This Friday is special, it’s Friday the 13th. For fans of the horror genre, it’s a perfect day to curl up on the couch and watch your favourite horror movies, whether it’s psychological horror, science fiction horror, slasher horror or zombie horror.
Here are some cult favourite horror films to start the binge-watching session:
Friday the 13th
A discussion on horror films is not complete without the 2009 Friday the 13th film. The franchise consists of almost 12 films, comics and TV shows. The whole franchise focuses on the fictional yet delusional character of Jason Voorhees. The character and its background were created by Victor Miller in 1980 with the first Friday the 13th film. Ever since it’s release, the slasher genre became hugely popular. The masked villain has always been a favourite of the horror movie fans across the world.
Just like how Jason Voorhees slashed away his victims, A Nightmare On Elm Street has Freddy Krueger who comes in people’s nightmares and kills his preys. Created by Wes Craven, whose name is synonymous with the horror genre, the plot deals with Freddy Krueger, a child molester who got burnt and killed by the children’s parents. He returns from his grave to terrorise and kill the teenagers of Springwood, Ohio. In 2003, there was a crossover film which featured the characters of Freddy and Jason from Friday the 13th.
Scream
Scream is another popular horror franchise that comes from the world of Wes Craven. A total of four films from this series have released between 1996 and 2011 and all four films were directed by Craven. With creative partner Kevin Williamson, Craven has created the story of a masked psychic killer. The Ghostface has became a symbol of disharmony, terror and evil in the American society.
The Shining
Based on Stephen King’s novel, The Shining is produced and directed by auteur Stanley Kubrick. Set during the winter season, the story deals with the life of Jack Torrance and his wife Wendy, who take care of Overlook Hotel in Colorado Rockies. Their son Danny has the ability to dream about the horrific past of the Overlook Hotel. Jack and his family is confined to this hotel, without any other human contact. Jack slips into madness and loses his cool which results in a series of horrifying scenes. The Shining is considered as one of the greatest horror films ever to be made. The “Here’s Johnny” scene has a cult of its own.
Satan’s Slave
The official 2017 remake of the Indonesian horror movie, Satan’s Slave (Pengabdi Setan) is their answer to James Wann’s Conjuring or the Insidious series. The film revolves around a mother dying of some unknown illness with weird body posture, who goes looking for a job, a hearing impaired younger son and two other siblings. Turns out the family is cursed by the Satan. The plot thickens when the dead mother returns home to pick up her children. Screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala, the film sure terrified the audience.
Honourable mentions:
Halloween
It
The Omen
The Exorcist
The Babadook
