Before we know it, fall will be here and theaters will once again be overrun with horror flicks trying their hardest to scare the crap out of us. As we all know, they don’t always succeed, so here’s the Emerald’s list of horror movies that scared the crap out of us (in no particular order).
“The Ring”
This is a highly debated entry on the list. A lot of people don’t think it’s scary or that it’s over-hyped. But “The Ring,” with its perfect casting, high production value and rain-soaked, blue-tinged atmosphere, acts as a model of what the modern horror movie should really be. One has to ask: Should a horror movie necessarily be terrifying, or is simply being creepy good enough? In the case of “The Ring,” creepy is good enough.
“Halloween”
Looking back now, “Halloween” is slightly boring. But the movie still deserves to be on the list because it essentially helped launch the trend of teen slasher flicks. Sure, “Friday the 13th” may have helped, but none of the Jason movies have ever been any good. Unlike the “Friday the 13th” series, “Halloween” is still alive. On August 31, Rob Zombie’s remake of “Halloween” hits theaters, and if Zombie’s other movies are any indication, the remake should be a worthy addition to the Michael Myers legacy.
“The Hills Have Eyes”
2006’s remake of the 1977 classic succeeds where a lot of horror movies fail: It’s extremely disturbing. The scene in which the stranded family gets attacked at night in its RV is just one big stretch of offensiveness and depravity, which doesn’t happen all to often. It might sound odd to find pleasure in watching it, but it’s nice to see a horror movie and for once feel something other than amusement or dread.
“Psycho”
Who can forget “Psycho”? Many people consider it to be the starting point of the new trend of viewing deserted rural hotels as places of terror, and it’s just plain scary. And if you like twists at the end of your horror movie, then “Psycho” is perfect for you. The end of “Psycho” is just as famous as the film’s shower stabbing scene, and rightfully so – it just might blow your mind.
“Dawn of the Dead”
You can’t discuss “Dawn of the Dead” without mentioning both the 1978 original and the 2004 remake. They’re both classics in their own right: The original because it turned the zombie genre into a social commentary, and the remake not only because its first five minutes were jaw-dropping but also because it updated the original for a modern, faster-paced society by featuring zombies that ran.
“Saw”
“Saw” makes the list mostly for one reason: It really helped launch the current trend of “torture porn” in horror movies. The grisly premise of the film, from being chained to a wall, to sawing off one’s own leg, provided the current state in horror that allows for movies like “Hostel” to come along and try to take the “torture porn” one step further. With a fourth “Saw” film currently in the works, it will be interesting to see if “Saw” can keep “torture porn” alive.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street”
OK, so the acting in this movie is terrible. But the premise alone is terrifying enough to earn “A Nightmare on Elm Street” a spot on the list. It’s bad enough to have someone killing you in real life, but when the killer is in your dreams and there’s really no way to escape except to avoid sleep, now that’s scary. Furthermore, this film helped launch the career of horror legend Wes Craven.
“The Shining”
“Heeeeere’s Johnny!” It’s the definitive classic line from Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King book, and a list of horror movies without “The Shining” would be a waste of space. Jack Nicholson is truly terrifying as deranged father Jack Torrance, and film’s imagery (like an elevator erupting with blood) is some of the most intensely scary you’ll find in a horror movie.
“Scream”
Just when we thought Wes Craven would never have another horror hit, he came out with “Scream.” The film is unique in that it works well as both a satire of the horror genre and as a functional horror/slasher flick. The film’s first minutes, with guest star Drew Barrymore before her career picked up again, was a great start to a trilogy that arguably marked the end of the slasher film.
“Silence of the Lambs”
It might be slightly outlandish to say this, but here goes: Anthony Hopkins is the creepiest cannibal ever. He’s so sophisticated/menacing/suave/evil. It’s so disturbing to watch him and never know quite what to think about him. All-around, the film maintains its disturbing nature, and lotion has never been as creepy as it is in this movie.
Here are some horror picks that didn’t quite make the list, even though we really did want to include them:
“Frailty”
This isn’t so much of a horror movie as a psychological thriller, but it’s still pretty damn good. Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey are great as members of a family that kills people they think are demons. It would have made the list of top 10 movies if we hadn’t remembered “Psycho” and added it at the last minute.
“The Sixth Sense”
Some people don’t call “The Sixth Sense” a horror movie, but there’s really no denying that the film has its share of terrifying moments (a young Mischa Barton barfing her brains out, anyone?). This is the movie that established M. Night Shyamalan as a master of suspense, despite the fact that he hasn’t proven himself lately.
“The Cell”
Now we know: The inside of the mind of a killer is a scary, scary place. The concept itself is enough to be scary, but to make it worse, there are sliced-up horses, creepy guys in dresses and Jennifer Lopez. This was before Lopez blew her acting career, and she really was a legitimate actress back then.
“House of 1000 Corpses”
Rob Zombie’s first foray into directing wasn’t so much a horror movie as it was an homage to the old-school, get-lost-in-the-backwoods-and-get-killed-by-a-crazy-family movies, and a successful one at that. It’s funny, it’s slightly scary, it’s even slightly disturbing. Overall, it’s just a good time.
“Se7en”
Movies like “Se7en” were so common during the ’90s that one has to wonder if they were inspired by “Se7en” or if “Se7en” was inspired by them. And the twists and turns of the plot are so crazy that they almost seem too gimmicky for their own good. Either way, “Se7en” is an entertaining psychological thriller that takes an interesting approach to the serial killer.
“28 Days Later”
A lot of people liked “28 Days Later,” but personally, I wasn’t that impressed. I was bored most of the time, and none of the characters were very likable. The only time I was really interested was when I watched the alternate endings on the DVD. Nonetheless, I promise to watch it again and give it a second chance.
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