Posted on 11/23/2004 9:31:31 PM PST by John Robertson
What's your favorite horror movie...and why? What fried your hair, and still makes it jump if you get a little too tired and you remember a sequence or two from something that scared the stuff out of you.
I've always dismissed horror movies as a waste of time, but the older I get, the more I realize they must serve some function--some cathartic function--because they are an enduring genre, and each generation likes to find its own favorite scary movies. Heard a commentator saying the other day, the reason the country is so preoccuppied with horror films right now is, it's a horror we can "handle," versus the real, terrorist kind of horror.
"The Apartment" made by Roman Polanski, who stars in the film. Peerless for its mood and psychological thrill.
The part in Nightmare on Elm Street that was kind of creepy was when the kids were singing in soft voices: "one two, Freddy's coming for you, three four better lock your door, five six, get a crucifix, seven eight, better stay up late, nine ten, he's back again...."
M. Night Shyamalan has never been able to top The Sixth Sense.
That scene where Penn is hiding his multiple gunshot wounds while holding his killer father hostage is one of the best-acted scenes ever filmed. Ever.
I don't live far from the hospital they filmed Session 9 in. Call me a chicken, but I ain't goin NEAR that place!
I loved Signs, and am mystified by the hatred some people ahve for it. I thought the whole last section was in the same territory as The Birds and Night of the Living Dead in terms of a small group of people stuck in a small location while invaders tried to get inside. Also it has a fantastic muscial score.
Best example is Jaws..to me, very scary film.. I saw it in Florida the weekend it opened..For the next week..nobody went in the ocean ..yet is it really a "horror" flick?
Well I would think so..I wouldn't consider it a comedy, not a drama, not suspense, wouldn't think of it as sci-fiction, so I would think horror.
"The Shining" and another called "The Cube".
Hey! I was going to say that!
Do you remember the episode when he made a gory mess after decapitating a perfectly good and humorous line? ; )
So when your daughter said you could see Saw, did you see Saw, or did you not see saw? ;)
Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' had me ducking (no pun intended) for years. I could never look at a flock of seagulls quite the same after that one. It really made me concious of the critters around me.
An American Werewolf in London.
Nosferatu
Bambi versus Godzilla was great. Short, but timeless...
Glad to see other fans of The Haunting here. I love that movie. I've seen it at least 6 times, and it never fails to scare the daylights out of me. I love that scene where Julie Harris and Claire Bloom are cowering in bed while something comes stomping down the hall towards their room. We are never allowed to see the ghost, if there is one, and for me that heightens the tension.
The second-scariest movie I've ever seen was Poltergeist. The scene where the guy rips his own face off in the bathroom still gives me the creeps. To this day I can't watch that scene. And then there's that evil clown doll, LOL.
For me, that depends on my age and the circumstances when I saw a particular movie.
As a child <12:
I enjoyed being 'scared' by such movies as Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These held my imagination, were just the right amount of 'scary', but didn't cause nightmares. In short - a lot of fun. But then there were 2 that scared the crap out of me. After seeing The Creature from the Black Lagoon, I couldn't go swimming for a month - and I loved swimming. Then there was The Blob. Wouldn't walk home alone in the dark after that one for weeks.
As a teenager:
Psycho and Straightjacket absolutely made me jump out of my chair during the scariest scenes, but they had no lasting fear effect like the 2 movies mentioned above. IMHO, Hitchcock is the all-time master of suspense.
As a young adult:
I'd have to go with The Exorcist for lasting effect and Aliens for making me jump out of my chair. Both, however, had more effect on the people with me at the time. I saw the Exorcist with a group of friends that included an Hispanic Catholic. He came unglued during the movie. He had to go to the 'restroom' at least half a dozen times and he always made someone go with him. He had brought a small flask and took a couple of belts in the lobby each time - never made it to the restroom. (We were in our early 20's) Some of the others started teasing him, but I stopped them cold because I could see the look of abject terror on his face. He was a very strong Catholic and absolutely believed in demonic possession. As for Aliens, the 3 people with me all had left for a few moments (2 girls to the restroom, 1 guy for popcorn and drinks). So there I sat in the theater all alone (well, no one close by) and that's when the alien pop's out of the guy's chest. I must have jumped 3 feet in the air - way cool, but no lasting effects. The others missed that scene, but the rest of the movie really made them squirm. I, however, enjoyed the suspense, but no major 'scare' - I'd already been had - nothing else to 'get' me.
As an older adult:
my ex - nuff said. (I just wish it had been fiction)
I guess that's the main appeal of scary, horror type flicks - that moment of being 'had' - like when a friend sneaks up on you and yells 'gotcha'. It's the adrenaline rush of the moment, then the relief that follows. I've never really liked the gory stuff - all blood and guts, too little suspense and/or story line - nothing to grab the imagination. (yeah, I was 'had' by my ex)
JMHO
The Hills Have Eyes
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