Halloween Hallowed Halls of Great Horror Hits, My Favorite Top 11 ~Write/Off~ Oct 30 '03    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Movies Under the Tuscan Sun From $9 Casablanca From $3 The Bottom Line To get in the mood for Halloween, any if these movies can do it the trick and be a treat at the same time! Halloween is just around the creepy corner so I guess it’s time to add my little contribution to sleeper54’s write/off in honor of this All Hollow‘s Eve Celebration…I couldn’t decide which of the many horror movies I have watched with baited breath over the years to write about so I thought I’d do a top ten list of my all time favorite movies which in one way or another scared me silly or left an horrific impression on my mind and nightmares. There are so many out there, but I decided to include those that, to this day, I can either recite some of the dialog or visualize the sights and sounds that made that lasting imprint on my psyche. Now, without any further ado here they are: ~1~Psycho.... Alfred Hitchcock’s classic. Who among us could easily get into a shower after watching this film? I once heard Janet Leigh say on Larry King that she didn’t take showers for a long time after doing that movie and she knew the ins and outs of that scene, that it so frightened her when she saw the finished product, (I do hope she has a good bathtub), of that famous scene, that brutal scene filmed without showing any blood…And, to this day I would avoid, like the plaque, any small, funky, out of the way Motel no matter how tired I am or what the weather. And I can’t forget the stupendous job Anthony Perkins did in capturing the tormented soul of a boy turned into a monster by his “loving mother“. The final scene still sends chills up my spine. ~2~Frenzy....Another Hitchcock masterpiece.. In this movie, a serial killer is stalking and raping women..The first murder was pretty graphic but, after that, all Hitchcock had to do was lead up to the inevitable scene then pull the cameras away showing the window and outside of the building, the normal everyday life going on in the streets below, while you know what’s going on behind the walls and windows of that particular apartment. Another fearful film filled with terrifying moments. ~3~Rosemary's Baby....I still get chills when I think of certain key scenes in this thriller directed by Roman Polanski. Based on the book by Ira Levin…. Poor Rosemary, innocently remodeling her new apt while her creep of a husband makes a pact with the devil himself..The witches coven, portrayed as hilarious yet horrifying characters all seemingly so normal on the outside… The scene itself when the demon comes up from the bowels of Hell while Rosemary, not completely asleep as she was supposed to be, has what she is told later, “A dream” and the end when she is introduced to that little monster child.. Does she decide to take care of him, to actually be his mother? Mia Farrow, still, to this day, will be forever remembered for this memorable role as will John Cassavetes as her ambitious and traitorous, rat of a husband. ~4~The Exorcist…. Directed by William Freidkin, who pulls no punches when it comes to this movie, one of the most horror filled movies I’ve ever seen to this day. As this young innocent girl is taken over by a Demon, her body not under her own control and certainly not her mind. Even now, when I hear those tinkling bells of the soundtrack, I can visualize some of the scenes from the movie and I don’t really want to! The scene where she first encounters the Exorcist, all that bile gushing out of her mouth landing on anyone in it’s path, and of course the scene that shocked the movie going public, when she turns her head completely around in a circle..I read that Linda Blair can’t even watch that scene herself. And those poor Priests, they didn’t know what they were getting into when they battled this Demon! The mere thought of the sight of Max Van Sydows frozen breath as he does the exorcism still is as frightening to me as the possibility that these things could really happen… The sequels that followed this one were Ok but never reached the fear level of the first. This movie spawned all sorts of religious fanatics stating they were taken over by demons and had the public in somewhat of a frenzy. ~5~The Shining…..The movie, directed by Stanley Kubrick, not the television special. Though the TV version was pretty good with good special effects and actors, I don’t think it can even compare with Jack Nickelsons performance and the pace set by Kubrick ….Anyone who saw this movie has to think of Jack whenever they hear the words,” Here’s Johnny”… The isolation that was apparent for the family during those long winter months was more then just chilling it was downright creepy and frightening as the story progressed for the son, his mother and of course Jack trying to suppress his need for the