Sunday, August 12, 2012

Especially For Those Who Have Requested: Another List of My Top Favorite Horror/Scary Movies


After a lot of requests that I do another post on my favorite horror movies....here it is. I must say though in the past couple of years I have not acquired as many all time favorite horrors as I have since, say...the 80's! So I've put together another list, in no particular order, just so you know. Horror Movies (well, movies in general) are an absolute favorite past time of mine besides writing. Not a single friend of mine (or anyone that knows me I might add) understands my obsession with them. But it's not to be understood, I suppose. However, when you meet someone that shares that same interest, there is no denying that there is something that entraps us all and won't let go. Whether it's fear, an interest in death, the excitement and thrill, or whatever grabs a hold of you while watching and/or reading. 
Hope you enjoy my list! A lot of these movies you guys are going to have to go to a real movie store to find and now days...they have decided to take those away from us! I could not be more dissatisfied with RED BOX! How are we suppose to get the good classics anymore! Rant over...Ready?



THE SIXTH SENSE:  (1999) - "Do you ever feel the prickly things on the back of your neck? And the tiny hairs on your arms...you know when they stand up? That's them. When they get mad...it gets cold."  I could not be more serious when I say that this movie scared me so much that I could not watch it again for years. Especially when the little girl appeared in the little boys tent. I am a huge Bruce Willis fan anyway, and I think he did a great job. This movie could not have had a more "hmm...are you serious!" twist at the end! This is a must see for anyone who has been living under a rock since 1999! 



Stir of Echoes: (1999) - "It comes and goes. Some people have it for give seconds. Some their whole lives. He's a receiver now. He can't stop it, he can't slow it down, he can't even figure it out. He get a glimpse of something, but not enough to know what it is. Just enough to know it's there." 
If your anything like me,you believe hypnosis is one of the most interesting medical procedures to explore the open mind. And think of the possibilities of what you could be susceptible to after your mind as been opened? As there will be many times I say I'm someone's fan, I'm without a doubt...a fan of Kevin Bacon. I think he's an exceptional actor. Tremors..Flatliners...FOOTLOOSE...what has he done that wasn't good? Must see film people! Must see! 


Rose Red: (2002) - "Rose Red won't let you have what you want, Joyce. It won't let anyone have what they want. Ellen Rimbauer designed it to break hearts as hers was broken, to hurt as she was hurt."  Yes folks..another Stephen King masterpiece. I love anything to do with haunted houses. But put together a bunch of people with different psychic abilities such as seeing things before they happen, seeing the past/dead, being a mind reader, psychokinesis (moving stuff with your mind) inside this very haunted home that builds on it's own...and you come out with one of the best haunted house movies! Not much of a heard of cast but they got the job done! 



Near Dark:(1987) - "Caleb, those people back there, they wasn't normal. Normal folks, they don't spit out bullets when you shoot 'em!"  " Howdy, I'm gonna separate your head from your shoulders. Hope you don't mind none!"  AND my personal favorite  {Sucking blood off his fingers} "It's finger-lickin' GOOD!"   Okay y'all...seriously. If you want to watch a really good vampire movie...this is it. It is one of my very favorites and happened to have been a favorite of my dad's as well. (That and From Dust till Dawn, and although George Clooney has my heart, it does not make MY list.) 





Arachnophobia: (1990) - "In this first generation, the original male also produced a queen, and together they will construct a primary nest which the queen will guard. But eventually, she will create reproductive offspring on her own. And when that happens, this town is dead...and the next town...and the next town...and the next one, and so on."  Key word in this: Spiders. End of freaking story! By the way, I would like to mention I once had one crawling on my chin while me and my husband were lying in bed talking one night. I felt that....feeling. You know which one I'm talking about? The one you get when you feel something spiddery crawling on you and your all of a sudden consumed with complete and utter fear while reaching up to put your hand on what it is that is crawling on you only to feel that....WIGGLE. I screamed...my husband screamed...the bulldog screamed. It was NOT a pretty sight!


 The Skeleton Key: (2005) - Caroline: "But I heard this magic can't hurt you. It can't hurt you if you don't believe. Hallie: "Then I suggest you leave that house, before you do." 
This was such an awesome movie that definitely leaves you on the edge of your seat...or perhaps hiding your eyes with your hands like I do when in suspense. It does not hurt that I am a HUGE (shocker here) Kate Hudson fan..AND probably the biggest New Orleans, LA fan in it's history of anyone who has ever loved such a historic place! Everything about the history of voodoo is interesting to me. New Orleans is also where my husband and I married...so I suppose we "could have" brought back with us, a curse or two! It just won't take effect if we don't believe....right?

