It is officially my favorite time of the year! Fall and Halloween are upon us! And today marks the first 60-degree days we've had since spring (so long 90-degree days!). Now that it's actually starting to feel like fall, and we're less than four weeks away from Halloween, I'm devoting this month to all things Halloween! Specifically Halloween entertainment. I started off my day jumping into the new season of the "Scream" TV show that recently dropped on Netflix ... and I got an email that their showed "Creeped Out" is back. I'm happy to add all of this to my queue as fall photo season begins and I'm spending more time with the TV than normal (gotta love the background noise!).
This week I'm starting off with my favorite scary movies ... and because I couldn't keep my list to just five, next week I share my favorite teen scary movies. We'll finish off the season with the best Halloween movies and TV episodes. Ad you've probably guessed by now, we enjoy our entertainment! :)
So, to start off our Halloween-filled Friday Fives, this week I'm sharing five of my favorite scary movies. They aren't Halloween specific, but they're definitely the movies I go to when I'm in the Halloween mood (or at least looking for something with a little more jump!).
The Strangers
This is probably the scariest movie I think I've ever seen. It's not so much the jump scares or gross factor; it's the fact that I feel like it's something that could happen in real life. The premise is that a couple are staying at a family summer home ... when they arrive, though, they aren't in the greatest mood because Kristen (played by Liv Tyler) has turned down James's (Scott Speedman) marriage proposal. They plan to leave in the morning, but at 4 a.m., there's a knock on the door. And that's where things start getting creepy. A trio of people start terrorizing the couple and when Kristen asks them why they are doing this, the simple response she gets is because they were home. It gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it! One of the things I love is that this isn't high on the gore or even the jump scares. It really just a psychologic thriller (with some jump and legit freights), which just makes it that much more terrifying. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth the watch ... even if I can't watch it often! (Side note, I did not see the sequel that came out a year or two ago ... it didn't look as good, but if I'm wrong, tell me!)
The Shining
No surprise here, right? The quintessential scary movie! Everything from the creepy twins to the blood dripping from the elevators. This movie gets a lot right, from the actors to the score. The movie does a great job of showing Jack's spiral into insanity, and in some ways takes a more realistic approach, making it another physiologically scary film (not just scares and gore). It's a really fun film to analyze, too. Also, if you're a reader, definitely read the original material by Stephen King. In my opinion, the ending is a more satisfactory conclusion, but I get why it wouldn't work for the movie. (Though, don't read Doctor Sleep; it is nowhere as good or scary ... and I can't say anything about the movie version yet, because it hasn't been released.) Also, there was the most perfect redrum reference in this year's "The Resident" premier, if you watch it, you'll know! :)
Red Eye
Starring Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, how could you not love this movie. It's a Wes Craven original (we'll see more of him in the coming weeks!), and plays on the fears of being trapped with no escape. And does a good job of avoiding current film shortcomings of why she can't just go to the police, run away or call for help. In the movie, hotel manager Lisa (McAdams) is on the late night (red eye) flight back to Miami from Dallas. While waiting to board, she meets a seemingly nice and charming man, unfortunately named Jackson Rippner (Murphy). Flirting ensues over a drink and after saying goodbyes, they find out they are sitting next to each other on the plane. What Lisa thinks is a budding relationship turns into a nightmare when Rippner reveals he's actually there for nefarious purposes, forcing her to do his will or that his guy would kill her father. It's another really good physiological thriller, but with some good jump scares at the end. Another one you can't miss.
Secret Window
Hey look! Another Stephen King adaptation. This one stars Johnny Depp as writer Mort Rainey who flees to cabin after catching his wife having an affair. There, he suffers major depression and writer's block, and keeps to himself. But one day a man comes to his home and accuses Mort of stealing his story ... everything but the ending. In Rainey's ending, the wife's character lives, but not so much in the other version. Rainey refuses, and things start to go horribly wrong. One of the great things about this movie is that ending isn't what you think it will be, which is amazing. It's a wonderful twist and a great story with high creep factor!
Event Horizon
This is another one that I can't watch very often because it scares the bejesus out of me! This one is heavy on the sci-fi excitement. A crew of astronauts is sent on a rescue mission after a missing spaceship, the Event Horizon, appears in space after being missing for seven years. As the astronauts enter the ship, they learn that something has gone terribly, disgustingly wrong, and that the ship was actually working on reducing space travel time — by creating artificial black holes. Never good. I'll just say that this movie has one of the most gruesomely disturbing scenes I've ever seen, and a lot of scares that I generally don't like.
Honorable Mention: Sphere
Another book adaption turned movie. While it's not completely a horror film, it's definitely worth noting. And definitely shares some similar ideas to "Event Horizon." And is another book adaptation (yay Michael Crichton)! A group of scientists are sent to explore what is believed to be an alien spaceship that landed on the ocean floor 300 year earlier. But upon arrive, they find that the ship is actually American-made, and far more advanced than anything they've ever seen. And, of course, things go bonkers from there. This movie is also what made me terrified of jellyfish (not that they aren't terrifying on their own!).
Be sure to check back next week for my favorite teen scary movies (yes, they will include a lot of blasts from the 90s past!).