|
Back in late December, I posted an article that included my persoanl list of the ten scariest movies that I've seen at that time. Well, now that I look back on it I've wanted to change alot. So here's my revised list with a bonus of fifteen flicks. But remember that these are the movies that I have seen, so don't come flooding my e-mail with letters asking why I didn't add Darkness Falls to the list, because if it's not on the list I haven't seen it or it wasn't scary enough. So here it is:
25.) Frailty 2002
Last night I watched Frailty on Cinemax because I had heard good things about it. Well the things that I had heard were true... Flawless screenplay, atmospheric directing, Oscar-worthy performances, a gripping premise, axis towards characterization, efficient dramatic situations. Films like this don't come around everyday. My second favorite horror flick to come out of 2002...
24.) The Exorcist 1973
I know that in my previous horor movie article I stated that The Exorcist wasn't scary but after watching it again I can see why people who grew up in the 60s and 70s thought that it was really scary because it is a creepy movie. I can imagine being a kid from the late 60s seeing The Exorcist in theaters and thinking, it's pretty easy to make myself believe that Frankenstein and Dracula are fake but this? I mean c'mon... it's pretty damn realistic 1973-wise...
23.) Silence of the Lambs 1991
Being the most popular psychological thriller ever made, Silence of the Lambs is almost flawless, with a creepy atmosphere and storyline that makes you think. Check it out, Clariiiiiiiice...
22.) Dawn of the Dead 1978
This is the best Zombie movie ever!!! I love this movie and I personally think that it's scarier than it's prequel, Night of the Living Dead. One of George Romero's greatest films, it's a perfect addition to any horror collection. The funny thing is that it takes place in a mall, which is pretty much one of the least scariest places I can think of...with the exception of the hideous, fanged, 300 pound shemale which can be commonly seen wandering around the food court at the mall I go to... I'm just kidding...
 21.) Pet Sematary 1989
Is it possible for a movie to feature some of the worst acting in cinema history and still remain immensely watchable? The answer is yes, for that movie is Pet Sematary, one of the creepiest horror flicks to come along in the past few decades, one thats really good at freaking you out, and one that features a bad, bad cast. The creepiest scene is that one with Zelda, WTF is wrong with her? Even though that scene makes no sense whatsoever, it's damn creepy. Zelda was played by a man named Andrew Hubstsek. I just thought that I'd throw that in...
20.) Candyman 1992
In my book Candyman is scarier than the more popular Silence of the Lambs, which it is usually compared to. The acting here is first-rate and special mention must be made of Philip Glass's superlative score, which combines synthesizers, piano, and chorus to haunting effect.
19.) Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter 1984
Part 4 was the last movie in the Friday the 13th series where Jason was an actual living person. In Part 5, there was no Jason, just a crazy ambulence driver named Roy, and in 6 through 10 Jason was sort of like a zombie (with an exception of Part 9 in which he was a slug thing), so obviously the later films are less realistic. In my opinion, the Friday the 13th series is the greatest horror saga ever made. With Halloween and The Evil Dead right behind.
18.) Hellraiser 1987
Clive Barker's Hellraiser is not only his scariest and most popular film yet, but one of the best and most influencial horror films to come out of the late 80s. It's filled with creepyness and gore, which are the keys to an 80s horror movie and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
17.) Madman 1981
Yet another Friday the 13th inspired film, I enjoy a couple of things about this movie. A cool electronic score, some nice lighting and atmosphere, and quirky performances make this part slasher film/part good old fashioned monster movie, an interesting find. Though Madman is not a rip off of Friday the 13th such as other woodland slasher movies such as Bloody Murder. Unique and creative kills plus a great plot make Madman one of my favorite slasher flicks that I've ever come across. "Madman Marz... He's real......"
16.) An American Werewolf in London 1981
An American Werewolf in London is the most entertaining werewolf movie to ever hit the big-screen. Complete with not only horror, but comedy which does not interfere with the story. I personally favor this movie over The Howling, but that has a little bit more scares and freakyness.
15.) Psycho 1960
Psycho is probably the most influencial and famous horror movie ever made. Hitchcock's finest and very scary compared to other horror movies from it's time. A timeless classic that is a perfect addition to any movie collection... After the release of Psycho, Hitchcock received a letter from a man upset because his wife refused to take baths after seeing 1955's Diabolique, and now had begun to shun showers after seeing Psycho. Replied Hitchcock, "Send her to the dry cleaners."
 14.) The Ring 2002
Even though this is my third favorite horror movie to come out of 2002, with Signs and Frailty being my first and second choices, it is still the second scariest. A great psychological thriller with enough chills and scares to fill three movies. When I went to see this at theaters, there was about forty kids from my school there and almost every one of them had their hands over their eyes. Actually The Ring is in some parts scarier than Signs, but I like Signs better. Seven days...
| null |
|
13.) Cujo 1983
This movie is a perfect reason why everyone should carry a cell phone, or a shotgun. The scariest thing about Cujo is that the mother and her son are helpless and there ain't a damn thing they can do. If I were in that situation, I would be pretty much convinced that I was going to die...
12.) Friday the 13th Part 3 1982
Friday the 13th Part 3... This is the one where our dear friend Mr. Voorhees gets his infamous hockey mask... Sadly I haven't been able to get a hold of the 3-D version, so I have to stick with the regular one, but it's still one of the scariest and one of my favorite horror movies around. Part 3 also includes one of my all-time favorite Jason kills. I'm not going to tell you, but it includes walking on your hands. So watch the movie to see what I'm yammering on about.
