So last week I mentioned an interest in seeing the movie Paranormal Activity because I heard it was genuinely scary. I like to be scared in movies! (not so much in like haunted houses or theme parks where creepy looking people stalk you)
Also, it's one of those homemade movie type of horror films and those usually do have an intensity factor that is hard to acheive in the regular old horror film. Blair Witch unsettled me, Cloverfield entertained me, and Quarantine also kept me on the edge of my seat. So I thought it had the potential to be fantastic.
I liked it, I did, but it was not that terrifying to me. And it should have been more terrifying than most movies because it's about demons and that's usually the key to really scaring the crap out of me. It got me to thinking about what movies have really scared me.
I came up with four that I think were really creepy and scary to me. Yeah. Four. Since my family's Halloween tradition was to watch a scary movie, I thought I'd share them with you in the spirit of the season.
The Skeleton Key
This movie really freaked me out. I don't even remember all the specific parts of it that were freaky, but it was freaky!!! I think the worst was the conclusion...or...what enabled the magic to work. I don't want to spoil it if you've never watched it, but to me this was a horror film that worked.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
I mentioned that demons succeed in freaking me out. I've never even allowed myself to watch the famous movie The Exorcism because of this. Ifeel like The Exorcism of Emily Rose worked to make everything seem real (it was based on a true story) and that just made everything seem so believable. I couldn't sleep the night I watched it. It was truly terrifying without being over the top.
The Others
Creeeepppppy! Everything about this was creepy, but pictures of dead people are just especially creepy. I don't think this kept me up at night, but I definitely remember it in all it's creeptastic glory.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
No other movie in the history of movies has terrified me as much as this completely disturbing film. Of course, I was like 7 or something when I watched it. Back in the days when the library didn't have the latest and greatest movies, but just a few oldies but goodies. This movie gave me nightmares, but more importantly it stuck with me throughout the years. I watched it again as an adult a few years ago and was struck by just how disturbing of a film it is! But still rather interesting. If you want to know what terrified me the most, think maid and the hammer.
How about you? What movies scared the crap out of you? Were you scared by any of the same movies that scared me? Do you have any recommendations for me on scary movies?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Scary Movies
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
30 comments:
I loved The Others - such fantastic atmosphere! Have you watched The Orphanage? I found it more sad than scary, but still, what a great movie.
The Exorcist. The Grudge. The Orphange. Silence of the Lambs (even though it isn't about ghosts...). Then there is always Halloween, which to me is classic horror. The Shining.
My book club just read The Uninvited, a book about a true haunted house near St. Louis. They were terrified, I thought it was goofy. I guess I am a little cynical!
The Entity, Duel, Maximum Overdrive....driverless trucks are terrifying to me! Out of your movies listed, the only one I have seen is The Others, which I thought was verrry creeepy!
The Ring!!!!!!!!
and What Lies Beneath. Because Harrison Ford was the bad guy! Well partly, but it was very scary. My whole family was scared!
I just can't watch those kinds of movies. We saw Coraline in 3D last night and that is kind of my level of scary! What Ever Happened to Baby Jane was soooooo scary. The Haunting (original B&W movie) was the ultimate in scary for me. But then, the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz gave me nightmares when I was kid. Yes, I'm pretty lame.
I did see the Skeleton Key -- Yikes!!!! And the only thing that saved during Blair Witch Project was making fun of the plot and the kids...
"The Grudge" is one of my favourite ones. There's one scene that I jump at every single time (and I've seen it, like, 30 times). "The Ring" was good. And I agree with you, "The Others" was soooooo creepy, yet amazing!!!
The Others is an excellent choice!
The Ring freaked me out, because I was not expecting that PG13 movie to be so intense.
The original Nightmare on Elm Street was very scary! (Can't believe they are remaking it - why? What's wrong with the original?) I remember the movie broke about halfway through and the lights came on for one minute while they fixed it. Not one person in the audience made a sound! Everyone was so freaked out at that point.
The scariest movie to me is The Changeling with George C. Scott. It's an excellent ghost/haunted house tale. Chills still go down my spine when George's character plays back the recording of the seance scene and the little boy's voice is heard...
I think the original The Hills Have Eyes is my equivalent of your What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. My brother and I were just kids at the time when my parents took us to the drive-in. I suspect they thought we'd be asleep by the time this one started (it was the second movie), but we weren't. I have never been as scared by a movie as I was by that one. I'm guessing I would probably change my tune if I watched it now, but honestly, I don't have the guts to try. ;)
I just saw Paranormal Activity last night. I didn't think it was super scary, but it left me sleepless and jumpy at every noise in the house. The home video factor did add the the creepiness, only because it made you question whether there were any special effects.
The movies that scared me the most were: The 6th Sense and The Exorcist. Its definitely something about the unseen that is the scariest of all.
