SamNMax

So Bravo does it again. They create another baffling 100 best list. This time around the scariest movies ever made. Again, I got cancer. To be fair, this aired maybe two years ago on Halloween, but this was the first time I saw it in its entirety. Get ready for my bitching. Extra-unscary highlighted in red.

* 100. 28 Days Later
* 99. Creepshow
* 98. Zombie
* 97. Cat People
* 96. The Birds
* 95. Jurassic Park
* 94. Child's Play
* 93. Pacific Heights
* 92. Village of the Damned
* 91. Shallow Grave
* 90. Night of the Hunter
* 89. Alice Sweet Alice
* 88. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
* 87. Black Christmas
* 86. Wizard of Oz
* 85. Blood & Black Lace
* 84. Blue Velvet
* 83. The Others
* 82. Terminator
* 81. The Howling
* 80. Poltergeist
* 79. Dracula
* 78. The Brood
* 77. Signs
* 76. Evil Dead
* 75. Candyman
* 74. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
* 73. Blood Simple
* 72. Them!
* 71. The Sixth Sense
* 70. The Stepfather
* 69. Re-Animator
* 68. The Black Cat
* 67. Duel
* 66. The Tenant
* 65. Marathon Man
* 64. Near Dark
* 63. Deliverance
* 62. The Wolf Man
* 61. The Devil's Backbone
* 60. The Beyond
* 59. Fatal Attraction
* 58. Cujo
* 57. House of Wax
* 56. Single White Female
* 55. The Vanishing
* 54. The Changeling
* 53. Demons
* 52. The Phantom of the Opera
* 51. The Dead Zone
* 50. The Last House on the Left
* 49. Diabolique
* 48. The Thing
* 47. Nosferatu
* 46. The Sentinel
* 45. The Wicker Man
* 44. The Game
* 43. It's Alive!
* 42. An American Werewolf in London
* 41. The Hills Have Eyes
* 40. Black Sunday
* 39. Dawn of the Dead
* 38. Peeping Tom
* 37. House on Haunted Hill
* 36. Cape Fear
* 35. Aliens
* 34. The Hitcher
* 33. The Fly
* 32. Pet Sematary
* 31. Friday the 13th
* 30. Blair Witch Project
* 29. Serpent and the Rainbow
* 28. When a Stranger Calls
* 27. Frankenstein
* 26. Seven
* 25. Phantasm
* 24. Suspiria
* 23. Rosemary's Baby
* 22. Don't Look Now
* 21. Jacob's Ladder
* 20. The Ring
* 19. Hellraiser
* 18. The Haunting
* 17. A Nightmare on Elm Street
* 16. The Omen
* 15. Freaks
* 14. Halloween
* 13. Scream
* 12. Misery
* 11. Audition
* 10. Wait Until Dark
* 9. Night of the Living Dead
* 8. Carrie
* 7. Silence of the Lambs
* 6. Shining
* 5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
* 4. Psycho
* 3. Exorcist
* 2. Alien
* 1. Jaws

28 Days Later - Now, see, this was something I was unclear about. The title is 100 Scariest Movie Moments. With some of the movies on here, it was just one specific moment they talked about. Other times it was the entire movie. With this one, they were only talking about the zombies. The problem is the zombies in this movie suck. They say because the zombies can move fast and are strong, they're scary. They're wrong.

Jurassic Park - Again, another one where it's just one scene. This time with the kids trapped in the kitchen with the raptors. The care just isn't there. :|

Child's Play - I don't get it. They say all the sequels to Child's Play suck, but how is this one any different. The doll is pretty funny, but not scary. You can step on him. Quit being a pussy and just shoot the doll, kid.

Village of the Damned - Why Hollywood still thinks this formula works, I don't know. Oh yeah, because dumbasses think little kids with glassy eyes and blank stares in formal wear is scary.

Wizard of Oz - I feel guilty ripping on this movie for its unscariness because I feel like you had to live in the time to actually review it fairly. The scene they talk about is the claymation flying monkies scene. I believe this would've scared the bejesus out of kids, but not adults. And for a movie to be scary, it has to freak out all ages.

The Others - Ooooooooo another dead little kid in a dress give-a-**** ooooooo.

Terminator - I was absolutley perplexed by this. I had no idea what scene they were thinking of with this one. Ithought maybe it was the robot skeleton of the Terminator, but come on. They can't be that stupid. Oh wait... yeah they can.

