128 Feel-Good Movies: Trends of Terror

By Steve Hutchison

Feel-good movies are movies which present people and life in a way that makes the audience feel happy and optimistic. In this edition of Trends of Terror, film critic Steve Hutchison reviews 128 feel-good movies and ranks them. How many have you seen?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Hutchison
• Release date: Mar 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9781778871405

Steve Hutchison

Artist, developer and entrepreneur in film, video games and communications Steve Hutchison co-founded Shade.ca Art and Code in 1999, then Terror.ca and its French equivalent Terreur.ca in 2000. With his background as an artist and integrator, Steve worked on such games as Capcom's Street Fighter, PopCap's Bejeweled, Tetris, Bandai/Namco's Pac-Man and Mattel's Skip-Bo & Phase 10 as a localization manager, 2-D artist and usability expert. Having acquired skills in gamification, he invented a unique horror movie review system that is filterable, searchable and sortable by moods, genres, subgenres and antagonists. Horror movie fans love it, and so do horror authors and filmmakers, as it is a great source of inspiration. In March 2013, Steve launched Tales of Terror, with the same goals in mind but with a much finer technology and a complex engine, something that wasn’t possible initially. He has since published countless horror-themed books.

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#1

Ghostbusters

1984

Three unemployed supernatural investigators start a ghost hunting business.

8/8

Here’s a perfect mix of comedy, horror and fantasy that will get straight to your heart and guts. In a way, it is also a light superhero story. Because it is perfectly suitable for a child as much as the general audience, Ghostbusters is eerie, makes you jump, shiver, but features virtually no gore. There are monsters, though, and plenty of them. The effects are amazing and one of a kind.

The score and soundtrack play a big role in delivering a fun supernatural aura that penetrates the screen. While some of the creature effects are a little cheap, most of the ghost effects blend well with the picture. This one isn’t all about visuals. The characters and the story are compelling and the dialogue is catchy.

The actors are perfect in their roles and their performances are close to flawless. Ghostbuster isn’t shy on effects, making use of animatronics, rubber suits and an abundance of color keying. Get ready to be entertained all the way through; sucked in a surreal New York that gets increasingly sinister as subplots converge.

#2

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

1990

An innocent allergic creature gives birth to a hoard of morphing monsters inside a commercial skyscraper after being exposed to water.

8/8

Gremlins 2 starts with a short Bugs Bunny gag as if to establish it is now a perked version of itself. It’s slightly more suitable to a younger audience but it’s dark enough to please anyone. It still feels like horror fantasy but it behaves much more like a sadistic cartoon. The previous protagonists aged a bit and their paths all happen to converge to a specific block in New York City.

Most of the plot takes place in a prestigious high-tech high rise used for business, commerce and science, giving Gremlins 2 a prestigious stature. None of it is taken seriously and it’s hilarious. When things go bad; worse than they’ve been so far, the makers’ ambition and skills shine through. The creatures are now fully lit, revealing more and even better animatronics than 1984’s Gremlins’.

The concept of metamorphosis is pushed further and turned into an ongoing joke. The actors are given intricate roles and are a colorful delight. The animation techniques used have evolved. The production quality is higher, too, and the sets are very atmospheric. Perfect gateway to horror for kids, Gremlins 2 chooses to be fun, surrealist and comedic but doesn’t forget its more sinister roots.

#3

The Goonies

1985

In order to save their home from foreclosure, a group of misfits set out to find a pirate’s ancient treasure.

8/8

An exciting opening sequence introduces all the protagonists, in their everyday life, while the bad guys, criminals, are being chased by cops. The town is picturesque. Not much happens, there, we learn, until today. The Goonies follows the ultimate adventure film recipe, but targets children and teenagers, which doesn’t mean adults won’t have the time of their lives.

