Last summer I was newly unemployed - a situation that was accommodating to the notion of launching a summer-long series of essays. From May to August last year, Shock Till You Drop head honcho Ryan Turek and I co-penned Summer Shocks, a loving look back at some of our favorite hot weather horrors from 1979 to 1999. I would have loved to have suggested a Son of Summer Shocks this year but my focus had become almost exclusively directed towards finding work rather than on writing and now that I finally have a job and some economic (and mental) stability is returning to my life, the summer is already at its halfway point.
Still, there's plenty of summer left and while it lasts, I plan to give some shout-outs to a few favorites that weren't gotten to last year. I can't guarantee that I'll post something every week but as much as I can before Labor Day I'll be jumping back in the pool of summer time classics.
In the meantime, here's last year's Summer Shocks:
Summer Shocks 1999: "The Blair Witch Project
Summer Shocks 1998: Blade
Summer Shocks 1997: Mimic
Summer Shocks 1996: The Craft
Summer Shocks 1995: Tales from the Hood
Summer Shocks 1994: The Crow
Summer Shocks 1993: Jason Goes To Hell
Summer Shocks 1992: Single White Female
Summer Shocks 1991: Body Parts
Summer Shocks 1990: Class of 1999
Summer Shocks 1989: Jason Takes Manhattan
Summer Shocks 1988: The Blob
Summer Shocks 1987: Predator
Summer Shocks 1986: The Fly
Summer Shocks 1985: Day of the Dead
Summer Shocks 1984: Dreamscape
Summer Shocks 1983: Psycho II
Summer Shocks 1982: Poltergeist/Friday the 13th Part 3 (Ryan)
Summer Shocks 1981: Deadly Blessing/Wolfen (Ryan)
Summer Shocks 1980: Friday the 13th
Summer Shocks 1979: The Amityville Horror/Phantasm (Ryan)
I just wish that this year was yielding a better crop of horror films.
The only two theatrical releases so far this summer - Priest and Super 8 - have not satisfied. For one, both are more correctly identified as being either action or sci-fi. For another, whatever category you want to put them in, I just didn't care for either film.
So now it's up to next month's releases of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Final Destination 5, Fright Night, Apollo 18, Attack the Block, and Shark Night 3-D (on September 2nd) to save the summer.
My money's on Final Destination 5. Seriously.
2 comments:
I've got hopes for 'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark'... though that opening shot of the house from the preview seems way over-produced for my tastes... though maybe not if they stick to a fairy-tale atmosphere.
I'm mostly optimistic on DBAOTD but my initial enthusiasm has been tempered a little. Based on some early reviews it sounds like they've over-complicated what should've remained simple and ambiguous. Still, I'm sure it'll be a decent movie - just not as great as some might've hoped for. Right now I'd rather pin my hopes on Final Destination 5 - at there's less chance of being disappointed in that.
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