After two weeks of hiatus, Legends of Horror returns from the crypt to discuss one of my personal favorite Legends. None other than Corey Feldman! Feldman’s work is fairly wide reaching, but there is no denying his contributions to the horror genre. Even as a child actor he was making some very legendary work. Slashers, vampires, even little fucked up monsters were all part of his film history. Now let’s take some time to celebrate it!
His best films
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
This is hands down my favorite Friday the 13th flick and Corey Feldman’s Tommy Jarvis is a big reason why. Jarvis was such a different protagonist for the series. Here was this little oddball kid that liked to make masks and horror effects as well as playing video games instead of a lead “final girl” for a change. Talk about a breath of fresh air! In many ways, young Tommy was the perfect antithesis for Jason Voorhees. Both were different as kids. Jason was not the brightest of guys while Jarvis was sharp as a tack. He even got the best kill of the series!
On a personal level, I’ve never connected with a character better than I have with Tommy Jarvis in this. I WAS this kid as a child! I used to make the masks, play really old video games of the same era and even had Savini’s books about how to create makeup effects. Even while I was at my lowest point, feeling like a total outcast, I at least had a kindred spirit in Tommy.
The Lost Boys
One of the greatest vampire movies ever created, The Lost Boys stands the test of time in the best possible way. It has one of my favorite soundtracks ever put to a film. It has Keifer Sutherland as David, one of the coolest vampires ever seen on screen. It has a cool and fun tone throughout the movie. Seriously, not many flicks can mix fun and frights quite as well as The Lost Boys. Finally, it has the Frog brothers! Corey Feldman plays one half of this vampire hunting duo. The may make mistakes, but they do know what they are talking about. And they look good while doing it!
Gremlins
This is easily one of the best movies to ever be set around the Christmas holiday. What is there not to love about it? Gizmo was insanely cute(seriously, you couldn’t pass a station wagon in the 1980’s without seeing him suction cupped to a car window). The little bastard Gremlins were hilarious and terrifying at the same time. It has a theme that will get stuck in your head for days, it’s so catchy. The movie just flat out rocks. And who is the guy that really screwed up and set the shenanigans in motion? None other than Corey Feldman!
Other Notable Work
Stand By Me
A story by none other than Stephen King. This may not be horror but I feel it needs to be included. It’s such a fantastic story of bonding and childhood that I believe it should be required viewing for all movie fans, of any genre. Kiefer Sutherland also plays a role in it as well, so that’s enough ties for me to include it here.
The Burbs
This is a fun movie which Tom Hanks plays the lead, but Corey Feldman does play a decent part in it. A story about a a community believing that their new neighbors are serial killers? Yep, that makes the list. It’s funny as hell too.
The Goonies
The quintessential kids adventure flick. This movie has some scary undertones, whether it’s the bank robbing family or the greatness that is Sloth. You owe it to yourself to check this out if you haven’t already. If you have, then you owe it to yourself to check it out again.
In Conclusion
Corey Feldman absolutely deserves the title as a Legend of Horror. Even if there are more actors with bigger resumes in the genre, not many can claim to be in as many classics of the genre as he has. The man is a terrific personality, a truly awesome human being that always makes his fans feel welcome. He loves what he’s done with the genre. You have to respect that!
Next week’s Legend of Horror is favorite of mine. She’s a spooky vixen that has helped spread the love of horror to millions of people and has given us a couple big reasons to love the genre even more.
