While for many, October’s “spooky season” is ideal for horror movies, for André Loiselle, St. Thomas University dean of humanities and top horror film academic in Canada, horror films are a year-round delight.
Loiselle has been a horror movie enthusiast since childhood, when he discovered the genre through movies and comic books such as Creepy and Vampirella. He turned his passion into his life’s work, going to grad school and getting his PhD in Canadian and Québécois cinema, theatricality in cinema and horror films.
When it comes to recommending horror movies, he emphasizes that “it depends on what people like.” He said he prefers the classics and is very fond of the 1960s horror wave, including Hammer Film Studios’ The Curse of The Werewolf.
He is also a fan of the all-time favourite fictional serial killer and Halloween legend Hannibal Lecter, a respected forensic psychiatrist with a dark, cannibalistic side. His favourite international horror film, Silence of the Lambs, is the reason why he thinks Lecter is “above and beyond anyone else.”
“Some people might debate that it’s not really a horror film, it’s more of a crime thriller,” he said. “To me, it’s a great, great horror film and my favourite human monster in the world is Hannibal Lecter.”
Loiselle is also a huge fan of the 1975 Italian film Deep Red, by director Dario Argento.
“I don’t want to ruin it for you, but there’s a moment when we finally get to see the serial killer and that very moment is perhaps the scariest thing I’ve seen on film,” he said. “And that’s why I love it.”
His favourite Canadian horror movie is The Brood, a 1978 Toronto production which takes you into the life of Nola Carveth and her mental disturbances with psychotherapist Hal Raglan as she legally battles her husband for the custody of their five-year-old.
For those who enjoy the gore aspect of horror movies, Loiselle highlights the recent release of Talk to Me, a 2022 film about “teenagers who discover that they can get a thrill of shaking the hand of the mummy, if you shake that hand, then you can get in touch with dead people.”
“Most horror film fans like to see something new, in addition to the old conventions, and that’s what we get with Talk to Me.”
He also notes the psychological horrors Get Out and Us, directed by Jordan Peele, which have a “strong political element to them, particularly around racism in the United States.” The 2017 film Get Out featuring Oscar-winning Daniel Kaluuya is especially regarded by both fans and critics as a great film, holding a whopping 98 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
These are just some of the movies Loiselle recommends for those looking to get into horror films or are already enthusiasts.
With files from Leo Czank.
