Welcome back to my series of effectively a massive list of horror films to watch. Last time out we got to the D’s in our ABC’s and now we move on to E! Fun times. Without further ado, here are 10 horror films to watch beginning with the letter E. If you are wanting a list of the previous films their links will be at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!
The Exorcist (1973)
Imagine writing a horror list and NOT including this film, you would be banned for life. It is strange to watch a film, especially a horror and not find one weak spot in the casting. Alien had similar luck to it in this vein. Everyone is cast so well and fulfil their role with expert ease. A lot of comments are always towards Linda Blair who had to go through so much in her role. This is given rightfully so, her career should have shot to the stars after such a performance, sadly that wasn’t to be.
Interestingly on re-watches, there is a lot of build to the exorcism. In some other directors’ hands, this would be a death knell. With Friedkin, he can masterfully keep us not only emotionally connected to the MacNeill’s but to also watch us hope for Father Karras. Purposely cutting sharply away from one and the other to disorientate us before the final act. Is The Exorcist the perfect horror film? You would have to say that it is close to it if it isn’t.
Event Horizon (1997)
Wrongly scathed by critics on its release, I feel that Event Horizon has a lot going for it and was certainly as bold as it comes for a late 90s horror film. It really should be noted how much horror was in trouble during that 90s period.
Event Horizon came along and shook things up a little by going to the old troupe of casting spectacularly well and having a good idea and deaths. The only true thing that hurts the film is the script and the effects. The story is sound, but sadly the dialogue does hurt it. Does it hurt it enough to make it unwatchable? Not one bit. There is still enough here to enjoy especially in a group setting.
Evil Dead (2013)
I am not sure how big this camp is, but I very much enjoyed the Evil Dead remake/sequel/whatever they deemed it to be. I have always felt that it was not as loved as it should have been, but for me, it delivered in everything it needed to. Did it have characters that I enjoyed and sympathised for? Yes. Did it bring the madness of an Evil Dead film? Yes, it did. Did it bring all the gore and blood? You betcha! It had everything it needed to be great.
If you were looking for a slightly more serious version of Evil Dead, then this is the one for you. I would have been annoyed if it had tried to fully copy the originals. This wanted to go its own path and had the budget to do so and I respect that a lot. Jane Levy is a force in this film and what she and her character go through deserves a watch alone.
The Evil Dead (1981)
You will need to forgive me for the next couple of additions to this week’s post. It is The Evil Dead heavy… In the end, that is a positive, for a series to be able to create multiple top picks for its genre is a testament to the work of the crew. No one saw The Evil Dead coming when it arrived in theatres. Made for a princely (ahem) $350,000 with an unknown filmmaker and cast this had the hallmarks of being a standard 80s horror flick.
But what we get instead is a gruesome mental splurge of insanity that visuals that you would be hard placed to focus on them all as they are flung at you. Sure, the story is bare thin, but it didn’t have to be an epic tale. If the tale had more twists and acts, then I think it would have got lost in itself. This is a tight film and by jeez if it isn’t just fun.
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
How do you follow up one of the best horrors of the decade? You forget it existed and start again. Strange idea I know, but that is how Evil Dead 2 goes. Raimi and Campbell found gold together and by leaning further into their love of The Three Stooges we are presented with an unforgivably gory film that tries to pack as many laughs as it does scares.
For the uninitiated this will be a joy, for those who have seen it before, then you will welcome Evil Dead 2 back into your heart like a long-lost friend. Evil Dead 2 is a lot of things and superlatives can be thrown its way quite easily. But the best sell of the film for those who enjoyed the original. It is amp has been turned up to 11 this time out.
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Where films such as The Evil Dead show you every ounce of gore and horror possible. Eyes Without a Face goes in the opposite direction and not only manages to still shock and scare you. But does so with simpler techniques, out of focus shots to cover poor Christianes disfigured face etc. The writing and acting are on a top-shelf level that most horrors would dream of and it really makes the audience think they are seeing more than they are. For a film 60 years old, it is amazing that such a scene as operation one was made. In a time when gore is king, it is ultimately reassuring to witness a film that used such scenes when it needed to and left the rest up to the eyes of the beholder. A truly underappreciated classic.
Eraserhead (1977)
There are some that will say that David Lynch’s first film Eraserhead was in fact, his best one. The intensity that Eraserhead has in comparison to his later films is rarely matched. Lynch seemingly works best when the film is clear and to the point. When it starts to get away from itself it can get too lost. This most certainly was not the case for then student Lynch during the making of Eraserhead. A German expressionism horror for the then-modern age. Bizarre and glorious all at once.
Despite its surrealist and abstract visuals, Eraserhead is in fact, a film about an aimless guy who suddenly has to take responsibility and is utterly inept at doing so and that we see all of his insecurities on the screen instead. A rocket of a film, but one that needs to be seen to be believed.
The Endless (2017)
A film that I only recently got to watch but one that I added in because of just how impressed I was with the cinematography and score. You really would have imagined that it had a far higher budget than it did. In the end, the film is about the relationship of the two brothers, but also the idea of control. The film loses its way in the second half a little as it becomes a little too convoluted with time loops. This doesn’t mean that it detracts from the film, it merely stops it from being so much better than it could have. For those in the mood for a great low-key film. Though it would be a good idea to watch the filmmaker’s previous film Resolution as there are some awesome call-backs to it.
Eden Lake (2008)
One of the best British horror films to come out of the 2000s. A truly brutal film that does not let up once it starts going. The tension is ratcheted up throughout, to such an uncomfortable level that you don’t know whether to turn away or to keep watching through the gaps in your fingers. Everything here works so well, even if our antagonists are a tad unrealistic with how deep and depraved they eventually go. Such a well-made film and directed by the writer of My Little Eye which was a top-notch gem of a horror film.
The Entity (1982)
The Entity isn’t the scariest film on this list, but it is still a great supernatural horror that after viewing you would be able to see exact points where Hollow Man stole from it. Interestingly it tried to be a mix of The Exorcist and Poltergeist, by trying to have Doctors link what was happening to Carla with a possible mental disorder. A film that should be seen and it deserved far better at the box office and by critics, but the nature of the “entity” committing such violent assaults on our protagonists caused some difficulty in marketing the film at the time.
That is us for this week, come by next week as we venture into the horrors that live in F. Until then, please have a look at our ABC lists thus far.
Horror films to watch: Letter A
Horror films to watch: Letter B
Horror films to watch: Letter B (Part 2)
Horror films to watch: Letter C
Horror films to watch: Letter D
Horror films to watch: Letter E
Horror films to watch: Letter F
Horror films to watch: Letter G
Horror films to watch: Letter H: Part 1
Horror films to watch: Letter H: Part 2
Horror films to watch: Letter H: Part 3
Horror films to watch: Letter I; Part 1
Horror films to watch: Letter I – Part 2
Horror films to watch; Letter J
Horror films to watch; Letter K
Horror films to watch: Letter L
Horror films to watch: Letter M
Horror films to watch: Letter M (Part 2)
Horror films to watch: Letter M (part 3)
Horror films to watch: Letter N
Horror films to watch: Letter N (Part 2)
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