Well folks, once again Halloween is coming up. That time of the year where everything scary and spooky comes out to play.
As a Gen-X kid growing up in the 1980s, I used to watch horror movies with my parents and grandparents -- ironically none of whom seemed to have a problem letting me watch them, although I was told more than once to cover my eyes at certain parts that included nudity and sexual scenes. Usually I never did though as I sat there peeking through my hands, and not really seeing the big deal at the time. It wouldn't be until about 1990 when I turned 14 that sex would be of any real interest to me. Prior to that the sex stuff in slasher films to me was just weird grown-up crap before the "good stuff" happened.
No, I wanted to see the scary stuff, not the filler, dammit!
I apparently had some really cool adult figures in my life as a kid if they let me watch slasher films like the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th movie franchises, or they had a much higher opinion of my nerves and ability to deal with scary images than many other parental figures did.
And boy did I see plenty of messed up things!
Some of them were things that ended up staying with me for a very long time; days, sometimes even weeks after I watched them. A couple of these things, I believe, gave many kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s some serious childhood trauma.
Now, obviously there are plenty of scary films made in the 1990s to the present that are pretty good -- although, in my opinion, many of them rely too much on just jump scares alone rather than building up suspense and any true sense of menace. Maybe my perceptions of what constitute scary are different today? Perhaps horror movies of the 70s and 80s are the scariest because they use subtle
psychological horror unlike the in-your-face CGI/makeup that modern
horror movies use? Maybe society's perceptions of fear are different? Whatever the reason horror films today don't quite get to me the way they did back in the 80s and early 90s.
So today, in the spirit of Halloween, allow me to tell y'all about 20 of the most horrifying scary horror movie scenes that absolutely, positively, irrevocably scared the pure-T-sh*t outta me as a child of the 80s.
Counting down from least to best in terms of the effect these scenes and films had on me, here they are folks.
So today, in the spirit of Halloween, allow me to tell y'all about 20 of the most horrifying scary horror movie scenes that absolutely, positively, irrevocably scared the pure-T-sh*t outta me as a child of the 80s.
Counting down from least to best in terms of the effect these scenes and films had on me, here they are folks.
Warning: This list contains massive spoilers for these films!
(20) The Excorcist III (1990) -- The Nurse Station Jump Scare
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| How about a little off the top? |
Despite the fact the movie is, for the most part, the weird cousin of the Exorcist franchise; this is a brilliantly executed jump scare done in the best way from a cinematographic way -- thank you author and director William Peter Blatty (RIP)!
The wide shot at the end of the hall
looking at the nurse's station at the opposite end. The crackling of ice
in a glass of ice water in the chapel that lures the nurse in, and the
very effective red herring of the frustrated man whose sleep she
unknowingly disturbed completely disarms the viewer by relieving so much
built up tension. Then, we return to the original shot. The guards leave and the nurse shuts chapel door. Then she turns to walk away and them -- BOOM! Fast zoom in with loud
musical sting that pierces the silence with all the force of a medieval
battering ram. She's followed closely by someone possessed by the Gemini
Killer in a white sheet armed with a very large cutting tool used for
autopsies.
That haunting screech of sound when the demonic entity goes in for the
kill is completely unexpected, and the headless statue in the next scene that lets you
know what happened to the nurse....it's so simple and tasteful, yet so
chilling.
Masterful and timeless cinematic execution. It made my heart jump out of my chest at age 13, and it still scares the pure-T-piss out of me.
(19) Jaws (1975) -- Ben Gardner's Head
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| My shark tooth! |
One of my favorite jump scares of all time is the classic scene from Steven Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster film, Jaws based loosely on the book by Peter Benchley.
The scene was actually an extra scene filmed after the original production was completed and shown to test audiences. Spielberg felt there needed to be one more scare, so he added the scene where fisherman, Ben Gardner's head pops out of the hole in the hull of his fishing boat, scaring both Richard Dreyfus's character, Matt Hooper, and pretty much everyone else in the audience who saw it the first time. The shot was actually filmed in a swimming pool with several gallons of milk poured in the water to give it the consistency of ocean water.
