We're big into themes here at CinemaSpeak, so what makes more sense than to celebrate Halloween by offering up a top ten of the scariest films we've encountered? Keep in mind that we made a conscious decision not to title this list "top ten horror films," which should explain some of the, perhaps, unexpected choices. You now have plenty of recommendations for a Halloween movie marathon. It should be understood by now, but for those who aren't good at taking hints: WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON OUR MESSAGE BOARDS.
Until November... when we'll unveil our highly anticipated lists of top ten Pilgrim movies.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002/Dir. Ron Underwood): I couldn't help myself in putting this disasterpiece on my list. Why, you ask? Well, it's simply scary just how awful and unfunny this movie is. It's also scary that I've actually seen it and sat through its entirety. And it's even scarier to think how far Eddie Murphy's career has fallen. And it cost a hundred million to make. Now that, my friends, is scary.
Alien (1979/Dir. Ridley Scott): Probably the film that made me jump the most on this list. It's one of those movies where you can't even catch a breath because any second something might happen. And the classic scene that introduces the "alien" got this baby on my list by itself. One question though: did we really need to see Alien Resurrection?
Black Christmas (1975/Dir.Bob Clark): If you think Halloween was responsible for the birth of slasher films, raise your hand. Well, you're wrong boys and girls. After seeing this cult classic, you'll obviously recognize the influence that this film had on the newly born genre. A maniac killer butchering teenage girls -- sound familiar?
Freaks (1932/Dir. By Tod Browning): What's scarier than a disfigured carnie? I'll tell you: multiple disfigured carnies. Even 70 years later, this film can still hang with the big boys. Never has a movie title been more appropriately fitting than this. When I was young, I seriously considered being an evil circus ringleader one day. Then I saw Freaks and thought better of it.
Friday The 13TH (1980/Dir. By Sean Cunningham): Yes, I know, everything down to the title rips off Halloween, but what can I say? Try watching this movie alone in the dark and then you'll understand why it's on my list. Bet you didn't know Kevin Bacon was in this flick? He was also in Footloose with Jon Lithgow, who was in Cliffhanger with Sly Stallone, who starred in Rocky, a film about a boxer who fights a character based on Muhammad Ali, who was played by Will Smith in Ali, who also happened to star in Six Degrees Of Separation, which led to the theory known as Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Wait, what's my point?
Halloween (1978/Dir. John Carpenter): The original title was The Babysitter Killer. Good choice in changing it, John. The script was written in eight days and filmed in two weeks. But you'd never notice, as every piece fits together perfectly culminating in what I say is the best horror film ever made. It goes to show that blood and gore aren't necessary to put fear into the audience. Style, a perfect villain and a genius score make this low budget blockbuster a definite must see; not just for horror fans, but movie fans in general.
Jaws (1975/Dir. Steven Speilberg): I don't think it's possible to swim in the ocean and not think of this film. Easily Speilberg's best work to date. And that's saying a lot with his credits. And who can forget the performance by Robert Shaw as the old sea captain, Quint. Can you believe he didn't win Best Supporting Actor that year? I can't. And never has the score added to the suspense and tension of a movie like this, until this next gem...
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984/Dir. Wes Craven): What would a top ten list of scary movies be without a Wes Craven film? Although this movie led to me investing countless wasted hours in unwatchable sequels and that dreadful television series, the original still finds a permanent home on my fright list. What was I saying earlier about needing a great villain, well, Freddy is definitely the cream of the crop.
Poltergeist (1982/Dir. Tobe Hooper): This film is solely responsible for my incredible fear of clowns. I remember when I first saw this movie I kept hiding behind my mom so that I wouldn't have to see the screen -- and that was just two months ago! The only thing scarier than Tobe Hooper's classic is the bizarre deaths of many of the cast members in the years following the film's release, creating the now infamous Poltergeist curse. What, you say you want me to star in an upcoming sequel? I think I'll pass.
The Shining (1980/Dir. Stanley Kubrick): I think I have finally discovered the formula for making a really scary film. Let's see here: great writer (Stephen King) + great actor (Jack Nicholson) + great director (Stanley Kubrick) = a great scary movie. Hmmm, what a novel idea. Studios should try this formula on horror films today.
Angel Heart (1987/Dir. Alan Parker): Even before this psychological thriller opened, all of the written ink focused on the steamy sex scene between co-stars Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet (which originally garnered it an x-rating). I'm not going to deny that the scene in question is a highlight, but there's a lot more to this spooky and even shocking detective yarn than kinky sex. Rourke (back when he was less of a scumbag and more of a good actor) stars as Harry Angel, a P.I. hired by Louis Cyphre (Robert DeNiro) to find an old-time crooner named Johnny Favorite. Angel's search leads him from the jazz clubs of New Orleans into a world filled with voodoo rituals and black magic ceremonies. This film is eerie and freaky and contains one of the great "shock" endings of all-time. Most wouldn't consider this a flat-out horror movie, but it continues to freak me out (something that's getting harder and harder to do).
