Since Halloween
is just around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to talk about the
best horror movies out there. There are so many different horror movies; some
classics, some terrifyingly bone chilling, and some really terrible ones that
end up just being really funny.
There are many
different subcategories of horror movies that it would be impossible to talk
about them all. There are monster movies, alien movies, horror movies that are
actually funny, and demonic possession movies. Here I will talk about the
different subgroups of horror movies that I believe to be the scariest or most
interesting.
The Classics
Psycho, The Shining, Carrie, The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, Rosemary's Baby, Poltergeist and Jaws
are all examples of classic horror movies that everyone should see at least
once in their life. This is because these movies are referenced in television
shows so frequently that if you haven’t seen any of these you wont understand
half of the comments made. A simple line like “Hello Clarice” can have so much
more meaning coming from an actor in a different show, but if you haven’t seen The Shining you wont understand and the
reference will be completely lost on you.
Personally,
after watching all the horror movies that are produced today, I don’t find
these movies particularly scary, but back when they were first in theaters,
people were terrified with what they saw on screen. They set the bar for great
horror films, and many of them have won several awards for their brilliance.
The Shining
The Horror Movie With A Twist
This is a great
category of horror movies because these movies really keep you on the edge of
your seat. What you think is real is not. The ending turns out to be something completely
different than what you were expecting.
A list of movies
for this category is: Shutter Island,
Orphan, Sorority Row, Hide and Seek, The Uninvited, The Sixth Sense, and A Perfect Getaway. I wont say too much
about these movies as to not give anything away for you, but just prepare
yourself for a twist!
The Sixth Sense
The Teen Slasher Movie
The teen slasher
has a multitude of crazy situations, but there is one thing all have in common.
Death. A lot of gruesome, horrible, disgusting murders that will make your
stomach churn. They usually start with a group of high school or college
students getting together and going on some sort of adventure, whether it be to
a creepy wax museum (House of Wax), a
cursed Mayan temple (The Ruins), or a
weekend getaway on a private island with a killer on the loose (Fear Island).
House of Wax
Not only do
these teen slashers take place in weird and creepy places, but they also take
place right in the main characters home. The slashers have that one mysterious
killer who is out to get the main character and all of their friends. Examples
of these are Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. In each
of these movies there is a masked killer who is out to get the main character,
and kills a lot of their friends in the process.
Ghostface from Scream
These types of
horror movies are perfect for those who like a lot of gore and suspense. Teen
slasher movies are perfect for viewers who like to have things pop out of
nowhere and scare the crap out of them.
The Haunted House
Haunted house
horror movies are extremely popular among horror movie buffs. There are so many
out there that it is can be hard to find ones that are actually good. My
favorites have always been The Grudge, A Haunting in Connecticut, The Amityville Horror (2005) and The Messengers. These are your classic
haunted house movies where an unsuspecting family moves into a beautiful house,
only to realize that it is actually haunted. All of these movies are generally
the same, but they have a classic plotline that appeals to a large range of
movie-viewers.
The Amityville Horror
The Franchise That Just Will Not Die
Paranormal Activity, Halloween, Scream, and Final Destination all started out as great movies. They were terrifying,
creative, and new. The original of each of these franchises is always a must
see. Sometimes the sequel is too, but once you get into the third, fourth, and
fifth installment, the movies start to dwindle into the terrible movie
category.
Final Destination
For example, Final Destination told the story of
death coming after a group of high school students after they escaped a deadly
plane crash. Each of these students die in a gruesome and horrible way. It was
a great movie, and the sequel was even good, focusing on a massive pile-up on
the freeway instead of a plane crash. In the sequels after those two, the
producers just tried to come up with different ways to kill a bunch of
characters in the grossest way possible. The fourth installment was actually
called The Final Destination, yet
they still came out with a Final Destination 5. There is no telling how long this franchise will go, but I
do know that it should end. Soon.
The Creepy Little Kid
Personally, I
find these to be the scariest of them all. Creepy little children really know
how to chill you to the bone. A great example of this is Orphan. The little girl has some unnerving qualities such as
hurting other little children, pushing people in front of cars and locking
people in burning tree houses. However, there is a very unexpected twist at the
end that will have you thinking, “What just happened?”
Orphan
The Omen is one of the classics, yet it has one of
the creepiest boys I’ve ever seen. I guess it’s probably because he is the son
of Satan. Even though he looks adorable, you can tell that there is something
seriously wrong with him.
The Creepy Dead Girl
Ghosts are
always terrifying, especially when you can barely see their face and their body
contorts in ways that aren’t humanly possible. The movie that I always think of
for this category is The Ring. When I
was younger this movie absolutely terrified me. The first time I tried to watch
it I had to turn it off ten minutes later. I couldn’t watch the whole thing
until the next morning with all the blinds open and the lights on. “The Ring
Girl,” as I like to call her, is one of the most terrifying creatures I have
ever seen on television. If you are looking for a good scare that will last
with you for at least seven days, watch this movie.
The Ring
As you can see, there are so many different types of horror movies that there is no doubt you will find one to chill you to the bone.
