The Mixed Horror Trilogy

Monday is Movies. Today it’s about horror films on holiday…

It’s raining and I’m on holiday. So that means a movie-watching day. Holidays are for reading and movies and writing – which is kinda funny, because that’s how I spend my days when I’m not on holiday too (at least if I’m lucky). Holidays are also for exploring and catching up with friends and having amazing experiences – yesterday we saw the musical Hamilton, for instance. It was nothing short of incredible.

I have no real interest in the historical accuracy of it, nor the myth-busting, as a feat of narrative storytelling across hybrid forms it did the work. I’m also of the school of thought that the musical isn’t making theatre better, it’s usually just making music worse. So any musical that wins me over deserves medals anyway. I thought Hamilton was basically a Prince album from the 1990s. And as someone who bought, owned, and (mostly) loved all the Prince albums from the 1990s I was convinced.

Anyway, today it is raining. And people are at work and school. But I’m not. And Oscar is not. So we have settled in on a rainy-day movie session. Horror movies of course.

My usual, go-to horror film for a rainy day when I just want to watch something I know and love is The Shining, but my current holiday-reading includes yet another book about The Shining, so I’m holding off on rewatching that for just a bit.

We are looking through Stan – since we’re in Australia – and loving all the things that are on there that aren’t readily available on the New Zealand networks. Just as when in America a few years back, I devoured the American Netflix options and focussed mostly on HBO and Showtime.

Anyway, in choosing Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors  to watch today, I have stumbled upon a great new idea: The Mixed Horror Trilogy. Well, apologies if you thought of it first, but it’s new to me.

I’ve already written about how Friday The 13th Part 2 is my favourite horror sequel so that will slot in there. And with that I’ve made the greatest Mixed Horror Trilogy.

We start with Halloween – arguably where modern horror starts. The (proper) birth of the slasher. One of the most influential indie movies of all time; John Carpenter’s finest soundtrack and tightest script – and just an endlessly enjoyable re-watch; also now the the birth point of a franchise that is – 45 years on – only just about to wind up. A patchy legacy, over half of its movies are hard to love and hold your head high – but as the opening film that started it all Halloween just never gets old.

We will not watch Friday Part 2 today – because I’ve watched it a lot – but it works as a middle in a mixed trilogy because a) it’s brilliant, b) it is the real development of the Friday 13th storyline, the elevation of Jason, and c) it is a self-contained film; gives you all you need if you just want to kick back and watch a slasher.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors – is, push comes to shove, my favourite of the Elm Street films. It is – some days – my all-time favourite horror. And it is actually just one of my favourite films. I think of it as one of the smarter horror films, there’s a lot in it – intense, heady, psychologically disturbing but ultimately an empowering resilience story. It’s also got a great score, some kick-ass soundtrack songs and – for its time – amazing special and visual effects. I also think that Elm Street 3 does the business in terms of introducing Freddy properly, and I reckon you can watch it without seeing any of the others; it’s actually where we correctly learn about Freddy’s backstory.

So today, in the Mt Eliza rain, while the cousins are at school and the aunt and uncle are at work, we are at play watching the opening and closing of our new favourite Mixed Horror Trilogy.

We have Halloween lined up and so far so very good. We have already delighted in that opening, long tracking shot and Carpenter’s pitch-perfect suspense score. And we’re getting ready for Freddy.

What do you think of our Mixed Horror Trilogy?

And can you name a better one?