Hey y’all. Rena here with another chat about creepy things to celebrate our favorite time of year. I talked a bit the other day about ghost television, which I love, so today I thought we could discuss those famous, murderous, and overly creepy horror icons. Yep, I’m talking about the oldies. LOL!
When you talk about horror icons everyone seems to have a favorite. Whether you run into fans of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Krueger you instantly know you’ve met a fellow horror lover. We aren’t going to discuss my age or anything, but I can tell you, I grew up watching these now classic horror stars and love catching up with them from time to time.
First up, let’s discuss Michael Myers. Yes, in my opinion he is the original boogeyman and honestly, he’s my favorite. Carpenter’s original movie featuring Mikey wasn’t a gore-fest. They didn’t rely on using blood. Instead, they focused on the overall anxiety the movie made you feel, the sounds, the score, and of course, the tall creepy guy in a mask. The first time I watched the movie, it left me terrified. I was just a kid at the time, but the idea of a random man, with no supernatural characteristics to make him less believable, wondering around and killing people at random truly struck a chord in me. He stuck with me as a kid. He was my quintessential boogeyman and I have watched every movie about him since.
With Mike Myers you do have the issues with the storyline. After Carpenter stepped away from the movies, the decision to make Michael and the girl who lived, Lori Strode, brother and sister came into play. Did I like the stories that followed that storyline? Yes, I did. H20 is one of my all time faves and I can watch it over and over. The movies featuring young Jamie were great. Still, even I have to admit, it made Mike lose his edge which made them need to bring in the supernatural aspect in Curse of Michael Myers which I wasn’t a fan of. Having Michael stalking anyone in Haddonfield seemed scarier to me. That was why I was so pleased with the latest version of Halloween following the events in the original movie so closely. Sure, it jumped like 40 years, but the family aspect was gone, and we could enjoy Michael as the human monster he truly was. I can’t wait for the next one to hit theaters. Until then, my horror-loving daughter and I enjoy my collection of Halloween movies. We don’t watch Season of the Witch. I mean, what the hell even was that? But all the others with Mikey are favorites around here.
Now, if you like more of a supernatural element to your horror then Freddy Krueger is probably your guy. The idea of a child murderer being stalked and burned by the parents of the kids he hurt wasn’t the surprising part of those movies. That part made complete sense to me. As a parent, I could totally get on board. But when he came back, everything changed. That’s where you find yourself in the first movie. Which was completely terrifying to kids at the time it came out. Think about it, what kid wants to go to sleep at night and risk the chance of running into a child murderer with razor blades for fingers. Freddy had the ability to make them think their dreams were reality. Nancy, his main nemesis for three movies, terrified young kids. The fear she showed, the struggles to stay awake, then the struggles to have a life after Freddy left people thinking he was truly in her dreams every night.
When it came to sequels, Freddy and the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise may have had the most fun. Freddy had great one-liners and killed in very unique ways. Sure, like with most horror franchises, you kind of lost the storyline and the point, but the kills, the fun, and the scares were always there making Freddy a favorite among horror lovers. I truly love the first movie, it hooked me, but my favorite would have to be Dream Warriors, which was part three in the franchise. See? You don’t always have to love the original movie.
Okay, when it comes to Jason Voorhees, I will own the fact that the Friday the 13th movies were not my go-to set. I loved the original, which brings us Jason in the end. I was completely into the whole Tommy aspect and even the girl with telekinesis. They sort of lost me when Jason left Crystal Lake. Why? That was his story. For those who haven’t watched the movies, Jason was a poor kid who the camp counselors completely ignored, and he drowned in the lake. His mom got a bit of revenge for her baby boy but once she was gone, Jason himself decided it was time to kick some ass and take a few names.
I think the scariest aspect of Jason is the fact you can’t kill him. I mean think about, we’ve watched them do everything to this dude. They even chained him to the bottom of the lake, and he lived. He is unstoppable, which is why he also came with a ton of sequels, even those that didn’t make sense. That didn’t stop him from becoming and icon, though. No, we all know Jason. We all know the cha-cha-cha-kill-kill-kill. He’s a beast. He’s a machine. He’s horror and overdone or not, ya gotta love him.
Let’s do a bit of an honorable mention. I was a bit older when the Scream movies came out. This kind of makes them near and dear to my heart. Yes, I know Ghostface isn’t Mikey, Jason, or Freddy but I do believe the series itself is very iconic. Why is Ghostface not on the same level with these guys? He changed every movie. Our original trio stuck with us, killed to keep us entertained. The original guys in Scream, Billy and Stu, they didn’t make it very long, but they left a legacy behind. That legacy brought us several sequels, like with any franchise, but they obviously didn’t live up to the fun of the original Scream.
The fun of Scream came about from the realism of it. The kids knew about horror icons like Jason and Mike Myers. They knew the so-called rules to survive a horror movie. Still, no matter how smart they were, Ghostface found ways around that. Why? They knew the rules too. Not to mention there were two of them to help throw people off their trail. The original kill in Scream featuring Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker, in my opinion, is one of the most iconic in horror history. Sure, her football playing boyfriend was the first to go, but his death is not the one you really focus on. No, it’s Casey’s. The killers play with her. They force her to answer questions, which ultimately makes her watch her man get gutted, but all this happens after they con her into casual conversation about what better than horror movies. Casey’s death sets the entire tone of the movie. It shows us these killers aren’t playing around and that they are determined to use horror movies as part of their niche. It doesn’t take long before Casey is gone and Sidney Prescott, the heroine of the franchise, is introduced. In my opinion, it was a great lead-in to a movie that I loved. The franchise may not fit into the same mold as Jason, Michael, and Freddy but the films were great nonetheless and they kept to the same, basic storyline throughout.
Okay horror lovers, I think that’s enough for now. I didn’t touch on that little shit Chucky or Pennywise and Pinhead, so that may be in another blog before Halloween. Maybe. Who knows? But until we meet again, stay safe out there, and keep your eyes open. You never know what’s lurking in the dark.
Lots of Love,
Rena
renamarin.com 