Who Loves Horror? Playboy Editors Do
While working at the Playboy Studio in Santa Monica, California is hardly anyone's idea of a nightmare, one mustn't neglect one's dark side-- that's why Associate Editor Robert DeSalvo interviews Playmates by day, but is a serious horror fan by night.
DeSalvo (not to be confused with Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler) is used to fielding questions about his job. "There are a few that always come up," he says, "'Have you been to the Mansion?' 'Is Hef really involved with the magazine?' 'Can you get me into a Mansion party?' The answers are: 'Yes,' 'absolutely' and 'no.'"
DeSalvo's love of horror runs deep: "I've always been into folklore, superstition and myths, and the horror genre is just a modern way of telling those old campfire stories." While he's personally looking forward to this summer's sequels to Hellboy and The X-Files, DeSalvo recommends the following in the meantime:
10. Hellraiser
9. The Descent
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street
7. Poltergeist
6. Dawn of the Dead
5. The Thing
4. The Hunger
3. The Shining
2. Halloween
1. Alien
"Alien is a triumph of directing, acting and design, plus it's truly nightmarish. Ridley Scott has an unparalleled eye for detail and captures the sense of isolation the crew of the Nostromo endures. I can't think of a scarier movie monster or one so brilliantly conceived as the one birthed from H.R. Giger's twisted imagination."
Mr. DeSalvo has exquisite taste! And he's really hot!
ALIEN is on there, but not ALIENS? The latter is my #1 pick for best horror film ever. Good list.
Well, everyone has got a list, so everyone can take pot shots. I can't sit through the Shining to this day. And I'm with Sigler. Aliens is much richer than Alien. When Newt falls down the air vent and Ripley and the audience realized that they've got to go back for her, we all bite at the same bile.
Of course, let's point out that most of this work is older than the average college freshman. I can't wait for guys like Scott Sigler and the next wave of really solid horror writers to bring back the climb out of your seat and drop the popcorn action. I'm tired of Saw XIV or whatever number it's upto now. And at some point, we can just learn japanese and watch japanese horro rather than making it in an english version, "Death Note" anyone?
We all love Ridley Scott, but he's not going to write the next Alien. But Sigler might.