Between the tension that you feel knowing that Hooper's character is in the water where a man-eating shark with a body count of (at that point in the film) two people and a dog -- with the third about to be revealed -- and him finding a tooth "the size of a shot glass" in the hull of a clearly damaged boat; the suspense level is already pretty high. Then the moment when the head pops out of the hull at the same moment the soundtrack in the film blares out this short, piercing shrieking noise was enough to scare the hell out of most people seeing the film in the theaters.
Now this scene didn't actually scare me, but I did jump the first time I saw it. My mother, on the other hand, told me that she went to the theater when the film came out a few months before I was conceived and saw it with my dad. She told me that most of the theater, herself included, let out screams when the head popped out of the hole.
Between the tension that you feel knowing that Hooper's character is in the water where a man-eating shark with a body count of (at that point in the film) two people and a dog -- with the third about to be revealed -- and him finding a tooth "the size of a shot glass" in the hull of a clearly damaged boat; the suspense level is already pretty high. Then the moment when the head pops out of the hull at the same moment the soundtrack in the film blares out this short, piercing shrieking noise was enough to scare the hell out of most people seeing the film in the theaters.
Now this scene didn't actually scare me, but I did jump the first time I saw it. My mother, on the other hand, told me that she went to the theater when the film came out a few months before I was conceived and saw it with my dad. She told me that most of the theater, herself included, let out screams when the head popped out of the hole.
I always smile whenever I remember her telling me that story.
(18) The Amityville Horror (1979) -- Jodie At The Window
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| Peek-a-boo! |
Now this film has more than just a few scenes that scared me: the sudden upside-down blackened cross, the terrifying gateway to hell basement scene, and of course the creepy voice telling the priest menacingly to "Get out!"
For this Southern boy of about 9 at the time, when I first watched this with my parents, the scene that really got to me was when actress Margot Kidder's character, Kathy Lutz, was told by the daughter: "You scared Jodie, she went out the window." Naturally, in true horror movie fashion, the mom goes to the window.... and is confronted by a pair of deep red eyes!
Yeah, needless to say, that was an image -- as well as Kidder's frightful expression following it -- that stayed with me for quite a long time after I watched it.
(17) Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962) -- The Mirror Scene
This old classic is one that haunted me for a couple days the first time I saw it at age 11 at the request of my grandmother who introduced me to this tragic story of jealousy, abuse, and murder.
In the movie, former child star "Baby Jane" Hudson, played brilliantly by legendary actress Betty Davis, now a mentally-ill alcoholic living in the dreams of her glory days and in the shadow of her sister, Blanche (actress Joan Crawford), another former actress who achieved success before becoming a paraplegic.
During one scene, Jane is dancing around in a room with several large mirrors, still living in her fantasy world of being a famous child star -- until she pauses to look at herself in the mirror. Seeing the old, alcoholic woman looking back at her through all her caked-on makeup and former golden curls of hair, Jane's face goes from joy to horror and she lets out this blood-curdling scream that frankly gave me chills so bad my stomach hurt.
Certainly not a moment that will leave your memory once you see it.
Certainly not a moment that will leave your memory once you see it.
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| "FEAR ME HUMANS! FEAR ME!" |
Probably the most iconic moment of the original Alien franchise film, I believe that this particular scene is on the list of many people who saw this film as a kid. It was a completely unexpected and frightening moment -- even to the rest of the main cast!
Yeah, fun movie fact folks, the director Ridley Scott didn't tell the cast that this was going to happen because he wanted to get them by surprise. And he did!
Yeah, fun movie fact folks, the director Ridley Scott didn't tell the cast that this was going to happen because he wanted to get them by surprise. And he did!