Signs - A bunch of terrible actors standing around with their mouths open like idiots mumbling about aliens who's weakness is water, the most abundant element on our planet, yet they can walk around without suits even with all the carbon dioxide and water vapor in our air? And they can't open doors? How terrifying!

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory - The scene they refer to is the acid trip boat ride. Same case with Wizard of Oz. Scary for kids, but not going to bother anyone older.

The Sixth Sense - God, M. Night Shyamalan you suck.

Deliverance - City boys get raped by hicks. Huzzah.

Fatal Attraction - It's got some tense moments, but when push comes to shove, it's just not scary.

Single White Female - It's got some tense moments, but when push comes to shove, it's just not scary.

The Dead Zone - I really like the movie. I just don't see what's scary about it. They talk about the end where he impales himself through the head with some scissors (a cool scene), but not enough to justify a spot on a scary movie list.

An American Werewolf in London - I don't see what all the fuss is about. Everyone thinks the warewolf transformation scene is scary. I don't see the scary. I think the scene is really well-done and everything, but, well, not scary.

Cape Fear - I really don't get why people think real people are scarier than monsters. Gregory Peck could take down some guy trying to rape his wife and daughter, no question. And even if you did have a gimp leg, you could take down Cathy Baits, I'm sure of it. But you can't kill Freddy. No matter if you're Gregory Peck or not.

Aliens - I actually really like this compared to the first, but I wasn't scared at all.

Friday the 13th - Yeah, it's scary the first time you see it. But let's be honest. The movie is a total piece of crap and at thirty-one? Come on.

Blair Witch Project - Whole lotta nothin' and a whole lotta screamin' at nothin'.

The Ring - Oh no, another dead little kid, but this time with long black hair and a dirty dress.

Hellraiser - Yeah, it's scary the first time, but at 19? Please.

A Nightmare on Elm Street - Yeah, it's scary the first time, but at 17? Please.

Scream - You've got to be kidding me. The movie that single-handedly ruined the horror genre with it's dumbass "self-parody" formula? Every slasher ever now has to follow these stupid rules with the stoner and the slut and little wholesome-yet-troubled girl. Bah. Nice one, Craven.

Misery - I really don't get why people think real people are scarier than monsters. Gregory Peck could take down some guy trying to rape his wife and daughter, no question. And even if you did have a gimp leg, you could take down Cathy Baits, I'm sure of it. But you can't kill Freddy. No matter if you're Gregory Peck or not.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Awesome movie. Don't get me wrong. But it does not deserve number five by a long shot. I think people rave over this movie so much because of the claim that it was based on a true story. It's not. And when I found this out, it really took me out of the whole movie.

Exorcist - Oh, contriversial, is it? Yeah, you're probably thinking I'm saying this to look tough, but do yourself a favor and watch this again without the hype clouding your judgment. It's boring as hell, no matter what anyone says. You don't buy anything throughout any of the movie. What, because Linda Blair has some good make up on and spews out pea soup and has the little devil voice that anyone could emulate, it's incredibly horrifying? Get out of therapy and quit being a pussy.

(cont.)

SamNMax

Alien - Oh, even more contriversial, is it? I only saw Alien recently. The series as a whole never interested me, mostly because I classified it as sci-fi. I've told this to some Alien fans and the reaction is always the same "what no way it';s not sci-fi it's horror you have to see it so scary" Fine, I figure. I have a couple hours. So I saw it. It took me five hours to get through it. You have to understand, I have the attention span of a narkelptic five-year-old when it comes to movies. In fact, the only movies that I don't have to see twice and actually liked are non-stop action/gore-fests, like Nightmare on Elm Street, really cheesy horror like Tales From The Crypt, or awesome action packed stuff like Indiana Jones (the reason why I like Aliens a lot better). Hell, it was only until maybe two years ago that I was able to watch Star Wars in one sitting. And that is why Alien failed for me. Unless you count all the running away from the alien, or the part where the alien pops out of the guy's stomach (a scene that you see coming miles away), nothing happens at all. I kept rewinding becuase I was looking at my thumb through most of the movie. Now, I admit it's a great sci-fi movie, but there is no way at all that you could convince me to call it horror.

Jaws - I think everyone can back me up on this. There is no way in hell that this movie can be the scariest of all-time. No way. A bunch of POV shots of the shark lookin' at kid legs and seeing a puppet that doesn't work eat people is not scary in the least. I like this movie, I really do. But I can't look at it seriously anymore. I'd love to talk more about it, but my blood pressure is rising rather high. I can feel my finger tips throbbing.