 The Strangers: (2008) - Kristin "Why are you doing this to us?" Pin-Up Girl "Because you were home."  I know from listening to what other's thought about this movie that you have to watch it for yourself to decide whether or not your going to like it. Yes it's one of those, You CANNOT take other people's word for it. HUGE Liv Tyler fan (ha I had to and yes it's true) but other than that, this movie truly preys on one of my many biggest fears...that someone is going to try to break in and torture me by scaring me shitless till they finally kill me type of situation - WHILE I'm home alone. THIS movie is the VERY reason that if I am at home at night by myself...every single light in the house is ON, ALL kitchen knives ARE assessable and I'm close to a phone at all times. YES I'm anal. But I've watched scary movies all my life, so I have good reason to be. 





Candyman: (1992) - "If you look in the mirror and say his name 5 times, he'll appear behind you breathing down your neck."  Candyman to Helen: "Why do you want to live? If you would learn just a little from me, you would not beg to live. I am a rumor. It is a blessed condition..to be whispered about at street corners..to live in other people's dreams, but not to have to BE. Do you understand? Your death will be a tale to frighten children, to make lovers cling closer in their rapture. Come with me, and be immortal."   Of course this was a favorite of mine growing up. And OF COURSE me and my friends tried it several times...just for the thrill! Candyman scared me. He was definitely right when he stated he was a "rumor" and a "tale to frighten." Yes..indeed..he was.

 May: (2002) - "I"ve always said, If you can't find a friend, make one." And she meant it in the literal sense! Wanna know WHY I included this movie? Because this chick is crazy! I've met really weird girls like her before that you just have no clue whatsoever what they might be capable of. They say weird stuff, do weird stuff, LOOK like an ax murderer...and what in the world do they do do at home? What's worse is you know they live alone. Well, this chick has one friend...a doll. A weird creepy looking doll. And then she goes bat shit crazy and starts cutting different parts she likes off of random people and sews it together..forming a body. "A friend." Because she's too freaking WEIRD to make real life human friends! I enjoyed this movie though...as weird as it was..it was creepy.



1408: (2007) - Gerald Olin: "We're very professional here. 1408 gets a light turn once a month. I supervise, the maids work in pairs. We treat the room as if it's a chamber filled with poison gas. We only stay 10 minutes and I insist the door stays open. But..a few years ago, a young maid found herself locked in the bathroom..and when we pulled her out, she was...."  Mike Enslin: "She was dead?" Gerald: "No. Blind. She had taken a pair of scissors and gouged her eyes out. She was laughing hysterically."  Do I really even need to mention Stephen King wrote this? Or that it's awesome? Or how about the fact that I, Amber Turner, am a HUGE John Cusack fan! (One Crazy Summer, Say Anything, Sixteen Candles, CONAIR, Identity, Serendipity) and that's only naming a COUPLE of movies he was awesome in. Thank you very much HUSBAND of mine who said he didn't play in any good movies! What? MOVING ON... (btw...if you haven't seen this movie...do so. Now.) 






Paranormal Activity: (2007) - "I said don't mess with that stuff Mickah, because it scares me and what do you do? You go out and get the best looking Ouija Board I've ever seen and you sit it in the middle of the living room!" Okay, above all else, when I first watched this movie, I was scared to death to go to sleep at night. I just knew that some unseen force was going to grab me by my ankles and yank me out of bed. Yes I'm serious. This paranormal stuff scares the crap out of me...probably above all else. (besides crazy people who torture you) Because you can't see it until it's IN your room and killing you and there is nothing you can do to run from it. I enjoyed all the others too and will shortly be enjoying Paranormal Activity 4 in October AT THE THEATER with my HUSBAND who will be taking me. ( and to Twilights: Breaking Dawn Part II a couple weeks later as well...just putting that out there.)
The Exorcist: (1973):
Demon: "What an excellent day for an exorcism."
Father Damien "You would like that?"
Demon: "Intensely."
Father Damien "But wouldn't that drive you out of Regan?"
Demon: "It would bring us together."
Father Damien: "You and Regan?"
Demon: "No. You and us."
Okay, so I was at least 25 years old before I ever watched The Exorcist for the first time. Why you ask? My mother forbid it! And I knew as soon as I watched it..why that was. I can't tell you which part of the movie scared me more. Or how worried I was that possession was really true and then I found that mainly Catholics fall under the possession criteria and relaxed. I'm non-demoninational. I'm safe. Right? 

