Caye Casas is the filmmaker behind one of the most distressing movies of the decade. If you have seen The Coffee Table, you are probably still traumatized like the rest of us. Who knew a piece of furniture could cause so much chaos and destruction? No one could have predicted the emotional and psychological damage we would endure while watching that film. I will never be the same, and my internal screams may never end. So, obviously, it is one of my new favorite things! Seeing as I started this column as an excuse to bother my favorite filmmakers, I decided to use my power for the greater good. I asked the person many of us will be sending some therapy bills to this year to share his five favorite horror movies.
Caye Casas’ list is lean, mean, and required viewing, just like his disturbing black comedy that put him on our radar. This is another favorite filmmaker who understood the assignment way too well. He also had beautiful things to say about each of these unsettling titles. Check out his top five horror movies below.
Alien, The Eighth Passenger (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
A spacecraft crew picks up a deadly alien lifeform that wreaks havoc on their ship. We love it when people who make upsetting movies show some love for this iconically unsettling film. This is Caye’s favorite horror movie, and he gushes about it similarly to how we talk about The Coffee Table at Horror Movie Blog. Caye wrote:
“Terror in space with an indestructible bugger and the best heroine in the history of cinema trying to kill him. I love Alien!!! It doesn’t go out of style. The casting is unbeatable, the atmosphere, the sound, everything. Later came thousands of copies of this saga, but there is nothing like Alien the Eighth Passenger. It is my favorite horror movie and I am still in love with Lieutenant Ripley.”
Funny Games (1997)
Directed by Michael Haneke
Where You Can Watch: Max
A couple of young men hold a family hostage in their vacation home and then force them to play twisted games for their own amusement. Casas describes this movie as, “Violent, uncomfortable, horrible…a masterpiece of terror. It makes the viewer experience very strong emotions. Gratuitous violence is the most terrible, and this movie is a good example.” I still have not seen this movie, but if it is even half as uncomfortable as Caye’s work, sign me up.
Misery (1990)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Where You Can Watch: VOD
A famous author survives a car crash only to wake up in the home of his number one fan, who happens to be unstable. Caye explains this is a, “brutal example of a small movie, prodigious performances, tension, anguish, and it shows that less is more often works.” He continued, ”Sometimes horror doesn’t need ghosts, monsters, or scares. It needs a good story that keeps you sitting in your seat without blinking. Kathy Bates in Misery scares me a thousand times more than Jason Voorhees.” I love his reasons for this movie making the list because his most recent film definitely proves you can make the smallest things the most upsetting.
Ravenous (1999)
Directed by Antonia Bird
Where You Can Watch: VOD
Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission and run into a cannibal that poses a problem. If Caye Casas says this movie is an underrated gem, we should all hit play today. Casas made a point to highlight Antonia Bird’s direction alongside the performances of Jeffrey Jones and Robert Carlyle. Cancel your plans because if the filmmaker who devastated us with The Coffee Table tells you this is, “truly bloody and wild,” you are in for a ride! He explained, “If anyone hasn’t seen it, I recommend it… and then I’m sure they’ll want to eat a good barbecue.” I giggled, but I just might…
The Day Of The Beast (1995)
Directed by Álex de la Iglesia
Where You Can Watch: AMC+, Fandango At Home, Freevee, Pluto TV, and Tubi
A Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and a connoisseur of the occult to commit as many sins as possible to prevent the birth of the beast. The original title is El día de la bestia, should you also be seeking it out this weekend. Casas cites this dark comedy as one of his references and one of the funniest movies he has ever seen. While praising the film, he wrote it is, “A traditional and diabolical cocktail that, with a superb script by Álex and Jorge Guerricaechevarría, becomes one of the best films in the history of Spanish cinema.”
Caye Casas gave us some scary homework, and we love to see it. You should follow him on Instagram and Twitter. You should also watch The Coffee Table on VOD because it is worth more than the apps are charging us. If you have already watched it and healed, you might want to also check out Casas’ Killing God. The horror comedy is currently streaming on Plex, Pluto TV, Prime Video, and The Roku Channel.
