Scariest movies ever (the definitive list until you write yours)Jan 18 '03 (Updated Aug 18 '06) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line What people do to each other is more horrifying than what scary monsters might do to us. Frankenstein's creation only may be out there. Psycho killers certainly are.
_____ Horror is like comedy. Something scares you or it doesn't, just as something makes you laugh or it doesn't. There is nothing in between, no "almost funny" or "almost scary." There is another horror/comedy link. If you don't think these movies are scary, at least you can laugh at me for thinking they are. The scariest movie I've ever seen: THE VANISHING (aka Spoorloos) 1988; directed by George Sluizer; written by George Sluizer and Tim Krabbe, adapting Krabbe's novel The Golden Egg; reviewed on Epinions by Psychovant A man is haunted by the disappearance of his girlfriend and will do anything to learn what happened to her. Years later he encounters the man he thinks can give him the answer he seeks and he agrees to put himself completely in this stranger's power. Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu gives a subtle chilling performance as the villain. He is not a Nazi but he nonetheless embodies the banality of evil. There are people like this in the world, and the chance that fate might put us in their paths is horrifying. The original version in French and Dutch is far superior to the American remake, which features a listless performance by Jeff Bridges and an absurd happy ending. The ending of this flawless thriller provides chills that linger long after you might want them to. #2) Jaws 1975; directed by Steven Spielberg; written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb Much of this blockbuster is thrilling, but a scene at the beginning is absolutely horrifying. A woman treads water in the ocean. Suspended in a vast and mostly unknown void, she is alone except for a drunken companion on the beach who is too far away to help even if he could. Only the moon lightens the darkness. That now-familiar music starts softly but becomes louder and then louder still. She feels something brush against her but doesn't know what. Then she feels pain and doesn't know why. When the awareness of what is happening to her sinks in, her horror also agonizes those of us who are watching. #3) Dead of Night 1945; directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Chrichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer; written by T.E.B. Clarke, John Baines and Angus MacPhail Reviewed by metalluk If anything is scarier than the real-life horrors we hear about too regularly and hope only to hear about, it is our dreams. When we let go of consciousness we can never be sure what will grip us. This movie about the dreams of people gathered in a remote house in England gives ample reason to dread your next trip to the realm of dreams. Modern audiences might dismiss much of this restrained black & white movie as quaint, although not Michael Redgrave's powerhouse performance as a ventriloquist who thinks his dummy talks to him. What subsequent lesser movies and television programs have made trite, Redgrave makes haunting. #4) Psycho 1960; directed by Alfred Hitchcock; written by Joseph Stefano, adapting Robert Bloch's novel Serial killers exist, which is frightening. Doing something as ordinary as checking into a hotel can put us under their control, which is horrifying. This classic about a deranged young man and his mother is familiar, but knowing what comes next does nothing to diminish its power. When Janet Leigh takes her shower or Martin Balsam walks up the stairs, the only relief comes after they've met their fates and we can start breathing again. But the relief lasts only until we take a shower. Or walk into an unfamiliar house. Or think about doing either of those things. Or about doing any of the other things that we can only hope remain routine. #5) Halloween 1978; written and directed by John Carpenter Menace lurks in the dark, both in our worst dreams and in our best movies. This is one of the latter that can inspire many of the former. A killer stalks a young woman as she babysits and everything -- shadowy cinematography, eerie music, perfect pacing -- makes the experience feel as horrifying for the audience as it is for her. Carpenter is responsible for many horror movies so bad they leave one reaching for a word harsher than "excrement." It was the phenomenal success of Halloween that allowed him the chance to make that dreck. That's the only thing wrong with this one. #6) Misery 1990; directed by Rob Reiner; written by William Goldman and Stephen King A writer's life depends on his biggest fan, who might be crazy enough to torture him until he writes more about her favorite character. Although writers