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Readers' Picks - Top Scariest Movies |
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Readers
have responded in force to my
choices for the top scariest movies ever made. There was a lot of
agreement on most of the choices, but there was also quite a bit of
"How could you possibly leave out...?" So here are the
readers' choices for the scariest movies ever made - good choices all.
They are not all in the ghost or "spooky" genre, but
nonetheless frightening in their own ways. See if you agree. |
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1) Alien
 Alien
was definitely the scariest science fiction movie of its day, and if you
haven't watched it 500 times, it might still give you a jolt or two and
set your nerves a-tingling. The H.R. Giger designed creature was like
nothing moviegoers had ever seen before, and it was brilliant how it was
made to blend in with the bio-tech design of the ship. The scariest
scene, of course, was the arrival of the baby alien during dinner. The
sequels weren't bad either.
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2) The
Changeling
 I
haven't seen this one in quite a while, but I do recall that it was
quite spooky. The always-good George C. Scott portrays a composer
who has recently lost his wife and daughter in a tragic accident. He
moves into an old mansion where he hopes to concentrate on his work,
but quickly learns that he is not alone. The house is haunted, it
turns out, by the ghost of a child who lived there many years
before. The subtle creepiness of this film makes it a favorite of
ghost movie lovers.
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3) Friday,
the 13th
This is one of the first so-called "slasher films" and
provided its share of startling moments, mostly through editing. If
you're like me and can't keep the plots straight among this one, Halloween
and Nightmare on Elm Street (all of which spawned about 80 sequels
each) this is the one about the teen summer camp, and the lunatic
with the knife is Jason. Look for a young Kevin Bacon as one of the
victim teens.
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4) The
Blair Witch Project
This film couldn't
possibly live up to the hype that surrounded its release, and
although this made it disappointing for some, it genuinely creeped
out many others. Its documentary style broke some new ground in this
genre and created some good moments of creepiness just through weird
stuff going on and those distant cries and voices in the dark
Maryland woods. Most of it works pretty well for a film that was
mostly ad-libbed and shot on a shoestring budget.
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5) Jaws
Many people have
forgotten what an effect this 1975 Steven Spielberg classic had on its
audience: people were scared to swim in the ocean for months or even
years after watching it. Jaws was one of the first movie
blockbusters that had people lined up around the block to see it.
Spielberg masterfully translated to film Peter Benchley's bestselling
novel about a beach town whose summer tourist trade is threatened by a
huge maneating shark. Although it might not be as frightening as it was
in 1975, the film is so well-made that it merits multiple viewings.
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6) Silence
of the Lambs
This film won the Best
Picture Academy Award in 1991 and Anthony Hopkins took home the Best
Actor Oscar for his chilling portrayal of Hannibal Lecter. It has its
bloody moments, but most of the intensity of this film is psychological,
from Hopkins' politely creepy Hannibal the Cannibal to the revolting
serial killer he agrees to help FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie
Foster) catch. Director Jonathan Demme succeeds brilliantly at creating
an atmosphere that keeps the viewer on edge from beginning to end.
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7) The
Amityville Horror
Based on the supposedly
non-fiction book by Jay Anson (it has subsequently been pretty much
proven as a hoax), this film was dismissed by most of the critics, but
many viewers consider it one of the scariest films they have ever seen.
The story concerns a family that moves into a Long Island home that was
the scene of a gruesome murder and where evil demonic forces still
linger. If you've never seen the film, it might be worth a look.
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8) Invasion
of the Body Snatchers
The town of Santa Mira, California has been invaded by aliens, but you
wouldn't know it just to look around - and that's because the fiends
from outer space are taking over human bodies! Fortunately, there's one
guy (Kevin McCarthy) who catches on to the aliens' plot and tries
desperately to get others to believe him. This 1956 film works so well
because there's something inherently frightening about the idea that
people aren't who you think they are and, as in The Exorcist,
that some alien force can take over your body. The 1978 version is also
quite good.
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9) Night
of the Living Dead
I'm not a big fan of zombie movies, but this 1968 low-budget classic by
George A. Romero was pretty effective. For some reason, the dead have
risen from the grave and are relentlessly stalking the living in order
to feast on their flesh. The few living in this film are barricaded in
an old house where the flesh-eating ghouls are trying to enter through
every doorway, window and crevice. There are many really creepy images.
The film was remade in 1990.
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10) Magic
Anthony Hopkins again, this time as a tortured, possibly psychotic
ventriloquist who loses control of his dummy, Fats. You may have seen a
"Twilight Zone" episode with a similar theme, but you've never
seen anything like Hopkins' incredible performance as Corky, a
successful entertainer who just can't keep his wooden friend quiet.
Hopkins' slow, but frenetic descent into madness was worthy of an Oscar
nomination long before Silence of the Lambs.
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