Some people absolutely lovehorrormovies, while others watch through their fingers covering their eyes. Either way, a common characteristic ofthe best horror moviesis that they leave an impression long after the film has ended. There might beshocking horror movie scenesthat hit way too close to home, and others that are so outlandish they might not ring true, but, if they’re scary enough, they’ll stick in viewers' minds and alter their day-to-day life immensely.
The number of times a feeling of dread creeps in while swimming in the sea, and the famed John Williams score starts playing in one’s head.Or there might be a creak heard throughout the house that evokes feelings of paranormal activities in the night. Staring at a shadow on the ceiling probably isn’t a good idea either, in case the Babadook rears its ugly head. Still otherterrifying horror movies make one not want to leave the house ever again. Whatever the scare was, it’s bound to make anyone think twice before letting the monsters in.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Cast
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a 2005 horror film that explores the legal and spiritual dimensions of the death of a young woman named Emily Rose. Directed by Scott Derrickson, the film stars Laura Linney as an attorney defending a priest, played by Tom Wilkinson, accused of negligent homicide after performing an exorcism. The narrative alternates between courtroom drama and supernatural horror, presenting differing viewpoints on faith and science.
Any film that includes themes of demonic possession is bound to send shivers down the spine. Not only are any exorcism scenes truly disturbing, but there is usually a lot going on that signifies there are evil forces at play.There have been many films that feature this particular horror trope, but the specifics of this Laura Linney fright fest stuck out to a whole generation.The story of the doomed titular Emily Rose is told through flashbacks, as a lawyer takes on the case of her wrongful death.
One of them is constantly waking up at exactly 3am and smelling a strong scent of burning.
As can be expected, the deeper she gets into the mystery and the more she learns about the demons that plagued Emily, the more she starts to notice similarities to her experiences as well as others connected to the case.One of them is constantly waking up at exactly 3am and smelling a strong scent of burning. Suffice it to say, anyone who has watched this film and happened to ever wake up at exactly 3am would have had a hard time getting back to sleep afterward.
Child’s Play
Child’s Play is a horror-slasher film by director Tom Holland and marked the beginning of the Chucky character from writer Don Mancini, a modern horror icon. When serial killer Charles Lee Ray is slain after a detective catches him, he transfers his soul before he dies into a Good Guy doll, which ends up in the hands of six-year-old Andy Barclay. Naming himself Chucky, the doll begins a killing spree, which leads those around Alex to suspect him as the killer - and his mother is the only one who believes him.
There have been many horror films featuring killer dolls and various other toys. Annabelle and M3GAN are some of the more recent deadly figurines, but Chucky fromtheChild’s Playfranchiseholds a very special place among the murderous playthings.This iconic redhead brought many frights across his abundant franchise, and each installment serves as a reminder to never get any toys that are too lifelike and interactive.
3 Horror Franchise Crossovers We’d Love to See
Hollywood has given fans plenty of fantastic horror franchises but not as many crossovers as we’d like.
It’s extremely easy to misplace things and forget where they were last put down, but when it comes to dolls, it comes with an extra bit of dread. Because, if there’s no doubt that it was on the chair at 9am, but somehow at 7pm it ends up on the bed,the mind goes straight to the notion that it came to life and moved all on its own.And that disturbing thought is all thanks to the knife-wielding doll from the 1980s.
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling, portrayed by Jodie Foster, as she seeks the help of imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, to solve a series of gruesome murders. Directed by Jonathan Demme, this 1991 psychological thriller delves into the dark world of criminal profiling and the complex relationship between a young investigator and a brilliant, but dangerous, psychopath.
As one of the very few horror-themed films to get so much awards recognition,Silence of the Lambsis a bona fide classic that should be seen, studied, and seen again.The performances from Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are incredible, and Buffallo Bill remains one of the most disturbing serial killers of the silver screen.
