Doxacast Annotated: My Top Ten Underrated Horror Films

I spoke with Doxacast, a Christian sf/fantasy podcast (tied to Doxacon, a Christian sf/fantasy convention, woot!). You can listen here. It’s just under eleven minutes, so I figured I’d link you all to reviews if you want more on why I love these films and why you might too.

10. Urban Ghost Story, which, as I note, will especially interest people who liked my Doxacon presentation last year about what kind of person is typically a source of authority in horror films.

9. The Seventh Victim. THE MESSAGE IS, “DEATH IS GOOD.”

8. Arachnophobia! I might rewatch it tonight, as comfort food while I get over a bad cold. I love this film so much.

7. Spider Baby.

6. Creep. Or as a different era’s horror-titling conventions might call it, The Friend.

5. Megan Is Missing. This is the one I most waffled on including, for what it’s worth; I considered replacing it with Eaten Alive and in fact should have replaced it with Ravenous, but it is still a great choice if you want to be genuinely disturbed. The Deadly Doll reviews it here.

4. American Zombie.

3. Resolution.

2. Carnival of Souls. Recently rewatched this and noticed what a fun, self-possessed personality the main character has, even after she starts to become a horror icon. A standard plotline becomes glorious in the hands of a master of black-and-white and his scream-queen muse, Candace Hilligoss, about whom I said: “She’s like a photograph from another world, tacked onto the small-town church and carnival settings she inhabits. Something about her is fundamentally not there. ”

1. Oculus.

You will notice that there are no vampire films on this list. Take that as an omen. WATCH THE SKIES.