Paranormal Activity did freak me out a bit. Especially the ending. Eeek! Out of your list, I was a huge fan of The Others, and I would really like to see The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
GREMLINS.
I remember watching that movie when I was really little and it absolutely terrified me!!! I wonder if it would scare me now, but at the time I don't think I slept for a month.
The Others is creepy but I really liked it. Salem's Lot is still one that creeps me out along with another Stephen King one called It, I believe. I'm getting ready to watch a few scary movies in the next few weeks in preparation for Halloween.
I liked Skeleton Key, although it did not scare me that much. I was freaked out by The Others, and I remember being scared to death the first time I watched The Exorcist and Poltergeist. Have seen them again as an adult and blaaahhh. Don't scare me no more. LOL. Same with the original Nightmare on Elm Street. My cousin and I watched it on video, we are about 14-15 years old, and pardon my French, but we were scared ****less for months!
While its not about ghosts at all (but a serial killer) Copy Cat which is about 10 years old or so was very scary. And No Country For Old Men made me shiver and cry in horror only a few weeks ago.
The Strangers freaked me out, but it's nothing like the films you mentioned - more slash and dash. I was very scared of The Others.
Nope, no scary movies for me!
Oh! Great topic! I love scary movies. Not too many movies scare me. Probably the most recent was the Ring. Bummer that Paranormal Activity wasn't scary! Thanks for the heads up on Skeleton Key. I actually have that one from Netflix!
I've been totally scared by 2 movies - The Omen and The Amityville Horror and ever since then, I don't want to see scary movies.
The Skeleton Key scared me and so did The Others. Any movie that has creepy people walking or crawling (The Grudge) towards you really freaks me right out.
Its hard to find a good scary movie these days - they are usually so gory I don't even bother going.... but a good scary one I have always enjoyed as well.
Oh - and anything with living dolls ..... GAH! Dolls have always creeped me out. Its true.
I actually don't have any recomendations for scary movies because I'm a big ol' sissy who can't watch them. They're just too creepy and now that we're past the cheesey 80's movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and The Lawnmower Man where you can totally see the fake I can't watch them for even a second. They are just too realistic.
I don't do scary movies. In fact, there was a time when we went to the movies and there were 4 scary movie previews in a row. I walked out to get some soda--usually I cover my eyes for the preview (yes, literally) but with so many it was exhausting.
The last one I remember seeing in the theater was The Ring and I only made it through because my roommate at the time told me everything that was going to happen and I could anticipate when to close my eyes. :) Yes, I am the world's biggest scaredey cat!
What a wonderful list of scary movies. I haven't seen the last one, but the first three are dead on freaky stuff. My main addition would be The Birds - I watched it too young and I've been freaked by birds ever since.
I wanted to see Paranormal Activity after all the hype but no one would see it with me :(
To this day, there are three movies that I love for the scare factor alone:
The Exorcist
Halloween (the original)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The last one being the most terrifying because in a bout of poor judgement, my father took me to see it when I was 5!
I don't really watch scary movies that much. They usually don't scare me. My brother went to see Paranormal Activity because he thought it was going to be scary, too, but he said it was predictable and not that great.
Oh my Gosh, Amy that is the best selection. I love it. :D
I love scary films but don't get very scared by new horror because they all seem to be the same but Paranormal Activity sounds awesome.
Love The Others and love The Exorcism of Emily Rose (anything with a possessed person's always terrifying!). Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? is such an amazing film. I love that so much. That was my introduction to Bette Davis.
The Skeleton Key was too predictable as was The Others for me. I was not scared by those, but I did enjoy the movies.
The Shining is one of my favorite movies in general and my favorite horror film. I like that it's more psychologically thrilling with a few well-placed gruesome scenes, rather than blood and gore throughout.
The Others was an extremely creep movie!! But I loved it because it had kind of a "Turn of the Screw" kind of feel to it.
When I was a kid, I saw The Exorcist and I was petrified. I still can't watch the movie and I'm thirty-two years old!
One of my favorite movies is 28 Days Later. I love the premise of waking up, everyone is gone and you are wondering what the heck happened?
I saw The Exorcism of Emily Rose and heard the record of the exorcism from YouTube. However none of the movie you've mentioned above really really scare me but the Japanese or Korean movie. Try one of them such as The Ring Trilogy, Dark Water, Missed Call, but don't watch the American version.
I know I am way late in commenting on this one, but I could not resist nonetheless!! I few years ago, I taught a class that basically covered the evolution of horror films. It was so much fun and I could give you tons of suggestions!! I have not seen a couple that you have listed, but I will tell you a few that I think get the scare factor going, but all for different reasons . . . The Hills Have Eyes, Psycho (a complete classic), Waxworks (though the ending may be a bit over dramatic), and of course, It and The Shining!! I don't watch them as much anymore, but Halloween is the perfect season to work on getting caught up!!
Post a Comment