Connect with us

News

10 Happy Songs from Horror Movies

Published

on

Lord of IllusionsWe all know how critical it is for horror films to have the right music at the right moments in order to achieve the appropriate reaction. Sometimes the proper music is something which, on its own, is a happy and cheerful song. Such songs can be deliberately juxtaposed against violent imagery in a bit of irony, while others can be turned on their heads and twisted into something foreboding. Here are ten examples of happy songs used to great effect in horror movies.

Lord of Illusions – “Magic Moments” by Erasure
The underworld of magic is a disturbing, dangerous place. Lord of Illusions is filled with the kind of bodily horror and dances with the dark side that one can expect in a Clive Barker film. To balance this out with a dose of happiness, the director tapped Erasure to make a cheerful classic even more sugary sweet by covering this track originally made famous by Perry Como. The song plays as Harry D’Amour enters the Magic Castle, providing a jarringly pleasant break from the horror surrounding it. [youtube id=”uA3nOOZnyDQ” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

Halloween series – “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes
“Sandman, I’m so alone. Don’t have nobody to call my own.” Well, those lonesome nights are over, and you’re going to wish they weren’t. This classic received new, creepy life in the Michael Myers franchise. Trick ‘r Treaters are woefully unaware of the terror that awaits them on Halloween night. Mr. Sandman didn’t bring a dream—he brought a nightmare (sorry, couldn’t resist). [youtube id=”oNuX7bs2qAM” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

Insidious – “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” by Tiny Tim
Let’s face it, this song is kooky to begin with, but that’s part of its charm. It’s the record of choice for a demonic entity lurking in The Further, the astral projection no-man’s land where Dalton is trapped. The cheeriness in Tiny Tim’s warbly high-pitched vocals is a stark contrast to the evil that haunts the film’s family. “Come tiptoe through the tulips with me” now sounds like an invitation no one should answer. [youtube id=”_eQQKVKjifQ” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

American Psycho – “Hip to be Square” by Huey Lewis and the News
Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? Patrick Bateman sure does, and he wants to provide a thorough explanation for his appreciation of this band just before he slams an axe into Paul Allen’s face. The music blares on his state-of-the-art CD player while he dresses in a raincoat and gingerly shuffles across the floor with his axe. It’s a darkly comic scene, and when Bateman violently unleashes his fury while the catchy song keeps playing in the background, it’s both unnervingly humorous and horrifying. [youtube id=”LB5YkmjalDg” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

Fallen – “Time is On My Side” by The Rolling Stones
A serial killer is executed, and among his final words are the lyrics to this classic rock track. Later, when Detective Hobbes begins to hear these lyrics sung by random people around him, it becomes clear that something supernatural is happening. This song serves as a cue of sorts, used to chilling effect to alert Hobbes (and the viewers) that someone may not be who they seem. [youtube id=”wbMWdIjArg0″ align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

More horrific happiness on the next page!

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Pages: 1 2

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

on

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

on

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading