5 Underappreciated Horror Films

Okay, so we're back again with another underappreciated films list and for this edition we're looking at the horror genre. Why? Well, Halloween is just a few days off and this is my way of celebrating it.

The horror genre is one of my all time favorite genres right up there with science fiction, fantasy and westerns. The sheer variety that you can find in the genre is just ridiculous. You can find psychological thrillers, dark comedies, serial killers and the occasional creature feature; there's literally something for everyone to enjoy.

Unfortunately, however, with all that variety some films are bound to slip through the cracks so with that in mind, here are 5 Underappreciated Horror Films.

Number 5: 'The Mummy' (1959)

In the 30s and 40s, Boris Karloff terrified audiences as the living mummy causing chaos.

In 1959 Hammer Films took a swing at it and gave us this little gem. Starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in their third onscreen collaboration. The story follows John Banning (Cushing) as he tries to solve his father's murder at the hands of a living mummy (Lee).

Now, although it doesn't sound like much; the story is pretty good and the music and set design are fantastic. The effects are a bit dated but they hold up decently enough. The performances are absolutely phenomenal, Christopher Lee's performance is particularly impressive to me because he didn't have a whole lot of dialogue - apart from a few minutes in a flashback sequence - so most of his performance had to be communicated with his eyes and body language.

Not really scary by today's standards but still a good romp and it was successful enough that Hammer produced 3 more 'Mummy' pictures:

• The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
• The Mummy's Shroud (1967)
• Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)

Fun Fact: Blood from the Mummy's Tomb is actually based on Bram Stoker's Jewel of the Seven Stars.

Number 4: 'The Lost Boys: the Tribe' (2008)

1987's The Lost Boys is a horror classic that everyone should see at least once. The film was a fantastic blend of horror and comedy and was a runaway success both critically and commercially; blasting Joel Schumacher into the spotlight.

Lost Boys: The Tribe is the first of two direct to video sequels - the other being Lost Boys: the Thirst - and was released in July of 2008. The story follows Chris and Nicole Emerson (Tad Hilgenbrink and Autumn Reeser) as they move to California after their parents' deaths. The two meet up with Shane Powers (Angus Sutherland) who turns Nicole into a vampire.

Her brother teams up with Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman) to defeat Shane and his 'tribe' before Nicole completes her transformation.

This movie is a mixed bag for me. It's not a bad film, the performances are pretty good, the comedic elements are okay, the music is nice and I liked the story.

That said, it's pretty obvious that some of the cast were acting for the first time. The vampires aren't as threatening here as they were in the first film; they do so many stupid things which risk exposure that it takes away from their threatening nature. The story, sadly, doesn't come away totally unscathed either.

As much as I liked the story and what the filmmakers were trying to do with it; it does feel like there were too many cooks in the kitchen. It's never made clear whether Chris and Nicole are related to Michael and Sam (the brothers from the original film) so we don't really know much about them at all. Still, it's a decent flick to waste time with.

Number 3: 'Daughters of Darkness' (1971)

This Belgian erotic horror film is... odd. It was released on October 22, 1971 and is an unsettling watch practically from the start.

The story follows a newlywed couple Stefan and Valerie on their way to meet Stefan's parents in England. While staying the night at a hotel while waiting for a ferry to take them over, the two meet Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Things go downhill from there - it's a horror film, what did you expect?

This film's biggest problem is that the audience isn't told much, if anything about the characters.

We don't know anything about the Countess other than she's possibly a descendant of Erzebet Bathory and is either bisexual or gay. Likewise, we know nothing about Valerie and Stefan at all; because their relationship is never explored. Stefan is seemingly excited by the sight of dead people (yuck) and gets really into descriptions of Erzebet's murders (again, YUCK!)

As for Valerie...well, she's likable enough but I would've liked to know more about her. Still, it's a pretty good film overall and it's a shame that so few people - outside of those who've seen it - know about this one.

Number 2: 'Dracula AD 1972' (1972)

The seventh film in Hammer Films' Dracula series, Dracula AD 1972 is the sixth film to star Sir Christopher Lee as the villainous Count Dracula.

This film has a few problems, the biggest one being that Lee hasn't got much to do or say in the film. It's no secret that Lee didn't like playing the role of Dracula. He was bored with the role after the first; after all, how much can you do with one character? Still, he came back in 1966 for Dracula: Prince of Darkness and for the subsequent sequels that followed until 1973's The Satanic Rites of Dracula when he finally got to hang up his cape.

As the name implies, the bulk of Dracula AD 1972 is set in modern times— 1972 in London with Dracula once again being revived and going on a personal vendetta against the Van Helsing family for killing him.

Not much of a story, I'll admit but it's a fun watch if you just want something to waste time with. The only real gripes that I have with this film are:

1. The music; most of the time it just doesn't fit with the film.
2. The performances from some of the younger members of the cast are incredibly wooden. I never thought listening to English 'teenagers' would be so... uncomfortable.

That said, the portrayals of Van Helsing and Dracula by Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are what really sell the picture. Cushing takes it so seriously and you absolutely believe him when he's talking about Dracula. Lee's portrayal of Dracula as an angry, vengeful enemy actually kind of reminds me of the story of Gloria Holden and Dracula's Daughter.

Holden was offered the role of Maria Zaleska in 1936's Dracula's Daughter and turned it down. When she finally relented, her disdain for the part translated to this distant, bored-looking vampire woman. In Lee's case, he was bored and frustrated which meant that his performance changed to incorporate the frustration into a subtle look or gesture with the boredom coming through in his voice as the menacing figure in the shadows moving pawns on a chess board.

Number 1: 'The Kiss of the Vampire' (1963)

This is a particularly obscure title in the Hammer filmography. Kiss of the Vampire follows a newlywed couple, Gerald and Marianne Harcourt, as they are travelling through Europe. Stopping over at an inn, they are invited to a party by a local nobleman following which Marianne disappears. Her husband embarks on a search and rescue mission to stop her from becoming a vampire herself.

The film probably has one of the most disturbing endings of any horror film I've seen and I'm not going to say anything more; except that the film is well-worth watching.

It's not hard to see how "The Kiss of the Vampire" slipped into obscurity. As much as I like this film, I have to say it's definitely one of the weaker entries in the Hammer filmography. There's gothic atmosphere aplenty, the vampire cult leader is suitably creepy but there's not much in the way of substance.

Nothing about the vampires is explained. We learn nothing about their origins; it's just left at a discussion about demonic possession and that's all we get. The film's pacing is also incredibly slow in my opinion. Thankfully, however, that slow pace actually helps the film by allowing the viewers to get to know the characters.