Your heart begins to beat that little bit faster. You know it is coming. Youre fully aware that any second now that yuppie teenager is going to be killed by a pitchfork, butchers knife, screwdriver, pane of glass or even the conveniently sharp fragment of wood sticking out of the wall. The two beads of sweat trickling down your forehead start to amalgamate as he or she has seemingly lost the unstoppable killer. You know it is coming. That churning of your stomach only gets worse, your head is screaming out grab the large blunt object on the table, back yourself into a corner and youll be fine you dumb idiot, they cant hear you. They grab that door handle and swing it open; you clench the generally uncomfortable cinema arm rest. Your heart feels like it is going to explode. That one second where both you and the victim notice the killer, weapon in hand, more often than not makes your body convulse. And as that circular saw plunges into the yuppies midriff, your own stomach goes stone cold. You knew it was coming, yet you still jumped and if youre my sister, you still threw your water bottle at the screen. Most of us love to be scared knowing that it wont and cant permeate the screen. No matter how much you might believe Freddy will slice and dice you in your dreams, he cant. Yet Horror films allow us to feel the sensation through its corporeal power over the body. The hold it can is almost unique to the genre and is the main reason I have grown up loving horror films. Im not one for putting my hands over my face and peering through the streamlined cracks created, no I tend to revel in my scares, I go into a horror film in the hope it will make my body shudder without giving my brain the notice to react.
So when my editor asked me to compile a top ten list of my favourite horrors I was more than willing to participate. However as my shortlist grew and grew I became frightened that it would get out of control. I always knew what my number 1 was, that was never changing. But when you have 6 films vying for that number 10 spot, you know that you may of cast your net too far wide. And so I have cheekily decided to make it a top 15 with a trilogy sneaking into one spot. As my fellow OWF writers conceded, top ten lists are never easy. I wont get into a debate which
Adam and
Rob brilliantly started in their articles, I simply agree that genre lines are fuzzy, but this list is simply the films that have scared me and that I believe will scare an audience. Most of them I consider to be brilliant films without the horror genre tag having ever been mentioned. Im not one for Gorno, so excuse me for ignoring the recent Horror trend which in all honesty I detest (here is to you Mr Roth). I like a horror film to get inside my head and attack my body that way. Dont get me wrong gore is an acceptable element in a horror film, but excessive gore in my opinion does not drive fear, and fear is the quintessential component to audience interaction. Before I reveal my list apologies go to many films that missed out, In particular one Freddy Krueger.
The idea of Freddy killing me in my dreams haunted me for years without having watched a single second of the canon. However at the age of 16 when I watched it, it failed to scare and as much as I love the character there was a weird slapstick element in the way he plies his trade, alleviating much of the fear. I must also give special mention to '
Let the Right One In'; I personally see it as one of the best films made in the last 30 years. However, in my opinion, this is down to the relationship between Oskar and Eli which lays the foundations upon which the horror elements occur. It was a hard choice to leave it out when I rate it so highly, but I just dont see it as a horror film. Unfortunately there is also no room for '
The Exorcist', '
28 Days Later', '
Ringu', '
Psycho' and regrettably Romeros brilliant '
Martin'. There are
Spoilers but most of these films Im sure people have seen. So here goes, feel free to agree or disagree
15. THE WITCHES (Roeg, 1990)
Some may call this a weird choice; others will join me in saying that those 92 mins spent watching this as younglings were probably the most terrifying in memory. Ive never been to Cornwall and part of me blames this film for that. I also blame it for putting me off eating chocolate for a good few months. An adaptation of the much more timid Roald Dahl childrens book, '
The Witches' is a film which still scares my adult self, if only to serve as a reminder of my pivotal childhood fear; elderly women. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56trm_6WBo0&feature=related
Angelica Huston may be extremely talented and I love her work with Wes Anderson, but after her stint as head of 'The Witches', I just cant trust her.
