Top Five Scariest Movies

Here is a movie list I compiled for the SMCC newspaper's Halloween edition. I wanted to post it here because I yearn for the good ol' days in Mr. Seal's journalism class when I got to go to the movies every weekend because "that was my job." Mr. Seal, if you're reading this then I hope it is up to snuff for you!


Top Five Scariest Horror Movies
by: Taylor Meyers

In the spirit of Halloween, I’ve compiled a list of what I believe are the scariest movies ever. So if you’ve seen them, maybe you can watch them again and if you haven’t watched them, you can try and find them. Have fun getting spooked!

The Shining
This movie is quite possibly both Jack Nicholson’s most recognizable role as well as one of Stanly Kubrick’s most popular masterpieces. “The Shining” is a slow-building, nerve-wracking, thriller that still shocks and terrifies even today. This is one of the few flawless horror films in cinematic history. Every detail in the movie is meticulously and perfectly crafted into a masterpiece of horror. Jack Nicholson’s twitchy, nail-biting performance is beautiful from beginning to end. As his sanity begins to slowly fade and tension builds, he has us asking “When is he going to snap?” and he does it when we least expect it. Nicholson’s brilliant acting is paralleled by child-actor Daniel Lloyd, who played the unwittingly terrifying son Danny. His famous “redrum” scene will make you scared to ever look at a mirror in the dark again. As both Danny and Jack are overtaken by the hotel’s ghosts, the scares get bigger and better. Quite possibly one of the most memorable and horrifying scenes in “The Shining” is the one in which Danny goes on an innocent big-wheel ride and meets the ghosts of two little girls. As they beckon “Come play with us,” it is revealed that they were brutally murdered by someone or something in the hotel. This particular scene still makes me wary of walking down hotel hallways alone… But no matter what scene scared you the most, one thing is certain: “The Shining” is a classic horror film that stands the tests of time and will continue to frighten for decades to come.


28 Days Later
This new-age, British horror is a refreshing new take on the zombie-horror genre. Cillian Murphy plays one of the last uninfected humans in London, and he must find a way to survive. This simple premise makes up a two hours of heart racing movie-making. One of the most disturbing scenes is the first—when a confused Jim (Murphy) awakes in a deserted hospital to discover that he is the last person alive in London. A sweeping, overhead shot shows the entire city deserted—the only signs of life being pictures of “missing” people adorning city walls and newspapers littering the streets. This first major scene gives the viewer the feeling of complete isolation and strips them of all hope. This simple feeling of desolation grows throughout the film and creates an atmosphere that most zombie movies don’t—you say to yourself, “This could really happen.” If you are a fan of zombie movies “28 Days Later” will put a new spin on the cult genre. The undead, aren’t really undead at all, but instead are crazed, primal humans. Director Danny Boyle’s interpretation of “zombies” is different, realistic, and wholly frightening. Although these zombies still crave human flesh, they also retain some of their human aspects—including the intelligence to ambush prey and the ability to run with amazing speed. The soft-focus camera work gives the whole film an eerie, documentary-like appearance that unnerves the viewer with its realism. This realism, paired with fantastic acting and cinematography, collaborates to make an uncannily different type of horror film.


Audition (Oodishon)
This is a Japanese tale of obsession, insanity, and the price that loneliness can cost you. The story revolves around Aoyama, a lonely widower who longs for a new wife. He and his friend, a movie producer, hold “auditions” for Aoyama’s potential new wife. Finally, Aoyama decides on a sweet, shy, and quiet girl named Asami. As the film progresses, we begin to see that Asami is not all she seems to be. Her past is a dark and strange one—laced with abuse, disappointment, and psychological damage. Soon, that psychological damage starts to leak out onto the screen. We get to witness the torture that Asami inflicts upon Aoyama’s family and friends—dismemberment, starvation, and imprisonment. In my opinion, the Asian filmmakers are the only ones today making truly frightening films. First, we had “Ringu”, then “Ju-On”, and then came “Audition.” All three films are genuinely unnerving and wholly terrifying in a very human and real way. “Audition” is comparable to America’s “Saw” franchise when it comes to frightening torture scenes—each one is unique, disturbing, and horrific. The whole film is done in only the way the Japanese can: high-saturated color, slow-paced, quiet scares, and then they finally springing the terror on you at the very end. “Audition” is pretty hard to find on DVD here in Mississippi, but if you do manage to find it, it’s worth your trouble. I guarantee you’ll have to spend the next few nights with the light on.


Jaws
This movie isn’t a horror film in the conventional sense—but it will scare the living daylights out of you. Nothing is scarier than a big, giant animal that can swallow you whole and digest you. Even more frightening is the fact that you don’t see the shark until the last twenty minutes of film (although this wasn’t intentional, it was simply because the mechanical shark kept malfunctioning.) The only thing that even hints at the shark’s is John Williams’ now-infamous score. Go on—try getting into the water without hearing that ominous “ba-dum…ba-dum…” in your head! The sheer ferocity of the shark’s appetite for the New England islanders is chilling—the death counts starts with one lonely skinny-dipper and rises to several vacationing tourists. Some of the most terrifying lines are simple facts, such as “Is it true that most people get attacked by sharks in about three feet of water?” and, “From the size of this bite-mark, I say we’re looking at at least a 12-footer.” Wrong. Dead wrong. After seeing this movie, most people won’t go near the beach much less go swimming. Comedian Dane Cook even said, “After watching Jaws, I won’t even drink a big glass of water.” But even if you can get in the water after watching the movie, “Jaws” will still stick with you for a long time.

It
This movie is quite possibly the root of all clown-based fears. Take creepy actor Tim Curry, add some even creepier clown makeup, and put it all together with writer Stephen King and you’ve got a film that will scar small children for life. I don’t know anyone who is not somehow frightened by this film—whether it is the clown, the demonic undertones, or Tim Curry’s teeth. “It” is just fright after fright after fright, nonstop for the entirety of the film. Stephen King is the master of horror, and he managed to take a seemingly innocent figure—a circus clown—and turn it into something completely evil and horrifying. Only King could do that. Tim Curry’s performance made Pennywise the Clown a staple in the rogue’s gallery of villains. The creepy, scratchy voice and the horrific pointy teeth make Pennywise both visually and emotionally terrifying. If you’re not afraid of clowns now, watch this film and I guarantee you’ll change your mind.