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 personal 25 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.
The first time I watched The Evil Dead, I actually had to turn it off and finish it the next day. It wasn't because the movie scared me. It was just because it was so damn gross and disgusting. Not knowing what I was getting into, I made the mistake of eating pizza while watching this. By the time I got to the scene below, I was getting pretty nauseous.
While the payoff of this scene is pretty gross, the build is actually quite creepy. Up until this point in the movie, Cheryl is having a really crappy day. She has just been raped by possessed trees (no, really... I'm not kidding) and has discovered that there is no way out of the woods. So, she sits at the cabin with her friends as they play cards. Then something pretty strange happens. She starts seeing what cards her friends have without even looking at them.
There could only be one logical reason for this. Yep, thats right, people; she's possessed. And of course, director Sam Raimi makes the reveal of this is as creepy and bizarre as it could be. We're talking freaky contact lens, gnarly make-up, a bizarre levitation and the voice of the demon. Oh... and a pencil in an ankle. Try not to throw up.
Watch the scene, in two parts, below.
Note: This scene starts 8 minutes into this clip.
And here is the pencil in the ankle pay-off. NSFW, obviously.
14. Scream- The Opening Scene
While Scream gets a lot of flack today for starting the 1990's slasher revival, the film was pretty entertaining and, at times, kind of scary.
The first time I watched Scream, I was nine years old and in a hotel room in Memphis, TN. I begged my parents to let me watch the movie and, after an hour of my incessant nagging, they let me order it. Ten minutes into the movie, I was begging them to let me turn it off. Thankfully, they told me that I made them order it so I had to finish it.
While I am ashamed to admit I was such a wuss at the age of nine, I am glad this happened to me. Because of this, this scene really is ingrained in my memory. There was something about it that really bothered me and got under my skin. While it doesn't scare me today, it really tapped into some great fear in my nine-year-old mind and really scarred me on that first viewing.
This really is a great scene. Kevin Williamson's script is clever and well-paced and Wes Craven's direction really brings it to life. The thing about this scene that I think bothered me so much the first time I saw it was that it really seemed real. It felt like it could happen. In fact, it felt like it was happening. Also, the shot of the guy with his guts hanging out didn't really help.
Watch it below.
13. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)- Hammer Time
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen in my life. After the first time I watched it, I felt drained and like I needed to take a shower. Not many movies can get that reaction out of me but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre did and in spades.
One of the most unsettling scenes in this movie is the first murder that takes place. In this scene, one of the kids wonders into a nearby house, looking for help. He's not in the house more than a minute before he's dead.
The scene works so well because it's just so sudden and bizarre in the manner it unfolds. The way the kid squirms and spasms after having part of his skull jammed into his brain is one of the most disturbing images I've seen put to film. However, the thing that really gets to me in this scene is the way that Leatherface slams the metal door after moving his body. There's just something about the way he does it, the resulting slam and music cue that honestly gives me goosebumps every time.
Watch the scene below.
12. The Thing (1982)- The Blood Test Scene
John Carpenter's remake of The Thing is one of the greatest horror remakes of all-time. It's insanely gory while also being quite atmospheric and tense at the same time. For me, the stand-out scene in this film is the one in which MacReady (Kurt Russell) has a blood test performed on the remaining men to see which of them are still human and which are the thing.
The resulting sequence is one of the most intense scenes put to film. When one of the men do finally get found out, he begins to shape-shift into an hideous creature all the while tied to a few of the guys that are still human. Watching the guys freak out while they are tied to this shape-shifting creature is so freaky and insane that it actually is pretty hilarious at the same time.
The scene is the pinnacle of John Carpenter's directing talents. It shows his ability to create an incredibly stressful scene that is full of horror, comedy, atmosphere, impressive special effects and strong character moments.
Watch it below.
11. Creepshow- The Crate
First off, let me say that, if you read this blog and you actually plan on coming to my Halloween party this weekend, do not watch the following scene. We will be watching "The Crate" section of Creepshow at the party.
Creepshow is a really nostalgic horror film for me. I grew up watching this thing on TV whenever it came on around Halloween. Written by Stephen King, directed by George A. Romero and featuring special effects makeup by Tom Savini, Creepshow really is a horror fan's fantasy. It is inspired by the infamous E.C. horror comics of the 1950's, covering five different tales of episodic horror.
Looking back at Creepshow today, it's really a hit or miss. The first few stories are dated and really don't hold up (especially "The Lonesome Death of Jody Verrill" starring Stephen King; it is nearly unwatchable). However, no matter how much I mature and age, "The Crate" still freaks me out.
The basic plot of "The Crate" follows two college professors who, with the help of a janitor, find a mysterious crate under a stairwell in the university one day. When they open the crate and discover what is inside, all hell breaks lose.
I won't say what's inside but, if you want to know, you can watch a clip that takes place near the end of the story below. But, be warned, it's a big spoiler. And know this; what's inside scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.
Watch the scene below.
Be sure to stay tuned for Parts 4-5.
2 comments:
hello there. finally. part 3. just messing.
this was fun. i remember the first time i watched scream. it was like Christmas day or the day after Christmas. i was with my brother, and he used to turn the volume down for me on the scary parts. because when you think about it..the music is usually what makes it scary. scream is fun to watch. i haven't seen the original texas chainsaw massacre in several years, but i remember watching it with my dad. leatherface will get ya. haven't seen any of the other ones though.
thanks, wesley.
Thanks, Rebecca. Glad you like these. Part 4 will be up in a day or two. Part 5 gets put up on Halloween.
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