Now it's October and God knows who we're going to be saying goodbye this month! Not to sound morbid, but it is Hallowe'en Month after all! So let's get loads of chocolate, sweets and scary movies to give us thrills to remember all the way to Christmas!
Speaking of which, I thought it would be fun/traumatising to relive some of the scariest moments that I've experienced whilst watching films throughout the years. You might scoff at some of these moments being included in my list, but these honestly did scare the bejesus out of me when I was a youngster (and some more recently...)
However, let's just get it out of the way early: I wasn't scared to go into the ocean by Jaws, I wasn't convinced to say thirteen Hail Mary's after watching The Exorcist and I found The Shining boring and overrated (until recently), so that is why they will not be featuring on this list...
25) Silent Hill – The Nurses
Set-Up: Rose (Radha
Mitchell) is searching for her lost daughter in a demon-possessed
town of Silent Hill. When arriving at the final location, a
hospital, Rose travels into the depths, not knowing what is waiting
for her...
Why I Was Freaked: It's usually jump-scares or pure shock that grabs your attention during a horror film these days. However I cannot stand quiet tension. The 'hold-your-breath' kind of tension. It kills me. So when Rose decides to slowly slink through these godawful grotesques, making painful and orgasmic sounds, I didn't know what to do with myself (not like that...)
Whilst the nurses' appearance is lifted straight from the Silent Hill 2 video game, this was still the first time this iconic video game enemy had appeared on the big screen thanks to the fan service from director Christophe Gans. With that knowledge, I was screaming at the screen, "Run, bitch, ruuuuunnnn!" whilst the chaos erupted around her. I still can't breathe during this scene.
Way too tense. Fuck you, Gans.
24) Day of the Dead – The Calendar
Set-Up: Taking place
after Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, zombies have
quite easily taken over the world and the remaining humans now live
mainly underground trying to figure out a cure to the zombie virus.
Dr. Sarah Bowman wakes up in an underground facility with a calendar
on the wall... But something is wrong...
Why I Was Freaked:
Well, didn't it freak you out? One of the earliest jump-scares that I
can remember really catching me off guard, as this is pretty much the start of the film. There I was, late at
night, surrounded by darkness and a few calendars of my own. I didn't know what to expect. Bang! Straight in there with the shivers.
Terrifying. Fuck you, Romero.
23) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – The Riverboat
Set-Up: Charlie Bucket
has won a chance to visit a famous chocolatier's factory. Half-way
through their tour, they come to a nice gentle riverboat and start to
ride. But things start getting a bit psychedelic...
Why I Was Freaked:
How would this not freak out a little 8 year old like me? This
incredibly friendly, charming and kooky character presents a room
full of edible plants and assortments, sings cheery melodies, and
then ferries you through a tunnel of nightmares and death! I could
never trust a person again! Or see a chicken without thinking that I
was going to be shown it's head being taken off!
Strangely my
fragile little brain didn't mind seeing Augustus Gloop get sucked
into a pipe, or the obvious forced labour of the Oompa-Loompas, but
the ferry ride from Hell accompanied by Gene Wilder's eerie singing? No thank-you, I'd like to get off.
Craziness. Fuck you, Wilder. (And rest in peace.)
22) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – The Nazgul Reach Bree
Set-Up: In order to
travel a deadly weapon back to where it was created, a quartet of
Hobbits take refuge in a town called Bree. However hooded black creatures
seeking that same weapon for their master arrive there too...
with intent on fucking some shit up.
Why I Was Freaked:
If there is one thing that Peter Jackson can do well, it's horror.
His eye for an otherworldly terror is fantastic, and even though the
world he had created so far was particularly grounded, the
introduction of the Nazgul / Ringwraiths was the first moments of
anything supernatural or demonic interrupting this pleasant
countryside world.
With the Nazgul
floating into the Prancing Pony surrounded by dramatic fog, standing
over our heroes and stabbing the living fuck out of them, all whilst
being intensely quiet and meticulous just made the tension even
worse. Oh and when
you find out that your heroes are fine, and you should be feeling
relief? Don't worry, we'll just throw in some ear-piercing shrieks
to scare you some more.
Horrifying. Fuck you, Jackson.
21) House on Haunted Hill – The Doctor
Set-Up: Geoffrey Rush
has called a lot of people to his mansion to intentionally scare them
with scary pranks. But unbeknownst to him, there are ghosts in his
mansion ready to fuck shit up and kill in various horrifying ways.
Why I Was Freaked: OK, admittedly it might not hold up to other scary scenes on this
list, but personally this was the first time I had seen the technique
of speeding up someone shaking their head so it appears like they're
doing it really really really really fast, and it freaked me out!
Also combine that with the security guard's face being HOLLOWED OUT! A fact that Geoffrey Rush seems almost bored by as well,
instead paying attention to a creepy doctor making plans on his wife.
Fuck you Rush, and your ridiculous nonchalance.
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And that's the first part of my October countdown. Keep your eyes peeled for the rest of this list over the coming few weeks all leading to Hallowe'en!
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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