Notes from Crew Quarters: Scaring Ourselves
This week, as Halloween approaches, we asked our editors to share their favorite scary movies, shows, or books.
John LaPine, Associate Nonfiction Editor
If you like "found footage" films, and don't mind reading subtitles (edit: the subtitled movies are the scariest ones), check out [Rec] (as in a camera "rec"ording). It's a Spanish zombie movie that was remade as the American film Quarantine, but the original is approximately 1000x scarier. The final scene made me afraid of the dark again.
Jacque Boucher, Spoken Word Poetry
Every year, I commit to watching 31 horror films in 31 days. The good-bad ones almost always stick with me longer than the outright good ones. For example: Leprechaun in Space, which is a gem and should be regarded as such.
Stephen Wardell, Associate Poetry Editor
This movie called The Worst Witch. Tim Curry makes a musical cameo appearance.
Jason Teal, Associate Nonfiction Editor
IT FOLLOWS. Hip, indie send-up of old Carpenter films with terrifying soundtracks. Gets under my skin with each listen: http://music.disasterpeace.com/album/it-follows
If you love atmospheric horror, It Follows is the film to turn to this season.
I also recommend Ti West's only good film The House of the Devil. Kiah Roache-Turner's Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead. Jacket comparisons to Mad Max and Dawn of the Dead are spot on.
Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye. Really brutal strange myths that tie into one another. Scariest book I've read in recent memory.
Listen, on repeat, to The Horrors' Strange House. Or Liars' They Were Wrong, So We Drowned.
Annie Bilancini, Associate Fiction Editor
I can't watch (or really even read) things that are too scary because I get really bad nightmares because I'm adult with the imaginative depth of a small child. And oftentimes the suggestion of graphic violence causes me to pass out. But I do like watching spooky tv shows like iZombie, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the X-Files. And Hocus Pocus. Basically any scary movie that was made for viewers 13 and under.
Ashely Adams, Associate Nonfiction Editor
When I need a good scare I like to pull up my student loan records.
Patricia Killelea, Poetry Editor
i am a huge fan of Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" series. Pinhead is a poet: http://freddyknifefingers.wikia.com/wiki/Pinhead/Quotes
Mike Berry, Associate Fiction Editor
For real scare, The Strangers is a favorite. About 98% of the sound is diegetic and ridiculously creepy. For fun, I just watched Monster Squad and fell in love with it. All you need to know is -- Wolfman has nards.
Rachael Belmore, Associate Nonfiction Editor
My favorite scary movie, with the perfect amount of scare for me (read: slightly scary), is The Caller. It's captivating and unique.
Hayley Fitz, Associate Fiction Editor
My engagement with spookies usually involves video games and music more than anything. I listen to spooky music while I write and I play pretend-spooky games like Luigi's Mansion because I don't have the pants for real horror games.
