktail. Want a drink?

3. Scream (1996)

Scream made horror movies scary again with a brilliantly constructed plot, a fun self-aware attitude, and one hell of an opening scene. Without Scream, horror in the 90’s would be a dead zone for entertainment. For better or worse, this was the film that brought back the slasher subgenre. I, for one, am very happy about that and this movie still holds up today.

2. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

New Nightmare is that rare horror in which everything works. The performances are pitch perfect, lead by a tour-de-force performance by the amazing Heather Langenkamp. The script is full of twists and turns and the movie is quite possibly the best looking of the entire series. What starts out as a maze of mirrors becomes something much more than your typical nightmare. The film examines the role film plays on those who watch it.  Something that Wes Craven’s Scream would play out to great effect two years later. I really can’t say enough about this film and homages to the original are expertly placed. It is one of my favorite horror films of all time and a modern classic.

1. Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas is quite simply the best horror movie I’ve ever seen. Some give the credit to Halloween to being the first real American slasher film but that simply is not fair. Black Christmas did it first and did it better. It is the grandmother of the slasher film, four years before Halloween. The power of Black Christmas is impossible to deny; its characters are compelling, the imagery poignant, and the acting top-notch.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you are in for one scary “Christmas” treat.

(We’d like to once again thank Kevin for being a guest contributor to ScareTissue.com.  Every horror fan has a top 10 list, and we will be bringing the readers a new top 10 list weekly from those in the business.  If you are interested in contributing your list please contact us.)