I love horror movies. As a lot of people have, I started watching them when I probably shouldn’t have been. I would sneak down into the living room when my parents were watching them and watch through the railing, scaring my self like crazy and then running back up to my room, scared out of my mind and having to get myself to sleep with visions of ghouls and ghosts dancing in my head.
There are some scenes that I can remember being the scariest that I have seen, the ones that really stick with you. Here they are in no particular order.
DAWN OF THE DEAD:
Little girls in nightgowns scare the hell out of me. It doesn’t matter where they are, if you see a little girl in a white gown, run. Run for your life. They are stereotypically evil. Thus was the case in Dawn of the Dead. SPOILERS – If you haven’t seen the opening scene, it’s basically a little girl that knocks on her parents bedroom door, says “mommy…”, and then – when her father goes to comfort her – proceeds to eat him. It’s terrifying! I wouldn’t sleep with my door ajar for a while after seeing this one.
SALEM’S LOT:
I explained this one in an earlier article. The part where the vampire child Danny visits Mark outside of his window. He scrapes his nails, and salivates. His dead, cold eyes and the tone of his voice…wow. Seriously, this scene is embedded in my memory. It’s like the directors of these movies take things that you normally see every day – doors, windows – things that you look at all the time, and then permanently scar your mind into remembering these scary scenes every time you see them. Windows hide lurking figures, doors are always creaking in the dark.
THE HALLOWEEN SERIES:
While the movies on the whole didn’t scare me too much, what stayed with me about these was the general terror of being hunted. They all revolved – usually – around a central character that was chased around for an hour or so, the whole time screaming and fearing for their life. I remember having nightmares about being chased and hunted, hiding and just being generally terrified, and I have these movies to thank for being the catalyst of all of those fears.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2:
This series is basically the reason that a lot of people feel uncomfortable in their own homes. It made the thought of a warm cozy house less comforting by showing that everyday people could become the victim of dangerous poltergeists. And, when you get right down to it, the end scene – SPOILERS – where the girl snaps her husbands neck on the couch, was probably one of the most unexpectedly horrifying scene I’ve ever seen.
POLTERGEIST:
Again, little girls in white gowns. Terrifying. It was also the movie that made me a little uneasy around white noise. And of course, the infamous line, “Theyyy’reee Heerreeee!”
THE EXORCIST:
I couldn’t sleep for weeks after watching this. As a demonic child, Linda Blair couldn’t have been more shocking. Her foul-mouthed performance was truly scary, and would make even a strong non-believer in demons have second thoughts. Her scarred face and jerky movements created an atmosphere that made every moment she was possessed on screen both a pleasure and torture to watch. I dare anyone to watch her crab-walk down the stairs or the head-spinning scene and then try and sleep afterwards. Truly one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen.
I think what makes a movie truly scary is its ability to stay with you long after the credits have rolled. If you can remember that specific part that made your blood run cold, then the director has done his job, and the horror movie has served its purpose.
What is your favourite scary moment in a horror movie? Let us know in the comments section!
Reblogged this on Mat Langford.