Dawn of the Dead (1978/Dir. George Romero): Dawn of the Dead isn't very scary, but I can't justify putting a list of some of the best horror titles together without including it. As I wrote in a previous list, this apocalyptic zombie epic is my second favorite horror film of all-time (behind Evil Dead 2, which I'd also love to include, bit is much too funny for this list) and it contains some of the best uncensored gore that I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. On a side note: the writer of this summer's Scooby Doo has penned a remake and I'm hoping that he becomes zombie food before it goes into production.
Freaks (1932/Dir. Tod Browning): Dan Tester had this down as a guilty-pleasure, but I feel no guilt in admitting my love for this film or for the fact that the last ten minutes scare the hell-out-of-me. Browning (who directed the original Dracula) hired real circus performers (freaks) to fill the central roles in this story that tells what happens when poorly treated side-show attractions are driven to take revenge against the "normal" circus performers that treat them like sub-humans. The image of midgets, pinheads and a guy with no arms or legs crawling through the rain-soaked mud with knifes and other weapons in their mouths getting ready to attack, is one of the most shocking and haunting ever.
Halloween (1978/Dir. John Carpenter): The mother of all stalker/slasher movies (though Psycho came first, it really isn't all that scary) remains as scary now as it did upon release. It can't and won't be touched. It's the original and it remains unequaled in this genre.
Nightmare on Elm St. (1984/Dir. Wes Craven): Like most horror series with successful and kick-ass first films, the Nightmare on Elm St., sequels are an absolute joke (though the last entry, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, is strong), but that shouldn't detract from the power of the original. I saw it for the first time on video around the time the 3rd installment (Dream Warriors) was opening in theaters. I became an instant fan of Freddy Krueger and made it a mission to catch all of the subsequent sequels in the theater. Of course, not any of them even came close to living up to the original. I revisited the first last year to make sure that it still worked, and since it's been awhile and my mind was tainted by the inferior sequels, I expected a lot of cheesy horror mixed with stupid one-liners. Boy, was I wrong. The film was intense, the horror was terrifying and there were no one-liners to speak of. In fact, there's nothing funny about this film at all and its disturbing nature stays consistent throughout. This is my favorite film by Wes Craven (besides Music of the Heart).
Phantasm (1979/Dir. Don Coscarelli): Angus Scrimm (even his name is scary) stars as the Tall-Man in this mortuary-set shocker, which is easily the most original (though most mind-boggling) film on this list. The Tall-Man's mission is to dig up all of the bodies in the mortuary where he works (he gets even more ambitious in the many inferior sequels and takes to the road), so he can shrink them down to size and transport them to his planet, where he will put them to work as mining slaves. Heroes Reggie (genre favorite Reggie Bannister) Jody (Bill Thornbury) and young Mike (Michael Baldwin) are the only ones that can stop him. OK, so it's not a true story, but it is one of the coolest horror movies that I know of and there are many scary, jump-out-of-your-seat type moments. As an added bonus, this is the flick that features those flying, deadly silver spheres (alone worth the price of admission).
Poltergeist (1982/Dir. Tobe Hooper): I know that Poltergeist is PG and that Steven Spielberg was one of the producers (most would say true mastermind behind it), but when I was ten, this thing put a real scare into me. Nowadays, the material is more silly than scary (though the scene where the dummy comes to life and attacks young Robbie Freeling still causes me to jump) and the real-life tragedies involving two of the young actresses overwhelms the onscreen horror, but it was effective when I first saw it and I feel it deserves inclusion.
Santa Sangre (1989/Dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky): I first heard about this surreal shocker when Roger Ebert reviewed it on his show back when it opened, calling it a masterpiece. I caught up with it a couple of years later and its beautiful, yet disturbing images have stuck with me ever since. This "art" film has more of a narrative thread running through it than Jodorowsky's earlier cult classic El Topo (huh?), but it's as equally weird and even more haunting. I don't remember much about the plot (as I haven't seen it in ten years); only that it involves the circus (like Freaks) and a mother (whose arms were hacked off by her husband) and son (who uses his to help her kill) who team up to take bloody revenge against those that did them wrong. This is the most nightmarish title on this list.