In conclusion, bad list. Very, very bad list. Not only were there movies that didn't deserve to be on their at all, but there were movies that had a place on the list, but once again, the placement was pretty random. There were also movies that I didn't find scary, but didn't red them due to generation gaps (ie The Haunting). And personally, I think Phantasm and Suspiria are the scariest on the list. Whatever.

Once A Villain

I personally think that's the best of all Bravo's lame ass lists, overall. No lists are perfect.

Oddly enough, the best AFI list is also their horror list (but it's called a "Thriller" list so some of them aren't horror films). The only reason I like it is because Psycho is #1 and Jaws is #2. And those just happen to be the two films that had the most effect on me in terms of how badly they terrified me. It's going to be different for everyone I assume, and it has to do with when you see a particular film in your life.

Exorcist came in at #3 on the AFI list, and I agree with that from my personal perspective. Seeing the film at about 9 years old, there were images that HORRIFIED me. I remember trying to sleep that night...I kept hearing the music pounding in my head and seeing that image of the old lady sitting on the bed (the one the priest sees).

Poltergeist also terrified me because of the clown in the bedroom. I had a Raggedy Andy doll in my room at the time, I was 6 years old. I tossed Raggedy Andy into the hallway and for the first time in my life up to that point I was wanting to keep something OUT of my room as opposed to having the door open with a hall light on.

But yes, in the end, Jaws and Psycho were the scariest for me over the longest period of time. I saw Jaws while I was still taking swimming lessons (very young again) and the pool had a VERY deep end... I remember thinking Jaws could somehow get in the pool. And to this day there are rare occasions when I'll be in the ocean and start to think of the John William's score and a predator from below staring up at my kicking feet as if they are drumsticks to nibble on. Psycho made me more cautious in the shower because really that's when I'm at my most vulnerable.

Anyway...my two cents. Heh.

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lumi

I really don't understand why some people think this movie had something dark to it.

Once A Villain

I think it does. My whole impression of it was that it was dark and Wonka was a very, very strange man. He definitely had a dark side I think.

Anyway, I'm surprised Pinocchio didn't make the list. It's a well known fact that tons of children over the years have been scared silly by the boy to donkey transformation scene...

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SamNMax

Oh, and plus Carrie wasn't scary.

Once A Villain

By the way, NO movies scare me anymore. That's why I can't judge them all based on the way I see them NOW. I have to judge how scary a movie is by the way I reacted when I first saw it, and usually I was a young kid.

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SamNMax

Well, I was creeped out the first time I saw it, after that I didn't bat an eyelash. Maybe I'm too hard on it. I don't know.

pinkgothic

Hey, I'm an Xenomorph fan, too, but I wouldn't lump the movie in the scary category. *pause* Well, actually, more scary than other movies I've ever seen (I demand atmospheric fear. BOO!-type 'scares'... aren't. And sadly most movies trying to be scary... try for that), but nonetheless... I just think the creature is cool. XD

I mean, come on! It's modelled after a phallus! What's not to like?

...

I'm not offended by that. I'm glad you like it as sci-fi. Sadly I have to disagree with your liking of Aliens more... of all four Alien movies (AvP, even though I enjoyed that, doesn't count), I liked it least. But then, I find everyone has a different take on how the movies are ordered on an awesomeness scale. It's baffling how little consensus there is.

Mine, not that anyone cares:

1. Alien Resurrection (stone me already, you know you want to - this one's a laugh, and there are some really ingenius traps set up by Aliens, plus Ripley's character is deep as... deep as... I lack an analogy here, it's so deep. [clearly, unlike me.])
2. Alien³ (What? WHAT? It's all obscure! Sure, the end is kind of... um... well, let's forget that... but it builds up so nicely... nevermind a briefly confusing start...)
3. Alien (OMGWTF, THE KITTY. SAVE THE KITTY. GAAAAARGGGH. Um. Anyway.)
4. Aliens (Why? Why does everything have to 'splode and what's all this warfare deal? ...okay, it makes sense, but why? Couldn't you have skipped it? ...or made it more interesting? Or...? Meh. *unconvinced* Still good, though, all blow-shit-up considered.)

Hm.

