10 Killer Horror Movies To Watch This Friday The 13th

Hockey mask not included.

New Nightmare
New Line Cinema

Naming horror movies after holidays probably goes back to Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974), which in true exploitation movie fashion came with its own gimmick release strategy. The movie did no great business, but four years later John Carpenter reused the idea for Halloween then in 1980 Paramount Pictures hopped on the bandwagon with Friday The 13th,

By 2009, the gimmick was so overworked that a remake of My Bloody Valentine (starring Jensen Ackles from TV’s Supernatural) couldn’t be released in time for Valentine’s Day because the release date of Friday February 13th had already been assigned to the remake of Friday The 13th – starring Jared Padalecki from TV’s Supernatural.

In an oversaturated market full of similar movies with similar titles (and casts), you’re probably better off ignoring the types of films where all the energy went into the marketing. There are plenty of underappreciated gems out there more deserving of your time than the “new” Friday The 13th.

The following are all begging to be rediscovered, so if you’ve got Netflix you know what to do.

10. The Black Cat

New Nightmare
Shameless Films

Pigeonholed as a horror director after the success of Zombie Flesh Eaters, Lucio Fulci followed up the Lovecraft-tinged City Of The Living Dead with another atmosphere chiller inspired by classic literature. “Freely adapted” from the Edgar Allan Poe story, The Black Cat delivers everything you’d expect from the Italian maestro: atmosphere, gore, moody cinematography, an illogical plot and some cheesy laughs.

Inexplicably set in England, The Black Cat spins a mad tale about a cat that can hypnotize drivers (causing them to crash), start house fires and asphyxiate horny teenagers by trapping them in an airless room. His owner is growly Patrick Magee (as eccentric as ever) who courtesy of a psychic connection with the animal is able to lead the police to the location of one murder but unable to keep his pet from reoffending.

It doesn’t enjoy the following enjoyed by The Beyond or Zombie Flesh Eaters, but The Black Cat is still one of Fulci’s better efforts and it’s a good showcase for the filmmaker’s visual flair. If only multiplex horror movies had this much style and atmosphere.

Contributor

Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'