HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
So, the original plan was to release these lists in batches of five, all leading up to Halloween and the grand finale!
However, I moved flats! (HOORAY!)
But unfortunately I now have no Internet (BOO!)
And I'm currently writing this using Coffee Shop Wi-Fi! (Oh?)
20) Dumbo – Pink Elephants
Set-Up: The titular elephant gets a bit too tipsy... and starts seeing Demon Pachyderms...
Why I Was Freaked: Imagine something like this being in a Pixar film, or on early morning CBBC. OFCOM would be losing their shit!
Everything had been going pretty normally until this sequence. Not happy, by any means, since Dumbo is still as fun for a child as burying their pet fish (RIP Stuart The Fish), but nothing psychedelic had occurred so far.
And then a warbling brass section start tormenting my dreams, with elephants suggestively dancing with lightning bolts and ultimately these black-eyed monsters teach me not to dare try alcohol for a good few decades.
Everything had been going pretty normally until this sequence. Not happy, by any means, since Dumbo is still as fun for a child as burying their pet fish (RIP Stuart The Fish), but nothing psychedelic had occurred so far.
And then a warbling brass section start tormenting my dreams, with elephants suggestively dancing with lightning bolts and ultimately these black-eyed monsters teach me not to dare try alcohol for a good few decades.
Way too trippy. Fuck you, Walt.
19) Session 9 – "Hello... Gordon"
Set-Up: Four asbestos removers begin working in an abandoned insane asylum. But not everything left when the building shut down...
Why I Was Freaked: There is not a single moment in Session 9 that I left at ease. From the very beginning of the film, it intends on creeping you out and making you feel threatened, and this scene just sums that up perfectly.
As the removal men work longer and longer hours within the abandoned asylum, they discover that Gordon is hiding some dark secrets, such as the creepy voice calling out to him.
I'd highly recommend seeking out Session 9, it's a film that will freak you out even without you knowing it. There's just something off about that wheelchair, perfectly positioned in the middle of the hallway. The image is certainly an iconic one, so much so it even influenced the creators of Silent Hill to include an homage in Silent Hill 3.
As the removal men work longer and longer hours within the abandoned asylum, they discover that Gordon is hiding some dark secrets, such as the creepy voice calling out to him.
I'd highly recommend seeking out Session 9, it's a film that will freak you out even without you knowing it. There's just something off about that wheelchair, perfectly positioned in the middle of the hallway. The image is certainly an iconic one, so much so it even influenced the creators of Silent Hill to include an homage in Silent Hill 3.
Creepy. Fuck you, Gordon.
18) Pan's Labyrinth – The Pale Man
Set-Up: Ofelia is on her second of three tasks to return her to her Fairy Homeworld. She has to venture into an unknown world and retrieve a special weapon, but there are a few simple rules, otherwise there will be trouble...
Why I Was Freaked: How fucked up is Guillermo Del Toro's mind? Seriously. The guy comes up with the most disturbing and grotesque creations. Hellboy, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, Pan's Labyrinth; they're all filled with horrible monsters that he calls 'Friends' but I call, "Sweet Jesus, what is that thing?!"
Doug Jones, the ultimate contortionist, dons another suit for del Toro to terrify and mesmerise with dancer-like precision. Couldn't Ofelia have just resisted that grape? She would have saved herself so much hassle and scary-ass chases.
Doug Jones, the ultimate contortionist, dons another suit for del Toro to terrify and mesmerise with dancer-like precision. Couldn't Ofelia have just resisted that grape? She would have saved herself so much hassle and scary-ass chases.
Grotesque. Fuck you, del Toro. (Not really, you're actually awesome)
17) Paranormal Activity 3 – Bedsheet Ghosts
Set-Up: a babysitter is minding two young girls, not knowing one of them has a ghostly friend, Toby. Toby just wants to play...
Why I Was Freaked: By Paranormal Activity 3, I thought that they had done the formula to death and didn't expect any decent genuine scares from it, but I actually believe that it is one of the strongest chapters in a series that is steadily getting worse.