BTW, I found the most frightening scene in Jurassic Park to be the one where the Dilophosaur 'teen' does it's spitting thing. I adore 'raptors, but they were just suspenseful, not scary. Plus, I was rooting for them anyway, so it's hard to be scared of them. More like "OMGWTF COOLZ0R!". Not that Dilophosaurus isn't cool.

There goes that theory.

I dunno. This is a list about movies, and I don't think I've ever been genuinely scared by a movie to a point of attributing 'horror' to it. The scariest thing I've ever heard of is the grey men in Momo. Stuff like that freaks me out.

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Spiwak

It's not a god-awful list.

The boat ride in Willy Wonka scared me as a kid, and since this is a "Scariest Moments" list you can't fault them for the rest of the movie being rather unscary.

The inclusion of movies like Blue Velvet, The Brood, Blood Simple, Diabolique, Peeping Tom, The Fly, Don't Look Now - movies that I wouldn't automatically expect to see on a Scary Movie list but that really are quite unsettling - makes me love the list.

The Shining is obviously the best though, move over Jaws and Psycho and The Exorcist. Poltergeist too. I was more creeped out by The Shining as an older fellow when I saw the whole thing for the first time a few years ago than I was by the others as a kids. But that's a little unfair, as Kubrick tops any list. Best Sci-Fi. Best War. Best Comedy. Best Romance (well....). Yes I realize I'm probably exaggerating.

Once A Villain

2001. Good call.

Paths of Glory? Or are you referring to Full Metal Jacket? I prefer the former overall, though a great deal of FMJ is brilliant as well. Best war film though? If one considers Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion a war film, then that's mine. Of course, that movie doesn't have combat and battles and such, so maybe it doesn't qualify. Oddly enough, for a more "traditional" type of war film, I think Band of Brothers is pretty damn superb.

Dr. Strangelove. Right on.

How about..."Most F***ED UP Romance?" and we could have Eyes Wide Shut and Lolita on there.

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pinkgothic

Maybe it's my general shrugging attitude at romance in movies, but I found both Eyes Wide Shut and Lolita to be incredibly dull.

Of course, @440 would stone me for this statement, but hey. Can't always agree with the deities.

And I disagree Kubrick is the best of anything. But we've had this discussion before, so. *refrains from beating dead horse* I know my view is unpopular.

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Once A Villain

I never said he was the "best of anything". He's not in my top five favorite directors. Heh. Maybe you were referring to Spiwak... I only discussed 2001 with you.

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Kingzjester

Kubrick is God. Hail Mary, Hallelujah. Amen. Case closed.

BTW, I would just like to say that Deliverance was the only movie to scare me shitless since I started shaving. Movies never scare me any more, but Deliverance prayed on my transcendental dread of hillbillies, rednecks and assorted lowlife in general very directly. I was shaking for a few days.

Melanie68

The moment that scared me in The Wizard of Oz as a kid was when Dorothy was inside the cyclone and Ms. Gulch rides by in her bike and then changes into the Wicked Witch and cackles. Every time the Witch exploded into the scene, I jumped as a kid.

Spiwak

Yes on Paths of Glory. Best Period Piece too

And sorry to beat the dead horse as well. I just can't help but talk about Kubrick, I love the ****er's movies so damned much. (I'll just pretend pink didn't even post.)

Sage

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Psycho", and the character Buffalo Bill in "Silence Of The Lambs" are all based on or inspired by real-life serial killer Ed Gein.

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seebaruk

I agree about Childs Play - if a doll is running towards you with a knife, what do you do? Just punt the little bastard out the window! Signs, Blair Witch, Cujo etc should never make it anywhere near a 'most scary' list ever.

Good to see Audition in there at least, they should've had Ringu as well instead of The Ring. Sadako was so much freakier than the annoying scruffy girl in the crappy remake.

I think we've discussed this before, but the one thing that scared me shitless as a kid was Pennywise the Clown in IT. I know it's a TV adaption so probably doesn't count, but I think it should be included anyway.

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42yoMan

The most scared I've ever been in a movie was at the end of Don't Look Now...

In retrospective, I don't know what I found so terrifying (admittedly it was 1:30 in the morning and I was slighty drunk and stoned at the time), but I couldn't sleep at all after seeing it. It scared the living s**t out of me...

BTW anyone notice the Don't Look Now parody in the Episode "Chaos" of Spaced? Had me in stitches!

pinkgothic

I wasn't just referring to you. I mean all people in the thread that we had back then had this debate before, so. Ah! The wonders of miscommication. I hope I've clarified. ^^

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