Hey everyone and welcome to Monster Fest 2009 here on YDKS Movies.For Monster Fest 2009, I'm doing a very special countdown where I cover my personal25 Scariest Moments in Movie History.
When I was a kid, I was actually pretty terrified of horror movies. I usually could not watch them all the way through and would be stuck staying up all night if I did. Today, that's not the case. I'm pretty lucky if a horror movie can get a jump scare out of me nowadays. Still, there are a lot of scary movie moments that have gotten to me over the years and I felt that Monster Fest 2009 would be the perfect time to celebrate them.
Please note that these are my personal picks for the scariest moments in movie history. They are based on the films that I have viewed myself. If one of your favorite scary movie moments doesn't end up on the list, don't take it personally. Either I didn't see that movie or it just didn't affect me like it did you.
Also, please note that a lot of these movie moments are big spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie in question, please know that the moment could spoil a very significant moment of the film for you (some key moments are taken from the endings of films). So read / watch at your own risk.
Part 2 of 5
20. Jaws- "We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat"
The beauty of this moment is that it takes place so late in the film. Up until this point, the shark really hasn't been revealed aside from P.O.V shots and distant shots. Here, we get to see it up close and personal and very suddenly.
The shark pops up in the middle of Chief Brody performing a mundane task and while he's talking to his shipmates. The audience is lulled into a sense of peace. Then, this happens. And we all realize just how big the shark really is.
It's really one of the best "holy crap" moments in film and Brody really puts into words what the audience is thinking with his now famous line, "We're gonna need a bigger boat..."
Yes, Chief Brody. Yes, indeed.
Watch the scene below.
One of my first articles here on YDKS was a giant defense of The Hitcher (1986) and how awesome it was. My views on this movie have not changed since then as I still believe it is one of the most complex and well-made horror movies to be produced in the 1980's.
While I've always preferred John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) to the more exploitive Friday the 13th (1980), the aforementioned film does contain one of the best jump scares in film history during its last five minutes.
19. Psycho (1960)- Arbogast Meets Mother
While the shower scene gets most of the publicity and exposure from Psycho, it was the murder of Detective Arbogast that always really got to me.
The scene, like all powerful horror scenes, is quite simple. Arbogast slowly climbs the stairs of the Bates house, hoping to find mother. We see the door to her bedroom crack open. We know "she" is there. We know exactly what is going to happen.
And then it happens. And, for some reason, we're all surprised. I'm not sure exactly how Hitchcock pulls this off. It's obvious what is going to happen... but, somehow, he makes it still surprising and shocking. I think it is because of the framing of the shot where Arbogast is attacked. The camera hangs from the ceiling, looking down at Arbogast. Mother then very quickly enters from the right side of the frame and attacks with her knife. It all happens so fast.
Another thing that makes the scene so shocking is that Arbogast is stabbed awkwardly in the face. It's just such an odd place to be stabbed that you can't help but be surprised.
Lastly, Hitchcock follows Arbogast as he falls awkwardly down the stairs with his camera in a tight close-up. The result makes the viewer fell like they are falling as well. It really is quite an overwhelming moment. After he hits the ground, mother follows up quickly with some fast stabs. Arbogast then lets out one of the worst cries of pain I've heard in a movie ever. The whole scene is really unsettling and hasn't left me since I first saw it years ago.
Watch the scene below.
18. Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1978)- Donald Sutherland Croaks Like an Alien
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is one of those rare cases where a remake actually surpasses its original in many ways.
One of the reasons this movie is so memorable is its incredibly creepy and devastating ending. The ending is set up to make you think that Matthew (Donald Sutherland) is still human and is just faking the motions of the body snatchers in order to fit in.
We see him go through his daily routine and begin walking towards the capital building. It is here that he is approached by Nancy (Veronica Cartwright), who assumes he is still human. That's when he turns around and gives a horrible alien screech to alert others that he has found a human.
The scene is very simple and very depressing. I get goosebumps every time I hear him give that awful screech.
Watch the scene below.
17. The Hitcher (1986)- Girl Strapped A Truck
One of my first articles here on YDKS was a giant defense of The Hitcher (1986) and how awesome it was. My views on this movie have not changed since then as I still believe it is one of the most complex and well-made horror movies to be produced in the 1980's.For me, the scariest scene in the movie comes when John Ryder (the awesome Rutger Hauer) ties Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to two parts of a truck, threatening to push down on the gas and rip her in two.
This scene is unbelievably tense because there really is no way out and we know it. Still, we all like to think there is because what kind of movie would kill their female lead, let alone rip her in half? Well... The Hitcher would. And it does.
Most of the scene takes place in the truck as Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) tries desperately to talk Ryder out of killing Nash. Of course, there really is no way to do this. When Halsey refuses to shoot Ryder, he simply lets the truck roll ahead. We see the wheels begin to turn. Then, the film washes out to white as Halsey cries out in horror. We never see Nash get ripped in two. We don't have to. That's why The Hitcher works so well. It creates truly horrific and shocking moments by building tension and characters, not relying on gore.
Watch the scene below.
16. Friday the 13th (1980)- Jason Pops Out of the Lake
After surviving the Camp Crystal Lake massacre and killing pyschopath Mrs. Voorhees, Alice (Adrienne King) lies in a canoe in the middle of the lake, waiting for the police to arrive. Finally, they do and everything seems hunky dory. The setting and atmosphere are very dreamlike and peaceful. It seems as if the nightmare is over and nothing else bad could happen. Then, the body of Jason pops out of the lake and drags Alice down.
The scene is scary because Jason's appearance just comes out of nowhere. Also, Tom Savini's make-up job on him is really horrific.
Watch it below.
Be sure to stay tuned for Parts 3-5.
1 comments:
I like the other five better, but this group was still fun. the jason one was good.
Post a Comment