Horror Countdown 2017: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Dawn of the Dead (1978) dir. George Romero, Laurel Group Inc.

And now we reach the end my friends. Horror aplenty this past year, so why not close it out with one good scare?

Sequels can be a tricky thing. Too many and you risk diluting what made the first one good. This one, however, is not one of those. It is bit of an odd one. Looking at the Universal and even Hammer films, one tends to notice they had sequels out as little as the same year as the previous ones, yet Romero waited a full ten years before coming back to the world set up in Night of the Living Dead. 

His exact reasons aren't known, but modern cinema can agree it was good he waited.  

Horror Countdown 2017: Videodrome (1983)

Videodrome (1983) dir. David Cronenberg, Canadian Film Development Corporation

Now this is when things get weird. Cronenberg, never one to shy away from the grotesque, might have created one of the most horrific films made in the 80's. I know the term visionary might be a bit clichéd, but this is one film that can only be described as such.

Horror Countdown 2017: Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist (1982) dir. Tobe Hooper, SLM Production Group/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Taking a look at Tobe Hooper's next film, and wow. In the early 80's if you told me the guy behind the Texas Chainsaw Massacre would do a film with the guy behind E.T., I would have called you crazy. Of course, if one goes by the scuttlebutt around this film, Hooper didn't do anything more taxing than making sure the cameras were turned on and pointed at the actors. After watching it, I'm inclined to believe it. 

Horror Countdown 2017: Swamp Thing (1982)

Swamp Thing (1982) dir. Wes Craven, Swampfilms

Wes Craven had been slumming in made for television flicks for a while, but would DC's Swamp Thing be enough to put him back in the cinema?

Funny aside, this was the first film to made on a DC character that wasn't Superman. The Swamp Thing first showed up in House of Secrets#92 (June-July 1971), with the revamped take Swamp Thing (October-November 1972) published a year later. The scientist mutated into a muck encrusted mockery of a man proved to be fairly popular, but was finally canceled in 1976. The second series, the Saga of the Swamp Thing, came out on the heels of this film. 

Horror Countdown 2017: The Thing (1982)

The Thing (1982) dir. John Carpenter, the Turman-Foster Company

John Carpenter, during the 80's, might have been one of the most underrated directors around. His remake of the Thing, for example, was utterly derided by critics at the time. Now? Considered one of the best horror films of the 80's and easily one of Carpenter's best. 

Horror Countdown 2017: The 'Burbs (1989)

The 'Burbs (1989) dir. Joe Dante, Imagine Entertainment

Joe Dante, by this point in his career, had moved more into comedy and science fiction, but his return to dark comedy would prove to be bit uneven.

Horror Countdown 2017: Rock All Night (1957)

Rock All Night (1957) dir. Roger Corman, Sunset Productions

An interesting one. Is it suspense? Film noir? Rock and roll musical? Why not all three?