The whole cast acts big, which makes the film more surreal than it already is. This picture comes from the minds of Richard Donner, Steven Spielberg and Chris Colombus. It is, basically, one of the best movies ever made. It’s politically incorrect. It’s larger than life. It alternates between action, adventure, thriller, comedy and horror, which creates an incessant rollercoaster ride.

The underground labyrinth is unreal. It doesn’t make sense, architecturally speaking, but we accept it because the concept is amazing. In fact, amazing is an understatement. This is Indiana Jones for kids. The set pieces are magnificent and extremely effective. The score is very melodic, catchy, omnipresent, and it takes us by the hand. You’ll probably want to revisit this one repeatedly!

#4

Labyrinth

1986

A teenage girl is given 13 hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother who has been kidnapped by a wizard.

8/8

Labyrinth draws obvious parallels with Alice in Wonderland, but it is its own thing. It’s about a teenage girl stuck in what seems like an endless maze, trying to rescue her baby brother. David Bowie’s character stole him. Yes, this kids’ movie is incredibly dark, but it’s done in good taste. It’s not gory and it’s never vulgar. It’s a fully immersive experience and you’ll never forget it.

The atmosphere is palpable. The sets are astonishing, the matte painting breath-taking and the puppetry perplexing in every possible way. The movie sucks you right in in the first minutes. David Bowie’s music will transport you through this epic adventure. All his songs are earworms. He plays the eccentric antagonist; an evil wizard called the Goblin King.

Creature artist Ron Mueck gives the monsters a soul of their own. His contribution is significant. His characters are frightening. They are both imaginative and repulsive. This is a modern fairy tale courtesy of Jim Henson, who directs. The man can do no wrong. Jennifer Connelly can sure act and her beauty is stunning. She can deliver dialogue like few can. This film is a true masterpiece.

#5

Beetlejuice

1988

A recently-deceased ghost couple hire a dimensional being to scare the family that invaded their home.

8/8

In Beetlejuice, not all ghosts are malicious. Our two main protagonists, for instance, die in the first act. Soon enough, their house is sold and they have no choice but to haunt the place in hopes that the new family will leave. It’s not half as dark as it all sounds. We go through a wide range of emotions through this film, but it is, at the core, a fantasy comedy.

The script is as imaginative as they come. Tim Burton directs with a singular vision that expands as we get deeper into the story. He uses stop motion, puppetry, amazing practical effects of all kinds, revolutionary make-up effects and a bunch of chroma key compositions. The actors are dynamic. Calling their characters colorful would be an understatement.

Expect sporadic marginal slapstick humor at every corner. These moments can be just as scary as they are amusing. Beetlejuice has a great soundtrack and is scored by Danny Elfman, of all people. Some effects could use a touch up, but there is virtually nothing wrong with this movie. It’s highly rewatchable, accessible for kids of a certain age and the perfect gateway to horror movies.

#6

Death Becomes Her

1992

Two women fighting over the same man are ready to go far to stay young forever.

8/8

You’ve never seen Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn quite like this. These grade A actors are handed golden dialogue and are playing vibrant characters. This could have been a dark horror film, but it has a peculiar humor and the kind of wit that makes you laugh every thirty seconds. That’s when you’re not downright fascinated by the unfolding mystery.

Death Becomes Her is a strange story about beauty, youth, and what happens when you lose both. It is a twisted tale of jealousy and revenge. It has some of the best practical effects and make-up Hollywood had come up with up to this point in time. The film has several defining characteristics, but its slapstick humor is what it is most remembered by. Gore was never so hilarious!

Robert Zemeckis’ cinematography is divine. All shots are calculated when it comes to lighting, camera movements, set design, blocking and effects coordination. The writers give us a fascinating script that was probably hard to put together but feels natural once executed nevertheless. Ultimately, every aspect of this film hits its target. Death Becomes Her is close to perfection.

#7

The Wizard of Oz

1939

A girl is transported by a tornado to a world dominated by witches and inhabited by magical creatures.

8/8

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most immersive visual experiences of its era. A surprisingly large amount of people directed and wrote this