While Halloween has gone and past, the dark, cold fall weather still makes for a great time to watch a horror movie! Here is my list of the top 10 scariest horror films:
- The Shining
REDRUM! REDRUM! What can possibly be creepier than a demented Jack Nicholson, a crying Shelley Duvall and a little kid all trapped in a deserted hotel in the winter? Not much else, ladies! Everything is not as it seems at the Overlook. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy… collegiettes too! So take a break from studying for midterms and prepare to be scared.
- Psycho
This Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece set the standard for suspense films. Mother complexes are hardly fodder for feel good movies, but Norman Bates takes it to a whole new level… do not take a shower after you watch this!
- Rosemary’s Baby
A combination of Satanism and pregnancy.. sounds like a fun time for the whole family…NOT. Disturbing as it sounds just by the description alone, its way more frightening when you actually watch it. Roman Polanski’s first American film reminds us that sometimes the most chilling thing in life is normality.
- Carrie
High school is hell for most people, but at least you didn’t get a bucket of blood dumped on you at the prom… and that’s not even the freakiest thing about this flick. Piper Laurie’s role as the titular Carrie’s mom Margaret White will haunt your dreams, take it from personal experience. THEY’RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU.
- High Tension
Warning: High Tension is not for the faint of heart. This French film is gore galore! A college girl joins a friend and her family for a quiet vacation away from her busy life… you know this one won’t turn out well for anyone. An anonymous serial killer picks off the family one by one in the most gruesome of ways. You’ll need subtitles for this one, but it’s worth it!
- Silence of the Lambs
“It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” Gender confused serial killer Buffalo Bill baffles Jodie Foster and the FBI in Jonathan Demme’s 1991 Best Picture winner. You know this one’s a classic when notorious cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter isn’t the weirdest thing about it. If you’ve never heard the song “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus, prepare to have it etched into your memory along with one of the most disturbing scenes committed to film.
- The Descent
Remember how when you were little, you were afraid of the dark? Well you’re going to need a night light after this one. A group of girls go spelunking (because that’s totally a normal thing to do, right?!) and are terrorized by mysterious creatures that they can’t see, but can see them.
- Misery
Long story short… Kathy Bates is terrifying! You may think she’s ghastly on the current season of American Horror Story: Coven, but that’s child’s play compared to Misery. Kathy Bates + Stephen King = no sleep for anyone. Bates’ Annie holds her favorite author captive and sedated while she tortures him for killing off her favorite character. Funny, I don’t remember doing this when JK Rowling killed off Sirius Black…
- The Cabin in the Woods
Not so much a scary movie, more like a love letter to the horror genre. Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods takes what you think you know about how scary movies play out and turns it on its head. Trust me, you will not foresee where this movie will end up, and what its message says about humanity. Spoiler alert: we’re not worth saving.
- The Exorcist
Classics are classics for a reason. It may seem a little campy and low quality by today’s standards but can you imagine seeing this in its heyday? There is a reason people think children are terrifying and they have this movie to thank. THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU to give this oldie but goodie a chance this year.