Five More Horrific Canadian Picks
I love the autumn like no other season in the year.
Maybe it’s a holdover from my years as a student, a sense of getting back to normal, a return to structure and consistency, the comfort of a familiar routine.
Maybe it’s the sight of earthtones everywhere, unusual colours in the trees, the feeling of summer’s heat dropping away, a returning to the coziness of home.
Maybe it’s because in our family, nearly everyone’s birthday falls around these months, punctuated by other familiar holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and several more . . .
. . . like Halloween, of course, a time when we spend the month before ramping up with decorations, big meals, spooky music, and movie nights.
A couple of years ago, I already listed some choice Canadian horror but, since then I’ve found many more as deserving of listing alongside those picks. While I hadn’t reviewed Ginger Snaps yet at the time, you won’t find it listed below. Nor will you find science fiction crossovers, which would boost up the selection considerably. And there’s only a single Cronenberg, although one could easily make a Halloween list solely from his work. Maybe I will someday.
Which leaves us with these five favourite selections — funny and frightening, all creepy Canadiana — at least until we unearth some more.
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“[If] Species developed a healthy sense of humour [or] perhaps if you felt Some Kind of Wonderful was missing an alien conspiracy, then Decoys may well be the perfect movie for you.”
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Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)
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“Vampires plague the City of Ottawa, more specifically its ‘Ladies of Sappho’. The more forward-thinking faithful wonder how to protect their lesbians, especially since their attackers have developed a resistance to crosses and daylight. It’s decided to consult with Jesus Christ.”
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“American Pie goes to The Cabin in the Woods, while avoiding the slayers of John Carpenter’s Vampires. Its closest relative in topic and tone is 2009’s Zombieland. A Little Bit Zombie is derivative in parts, but they’re blended creatively. It’s often surprising, always entertaining, and an evening better spent than actually getting married.”
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“I was just expecting a low-budget zombie flick. I sort of got it, however I didn’t expect the philosophical tsunami . . . I can hardly imagine a reality in which Pontypool would be popular. Nonetheless it well deserves to be.”
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“Videodrome is a vehicle for a sober message of caution, an experience which left me thinking long after its end. Fortunately it’s an entertaining one too.”
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Grushenka Geusebach
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