Wednesday, November 24, 2004
New Year's Day (January 1) - Bloody New Year (Norman J. Warren, 1987)
B-movie time warp madness; a movie where the new year never comes.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 17) - Sugar Hill (Paul Maslansky, 1974)
"She's Supernatural!" Zombies of black slaves come back to kill whitey. It's about time.
Groundhog Day (February 2) - Shadows Run Black (Howard Heard, 1986)
Because I couldn't think of anything better. This has nothing to do with Groundhog Day, but it includes Kevin Costner in an early role.
Mardi Gras (February 8) - Mardi Gras for the Devil (David A. Prior, 1993)
Takes place during mardi gras and stars Michael Ironside as the devil!
Valentine's Day (February 14) - My Bloody Valentine (George Mihalka, 1981)
"There's more than one way to lose your heart..." is proven by a crazed miner with a pickaxe. The best VD-day themed alternate title has to be Be My Valentine, or Else (aka Hospital Massacre)
President's Day (February 21) - Psycho from Texas (Jack Collins, 1981)
The title just fit. Has nothing to do with presidents.
St. Patrick's Day (March 17) - Leprechaun (Mark Jones, 1993)
"Fuck you, Lucky Charms!" It's got Jennifer Aniston, if that makes a difference.
Easter (March 27) - Re-Animator (Stuart Gordon, 1985)
The best way to celebrate Easter is by playing God with Herbert West, the Re-Animator. Truly a great film.
April Fool's Day (April 1) - April Fool's Day (Fred Walton, 1986)
Watch Ryan O'Neal's troubled son Griffin in this slasher with a twist. Also stars Amy Steel from Friday the 13th Part 2.
Earth Day (April 22) - Piranha (Joe Dante, 1978)
Great eco-horror film with a dream B-movie cast. Written by John Sayles and not afraid to slaughter children and teens.
Cinco de Mayo (May 5) - Day of the Beast (Alex de la Iglesia, 1995)
This is really more a Christmas movie dealing with the birth of the Anti-Christ, but it's also a modern Spanish classic.
Mother's Day (May 8) - Mother's Day (Charles Kaufman, 1980)
Filmed across the lake when Friday the 13th was being filmed, this is a genuinely engaging torture and revenge film with a satirical comment on television.
Friday the 13th (May 13) - Friday the 13th (Sean Cunningham, 1980)
There's still enough time in the day to watch each one (16.5 hours or so). No excuses!
Memorial Day (May 30) - Memorial Day (Christopher Alexander, 1999)
Typical slasher taking use of a previously unexploited holiday.
Father's Day (June 19) - The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
Initially approached with trepidation, this film has gotten the critical praise it deserves, even if sometimes it is a little too laudatory. Depending on your family situation, feel free to subsitute with The Stepfather.
Independence Day (July 4) - Uncle Sam (William Lustig, 1996)
A soldier from Operation Desert Storm arrives home in a body bag but shortly begins to kill everyone he considers to be un-American during the local July 4th celebration.
Labor Day (September 5) - Cube (Vincenzo Natali, 1997)
Certainly a metaphor for the system. The cube can be easily seen as the cubicle from which escape is nearly impossible. At least we have Labor Day.
Columbus Day (October 10) - The Uninvited (Lewis Allen, 1944)
An American couple moves into a haunted house in England. A genuinely creepy film even today.
Halloween (October 31) - Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
One of my favorite films. The series is generally above average (even part 3) up until the sixth entry.
Day of the Dead (November 1) - Day of the Dead (George Romero, 1985)
Generally considered the worst of the Dead films so far, Day is actually pretty good; it suffers from comparison and failed to live up to expectations due to budgetary (and rating) constraints.
Thanksgiving (November 24) - Parents (Bob Balaban, 1989)
You might remember Bob Balaban from all of the recent Christopher Guest movies. This is a pretty nightmarish film about a set of parents and their possible cannibalistic proclivities. Ah, family.
Christmas Eve (December 24) - Christmas Evil (Lewis Jackson, 1980)
"He'll sleigh you!" Some poor child saw his mom groped by Santa. Much later, he decides to reward the nice (the kids) and kill the naughty (the adults).
Christmas (December 25) - Black Christmas (Bob Clark, 1974)
I can watch Bob Clark's A Christmas Story over and over, but TNT runs into into the ground. Take a break from it with his earlier proto-slasher starring Olivia de Hussey, Margot Kidder, Kier Dullea, and John Saxon.
New Year's Eve (December 31) - New Year's Evil (Emmett Alston, 1981)
A killer goes coast-to-coast killing as New Year's Eve hits each time zone. Besides the premise, this one is typical slasher fare.
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