The cast was aware something was going to happen in the scene, but were not given the details, aside from three ominous words on the script: This thing emerges. The cast was completely taken by surprise when the blood and gore splashed out on everyone and the newborn alien creature special effect burst out of actor John Hurt's fake chest. The looks of absolute shock, disgust, and horror on the faces of the actors was very much real.
I didn't know this when I first saw the movie at age 7, or so. What I do know was that I covered my eyes and yelled. Needless to say I had a nightmare that night -- thankfully the details of that dream are lost to me know, but I do remember crying and my mom holding me until I drifted off again.
Thankfully about half a decade later director Mel Brooks released the 1987 sci-fi spoof Spaceballs showing a parody of that particular scene. That parody of the newborn alien -- again bursting out of John Hurt's chest (poor guy!) -- dancing and singing on the lunch counter of a space diner was enough to overwrite the childhood trauma I received from the original. Today I can watch the original no problem, but back in 1982....yeah, totally messed me up!
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| "Hello my baby, hello my honey...." |
(15) The Watcher In The Woods (1980) -- The House of Mirrors
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| "OMG! Is that a zit?!" |
I first saw this movie when I was about 9 years old in school, and believe me this one stayed with me for a bit after seeing it.
In addition to seeing from the point-of-view of an unseen force watching a new family moving into a house from the nearby creepy woods, this unexpectedly terrifying Disney film gave an entire generation of young people in the early 80s a case of the shudders for one moment, or another.
The scene where Jan (actress Lynn-Holly Johnson) goes into a Hall of Mirrors at a local fair. Jan enters a room filled almost completely with mirrors and she sees her reflection over and over again all over the room. Then her eyes suddenly widen in terror when, in place of her reflection, sees the blindfolded Karen -- who has been haunting her since the beginning of the film -- reflected back at her over and over trying to plead Jan for help.
Later there is another scene where Karen's spirit can be seen laying in a coffin, still blindfolded.
Now being claustrophobic for at least as long as I can remember the idea of being trapped anywhere like, or say, behind a mirror, or inside a coffin, is totally gut-wrenching. The idea of being blindfolded at the same time is even worse!
Watching the young girl in the mirror pleading and holding out her hands in fright was enough to give me more than just a few shivers whenever I thought about it for a few years after that first showing.
On an interesting note, Betty Davis also played in this film as the creepy old neighbor lady. He portrayal including a scene where Jan nearly drowns trapped under some tree roots and Davis character seemingly trying to drown her, but turned out was trying to get her out from under the roots. Drowning is also another mortal terror of mine, so that one gets half points.
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| Double double toil and trouble.... |
Yeah, all around this film still manages to send a small shudder down my spine even after all these years.
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| There's the one who farted!!! |
Perhaps one of the most chilling endings in horror movie history is the final scene in the 1978 Philip Kaufman directed remake of the classic 1956 sci-fi horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is well known for its shocker of an ending: Veronica Cartwright’s character, Nancy Bellicec, crosses paths with Donald Sutherland’s Matthew Bennell character and confides in him that she is still indeed human -- only to discover that he has ultimately succumbed to the pod people. He then points at her while delivering that infamous pod shriek.
I don't remember exactly when it was I first saw this movie (I know I was less than ten at the time) but the combination of the look on Sutherland's face, the shriek, and Cartwright's horrified reaction still send a chill down my spine today.
(13) Rosemary's Baby (1968) -- He Has His Father's Eyes
One scene that still sends a chill down my spine to this day is the climactic scene at the end of director Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby where Rosemary see's her child and learns of his true parentage -- the Devil himself. The way the camera pans around her as she turns to all of the maniacal people in the room proudly proclaiming their loyalty to Satan. It helps the viewer feel the same frantic chaos as Rosemary.
The fact that we didn't see the baby's eyes, or his face, and leaving it up to the viewer's imagination, was a much better choice on the part of the director than some cheap jump scare. Imagining what could bring such a look of complete and utter terror to Rosemary's face is scary enough. Nothing can be more frightening than the demons we conjure up in our own minds.