drug of his choice, alcohol. While the hotel and it’s past occupants took over his mind and actions. Another thriller based on a book by Stephen King, in my mind, the Master of suspense. ~6~The Poltergeist…. A Steven Spielberg film, directed by both Spielberg and Tobe Hooper, a frightful and horror filled movie for many reasons and on many levels, at first the humor and the innocence of this suburban family as they discover a seemingly innocent prankster ghost showing off until the story literally explodes into full time terror...The special effects were outstanding in this movie and to this day I can see many of the scenes in my mind. As the reasons behind this ghostly terror unfold there is lesson to be learned about respecting the dead and what happens if there is no respect. Don’t mess with ancient Indian burial grounds, no, not a good idea! ~7~The Alien…..The first movie, directed by Ridley Scott. I’ll never forget that scene when the alien burst forth upon the screen. Sitting in the theater you really didn’t know what to think as this little creature makes his first appearance, ripping his way out of that poor crewman’s stomach to become the fear factor in this shocking and suspenseful movie. Again, the special effects and the remarkable, frightful looking alien are the stars of this movie, though Sigourney Weaver certainly should win praise for the battles she fought and seemingly won. ~8~The Birds……Back to Hitchcock again, based on a short novel by Daphne du Maurier, this became a big and very frightening film.. From the first seagull peck on the cheek of Tippi Hedren to the full scale attack of the birds on the house at the end of the movie, the sheer terror of such a thing is unbelievable and, as the momentum builds with the scene in the playground, (wasn’t that the longest cigarette smoking scene ever), I mean, just the way the scene was shot, first one bird, then a few, then, well, you just knew all Hell was about the come flying forth. All Hitchcock, all the way to the inevitable attack of the birds. No, there was never an explanation of why our feathered friends decided at that day and time that they weren’t really our friends after all. I have wondered about that whenever I think of this movie or see two lovebirds in a gilded cage! ~9~Carrie……This was another movie based on a Stephen King book that translated as well on screen as the book directed by Brian de Palma and his mastery of film…Poor Carrie, the unpopular girl in high school, not in with the “In Crowd” a girl with a religious fanatic mother and very special “talents” not known to others until the final horrific scene in which the cruelty and vicious act bestowed upon Carrie is paid back to the fullest and with such intensity nobody can escape it’s fury.. ~10~Jaws……. How could I leave out another Spielberg movie that had people afraid to go into the ocean for many years after experiencing the sheer suspense of what lies out there in the shining blue innocent waters of any beachside resort? From the opening scene of the first tug on the leg of that innocent girl in the moonlit waters to the fight for their lives waged against this giant, ruthless shark, nothing and nobody felt safe in any waters anywhere…The shark was the star of this movie but Richard Dreyfus as the shark expert, Robert Shaw as the old fisherman and Roy Schneider as the towns mayor created vivid characters which helped make this movie the scariest water ride ever. ~11~The invasion of the Body Snatchers.... I have to add one more that provoked some great fears of the Unknown, The invasion of the Body Snatchers, both versions, the first, filmed in the 50’s was shocking, provoking thoughts of beings from outer space coming here to take over our bodies and minds in such an unseemly way…. Go to sleep and you wake up without so much as a tie to your mind or soul..The second version with it’s better special effects and horrifying conclusion still invades your mind with the possibility of this unthinkable fear, who is that waking up beside you? I will always remember Donald Sutherland in this leading role for that unnerving and terrifying shrieking scream at the end of the movie when you realize just what the conclusion to this film will be. So, those are my top ten, umm, eleven horror films, there are more that had an impact, many older classics that to this day, though dated, may seem almost comical, for instance, Frankenstein, Dracula, King Kong even the Werewolf films leave you feeling uncomfortable and fearful of the unknown along with the terrors they provoke in your mind and I still have a hard time changing channels when I come across one of these movies on a late, dark and gloomy night. Happy Halloween! To read more entries into this horror filled write/off or to add your own please check out Sleeper 54's epinion with all the details

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