However, instead of relying on jump-scares (ignoring the babysitter one, dick move), the directors instead tease the audience with suspense and intrigue, and I for one had to watch through my fingers as I didn't know how they were going to further use these classic horror tropes.
Admittedly it gets worse and less original from there, but for a time, I thought that we'd have something fresh on our hands.
Tense. Fuck you, Toby.
16) Zodiac – The Basement
Set-Up: Robert Graysmith is investigating the elusive Zodiac Killer. His latest clues are that 'Zodiac' has a basement, and may have hand-written a movie poster. Not much to go off, but he visits an ex-cinema employee who may have some information about the poster ...
Why I Was Freaked: I don't think that guy could have been more creepier if he tried. Poor Jake.
The weird thing with this scene is that it comes virtually out of nowhere. Nothing else in Zodiac is this tense or terrifying outside of the recreated Zodiac murder scenes. It's just so unexpected that it is truly a jolt to the system.
Gyllenhaal's doing that thing with his eyes again. Whether it is Prisoners, Nightcrawler or even Donnie Darko, Jake uses his big ol' blues to the express his terror, anxiety and fear. (I bet you've not even got a Top Ten Eye Actors, have you? *scoff*)
The weird thing with this scene is that it comes virtually out of nowhere. Nothing else in Zodiac is this tense or terrifying outside of the recreated Zodiac murder scenes. It's just so unexpected that it is truly a jolt to the system.
Gyllenhaal's doing that thing with his eyes again. Whether it is Prisoners, Nightcrawler or even Donnie Darko, Jake uses his big ol' blues to the express his terror, anxiety and fear. (I bet you've not even got a Top Ten Eye Actors, have you? *scoff*)
Fuck you Fincher, and your incredible ability to keep surprising me.
Why I Was Freaked: Ah the old 'Dream Within A Dream' trick. That's how it's done right, Batman vs Superman!
Again, it's intense horror and violence out of nowhere that messed up my childhood mind! Oh and Mutant Nazi Monsters gunning down children and kicking Kermit The Frog in the face! I mean, he did nothing wrong, and still got it in the face.
But then it's the double-whammy of "It Was All A Dream, only for the Mutant Nazi Monsters to strike again! I can't take any more Gun-Toting Mutant Nazi Monsters, but thankfully I have yet to encounter them in films since. But still...
15) An American Werewolf In London – When Mutant Nazis Attack
Set-Up: David has been attacked by a wolf on the Yorkshire Moors. After recovering in hospital, he finds himself back in America, ready to study...
Why I Was Freaked: Ah the old 'Dream Within A Dream' trick. That's how it's done right, Batman vs Superman!
Again, it's intense horror and violence out of nowhere that messed up my childhood mind! Oh and Mutant Nazi Monsters gunning down children and kicking Kermit The Frog in the face! I mean, he did nothing wrong, and still got it in the face.
But then it's the double-whammy of "It Was All A Dream, only for the Mutant Nazi Monsters to strike again! I can't take any more Gun-Toting Mutant Nazi Monsters, but thankfully I have yet to encounter them in films since. But still...
Dick move Landis. Fuck you.
14) An American Tail – The Giant Mouse of Minsk
Set-Up: After suffering terrible attacks from the cats of America, Russian and Irish mice team up and create a wooden mouse, full of fireworks to scare off the cats for good...
Why I Was Freaked: Good Lord, Don Bluth was responsible for a lot of my scariest film moments when I was a kid, but this really takes the cake.
Just look at it's soulless eyes, it's slow and deliberate movement, the terrifying roar and grotesque head. This is a creation of the heroes, to scare off the villains; I associated with the villains by the end of it.
This idea is repeated in A Bug's Life, creating a bird to scare off grasshoppers, but I wasn't traumatised after that; I was entertained. Not here. Not with Franken-Mouse.
Just look at it's soulless eyes, it's slow and deliberate movement, the terrifying roar and grotesque head. This is a creation of the heroes, to scare off the villains; I associated with the villains by the end of it.
