Five Horrific Canadian Picks

I’m almost never a fan of horror, as my ratings in the genre will suggest. There’s ugliness enough in the world without filling my free time with it.

That said, it’s a genre which crosses over frequently with science fiction, and sci-fi is most definitely a favourite. It’s like my affection for industrial music, that weird middle ground between electronic (which I really enjoy) and heavy metal (which I really do not).

I guess, sometimes, if you want the ideas, you settle for the occasional evisceration. Let’s just call it a necessary evil.

So now, in preparation for a month of scary stuff, kids, let’s do a quick survey across the horrific CanCon gone by. For me, it’s a bit of a bracer for the shocks lying in wait all this month…

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) on 2011/10/09

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“In some ways The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms strikes me as ambitious, in others a certain cheapness shows through. Still, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms holds up well, as fun in our day as it was pioneering in its own.”
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Cube (1997) on 2010/07/09

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“Cube may (or may not) be an existentialist work masquerading as nihilism . . . or is it the other way around?

“Intriguing? Yes. Entertaining? Sure. Pleasant? No way.”
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The Fly (1986) on 2012/08/12

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“This 1986 version of The Fly does nearly everything the 1958 original did and, in some ways, quite a bit more. It demonstrates a heavy Cronenberg influence: while gross and viscerally horrifying, neither detracts from the whole, with its interesting ideas, chemistry, and execution.”

Ginger Snaps (2000) on 2010/07/10

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“Not only does this film deliver the creepy and some genuinely black-humour laughs but is chock full of Canadian content goodness . . . If you are looking for chills by a full moon, check out bloody clever Ginger Snaps.”
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Splice (2010) on 2011/07/13

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“Splice is truly a Frankensteinian affair made of scraps from superior, er, donors . . . not to suggest it isn’t entertaining, and I’m not suggesting it’s “bad” or that it fails. Taking the best of other exemplars and adding an updated twist is essential to the long-term survival of anything, life or art alike.”