What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie(s)?: Caye Casas Edition
Caye Casas is the filmmaker behind one of the most distressing movies of the decade. If you have seen The Coffee Table, you are probably still traumatized like the rest of us. Who knew a piece of furniture could cause so much chaos and destruction? No one could have predicted the emotional and psychological damage we would endure while watching that film. I will never be the same, and my internal screams may never end. So, obviously, it is one of my new favorite things! Seeing as I started this column as an excuse to bother my favorite filmmakers, I decided to use my power for the greater good. I asked the person many of us will be sending some therapy bills to this year to share his five favorite horror movies.
Caye Casas’ list is lean, mean, and required viewing, just like his disturbing black comedy that put him on our radar. This is another favorite filmmaker who understood the assignment way too well. He also had beautiful things to say about each of these unsettling titles. Check out his top five horror movies below.
Alien, The Eighth Passenger (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
A spacecraft crew picks up a deadly alien lifeform that wreaks havoc on their ship. We love it when people who make upsetting movies show some love for this iconically unsettling film. This is Caye’s favorite horror movie, and he gushes about it similarly to how we talk about The Coffee Table at Horror Movie Blog. Caye wrote:
“Terror in space with an indestructible bugger and the best heroine in the history of cinema trying to kill him. I love Alien!!! It doesn’t go out of style. The casting is unbeatable, the atmosphere, the sound, everything. Later came thousands of copies of this saga, but there is nothing like Alien the Eighth Passenger. It is my favorite horror movie and I am still in love with Lieutenant Ripley.”
Funny Games (1997)
Directed by Michael Haneke
Where You Can Watch: Max
A couple of young men hold a family hostage in their vacation home and then force them to play twisted games for their own amusement. Casas describes this movie as, “Violent, uncomfortable, horrible…a masterpiece of terror. It makes the viewer experience very strong emotions. Gratuitous violence is the most terrible, and this movie is a good example.” I still have not seen this movie, but if it is even half as uncomfortable as Caye’s work, sign me up.
Misery (1990)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Where You Can Watch: VOD
A famous author survives a car crash only to wake up in the home of his number one fan, who happens to be unstable. Caye explains this is a, “brutal example of a small movie, prodigious performances, tension, anguish, and it shows that less is more often works.” He continued, ”Sometimes horror doesn’t need ghosts, monsters, or scares. It needs a good story that keeps you sitting in your seat without blinking. Kathy Bates in Misery scares me a thousand times more than Jason Voorhees.” I love his reasons for this movie making the list because his most recent film definitely proves you can make the smallest things the most upsetting.
Ravenous (1999)
Directed by Antonia Bird
Where You Can Watch: VOD
Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission and run into a cannibal that poses a problem. If Caye Casas says this movie is an underrated gem, we should all hit play today. Casas made a point to highlight Antonia Bird’s direction alongside the performances of Jeffrey Jones and Robert Carlyle. Cancel your plans because if the filmmaker who devastated us with The Coffee Table tells you this is, “truly bloody and wild,” you are in for a ride! He explained, “If anyone hasn’t seen it, I recommend it… and then I’m sure they’ll want to eat a good barbecue.” I giggled, but I just might…
The Day Of The Beast (1995)
Directed by Álex de la Iglesia
Where You Can Watch: AMC+, Fandango At Home, Freevee, Pluto TV, and Tubi
A Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and a connoisseur of the occult to commit as many sins as possible to prevent the birth of the beast. The original title is El día de la bestia, should you also be seeking it out this weekend. Casas cites this dark comedy as one of his references and one of the funniest movies he has ever seen. While praising the film, he wrote it is, “A traditional and diabolical cocktail that, with a superb script by Álex and Jorge Guerricaechevarría, becomes one of the best films in the history of Spanish cinema.”
Caye Casas gave us some scary homework, and we love to see it. You should follow him on Instagram and Twitter. You should also watch The Coffee Table on VOD because it is worth more than the apps are charging us. If you have already watched it and healed, you might want to also check out Casas’ Killing God. The horror comedy is currently streaming on Plex, Pluto TV, Prime Video, and The Roku Channel.
Miss Sharai Bohannon
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