10. CARRIE – The scariest movies are the ones that are the most relatable and what’s more relatable than being picked on in school? In the 33 years since its initial release, a lot of the movie has become dated, such as the dialogue, clothing, haircuts (which are all embodied in the young John Travolta) but the final scene at the prom, picture-in-picture and all, are as scary as ever and the scene following that when Carrie (Sissy Spacek) finally confronts her Jesus-freak mother (Piper Laurie) are incredibly disturbing.
9. ERASERHEAD – Director David Lynch is known for his ability to creep people out but he never managed to top that fact in regards to this first effort from 1977. Surreal as ever, Lynch leaves no stone unturned in symbolic images (like the man turning the gears) and unusual dialogue and music (“In Heaven, everything is fine.”) that all combine to create truly creepy, if not frightening, film. In a nutshell, it’s about the fear of marriage and conception, but watch out for that lady in the radiator. Oh, and watch out for the scissors, too.
8. THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE – What’s great about this movie is that it’s ambiguous. In fact, the whole idea of “exorcisms” is literally put on trial, providing the backdrop for the movie. Was Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) really possessed? It’s not a question easily answered and the movie is not presumptuous enough to try. Instead, it analyzes the escalating scenes of Emily’s “possession” which range from the familiar speaking in tongues, convulsing bed, and profanities to the not-so-familiar scenes of her body locking into impossible positions. All of them mix into scenes of escalating terror that culminate in one of the scariest scenes ever filmed.
7. TARNATION – This is the story of Jonathan Caouette told through old Super 8 and VHS footage interspersed with photographs and a soundtrack that matches the disturbing footage. While being raised by a mother who went insane from a lifetime of electric shock therapy, he battled through his own demons, namely drug abuse and his sexual identity, until eventually escaping the cycle of violence. And it’s all true. Tarnation is one of the most unique and acclaimed documentaries of the past decade and truly one of the scariest.
6. NOSFERATU – Not a whole lot of silent movies hold up to today’s visual or atmospheric standards, but this one still remains relevant and influential, even though it was made in 1922. Sure, it has woefully ridiculous and overacted scenes from the low-brow supporting cast but the scenes with the mysterious Count Orlock (played by Max Shreck in rodent-like makeup that is frightening even today) more than make up for it. He moves with his long nails and pointed ears with all the stiffness of a walking corpse and has a menace-filled stare that demands silence. Each shadow-drenched frame with him in it could be a portrait in this seminal vampire work.
5. ALIEN – “In space, no one can hear you scream.” If there were an Academy Award for movie taglines, that would have been a shoe-in. It’s also very accurate. Alien can really be summed up to the very best of slasher movies (and I mean that in a good way), but it’s that setting of the darkness of space contrasted with the brightness foreign space ships with no escape that really make it something to watch.
4. JESUS CAMP – Though not intentionally a horror film, this 2006 documentary about an Evangelical children’s summer camp is among the most shocking and downright frightening ever made. Like every typical horror movie, it has its funny moments to break the mood (like the video “disproving” evolution) but what the film and the camp are all about is building an army for the future, an army to fight the growing Muslim threat, an army to fight abortion, and ultimately an army to take over the government. There’s no boogie man, no Freddy or Jason, waiting behind the corner to get us, but there really are Jesus Camps out there and that is pretty scary.
3. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Original Version) – As far as purely “scary” movies go, my money’s on this 1974 independent horror classic. Unlike the typical slasher movie, The Texas Chainsaw Masscare builds and builds its disturbing atmosphere with such precision that you don’t really know how deep the unsuspecting teenagers are until… well, that would be giving it away. Just be prepared for all levels of creepiness. If there was ever a movie to be watched in the dark, this is it.
2. THE SHINING – Film visionary Stanley Kubrick is known for his slew of masterpieces from Dr. Strangelove to 2001: A Space Odyssey to A Clockwork Orange but the film he is perhaps best known for is his venture into horror – The Shining. Of course, like just about every great Stephen King movie, Kubrick’s treatment strays considerably from the pulp source material and the result is a moody glimpse inside the mind of a man (Jack Nicholson) slowly going insane. Instead of relying on cheap jump scenes, the real frights come from seeing through the eyes of the all-too vulnerable wife and child, who don’t know when Nicholson will snap as the cracks in him become more and more evident.
1. THE EXORCIST – Indisputably, the greatest horror film ever made and what makes it that way is the realism. It isn’t approached like a horror movie. Instead, we get more of a drama set to a horrific setting – the demonic possession of a little girl (Lind Blair) – as we get to watch a priest (Jason Miller) find his way through a crisis of faith with the help of someone who’s already been there and won (Max Von Sydow). If The Exorcist suffers from anything, though, it’s high expectations. Too often, modern people claim they saw it and weren’t scared, like it’s some kind of badge of honor. Don’t see this movie with expectations of the kind of gratuitous gore and a to b plot of the Saw snuff films. In fact, don’t see it with any expectations. See it like the unsuspecting public of 1973 who fainted, vomited and clutched their Bibles because of a legitimate struggle between good and evil that ends in an ambiguous, if not horrifying, ending.
Tom Gavin
All Films ***** (5 Stars)
10-30-2009