(12) Damien: Omen II (1978) -- The Crow Killing Scene
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| Nevermore! |
Speaking of the son of the devil, the next place entry on this list is another one that I had a very hard time getting out of my mind after I first saw it at a young age -- the terrifying death of female reporter named Joan Hart (actress Elizabeth Shepherd) at the hands of a demonic raven in the second movie of the Omen series.
After seeing the teenage Damien and realizing he is the future antichrist (in another scene that is jarring, both with the musical score and her terrified reaction), the reporter attempts to flee, only to end up stranded on the road as her car stalls due to demonic powers that seemingly protect Damien's continued existence. The creepy bird appears as she is stranded on the road and attacks Joan by brutally pecking out her eyes and blinding her. She is then killed by a semi-truck after wandering blindly into its path with two empty and bloody holes where her eyes were.
If you are scared of birds, or the idea of being blinded, this scene will definitely keep you awake for more than a few nights.
(11) Poltergeist (1982) -- The Possessed Evil Clown Doll
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| Come under the bed, Robbie! We all float down here! |
Nearly a decade before actor Tim Curry brought to life Stephen King's evil clown Pennywise in the two-part television 1990 mini-series version of IT, another clown gave many kids from my generation nightmares: the unnamed creepy clown doll that terrified Robbie Freeling (actor Oliver Robins) in Poltergeist.
There are actually several scenes in this movie that gave me the creeps, but the scene at the climax of the film where Robbie is viciously attacked by the now possessed clown doll that sat starring at him terrified him from a chair across from his bed throughout the movie is probably one of the movie's most talked about and remembered scenes -- and one that utterly shocked a then 8 year old me the first time I saw it.
This scene definitely pushed a lot of night terror buttons in young people from my generation. One cannot read a review of this film without someone mentioning this scene and the horror it brought them in particular. Some people even specifically site this scene as the beginning of their lifetime phobia of clowns.
Like Mel Brooks did for the chestburster scene in Alien, a generation later, the 2001 comedy horror spoof film, Scary Movie 2, provided another take on the version of the creepy clown doll -- only this time the roles reversed on him in a somewhat hilarious and deeply disturbing way.
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| Thank you Wayne's Brothers! |
(10) Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) -- Library Scene
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| "And then Buffy staked Edward...." |
Like The Watcher In The Woods, Disney offered up another terrifying bit of nightmare fuel for younger 80s kids in the form of another dark fantasy film, this one based on a 1962 novel of the same name by author Ray Bradbury, who wrote the screenplay for this film.
Some of us can agree that carnivals have their own creepy vibe to them. But when Dark's Pandemonium Carnival arrives late in the year, and sets up a matter of moments in a really terrifying sequence; it offers the people of the small town of Green Town, Illinois their deepest desires and temptations in exchange for their souls. This creepy take on Ray Bradbury's novel does not hold back on the terror; even if the scares are all over the place at times.
What could it tempt you with? With whatever you wanted the most, of course.
In the case of actor Jason Robards' character, Charles Halloway, an aging small-town librarian with a young son, what he wanted the most was life and youth -- two things his character worries are slipping away. The challenge set him is a difficult one. If he can resist that temptation, he can redeem the whole town, and protect his son, Will, from being taken by the evil Mr. Dark, played brilliantly by actor Jonathan Pryce.
Of course, it’s Charles’ insecurity that Mr. Dark preys on, tempting him with youth over and over again. In one of the most memorable scenes, he walks through the library stalking Charles, ripping out pages of the book on the town’s history as he offers Charles various years of his life back in exchange for his son and friend, who are hiding in the library.
The intensity of this scene always shook me whenever I watched this moment. Almost as scary is the quiet and suspenseful game of cat and mouse played by Mr. Dark as he hunts down and catches the two boys a moment later.
(9) Race With The Devil (1975) -- Ending Scene
This was actually one of the first films to truly terrify me as a kid. As an adult it still makes me wary of going off-road onto hidden paths. Once I even remarked on that to a girl I was seeing at the time when she pulled her van off to a private area one late evening. I mean, you never know when you will accidentally run into a satanic cult and be endlessly stalked by said cultists.
