It's that special day of the year again...
The day that hipsters dress as an abusive Batman villain, women aim to make cats sexy and I ignore my doorbell at all costs.
Instead, I close the curtains, break out the Blu-Rays and try and scare myself silly. And these are the best way to make my spine tingle, my blood freeze and my goose bump.
10) Pontypool – Ken Reports In
Set-Up: Grant Massey is a radio DJ in the cold town of Pontypool, Canada. Over the course of his early-morning radio show, Grant starts receiving reports of violence beginning to erupt in the town from their 'Roaming Reporter' Ken Loanee. But Ken gets in a bit of trouble...
(Watch 29:30-36:00)
(Watch 29:30-36:00)
Why I Was Freaked: If there's one thing that scares me more than what you see, it's what you don't see. The entire genius behind Pontypool is that the whole film takes place within this radio station, and the terror is simply reported from the outside until it's too late. Reports of people eating each other and tearing themselves apart are much more intense when you use your own imagination.
It brings a whole new terror to the idea of these ordinary people who can't come to terms with the reports they are hearing. How long would you deny the idea of zombies before too much information overwhelms you and breaks you down to believe such an impossibility?
Stephen McHattie is brilliant as the gruff and brash Massey, and his terrified performance simply mirrors our own bewilderment and incredulity at what we're hearing coming from the relative safety of Ken's grain silo.
It brings a whole new terror to the idea of these ordinary people who can't come to terms with the reports they are hearing. How long would you deny the idea of zombies before too much information overwhelms you and breaks you down to believe such an impossibility?
Stephen McHattie is brilliant as the gruff and brash Massey, and his terrified performance simply mirrors our own bewilderment and incredulity at what we're hearing coming from the relative safety of Ken's grain silo.
Too relatable. Fuck you, McHattie.
9) Ghostbusters – Who Brought The Dog?
Set-Up: Lovable nerd Louis Tully is hosting a dinner party to woo his neighbour Dana. Little does he know that there is something waiting in his bedroom...
Why I Was Freaked: God if Childhood Mike didn't have a fear of dogs before he watched Ghostbusters, he most certainly would have done afterwards.
Yeah, the effects may have gotten worse over time, with the stop-motion becoming a bit ropey but damn, those roaring sound effects, the red eyes, sharp teeth, breaking down the door and just looking like a real-life monster.
It only gets worse later on in the film, with the Hell Hounds chasing down Louis and Dana through restaurants and all the way back to the finale. This is a comedy, by the way.
Yeah, the effects may have gotten worse over time, with the stop-motion becoming a bit ropey but damn, those roaring sound effects, the red eyes, sharp teeth, breaking down the door and just looking like a real-life monster.
It only gets worse later on in the film, with the Hell Hounds chasing down Louis and Dana through restaurants and all the way back to the finale. This is a comedy, by the way.
Ridiculous. Fuck you, Hell Hound.
8) James and the Giant Peach – The Rhino
Set-Up: James is orphaned when both of his parents are killed by a rampaging rhino escapes from the local zoo. He goes to live with his horrible Aunties and escapes on a giant peach. But whilst in the clouds, he meets a familiar face...
Why I Was Freaked: How fucked up is that rhino?
Seriously, it's Monstro in the sky with electric powers!
I HATED this rhino. He's a parent killer, with terrifying glowing eyes, teeth no rhino should ever have and, yeah, lightning emanating from his giant protruding horn.
Child Mike became incredibly fearful of rhinos, and was wary for around a fortnight, thinking that there were rhinos around every corner of north-west England.
Irrational. Fuck you, Rhino. (P.S. I'm not afraid of you anymore, either)
7) Se7en – Sloth
Set-Up: Someone is killing people based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Two victims have been found, 'Gluttony' and 'Greed'. But Detectives Mills and Somerset have received a clue and are following up on where they think the killer lives...
Why I Was Freaked: Jesus, I never expected Victor to be alive. The torture and life that Victor has survived and lived through is probably even more scary than the jump-scare itself.
The scene is so incredibly built up by director David Fincher and the killer is revealed to be willing to go to such incredible lengths to enact his plans, the payoff is chilling.
And Victor waited until Dr Cox was as close as possible before breathing his breath. Dick move.
Unexpected. Fuck you, Victor.
6) Watership Down – The Warren's Destruction
Set-Up: When trying to escape the destruction of their home, eight rabbits stumble upon Captain Holly. Holly recounts what happened to her previous warren...
Why I Was Freaked: Isn't this just lovely?
So you have elements of being buried alive, drowning, claustrophobia, lacerations, impalement and even some holocaust imagery and referencing Hell.
This is a U-rated film.
Fuck you Watership Down. You made my sister afraid of rabbits.
So you have elements of being buried alive, drowning, claustrophobia, lacerations, impalement and even some holocaust imagery and referencing Hell.
This is a U-rated film.
Fuck you Watership Down. You made my sister afraid of rabbits.
5) The Wicker Man – The First Glance
Set-Up: Sgt Howie has been brought to an isolated island to search for a missing girl, Rowan. Upon being fooled by the rest of the island, the Sergeant is brought to meet the most popular man on Summerisle...
