Happy Halloween, thrill seekers, and welcome to LEDE News, the newest and most exciting digital media site on the Internet. What better way to spend the year’s scariest night than to fix a great snack, pour yourself a big glass of your favorite beverage, turn out all your lights, and settle down to watch a thrilling movie or two? Throughout history Hollywood has produced a veritable plethora of films meant to scare us to death, and if you are having difficulty choosing a title, the following nine are, in my humble opinion, among the most frightening and haunting movies ever to grace the silver screen.
Because each of the films on the list is a classic, I have listed them in chronological order instead of any other way.
(1953–House of Wax) Set in New York during the early 1900s, this film stars Vincent Price as Professor Henry Jarrod, a renowned wax sculptor and part owner of a wax museum in the city. Some of the “people” he has created for display are John Wilkes Booth, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antoinette. When a great tragedy strikes the museum and almost kills Henry, he devotes the rest of his life trying to rebuild what he has lost. And you won’t believe how he goes about it! By the way, the movie is shown in 3D for added thrills.
(1960–Psycho) No list of thrillers would be complete without this gem from Alfred Hitchcock, the true master of horror, mystery, and chillers. Janet Leigh is Marion Crane, a secretary who decides to escape from her banal existence by stealing a bunch of money from her boss. She drives until nightfall, and then looks for a place to spend the night. I’ve seen this film countless times, but every time I watch Marion pull into the Bates Motel, I have to suppress the urge to scream, “DON’T STOP THERE!” You’ll see what I mean when you meet Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).
(1967–Wait Until Dark) Audrey Hepburn delivers an Oscar worthy performance in this heart-stopper about a blind woman who innocently ends up with something three nasty dudes (headed by Alan Arkin) really want. Watching them terrorize her in her apartment will give you a bad case of white knuckles. For an added effect, the theaters turned out all the lights so you had to watch the final 15 minutes in total darkness.
(1968–Rosemary’s Baby) Women who don’t want to get pregnant don’t need to worry about taking a pill or various other types of birth control. All they need to do is watch this movie before bed every night. When they see what Mia Farrow goes through, they may want to consider joining a convent instead of starting a family. This one will haunt you long after you have left the theater.
(1978–Halloween) This John Carpenter film may well deserve the title of the granddaddy of slasher films. It introduces us to Michael Myers, a nut who kills his sister and then disappears for 15 years until he returns to his hometown to find new victims and terrorize Laurie Stode, a character that established Jamie Lee Curtis as the queen of scream. A lot of sequels followed this one, but none comes close to the original.
(1980–Friday the 13th) Now if Michel Myers didn’t scare the hell of you, take a trip to Camp Crystal Lake, where years ago Jason Voorhees drowned when he was a youngster. Now legend has it that the camp is haunted, and suddenly the body count begins to add up. Like “Halloween,” this film spawned myriad sequels, but the original still is the best. If you dare visit the camp, say hi to Jason for me.
(1980–The Shining) Based upon the Stephen King novel of the same name, this film offers Jack Nicholson as a tormented writer who takes his wife and young son to a massive hotel where he has taken a job as the winter custodian. Despite taking serious liberties with the book, the movie offers plenty of scary moments. Check into to the Overlook Hotel if you dare.
(1991–The Silence of the Lambs) Here we have quite simply one of best thrillers ever made. The film swept the 1992 Academy Awards for best picture, best director (Jonathan Demme), best actress (Jodie Foster), and best actor (Anthony Hopkins). Foster plays an FBI agent on the trail of a sadistic serial killer, and she enlists the help of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), a gifted psychiatrist who also happens to be a serial killer serving time for his crimes. Oh, by the way, Lecter also is a cannibal. This film just keeps turning up the tension until it becomes almost unbearable at the end.
(2002—The Ring) Last but certainly not least is this incredibly creepy movie about people who mysteriously die a few minutes after watching a particular video. Naomi Watts stars as an investigative reporter attempting get to the bottom of everything. This is one of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen. In fact, I didn’t touch a videotape for weeks after I watched it.
Now you have nine great films to watch when you need a good scare. Happy viewing!
