Ripvanryan Digressions of a Listless Film School Drop Out
Top 10 Horror Movies To Watch While Camping 8:07pm, June 8, 2009
Horror movies don’t really scare me anymore. Like most die-hard fans of the genre, I’ve simply seen too many of them to be affected or frightened by their new-fangled whiz-bang trickery. For the experienced horror lover, the hunt for a truly scary horror movie can be discouraging. You know how it goes. Sometimes you just want that feeling of false terror to clench up your belly like a muscle spasm. It makes me long for my teenage years, when theatrical screenings of Cape Fear and Silence of the Lambs made me fill my pants with goopy, adolescent fear. How can I get that feeling back?
Well, I think I’ve found a fix. It won’t provide the rush you got the first time you saw The Exorcist, but it’ll get you through the DTs. Next time you go camping, take a portable DVD player along with you. After everybody has gone to bed and you’re all alone in your tent, curled up in your sleeping bag, break out the DVD player and headphones, and watch a horror movie. If possible, watch a horror movie that revolves around the camping experience, something with tents and trees and shit.
It helps to watch the movie alone. It helps even more if you are sleeping out in the open, under the stars. Trust me. You may not end up curled in the bottom of your sleeping bag and weeping in abject terror, but the experience will certainly bring back that old-school, scary movie feeling. Although not a definitive list, here are my top 10 favorite movies to watch while camping in the woods:
10. Cabin Fever (2002)
While Eli Roth’s loving homage to the genre is too jokey and obnoxious to be effective throughout, the movie still has its share of intense moments. A group of friends (including Grace’s Jordan Ladd) visit a mountain cabin and discover that the tainted drinking water has transformed the locals into blood-spewing crazies. Gory and creative, Cabin Fever was initially over-hyped, then summarily dismissed as mediocre by most horror fans. Reportedly, a good portion of the budget went to foot stools for star Rider Strong, which he needed to stand on to stay in frame.
9. The Ruins (2008)
The novel by Scott Smith—about a group of friends trapped on the top of a crumbling Mayan pyramid-temple by a man-eating vine—was so bleakly engrossing, it made my palms sweat. I couldn’t put it down. Although director Carter Smith’s film adaptation didn’t quite capture the psychological torment of the author’s original characters, it certainly got the “isolation” part right. The eerie location shots perfectly convey the desolation of the victims’ barren, sun-bleached campsite. Some very visceral violence (especially for a studio film) adds considerably to the tension.
8. Grizzly (1977)
In this Jaws rip-off, an enormous grizzly bear has been terrorizing campers and decapitating horses with reckless abandon, and only chain-smoking forest ranger Christopher George (Fulci’s City of the Living Dead) can stop the madness. Somehow managing to sneak up on unsuspecting campers despite his 2-ton bulk, the grizzly relies heavily on limb removal as a killing technique. One of the best of the “when animals attack” horror films that ran rampant during the late 70s/early 80s.
7. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
While not the scariest or goriest of the “campground killer” films of the early 80s, Sleepaway Camp is fondly remembered for its stunning final shot, a left-field Crying Game twist that presumably left thousands of slumber-partying 12-year-olds sobbing in horror and confusion. The curling iron scene is pretty gruesome by 1983 standards.
6. American Gothic (1987)
Weird and unsettling, this under-seen gem—following the plight of a handful of city folk stranded on a remote island with a crazy, homicidal family—starts out lame and silly before finally getting its creep on in the final third. It’s directed by John Hough, the man behind another guilty-pleasure favorite of mine, Watcher in the Woods, a (gulp!) Disney release from 1980.
5. Madman (1982)
Madman Marz is a mentally disturbed farmer who butchered his family with an axe before fleeing into the woods. If you say his name above a whisper, he’ll appear and try to slam a car hood onto your head while you’re checking your engine. Terrible, terrible acting threatens to derail writer/director Joe Giannone’s film at every turn, but Madman remains mandatory viewing for the committed horror fan. The incredibly surreal hot tub scene must be seen to be believed.
4. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
One of the most polarizing horror films in existence (along with Rob Zombie’s entire catalog of directorial blanket farts), whether or not you like Blair Witch depends almost entirely on when you saw it. Early audiences were enraptured by Myrick and Sanchez’ faux horror documentary about a film crew investigating unspeakable horror in the Black Hills of Burkittsville, Maryland, with many audience members at my opening night screening verbally wondering if the film might actually be authentic. Could it possibly be real? But two weeks later, after a Time-magazine cover and an assload of talk show appearances by the cast, the façade crumbled, and audiences who saw it late into its theatrical run (or caught it on video) were invariably disappointed. But for my money, it’s still a terrifying movie, and there’s no arguing that it features one of the most haunting closing shots in horror movie history.
