31 Years in 31 Days: Horror Flicks from 1989
1989 was not a great year for horror movies overall. From lackluster sequels, Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Friday the 13th 8, and Halloween 5 to uninspired new entries, Phantom of the Opera with Robert Englund, 89 ended the decade on a whimper. There were two though, worth taking a better look at. Warlock, starring Julian Sands, is a movie about a warlock traveling through time from the 17th to the then modern century. Naturally, said Warlock is trailed by a witch hunter and epic battles ensue. (not really but you get the point) Sands had a really cool look in this flick and the story itself was very cool. I’m a sucker for the blending of fantasy and horror as will become more evident as this series goes on. Warlock may not be the greatest flick of all time but it was fun at the time.
The big deal flick from 89 though was Pet Sematary. A terrifying book that translated into a damn scary movie, Pet Sematary carried on the tradition of putting kids in danger, and making them evil, and did it well. This movie is just so damn creepy. For those who don’t know, behind a family’s house is a burial ground with special powers, IE the pets buried there come back to life. When the little boy in the family, Gage, is killed, his dad Louis buries him in the forbidden ground. Naturally, Gage comes back evil and goes on a rampage before his father has to again lose his son. It’s cheesy at times but carries an overall deep message that is still worth paying attention to today.