From the moment two hapless couples are caught seeing what they shouldn't have, the creepy vibe in this film comes from the fact that our four main protagonists are unaware of how far this killer cult goes and whom to trust as they try to escape it. From all the creepy sideways glares from strangers on the streets, their dog being killed and hanged, to rattlesnakes showing up in their RV, our terrified heroes quickly adopt the DTA (don't trust anyone) approach -- and ultimately end up being right.
There is no dark magic, no supernatural monsters. The evil around them comes in the form of seemingly everyday, normal-looking people.
After nearly an hour and a half of watching the two couples escape a network or small-town cultists chasing them through the desert, including one really intense car chase, the nightmare seems to be over at last as they pull over due to damaged headlights and celebrate their escape -- only to have the film ending with the couples hear the cultists chanting outside and light a ring of fire around the RV, trapping them inside while the chanting continues. There is no salvation for them as just about everyone they encountered in the film ends up being a part of the satanic cult.
Watching this terrifying ending made me first realize that not all films always have a happy ending. The same thing with the real world.
(8) Friday The 13th -- Swamp Boy Jason Jump Scare
The Friday The 13th movie franchise is probably one of the most iconic slasher film genres. One cannot think of horror films without a reference to the hockey mask wearing, machete wielding Jason Voorhees....except it didn't exactly start out that way.
Hardcore horror fans know that it was in fact Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees (played brilliantly by actress Betsy Palmer) who was the original killer in the first film. Jason himself didn't show up until the 1981 sequel, Friday The 13th Part 2.
Actually no, that is not entirely true. Jason did in fact make one very brief, but certainly unforgettable mark in the original Friday The 13th.
Having decapitated the murderous Mrs. Voorhees, surviving camp councilor Alice (actress Adrienne King) boards and falls asleep inside a canoe, which floats out on Crystal Lake. Just as she wakes up the following morning, a young Jason pops up unexpectedly out of the lake and attacks her. She later awakens inside a hospital with the local sheriff deputy and hospital staff tending to her. When Alice asks about Jason, the officer says there was no sign of any boy, leaving a shocked Alice to say quietly, "Then he's still there." as the eerie lake is shown at peace.
Even today, first time watchers of the original Friday The 13th react with complete shock whenever the young Jason pops up out of the lake. I don't think anyone who was a child in the early 1980s will ever forget that particular introduction to one of slasher horror films most iconic killers.
(7) The Bad Seed (1956) -- Christine's Horrifying Realization
What else can be said about this 1956 classic about the original evil kid, Rhoda Penmark, except that this adaptation is brilliantly written and directed. There are no jump scares, no gore, or even any onscreen killings -- even though we do hear Leroy the groundskeeper roast to death.
No, what scares us the most about The Bad Seed is how this psychological thriller keeps our attention with a building suspense as Rhoda's troubled mother, Christine, (played brilliantly by actress Nancy Kelly) begins to suspect her perfect daughter, Rhoda, (Actress Patty McCormack) committed murder just to gain possession of a medal she felt she was denied. The buildup of suspense as we learn more and more about Rhoda's strange psychology, and Christine's descent into the dreadful realization that her daughter may be a murderer, keeps those watching on the edge of their seats wondering what will happen next.
The Bad Seed was likely one of the very first films to explore the topic of genetics and heredity being a factor in insanity. Patty McCormack's outstanding performance as the psychopathic child serial killer, Rhoda, is one of the most iconic in movie history.
Perhaps the most chilling moment in the movie comes about halfway through when Christine talks with her father, confronting him about a confusing dream/memory that has long haunted her since childhood. Her father finally reveals that he is not her biological parent, that she was adopted by him and his wife.
Already upset, though not shocked by this revelation, Christine's retelling of her dream, a repressed memory resurfacing, leads to the horrified realization that she is actually the daughter of a notorious serial killer. The freakout that follows is gut-churning in its delivery.
