3 October 2007
Scary Movie Fest
Posted by Toner under: movies .
Love the Halloween I do. What better time to catch up on all your favorite scary movies? Here’s my top picks… In no particular order mind you…
Descent - Two minutes into the movie the lead character losses her hubby and child, then she decides to go spelunking. It only gets creepier from there.
The Shining - Nicholson at his finest -just utterly bat shit nuts. I could watch it again and again.
Brotherhood of the Wolf - A French import with werewolves and great, dare I say “matrix-esque” fight scenes set in 18th Century Europe. Loosely based on a true story I believe.
Night of the Living Dead - Zombies, Zombies, Zombies — What more be said? Probably no movie is more responsible for the modern horror film. As a bonus, here’s a link to it enacted by bunnies.
Salem’s Lot - Pales in comparison to the Stephen King novel of the same name but many creepy moments (The kid outside the window… “Dannnnyyy… come out and play…“) that gave me nightmares until I was 20.
Alien - Nothing says “screwed six ways from Sunday” like being trapped in space with an acid-bleeding multi-toothed alien that incubates in your stomach.
The Exorcist- I don’t find it nearly as creepy now as I once did, but, I think maybe the fact that my parents were loathe to let me even see the trailer (I think my mom would jump across the room to change the channel), and that the central character was a kid, just really got to me.
The Sixth Sense - The girl under the bed, the scene in the little tent, the birthday party when the kid gets locked in the closet at the top of the steps. Shiver.
Perfect Creature - Vampire movie set in New Zealand in an alternate reality. Not a particularly great story, but, the setting is very steam punk, and there is so few good steam punk movies. A real visual treat.
Stir of Echoes - Good movie with an unfortunate release date (it got buried, no pun intended, by all the hype around the Sixth Sense). After being hypnotized by his sister in law, Kevin Bacon begins seeing haunting visions of a girl’s ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her. “The Bacon” really nails the part of a “regular guy” which I think makes it so much more believable and, more importantly, creepy.
And my “is he serious” pick of the week…
Signs - The story of an alien invasion to earth and how it effects one small Pennsylvania town, manages to be scary without really showing anything, letting your mind do all the work. Long shots of endless corn fields, locked doors at the end of dark hallways, moody, muted lighting and one or two totally startling moments.
One Comment so far...
Lisa Monro Says:
10 October 2007 at 5:19 am.
OK Two things - Firstly, that is the second time TODAY I have heard the word “spelunking” or “spelunkers” - I was watching an old episode of The Actors Studio and “spelunkers” is Robert Downey Junior’s least favourite word….funnily enough I can’t remember his favourite mmmm maybe it was “COCAINE”. and SECONDLY…..AS IF, you were ONLY 20 when you stopped having nightmares about Salem’s Lot….my bet it was closer to 30!!! ALSO, call me lame, and many before you have…but I absolutely LOVE “The Others” the spooky Nicole Kidman flick. I saw it with Melissa Wayne at the crappy theatres on Route 1 opposite SimStar…can’t for the life of me remember the shopping centre name..Market something? anyway she thought it was CRAP but I loved it, I like my horror movies to be lacking in horror but loaded in spookiness and moodiness and where nothing really happens its just all in your head. Miss you! Love Lisa x