Thursday, October 30, 2014

Discussion Post: Favorite Scary Movies

Thursday, October 30, 2014 7:09 AM with 5 comments




Discussion Post
Have I ever mentioned that I love a good scary movie?



For parents who were pretty strict in every other sense, my parents were fairly lax when it came to my TV and movie tendencies growing up. One of the first movies I can remember seeing in the theater was a film called Witness. For those who don't know the film, it features a fairly gruesome scene where a young Amish boy witnesses a man getting his throat slit (if I'm even remembering it correctly--I was pretty young) in the bathroom of a train station. This was terrifying to me, but it also gave me a thrill that I still seek out to this day. Throughout my childhood I watched horror films that were way too mature for me. By the time I reached junior high, I was already slightly obsessed with Freddy Kruger and thought Pinhead was the neatest looking dude around. Growing up with these films, it takes A LOT to scare me. I'm not one to cower behind my hands or cling to my husband (who, quite unfortunately, isn't even close to enamored with the horror genre as I am). No way! I say bring on your monsters, your loud noises, and your spooky music. Here are some of my favorites:

A Nightmare on Elm Street

There is something truly terrifying about a monster who haunts our dreams. We are never as vulnerable as we are when we are sleeping--and there is no getting around it--we all need sleep to survive. What makes Freddy and the franchise so awesome is that off-putting, almost slap-stick humor that just barely takes the edge off on who, in my opinion, is the scariest monster there is. 

horror animated GIF

Scream

What makes Scream so brilliant is that for a movie that is making fun of scary of scary movies, it is truly down-right scary in its own right. I clearly remember leaving the theater after watching this gem truly impressed with how absolutely meta the whole enterprise  is. Again, it's the humor, the winking at the audience, that raises this film (and its sequels) above the usual horror fare. 

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Saw

This film is a little gorier than what I usually prefer, but that twist ending--which I won't spoil here--is AMAZING. I watched the first couple of sequels, but nothing they did could top the pure ingenious of that first film. Completely different than anything else at the time. 

horror animated GIF

The Cabin in the Woods

This film is pure genius. Period. 

the cabin in the woods animated GIF

Silence of the Lambs

This is another film I can clearly remember seeing in the theater. This is kind of a funny story. My sister and I had driven to Denver for some reason or another--I want to say she needed a dress for a school dance, but I have no idea if that is true--when we decided we would go see this R rated film. I was definitely not old enough to see an R rated film, but she must have been if my parents let her drive us the two hours it took to get to the city. She had grabbed my hand when we entered the already pitch black theater, and like the asshole I was as a teen, I shook her off. Pissed, she stormed up the row and sat down. Because it was dark, I couldn't see where she went and also just sat down. So that is how, at the tender age of, I want to say 14, I watched one of the scariest movies ever alone in a dark theater. That night vision goggle scene at the end? Nightmares for months. I have to admit that I do love Hannibal Lector, though. 

silence of the lambs animated GIF


The Conjuring

While the ending got a little TOO crazy/unbelievable, I was pleasantly surprised by how genuinely scary this movie was. 

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The Shining

Jack Nicholson. The isolation. Those twins. Everything about this classic film is amazing. 

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Those are just a few of my favorites. What's your favorite scary movie? Sound off below! 

Happy Halloween!!!



5 comments:

  1. I can't watch the show Monk with out picturing the chief of police doing that penis-tuck dance in Silence of the Lambs. Its very distracting, ha ha ha! I have seen all of these movies and am really glad you added the newer movies, The Conjuring and Cabin in the Woods. Both are excellent. I want to see Annabelle, but it seems to be getting bad reviews. Oh, and my favorite super villain, serial killer is totally Michael Myers. Its like a child-like, super evil, unstoppable, unexplainable psycho chasing you. Freaky!

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    1. Sorry for my embarrassingly late reply. I've never seen Monk, but I don't think I could ever see him in something without thinking about that scene. I do like the first Halloween film, and was hugely disappointed in the remake. Thanks for stopping by !

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  2. I am so glad I'm not the only one that loves horror films. My parents were very indifferent to what I watched so there are plenty of films which terrified me in my youth, but it was a thrill, like you said. I think horror films are a thing you either love or hate though, half my housemates at uni were terrified by them, it was weird. I love all the films on this list apart from The Shining, and that's simply because I haven't seen it. I know, for shame

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    1. I completely agree--you either love em or you don't. Maybe you have to grow up with them? I'm sure I'm not the first person to tell you this, but The Shining is pretty awesome. You should check it out sometime. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Trying to talk about why film is important to society can make one sound a little pretentious. The ways in which film, like these from ranker.com, permeate life are vast, overwhelming even.

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Hello, there! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I read each and every one and will do my best to respond--usually on your blog instead of on mine. I will, however, always answer direct questions. Due to serious time restraints, this blog is now an award free zone, but I appreciate the thought!