3. Friday the 13th (1980)
Some claim that Sean Cunningham’s original camping nightmare doesn’t hold up. The dated clothing and awkward dialogue are understandably distracting, making it easy to overlook the beautiful cinematography and nail-biting stalk-and-kill sequences. At the very least, it’s a movie that sets and maintains a consistent mood: Camp Crystal Lake is a foreboding, evil place. And Jason’s last-minute rise from the lake ranks high on a long list of effective final movie scares. [Kevin Bacon Game Tip: Try to find a way to wrap it around to someone who starred in Alpha Dog. This allows you to close with “…was in Alpha Dog with Alan Thicke, who was in Still Not Quite Human with Betsy Palmer, who was in Friday the 13th with Kevin Bacon.” For some reason, referencing both Alan Thicke AND Friday the 13th in the same sentence has a tendency to elicit mad high-fives.]
2. The Burning (1981)
Following a common 80s horror film template (an abused/disfigured person dies as the result of a cruel prank, allowing them to return from the grave to take revenge), The Burning took F13’s mold and gave it a little tweak. Rather than carefully spacing out the kill sequences to maintain audience interest, The Burning clustered the majority of its character deaths into a single harrowing scene, in which the deformed Cropsy attacks a bunch of campers while they’re floating down the river on a wooden raft. With auspicious makeup effects by Tom Savini, the reputation of this brutal, sunlit “raft scene” is well-deserved.
1. The Evil Dead (1981)
The mother of all horror movies is also one of the best movies to watch while on a camping trip. Ash and Co. party down at a secluded cabin in the Tennessee woods, only to inadvertently “unleash the forces that roam the forests and dark bowers of man’s domain” by playing an incantation recorded on a Panasonic reel-to-reel tape recorder. Scary, gory, and a hell of a lot of fun, it’s one of the best horror movies ever made. Watch it loud, watch it proud. Bruce has earned the respect.
Good idea with the woods and the portable player. We do things like that out here in the Long Island sticks a lot. Dark woods, 420, vodka. Its a way of life. Ill throw Squirm in there, and The Prophecy (again). The Howling would be cool to watch in a tent in the woods. Madman and The Burning are awesome too. Worst thing I ever did was go to an autopsy on a hit of acid. That freakin skin opened like butter and so did mine.
I go camping to get away from things like dvd players and movies and media and the constant onslaught of attention deficit feeding culture we're given 24/7. Camping must be different where you come from. When we go "camping" we have tents, beer, pot, canned food, rations, toilet paper,
sleeping bags, and waterproof matches. Maybe a fishing rod. And of course, a good hunting knife. Seriously, movies to watch WHILE camping? Shame, shame, shame...
There is a difference between camping, lodging, spending a weekend at the lake, and renting a cabin. I suppose sitting in a cabin on the lake one might watch dvd's, but camping is for roughing it and getting back to nature. For me at least. Not all of us are pretentious, wusses, that need their PSP, Ipod touch, Iphone, 10 changes of clothes, a credit card, GPS, and manicure kit to leave the house.
Add Antichrist to the list too. And perhaps even Cannibal Holocaust. BTW, a hunting knife is always useful in the wilderness for many things other than hunting. Its good to gut and clean fish with, preparing kindling, making marshmallow sticks to roast smores on, and when matches don't work it is easier to get a spark from a knife and rock than trying to find some flint. Matches get wet. Lighters die. But steel and stone last a long, long time.
You got me thinking about this Ryan.You covered most of the top ones but I know I could dig up some others for horror fans.
Wilderness that's another good choice being that it's set deep in the dense forests, dangerous rivers and miles and miles of mountain tops. 1988 Scarecrows would also be a fun choice.
I think "Friday the 13th part II" would be perfect, especially with Paul's campfire tale about Jason. "The Beast Within", "Dog Soldiers", "Abominable", "The Legend of Boggy Creek", "Deliverance", "Pumpkinhead".
When I'm on my hunting & fishing trips with my friends, we always talk horror films & the supernatural. Great times!!! No dvd player required out there. I concur with Rollstuhlwolf, I go on my outdoor ventures to escape the real world. Like the Nuge says "it's fuel for my soul"!!!! Hunting & fishing is my therapy, & I have to do it!!!
Madman was the first movie to ever scare me as a child. i had seen many horrors by that time, but it hink it was my surroundings that did it. i watched it with my friend and her parents, and her dad looked X-ACTLY LIKE MAD MAN MARZ. i kid u not people. so i was terrified of that movie for years. when i was an adult, i rememebered it and searched it out, cause i did not recall the name of the movie. and once i found it i ordered it and never regretted it. yeah the movie is odl and totally terrible, but its so bad its good, and it has great memories to me, as the only horror movie to date, to scare me.
