What Are The Top Scary Movies Of All Time?
Personal Faves (Minus 1) Include Monstrous Mix Of Horror History
Keeping with the "spirit" of Halloween, I was given the unenviable task by our Halloween package producer of coming up with a top 10 scary movie list for our special section.
Why was this such a difficult task for me? Well, when you've been a horror film aficionado most of your life, to single out 10 individual pieces of work is nearly impossible.
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What I usually look for is a frighteningly good time, one that will get the adrenaline pumping at the drop of a hat and cause an outburst of nervous laughter at the same time. Also, I'm a sucker for atmosphere. After all, how are you supposed to get involved in a movie if it doesn't take you to a different place?
Lastly, I'm also partial to certain eras of movie making for the messages -- yes I said messages -- that they contained. Some of the creatures you'll read about are capable of invoking more feelings in you than just sheer terror.
So, for whatever it's worth, here's my list, whittled down to 10 individual (or categories of) horror film favorites. I should say that all of these are my favorites with the exception of one. That movie just plain scares me to no end, and I'm sure it will do the same for you. But you'll have to read on to find out which movie that is.
While my list isn't scientific, there should be something in here for everybody to enjoy. Have a safe and happy Halloween!
10. 'Scream 3'
I'm admittedly not a huge fan of the first two movies of the "Scream" trilogy, but this one -- which combines horror and parody -- is terroriffic because it employs good old-fashioned scary fun. In yet another quest to find out who's responsible for a string of "ghost face" killings, the third "Scream" follows a movie-within-a-movie plot based on the first two movies, and a wild parallel universe results.
Many familiar faces like Neve Campbell and David Arquette appear, but the real "scream" is Parker Posey, who does a hilarious send-up of Courtney Cox-Arquette's character, reporter Gale Weathers. The creator of the trilogy, of course, is horror maestro Wes Craven, who shaped a new brand of fright flicks over the past two decades with his "Nightmare On Elm Street" series.
9. 'Edward Scissorhands'
This is one of the few films since the Universal Monster genre to actually have a sympathetic "monster," if you want to call him that. Wonderfully embodied by under-rated actor Johnny Depp (and he still is today), "Edward" is created by a scientist (the late, great Vincent Price in his last role) in a hilltop castle overlooking suburbia.
What makes Edward unique is that he's just like any other teenager, it's just that, due to the untimely death of his creator, he has scissors for hands. The movie has a brilliant arc that Edward goes through, from being an outcast to a novelty to living in a caring environment, to being feared and hatred, and back to being an outcast again. The film isn't necessarily scary (in fact it's more of a dramedy fable), but director Tim Burton still manages to create a foreboding gothic atmosphere that dominates the proceedings. It's hauntingly beautiful.
8. The 'Alien' Series
How effective was the orginal 1979 film? Well, the "chestbuster" alien from the first and subsequent films has become the poster child for me whenever I get heartburn. It's another one of those unforgettable images from a spate of unforgettable movies.
Of course, the slimy H.R. Giger creations are enough to make you jump out of your skin at any moment, but the introduction of it's hero, the butt-kicking Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), truly has the shoulders on which the success of the film series stands upon. She defines charisma, yet doesn't take herself too seriously. Anybody see her in "Galaxy Quest?" Now that's a scream!
7. 'Sleepy Hollow'
Yes, another Johnny Depp and Tim Burton collaboration (with a tip of the hat to yet another film of theirs, "Ed Wood") has won me over. This adaptation of the Washington Irving classic is a far cry from the Disney cartoon we all grew up with, as heads roll, literally, in this wild romp of a Hammer horror homage.
What makes the film a cut above the rest is that Depp, as Ichabod Crane, is anything but your typical knight-in-shining-armor hero. Investigating a series of beheadings (which Burton leaves little to the imagination) in the upstate New York village of Sleepy Hollow, Crane just wants to get into the village, do his job, and get out. No wonder, considering that the horseman is played at different stages int he move by three actors: the creepily charismatic Christopher Walken (head attached), Ray Park (a.k.a. Darth Maul) and Rob Inch (the headless horse rider). Again, the film is complimented by a mystical, yet daunting atmosphere that only Burton could create.