With so many memorable quotes like “It puts the lotion on the skin”, and “I’m having an old friend for dinner,” the film is nothing short of chilling.
One of the most frightening scenes is when Jame Gumb abducts Catherine Martin.Viewers know something terrible is about to happen, yet they’re still shocked when it actually occurs. As he pretends to be injured and struggling with moving a sofa out of his van, Gumb asks the woman for help. Even though it’s dark, the proximity to home, and his apparently broken arm make her feel safe enough to help him, and willingly get in. Seeing as she ended up in a hole, awaiting to be skinned, many viewers won’t be quite as keen to help strangers with vans.
The Omen
The Omen is a classic supernatural horror film that follows a family that begins seeing a dark change in their son as he ages. Unbeknownst to his wife, Kathy, Robert Thorn sees that their child has died during birth and is aided by a chaplain to replace the deceased child with a newborn orphan and raise him as their own. As the years pass, increasingly violent incidents, including the suicide of the family nanny, begin to occur around their son, Damien. Little do the parents know, the child they took on is actually the antichrist.
The trope of a spooky child gazing wistfully into the darkness, or saying very strange and macabre things is one of the most disturbing ones in horror. There is something about that perceived innocence that’s replaced with evil that makes it particularly chilling.Damien is one of the most famous of the creepy children, having wreaked havoc inmultipleThe Omeninstallments.It’s a combination of all the bad things he is willing to do with the protectiveness of his parents that makes him so dangerous.
Many adults refuse to believe such a young child could be the cause of all the bad things happening around them, but, asThe Exorcist, The Ring, andHereditaryhave all proved, it’s better not to assume everything is OK. Spooky youths are some of the scariest villains of the genre, and many people remain wary of children who may or may not have a 666 mark somewhere upon their person.
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 horror film that follows three film students who venture into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland. As they document their search for the Blair Witch legend, strange and unsettling events unfold. Presented as found footage, the film is directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, and it pioneered the found footage genre in mainstream cinema.
Ever since a group of young people wandered into the forest with their camera and the desperate need to solve a mystery, audiences have been wary of the woods, and the horrors they might hold. The unique documentary-style format and improv-laden script made it all feel so real. Seeing only snippets of the horrors happening, and having to fill in the gaps was perhaps what madeThe Blair Witch Projectso genuinely terrifying, right up to its ending.Then there were the guttural screams and jerky camera movements that made for an immersive experience.
The Blair Witch Project Will Finally Be Released The Way The Filmmakers Always Intended 25 Years Later
Cult classic The Blair Witch Project will finally get a director’s cut of sorts, 25 years after the movie first became a global sleeper-hit.
This oft-referenced movie not only spawned a sequel, but it influenced a lot of horror films that followed. The naturalistic approach to filmmaking resonated extremely well and was implemented in many future projects. The suspense and fear of the unknown were also aspects that made the movie so special and also ensured most people think twice before heading off into the forest, even to this day.
It
In the film It, a group of seven children in a small Maine town, known as The Losers Club, confronts various life challenges, including bullies and a malevolent entity. The creature, which takes on the guise of a clown named Pennywise, becomes the focus of their courageous battle.
Both the movie and miniseries did a great disservice to clowns as well as storm drains.Stephen King’s terrifying tale of Pennywise, the murderous jester who lures young people into his web of death, has had a huge impact on audiences ever since it first came out. Coulrophobia may have existed way before the story ofIt, but the story most certainly helped perpetuate the fear and maybe even affect many more people than before.
As far as scary opening sequences go, the scene from this film is up there as one of the best. When a young boy gets enticed by the eerie clown into the nearly flooded storm drain, viewers were shocked that a child met their demise so early on in the story.Having a figure that is normally meant to spread laughter and balloons do such grizzly things was also incredibly disconcerting as a premise. And, both Alexander Skarsgård and Tim Curry were able to imbue his painted features with more terror and menace than the makeup ever could.
