Horror Haikus for Halloween
Friday, October 31, 2014 at 12:30PM 
Glenn here wishing you a happy Halloween! I’m not sure if you noticed, but this year has been pretty slim on mainstream horror movies. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been great ones out there worth seeking out, it's just that they're predominantly in limited release and on VOD. The three best horror titles of the year are all such films, the kind that audiences will likely (hopefully?) discover for years to come rather than immediately like The Conjuring. All three are feminist takes on the genre and deserve more eyeballs on them than they’ll ultimately get, but we can plug them anyway.
One is Under the Skin, which was released back in April and one that I really hope critics organizations remember in between trying to predict what Oscar will select. The second is Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, which is out now on home entertainment in its homeland of Australia, in cinemas in the UK, and out exclusively through DirecTV in the US before going to theatres and other VOD services in late November. If you miss it you’ll be missing one of the scariest movies in years. Your best actress roster may just take a shaking, too, if Essie Davis’ fraying mother impresses you as much as it did me. The last such title is A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, which I saw at the Sundance Film Festival and labelled “one of the greatest and most hypnotically enthralling horror movies in some time.” It may be my number one film of 2014 now that it’s getting theatrical release next month.
Anyway, because I’m pumped for time – I have to go and watch the 196-minute Winter Sleep for Stockholm Film Festival jury duty – I thought we should celebrate these three incredible movies in the briskest way possible: haiku! Maybe you can join in with your own favourite films of the year? I’d love to hear them.
Under the Skin
Alien of space
Devouring souls of Scotland
Her sex killed by fire
The Babadook
A mother’s dark grief
Flesh texture of goose-pimples
Ba-ba-dook-dook-dook
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Chador at your door
Iran industrial wasteland
Get out while you can
Got a horror haiku of your own you'd like to share? Speak up in the comments!
Reader Comments (7)
Glenn- So glad you liked Girl Walks Home.
(Also, shameless bit of advertising, I just recorded a podcast about it! http://www.hello-cinema.net/home/2014/10/29/episode-7-a-girl-walks-home-alone-at-night)
I saw "A Girl Walks Home at Night Alone" and "The Babadook" on the same day at a horror fest and both are definitely worth checking out.
"The Babadook" is especially good for a Halloween viewing, totally agree that is one of the scariest flicks in years and Essie Davis as good at unraveling as any actor alive.
"A Girl Walks Home..." is great but isn't really scary, it's a bit too beautiful and too stylish in a sorta 'too cool for school' way to instill fear. It also features probably the hottest on screen couple of the year.
I'm dying to see "the babadook"!
I love gets up on the latest in feminist horror. Both The Babadook and A Girl Walks Home at Night Alone are both HIGH on my list now! Not least of all because Essie Davis is a dream and a half in the Australian series "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" and I will basically follow her anywhere.
Under The Skin
Footsteps in the dark
Whew, just a beautiful girl
I think she likes me
my haiku after seeing the Babadook...
"Ba-ba" "dook-dook-dook"
I won't be sleeping tonight
Thanks, movie, you jerk!
Adri -- i love it.
Moe, agreed that A GIRL WALKS HOME isn't scary, but that doesn't mean it's not an effective horror film. It's exceptional and creating a morbid atmosphere.
Adri, that's great!