Sunday, October 30, 2011

Honouring Halloween: Memorable Horror Films and Moments

To honour Halloween, an event that has no 'feel' here in Australia, I thought I would reminisce on some of my memorable horror films and moments.


First time I remember being truly terrified by a film was The Silence of the Lambs. No, I didn't watch it in '91 but it was still a few years too early.


The biggest jump scare I ever got was in Mulholland Drive. That scene.


The most electrifying 'chills down my spine' feeling came in The Wicker Man. 


The film that had me waking up throughout the night feeling distressed was Funny Games (1997).


The film that prompted me to sit in shock throughout the entire closing credits was Saw. The ending rattled me.


My favourite horror film is Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

What would you select? 

17 comments:

  1. Some good picks here, Andy. All are good in fact. Although, how about 'The Room'?

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  2. It's true. The Room is the definition of HORROR!

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  3. My favorite is The Shining, too. I don't watch much in the horror genre, because I am a wimp. :-) I did enjoy the traditional Gothic feel and the twist in The Others and I liked Let the Right One In and the American remake, Let Me In.

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  4. That piercing scene in Audition with that chant. Still gives me chills. I get very scared from watching that scene. I never want to see it again.

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  5. Silence of the Lambs, The Wicker Man and The Shining are all up there in my book, too. I absolutely hated Saw, though; I accidentally predicted the ending after only twenty minutes --- I don't normally try to outguess the script, but it just occurred to me --- and I wound up being pissed off when I was right. Boo.

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  6. @ Stephanie - Im not a huge horror nut but of all the genres I get mysterious compulsions to watch, it is horror. I didn't mind The Others, and I enjoy both versions of Let the Right One In.

    @ Steven - Oh yeah. That is another memorable moment. So memorable I forgot to put it in haha. Probably ranks second in giving me the 'waking up distressed' stakes. That scene is chilling!

    @ Brian - Oh damn. I haven't had too many experiences with guessing the script, but that one I never saw coming. I hate what has happened to that franchise - even Saw II sucked - but I do enjoy the first one.

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  7. I'm with Steven, AUDITION completely fucked me up, considering I saw it when I was 14.

    This is a great list you've written here. I thought I was the only person I know who actually jumped during that scene in MULHOLLAND DRIVE.

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  8. Great post!As I said before, I am not a big fan of horror movies,I actually never watch them, but for this Halloween I will be watching one, just haven't decided which one yet!

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  9. wow!!loved the list especially the shinning!!

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  10. @ Tyler - Dude, I can't imagine seeing that film back when I was 14. That scene is harrowing. You're not alone. Castor @ Anomalous Material is also a big fan of Mulholland Drive - it's one of his significant scares too...

    @ Aziza - Thanks. There are so many to recommend. If you haven't seen The Shining, then you are missing out - there's my recommendation. I look forward to hearing about whatever you watch!

    @ Franklin - Cheers for reading. The Shining is a classic. I did miss out on Audition - it should be there somewhere.

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  11. Totally agree about that Mulholland Dr. moment behind Winkies. Sheer, unspeakable horror that comes totally unexpectedly.

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  12. I haven't seen Saw, The Wicker Man or Funny Games, but I agree with you on all the others, great picks.

    The Shining is my favourite as well. And I'd say the first film that gave me the "chills down my spine" feeling was Psycho.

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  13. @ Castor - It's so well crafted by Lynch. My expectations of seeing what I saw in that scene were 0%.

    @ Jack L - I think you would like The Wicker Man. It's a strange film, but one of the most effective films in provoking this ever-present sense of dread that I have seen. Funny Games is such an unsettling film. Along with Cache [Hidden] I think it is Haneke's best film.

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  14. The Mulholland Dr. scene is such an anomaly. I can't think of another scene from another movie in which they describe EXACTLY what's going to happen, then show EXACTLY what they just described, only to scare the living shit out of you. Ingenious.

    Great post.

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  15. It really is. Gets me every time and I love watching the film with people who have never seen it. Cheers!

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  16. Great list.

    Silence of the Lambs is epic. The scene(s) where Buffalo Bill abducts his victim always gets to me.

    Mulholland Drive - YES. THAT scene. *touches nose* Totally freaky and out of the blue. Have you seen "Fire Walk with Me"? It's got similar stuff. Lynch is crazy.

    Never seen all of The Wicker Man, need to rectify that.

    Never seen Funny Games either!

    I agree on Saw. Couldn't wait to share that film with others after I'd seen it.

    The Shining is great. Got a little bit of an overdose of it when we blogged about it recently, but it's still one of the best.

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  17. I would pick A Tale of Two Sisters. It's not in-your-face scary--in fact, I don't even know if I would consider it a horror. But it's the most terrifying movie I've ever seen. I love it, I happen to own it (I got it as a gift), but it's at the very bottom of my movie collection. I get the shivers thinking about it. My next favourite would have to be The Shining and also Carrie.

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