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My ten best fright festsOct 20 '06 (Updated Oct 23 '06) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Everyone gets scared by different things, and there's plenty of movies catering to your special fright needs, these are mine. I'm getting a little tired of most people's definition of "scary filmmaking." It appears that people identify fear with someone jumping out of nowhere with a knife, slashing scantily clad teenager girls. While that was all big fun in the 80's, I think people should be expecting a little more these days. For me, a scary movie gets under your skin, it haunts your daily life. No matter how hard you try, the images stay burned in your mind, and they remain there for a long time. So, here, in no particular order, are my ten favorite horror movies. 1.) The Exorcist Dir. William Friedkin William Peter Blatty's horrifying novel was brought to the big screen with mixed results. During test screenings, people fainted, vomited, and left the theater in horror, with good reason. This movie really gets to you, and has some of the most terrifying images burned onto celluloid. I haven't met a single person who wasn't scared by this movie. 2.) The Shining Dir. Stanley Kubrick Stephen King's story of madness and lost souls is brought to haunting life by veteran director Stanley Kubrick. His floating camera work, huge sets, and foreboding music shape an extraordinarily creepy film. Some truly frightening scenes in this one, with lots of metaphors and foreshadowing that will please any psychological major. 3.) Halloween Dir. John Carpenter The original teen slasher, this set the scene for a few hundred copy cats to follow, only a few of which are worthy. Most notable is the opening sequence, done in real time, with a very creepy and shocking reveal. A must own for slasher fans. 4.)Ringu Dir. Hideo Nakata Lazily remade by Gore Verbinski, this film helped start the J-Horror revolution, movies that rely more on psychological horror, rather than physical. Some truly hideous images here, a great story that will keep you guessing to the very end, and a climax you never see coming. If you haven't seen the American version, please check this one out, it's far superior. 5.) A Nightmare on Elm Street Dir. Wes Craven Craven hit it big with this semi-slasher flick that defied physical reality. No longer were we safe falling asleep in our comfy beds, for Freddy Kreuger was waiting in our dreams. Horrifying theme to think about, and the movie's just as good as it's premise. A real classic. 6.) Night of the Living Dead (1968) Dir. George A. Romero The king of all zombie movies which still holds up even today. Some blatant social commentary fused into a story of survival against an onslaught of zombies, with some disgusting gore effects shocking for their time. One of my favorites. 7.) Don't Torture a Duckling Dir. Lucio Fulci Part of the giallo film style of the 70's in italy. Not for the weak hearted. Very controversial serial killer movie involving children, but it's also extremely important for bravado filmmaking. It never crosses the line into perversion, and is really terrifying. 8.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Dir. Tobe Hooper Controversial for its time, though the on screen violence is rather minimal, and Hooper uses a style that makes you think you're seeing more than he's showing. Very claustrophobic, with awesome set design and make-up effects. The dinner party scene is especially hard to watch. 9.) Silence of the Lambs Dir. Jonathan Demme Hopefully on everyone's top ten, this haunting serial killer movie has some very brutal scenes, and some disgusting props as well. Very disturbing, with an amazing performance by Anthony Hopkins. 10. The Evil Dead Dir. Sam Raimi I know what your thinking, these are supposed to be scary movies, and this one is a lot more funny than scary, which is precisely why it's on my list. Though, in all honesty, I found some scenes to be genuinely creepy, the whole campy atmosphere Raimi creates is so entertaining that it has to be on my top ten, it's just a really fun movie. And come on, the scene with the tree and the girl, CLASSIC! Well, there you go, jheric's top ten horror films. Hopefully if you haven't seen some of them you will soon, because they're all worth watching.  |
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by Stephen_Murray by Stephen_Murray
