If you are anything like my family, it turns October 1st and the horror movie marathon hits in full force. In fact we are such big horror movie fans that we watch horror movies year round. As such, we have become many people's go to horror movie experts offering suggestions to friends and family when they feel the need to scream. Add my love of wine to the mix and it is only natural that I offer all of you my wine and horror movie pairing suggestions!
Movie recommendations:
Movies you probably don't know: Eyes of My Mother, Mandy, The House That Jack Built
This is probably the section I get most excited about because I LOVE turning people onto fabulous finds! Eyes of My Mother (heads up, it is in subtitles) is visually beautiful, it is truly a piece of art. It also showcases excellent cinematography and a truly horrific concept. Mandy stars Nic Cage, need I say more?!? This is a crazy movie in so many ways, but offers a vengeance story that is really unique. The House That Jack Built has an amazing cast (Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Willem Dafoe...) and is darkly funny while being truly disturbing. This group of movies are like slow trains dragging you along for the ride with scene after scene becoming more horrific yet you can't stop watching! They are brilliant examples of acting (OK maybe not Nic Cage, but he is amazing to watch as a spectacle), writing, plot, and directing. These are the kinds of movies that you want to talk about later and you wake up in the night thinking about.
I would pair these artistic horror suggestions with a wine that requires a bit more concentration, like a fantastic Cab Franc from the Loire Valley or NY Finger Lakes.
Smart Horror: Gerald's Game, The Babadook, Talk to Me
Smart horror is a sector that I feel should be allowed as a category at the Oscars. Some of the horror movies that are being made these days are absolutely incredible! Mix great acting with a well scripted, new concept that keeps you on the edge of your seat and you have a knock out movie. Let's start with Gerald's Game, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, this movie is not the typical horror movie with jump scares and blood everywhere, but believe me it's gonna getcha! The Babadook is actually one of my favorite movies, period. Acting is key in order to make a great horror movie work and The Babadook has it in spades. It also has a clever story, has great jump scares, and a crushing truth that asks that we all look at mental health in a much more serious way. Talk to Me is a brand spanking new movie that is a possession idea, completely reinvented, and perfectly done. I mean this movie is BRILLIANT! It has superb acting and directing, a clever script, and really great jump scares.
This group requires you to drink a wine that has depth, like a Right Bank Bordeaux or Washington State Merlot. BUT a warning for jump scare options! Make sure to set your wine down and only pick it up when you want a sip. I learned this the hard way. As a hold-the-wine-in-your-hand-all-the-time person, I have drenched our sofa, splattered our blinds and ruined outfits.
Classic Horror: The Excercist, The Shining, Psycho
Yeeeeeessssss the classics! I could have listed so so many in this category, but these are my top 3 that I watch over and over. The Excercist IS horror am I right? I mean even people that don't watch horror know the vomit scene reference. This movie is just so rewarding with its creepy little girl, handsome priest and dipshit mom. Good always wins...or does it? The Shinning, boy does that Stephen King know how to spin a story, doesn't he? Throw in Stanley Kubrick trying to drive Shelley Duvall crazy on set and an epic performance from Jack Nicholson and you have movie gold no matter what genre! Psycho, the definition of classic horror. If you haven't seen it, then what have you been doing in your life?!? It is slow on the build and then a fast paced spiral into madness. There is a debate about the remake staring Vince Vaughn, is it sacrilege that they even tried to make it? Did Vince do justice to Anthony Perkins' version? Maybe, maybe not, but the new one is great! I like Vince's version of campy creep, but nothing will ever match the incredible original. The original is amazing.
Classic movies should have a classic wine don't you think? I suggest bubbly. You pick your favorite, but for me it is a classic Brut sparkling. I do recommend that you explore options outside Champagne or other than Prosecco. Cava is a great bargain option and British sparklings are my new obsession.
Sleepover Fun: Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th
When I was growing up, watching horror movies at sleepovers was where it was at! Do people say that anymore "where it is at" meaning what is cool? Do kids these days have sleepovers and watch horror movies? I still watch these movies with nostalgia. They are the type of movies you laugh at, throw popcorn at the TV, and yell at the characters through. In case you are not familiar with these movies, Halloween is about a psycho that escaped from an insane asylum and walks around in a scary mask with a butcher's knife killing teenagers. Nightmare on Elm Street is about a child molester come back from the dead to haunt teenagers in their dreams with a glove made of knives. Friday the 13th is about teenage camp counselors being murdered by... someone in a hockey mask (I hate to spoil the surprise). Describing these movies, they sound really disgusting, but they are actually funny with how bad they are.