14. ERASERHEAD (Lynch, 1976)
David Lynch is a strange man and '
Eraserhead' is a brilliantly strange film. Marking his debut into the realm of features, Lynch held nothing back in bringing his nightmarish and unique vision of his own life in 70s Philadelphia to the screen. When I first saw the film at a midnight viewing in Brighton, I was not prepared for the assault on my body from Lynchs dark and twisted imagery and the sound which accompanies it. The screeching of the baby (an embalmed calf fetus so rumour has it) is a noise and image which will forever remain in my memory, that and the chicken carving scene. Some may not call it a horror film, but the world Lynch represents is a nightmare; a beautiful cinematic nightmare that half of your mind wants to escape from and the other half never wants you to forget.
13. REC (Balagueró, Plaza, 2007)
The most recent film in my list is a Spanish zombie flick which I think took a fair few people by surprise upon its release. The may at times act as a flip book of horror clichés, but that does not deter it from being a fast paced frightfest which utilises its handheld camera form to produce exceptional scares. The final 15 minutes of the film stand up there with the best of the last 10 years in horror. Its not often the audience in perfect chorus whispers in shock, What the hell is that?, but thats exactly what happened. A brilliantly executed vision of a zombie outbreak confined in a Spanish apartment block; '
Rec' stands tall with Snyders 'Dawn of the Dead' remake as one of the best modern zombie films.
12. DON'T LOOK NOW (Roeg, 1973)
The second Roeg film on the list is probably his best. Not an out and out horror per se, '
Dont Look Now' will seemingly always be remembered by the Sutherland/Christie sex scene. However it is the final scene which helps to place it onto this list. Having spent the majority of its running time building upon the guilt and repression from the death of their daughter, the film teeters on the ominous suspense of its Venice setting and a reappearing red raincoat. The superbly slow paced narrative comes to an abrupt end in the most horrifying and superb Technicolor circumstances. I doubt youll see it coming and I doubt
Donald Sutherland, even with his premonitions, did either. Superb horror. Superb ending.
11. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Hooper, 1974)
Its hard to believe that one of cinema most famous It was banned! films was originally intended to be a PG-13. By avoiding gore and excessive language Hooper believed he could get this rating. Little did he realise that the key factor to his brilliant film was the atmosphere he created. The sound raw, the setting scarily disturbing and the icon at the centre of it all, Leatherface, hunted his prey with another persons face over his own. When you put all of these together it helps to create one of the most infamous horrors of all time, you need only watch the dinner table scene to understand just how disturbing this film can be. Watching as the family mock and howl in delight of their captive screaming is bizarrely horrifying, and when Grandad sucks on her cut finger, well its just strange. Leatherface may be what represents the franchise, but it is his relationship with his family which is truly terrifying in this classic horror.
10. SUSPIRIA (Argento, 1977)
Dario Argento had to make it on this list, and what better film to pick from his canon than the film that is widely regarded as his masterpiece, '
Suspiria'. The horror is evident from the opening scene where our American heroine, Suzy, arrives at her new ballet school in Germany. Arriving at the school in the night, another student, Pat, is seen running away from it in fear. What follows is one of the most effective death scenes in horror as Pat meets her demise. As Suzy discovers the horrific truth behind her ballet school, the inventive death scenes only get better, as do the scares. The film was the last to use Technicolor and Argento uses it to help enamour the brilliant cinematography, that along with score by Italian band The Goblins help make 'Suspiria' stand out as an Italian horror gem.
9. EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Franju, 1960)
A French horror that was way ahead of its time, '
Eyes Without a Face' deserves to be considered a classic in the genre. Following an accident to a young womans face, Christiane, is disfigured leaving her to be confined to her home wearing a white mask (Carpenters influence for one Michael Myers). Her doctor-father and his assistant attempt to return her beauty by kidnapping young women and performing heterograft surgery (A face transplant to you and I). The films beautiful cinematography is as equally impressive as the complex relationship between the father and daughter, which is always an added bonus in a horror film. The film was considered quite graphic upon release and was slated by many, yet 'Eyes Without a Face' should have been praised for its surgery scenes which for 1960 are an incredible achievement. The character of Christiane and the way she seemingly glides across the frame is eerie, her fathers obsession in recreating her beauty is Frankenstein like and his assistant is a doting and willing participant reminiscent of Igor. The film is outstanding in bringing their relationships full circle in a shocking and eerie ending. 'Eyes Without a Face' pulls no punches and has finally got the credit it deserves, the world may not have been ready for it in 1960 but it seems extremely relevant in this day and age. Particularly when we consider that the worlds first successful face transplant took place in 2005.
