Le Cinema Club, a curated streaming platform that screens one movie a week for free recently saw the Master of Horror send them a list of his five favorite horror films and it’s a rogue’s gallery of some of the best in the genre. The list is comprised of Terence Fisher’s 1959 version of “The Mummy” starring Peter Cushing, William Friedkin’s 1973 possession feature “The Exorcist,” Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” from 1977, James Whale’s 1931 classic “Frankenstein,” and Tobe Hooper’s 1974 film, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Carpenter has talked about his love for “The Exorcist” before, saying in a previous interview that “You know what’s scary about ‘The Exorcist’? Everyone knows what’s scary about that movie. It’s the devil. The first time I saw it, I thought, in order to be really effective, this movie requires a belief in a higher power. But since then I’ve come to appreciate it just for what it is. I watched it again recently and was surprised by how intense it is. The things that they did back then, with this little girl, they broke a bunch of taboos, my god. It’s pretty damn good.”
The director isn’t alone on some of these picks. In IndieWire’s own examination of 45 horror suggestions from other legendary directors, “The Babadook” director Jennifer Kent shared her appreciation for “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” “It’s saying something deeper about humanity. For me, it’s like how an animal must feel at the slaughter. Some people identify with Leatherface, but I identify with the victims in that one…There’s something so rough and coarse in a really great way running through that film. It’s a genius film. It’s still shocking. There’s an energy to it, whereas last night, the Friday the 13th remake was on TV and I felt like I was watching a shampoo commercial.” The “Halloween” franchise has continued since Carpenter’s initial film. The most recent sequel, “Halloween Kills” is out now in theaters and available to stream via NBC’s Peacock streaming service. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
