Scariest Movie

[Auricauricle]

Who remembers Peter Jacksons' "The Firghteners". Starring Michael J. Foxx, The Frighteners is loaded with some of the best special effects seen in any movie, and has a story line that is entertaining and scary enough to please the most jaded ghost-story afficianado. Here's a link:

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3102867737/

[emesbee]

Who remembers Peter Jacksons' "The Firghteners". Starring Michael J. Foxx, The Frighteners is loaded with some of the best special effects seen in any movie, and has a story line that is entertaining and scary enough to please the most jaded ghost-story afficianado. Here's a link:

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3102867737/

I didn't find it scary at all. Somehow, when a movie is loaded with special effects it loses a lot of its scariness for me. I think the truly scary moments in movies are often achieved by simple effects, and the unexpected. For example, there is a scene in 'The Others' where a door suddenly slams shut by itself after someone has been gently pushing it back and forth. That made me almost jump out of my skin. Also, a scene in 'The Sixth Sense' where someone unexpectedly walks across the field of view accompanied by a sudden lod noise. A similar effect in 'The Village', where a figure suddenly walks underneath a lookout tower, also accompanied by a sudden load noise.

Don't get me wrong, I found 'The Frighteners' quite entertaining, but it wasn't frightening to me. It was more of a comedy, a bit like 'Ghostbusters' in a way.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I know The "Exorcist" is out of bounds, but I want to share my experiences with this one anyway. When the movie was released in '73, I worked as an usher at the local movie theater (which was a Playhouse in it's previous life). I had the unenviable task of working during it's run there so I stood through it 63 times. For those who don't know, an usher was the person with the flashlight who'd walk backwards down the aisle while shining the light on the floor before the moviegoer until he/she/they found seats to their liking (when possible).

Anyway, during this run and because virtually every show was a sellout, midnight shows were added. Well, guess what? There were times when I'd have to work these which meant I didn't leave the theater until about 2 in the morning. As I was too young for a driver license, I'd have to walk home... ALONE! Walking through the dark parking lot was very scary for me, and if you compound that with the fact that the Catholic church had a history of performing exorcisms, you can imagine the dread I faced everytime I left the theater. The walk was only about a mile, but that was no consolation. My only solace was that my church was along the way and I was able to cut through between the church and the school on my way home. I particularly remember running from the theater and not stopping until I got to the church, and then running home from there, on more than one occasion. I was about 15 years old at the time. No movie I've watched since has affected me like that experience did.

[Auricauricle]

Em: I reckon I was a little excessive when I said that Frighteners was scary. Compared with traditional ("authentic") ghost stories like The Sixth Sense, Salem's Lot, and The Others, Frighteners is purely a special effects driven yarn. Still it was a good one and a fun ride to boot.

Rich: Geez, Rich. It's amazing how these shows get under our skin. Exorcist was not only scary it was downright disturbing. Very few movies have this quality, save David Cronenberg's: they always creep me out (that's why I diggum).

I remember when Blatty's book was one of those that seemed to be read and owned "in secret". When my mother read it, she made sure that it was well-hidden amid a pile of other books, well out of sight from the impressionable children. Same thing at the neighbor's: they kept their's high on a shelf near a bust of Pallas at the chamber door....

[Rich-n-Texas]

I don't recall one show not being sold out. Another usher duty was cleaning up after the movie. Up until the Exorcist, it was usually just a spilled container of popcorn here and some squished Milk Duds there, but things changed disgustingly during its run at The Westmont movie theater. :vomit: <== literally!

[topspeed]

I believe you, Rich. There was a very interesting bio on The Exorcist on a show called "Movies That Changed The World" that showed people coming out of the movie crying and hysterical. I had no idea that the Catholic Church was suprisingly for this movie. They felt society needed a shock to the system and officially deemed it a very spiritual movie. I was also unaware the movie was banned in many areas.

Sure, they ban this movie but allow the stupidity that is the Saw series to go on and on.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I'll probably never forget my experiences during my time at that movie theater. And that was 35 year ago.

[emesbee]

I believe you, Rich. There was a very interesting bio on The Exorcist on a show called "Movies That Changed The World" that showed people coming out of the movie crying and hysterical. I had no idea that the Catholic Church was suprisingly for this movie. They felt society needed a shock to the system and officially deemed it a very spiritual movie. I was also unaware the movie was banned in many areas.

Sure, they ban this movie but allow the stupidity that is the Saw series to go on and on.

Yes, the Saw movies. I started watching a DVD of the first one, and totally lost interest after about 20 minutes so switched it off. Haven't bothered with any of the others.

[AVMASTER]

The Desent, I have a bit of claustraphobia and the very thought of being stuck in a underground tunnel with no light and something trying to eat me litererally made me sick, there are scenes I can not watch.

[tyrocks00]

ahhhh the shining! so scary!

[bobsticks]

Steel Magnolias terrifies me to this day...oh, the humanity.

[Wits]

"...we all float..."

I loved Phantasm, and now that you've reminded me of 'Salem's Lot, that ranks very highly on my list of scariest movies. Actually the one that I had in mind originally probably won't seem very scary to many/most of you.

Coma was released in theaters in 1978, and for some reason, it really got to me. I think it was so effective on me because it was based around the medical field (I was a Hospital Corpsman), and there was enough possibility that it could really happen interwoven throughout the movie that made it so creepy to me.

[Auricauricle]

Sticks: I was dragged, kicking and screaming, into B-B-Beaches!

Gotta go now. Where are my fargin' tranks?