scary shit
I meant to do this earlier, but technically there are still ten minutes left, so I feel okay. Anyway.
In honor of Halloween, here are a few things that have legitimately freaked my shit out:
Now, there were some guidlines: these aren't just horror movies/TV/books that I liked, or that gave me chills while watching them. These are ones that probably freaked me out on initial viewing (or, actually, that's not necessarily true), but then stayed with me for days (or weeks, or in one case even months), more or less furthering my general paranoia. Let's get started.
1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This book has given me more than my fair share of nightmares over the years. It is atmospheric as hell, and beautifully written with fully developed characters. And oh man, that part where Theo & Eleanor hear the pounding on the walls, and then the doors start to bend inward...*shudder*
2. The Blair Witch Project
This is one that was creepy but not particularly, like, terrifying when I saw it in the movie theater. And then I went home, and tried to go to sleep. That image of the dude in the corner is hard to get out of your head, man. Sadly, it has been lampooned so much that it's hard to remember what an effective ghost story it was.
3. 'Blink', Doctor Who
We all knew this was gonna be on here, right? I mean, I've talked about it enough times as arguably my favorite DW episode of all time (with Sally Sparrow rocketing to the top of my girl crush list), and one of the few TV shows that actually made me jump out of my chair. I mean, JUST LOOK AT IT HOLY SHIT.
4. The Shining by Stephen King
I talk a lot of crap about Stephen King (mostly because of his douchey EW column), but he started out as an incredibly creepy, kind of disturbed storyteller. The movie version is unsettling enough, but oh man, the book. I made the mistake of reading this while I was home sick from school, during one of our snowfalls, while taking cold medication. What a stupid idea. I don't think the hotel that I created my head could ever have been truthfully reproduced on screen.
5. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, directed by Roman Polanski
This is an instance where both the book and the movie freaked me out equally. Roman Polanski's movie is completely disorienting, making it hard to tell what is actually happening and what is being imagined. There's also the element of having these people you trust - your doctor and your freaking husband - well, messing you up. The book, too, is nightmarish at best. The "dream" sequence where Rosemary is raped - my god, try getting that image out of your head.
6. 'Hush', Buffy the Vampire Slayer
OK. Pretty much you just have to look at picture to figure out why this is so damn scary.
7. Scream
Generally the slasher/blood-and-guts horror movies don't have much of an effect on me. Maybe I'll jump a little at the BOO! moments, but for the most part I more or less forget them an hour or two later. But this one - oh goodness. It's mostly down to that opening scene, which is one of the greatest horror movie openings of all time, in my opinion. "I'd like to know who I'm looking at." "...What?..." "I like to know who I'm talking to." "That's not what you said!..." Chills. The mask, though. That's the clincher. I still flinch every time I see someone wearing it.
8. The Strangers
Okay, this one might get long. Because it's still fairly new, I'm gonna spoiler-tag any specific examples that I use. Just highlight to read.
Actually, I'm not even sure what to say about this one. I don't know if any movie has ever had this kind of lasting effect on me. The absolutely unrelenting torture of these two people is horrifying. Not only that, but it's a legitimately fantastic movie. The director uses a few horror movie cliche's, but puts a twist on them so you don't always see them coming, and you don't really care when you do. The use of music is perfect, and the initial spooks are just so simple yet totally effing scary. For instance, there's a scene where Liv Tyler's character, Kristin, knocks the fire alarm off of the ceiling in an attempt to turn it off. It falls to the floor, and she leaaves it there. About fifteen minutes later she comes back into the room, and the fire alarm has been moved from the floor to the chair. It's this very subtle thing that manages to make you go "O.M.F.G.!!!". There's other things, but I don't feel like writing a novel here. I'll just mention one other thing I really dig about the movie: the director sets it up almost as a drama from the beginning; we're dropped right into the middle of a disagreement this couple is having, making you immediately invested in the characters. It's another small thing that makes a big difference.
Anyway, there you go. I don't know if anyone actually reads these or gives a shit, but I'm gonna keep making lists, because they entertain me, and these are literally the only interests that I have in life. If you really don't want to read them, let me know, and I'll make a filter.