Honorable Mentions:
1. Witchboard I and II 1990-1993:  This is an old favorite of mine growing up. A movie me and my friends would rent, watch and try and re enact. Yes I've played with Ouija Boards in my childhood and once when I was a teenager. I'm almost positive some or all of us was moving it and apparently it didn't "open a door" to let spirits in...at least..I don't think it did.
2. The Gate 1987: This was such a good horror movie! Talk about opening a door to unleash hell on Earth! I must have watched this movie at least a hundred times and still would...if I could still find it! Not necessarily one of those movies that will scare the pants off of you, but it's creepy enough. 
3. April Fools Day 1986: Okay, there have been many many remakes of this movie and they really should just stop. Nothing is going to compare to how awesome I thought the original was. And the twist at the end? AWESOME! Definitely a horror/thriller and besides Friday the 13th, April 1st happens to be another favorite day of mine! (Hey you get to trick everyone and it's okay because it's April Fools Day, ya know!) If you haven't seen this Original...you should do that. Soon.
4. Vamp (1986) and American Psycho (2000):  My last two y'all. (for now) Vamp was another really great vampire movie who had a great 80's cast consisting of Chris Makepeace (you might remember him as one of the bullies that played on Weird Science) Billy Drago, Sandy Baron, and Gedde Watanbe (the little chinese dude that played on Sixteen Candles) Okay, I'm a HUGE 80's fan! It's not so much scary as it is a little creepy with some definite wit! Now...I added American Pyscho for one reason: 

Christian Bale. I love him. His acting, his looks...the way his mouth does that weird thing when he talks like he might have had a slight speech impediment when he was younger. And Batman? He did the best Batman by far! But back to his role in American Psycho. Dude was crazy. I found it humorous beyond measure. While watching The Dark Knight Rises...there were a few times I had to make myself stop imagining that he had blood all over his face. Like this: 


 I had such a good time writing this post and hope you guys have enjoyed it. I love movies. To say I'm a movie buff is an understatement. If I could just be a movie reviewer...that would be the most awesome job ever. So for now you guys, this is it. I'm trying to work on a few things (an excerpt) to a short story (A Novella, mind you) that I am in the process of writing. In the meantime...I have to mention a few movies that are in the making and a few that will be in theaters soon and or/ will be coming out on dvd:  The Cabin in the Woods: set to come out on dvd on September 18th! Cannot wait for this one and it's been a while it seems since I first saw the previews for it. The Apparition: Set to come out in theaters August 24th. I will be there! Chernobyl Diaries: The DVD Release date for this one comes out October 16th! This is the one I want to see the most I think and it's the one I'm going to have to wait the longest to see it seems! Area 407: I THINK but I'm not sure that this one comes out in October of this year as well.  THE POSSESSION: Cannot wait for this one! Yes another "Based on True Events" Possession movie: Comes out in theaters August 31st.  

And as if the fact that all is not lost (yet) on the making of horror movies...Rob Zombie is doing another one called "Lords of Salem" and yes it takes place in another one of my favorite towns Salem, Mass! It's release date is undecided as of right now but it's in the making and that is all that matters to me right now! 

UNTIL NEXT TIME Y'ALL! ENJOY! 







4 comments:

  1. Hi Amber!

    Another brilliant post, as always!
    I'm also a huge fan of horror movies. I've seen a few that you've mentioned on your post, but I'd like to add a few more I've seen lately. You should really check The Woman in Black, with Daniel Radcliffe and REC, a spanish movie, one of the scariest I've ever seen. (I should mention I watched it on a stormy day!)

    I'm thinking about doing a post about horror movies, as well. I'll let know, 'cause I'd love your insight, as an expert :)

    Andreia

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always loved movies and being a movie reviewer would be the ideal job for me...unfortunately, unlike you, I'm a terrible reviewer. :) This was a real joy to read, thanks, haven't seen some of these movies yet but I'll check them out at some point. "The Descent" would be top of my list along with "Requiem for a dream."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading my blog! Non, you might be a great reviewer....ya never know! And I had in good mind to include The Descent I and II because it made such an impression on me but I had to stop somewhere and I'm no where near done! There's more to come. Andreia...I have not seen REC. I've wanted to but I watched the American version "Quarantine" instead and enjoyed it immensely! It was very scary to me and from what I've heard, REC is even scarier so I'm going to have to check it out. Yes, I've watched The Woman in Black. It was very good and a nice change from all the found footage, possession type movies they are prone to doing now days. Not that I don't enjoy a lot of them but nothing beats a good old fashioned ghost story! Thanks again guys. I always look forward to your feedback.

    ReplyDelete