Quentin Tarantino loves his weird and obscure horror films, so when he recommends you watch something, you know you’re in for a treat. His latest Halloween recommendation? The 1974 slasher film “Devil Times Five,” also known as “People Toys” in certain territories.
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Tarantino took the time to praise “Devil Times Five” during a PaleyFest panel promoting the second season of Eli Roth’s “History of Horror” show. The film, which came out the same year as “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” revolutionized the genre and popularized the slasher, and follows a group of sociopathic, homicidal children who decide to systematically murder the residents of a lakeside chalet.
“Leif Garrett is the leader of these killer kids,” Tarantino said. “And Leif Garrett gives an amazing performance in this film? It’s terrific and it’s really ‘f’-ed up in a big way but that’s what makes it great. It blew me away. I was like, wow, this is amazing! I’ve heard about it forever, because it played the drive-in circuit on the lower half of double features for years. Finally, I watched it, and I was like, wow, this is terrific!”
And if you want another filmmaker recommending a fantastic horror movie after you seek out “Devil Times Five,” how about you listen to Kevin Bacon (who’s had a long history with the horror genre) and watch “One Cut of the Dead“? Speaking with Entertainment Weekly earlier this month, the star of “Friday the 13th,” “Tremors,” and “Flatliners” praised the Japanese horror film.
“You’ve never seen anything quite like this film,” Bacon said. “You’re going to watch the first 45 minutes and say, ‘He’s out of his mind, this is the worst horror movie I’ve ever seen in my life.’ You really have to stick with it, because it is both funny and scary and a really great and loving homage to the genre in general. I would recommend that one.” You should not watch the trailer for “One Cut of the Dead,” because you should simply go in blind and watch it on Shudder.
You can watch the trailer for “Devil Times Five” below: