Horror movie pro-tips for Halloween

Halloween is upon us, and it wouldn’t be Halloween without an (un)healthy dose of horror movies. Everyone has his or her favorite scary movie, but we thought we’d turn to the local pros this year for their top picks. We asked a variety of musicians, artists, and other creative types to submit, via e-mail, some advice about their all-time favorite horror films. So this year, instead of asking that pimply rental clerk, “What’s a good, scary movie?” you can pick up films recommended by people who make their livings knowing scary.

Zombie Hate Brigade is a local grindcore/death metal act with a predilection for gore, brutality, and writing songs that reference horror themes and even specific movies (“I Wanna Put My JUNK In Stacy,” for example). 
Cemetery Man
“I’ve always been a big fan of the European horror movie scene and Cemetery Man is the movie that does it for me. This movie is like a surreal nightmare with a comic book twist, and enough head shots, humor, and nudity to keep any gorefiend satisfied.” —Nic Collins, guitarist
Return Of The Living Dead
“This movie not only has the gory goodness that goes along with most zombie films, but it also has enough side-splitting humor to break up the monotony of your ordinary zombie film. I think (not 100 percent sure, though) this movie is what linked zombies seeking human brains, and not just wanting to eat the living in general.” —Chris Petersen, vocalist
Pet Sematary
“Now it’s just a nostalgic comedy for me, but I must’ve been about 11 years old when I saw this movie, and it totally freaked me out. Clearly I was a product of that era and immune to the cheese factor at the time, but c’mon, that toddler and cat rule! Not the greatest horror flick ever (and no good gore to speak of), but a classic for me nonetheless.” —J. D. Kelly, bassist

Maris the Great is a zombie who leads the charmingly named band The Faggots of Death. He’s a zombie and a band leader whose stated mission is to kill all other bands until only his own group remains; it’s safe to say Maris knows a thing or two about horror.
Nekromantik and its sequel Nekromantik 2
“Both are German horror films (1987 and 1991) by director Jorg Buttgereit. As the titles suggest, they deal with necrophilia. Both films are highly disturbing, and actually very well done, despite the low budget, or maybe because of it! I’ve also never seen anything since that tops the final scenes in both movies. Big influence on what I do on my website www.MarisTheGreat.com.”

Beryl Beloved is a band that resurrects the classic goth sound—think Bauhaus in particular—for delightfully dark throwbacks to a simpler, spookier time in pop music.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
“Chilling soundscapes, horrific visuals, and a perfectly dark atmosphere. Siouxsie And The Banshees’ ‘Carcass’ wasn’t actually inspired by the movie, but the rumored association was a great incentive to get us to see it. The film is effectively psychological, just like another all-time favorite—Hitchcock’s Psycho. It’s incredibly brutal, and yet there’s virtually no blood at all.” —Chris Bacavis, vocalist-guitarist

Mario Acevedo is a local author who writes about vampires, zombies, and other creatures of the night in his series of novels featuring vampire P.I. Felix Gomez. His latest novel, Werewolf Smackdown, details an imminent war between werewolves and vampires.
John Carpenter’s The Thing
“Favorite part: First this guy is infected with the alien virus. When the doc administers CPR, the man’s chest turns into jaws that snap off the doc’s hands. The man’s neck stretches off the table until the head rests on the floor. Eyestalks and legs sprout from the neck stump and turn the head into a spider. Kurt Russell then arrives with a flamethrower and torches the creature. Super gross. Gotta love those extraterrestrials.”

Keith Garcia is the programming manager for the Denver Film Society, which essentially means he’s managed to turn a love of horror movies (and other movies too) into a full-time job. His Watching Hour series brings the best in horror and other genre films to Denver every week.
Suspiria/Black Christmas
“When I close my eyes at night and worry about the monsters in my closet, my fears are always confirmed with images from two amazing horror films: Dario Argento’s Suspiria and Bob Clark’s Black Christmas. Suspiria for so vibrantly coloring terror in Technicolor shades of red, green, and blue, while making me rethink that the breath I hear isn’t coming from my cat. And, Black Christmas for realistically and horrifyingly portraying the random evil that can befall any of us at any time even in the most quiet, jubilant time of the year. Look for that film under your tree this December, Watching Hour fans…”

The Widow’s Bane is possibly the world’s only zombie death polka band. The group’s dark Americana is made even darker by the fact that its members are all dead. Well, undead actually.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s
“After much deliberation, we have all come to the consensus that Breakfast At Tiffany’s is perhaps the most terrifying thing ever put to film. Here’s why: First off, Mickey Rooney’s in it. Not since Nosferatu has a more a diabolical-looking creature graced the big screen. Secondly, and perhaps even more horrifying: romance. Overbearing emotions, trusting companionship, happy-endings: Nothing could be more terrifying than such things. Overall, when you combine both Mickey Rooney and romance, it’s enough to give us nightmares. Also, we were quite disturbed by the notion that anyone could raise a cat for companionship rather than to eat.” —Rutherford Belleview, accordionist 

Alert is a local producer-DJ who specializes in dark, disturbing dubstep with horror-movie-soundtrack aesthetics and titles. A single listen to tracks like “Demon Eyes” and “Parasight,” and it’s clear this man knows creepy like few others.
Evil Dead 2
“I really like horror films that mix scares with humor. I used to watch this one all the time, to the point where I could recite all of the movie dialogue, transferring the characters’ lines from onscreen and applying them to real life comedic scenarios.”