Best Halloween movies

2022 - 10 - 31

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Image courtesy of "Forbes"

Top 10 Best Christian-Themed Horror Movies Of All Time (Forbes)

Horror rooted in cultural myths and religious fears can be the most resonant and scary for Halloween viewing.

If this list were fully a combination of theatrical and TV productions, Midnight Mass would be at the top of the list. CARRIE — A testament to the dangerous, awful conditions in extremist religious households and the trauma it inflicts on those trapped in its persecutory boundaries. THE EXORCIST III — A worthy follow-up to the original horror classic that goes in some unexpected directions and relies once again on the conflict between loss of faith and the power of belief in the darkest of moments. ANGEL HEART — Among the most controversial films of its era, largely because of the patronizing attitude of folks offended to see Lisa Bonet transition from sitcom fame to admittedly graphic horror and sexual content. [REC]2 — This is not just one of the best religious horror films, it’s also one of the best zombie films and most original in its concept of where the undead come from. SAINT MAUD — A remarkable character study about self-denial, religious extremism, isolation, and mental illness, and among the best horror films of the 2020s. FRAILTY — One of the least-seen but most shockingly good horror movies of the 1980s is also a fantastic blend of both at-face-value religious horror storytelling and subtextual examination of extremism, with excellent twists and turns along the way. I also offered my list of [the top 10 scariest moments in horror movie history](https://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2022/10/28/the-top-10-scariest-moments-in-horror-movies/?sh=78b1db912614), and even [a list counting down and reviewing every film in the entire Halloween horror franchise](https://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2022/10/28/the-top-10-scariest-moments-in-horror-movies/?sh=78b1db912614). THE OMEN — A straightforward story imagining the Biblical book of Revelations in a modern setting, the son of Satan is presented as a little boy surrounded by sinister forces visiting ghastly punishment on those who try to oppose the Antichrist. It’s compelling psychological horror, so don’t expect a bunch of bloodletting, but also don’t be fooled into thinking it won’t deliver the horror when the time comes. I also didn’t just include films that were explicitly religious without really being horror films, thus tremendous movies like for example The Rapture (1991) aren’t appropriate for this list (but if you’ve not seen that movie, I strongly urge you to seek it out, it’s amazing). I wanted movies that took their religious themes seriously and used them not only as plot-points but as the engine for the story and character arcs.

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Interview: Horror Producer Peter Phok Talks Terror, Collaboration ... (Forbes)

Producer Peter Phok discusses his journey into Hollywood horror production, his early influences, and seeking greater diversity and representation in ...

Of course, in early 2020 while we were in post production, we ended up extending our post due to the pandemic, and then we just felt strongly that the movie needed to wait for audiences to be able to go see it in theaters. So I think movies have to bring awareness, I think all entertainment and all media has a responsibility to bring awareness. I grew up in Long Island in the suburbs, and was kind of exposed to all types of ethnicities and religions. And when we were talking before it dawned up me, thinking about movies of the ’70s and ’80s, I was thinking about David Cronenberg’s The Fly. I think the attention to detail in the aesthetic, I think that’s what sells it, so a lot of effort is put into making sure everything rings true to that era. And I think that’s why those movies resonate so authentically, because of that attention to detail that Ti brings to his movies so accurately. A lot of the movies made in the ’70s back then weren’t coming out until the ’80s, and I grew up in the ’80s. I grew up in the ’80s and then high school was in the ’90s, so there was a lot of great thrillers and horror coming out like Wes Craven’s Scream that really opened my eyes to what horror could be. It was very similar to the themes in Deadwax of just finding something rare and maybe not seen or not so popular. I mean, we grew up in an era of the home video store, whether it was a mom and pop shop or— everyone knows of Blockbuster Video, but then there was also Hollywood Video at the time. PP: Yes, and just to be clear, while Phok Productions is my production company and it’s been around for a little while and is where I’ve been developing projects, some of the titles you mentioned were not necessarily produced by Phok Productions but were more my time spent with Larry Fessenden’s company Glass Eye Pix in New York. I had the honor of speaking with Phok about his career and some of his most thrilling work, just in time for Halloween.

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