The Crier
Top Ten Creepy Movies That Don’t Suck
These are not just some of the scariest movies of all time. They’re also some of the best.
Mitch Margolis · Top Ten · Oct 28, 2007
Email
Facebook
Digg
NewsvineWith the abundance of brainless horror films released in recent years (Cabin Fever anyone? Anyone?), it’s sometimes easy to forget about the profoundly terrifying films out there. In no particular order, here are ten features you might find worth your while:
- F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu – The first unofficial attempt to bring Bram Stoker’s Dracula to the screen, director F.W. Murnau was forced to rename the characters because he was unable to obtain the rights to the novel from Stoker’s widow. Hailed as a masterpiece of German Expressionism, several scenes, including the vampire’s famous awakening aboard a ship, will keep even the passive viewer engrossed.
- Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining – Adapted from the novel by Stephen King, Kubrick constantly blurs the boundary between reality and hallucination, sanity and insanity, in an eerie, isolated hotel. Jack Nicholson’s perverted performance alone justifies the rental cost.
- Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds – No description necessary for Hitchcock’s classic thriller. Although the special effects don’t hold up when compared to modern day films, this latter half of this movie relies on the very absence of these effects to create its gasping horror. Try to spot one of Hitchcock’s renowned cameos.
- Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko – What could be better for Halloween than teen angst, human-sized, eyeless rabbits, and black holes? Avoid the director’s cut like the plague to truly enjoy the non-linear Donnie Darko experience in all its confusing glory
- William Friedkin’s The Exorcist– Directing elevates the classic horror premise – of a person possessed by the devil – into something much more sinister. While the setting may stagnate, the satanic insanity never lets the viewer down. If the power of Christ compels you to see this film, go after a light lunch, as you might lose yours.
- Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf– Sven Nyqvist’s typically stark cinematography complements this film’s Gothic setting. One of Bergman’s many movies filmed on the island of Faro where he lived and had his own production studio.
- Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead – Spiderman director’s first feature film is notorious for the low budget and lackluster acting. Still, the tongue-in-cheek “teens take a weekend getaway to a cabin in the woods” script combined with extremely gory special effects make this film simultaneously funny and a profoundly unsettling.
- Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby – Polanski’s psychological thriller replaces onscreen gore with off-screen suspense just below the surface. By expertly exploiting seemingly ordinary situations, the viewer is immersed in evil that comes too close to home. And, of course, Rosemary’s baby is the devil.
- George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead– Romero takes the typical “zombies on a rampage” and turns it on end. Don’t expect any happily-ever-after endings from this one. Roger Ebert has an interesting write-up on his reaction after seeing the movie for the first time, including his take on violence in the media.
- Rob Reiner’s Misery– Reiner, with credits ranging from This is Spinal Tap to When Harry Met Sally, takes on the horror genre with this adaptation of a Stephen King novel. He tells the story of a famous author (James Caan) who, after a car accident, is rescued by a fan (Kathy Bates). From there things get a little neurotic. Features a scene as shocking as Necto Factory Night.
* * *