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By Harrison Pierce
Forget Halloween. For many Americans, Election Day is the scariest day of the year. From frighteningly long voter lines to the chilling isolation of the voting booth to the spine-tingling moment of pulling the lever for someone who is often the lesser of two evils, the process of voting is kind of a nightmare. These films make a connection between politics and horror and may be partially to blame for our collective Election Day jitters!
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Frank Sinatra stars in this classic Cold War chiller as a Korean War vet who uncovers a secret plot by the Communist Party to take over our country’s highest office. Co-starring Angela Lansbury as one of the most evil onscreen mothers of all time, The Manchurian Candidate inspired the term “Manchurian Candidate,” now used to describe anyone running for office who may be harboring a hidden…and possibly evil agenda!
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The Dead Zone (1983)
In this adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling horror novel, The Dead Zone, Christopher Walken plays a guy with the ability to envision someone’s future simply by touching him. When he glad-hands ruthless Senatorial Candidate and future U.S. President Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), he sees that Stillson will one day lead our country to nuclear holocaust. So, he sets out to kill him before he can take evil advantage of our country’s highest office.
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The Exorcist (1973)
Although the horror classic The Exorcist, may not directly deal with the potentially evil machinations of our nation’s capital, do you think it’s any coincidence that this tale of good and evil vying for the soul of a young girl is set in the same place where our elected officials vie for the soul of our nation? Captain Howdy says, “No.”
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All the President’s Men (1976)
Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford sport terrifyingly dated hairstyles and suits in this chilling true story of Woodward and Bernstein, the two Washington Post journalists who helped expose the corruption of the Nixon administration. All The President's Men depicts D.C. as a place riddled with fear, where the only thing scarier than death is telling the truth.
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Nixon (1995)
Twenty years later, director Oliver Stone took moviegoers directly inside the Nixon-era White House for a sinister tour of its corruptions, both real and speculative. Wearing creepy brown eye contacts and frightening buck teeth, Anthony Hopkins portrays our country’s most infamous elected official as paranoid, tortured and compulsively dishonest. It’s his most monstrous onscreen creation outside of “Hannibal the Cannibal.”
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The Omen Trilogy (1976-1981)
The first Omen introduced moviegoers to “Damien Thorn,” adopted son of a U.S. Ambassador and secret son of the devil. The two sequels tracked his rise from child of politician to political appointee in Omen III: The Final Conflict when he was defeated during a “final conflict” with none other than the Second Coming of Christ. Who’s to say other unholy government officials haven’t succeeded in climbing the political ladder?
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Dave (1993)
This comedy floats the terrifying notion that any schmuck can be President…as long as he looks like one. Kevin Kline’s nice guy Dave Kovic bears an uncanny resemblance to Kevin Kline’s President Bill Mitchell, who suffers a stroke during a round of boink-the-Oval Office secretary. When Dave is hired to stand in, everyone seems to buy the ruse. Well, everyone except director Oliver Stone, who cameos as himself to announce he smells a conspiracy!
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Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Michael Moore’s attack on former President George W. Bush in Fahrenheit 9/11 -- specifically his handling of 9/11 -- remains the highest grossing documentary film. Its ideas – that Bush may have bought the 2000 election; that his decision to go to war with Iraq was based on familial ties to Saudi money; that he lied about weapons of mass destruction – weren’t disturbing enough to dissuade voters from re-electing him into office that November.
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2016: Obama’s America (2012)
Like Fahrenheit 9/11, Dinesh D’Souza’s documentary, 2016: Obama's America, takes a harsh look at our incumbent President's first term. In asking, “Who is Barack Obama?” his film concludes that Obama may harbor an anti-colonialist agenda that could make us vulnerable to an increased deficit, outside attack and a socialist government. It remains to be seen if or how D’Souza’s doc will affect the upcoming election.
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Election (1999)
Of course, there’s no scarier thought than “Tracy Flick” reaching our country’s highest office. The breakout character in Alexander Payne’s high school comedy classic, Tracy Flick is everything we fear politicians to be: ruthlessly ambitious, sexually wayward and cunningly deceptive. This movie, more than any, might be the reason Americans dread Election Day: the fear of advancing a “Tracy Flick” to the position of ultimate power.
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The Campaign (2012)
Few things are more alarming than career politicians (like Will Ferrell's Congressman Brady) sitting pretty in office--unless it's weirdos like Zach Galifianakis' sweater-loving family man Marty Huggins aspiring to kick them out. Hijinks ensue, natch, not the least of which involve horrifying incidents with babies and a cute pooch.
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