Top 6: Killer Animal Films

On Sunday 7th April at The Roxy Bar and Theatre, Classic Horror Campaign are holding another fun filled Double Bill. This time it's a Double Creature Feature of 'Murders in the Zoo' and 'Day of the Animals.'

 
With that in mind, make yourself a drink, put the pets outdoors and settle down with the Fright Writer Top 6 Killer Animals Films. This list is strictly for real life beast only, no aliens, fantasy creatures, make believe monsters or anthromorphic animals.
 
Piranha
Joe Dante's fish feeding frenzy film clearly apes Jaws, resort owner Buck Gardner is clear an imitation of Mayor Larry Vaughan. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and even Piranha's tagline references it's predecessor; Then... you were shocked by the great white shark - Now... you are at the mercy of 1000 jaws! Alexandre Aja ramped up the comedy in his remake in 2010.

Lake Placid
A much underrated comedy horror. A giant crocodile starts picking off tourists and rag tag group are sent to investigate. No man, woman, cow or bear is safe from this killer croc.

Them!
A product of the 1950s nuclear fears, Them! is about ants mutated into giant, man-eating insects by atomic testing in New Mexico. Without doubt, the best of the many bug films of the time and featured in a previous Classic Horror Campaign event.

The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier sees him link up with his muse Tippi Hedren for the first time. The sheer terror of a usually placid animal turned violent and in Hitch's inimitable style leads for an unforgettable classic.

Jurassic Park
Sorry fundamentalists, dinosaurs did exist and nobody brought them to life on screen quite like Spielberg. From the first jaw dropping scene that we see the dinosaurs flocking through fields, Jurassic Park is a breathtaking ride not least the heart stopping T-rex attack.

Jaws
Another Spielberg classic that may not only be the best creature feature of all time, but may just be the greatest horror film of all time. Based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name, Jaws was arguably the original summer blockbuster and marked a turning point in American cinema.

And that's the Top 6 Killer Animal Films list. To feel the full force of animal fear be sure to get your tickets to the Double Creature Feature now.

My Favourite Scenes: Jaws

There are many scenes in ‘Jaws’ that are a contender for my favourite. There’s the beach attack scene containing that amazing ‘dolly zoom’ shot of Sheriff Brody. Then, the first time we see the shark, Bruce (Spielberg’s lawyer inspired nickname for the mechanical shark) rising up from the water below in always its razor-toothed glory. That’s not even mentioning the shooting star, unintentionally captured film.

My favourite scene, however, is far more simple. No clever camera trickery, no celestial happenings, no mechanical man eaters, just 3 men, a boat a fucking great story.

For those not familiar with 'Jaws', what the fuck have you been doing with your life? A Great White terrorises coastal tourist town Amity Island over Fourth of July weekend. With a penny counting mayor unwilling to close the beaches it falls on new Sheriff Martin Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper and rough, tough, salty sea dog Quint to hunt the water dwelling beast. Whilst Brody, Quint and Hooper bob about in search of the killer shark that’s terrorising Amity, they relax with a drink and a preverbial pissing contest of scar comparisions. Quint reveals a scar that used to be a tattoo, "U.S.S. Indianapolis '45." The mood changes instantly as Hooper recognises the name and Quint remembers everything.

The camera pulls in close on Robert Shaw's Quint, and stays there almost permanently, as he recounts the story with spine tingling horror. A hint of craziness peeks through Quint's voice as he rasps, slurs and mumbles his way through arguably the best monologue committed to screen. The tale of the U.S.S. Indianapolis has the ability to send shivers down the spine of the steeliest of men
and it's all based on a true story.

As an audience we feel the terror, the desperation, the sheer horror felt by the crew of the Indianapolis. We witness the reactions of Brody and the gobsmacked Hooper. Most of all, we get a glimpse past Quint's staring eyes and into his soul, we understand his determination to catch this shark, understand the feeling he holds and the retribution he longs for.

Quint is a remarkable character and interesting from his first scene to his last, but nothing gives more of an insight into the mostly mysterious man than this 4 minutes account of unimaginable terror he and his comrades suffered at the jaws of the beasts.

For all of modern cinemas gloss and shine, for all it's FX and CGI, nothing has ever terrified me as much as one story and three men in a boat. That's why this is my favourite scene, starring my favourite character, from my all time favourite film.

Hooper: You were on the Indianapolis? 

Brody: What happened?

Quint: Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin' back from the island of Tinian to Leyte... just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that when you're in the water, Chief? You tell by looking from the dorsal to the tail fin. What we didn't know, was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn't even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin', so we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know, it was kinda like old squares in the battle like you see in the calendar named "The Battle of Waterloo" and the idea was: shark comes to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' and sometimes the shark will go away... but sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometimes that shark he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a shark... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'. The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they... rip you to pieces. You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don't know how many sharks, maybe a thousand. I know how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday morning, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Boatswain's mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. He bobbed up, down in the water just like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he'd been bitten in half below the waist. Noon, the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us. He swung in low and he saw us... he was a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper. Anyway, he saw us and he come in low and three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and starts to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened... waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went in the water; 316 men come out and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.