11.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984
Ah, finally we've reached A Nightmare on Elm Street, not only Wes Craven finest and most famous movie he's ever made, but also one of the scariest horror movies from the eighties. The first three ANOES movies and the last one were really good, but the middle entrys started to become too comical and vintage MTV-ish. This one will also have a special place in my heart...
10.) Child's Play 1988
Child's Play has always been one of my favorite movies. Even though it doesn't scare me alot now, it scared the shit outta me when I was younger. You see, I had one of those My Buddy dolls which I creatively named Buddy. Well Buddy looked a little like ol' Chucky so ever since I saw this movie when I was about 3, Buddy scared the hell outta me and so did this big ass Troll I had, but only at night. I could see their silouttes in the shadows, sitting at the end of my bed every night. Finally I got over my little fright when I was 14. I'm just kidding that would be really, really weird. I was 13...
9.) The Howling 1980
This is a really screwed up movie, but for some unknown reason I thought it was scary. I have no idea why. It has a really stupid plot, it doesn't make alot of sense, but usually thats how horror movies from the 80s are. You gotta love em... I think that the scene where the main character lady is rummaging through that old house in the middle of the woods and the werewolf appears was the scariest part, but the movie lost me when all the werewolves were dancing or something (It's been awhile)
8.) The Evil Dead 1983
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! If I had to pick my favorite horror movie, Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead would probably be numero uno. Back then, and let's face it, even today, Raimi wasn't considered one of Hollywood's premiere directors. He wasn't granted a huge budget and endless resources to work on this film. I've heard the budget was 50,000 dollars. I've also read that it was 300,000, but even then, that's a small amount to work with. Considering that, he put together a fantastic movie with a then-undone storyline, great footage, cheesy yet admirable performances, and a whole lotta gore. The movie was actually filmed in an abandoned log cabin. Bruce Campbell (Ash-The main character) was Raimi's lifelong friend. This wasn't a huge, big budget spectacular. It was just a horror movie, and a pretty good one that lets you leave your thinking caps off. You're watching the flick to get scared and see blood. Enjoy it for that.
7.) Signs 2002
It's very rare to find a good horror movie these days. But Signs...Signs is a great movie... I saw it in theaters up in New Hampshire in early August and I was amazed at how it was such a good horror movie. It was very realistic and actually, it reminded me of The Birds. It had that feeling to it, that feeling of no way out. I love the scence when the older brother is watching TV from that birthday party and boom! There it is!
6.) Halloween 1978
The greatest slasher film ever made, Halloween changed the way the horror movies of the late 70s and 80s were made.Carpenter's direction and score created a suitably eerie atmosphere. In Halloween, the combination of the most unholy of days and babysitters in jeopardy is as good as it gets. Speaking of jeopardy, heres some pictures of Alex Trebek on Cheers!!!
5.) Just Before Dawn 1980
Just Before Dawn is a must-see for slasher fans. This movie is surely one of the most underrated horror flicks around. One reason is because nobody's ever heard of it. Mostly only die-hard horror fans have seen it, other than that I bet only about 1 in 30,000 people have. Like Friday the 13th's chchchahahah Just Before Dawn has a whistling sound. Both are great touches to the films. Even though Just Before Dawn is a "killer in the woods" flick, it is definitly not a rip-off of Friday the 13th. They were both released the same year, so I'm not sure which came out first. If you want to own it, try ebay, but I can't promise you that you'll find it.
4.) Friday the 13th Part 2 1981
Friday the 13th Part 2 is defintly the scariest sequel ever made. Actually, this movie is just about as scary as it's prequel, because it has more slasher action. This is Jason, before the hockey mask. And personlly I think that Jason's scarier this way, with the hood. Also, the style matches the first film so well alot of people get them confused. A scary sequel to a scary movie...
3.) Alice, Sweet Alice 1977
I first saw this one on a local channel when I was down near Atlantic City. I was 6, all alone, in the dark.... Well, it scared the shit outta me and I'd think of that movie every time we'd pass a church. Later, I was still looking for the VHS, but I just got a DVD player a few months ago, so I can finally buy that copy that's been sitting on the shelf at Suncoast for the past 9 months, laughing at me because I didn't have a DVD player... : (
2.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974
When I first saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it scared the shit outta me, and it still does. Being a collector of horror movies with a collection of a little over 100 of em, I'm not the type that gets frightened.The top three movies on this list don't really scare me but they sure are scary. Even the title is scary. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE... Just stare at what I typed in caps lock... Isn't it scary! Gahhhh! I love movies about cannibalistic chainsaw-wielding maniacal rednecks who love their grandpas...
1.) Friday the 13th 1980
Released two years after Halloween, the film followed a similar pattern but it upped the ante by showing the gore that the first film only hinted at. A true splatter film. Although the former is more renowned, this was the one that truly started the slasher craze of the early 80s. Made the same year that The Empire Strikes Back was released Friday the 13th, which was made on a budget of less than one million dollars, managed to pull in over seventeen million in receipts and was the 20th highest grossing film of 1980. I personally enjoy Friday the 13th better than Halloween and I think that it's much scarier. After watching this movie, camping in the woods will never be the same...
|
