Scared Straight! What Film Really Spooked You?

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cinemalover
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Scared Straight! What Film Really Spooked You?

Post by cinemalover »

We all have had films that scared or startled us at one point in our lives. Growing up and watching a lot of horror flicks on the tube i think the original Dracula bothered me the most. It always seemed to be shown really late (after 1am) and the house was dead quiet. A little spooky. As a young teenager all the hype and stories surrounding the release of The Exorcist creeped me out. There were some scenes in that movie that stayed with me for a long time. How about you, what movies got under your skin and stayed there?
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ken123
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Post by ken123 »

Jerry Lewis get and stay under my skin for alone time, and they are quite horr (ible ). :wink:

On a serious note:


It is NOT a horror film, but the original " CAPE FEAR ", especially the Robert Mitchum performance, really creeps me out. The DeNiro version is bad !
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

I saw two sci-fi/horror films in the theater (and in the dark, of course) as a child, and they both scared the stuffing out of me. I found scenes in them both much too intense for a little kid.

One was the early scenes in Rodan - scientists exploring a cave where the eggs of the monster are hidden. Sounds of water dripping, creepy squeaking noises, ominous music. Then the big flying thing coming at them from the absolute darkness of the cave, screeching.

The other was the climax of Forbidden Planet - the footsteps of the invisible monster visible in the dust as it sneaks up on the unsuspecting heroes - it becomes visible, roaring and screaming. And the electronic music/sounds throughout the film, which always creep me out to this day.

The first time I saw 2001 at the movies, the electronic/wordless vocal music used really made my flesh crawl. Whose was it? Ligeti, Stockhausen, or some other modern purveyors of unpleasant noises? Ghastly.
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Post by cinemalover »

JohnM,
I've never seen Exorcist 3. I saw Exorcist 2 once and it didn't do anything for me. The telling thing for me may be that I purchased a nice DVD copy of The Exorcist with all the bells and whistles, and it has been sitting on my shelf for two years without being touched. For some reason I have never chosen to pop it in the DVD player. After 30 plus years there may still be some lingering memories about that movie. Split pea soup never looked the same again!
Chris

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ken123
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Post by ken123 »

I find the Exorcist films to be a great bore. I have not been able to watch more than a few minutes of each. :wink:
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vallo
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Post by vallo »

I'd say 1963's The Haunting. Directed by Robert Wise.
I first saw this film on TV and it scared the heck out of me. No Blood , No Guts just Atmosphere. Doors Breathing, Crying,Camera Angles and Sound. What really spooks you is the thought of what's behind every corner. It stars Julie Harris as Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. Claire Bloom as Theodora the clairvoyant. Russ Tamblyn as Luke, who stands to inherit the house. And Richard Johnson as Dr. Markway, who is doing research to prove the existence of ghosts.
Wise uses sound to the extreme,without the use of special effects. Keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Based on Shirley Jackson's book "The Haunting of Hill House"

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Dewey1960
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Post by Dewey1960 »

Seeing certain films in the theater back in the 50s had a huge impact on me as a kid. The first film that really scared me out of my wits was THEM! the sci-fi horror shocker with James Whitmore and James Arness. The early scenes on the desert, especially after nightfall when the two cops investigate the demolished general store were unbearably scary to me then. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS about a year later creeped me out completely. I was checking under my bed for unwanted vegetation for months. In the 60s the two films that really got to me were PSYCHO and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Both first time experiences with those two were memorably terrifying. In the 70s it was THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, THE EXORCIST and ALIEN that worked me over. Nothing since then has affected me in quite the same way. Either I'm jaded or the films just aren't as good.
Last edited by Dewey1960 on April 26th, 2007, 4:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by bobhopefan1940 »

I once watched [/b]Silence Of The Lambs[/b] when I was a little girl, and it SCARED ME STRAIGHT! I went outside the same night to play with my dog, and wouldn't cross the yard I was so scared... I stayed there for the longest time clung to the neck of my pooch! :lol:
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Post by benwhowell »

I suppose there are many movies that give me a quick "fright," but I'm more "frightened" by psychological thrillers.
One of my favorites is "The Sixth Sense." I get "shivers" throughout this movie because the ghosts are more, uh, probable and thought provoking...I "feel" their anquish in suffering such horrible deaths...the woman killed by her abusive husband, the little boy shot as a result of playing with a hand gun and, especially, the little girl who's step-mother slowly poisoned her.
Haley Joel Osment adds to the overall eerie feel with a brilliant performance as the troubled little boy who has to see all these dead people. Toni Collette is great too as his confused, scared mother.
This movie is an ultimate roller coaster ride of emotions.
I love the autumn setting in Philadelphia -with the interiors bathed in warm colors...even the cinematography (with lots of close ups) is spooky.
Bruce Willis does a good job too...and the cameo by Donnie Wahlberg left me breathless.
I love the twist ending, but it is somewhat obvious. I figured it out right away-the first time I saw the movie.
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Post by Mr. Arkadin »

I guess probably the original Psycho (1960). I was also pretty young when I saw it (10-12?).

Interestingly, there's not really a lot of violence shown in the film. In the shower scene we never see the knife touch flesh and although we see blood, we don't see wounds. The cuts (over 80! :shock: ), sound effects, and score create the illusion. After this the violence is actually lessened yet this film continues to build.

It helps that Perkins does such a fine job here as well. The scene in the back parlor with Janet Leigh was certainly an Oscar worthy performance alone. There's also lots of little touches in the film that hieghten our perceptions of fear:

The birds in the parlor coincide with Marian's last name (Crane). She "eats" like a bird and Norman in his taxidermy style "stuffs" her before the kill.

When Norman discovers Marion in the bathroom he knocks the bird picture off the wall. Marion Crane has been bumped off!

The constant use of mirrors suggests a split personality. We see Marion looking in mirrors thoughout the film. Many shots are in profile with people mirroring each other, and Vera Miles does quite a double take when searching the Bates house and seeing her own reflection.

There are lots more, the rakes in the feed store over the heads, the puns on Norman's last name, etc.

All these things manipulate us as viewers and create the suspense. This is why many films which have tried to copy Psycho have failed. They assumed creating more graphic violence would make a better film. They never realized where fear begins--the mind.

Another similar film that shocked me quite a bit was Don't Look Now (1973). Here again fear is created and manipulated in the mind long before the end frames (where the only violence occurs). I was not allowed to watch that one at 12 though, because Julie Christie was actually naked unlike Janet Leigh!
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Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

Ben, Johnm: I loved The Sixth Sense. What pulled me in was seeing how someone's tragic death might affect the way the spirits wandered around in limbo and were unable to affect a transition to the next step on their spiritual journey.

The girl whose mother poisoned her was the most difficult to internalize.

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Post by MikeBSG »

The movie that scared me was the 1945 Ealing "Dead of Night." It started out creepy, with the bus story, the lost room story, and the mirror story, but then it became comic with the golf story.

The ventriloquist story started, and it looked as if it would be funny as well, but then it became very dark, and then the frame story became dark as well. This really got me when I was a kid.
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