Why I Was Freaked: I know it's only a short clip, but that one line gave me so many chills. It's the lack of spectacle or grandeur to this that makes it so chilling. No music. Just silence and a single drum beat. And a lot of people wanting this one innocent man to die.
But after the build up and the bait and switch that the whole audience experiences, we are there with Howie. We don't know what to expect, but we don't think that this entire island will be willing to commit such a heinous act.
But after the build up and the bait and switch that the whole audience experiences, we are there with Howie. We don't know what to expect, but we don't think that this entire island will be willing to commit such a heinous act.
Chilling. Fuck you, Summerisle.
4) The Birds – Waiting Outside The School
Set-Up: Birds have been randomly attacking the residents of Bodega Bay. But the visiting Melanie Daniels has a few questions to ask of local school-teacher Annie Hayworth. Melanie waits patiently outside the school for the lesson to finish...
Why I Was Freaked: So. Many. Birds.
Hitchcock is truly a master of suspense and this scene really epitomises that opinion. He always wanted the audience to know more about the situation than the characters, therefore creating the ultimate tense situation. You just want to scream at Melanie to turn around and get inside, before it's too late.
The unpredictability of the birds is what makes The Birds such a great film to experience. The attacks truly can come anytime and anywhere, and these crows appear truly menacing and binding their time.
Haven't looked at birds the same since.
Hitchcock is truly a master of suspense and this scene really epitomises that opinion. He always wanted the audience to know more about the situation than the characters, therefore creating the ultimate tense situation. You just want to scream at Melanie to turn around and get inside, before it's too late.
The unpredictability of the birds is what makes The Birds such a great film to experience. The attacks truly can come anytime and anywhere, and these crows appear truly menacing and binding their time.
Haven't looked at birds the same since.
Tense. Fuck you, birds.
3) Signs – The Birthday Party
Set-Up: There have been reports of UFOs appearing all around the Earth, but no encounters with the aliens themselves. Merrill Hess is hiding in the closet, before a news report appears on the TV...
Why I Was Freaked: I'm not sure what made this so scary for me; either the fact that I'm really not good with aliens, and there goes one just sauntering casually across the TV screen, or the cinema auditorium I was sat in was suddenly filled with high pitched screams all around me.
Regardless, the fact that I'm not a big fan of aliens just made this all the worse. This was back when Shyamalan was good at his job. He was fresh off of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, and his take on an alien invasion of Earth was done in a very personal and muted way. So much so that when shit gets real, I really lost my shit.
Earth-shattering. Fuck you, Shyamalan.
2) The Fourth Kind – Jaw on the Floor
Set-Up: Taking place over several days in Alaska, Dr Abbey Tyler tries hypnosis to contact the extraterrestrial threats that she thinks have taken her daughter. Milla Jovovich portrays Dr Tyler, whilst also featuring the home video footage and audio...
Why I Was Freaked: So when I first watched The Fourth Kind, it was presented as a film with Hollywood actors portraying real life people, with the accompanying real footage there for verification. This made this scene incredibly horrifying for me, as again, I'm not good with aliens.
However with audible testimony of an unknown voice announcing itself as God. I was shitting myself.
It's not real though. Of course it's not. It's all fake. But you couldn't have told me that at the time. All I knew was fear. They Fargo'd me.
Jaw-dropping. Fuck you, Jovovich.
1) Jurassic Park – Raptors In The Kitchen
Set-Up: Dinosaurs are back. And they're roaming around an amusement park, stalking the visitors. Some especially deadly dinos, velociraptors, chase a couple of kids into a kitchen...
Why I Was Freaked: OK, so here it is. The scene I couldn't watch until I was 14 years old.
I was not ready for this as a 6 year old lad, sitting down with my family and ending up with my face buried into a pillow, and not seeing how the kids escaped until I was a freaking teenager!
So much tension, the bait-and-switch, the unknown and sinister enemy that cannot be reasoned with or over-powered. And I was the same age or even younger than Tim when I watched this, so I instantly put myself into their shoes, and never trusted a kitchen that large again.
It was and still is one of my favourite films of all time, so for my fear to stop me watching it for so long ... well I believe you can see why this scene is at the top of my list. Never has one scene made so much of an impact on me.
I was not ready for this as a 6 year old lad, sitting down with my family and ending up with my face buried into a pillow, and not seeing how the kids escaped until I was a freaking teenager!
So much tension, the bait-and-switch, the unknown and sinister enemy that cannot be reasoned with or over-powered. And I was the same age or even younger than Tim when I watched this, so I instantly put myself into their shoes, and never trusted a kitchen that large again.
It was and still is one of my favourite films of all time, so for my fear to stop me watching it for so long ... well I believe you can see why this scene is at the top of my list. Never has one scene made so much of an impact on me.
Fuck you Spielberg. And thank you at the same time. It's a complicated feeling.
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And that's it for my Halloween countdown. Thank you for reading it and hope you have a spooky Halloween!
Have you got any moments that stand out in your mind? Anything that scarred you and I didn't list?
Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to share this article if you like it!
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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