Eden lake - absolutely, Callus. Great movie. And include me in the camp that absolutely despised the amateurish Blair Witch. I still can't believe I got sucked in with their viral marketing campaign.
Friday the 13th should be #1! It's the most recognized killer at summer camp film worldwide. I actually prefer Sleepaway Camp 2 & 3 over the original just because of Pamela Springsteen's comedic performance as Angela. I'm so glad American Gothic is on here though. It really is an under-seen gem with some hilarious, campy performances. Plus veteran actors Rod Steiger and Yvonne De Carlo! "Don't you want to be part of the clean plate club?" I still love The Blair Witch Project. Madman was beyond cheesy and silly so that is not a favorite here. And I know a lot of people like The Burning, but I did not care for it. I haven't seen the others but Friday the 13th all the way!
OMG you just reminded me of the tv series American Gothic long lost classic, but yeh F13 for the woods I reckon or Wolf Creek (am I the only one who thought that was awesome?) something nasty.
P.s. BLAIR WITCH RULES amazing story telling and I think the best acting I've ever seen.
You're exactly right, Rollstuhlwolf. The point of going camping is to rough it and get back to nature. However, this is exactly what Ripvanryan is saying in the first place. In a cabin, with a change of clothes, and all of our ipods and whatnot, we feel protected. We feel at home in our "natural" environment the more removed we are from nature. The best camping is done with minimal supplies, and this vulnerability makes the camping experience all the more rewarding. Thus, the concept of watching horror movies while camping takes advantage of this vulnerability and potentially frightens us all the more. My definition of camping is the same as yours, Rollstuhlwolf, and that is why watching a horror film while roughing it could actually be scary. I've never seen a horror movie out in the woods before... but maybe I'll try it.
Madman is scary as hale! The song at the end it makes my hair stand on my arms!!! Cabin Fever was a great movie as well, not half as scary as Madman Marz. Sleepaway Camp with Angela who had a penis, epic! The scariest and most graphic movie on this list is 'The Burning'! Awesome movie, it looks sooo real. Great special effects.
Just Before Dawn - An underated classic.
Eden Lakes a good shout, realisticly unsettling for a camping trip.
Would of put either The Burning or Friday 13th at No.1 though.
Love Madman, I loved Blair Witch in theatres too.. Love that a lot of the fellow horror movie addicts would bring chronic on camping trips also :D
But I have never seen a movie while camping, that'd feel strange. I'll stick to the good ol' fashioned campfire ghost stories.
5,7, and 9 i didn't see. I need to check out Madman. I heard The Burning and Madman are based on the same the guy... They're making a horror doc about him (Cropsy).
Evil Dead all the way. Madman is a great movie, it's honestly very underrated, it is scary and entertaining. I like the list except for a couple films, mostly Cabin Fever, this movie is incredibly non-scary and or suspenseful, terribly addition to the list, just terrible.
You ranked The Burning higher than the original Friday the 13th. What a douche. And I agree with superfly: Just Before Dawn easily could have replaced any of the junk between 6 & 10.
I'm more into horror books while camping. Just got Brian Keene's Selected Scenes From The End Of The World for a fishing trip this weekend.
For a movie, how about Prophecy(1979).
That movie freaked me out.
I've never seen Just Before Dawn. Cut off my balls and burn me at the stake. It's now at the top of my Netflix queue. Another much appreciated recommendation from the always insightful readers of B-D. EVIL DEAD 4 EVA!!!!!
I know what ripvanryan means. As you get older and more jaded, it's hard to get really scared with horror films. The last few years, the ones that have managed to keep me on edge in the theatre were High Tension, Wolf Creek, The Descent and The Strangers so kudos to those films. I forgot to mention it, but I would definitely put Just Before Dawn on here as others have mentioned. That is an underrated classic. Wrong Turn would be another good one for the list. Great suspense in that. And yes, Wolf Creek. I would add those and deduct 8-10.
Some of the movies are good,but that doesn't say much for the writer of this article.
One question,who watches movies while they're out camping?
Defeats the whole purpose of "camping".
Does no one remember "Prophecy" from 1979??? A Savage beast, grown to monstrous size and driven mad by toxic wastes that are poisoning the waters, spreads terror and death on a Maine countryside. That movie made me terrified to go into the woods. The camping scene where the person stuck in there sleeping bag trying to hop away and getting wacked by the monster with feathers flying everywhere is sadly ingrained into my memory forever. "She Lives. Don't Move. Don't Breathe. She Will Find You."
