1. Seven-Oh Gwyneth Paltrow...you will never be the same! Seven is the story of a NYPD detective (Morgan Freeman) who is retiring in a week. He is partnered up with Brad Pitt and they are searching for a serial killer who is committing murders based on the seven deadly sins. I remember seeing this movie with a friend when it first came out. I considered walking out after the first murder, Gluttony, but my curiosity got the better of me and I stayed for the whole film. The relationship between Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt is interesting to watch. Warning: The movie does not show the actual killings only the aftermath which is quite gruesome.
2. Blair Witch Project-This movie scared the crap out of me!! It is true that what you don't see will scare you the most. Three film students go to the woods in Burkittsville, Maryland to document the legend of the Blair Witch. They disappear (of course) but their film footage is found. I remember when I first saw the poster for this film a month before it came out-very clever advertising campaign because the poster made you think that this was a true story and when I finally saw the movie, it played out like a real documentary. The three students are chased by something but you never know by who or what exactly...is it a crazy person? the blair witch? Ted Kosinski? Warning: If you don't like jerky camera movement, especially if it makes you nauseous, please don't see this movie. Also, you probably will never camp in the woods again after seeing this film.
3. The Exorcist-This list wouldn't be complete without this classic. You either love it or hate or you laugh all the way through it (as my brother did when it first came out). Everyone knows the story of poor 13-year old Regan who gets possessed by the the big, bad, awful devil. My favorite scene is when Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) arrives at Regan's house in Washington DC (see image)-this is a great movie moment. The last time I was in DC I actually went to the famous stairs where Father Karras falls down after the exorcism. I fist saw this movie on television many years after it first came out. I watch it every once in awhile and it still disturbs me 30+ years after it was made. Check out the special DVD edition and see Regan do the spider walk-extremely creepy! Warning: Gross pea soup scene and inappropriate usage of religious objects-need i say more?
4. Alien-I remember when I was very young and having to stay home while my brothers and sisters went to see Alien. I remember how excited they all were to be seeing this movie and how pissed I was that I was too young to go see it too! The idea that no one can hear you scream in space and the fact that you never really see the Alien until the last scene keeps you on the edge of your seat. Again, what you don't see will scare you the most (see Blair Witch Project above). Yaphet Kotto is in this movie! Warning: Alien comes out of of John Hurt's stomach.
5. The Ring-This movie makes no sense-creepy little girls coming out of television sets and videos that when watched causes people to die but still loads of fun. Warning: Creepy little girl.
6. The Shining-Jack Nicholson makes this movie horrific-actually I take that back. I think Shelley Duvall is the scariest thing in this movie. Redrum redrum redrum REdrUM. Warning: Shelley Duvall.
7. Identity: A new twist on a classic, 10 Little Indians. Great twists and turns. I was going to give a warning but I'm afraid that would spoil the ending so rent this movie for John Cusack who is very cute!
8. Picnic at Hanging Rock-This one seems out of left field, I know, however, it's definitely unsettling and raises more questions than answers when it's over. I saw this in a film class and when it ended I was like "whaaat?" Warning: No answer, conclusion to the plot line is given. So if you don't like movies where you don't find out who did it than you won't want to see this.
9. Wait Until Dark-One of the great thrillers. Audrey Hepburn plays Suzy Hendrix, a blind woman who is terrorized by Alan Arkin. Warning: To this day, the ending still pisses me off. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it but it has to do with Suzy's husband and what he makes her do. Warning: Creepy teenage girl wearing go-go boots.
10. Vertigo-I had to include a film from the master of suspense. I could have gone with Psycho but Vertigo is my favorite Hitchcock movie. I saw the restored version in the late 1990s in San Francisco and it was gorgeous. James Stewart following Kim Novak around San Francisco and the Bay Area-the imagery is just fantastic. Of all the films on this list-this is the one to see. I'm not going to say anything about the film because the less you know the better experience you will have.
Hope you had as much fun reading my list as I had writing it. Please tell me your favorite movies in the comment section (and you thought this was going to be a list of slasher movies!).
8 comments:
Great list of scary films. I'm especially with you on "The Exorcist" and "The Shining"! Very artful and very disturbing films. "Alien" is classic sci-fi terror at its best.
I also loved "Picnic at Hanging Rock." Nice to hear of someone else who has seen that!
I would add to that a fav scary film of mine, Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" and also the well-known "Silence of the Lambs."
"The Tenant" is so creepy it gets under your skin. It's about a new tenant in an apartment where the previous tenant jumped out the window. The new tenant is slowly absorbed into the wierdness of it all and starts to re-live the past tenant's experiences. I've always been surprised that it wasn't a better known film in America... but then, it's not in English, so that's probably why.
I agree with "Alien" too. The original "Psycho" was frightening. However, Stephen King's "Carrie" scared the pants off of me when I first saw it.
Rosemary's Baby always scared me. Loved Invasion of the Body Snatchers(original), The Birds was pretty creepy as well. Does Stepford Wives count?
Keith says "The Others"
Isabel says "Silence of the Lambs and Psycho". Mom says "You saw Silence of the Lambs?"
I thought the Ring was one of the scariest...especially when the girl crawled out of the tv, that image stayd with me for awhile.
The Sixth Sense.
Oh, yes, The Sixth Sense! That was a great movie, too. Picnic At Hanging Rock was apparently a book before it was a movie, but I've never been able to find a copy of the book. I didn't much like The Shining but I definitely agree with Vertigo. If this was my list, I'd put Whatever Happened to Baby Jane on it. The Exorcist and Alien would also be on my list.
I forgot to add that The Ring was also a book before it was a movie (and the Japanese movie is almost funny). The author is supposed to be Japan's homegrown Stephen King. It's actually a trilogy (which I haven't finished yet) which is definitely creepy, and makes a LOT more sense than either of the movies.
The Ring was also an opera by Wagner. Oh, just kidding. What I wanted to say about The Ring was that part of it was filmed in the Register newsroom, part of it at a desk about 20 feet away from where I sit. One day I even saw Naomi Watson here.
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