[Editorial] The Ghouls’ 8 Feel-Good Horror Picks

July is feel-good horror month here at Ghouls Magazine, and we asked a few of our Ghouls to share their feel-good favorites. Curated by Ariel Powers-Schaub!

Zoë Rose Smith - Editor-in-Chief 
Film: Possessor (2020) Dir. Brandon Cronenberg

“I've always found it difficult to express my emotions and find a way to articulate them to those around me. This has often led me to feeling quite emotionally detached and distanced, when I want to feel connected. Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor feels like a form of escapism from reality for me — it allows me to imagine being in someone else's skin and how I might be able to communicate emotions if only I were someone else for a moment. This film is the perfect representation of that detachment I often feel, and a display of someone that is searching to connect with their emotions when they cannot. Although it might be a bleak film in many ways, because it allows me to escape and dream of the possibilities, it leaves me with a sense of feeling good after watching it. Possessor reminds me of who I am, what I could be, and how being in someone else's skin might be a fantasy in some regards but might not lead to happiness. A couple of others on my list are: The Snowtown Murders and Lords of Chaos. Again, they are very bleak and dark but I find a lot of comfort in watching depressing films. They help to remind me that life is not as bad as what it seems.”

Rebecca McCallum - Assistant Editor 
Film: Theatre of Blood (1973) Dir. Douglas Hickox

“The colours, the costumes, the mayhem and of course the legendary Vincent Price! I always turn to Theatre of Blood when I am looking for comfort and escapism and this film has it in spades! As a lifelong Shakespeare junkie (I majored in Shakespeare for my English Literature degree) this film combines not only two of my greatest passions-the works of the bard and plenty of horror while also being led by the incomparable Vincent Price. 

As a declining actor of the old school methodology, Edward Lionheart launches into a revenge spree like no other when he finds himself overlooked by the critic’s circle. In a parade of the most fabulous and gregarious outfits and deliciously over the top re-enactments from Shakespeare's plays, Price is a marvel to watch, and it is clear he is having the time of his life too! In Theatre of Blood, Douglas Hickox spins a wonderfully gorgeous and grotesque tale that pulls me willingly into its mad and macabre world whenever I need to temporarily block out the real one.  You can check out my deep dive of the film for Moving Pictures Film Club 31 Days of Horror Series here 31 DAYS OF HORROR #6: Rebecca McCallum on THEATRE OF BLOOD (1973) (movingpicturesfilmclub.com)”

Ariel Powers-Schaub - Senior Contributor/Admin. Assistant 
Film: VFW (2019) Dir. Joe Begos

“VFW has a relatively straightforward plot - drug lords are trying to break into a bar to get their drugs back - but the movie is more about the characters and the aesthetics. VFW stands for Veterans of Foreign Wars, and there are VFW posts all over the states. These posts are mostly used as bars, but they are more than that - they serve as meeting places for veterans to find community. In the film, the old veterans have to stand up for their territory once again, and save an innocent kid. The characters are loveable and interesting - they are not all good people, but they are people you might know. And Joe Begos has a style that I love - lots of color, over-the-top gore, violence that’s more silly than horrifying. The look and feel of the film, plus the easy plot, make VFW one of my favorite films when I need a boost.”

Ariel Baska - Contributor 
Film: Perfect Blue (1997) Dir. Satoshi Kon

“My favorite feel-good horror film is Perfect Blue. Because I love Satoshi Kon’s mind-bending style of psychological horror, and because it’s a constant watch, it always feels like returning home to the horrors that help me triumph over my own trauma.”

Megan Kenny - Contributor 
Film: The Lost Boys (1987) Dir. Joel Schumacher

“I would say The Lost Boys, as it's fun, campy, has excellent clothing, music (including a greased up turn from Tim Capello) and, of course, hot vampires!”

Melanie Moyer - Contributor 
Film: Happy Death Day (2017) Dir. Christopher Landon

This film was introduced to me by my podcast co-host - our pod is called Splatter Chatter - and it became an instant classic in my repertoire of light slashers. Clearly influenced by Scream (1996) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2001), what I love about this film is its unabashed stance that women with an active sexual life and a thick closet of skeletons can not only be final girls, but have rich internal worlds and surprisingly textured character arcs. It's a slasher invested in rooting against the boogeyman because defeating the killer means looking inward at the ways we can and should change to be the best versions of ourselves (and to escape a terminal Groundhog Day (1993) spiral of death).

Jane Nightshade - Contributor
Film: IT (1990) Dir. Tommy Lee Wallace

The original IT miniseries, because most of the characters have happy endings. I like the nostalgia of small-town American life in the early ‘60s and the great cast of ‘70s-’80s tv icons: Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap from WKRP in Cincinnati); Harry Anderson (Judge Harry from Night Court); John Ritter (Jack Tripper from Three's Company); Richard Thomas (John-Boy from The Waltons); Michael Cole (Pete from The Mod Squad), plus the original Final Girl from Black Christmas (1974), Olivia Hussey, and of course, horror icon Tim Curry from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Iona Smith - Contributor 
Film: Final Destination Franchise (2000-2011) Multiple Directors

My feel-good film (series) is Final Destination A.K.A. my favourite horror series of all time. 

Now I know what you're thinking, it doesn't seem very 'feel-good', but hear me out. If I'm sad or stressed or feeling like a big old bag of shit because of the real-world, I love to stick a Final Destination film on and enjoy the schadenfreude experience as terrible people get their comeuppance. And let's be honest, about 99% of the people in Final Destination films are awful egocentric morons, so watching them get sliced and diced through hilarious coincidences with over-the-top splatter is incredibly enjoyable. The fact that these films are so creative in the killings and aren't afraid to make themselves wacky makes me count them as feel-good because they're there to entertain, thrill and potentially gross out people looking for the gore.

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