20 Questions

Just to give you all a little insight into my brain on this blog I have answered 20 questions about horror below. If you want to pose any other questions then post them on my comments below or via my Twitter account.

Favourite Horror Film

I love Seven and watch it when I can but some will argue whether it is a true horror film or not. IT has also been one of my favourites for a long time. I remember watching a VHS copy as a child, recorded from satellite TV. It’s a cliché but The Shining is just about as good as any or Poltergeist since I was a child, my brother threw out his clown cuddly toy because of that film. My all time favourite, however, has to be Jaws.

Favourite Horror Director

Oh, so many. I’m a sucker for Robert Rodriguez, I must admit. Landis, Hooper, Kubrick and Hitchcock go without saying. Wes Craven has changed the face of horror on several occasions but, Guillermo Del Toro is the master for me at the moment.

Favourite Villain

Jack Torrance in The Shining. You can see his descent into the maniac and when he gets there he is truly terrifying. Nicholson looks every bit the madman as he stalks around the hotel but still keeps a witty sophistication too. Though one might argument that as much as he is the villain he is also the victim (less so in the book, maybe).

                      

Favourite Protagonist

I think in most horror films the villain is more interesting and exciting than the hero. I think one of the major exceptions is Ripley in Alien who really steals the show so it’s her I’ll choose.

Favourite All Time Scream Queen

Janet Leigh. Anybody who starred in Psycho and conceived Jamie Lee Curtis is a winner in my book although Shelley Duvall is thoroughly convincing in The Shining.

Favourite Modern Day Scream Queen

Katherine Isabelle is often overlooked but her role in Ginger Snaps makes her worthy in itself. After her role in Planet Terror though backed up by her part in Scream I’m going to pick Rose McGowan.

First Horror You Remember Seeing

I think it was probably Critters. I remember watching it with my brother and cousin who were quite a bit older than me. Around the same time we watched some bad B-movies that my grandmother had bought. They were on VHS and came in cardboard covers instead of cases. I think I would have seen horror films before that on our Betamax but I can’t remember any of them.

Favourite Remake

I think a lot of remakes lately have been terrible. I did enjoy the Dawn of the Dead remake, even though it broke some major zombie rules but, for me, The Fly is the ultimate remake. It’s better than the original, which most aren’t.

All Time Horror Icon

Wow! There’s a lot of these. Bruce Campbell always entertains. Vincent Price doesn’t even need to be seen to be recognised, that voice is enough. Emily Booth does her bit for the girls. Then there are guys that just ooze an aura of horror from the time they show on screen. Tony Todd is good at this but there is one man who whenever you see him you just think horror and that’s Robert Englund.

If You Could Remake Any Film Which Would It Be?

Faust, a German film based on Doctor Faustus. I planned on writing a modern version whilst still at school and may still give it a shot.

Favourite TV Horror

I don’t think there is enough horror programmes on TV. My favourite is The League of Gentlemen. It isn’t a full horror but it’s has moments that get really creepy. Their Christmas special is terrifying, especially Papa Lazarou.

Favourite Horror Novel

I love Stephen King’s horror novels but my favourite Bag of Bones which gripped me from beginning to end. I enjoy reading and am very fond of King but this one I enjoyed more than any other

If You Could Adapt Any Novel Which Would It Be?

Whilst on holidays I read Duma Key and I think the scene where we first see the ship would look magical on the big screen. The image has been seared into my brain. However, I think Shaun Hutson’s Hybrid would be amazing on the big screen.

Who Past/Present Do You Think Should Be Scream Queens?

From the past; Marilyn Monroe. She had the perfect mix of sexuality and innocence to be a memorable Scream Queen. Modern Day? Gemma Arterton would have been great in some 60s British horrors.

Who Would Make a Great Horror Villain?

Dita Von Teese would make a brilliant gothic, Elizabeth Bathory type villainess. Benedict Cumberbatch would be a superb villain; he’s got a unique oddness about him and a great intensity.

Which Film Are You Most Looking Forward to Seeing?

I haven’t seen The Last Exorcism or Devil yet so they are quite high on my list. I’m intrigued to see what they have done with I Spit on Your Grave. I really can’t wait for Jovanka Vuckovic’s The Captured Bird but Black Swan has me interested more than any other. 

Favourite Quote from a Horror Film?

That’s easy “They’re heeeerrrrreeeee!” 

Which Song Would Be the Soundtrack to Your Horror Film?

There would be more terrifying than having to listen to Justin Beiber on a loop but for completely the wrong reason. Bodies by Drowning Pool is begging to be used (If it hasn’t already).

Are You a Fan of 3D?

I think it’s a fun idea but, something needs to be done about those annoying glasses you have to wear. After about half hour I get distracted by the uncomfortable glasses and start concentrating on the instead of the film. Also, 3D should add to a film not be it’s only positive point. It seems some film makers are so interested in making it 3D they forgot about the rest of the process like writing, which is a real shame.

Why Do You Love Horror So Much?

I don’t think I could pin it down to just one thing. I think it’s the emotional connection that makes it so good. A good horror drags you out of you comfort zone and the feelings pass you by because you are too busy trying not to get hurt. However, horror gives you the same feelings without physically putting you in danger. I think that’s why it’s so good and maybe a bit addictive.