Realms of Terror 2019: Horror-Adjacent: Realms of Terror 2019

By Steve Hutchison

Included in this book are 141 reviews of horror-adjacent films. Horror-adjacent films are mixes of comedy, drama, adventure, action, thriller, fantasy, and science fiction. They are dark enough to entertain horror movie fans but can't exactly be called horror. How many have you seen?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Hutchison
• Release date: Feb 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781778870262

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.

Book preview

RealmsOfTerror2019_HorrorAdjacent_Cover.jpg

Tales of Terror’s

Horror-Adjacent

INTRODUCTION

Included in this book are 141 reviews of horror-adjacent films. Horror-adjacent films are mixes of comedy, drama, adventure, action, thriller, fantasy, and science fiction. They are dark enough to entertain horror movie fans but can’t exactly be called horror. How many have you seen?

#1

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

1991

Two robots from a post-apocalyptic era travel back in time to alter the teenage years of an influential resistance leader.

8/8

Terminator 2 only feels like a vague remake of the original in how it justifies Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return; this time defending the woman his previous incarnation attempted to kill. He helps returning actress Linda Hamilton’s character and her son, played by the excellent Edward Furlong. Standards have been upped a notch. Action predominates and the horror aspect is put aside.

This is the first film in history to successfully juggle with 3D effects. It achieves this with great talent, but, more precisely, because the new villain is made of malleable liquid metal. Blinn textures flatter the camera and convince the audience more easily than fur, hair and other particles. The visuals are not only ground-breaking, but also scripted not to be subject to bad CG.

Two unstoppable killing machines fight each other; the strongest trying to kill two mere humans, the other defending them at all cost. Extended car chases, big guns, explosions, gore; you get it all! It’s brilliantly written and rigorously directed. The movie is virtually flawless and arguably one of the best ever made. It explores every cinema genre seamlessly and with constant intensity.

#2

Ready Player One

2018

The balance and safety of a virtual game is compromised by a corporation that will stop at nothing to win.

8/8

Where to start? Well, Steven Spielberg directed this masterpiece, so it goes without saying that the cinematography is spotless. But it’s better than that. Nothing, here, is random. In fact, this movie is perfect in every way. Every crucial element of the story is carefully planted early on. You’ll have to watch this repeatedly to catch all the Easter eggs and references.

Batman, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Chucky, King Kong, Beetlejuice, Goro, the Chestburster, Michael Jackson and MechaGodzilla make small appearances. Superman, Marty McFly, Bill & Ted, Ferris Bueller and Buckaroo Banzai are mentioned. The Terminator, Steve Jobs, Robert Zemeckis and John Hugues are also referenced, but The Shining gets the best homage. Wait for it!

This is the ultimate pop culture test! Tense, exciting, touching and sometimes scary, Ready Player One gets to our heart one way or another. There’s even a romantic story somehow blooming despite all the action and violence. This is a tight script. It’s one thing after another. Prepare for a long movie that doesn’t drag at all and barely lets you breathe. This is one of the best films ever made.

#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

RoboCop

1987

A wounded cop turned into a cyborg and programmed by a police force investigates a group of organized criminals.

8/8

Set in a near dystopian future, and a gory one, RoboCop is a blend of science-fiction, action and horror that is so genuinely unique you can hardly compare it to anything that came out prior to it. It is shockingly visionary, brilliantly written and shot with passion. The actors are compelling, always on the note, and they make wonders with the simple satirical caricature they are asked to play.

RoboCop’s character design is one of the most iconic in film history. Call it cool, bad-ass; although over-the-top, the overkill armor answers to a certain logic because the story calls for a supreme police force, seeing as local crime rate is out of control. While the main antagonists are nothing more than gangsters, another robot prototype; a defective one, comes into play to pose a challenge.

The film is wrapped in tongue-in-cheek commentary on current society projected a couple of years forward. Politics, corruption, capitalism, syndication, theft, rape; all the evils of our worlds unite into one big threat for RoboCop to struggle with. The impeccable script holds up from beginning to end, with no slow or unnecessary moments, creating one of the best revenge fantasy stories out there!

#5

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.

#6

Total Recall

1990

A man goes for a virtual vacation on planet Mars as a spy.

8/8

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside, to name a few; Total Recall has some of the best Hollywood actors at the peak of their career and offering some of their best performances yet. This is a smart action-packed science fiction masterpiece directed by none other than Paul Verhoeven and based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. What a delight!

It has some of the best and catchiest music in film history. It contains several futuristic concepts we haven’t seen before. It has a confusing storyline that plays with your mind but makes perfect sense when all is said and done. The script constantly gets you wondering what is real, what is virtual, and you may not get straight answers by the time the end credits roll.

Everything in Total Recall, from the cars to the architecture, has a futuristic yet somewhat primitive look. The film has its own aesthetic and looks like nothing else. The make-up required to make us believe we are among mutants is quite elaborate and very realistic. Action, aliens, technology, romance, gore; you have it all. Total Recall is, without a doubt, one of the best movies ever made!

#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 film. It is a production of epic proportions and nothing was left to chance. The photography is way ahead of its time. The style has been imitated, since, but never attained. The movie isn’t as innocent as it first appears. It is a smart hybrid of all genres.

The film was somewhat treated like a play, which can explain how spectacular it is. This is true about the dialogue, the sets and the costumes. The set design is intoxicating and the matte painting completely surreal. The costumes are rich in color and texture. The main performers