To celebrate 'OWF's 31 Days Of Horror', I have decided to compile a list of what I feel are the 31 scariest moments to have ever graced the big screen. In an age where horror films are becoming increasingly mindless and recycled this list is meant to highlight the genre as an art form proving that horror can be intelligent, creative and make quite powerful social and psychological statements when its potential is maximised. Each day I will analyse a different scene until the scariest movie moment is revealed on Halloween Night. I hope you all enjoy. Beware, there will be spoilers for each scene in the list, that could potentially give away major plot points/endings for the films in question.
31.) SORRY, WRONG NUMBER - 'THE END SCENE'
This psychological thriller features a sinister and troubling ending with the films title quite brilliantly incorporated into the last line of dialogue. The film revolves around the sick and bedridden protagonist Leona Stevenson (played by Barbara Stanywyck) who one night whilst waiting for her husband to come home overhears a conversation on the phone between two men who are planning a murder. As she becomes increasingly panicked about trying to prevent the crime she fatally realises that she is in fact the intended victim. The final scene features some brilliant direction as well as showcasing some wonderfully anxious acting from Stanwyck. With the killer climbing the stairs and coming for her, Leona attempts to force herself out of bed but she is stopped short by a looming shadow. Through the view of the balcony we are left with a shot of a train drowning out her pleas for help. The phone rings and then in chilling fashion the killer himself answers, Sorry, Wrong number. The scene itself is remarkable for the escalating tension; from the appearance of the killers shadow emerging on the stairs, to the protagonists voice becoming increasingly high and troubled to the pulsating score which swells to a dramatic crescendo and thus makes the final few minutes entirely gripping but almost unbearable to watch. The fact that we never see the figure of the killer (only his gloved hand) and that we get to hear only his casual voice when answering the phone at the end also makes the horror all the more mysterious and intriguing. It once again proves that less is more and that you can provide deep chills without having to show an ounce of actual on-screen violence. Implication is everything here. It also must be said that the film is quite daring and innovative for its bleak ending in choosing to killing off the lead character with nothing in the manner of a redemptive after-thought or sentimentality in which to close the movie. As in real life the terror just takes place and the killer lives on. There is no happy ending.