I'm interested for a couple reasons: A new horror movie, The Grudge, is turning out to be an enduring hit, and that piqued my curiosity. It also reminded me of my two most horrifying experiences with horror movies. When I was 14, my parents let me see an evening showing of The Blob...at a theater three miles from my home. I grew up in a town and a time where there was no problem or danger with my getting myself home. The deal was, I could go to the movie, but I had to walk home. I broke the deal: I ran the three miles so fast I wish I'd been timed, because I would have qualified for the olympics. I also ran the three miles with my head turned almost all the way around--checking behind me for that freakin' blob!
My other experience that is unforgettable? The Exorcist. Saw it when I lived in the country. Twenty miles to the theater. I was driving, and went to a midnight showing. Exhausted (sleep deprivation ruins logic, of course, and self-control), and spooked from that spooky movie, I drove the twenty miles home...with my head turned all the way around! Kept imagining things in the back seat! Hmmm...maybe I've been avoiding horror films because I'm so damned suggestible.
Freepers...your thoughts?
Read about half the post so far and didnt see ALFRED HITCHCOCK!
Maybe its showing my age but "The Birds" scared me to death.
Just thinking about my top 3...I guess Excorsist and Jaws.....Still dont't go into the sea....Fat as I am I am just a big chunk of bait....
The best horror movie of all time has to be "The Bride of Frankenstein".
The original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". When I was a child it scared me. As an adult I became enchanted with the 50s kitsch, and the fact the the four main characters smoke and drink their brains out through the whole movie.
The remake SUCKED turnips.
I have a lot of favorite horror movies, including "The Birds", but I always come back to "Body Snatchers" as Numero Uno. And it's always a pleasure to watch.
I love all horror. So hard to choose, so I'll just pick the ones I own:
Phantasm (All of them)
Night of the Living Dead (Both versions)
Dawn of the Dead (Both)
Day of the Dead
Night of the Creeps (Hilarious)
Texas Chainsaw (Both)
The Thing (Carpenter)
The Blob (Remake)
--and my all-time favorite, even though I don't own it:
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The original Night of the Living Dead in black & white gave me nightmares as a kid. Of course, it didn't help that my father was scaring me throughout the movie.
Others I enjoy:
"Hellraiser," disturbing subject.
"Halloween," the original was well done and set you up to scare you rather than gross you out with gore like the later versions and the "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies.
"Alien." My favorite scene is when you first see the alien ship. It was just so "alien" in its design.
"Jaws," I still hear the music when I'm diving.
"The Birds." I still go fishing at Bodega and get a chuckle when all the birds arrive.
Special mention to a little known film from the late 90s,
"Habit." Low budget film in which it is left up to the viewer to decide if the main character is becoming an alcoholic or a vampire.
Dawn of the Dead 1978. it rules. need I say more?
Most modern horror movies that throw guts and blood at me make me more angry than scared. It enrages me to see suffering trivialized (talk to my therapist ;) ). I usually walk away or turn them off (like the Ring was a total bore). If they involve creatures or animals I am usually rooting for them and not interested in the people surviving.
And like others have said, I can't suspend my disbelief long enough to get into the movie if it has stupid people doing stupid things (like all I could think during Blair Witch was "YOU IDIOTS!")
Scariest movie ever for me was Psycho (or anything Hitchcock). Or Nosferatu. Or the orginal Frankenstein or Dracula. OR the true story of Count Vlad or Elizabeth Bathery. :)
The original Dracula, Frankenstein & Wolf Man scared the heck out of me when I was little. Always watched them alone in the dark. Bought them on DVD at Walmart not long ago. And the Exorcist is a favorite.
S-c-a-r-y.
Carnival of Souls creeps me out.
Night of the Living Dead (original).
Black Sabbath.
Just bought "Suspiria" this weekend.
Dracula (original).
The Hammer series.
The Other.
Fahrenheit 9/11 of course! And I haven't even seen it.
:D
The Ring (only watched the 2nd half and didn't sleep for days)
The Exorcist (scared the living CARP out of me)
Children of the Corn ( I was young and stupid, has no effect now.... )
The Omen
The 1st Nightmare on Elm Street ( One, two he's coming for you....CREEPY)
1st Halloween
1st Friday the 13th, for some reason sequels do not scare me.
13 Ghosts (the remake, never saw the orginal)
Oddly enough, I LOVE these movies
Silence of the Lambs
Seven
Hannibal
The Red Dragon
and I can not wait to see Saw.
Happy Turkey Day!
Suzanne
Get the original version, the new directors cut added unnecessary and somewhat silly scenes (although I viewed the new scenes in my 30's rather than my teens when I first saw this movie)
Heck the blood was not even red (although the movie is in black and white). This movie uses your imagination more than the hatchet in the forehead. A true classic.