8. THE DESCENT (Marshall, 2005)
I will never forget the first time I saw '
The Descent'. Sitting in my house home alone, I put the DVD in just as the sun was going down; therefore I didnt feel the need to have a light on. How wrong I was, after it had finished I refused to move until someone else got home. The film follows a group of female friends who decide to go caving, except to make it more exciting Juno, the leader, decides to choose a cave which supposedly no one has been in before. The film relies upon a strong relationship between the characters and director
Neil Marshall delivers. Each has clear characteristics which all come into play when the chaos begins. As they get deeper into the cave system, they get trapped and find out they aren't alone. What follows is a brilliant night vision introduction to the blind Gollum-like creatures that inhabit the cave and have a penchant for eating flesh. The films beauty for me lies in its refusal to fully explain what the creatures are, only ever giving slight hints towards their origins. Picked off one by one as they search for the exit, Neil Marshall balances the claustrophobia of the caves with some bloody brilliant scares and some pretty decent acting.
7. THE WICKER MAN (Hardy, 1973)
An absolute British gem, '
The Wicker Man' is an eerie reminder of why I dont visit small islands off the coast of Britain. The film follows Sergeant Howie (
Edward Woodward) as he is sent to the Island of Summerisle to investigate the reporting of a missing girl. As he gets deeper and deeper into the investigation, he realises that all is not right on Summerisle. Witnessing fertility rituals which are extremely strange and meeting the eccentric Lord Summerisle, played brilliantly by
Christopher Lee, Howie becomes convinced that the young girl is going to be sacrificed. A brilliant soundtrack and superb performances make this spooky examination of a zealous religious group a cult horror. Woodwards cries of Oh Jesus Christ and the jigging faces of the islanders at the films end, will forever be imprinted in my head as one of the most frighteningly sinister scenes of all time. Just dont mention the remake.
6. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (Landis, 1981)
The opening scene as Jack and David cross the Yorkshire moors with a full moon on show is genuinely frightening, a situation that no cinemagoer would ever want to be in, particularly when the result is one dead and one injured by a Werewolf. Much of the kudos to '
An American Werewolf in London' must go to
Rick Baker - the VFX expert who made the man turn into the wolf. The transformation scene will in my opinion never be bettered no matter how convincing you can make CGI (The Wolfman is a great example of this). As his back cracks and contorts, his hands stretch and his teeth sharpen, you feel every little bit of pain that our American protagonist David feels until he is fully wolf. However I would personally like to shake the hand of
John Landis and Rick Baker for their collaborative Nazi werewolf dream sequence, which is completely terrifying, insane and has a certain element of slapstick. It is one of those moments in cinema where I am genuinely in awe of how the idea ever came about. Brilliant. Oh and remember, no 'American Werewolf in London' means no Thriller video.
5. ALIEN (Scott, 1979)
Ridley Scott is known for occasionally taking a more patient narrative, and '
Alien' is his finest suspense building achievement. It is not up until 50 minutes into the film that we are given the infamous chestbursting scene. When the chestbursting scene does happen it makes it all the more shocking, particularly for the cast if the rumours are to believed that they didnt know what was going to happen, are true. What occurs after the 'Alien' scuttles off is one of the best games of cat and mouse in cinema. While the remaining 6 members of crew believe that they are hunting the alien, it is actually a case of them being hunted by it. I actually never believed I could be scared so much by a flashing LED dot on a motion detector screen; that was until Dallas entered the Nostromos tight air shafts only to be met by said Dot/Alien. Killing off the male lead in this way was a bold move in terms of the narrative and cinema as a whole, with Dallas dead the lead was given to
Sigourney Weaver. The character of Ellen Ripley paved the way for strong lead female characters that werent positioned in horror narratives to just scream.
