Well I know it isn't Halloween time or anything but scary movies run year long and I've always been a fan of the genre. I'm into the supernatural and things that go bump in the night. I'm the type of person who likes to go to real haunted buildings and investigate for ghostly activity. I even used to write on a blog (Above the Norm) as an original creator of the blog. I would post articles about ghostly locations and post reviews of scary movies I would go see. I stopped writing on the blog a long time ago because of time constraints and not having a job and all that jazz. But my friend Julie has still kept it going very strong! Being scared is fun, as long as it not real fear such as me being chased by an authentic serial killer or falling off a cliff. Otherwise I'm all in. So here is a list of my favorite scary movies in no particular order! Keep in mind these aren't movies that necessarily scared me, but are movies that are considered "horrors" or "thrillers" that I enjoy very much.
POLTERGEIST
It goes without saying that Poltergeist is a timeless classic in the horror genre, or just in cinema in general. A movie that made people afraid to sleep in their own home and made the snow channel on your TV your worst nightmare. It had perfect moments of utter silence that still scares the shit out of me, and some great in your face spooks that can make your blood curdle. It's the ultimate ghost movie. There was a rumor of a remake of this movie floating around. That better not still be a possibility.
HALLOWEEN
I refer to the original Halloween from 1978. It was the slasher film that truly started the trend of masked killers stalking teens and slicing and dicing them to pretty little pieces. It was done in good taste though. The movie wasn't about the blood and gore. It was about the fear. It felt real. At that time, Michael Myers wasn't an invincible being who can be shot, stabbed, blown up and live to tell the tale. He was a "human being" who escaped the looney bin to kill his sister Lorie (well, we didn't know they were related in the first film) and all the teeny boppers who got in the way. The scares were dark and subtle. It panicked an entire general and made them fearful to babysitt or be home alone at night. It's a movie that will stand the test of time in the slasher genre and nothing will ever compare.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and FRIDAY THE 13TH (the originals)
I put both films together because these were the next in line to Halloween. They have similarities because they were both about victims who have come back from the dead to kill off the people that harmed them. Both films were very successful and started their own series of sequels that were hit and miss. Halloween had better sequels overall. Nightmare on Elm Street was about the burn victim Freddy Kruger who would terrorize the nightmares of teenagers and kill them in their sleep. In the first film he is more of a dark and horrifying entity where as in the sequels he was more on the comedic side. And damn, he got funny as the films went on. Friday the 13th was about Jason Vorhees who was drowned as a boy and his MOTHER came back to exact revenge. The original had nothing to do with the hockey mask wearing Jason killing anyone. It was mommy dearest. Jason did not come into play until the sequel. Both series started off as awesome ways to terrify a community. Jason made camping a nervous wreck and Freddy made you scared to fall asleep. Jason and Freddy would eventually duke it out in the movie "Freddy Vs. Jason." Both film series recently got remakes.
I put both films together because these were the next in line to Halloween. They have similarities because they were both about victims who have come back from the dead to kill off the people that harmed them. Both films were very successful and started their own series of sequels that were hit and miss. Halloween had better sequels overall. Nightmare on Elm Street was about the burn victim Freddy Kruger who would terrorize the nightmares of teenagers and kill them in their sleep. In the first film he is more of a dark and horrifying entity where as in the sequels he was more on the comedic side. And damn, he got funny as the films went on. Friday the 13th was about Jason Vorhees who was drowned as a boy and his MOTHER came back to exact revenge. The original had nothing to do with the hockey mask wearing Jason killing anyone. It was mommy dearest. Jason did not come into play until the sequel. Both series started off as awesome ways to terrify a community. Jason made camping a nervous wreck and Freddy made you scared to fall asleep. Jason and Freddy would eventually duke it out in the movie "Freddy Vs. Jason." Both film series recently got remakes.
THE SHINING
Staney Kubricks "The Shining" based off the Steven King novel is hands down one of the very best scary movies of all time. No question. And it's not that it was really that scary as it was just damn eerie and made you so uncomfortable. It's about Jack Nicholson and his family who move to a hotel to act as caretakers as the hotel is closed for the winter. He soon becomes...possessed and a lot of crazy shit goes down. This movie is the epitomy of subtle horror. It is slow paced and builds up so much tension yo ualmost explode by the end! Nicholson gives one of his finest performances as the lead pshyco. Just such a creepy movie, and remains to be that way in present day.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (1, 2 and 3)
There are a lot of haters out there for these movies. A lot of stinkers! But it's understandable. These types of films are love or hate, no in between. I happen to enjoy them. All of these movies are of course done with the hand held/shaky cam gimmick that has caused quite a stir in Hollywood lately. I don't mind the technique but I can see why people are against it. But if you are...then don't see these types of movies, it's a simple solution. Personally I believe horror movies become that much more frightening when you put in the hand held camera. It almost throws you into the story and can give the effect that you aren't actually watching a movie. You experience the events at the same time they are which is spooky! I think all the above mentioned films provoke genuine fear that slasher movies or movies with tons of computer effects can't bring forth. When you go heavy on psycological fear it creates a much darker atmospher, at least it does for me. It makes me more afraid to sleep at night.
THEM and THE STRANGERS
Both of these films provoke the fear of strangers. "Them" is a foreign language film and "The Strangers" is it's American counterpart, but it's not an actual remake. They are both essentially the same film though. They are both about a couple who are staying at a house in a remote location and slowly some strange people on the outside start to harass them. It starts of subtle then becomes a battle for their lives. To me, there isn't anymore for horrifying then the idea of real people, real creepsters lingering outside your house and tapping on your windows and laughing creepily and then slowly entering your house. Gives me the shiver me timbers!
STEPHEN KING'S IT
It started as a book then became a made for tv mini-series that has made a nation terrified of clowns. I hear they are remaking this into an actual rated R film. It's about a group of teens who are terrorized by a demon named Pennywise who takes the form of a clown to creep the holy crap out of them and then us. 30 years later he returns to finish them off. Tim Curry plays the iconic clown and it's probably his best work. He was so effective at haunting my dreams for a lifetime. There are a lot of people who have an irrational fear of clowns and for most of them...it stems back to this movie. I haven't seen it in a long time...that's because I just started to like clowns again.
THE SIXTH SENSE
I know, a lot of people don't consider this a "scary" movie. But it is a thriller and is about ghosts. It does have some scenes of scariness. But it's a great example of how a horror thriller can tell a fantastic story and be effectively creepy at the same time. It was nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture.
I know, a lot of people don't consider this a "scary" movie. But it is a thriller and is about ghosts. It does have some scenes of scariness. But it's a great example of how a horror thriller can tell a fantastic story and be effectively creepy at the same time. It was nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture.
THE EXORCIST
The demon movies of all demon movies. I only just saw this film about 2 years ago for the first time. I'll say that it didn't scare me, but that was because it was dated and I had been exposed to numerous other horror movies before this one. That being said, this is an awesome movie. And I get the vibe that this was a brilliant horror film back in it's heyday. You can tell that this was the first of it's kind and scared the christ out of everyone. It's a great movie and will never fade away into the good night. This movie will be beloved for all of time.
The demon movies of all demon movies. I only just saw this film about 2 years ago for the first time. I'll say that it didn't scare me, but that was because it was dated and I had been exposed to numerous other horror movies before this one. That being said, this is an awesome movie. And I get the vibe that this was a brilliant horror film back in it's heyday. You can tell that this was the first of it's kind and scared the christ out of everyone. It's a great movie and will never fade away into the good night. This movie will be beloved for all of time.
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