Scar(r)ed for Life

Hey friends,

It didn't help when A Nightmare on Elm Street came out, and my uncle would scare me into thinking Freddy Kruger was hiding in my attic. He claimed the reflection I saw on the ceiling A/C vent were Freddy's eyes. The scratching noise on my window were Freddy's blades on his glove (it was just a tree!)

What all this did to me was sent me on a rebound action. Instead of being scared, I chose to prove to them I am not scared, and soon started watching scary movies. I watched with much earnest all horror movies like Omen, The Shining as well as The Exorcist. I also watched cheap b-grade horror movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Friday the 13th. I developed an affinity for Stephen King books, and before I knew it, I was a huge horror movie fan, till today.

So without further ado, here are my top 10 most scariest films of all time.

1. The Exorcist
I saw this for the first time when I was 12. Underaged to watch an R-rated film. I was so freaked out half way through as I was watching it alone at night, I had to stop the movie and finish it the following morning. It's supposedly based on a real life exorcism case, but what made it scary was the realism factor, the very life-like story, and to see the transformation of a sweet 12 year old into a demonic figure was too scary. Modern day horror films just cannot compete with The Exorcist in fear factor. In fact, the hospital scenes are scary enough. The Tubular Bells music is scary on its own!

Scariest Moment: The entire movie!
Fear Factor: 9/10

2. The Shining
A Stephen King classic. The story of Jack Torrance and his wife and son, who looks after a deserted hotel in the winter in the midst of snowy mountains. The creepy atmosphere, the haunting music and the scary transformation of Jack into a maniacal husband/ father wanting to chop off the heads of his wife/ son.

Scariest Moment: The image of Jack afetr he is frozen to death (that image was imprinted in my mind for a long time!)
Fear Factor: 9/10

3. The Omen (1977)
The first movie of its kind dealing with the Anti-Christ. The idea that an Anti-Christ would be born is very much real as mentioned in the Holy Books, so a movie based on that idea upped the fear factor.

Scariest Moment: When Robert finally opens the grave to discover that his adopted son was indeed a Jackal!
Fear Factor: 8/10


4. Rosemary's Baby
Another one that followed the similar theme based on Anti-Christ. The birth of the baby, the neighbors turning out to be Satan worshippers and the ending. It was the ending that made it all the more scary because the Anti-Christ is born and Rosemary loses her battle.

Scariest Moment: When Rosemary is led in a trance whereby she is raped by Satan
Fear Factor: 7/10

5. Carrie
Another Stephen King Classic. Carrie dealt with her life as she is tormented and bullied in school, but little do others realize Carrie has telekinetic powers, which is unleased at her prom after she is dumped on with pig's blood. It's outdated, but on it's own, it's scary enough.

Scariest Moment: Carrie's arm reaching out to grab her friend at her gravesite. Still freaks me out!
Fear Factor: 7/10

6. The Blair Witch Project
A very controversial choice for many, but a year before the movie was released the world was convinced of the legend of the Blair Witch through it's website. I too was caught up in it, and so when the movie came out, I watched it on a school night, all alone in the massive theatre. I was freaked out because I was led to believe the footage was all real. The ending totally freaked me out and I was not able to sleep that night as I went back home all alone.

Scariest Moment: The end where Heather enters the basement to see her friend Mike standing, facing the wall, when Heather is suddenly knocked out. *shivers*
Fear Factor: 9/10

7. The Silence of the Lamb
I had read the book, and I remember getting a shiver down my spine towards the end when Agent Starling is at the killer's house, and she sees a moth, which confirms to her she is facing the notorious serial killer! I panicked as I feared for Agent Starling! The movie captured that fear quite well. This movie is more of a psychological horror as it's all in the mind.

Scariest Moment: When Hannibal the Cannibal talks about what he did with a man: he hate his liver with chianti...!
Fear Factor: 7/10

8. It
A mini series based on Stephen King's massive novel. As a kid, this movie freaked me out because of the devlish clown. I never looked at a clown the way I used to after seeing this movie! I was convinced clows were people behind a disguise whose sole aim was to entice kids with balloons and treats to kill them! It dealt with the issue of fears kids have, and how that fear, if not taken care off carries on into the adult life too. These kids, come back to the town as adults to kill off that fear.

Scariest Moment: The opening scene where a kid has a conversation with the clown in the gutter. Next minute we know, the poor kid is dragged down the gutter through the narrow opening!
Fear Factor: 5/10

9. Prince of Darkness
A bunch of PhD Students investigate an old church where they find some water container, and slowly over time realize they are being used to bring Satan into the world. There is so much tension as the movie builds up to the finale. Will Satan be released into the world, or will our heros save the world? It's again an all too realistic and clever movie. The haunting music is enough to unsettle you.

Scariest Moment: Satan's hand coming out of the mirror...will he come out?
Fear Factor: 8/10

10. Misery
Misery is one of my all time favorite movie. Based on a novel by Stephen King of the same name, Misery is about a famed author who crashes his car in a remote mountainous area, where he is rescued and held hostage by his number one fan Annie. The whole sense of isolation, being held against your will in a lonely area by a crazed woman is scary enough. How the writer manages to hold his battle with Annie forms the rest of the story. There is a lot of tension and suspense in the movie, and everytime I watch it, I I still get tense and excited by it. There are only two main characters, and Annie is one crazy and scary woman to be around! (Annie played by Kathy Bates won best actress Oscar for her role!)

Scariest Moment: The “hobbling” scene, where Annie breaks the writer’s ankles with a sledgehammer.
Fear Factor: 8/10

Other Notable Mentions: Alien, The Thing, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, The Elephant Man, The Fly, Friday the 13th, The Sixth Sense, Reeker, Wolf Creek, The Descent

Mansur