Prophecy was one of the best from that time - Im going to post a review on it within the month - it deserves to be remembered. I loved when they go underground to hide from that bear, and the guy sticks his head up the hole after like 3 minutes of silence, and ITS STILL THERE and bites his head off! AWESOME! And the deformed baby screaming in the river, the one that Talia Shire picks up and carries around the whole movie. The sounds it made, like the Its Alive baby - creeped me the fuck out. Glad to see others remember that near forgotten classic
I believe that in order to go "camping" one just needs to set up a camp. And that would basically just entail a tent. If you think it requires more than that...check a dictionary. To GoreGore: Someone who watches a movie while they are camping is someone who wants to get scared while watching a movie. That's the point of the article. Duh.
Yeah, "Just before Dawn" is a great one. "Rituals" is another. On a lighter note, how about "The Great Outdoors" with "The bald headed killer bear...of Clare County"...yeah she maybe out there...crazy, bloodthirsty as ever...so when you go to bed tonight...if you hear a noise...whatever you do...don't look out the window!!!!
Very good list, but part of me thinks that Cabin Fever MUST be added to a sort of revised list. Like it or not, that film can make even the most experienced camper want to forget about ever going into the woods again...
Why isn't Neil Marshall represented on this list? Both The Descent and Dog Soldiers are good horrific-nature flicks. Also, my favorite camp movie ever isn't a horror movie, but gah it's hilarious: Wet Hot American Summer.
The funny things is that I've watched 8 out of these 10 movies on camping trips! My friends and I made a tradition of watching horror movies around the campfire. My very favorite is Don't Go In The Woods. It's really, really awful but extremely entertaining.
Fiction is not so scary but when the movie is based on real life it may make you look over your shoulder. Try one of Ulli Lommel's movie based on real horror stories. Go to http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090603140829AAdqyTQ for a list
I agree on Prophecy. When I was younger I was totally freaked out by this movie. Right from the beginning with the dogs chasing something to the family sleeping, come on, when it grabs the little kid in the sleeping bag and uses him for batting practice against a tree? I wouldn't go to my uncle's farm for months. A very underappreciated film in my opinion.
Sleepaway Camp and the Ruins pretty much sucked to high HELL.
Friday the 13th and Evil Dead, Cabin Fever are great additions to the list though.
Haven't seen any of the other ones to be honest with you.
"Today, I'm a gonna kill the motherfucker"----"The Edge". I've always liked that one. "Man in the Wilderness" from 1971, is an interesting flick. It's based on the true story of Hugh Glass, who was mauled by a grizzly & left for dead by his fellow trappers. It has some of the most lonely & haunting music you'll ever here.
Blair Witch,
the ruins,
the descent,
and eden lake.
viola, but a real cherry list it's good to see someone appreciate the blair witch project and the ruins sometimes I could just throw some logs at the people who dislike those for silly reasons.
Maybe had I watched Blair Witch while camping it would have been a good movie. Sadly I saw it in a very small cinema in San Francisco with no ac. Either way damn fine list. I would have added Boggy Creek 2...but that’s just me...the Legend Continues you see.
I'm with you on Blair Witch project. I saw a very early screening of it before which we were told that this was all real footage. We all walked out of there pale as ghosts...and then later found out it was all fake. Oops.
Who really goes camping and watches movies. That is so the problem in America today. I love it, don't get me wrong, but we have become so spoiled that now a two story house is for poor people, and if you don't have a hdtv or a flat screen, your a "Bundy" as my friends say it. And camping is sitting in a cabin, texting on your iPhone, playing games on your PS3, and listening to the All American Rejects! lol...! Well, good list, and I am glad that someone has enough balls to not be cliche and put Friday the 13th first.
Red Velvet is a deconstructed slasher that plays with the tried and true "kids-camping-in-the-woods meet an unstoppable maniac" storyline. The movie will finally be released as an Amazon.com Exclusive July 28th. Look for more info at Bloody-Disgusting, or check out the official website at RedVelvetMovie.com
Fantastic list, a friday the 13th marathon would be great camaping with a group of friends.
You have to be logged in to comment! If you don't have a Zombie Army account register now for free! Your account allows you to post comments, upload videos and images, access or our forums, write personal blogs, and maintain your zombie army profile.
Some claim that Sean Cunningham’s original camping nightmare doesn’t hold up. The dated clothing and awkward dialogue are understandably distracting, making it easy to overlook the beautiful cinematography and nail-biting stalk-and-kill sequences. At the very least, it’s a movie that sets and maintains a consistent mood: Camp Crystal Lake is a foreboding, evil place. And Jason’s last-minute rise from the lake ranks high on a long list of effective final movie scares. [Kevin Bacon Game Tip: Try to find a way to wrap it around to someone who starred in Alpha Dog. This allows you to close with “…was in Alpha Dog with Alan Thicke, who was in Still Not Quite Human with Betsy Palmer, who was in Friday the 13th with Kevin Bacon.” For some reason, referencing both Alan Thicke AND Friday the 13th in the same sentence has a tendency to elicit mad high-fives.]