This idea is repeated in A Bug's Life, creating a bird to scare off grasshoppers, but I wasn't traumatised after that; I was entertained. Not here. Not with Franken-Mouse.
Ungodly. Fuck you, Bluth.
13) The Blair Witch Project – The House
Set-Up: Heather and Mike have lost their friend Josh in the woods. Woods that are supposedly haunted by a local legend, The Blair Witch. After being tormented by an unseen force for several nights, they discover a house...
Why I Was Freaked: I'm worried that out of context, this ending might seem ill-placed so far up the list.
However after you've been with Mike and Heather up until this moment, and you know that this has to be the end for them, it's unbearable not knowing what they're going to see.
The original Blair Witch Project was an incredibly subtle film that allowed you to project your imagination onto the screen and imagine what they were running from, and easily changed the horror genre from that point on, but that image of Mike standing in the corner of the room, for no reason and not getting any explanation was terrifying to me.
Terrifying and annoying. But mostly terrifying. Fuck you, Mike.
However after you've been with Mike and Heather up until this moment, and you know that this has to be the end for them, it's unbearable not knowing what they're going to see.
The original Blair Witch Project was an incredibly subtle film that allowed you to project your imagination onto the screen and imagine what they were running from, and easily changed the horror genre from that point on, but that image of Mike standing in the corner of the room, for no reason and not getting any explanation was terrifying to me.
Terrifying and annoying. But mostly terrifying. Fuck you, Mike.
12) Jacob's Ladder – Welcome To The Hospital
Set-Up: Jacob is a war veteran who wakes up on a stretcher, being wheeled through possibly the worst hospital in the world...
(Warning for those uncomfortable by needles...)
(Warning for those uncomfortable by needles...)
Why I Was Freaked: I'm pretty sure this was the closest thing to depicting a living hell when I was younger. Possibly still one of my worst nightmares; being trapped in such a hellish place and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
The visuals in this scene alone are worthy of being in anyone's scary moments list, as these really were inspirational, again giving the Silent Hill creative team ideas for their monsters and storylines.
Also, I'm fine with never seeing a needle going into a forehead ever again, thanks.
The visuals in this scene alone are worthy of being in anyone's scary moments list, as these really were inspirational, again giving the Silent Hill creative team ideas for their monsters and storylines.
Also, I'm fine with never seeing a needle going into a forehead ever again, thanks.
Scarring. Fuck you, Jacob. And your ladder.
11) Pinocchio – Monstro
Set-Up: The little wooden boy has tried to find his father, but ended up being swallowed by the biggest and meanest bastard this side of Bruce the Shark...
Why I Was Freaked: OK, just how scary and intimidating were Disney films back then? They didn't give a crap about terrifying their audience! Not to mention that earlier in the film, Pinocchio had visited Pleasure Island and witness young boys physically transform into braying donkeys. That could have had it's own entry on this list alone.
But no, I've decided to list the crazily-horrible gigantic man-eating monster that comes fully equipped with an incredibly loud orchestra, ready to accompany any movement he makes with high-pitched wails and uncomfortable screeching. Not to mention how he gets even worse when he's spewing toxic black smoke from his gargantuan mouth.
Sorry I'll stop now, but Jesus, this fish terrified me.
Fuck you Walt, and your ridiculously low threshold for terror.
But no, I've decided to list the crazily-horrible gigantic man-eating monster that comes fully equipped with an incredibly loud orchestra, ready to accompany any movement he makes with high-pitched wails and uncomfortable screeching. Not to mention how he gets even worse when he's spewing toxic black smoke from his gargantuan mouth.
Sorry I'll stop now, but Jesus, this fish terrified me.
Fuck you Walt, and your ridiculously low threshold for terror.
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And that's part two of my Halloween countdown!
Keep your eyes peeled for the Top Ten coming tomorrow!
Have you got any moments that stand out in your mind? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to share this article if you like it!
Until next time folks, thanks for reading!
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