Sunday, October 24, 2010
"Scariest" My Ass
Stumbled onto Boston.com's list of the 50 Scariest Movies last week. Marked the ones I've seen with an X. Commentary and challenges follow the list.
50. Arachnaphobia
49. The Innocents (61)
x48. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
x47. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (71)
46. Wicker Man (73)
x45. The Blob (88)
x44. Rosemary's Baby (68)
x43. The Brood (79)
x42. Event Horizon
x41. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
x40. Eraserhead
x39. Amityville Horror (78)
x38. Pet Sematary
37. Open Water
x36. Nightmare on Elm Street (84)
x35. The Fly (86)
x34. 'Salem's Lot (79 - TV)
33. Gates of Hell (Italy 80)
32. Session 9
x31. In the Mouth of Madness
x30. Altered States
x29. Mothman Prophecies
x28. The Mist
x27. Videodrome
x26. Seven
25. War of the Worlds (53)
x24. Saw
23. Janghwa, Hongryeon (Korean 03)
x22. Silence of the Lambs
x21. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (74)
x20. Hellraiser
x19. The Changeling (80)
x18. 28 Days Later
x17. Labyrinto del Fauno (Mexico/Spain 2006)
x16. Jacob's Ladder
x15. Jaws
x14. The Exorcist (?!)
13. Quatermass and the Pit (68)
x12. Cloverfield (?!)
x11. The Shining (80)
10. Audition (Japan 99)
x9. Halloween (78)
x8. Evil Dead II (87) (?!)
7. Dawn of the Dead (78) (only in pieces, never all the way in one sitting)
x6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78)
x5. Alien
x4. The Ring (USA 2002) (?!)
3. Rec (Spain 2007)
x2. Juon (Japan 2000) (?!)
x1. The Thing (82)
Some great inclusions. The top of their list (John Carpenter's THE THING) is my favorite horror/sci-fi movie ever, definitely. Some of the movies on this list do deserve more respect and more viewers. But you really want me to believe that Evil Dead 2 is SCARIER THAN The Exorcist? Who are you trying to kid? The list undermines itself every time it redeems itself.
And what about...
...The Evil Dead? While Evil Dead 2 is basically a "do-over" of the first movie in many ways, it's a completely different approach. The first Evil Dead movie is SCARY. Terrifying in places, and the cheaper effects VERY MUCH add to that fright factor. Evil Dead would be on my list, but not Evil Dead 2.
... The Sentinel? Terrifying, but also disturbing in an exploitative way. One could perhaps include Tod Brownings's FREAKS in the same vein. But beyond the exploitation angle, The Sentinel also has a really creepy dichotomy about the role of guardian at the gates of Hell itself.
... Ringu? Including the American remake of Ringu, but dissing The Grudge, yet including Ju-on and not even mentioning Ringu? WTF? While I think all 4 films have their merits, and I do enjoy The Ring, skipping Ringu entirely is laughable and undermines some of their other good choices. Also, their discussion of the plot of the original Ju-on is a bit off, and ignores the entire last 20% or so of the movie.
... Friday the 13th? Seriously? Not ONE single movie in that franchise makes the cut, even though the other superhuman horror staples of the 80's (Elm St. and Halloween) both make it? I'm not a fan of these movies at all, and I've only seen 2 or 3 of them, but I'm kind of shocked. I found the story behind the origins of Jason Voorhees and his homicidal mother to be terrifying as a child. Given some of the other inclusions, this seems odd to me...especially things like Mothman Prophecies(!) and Pet Sematary.
... An American Werewolf in London? It's funny, but it's scary as hell in its own way, too. And the dead guy near the end of Pet Sematary sure seems to be riffing off this movie in a big way.
... Blair Witch, because it's "gimmicky"? And then to include Cloverfield? WTF? I wasn't so much "scared" as I watched Blair Witch, as I was tense and on the edge of my seat the entire time. Creeped out, for sure. It was a stressful film to watch, and it was one I hadn't anticipated correctly. Cloverfield was less stressful than annoying, most of the time. And if you want a film that at least seems more honest about how it handles "the characters are shooting documentary/mise en scene" - Diary of the Dead beats both these films, ultimately (though it's far less successful than either, I'd also argue - it's just more believable in this conceit).
... Sixth Sense? While I can understand wanting to distance one's list from Night's shenanigans, his first major film was spooky, with or without the twist. Perhaps the twist even undermines the fear factor, but that girl under the bed sure as hell didn't.
...Kaidan? Some of it feels dated, but there are some really spooky goings-on in this Japanese movie based on Lofcadio Hearn's documentation of Japanese horror folklore. Along these same lines, Kurosawa's DREAMS (Yume) has a couple of downright terrifying sequences.
... other Asian films - Eye? Shutter? Two very spooky movies (not from Japan or Korea) whose absence is obvious to anyone who has seen them. I'm ignorant of other choices, but I'm sure there are folks who can clue me in.
... Requiem for a Dream? Though it's not marketed as "horror," it's one of the most terrifying (and depressing) examples of film-making I've ever seen. It's also well-acted (by everyone, esp. Mr. Wayans) and has some of the most horrifying visual effects I've ever seen. The film version was also partially inspired/informed by a very creepy anime called Perfect Blue by the late, great Kon Satoshi. If we're going to include Altered States (a film I love, but hardly a staple of horror, and more along the lines of sci-fi than anything else), then it's pretty easy to argue for including Requiem.
... Mulholland Dr.? Or, for that matter, Lost Highway? Once you figure out what's happening in either of those films (it can take a few viewings), they're pretty scary. If we're going to include Eraserhead, then David Lynch's ouvre might need its own niche here. While most of his movies fit better into something like "gruesome noir" maybe, there's still a supernatural horrific presence in just about every one of his original films (except for the biopic The Straight Story, but even in the novel adaptation "Wild at Heart"). The Fungus-Faced Bum from Mulholland Dr. and the Mystery Man are pretty disturbing presences. Even Blue Velvet or Fire Walk With Me could fit here (Ben and his cronies, and the assorted residents of the Black Lodge!). I found Eraserhead far less "scary" than Mulholland Dr. and less creepy and tense than pretty much everything else I've mentioned here. Weird? Yes. Scary? Depends on what you're afraid of.
so sez Matt Duncan at 11:59 PM
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