Maybe it is because I picture popcorn while watching these movies, but my go to pairing is the perfect popcorn pairing... Chardonnay. If you like your popcorn plain, go with a crisp Chablis. If you like a rounder more fruity Chard, add butter to your popcorn, and if you like your Chard big and bold, add nutritional yeast on top of the butter!
Comedy Horror: House, The Voices, What We Do in The Shadows (movie not show)
What We Do in The Shadows is such a brilliant movie! Taika Waititi is so freaking talented, I love his movies! This little nugget of awesomeness is a mocumentary about 4 vampires from different centuries living together as roommates. Filmed like the MTV Real World show from the 1990s, they bicker about everyday issues... only in a vampire way. I still laugh out loud every time I watch it. Then I have two suggestions that I feel like may not be everyone's cup of tea. The Voices stars Ryan Reynolds and Anna Kendrick, slow down this is NOT a rom-com! It is about Ryan's character who thinks his cat and dog can talk to him which does sound cute, but I warn you, it is DARK! If you have a sick sense of humor like me, then this is a must see. And finally, House. Korean fantasy storytelling that is weird from the start, then it gets weirder. When the movie finally really gets going it becomes so outlandish you can't help but howl with laughter! I don't know what else to say about this strange, disturbing, horror feast of movies, but who doesn't love to laugh and scream simultaneously?
Pairings for this group are tricky because What We Do in The Shadows needs a Gin and Tonic, The Voices needs a margarita and House... House needs psilocybin mushroom tea. If I have to pick a wine, I'd say a Syrah with some funk, like a northern Rhone.
TV Shows: American Horror Story, Dahmer, Twin Peaks
There are SO many great murder/ crime shows out there these days! It was crazy hard to pick just a few, but at the top of the list is a classic, Twin Peaks! I can't believe there are people out there that missed seeing this series when it first came out in 1990. This cheeper of a show is strange even by today's standards, with characters that make zero sense and a plot so twisting you are left to ponder what the hell happened, yet it is still a must see. American Horror Story is epic! Each season has its own theme with a sensational cast that brings complex characters to life. The writing is poetic, captivating and poignant while propelling a twisted, strange plot that you never fully see coming, all while also being shocking, scary, and sometimes traumatizing. This show, even if you don't like every season, is pure magic. Dahmer, OK I can feel you backing away on this one. Yes it is disgusting to prop real serial killers up like stars, but hear me out. Evan Peters does a phenomenal job morphing into the character and they manage to tell the story of the victims, their families and how badly the police screwed up which shifts it from simply glorifying the horrific deeds of a lunatic to actually understanding the stories behind the name. And nothing is more horrific than how horrible people can be in real life.
If you are going to bing watch a show, then I suggest a rose wine. Rose is a wine you can drink at any time of day and it doesn't saturate the palate so you also can drink a glass with each episode! If you want to treat yourself, my all time favorite are roses from Tavel, France. If you are looking for a cheap grab, New Zealand is actually putting out some tasty wines for bargain prices. If you are going to tease the series out with an episode per night, I recommend a wine that you can savor, look forward to having more each night... like a fantastic Sangiovese, if you can spoil yourself with a Brunello.
Serious Blood Baths: The Terrifier, The Evil Dead 1981, Martyrs 2008
Yikes, this section comes with a warning. Let's start with the easy going one, The Evil Dead. This campy, fun, low budget miracle is one of my all time favorite movies and would easily have been in the comedy section except that it is actually listed as one of the bloodiest movies of all time soooo... here we are. It is seriously a riot of a film and so much fun to watch. The Terrifier (1 and 2) is about a satanic clown. I don't know where to start with this movie or movies because the 2nd one is maybe more heinous than the first and that is saying something. What they do manage to do really really really well with these movies is horrify you and isn't that what we are after? I think I had a lot of you at the word clowns, but if you have any doubt, let me say that these movies have scenes you will never, ever forget. Final movie of the list is Martyrs. This is a smart, hidden gem that most people have missed, probably because it has subtitles. It has great scares, an in-depth and gut wrenching plot, is extremely well done and leaves you unbelievably disturbed.
Pairings for this group seems obvious, big bright reds, maybe a little over the top... like a Beaujolais Nouveau or Central European Zweigelt. Something that can be a lot is certain situations, but is just right when you want to scream with flavor.
Happy Halloween Season everyone!
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