Psycho
In this now-iconic Alfred Hitchcock thriller, a secretary embezzles forty thousand dollars from her employer’s client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel. The place is run by a young man under the domination of his mother – and he soon turns out to be far more threatening than he appeared at first.
One of the most famous horror thrillers of all time, this Alfred Hitchcock classic broke all the rules. Audiences would never have expected the main protagonist to meet their end at all, let alone halfway through the movie. And, the death scene remains one of the most iconic and referenced scenes in the history of cinema. Janet Leigh’s scream is the stuff of legend, and she would, no doubt, be very proud of her daughter being one of the most prolific “scream queens” of her generation.
The shower scene is so terrifying because Marion is in her most vulnerable state.
Norman Bates was such a fascinating antagonist, with Anthony Perkins turning in one of thebest performances in an Alfred Hitchcock movie,and his unhealthy relationship with his “mother” is one that has been picked apart and studied many times over. The shower scene is so terrifying because Marion is in her most vulnerable state. Not only is she on the run and trying to find sanctuary, but she is completely naked and defenseless. The power of this scene has made many people do double takes at their bathroom doors whenever they’re in the shower.
Many horror films feature home invasions.Killers hiding in closets, around dark corners, or under the bed was nothing new whenThe Strangerscame out, and people were on high alert already. But, it managed to take this vigilance and fear to another level. The fact that the perpetrators seemingly had no particular motive to attack other than “because they were home”, made viewers feel unsafe at the thought of being at their own homes. One’s house or apartment is meant to be a sanctuary, so to have someone actively attack it with no underlying reason is absolutely horrifying.
Many people have an irrational fear of being unsure of whether they locked up after leaving the house, but to feel fear inside the home is another level. Therefore, the only thing to do is triple lock the doors, put the chain on and perhaps set up some sort of booby trap at the entrance.In modern times, cameras outside certainly help, but what this film has shown, is that where there’s a will, there’s certainly a way.
Scream
1996’s Scream follows a teenage girl who is targeted by a masked killer a year after her mother’s murder who uses horror movies as a deadly game against her and her friends.
When Wes Craven’s iconic franchise began, it rewrote the rules of horror. With its unrelenting wit and refreshing self-awareness, it established the new normal that would so many subsequent movies for decades to come.From pop-culture-influenced murderers, to having a clear set of guidelines as to what helps someone survive a serial killer, audiences were presented with a lot to unpack.The manner of the murders was very much one of those things.
Many of the most gruesome and terrifying deaths were preceded by an ominous phone call from the Ghostface killer.Casey, Cici and Cotton were all lured into a false sense of security before they were brutally slain, and whenever a phone rang during the film, viewers would feel an uncomfortable sense of dread. In later installments, this evolved into texts, voice modifiers, and cloned phone numbers, but that very first wrong number answered by Drew Barrymore made people avoid getting into lengthy conversations with strangers for a very long time.
Final Destination
Final Destination follows a teenager who experiences a premonition of a fatal plane crash. After preventing the disaster, he and his friends are pursued by a malevolent force seeking to reclaim the unintended survivors. Released in 2000, the film explores themes of fate and mortality.
One of the biggest influences that affected people has got to be driving behind a lumber truck.While it’s certainly not the only film to feature deaths attributed to this type of vehicle, but it seems to be the most influential. A whole generation of viewers will change lanes immediately after noticing one of these trucks, and any new viewer of theFinal Destinationfranchise will definitely bear it in mind too. But, with five movies and counting, there are many other seemingly regular things that can cause harm.
From tanning beds and roller coasters to ladders and pool drains, nowhere was safe for the doomed characters of the film series.Each new installment upped the ante, with more and more elaborate sequences that all contributed to someone’s untimely demise.It was always a fascinating mystery to solve as to how each character would die, with many red herrings and jump scares. But, the legacy of these iconic films will always be the fact that anyone who has seen them will think twice before booking that laser eye appointment or going to the gym.