This moment still makes me want to get up and leave the room until the scene is over. The horrified look on Christine's face and her emotional collapse following the revelation of her true parentage and what she might have passed onto her daughter, is one of those terrifying moments that never quite goes away after you watch it.
(6) The Thing (1982) -- The Dog Kennel Scene
If you are a dog lover, like I am, then this next one you might wanna skip.
John Carpenter's remake of the 1951 classic The Thing From Another World has more than its share of gruesome and terrifying moments. None more so than the infamous dog kennel scene.
After rescuing and kenneling a seemingly innocent sled dog, the other dogs go crazy realizing that it is no dog. The alien creature soon metamorphoses and starts to absorb the station dogs in a very gruesome way. This disturbance alerts the rest of the polar team and actor Keith David's Childs' character uses a flamethrower to incinerate the Dog-Thing creature.
As a really young kid, I had to cover my eyes at this part because I hated seeing the dogs being killed by the creature. Obviously I know now that no animals were actually harmed and that the creature in the movie is a very well done practical special effect. Still, every time I watched this scene to this day I am reminded of how I felt that day in 1983, at the tender age of 7, when I first saw this horrifying moment with my parents.
(5) Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982) -- Ending Scene
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| Turn that commercial off! I can't stand hearing that f*cking Silver Shamrock song anymore!!! |
When Halloween III: Season of the Witch first came out, it angered many franchise fans by excluding the now legendary slasher film character Michael Myers. In the years since, it has developed a cult following as more and more fans have come to realize how awesome the film really is. It’s truly a unique standalone film with an ending that’s probably freakier than any of the other flicks in the series.
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| Yeah, I was eating popcorn the first time I saw this part too. |
His only hope is to convince the TV station managers to cut the broadcast. Though he manages to get it removed from two channels, it remains playing on a third, with the film ending with a horrified Challis screaming for them to stop it.
Oh well, if anything those who died were spared ever having to listen to that creepy Silver Shamrock song again. The rest of us aren't so fortunate.
(4) Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) -- Do You Wanna See Something Really Scary?
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| Eh, I've seen worse. |
One of the first really scary scenes I ever watched that truly kept me up at night after seeing it was the famous opening scene of Twilight Zone: The Movie, a four part anthology movie based on the original 1959 television series.
Two men are in a car driving along a lonely country road late at night. The conversation turns to what episodes of The Twilight Zone they found most scary. The passenger then asks, "Do you want to see something really scary?" and says to pull over. He turns into a monster and attacks the driver.
As horrifying as listening to actors Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brook singing along with "Let The Midnight Special" by Credience Clearwater Revival in a car was moment before, that little jump scare was enough for 8 years old me to keep the lights on at night for days after seeing it.
Strangely the rest of the movie didn't bother me at all.
(3) Creepshow (1982) -- I Want My Cake!
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| "Where's my cake! I want my cake!" |
Speaking of horror anthology films, I don't think there is a single member of my generation of 80s kids who didn't develop some form of night terror after watching the first Creepshow anthology movie.
Every story in the movie Creepshow is pretty damn terrifying. This movie has it all: walking corpses, killer cockroaches, a guy turning into a plant, and creepy monsters in hidden crates. Add to that an outstanding cast of actors leading each story and you have one of the best things that 80s horror ever produced.
The sequels, not so much.
Out of all the stories, the first story, Father's Day, written by Stephen King, is the one that really REALLY made me afraid of cemeteries for a very long time as a kid, where the rotting, maggot-infested corpse of the family patriarch comes back from the dead and slowly kills the daughter who drunkenly confesses to having killed him years before.
I saw this when I was 7, so it was a couple of years before I ever got out of the family car whenever we visited dead relatives at the cemetery.