6. Universal Classic Monster Genre
I singled out one of Universal Studios offerings as a personal favorite (see No. 3), but there are many of these films that are not only classics, but are films that defined the genre. Mention the names "Dracula" (with Bela Lugosi), "The Mummy" or "Frankenstein" (Boris Karloff), "The Wolfman" (Lon Chaney Jr.), "The Invisible Man" (Claude Rains) and "Creature From the Black Lagoon" (Ben Chapman
and Ricou Browning), and the image of each of these creatures immediately pops into your mind.
Blending sympathy and horror, the indelible impressions of these films have set standards on which all other "monster movies" are still being judged. Notable updates of these classic can be found with the Hammer Studios horror classics (made famous with roles by Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as Dracula and Dr. Frankenstein, respectively), where the black and white settings are replaced by bloody red Technicolor.
5. 'The Shining'
Although author Stephen King disagrees, this is one of the best screen adaptations of his work. Jack Nicholson defines the role of Jack Torrance, an author who thinks he'll finish up his novel while babysitting with his family a remote, snow-covered hotel resort over the desolate winter.
What makes this film disturbing is that the idea of a guy wigging out like Jack did is quite real. Directed by the late Stanley Kubrick, this film screams atmosphere: You're not only watching it, you're feeling it, all the down to your chilled bones. Heeeere's Johnny, or shall we say "Jackie," in one of Nicholson's best roles.
4. 'Jaws'
Perhaps not a monster movie in the traditional sense, but one of the scariest, nonetheless. Sure, we see the great white shark from time to time, but where filmmaking genius Steven Spielberg succeeds is the employment of the "less-is-more" technique (akin to the shadow technique in the Universal monster films).
It's terrifying because what we don't see happening is what's messing with our imaginations. Think about the opening sequence with the skinny dipper and you'll know what I mean.
3. 'The Bride Of Frankenstein'
Of all the classic "Monster Movies" from Universal Studios, this is my favorite. Sure, the shocked hair of the Bride (Elsa Lanchester) is unforgettable, but what I love about this movie is the theme that runs through many of the early Universal Monster storylines: The monster (played by a talking Boris Karloff, who actually resented that character development) is misunderstood.
There's an incredible amount of humanity displayed in this film, particularly the scene where the monster encounters the blind hermit (who obviously can't judge him for his looks). The irreverent humor interspersed throughout the film (thanks to director James Whale) also gives it a unique touch, courtesy of the scientist responsible for the madness this time around, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger). By the way, Dr. Frankenstein himself (Colin "It's alive ?- alive!" Clive) is back for the proceedings, too.
2. 'The Evil Dead' Trilogy
Move over "Blair Witch Project," the first installment of the "Evil Dead" trilogy is the definitive "lost in the woods" movie. Helmed by the master of the point-of-view shot, Sam Raimi and starring an irreverent hero, Bruce Campbell, the trilogy surrounds a curse cast by people messing with the "Book of the Dead." A hyper-kinietic thrill ride that paved the way for a dawn of scary movies, the trilogy earns it stripes for combining horror and a Three Stooges slapstick mentality.
The first, with its gore, wild camera movements and faces of demonic possession is undoubtedly the scariest, while the second (which revisits the woods) and third (which finds Campbell back in Medieval times) lighten the scares with brilliant tongue-in-cheek comedy.
1. 'The Exorcist'
Bar none, this is the scariest movie of all time. How scary? Put it this way, I saw the 20 years ago, and the thought of it still makes me shudder (and I saw sanitized version on TV). How bad is it? When I see clips of it on horror compilation movies, I turn it off. If I see pictures of Linda Blair's devil-possessed face in magazines, I rip them out. While "The Exocist" is the king of horror movie favorite, it's not on my list of favorite movies.
Needless to say, the trailers for the recent re-release have severely creeped me out, especially with that new "spider walk" sequence crawling within. Think I'm a wimp? Laugh if you will when you see it at theater, but then think about it before you go to sleep. I guarantee seeing Blair's decaying face (accompanied by that low, grumbling Satanic voice), the pea-soup vomit or her spinning head (and a lot of other things I missed by seeing it on TV, I'm sure) will make your night's sleep a lot less tight.
Catch up with Tim on these recent @ The Movies interviews:
- Christopher Guest
- Sigourney Weaver
- Sylvester Stallone
- Bruce Campbell
- Richard O'Brien ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show")
- Edward Burns