might empathize more with the central character's plight, anyone who has ever been alone with a stranger can identify enough to feel dread when things start to go wrong for him. As in the King novel on which it is based, the moment in the movie when things go really wrong comes as an exceedingly unpleasant surprise. #7) Comfort of Strangers 1991; directed by Paul Schrader; written by Harold Pinter, adapting Ian McEwan's novel Helen Mirren makes this chilling. Christopher Walken plays her husband so of course something seems not quite right. One can't quite figure out where his interest in a young couple on vacation is leading. But Mirren is there and she's normal so we can believe that everything is okay. Isn't it? No. The leisurely pace of the movie leaves us completely unprepared for the sudden, ferocious twist events take near the end. Although it moves too slowly for some viewers, the movie can chill anyone who has ever struck up an acquaintance with strangers in a strange land. And leave you less likely ever to do so again. #8 ) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1932; directed by Rouben Mamoulian; written by Samuel Hoffenstein, adapting Robert Louis Stevenson's novel and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1941; directed by Victor Fleming; written by John Lee Mahin Frederic March won the Oscar for his powerful performance in the 1932 version, but Spencer Tracy's portrayal in the 1941 movie is more unnverving. Both productions bring interesting images to Stevenson's classic story. Both actors suggest memorably that monstrousness lies within us, and not too deep within. #9) The Invisible Man 1933; directed by James Whale; written by R.C. Sherriff, adapting H.G. Well's novel Claude Rains gives an unforgettable performance as the title character, a remarkable feat because his character is not seen for almost the whole movie. He uses his voice to make us feel the man's slipping into violent insanity. Supposedly it is the invisibility serum that unhinges him, but Rains' tour-de-force makes us see that the madness was within him all along, just as it might be within all of us. #10) The Abominable Dr. Phibes 1971; directed by Robert Fuest; written by William Goldstein and James Whiton Vincent Price stars in a movie that features much intentionally campy humor and some seriously chilling images as well. He is a doctor using Biblical plagues as the theme for his murderous revenge on those he thinks are responsible for his wife's death and his own disfigurement. His method for getting locusts to attack a victim indoors is far-fetched but not impossible. That we haven't heard of real-life killers who use such ingeniously elaborate methods could mean that there aren't any, but it could also mean that they get away with it. This movie provides perhaps the best showcase for the cultured menace of Price's voice, which is the stuff of nightmares. ABOUT THIS LIST Eventually I hope to see Spirits of the Dead (1968; aka Histoires Extraodinaires), a trilogy of Edgar Allen Poe stories featuring such stars as Terence Stamp, Brigitte Bardot and Alain Delon and direction by Roger Vadim, Louis Malle and Federico Fellini. How can a movie that has real-life siblings Jane and Peter Fonda in an incestuous relationship not be frightening? Such classics as Bride of Frankenstein or Dracula or Lon Chaney's Phantom of the Opera could have been included here except that Epinions has a category for "Best Monster Movies" in which they more likely belong. Others, including The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933; starring Lionel Atwill) and White Zombie (1932; Bela Lugosi), are creepy but they are more atmospheric than horrifying. Still others that some people might recommend (The Exorcist and Don't Look Now among them) are more interesting as bits of film history than they are as horror. Now that I'm done with my list, I'm going to read the others in this category. Knowing that they will direct me to movies I haven't seen that might be more powerful than those I've listed is, well, scary. __________ POSTSCRIPT added Jan. 21, 2003 I was right. Other entries in this category do include enthusiastic recommendations of movies I haven't seen yet. Psychovant (Shannon) and Mike_Bracken both laud Dario Argento's Tenebre, which means that it must be quite a movie. Shannon also cites Poltergeist as worth seeing and Mike says that is true also of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. LEDOMAINE agrees about Massacre. And macresarf1 commends The Body Snatcher and The Monster, two vintage films in black and white. His appreciation of them suggests they are worth looking for, even if they're hard to scare up. There are many others, too many to list here. Don't take my word for it.  |
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