(2) John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness (1987) -- All The Dream Sequences
"This is not a dream. Not a dream. We are using your brain's electrical system as a receiver. We are unable to transmit through conscious neural interference. You are receiving this broadcast as a dream. We are transmitting from the year one, nine, nine, nine. You are receiving this broadcast in order to alter the events you are seeing. Our technology has not developed a transmitter strong enough to reach your conscious state of awareness, but this is not a dream. You are seeing what is actually occurring for the purpose of causality violation."
This cult-classic horror film directed by John Carpenter is perhaps best remembered by 80s and 90s kids for this eerie dream sequence which includes an ominous, static-filled message and a weird visual scene where a shadowy, demonic figure is seen emerging from a church. The hazy transmission, which resembles a fever dream formed from VHS-static and disorientating camera moves. This scene changes slightly with each occurrence of the dream throughout the film, revealing progressively more details to the dreamer. The deeply distorted narration of the transmission each time instructs the dreamer that they are witnessing an actual broadcast from the future, and they must prevent this possible outcome from happening.
To create the surreal, otherworldly look of the transmission message from the future, Carpenter first shot the sequence on video, then filmed it from a TV set. The end result looks appropriately nightmarish. It feels like a genuine nightmare.
Despite the weird premise, this film is, in my humble opinion, one of his most underrated in terms of delivering sheer terror. This scene alone was chilling and even today, has a seriously dark and ominous feel. The demonic, silhouetted figure moving his arms a bit is terrifying as hell. Today it would be a CGI demon or something that looked ridiculous and probably cost about $2 million to animate.
Thank you for the nightmares, Mr. Carpenter!
(1) Salem's Lot Miniseries (1979) -- The Jail Scene
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| Peek-a-boo! |
I am now 44 years old and this movie/mini-series still terrifies me as much now as it did when I first saw it in 1982 at age 7. The two-part miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King probably stole more sleep from me as a child than any horror character in
existence.
Holy shit this movie scared the f*ck outta me!
Holy shit this movie scared the f*ck outta me!
Long before garbage like Twilight when vampires became sparkly emos attracted to frigid teenage girls with no personality, they were portrayed as truly frightening undead monsters.
Actor Reggie Nadler's horrifying vampire character, Kurt Barlow, has a terrifying look that serves as an outstanding nod back to the classical vampire style of Count Orlok's Nosferatu. With the possible exception of the former, he's probably the most scary looking vampire put to film. Ghastly, unsightly, and just evil as hell to look at -- this is what a vampire is supposed to look like folks!
Mr. Barlow is introduced to us in Salem's Lot in the now infamous jail cell scene where he unlocks the cell door with the wave of his hand and suddenly appears to the sleepy occupant with a jump scare that's timed perfectly with the sudden high-pitched blaring of the soundtrack. The man is so terrified he is scared beyond the ability to scream. The look on his face is priceless in its sheer terror.
Seven year old me was sitting close to the television watching this with my parents. When Barlow jumped up, I was so terrified I hugged my legs, buried my face in my knees, and screamed. My parents also jumped, which didn't make me feel any better at the time. The rest of the movie: flying vampire kids, crosses burning into skin, and the staking scene in the old house -- all of which kept coming back to my mind over and over again long after seeing this miniseries. It terrified me so bad, I didn't watch it again until I was about 17, and even then some of the vampire effects still creeped me the hell out.
Today, knowing what I know about the making of the scene, I can appreciate it for what it is and how it was filmed, but I will never forget my initial reaction to meeting the master.
So tell me, what did y'all think of my list? If y'all grew up in the 80s and 90s please let me know in the comments sections what horror movie moments scared y'all as kids.
Have a wonderful Halloween weekend, and y'all come back now, ya hear!
Today, knowing what I know about the making of the scene, I can appreciate it for what it is and how it was filmed, but I will never forget my initial reaction to meeting the master.
So tell me, what did y'all think of my list? If y'all grew up in the 80s and 90s please let me know in the comments sections what horror movie moments scared y'all as kids.
Have a wonderful Halloween weekend, and y'all come back now, ya hear!
