Horror Hidden Treasures

You know the Hidden Treasure Horror movies, the ones you see on the shelves and look interesting but you’ve never heard of it or of anyone in the movie. Well, here’s some I run across recently that are definitely worth more than a passing glance.

Timecrimes (Los Chronocrimenes) – DVD
This is an import from France, about a man who accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time one hour. In an attempt to make sure his “other” self does what needs to be done so he can safely return home he recreates the events that brought him to enter the time machine. What could have been played as a comedy turns deadly serious.

Let the Right One In (Lat den ratte komma in) – DVD or Blu-Ray
A vampire movie from our friends in Sweden, Let the Right One In tells of a young boy, Oskar, that becomes infatuated with a twelve year old girl, Eli, who goes outside without a coat on. And doesn’t get cold. At night. In the winter. In Sweden. Oh yeah, she’s also been twelve for 200 years, only goes out at night, and can’t enter a room uninvited. Did I mention the blood? OK, lots of blood.

Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead – DVD or Blu-Ray
The third sequel is usually the worst of a series, especially if it’s direct to video, and in the case of Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead, the adage holds true. But, in the Wrong Turn franchise number three isn’t bad. Some plot flaws become glaring but the effects aren’t bad for the most part, and the story is good. If you like 1 and 2 you’ll enjoy the third.

Masters of Horror Season 1 DVD or Blu-Ray (4 Vols) and Season 2 DVD Originally aired on the Showtime cable channel, this series of short horror stories was directed by a variety of directors. And the list is a who’s who of horror film; Tobe Hooper, Dario Argento, John Landis, John Carpenter, John McNaughton, Mick Garris, Joe Dante and more. Two seasons of thirteen episodes each makes for some great horror evenings. Pay special attention to Jenifer, Pick Me Up, We All Scream for Ice Cream, Fair Haired Child, Valerie on the Stairs, and Incident on and Off a Mountain Road.

Zombie Diaries – DVD
This is a British film that chronicles the outbreak of a zombie virus in the United Kingdom. The zombie outbreak is told from three points of view, the beginning of the outbreak, the small traveling group of survivors, and the settlement defenders. All three are separate stories until certain survivors start showing up in multiple stories. And not everyone thinks of survival in the same way. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who the monsters are.

Honorable Mention

Laid to Rest and Wristcutters – A Love Story – So you’re channel surfing on Friday night and in the middle of the night you see a couple of titles that look interesting so you hit the record buttons on the DVR and hit the sack. So while nursing a cold a couple of days later you put on something mindless that’s been recorded.

Laid to Rest – DVD
A girl wakes up in a coffin and has no memory of how she got there or who she is. Enter Chromehead who proceeds to chase her through the mortuary, across hill and dale, killing people who try to help her. This movie has continuity problems and leaves a lot to imagination, but darn it, it’s fun. Not in that so bad it’s good fun, but, if I could remake it my way it would be great, fun.

Wristcutters – A Love Story – DVD
What happens when you commit suicide? According to this story there’s a special place for those that kill themselves on purpose, and it’s not a lot of fun. Wristcutters – A Love Story tells of three people, Zia who‘s searching for the girl who he killed himself for, Mikal who believes she’s there on a clerical error, and Eugene who has nothing better to do. A grim, bleak story that takes place in a grim, bleak world has some humorous moments that you feel guilty for finding funny. This is a true love story because by the end everyone gets what they deserve, whether they realize it or not.