4. THE SHINING (Kubrick, 1980)
Stanley Kubrick attempted pretty much every genre during his filmmaking career but none did he put his personal hallmark on more than horror. Kubricks use of symmetry around the Overlook Hotel creates dread around every corner, his camerawork methodical and absolutely flawless, his treatment of Stephen King's novel is delightful. Kubrick was well known for getting the extreme most out of his cast but the test of time is the proof in his methods.
Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance was career defining, but credit must be given to
Shelley Duvall who has the performance of a lifetime as Wendy. Her reaction to his slow plummet into insanity via her massively wide eyes generates fear itself. She almost had a nervous breakdown over Kubricks treatment of her, but without it Jack just wouldnt be as terrifying. It is a massive shame that Kubrick never returned to the horror genre, but at least we still have Jack, Tony the finger and room 237.
3. Romero's DEAD trilogy
'Land', 'Diary' and 'Survival' - Oh Romero what happened? The original '
Dead' trilogy is a flawless cinematic experience, let alone a shining example of the horror genre. 'Night' is basically 'Rio Bravo' with zombies, introducing us to the slow natured walking dead as they try to break into the humans beleaguered house. As the film progresses it introduces us to a notion which is evident in the entire trilogy, the zombies that stalk outside arent really the danger, w
e are.
2. JAWS (Spielberg, 1975)
It is an absolute stroke of fate which caused this film to be as scary as it turned out to be. Bruce the mechanical shark caused so many technical problems during the shoot that
Spielberg had to adapt his plans, leading to less screen time for the shark itself. Spielberg had to rely on restricting what we could see, which being the master of tension that he is, was perfect. The opening scene alone was enough to stop me to this day, ever enjoy swimming in the sea.
John Williams' score is an imposing influence on the films tension and in the opening scene in particular, as we become aware that something is stalking her beneath the waves, watching her flailing legs. The brilliance of Spielberg is returning the camera to the surface for the attack, watching her body thrash from side to side, we dont get to meet
Jaws and neither does she. And when the attack is over and her head drops below the surface, the music stops. It is a superb cinematic fusion of horror. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucMLFO6TsFM The scariest scene in the film however comes void of a shark. Having been sent down to investigate a sunken ship, Hooper (played brilliantly by
Richard Dreyfuss), discovers a hole in the ships underbelly. Given that weve witnessed many a shark attack thus far, we can be forgiven for believing that Bruce would pop out at any second and bite him in half. However, as Hooper sticks his head in another head, quite dead, pops out. This scene was added by Spielberg at his own cost of $3,000 and filmed in an editors swimming pool to make the audience scream louder, he succeeded. The film is full of these great moments; and while some may not call Jaws a horror film, to me it is a masterclass in generating fear and terror, essential for any horror film.
1. HALLOWEEN (Carpenter, 1978)
'
Halloween' is the perfect horror, influenced ever so slightly by 'Black Christmas';
John Carpenter took the notion of the slasher film and created a craze which still exists today. Without 'Halloween' numerous horror franchises would simply not exist. The story of the unstoppable Michael Myers who after murdering his sister as a child is put into a correctional facility for many years, only to escape and return home to Haddonfield, is simplistic yet extremely effective. Carpenter who not only wrote and directed the film also wrote the films haunting and brilliant score. It may only be Carpenter, his Piano and a synthesizer, but like the films narrative it is its simplicity which makes it so effective. Casting
Jamie Lee Curtis as the unfortunate babysitter of the narrative was an easy choice, Janet Leigh of 'Psycho' fame was her mother after all. All the pieces work and all the pieces matter. And the biggest piece of all? Michael Myers. He can appear and disappear within a simple cut, he is omnipresent when he wants to be and an apparition at any given moment. The scenes he shares with Laurie (Jamie Lee) are possibly his most terrifying, those moments when she sees him further down the street only for him to disappear. When she is on the phone looking out of the window and he is in between the white bed sheets, and then hes just gone. However Myers and Lauries greatest moment for me is after she has discovered the scattered bodies of her friends around the house. Having backed herself into a corner on the left of the frame, Carpenter teases out of the shadow Michaels glowing white mask. Truly terrifying. Thanks for reading and please do leave comments either good or bad.