There are scary movies and there are SCARY MOVIES. Scary movies are those that make you jump in your seat and cover your eyes (peeping between fingers) when you feel the scary part coming on. SCARY MOVIES (all caps) on the other hand, are those that haunt you long after you’ve left the cinema. They may not have made you scream in terror while you’re munching on your popcorn, but they made you wary shadows in dark alleyways, hold your breath when you hear something creaking in the house, and invade your thoughts when you can’t sleep at night.
Entertainment Weekly has made a list of what they consider to be the 20 Scariest Movies of All Time, and another listing the 20 Top Horror Films Since ’92. Since 40 would be an extremely long list, so you’ll only see 7 in o5‘s list.
Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock‘s Psycho is based on a novel by Robert Bloch, released in 1959, which was inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein, a murderer and grave robber from Wisconsin. The film features a troubled motel owner and a particularly horrific shower scene.
Trivia: Although Janet Leigh was not bothered by the filming of the famous shower scene, seeing it on film profoundly moved her. She later remarked that it made her realize how vulnerable a woman was in a shower. To the end of her life, she always took baths.
The Exorcist (1973)
William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name was actually inspired by a real exorcism that occurred in 1949. While in the film, the possessed child is a young girl named Regan, in the 1949 case, the possessed child is a young boy that has been given the pseudonym Roland Doe (to protect his identity).
Trivia: Upon its initial theatrical release the film affected many audiences so strongly that at many theaters, paramedics were called to treat people who fainted and others who went into hysterics.
The Shining (1980)
The Shining is a one of many films directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on Stephen King‘s novel of the same name although there are significant differences between the novel and the movie version of it.
Trivia: The image of the two girls in the hotel corridor was inspired by the photograph “Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967” by Diane Arbus.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The film, which successfully blended elements of crime and horror, was based on a 1988 novel of the same name, penned by Thomas Harris. It stars Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins and revolves around the “relationship” of serial killer Hannibal Lecter and FBI agent Clarice Starling.
Trivia: After being cast as Buffalo Bill, Ted Levine developed his character by reading profiles of serial killers. Levine later said he found the material very disturbing. Since Bill was a cross-dresser, he went to a few transvestite bars and interviewed some patrons.
Event Horizon (1997)
Set many years into the future, Event Horizon is a science-fiction horror/suspense film written by Philip Eisner. Though it did not do particularly well in the box office, those who have seen the film swear by its scariness.
Trivia: Dr. Weir shares his name with a historical figure, Johann Weyer, also known as Wier or Wierus. He was a Dutch physician, occultist, and demonologist.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Sixth Sense was released in 1999 and revolves around Cole Sear, a troubled boy who can see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist who tries to help him.
Trivia: The movie was rented by 80 million people in 2000 – making it the year’s top-rated tape and DVD title.
28 Days Later (2002)
28 Days Later is not your typical zombie flick. This one is set in the United Kingdom and the zombies are not walking dead people. Instead they are humans infected with a virus that makes them, well, zombie-like in appearance and demeanour, but they can run – and boy can they run fast!
Trivia: Athletes were cast as the Infected because of how important physicality is to them. Danny Boyle felt that since athletes can do things other people can’t, they would be interesting when translated into the movements of the Infected.
What are your favorite scary films?
Note:
All trivia lifted from www.IMDB.com