Favorite Films: Daedric’s Kristyn Hope Digs ‘Godzilla,’ ‘Companion,’ ‘Halloween,’ Rob Schneider ‘Comedy’
When we recently caught up with alt/metal frontwoman Kristyn Hope of Deadric to inquire about her favorite films, she responded immediately: “To give you a bit of background, I grew up on VHSs. We had about 200 movies and I’d watch the same ones over and over and over. It was very unhealthy.”
Sounds like a true movie aficionado to us.
She continued: “So anyway, my list of favorite movies is largely based on the ones we had. Because I grew up pretty poor, we didn’t rent movies often. I would go to the) library and get the free movies – you know, like C-level movies.
The proof of Hope’s testimony can be found in the ensuing rundown of her favorite flicks of all time;
Godzilla (1998)
The 1998 version of Godzilla was one of my favorites. I know it shouldn’t even count as a Godzilla movie, but it was the only monster movie I had [available to watch at home]. And I was so into monsters. The idea of a giant kaiju was so cool to me. It was just such an interesting creature. Also, the CGI – for the time – was good.
Dragonheart (1996)
Dragonheart was another movie I loved because … you know, dragons! And it had Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery. The first one is really good. Oh, David Thewlis is also in it … he was the werewolf guy in Harry Potter. It’s actually a really good movie, very heartwarming. It’s very ’90s-coded, but that’s OK.
So, like I said before, I grew up on VHSs, and that’s all I had. I grew up pretty poor, so we didn’t rent movies a lot. I would go to the library and get the C-level free movies. I got my first laptop when I was in high school, and I immediately got into torrenting and downloaded all these movies that I’d missed out on. I’d never seen Seven or Fight Club or Silence of the Lambs. I hadn’t had any exposure to horror.
So I torrented like 200 movies. My computer was filled up [maxed out on] memory. My dad was getting emails from Fox Searchlight, saying, like, “Why are you illegally downloading?” He was like, “What’s this?” And I was like, “Oh, you know, I’m just watching all these movies because I love cinema.”
And I do love film. The lighting, the sound, the effects … all these things was so fascinating to me. One summer, I think I watched 200 movies and just sat there and I absorbed everything.
I finally got to see the full Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, which weren’t allowed in the house where I grew up. I grew up super-religious, so we weren’t allowed to watch anything that involved “magic.” Now I have, and here’s my list of favorite movies, although they’re not necessarily ranked:
1. Spirited Away (2001)
2. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
3. An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)
4. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (TV series that started in 2023)
5. Companion (2005)
6. The Hot Chick (2002)
7. The Thing remake (2007)
8. Halloween (1978)
9. 28 Days Later (2002)
10. Constantine (2005)
Last question: Why so many horror and sci-fi movies? “Because comedies are boring right now,” she repliedd.
Learn more about Daedric, the synth-based metal/rock band featuring vocalist Kristyn Hope, and producers Clay Schroeder and Geoff Rockwell, on their Bandcamp page. Here’s their latest video for your viewing pleasure:
For more Favorite Films editions, check out these past installments in the series:
• Soulburn Are Passionate About ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ ‘Shining,’ ‘Lighthouse’ and 2 Flicks Starring Denzel and Depp
• Fireball Ministry’s Emily Burton Digs ‘Jackie Brown’ ‘Aliens,’ ‘Big Trouble in Little Lebowski’ … and a Pick You’d Never Guess
• Tim and Eric Turn Vancouver Psych Squad Meltt Into a Puddle of Laughter
• Dez Dare Digs Nicolas Cage, Mia Goth, ‘Moon,’ ‘Midsommar,’ ‘Ex Machina’ (and Puppets)
• Martin Atkins (Ministry, Pigface) ‘Bedazzles’ Us by Picking a Comedy With Dudley Moore, Peter Cook
• The New Loud Pick Their Favorite David Lynch Films
• Dummy Give Thumbs-Up to ‘Psycho Goreman,’ ‘Megan,’ ‘Creep,’ ‘Nosferatu’
• Jacob the Horse Singer Digs Russ Meyer, Nolan, Tarsem Singh, William Friedkin
• Dying Remains’ Frontman Treasures ‘The Thing,’ ‘Suspiria,’ ‘City of the Living Dead,’ ‘Wounded Fawn’
• Heavy Heavy Low Low Vocalist Lists His Favorite Flicks as Halloween Creeps Closer
• Avant-Garde Trio Kilter Get Off on ‘Stalker,’ ‘Annihilation,’ ‘Street Trash’
• Napalm Death’s Shane Embury Picks ‘2001,’ ‘Inception,’ ‘Forbidden Planet’
• Point Break 2 Frontman Cops to His Guilty-Pleasure Movies: ‘Mortal Kombat,’ ‘Terror,’ ‘Elvis,’ More
• Oathbound Swear ‘Alien,’ ‘Big Lebowski,’ ‘Interstellar,’ ‘Cabin in the Woods’ Are the Bomb
• Did You Catch These Easter Eggs in ‘One Battle After Another’?
The Bad Penny (beta) 
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