In honor of Halloween, here are a few things that have legitimately freaked my shit out:
Now, there were some guidlines: these aren't just horror movies/TV/books that I liked, or that gave me chills while watching them. These are ones that probably freaked me out on initial viewing (or, actually, that's not necessarily true), but then stayed with me for days (or weeks, or in one case even months), more or less furthering my general paranoia. Let's get started.
1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This book has given me more than my fair share of nightmares over the years. It is atmospheric as hell, and beautifully written with fully developed characters. And oh man, that part where Theo & Eleanor hear the pounding on the walls, and then the doors start to bend inward...*shudder*
2. The Blair Witch Project
This is one that was creepy but not particularly, like, terrifying when I saw it in the movie theater. And then I went home, and tried to go to sleep. That image of the dude in the corner is hard to get out of your head, man. Sadly, it has been lampooned so much that it's hard to remember what an effective ghost story it was.
3. 'Blink', Doctor Who
We all knew this was gonna be on here, right? I mean, I've talked about it enough times as arguably my favorite DW episode of all time (with Sally Sparrow rocketing to the top of my girl crush list), and one of the few TV shows that actually made me jump out of my chair. I mean, JUST LOOK AT IT HOLY SHIT.
4. The Shining by Stephen King
I talk a lot of crap about Stephen King (mostly because of his douchey EW column), but he started out as an incredibly creepy, kind of disturbed storyteller. The movie version is unsettling enough, but oh man, the book. I made the mistake of reading this while I was home sick from school, during one of our snowfalls, while taking cold medication. What a stupid idea. I don't think the hotel that I created my head could ever have been truthfully reproduced on screen.
5. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, directed by Roman Polanski
This is an instance where both the book and the movie freaked me out equally. Roman Polanski's movie is completely disorienting, making it hard to tell what is actually happening and what is being imagined. There's also the element of having these people you trust - your doctor and your freaking husband - well, messing you up. The book, too, is nightmarish at best. The "dream" sequence where Rosemary is raped - my god, try getting that image out of your head.
6. 'Hush', Buffy the Vampire Slayer
OK. Pretty much you just have to look at picture to figure out why this is so damn scary.
7. Scream
Generally the slasher/blood-and-guts horror movies don't have much of an effect on me. Maybe I'll jump a little at the BOO! moments, but for the most part I more or less forget them an hour or two later. But this one - oh goodness. It's mostly down to that opening scene, which is one of the greatest horror movie openings of all time, in my opinion. "I'd like to know who I'm looking at." "...What?..." "I like to know who I'm talking to." "That's not what you said!..." Chills. The mask, though. That's the clincher. I still flinch every time I see someone wearing it.
8. The Strangers
Okay, this one might get long. Because it's still fairly new, I'm gonna spoiler-tag any specific examples that I use. Just highlight to read.
Actually, I'm not even sure what to say about this one. I don't know if any movie has ever had this kind of lasting effect on me. The absolutely unrelenting torture of these two people is horrifying. Not only that, but it's a legitimately fantastic movie. The director uses a few horror movie cliche's, but puts a twist on them so you don't always see them coming, and you don't really care when you do. The use of music is perfect, and the initial spooks are just so simple yet totally effing scary. For instance, there's a scene where Liv Tyler's character, Kristin, knocks the fire alarm off of the ceiling in an attempt to turn it off. It falls to the floor, and she leaaves it there. About fifteen minutes later she comes back into the room, and the fire alarm has been moved from the floor to the chair. It's this very subtle thing that manages to make you go "O.M.F.G.!!!". There's other things, but I don't feel like writing a novel here. I'll just mention one other thing I really dig about the movie: the director sets it up almost as a drama from the beginning; we're dropped right into the middle of a disagreement this couple is having, making you immediately invested in the characters. It's another small thing that makes a big difference.
Anyway, there you go. I don't know if anyone actually reads these or gives a shit, but I'm gonna keep making lists, because they entertain me, and these are literally the only interests that I have in life. If you really don't want to read them, let me know, and I'll make a filter.