Growing up in Meriden we often would drive by the house on Meriden Waterbury Road in Southington hoping to snare a glimpse of the evil boy looking out the window. The movie Haunting in Connecticut was based on the story, but in true “Hollywood” fashion, they completely destroyed a promising theme for what could have been the next Amityville Horror. The house was an old funeral parlor where the owner recently had finished renovating the home. Many of the devices for hoisting bodies in and out of caskets remained in the basement of the home. You can’t beat that for the setting of a horror film! Well, they blew it – turning the source of the hauntings into a ridiculous premise that had the old home owners storing the dead in the walls of the home. How dumb!
As an avid horror movie fan you have to prepare yourself to be disappointed by the plots of these movies. They’re often over hyped, but on rare occasions the “haunts” deliver. Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting some of our great writers, and after I revealed I was the Boogeyman, I was asked about my opinion on the scariest movies. So here’s a “can’t miss” list of delicious haunts.
The scariest movie ever made might not be The Exorcist (1973), but if you’re fascinated by the allure of demonic possession and the eerie haunts surrounding the Devil, the Exorcist delivers a serious set of scares that will leave you constantly recovering from a mild heart attack. Movie makers of the 70’s spared no expense compared to the politically correct movies of today (if you’ve ever seen The Bad News Bears you’ll understand), the Exorcist is no different as they repeatedly exploit Linda Blair, forcing the young actress to perform some brutal scenes rife with explitives, sex and blood. But, without her performance in this film, the shocking display of the occult could never have raked your spine. Far and away one of my favorite movies, and the crab crawl scene will shake your foundation!
I’m still a fairly young guy, 40, so I have to give props to the one “stalker” that prevailed over the many nightmares of my youth. Michael Myers to this day is such an icon of horror, that few have been able to create such a character. Halloween (1978) has been the feature film of all my Halloween Movie Fest’s since 1978. Rob Zombie’s remake was equally as scary, and rarely can a remake carry the reputation of its father-film. John Carpenter’s original set the bar for all movie makers of the horror genre, and Rob Zombie moved the bar a tad higher for future horror nuts.
You can understand why I love horror movies more than 30 years after being introduced to Michael Myers. The year following the Halloween craze came a movie so drenched in terror that few “haunted house” movies to this day have even come close to what movie goers had to endure watching Amittyville Horror (1979). Based on a true story (and yes, I’ve been to the house), this film is excruciatingly frightening, and if it weren’t the Exorcist or Halloween coming before it, Amittyville Horror would rank as the single scariest movie I’ve ever seen. “GET OUT!”
Later that same year a film debuted that doesn’t make many Top “anything” lists, When a Stranger Calls (1979). Starring Carol Kane, how can this movie be scary? When I watched it for the first time I was thoroughly spooked, but there have been many “babysitter” scares to follow that rank higher. However, I have to say this movie is profoundly more suspenseful than let’s say Scream or even it’s 2005 remake. It didn’t hit me as a top scare until I made my wife watch it – she was horrified, and after watching her labor through this movie, I am convinced many people were frightened by this film.
But, the next movie to hit the circuit in 1980 is far and away a favorite of all horror fanatics, The Shining (1980). Jack Nicholson delivers a chilling performance, but the many ghosts that gradually reveal themselves ‘make’ this movie. Set in a cozyingly (I know that’s not a word, but what the heck) cold ski resort, Stanley Kubrick’s destruction of sanity was brilliant. The most disturbing scenes still rank among modern shockers. The Shining is fabulous film making, bone scary, and the little girls still keep me up at night.
The Ring (2002) was an excellent film! Hands down! I have to warn you – this movie has some severely disturbing imagery, but the startling views are required. The movie is based on a mystery that I can’t reveal here, but set on a backdrop of a distressed ghostly girl grips you throughout this film. Again, I made my wife watch this film, and she would have to get up in the middle of the night to feed our third child, Finn, and she swears she couldn’t shake the images of Samara coming down the hallway.
The Sixth Sense (1999) was M. Night Shaymalan’s “haunting” debut, and boy did he hit the mark with this thriller. His use of shockingly real ghosts, and an upsetting beginning to deliver a gripping horror movie through the eyes of a scared little boy – “I see dead people!” Will you ever forget those words?
Here’s some other quick comments on my top ranked movies:
Friday the 13th Part II (1981) – Jason Voorhees is forever stitched into American movie horror. The infamous hockey mask is a sellout every Halloween. But, Part I of this series isn’t nearly as scary as Part II. Not to mention, the star of the series doesn’t reveal himself until Part II – not counting of course his fiercely deformed cameo in Part I.
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – You can’t have a list without Freddie Kruegger! Johnny Depp’s first movie, Nightmare was another classic feature on USA Channel’s Fright Fest. Set on a brutal premise of child abduction, Nightmare on Elm Street was a true classic of horror. And, the remake has promise of being another Zombie-esque restoration of fear.
Blair Witch (1999) was a refreshing look of twisted film making. The one camera, cheap hand held views of a haunted hike in the woods was remarkably creepy. It’s look-a-like, Paranormal Activity (in theaters now!) is hyping into that same horror uproar that Blair Witch sustained. Visit www.paranormalactivity-movie.com and watch the chilling trailers. One review – “The sense of dread is sustained the entire time.”
The Omen (1976) was good, but when I was 7 years old I couldn’t watch this movie. I watched it many years later, and found it entertaining but didn’t have that “gotcha” as many of my other favorites.
Honorable Mentions
The Grudge (2004), Poltergeist (1982), Evil Dead (1981), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Jaws (1975), Pet Sematary (1989), Cloverfield (2008), Children of the Corn (1984), The Fog (1980), Jeepers Creepers (2001).
Related posts:
- The Top Ten Horror Movies
- Cinetalk: Something Old, And Something New
- Cinetalk:Wax On,Wax Off
- CineTalk
- Cine Talk
I could have gone on forever with this article. I really enjoyed all the movies on the honorable mention list, and could have described in more detail the haunting parts of each movie. If you’re setting out to be scared this Halloween, this list will surely get it done though.
These movies are good movies too, they’re not “B” movie bores! I love even the “B” movies like Motel Hell – a movie about a cannibalizing hotel owner who also owns the reputation for having the best smoked meats in the area. He plants his kidnapped victims in his garden from the neck up as if he’s marinating them, and then creates a delicious set of smoked meats that have made his family farm famous. The line, “Meat’s meat and man’s got to eat!” Really get’s it done!
Even still, modern shockers like The Strangers is an intense film. It delivers really tough scenes to watch. This movie is the reason why you get an alarm system on your home!
I guess if you’re heading off to the movie store, shoot me a note and I’ll give you some tips on what to look for and avoid.
Happy Halloween!
this is a great list, but I think there’s one or two Hitchcock movies that might have made my list, like Psycho, although technically his genre was suspense, not horror.
Awesome list. I still love the 1931 Frankenstein – the monster as a lonely, misunderstood, tortured soul.
Psycho is good. I feel like I can smell mold and dust when I see those old films, though! Kind of like an old library book …..