Halloween movie night with the independent magazines

Dressing up for Halloween is fun, but getting spooked through the screen is even better (it requires less planning, and zero fake blood scrubbing the morning after). So to join in the festivities this year, we’ve asked four of Stack’s favourite film magazines to recommend their choice of scary films.

We also asked our friends at the film subscription service MUBI for their opinion – read on for their recommendation, and if you share your own favourite scary movie with us via Facebook or Instagram, you could win a free year’s subscription to their cult cinema service…

1. Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis, 2001)

“French auteur Claire Denis’ take on the horror film is an erotic masterpiece starring Vincent Gallo and Béatrice Dalle, as two ex-colleagues afflicted by the same mysterious vampire-cannibal disease that turns them into literal sexual predators. Trouble Every Day takes carnal lust and desire to extreme limits, and its lush visuals are complemented by a terrifically seductive soundtrack from Denis’ frequent collaborators Tindersticks. Do note, this film is most definitely not for the squeamish!”

— Annabel from Fireflies magazine

2. Event Horizon (Paul W. S. Anderson, 1997)

“There’s a case for Alien as the definitive horror/sci-fi genre crossover, but I prefer my horror with a little more gore, overt religious symbolism and Jason Isaacs. We’ll never see the famously lengthy (and grotesque) cut of Paul W. S. Anderson’s Event Horizon that test audiences failed to deal with, but the hastily trimmed version that made it to cinemas is still a gloriously twisted exercise in suspense and bleak gothic imagery. We spoke to Anderson about the production and his intended vision for Event Horizon in the upcoming issue of Shelf Heroes, and grew to love this nightmarish cult gem even more.”

— Ben from Shelf Heroes

3. Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2002)

“Admittedly, not so much spooky as deeply troubling, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is in my view one of the most powerful cinematic works to have emerged from Asia in the new century. Please be warned: The dark world inhabited by the protagonists and the downward spiral towards violence, tragedy and death are going to stay with you for a long long time… So, if you are simply looking for a “Halloween movie fix”, do not get anywhere near it.”

— Davide from NANG magazine

4. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)

“Robert Mitchum is the perfect blend of old-school movie cool and simmering menace, as a murderous reverend who preys on a vulnerable widow. Not jump-out-of-your-seat scary, but quietly chilling.”

— Adam from Little White Lies

5. Phenomena (Dario Argento, 1985)

“A young girl (played with aplomb by an adolescent Jennifer Connelly!) with an ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an elite boarding school, where her unusual skill could help solve a string of murders. Featuring signature kaleidoscopic direction from Dario Argento, Phenomena (also know as Creepers) finds the maestro of ‘giallo’ taking an unlikely trip to the Swiss countryside. Every bit as terrifying as Argento’s classics Suspiria (1977) or Deep Red (1975), but with the addition of a killer soundtrack from Iron Maiden & Goblin. What’s not to love?”

— Amy from MUBI. Phenomena is playing in the UK for the next week on MUBI

If you have a must-see for the scary movie genre, we would love to hear it. Head over to our Facebook or Instagram Halloween posts to enter into the competition for a year-long MUBI subscription.

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