7.30.2007

Hmmmmm, Not Quite What I was Expecting

We do agree, as it turns out, on more than a few of these. I have a few to add, though I am guessing that these are a bit obscure. But first a story...

When I was a Little Tilam, my folks went out to eat and left my younger brother, my younger cousin and me at home with our much older cousin babysitting. That night we were watching a horror flick called "The Crawling Eye." I was probably 8 or 9 and the other two were 6 or 7. We were on the couch scared out of our minds watching this thing when my cousin went to the bathroom. As a joke, she let out a blood curdling scream. I have never been more scared in my life. At that age, there were Crawling Eyes and it definitely had just eaten our cousin.

Horror movies suck you in and make you believe.

The ones we agree:
Psycho. Hitchcock at his horrible best. I still get scared.
Alien. Classic haunted house genre done perfectly. Deleted scenes too much for even jaded audiences.
Exorcist. The grandpappy of the "possession" thrillers, so Rosemary's Baby and The Omen don't make it.
Jaws. "You're gonna need a bigger boat," to knock out this movie.
The Shining. "Here's Johnny!" Nicholson at his creepy best.

Caveat: I have not seen Saw, but more then Thew place it in the Top 10...

The next five:
The Sixth Sense. Loved it and the final twist just made the movie.
Manhunter. The much better prequel to Silence of the Lambs. Dark and disturbing.
Halloween. The original slasher is still the best.
The Other. The movie was just as scary as the book. Several plot twist keep you guessing.
The Changeling. George C. Scott overlooked pants pisser. Makes a rubber ball bouncing down the stairs terrifying.

There several honorable mentions. I loved Poltergeist. In particular the use of kids to create the suspense got to me. I need to tip my hat to Willard. Another 70s throwback that scared the shit out of me (and everyone else). I also loved Se7en with Brad and Gweneth, and thought the end was great. Kudos also to Jurassic Park which managed to peg the "oh, shit" meter a few times.

Here is another perspective from the Boston Globe.

Finally, I would be remiss in not mentioning Resident Evil. No, not the movie, but the game. The music, the undead, CLASSIC!

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