The Shining (1980/Dir. Stanley Kubrick): Sure it's long, slow, pretentious (this is a Kubrick film after all) and contains one of the most over-the-top performances ever captured, but The Shining is easily my favorite haunted house film of all-time. I don't think it's quite as scary as it's reputation would have you believe, but it is an expertly crafted and chilling gothic horror film that creates a real spooky mood that stays consistent throughout. What impresses most are Kubrick's elaborate tracking shots (Danny's Big Wheel rides through the hotel and the final chase through the maze) and his shocking images (the twins, the geyser of blood that shoots through the hall and the woman in the bath). Redrum indeed.
The Thing (1982/Dir. John Carpenter): Carpenter makes a return appearance on the list for his awe-inspiring and grisly remake (though from what I hear, the only thing that the two versions have in common is their title) of the Universal horror classic. A group of isolated men (including frequent Carpenter-collaborator Kurt Russell) are stationed in Antarctica, when they come across a shape-shifting organism that traps them and turns them against one another. They never know where "the thing" is or in whose body it's resting. Carpenter pushes the tension to the limits and ends his story with one of the most bleak and nihilistic conclusions ever. This is my second favorite of his films (after Halloween), with one of the many highlights being Rob Bottin's amazing monster creations.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948/Dir. Charles Barton): This is essentially a comedy, but Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man aren't kidding around in this one. I remember as a kid I took them VERY seriously; still do to be honest, and it works as brilliant juxtaposition to the wacky duo. Funny stuff, with some actual creepy moments, but just an all around good time.
The Birds (1963/Dir. Alfred Hitchcock): This is my second favorite Hitchcock film (right behind North By Northwest) and I just absolutely love how it takes nearly one hour for anything of "real" importance to happen. Talk about character development! Of course throughout this first hour, there are small hints of "bird hysteria" but nothing to be alarmed about... right? I love the scene in the diner with the "bird expert" and the mother with her frightened children. And then that poor guy having the cigarette at the gas station. A great, weird, creepy film, with that classic ending.
Blue Velvet (1986/Dir. David Lynch): Not much has to be said here, except that aside from all the blood, gore and just generally nauseating content, Blue Velvet features a brilliant script, perfect performances, and inspired direction. Dennis Hopper is fantastic as small town evil incarnate, but has there even been a more equally hilarious and disturbing scene in the history of film than Dean Stockwell's rendition of "In Dreams"? I think not.
Duel (1971/Dir. Steven Spielberg): Little Steven Spielberg hit a home run his first time in the feature director's chair with this warped suspense classic about a mild-mannered businessman (Dennis Weaver) being menaced by a seemingly indestructable and unstoppable oil tanker on a desolate stretch of highway. This is one of the most exciting and suspenseful films I have ever seen, and although it is technically not a "horror" film, I think it belongs on this list because that just might be the devil himself driving that truck.
The Exorcist (1973/Dir. William Friedkin)/Exorcist III (1990/Dir. William Peter Blatty): I have pulled a "Kugler" and combined two films, because they would play very well as a double feature. Just remember to completely bypass the hideous and unwatchable piece of slop called Exorcist II: The Heretic starring Richard Burton. The first Exorcist is one of the most famous horror films of all time, but surprisingly, The Exorcist III is really quite well made, and includes one of my all-time biggest, most unexpected movie jolts of all time. I literally bounced off the ceiling when it happened. But the entire movie definitely has its creep on, and was a real surprise upon my first viewing. Definitely recommended as a double feature, since the story lines coincide.
Jaws (1975/Dir. Steven Spielberg): Na na, na na, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dundundundundundundundundundundun.DUN DUNNNNNNN.
Misery (1990/Dir. Rob Reiner): Great book, great movie adaptation (even though they did wimp out on the "hobbling" scene). Kathy Bates is amazing and frightening as Annie, the psychotic nurse with a penchant for a certain fictional character created by Jimmy Caan. Kudos must really go to Caan. Who else could lie in a bed for 90 minutes and still ooze half the charisma he does here? Just a great movie overall.
Poltergeist (1982/Dir. Tobe Hooper): Definitely one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. Just hearing that damn theme song gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Rosemary's Baby: (1968/Dir. Roman Polanski): This movie is perfect. Mia Farrow and John Cassevettes play a newly married couple who move into an apartment building in which their neighbors are just a little too nice. What they are really up to is the secret in this masterpiece. The best film on this list, and probably the creepiest, especially the ending. To this day I don't invite my neighbors over.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974/Dir.
Tobe Hooper): More terrifying
due to the matter-of-fact attitude of the inbred maniacs than
because of the bloody content, this movie still disturbs me, and
made me a mess in my younger years. In its own quiet way, the
performance of Leatherface is really a quite remarkable one if
you think about it. He really is the Olivier of the slaughter
set.
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