Or, October viewing for those who want a little of the old "It's -fun- to be scared!" thrill without losing sleep at night.
I'm a wimp. I can read a truly scary horror story only if I know I won't be required to get up early the next day.
(I never should have read Stephen King's 1408 on a work night!)
Likewise, I can only bring myself to watch truly intense horror films every few years. My imagination's too effective. I lose all distance from the movie. I end up a jittery wreck.
That said, I love watching Halloween-oriented movies. What are your favorites that provide scares without deep emotional and psychological scarring?
Some of mine:
The Monster Squad- Basically, this film is The Goonies Versus the Universal Monsters. Only, not. Count Dracula has secretly set up shop in Anytown, USA, summoning several powerful allies, intent on getting an amulet that will allow him to rule the world. Only a club of snarky kids who adore the monster movies of Hollywood's Golden Age have any idea of the truth, and the Count plans to kill them all. A flop back in the day, it later became something of a cult hit due to home video and cable viewings. Mostly because of the memorable one-liners, fast-moving plot, dazzling creature makeup by Stan Winston, and several genuinely frightening moments.
Return to Oz- A Disney film! Based on a second and third Oz books, plus some conceits borrowed (legally) from the more famous 1939 MGM film! That couldn't possibly be scary, right?
Right.
Dorothy, trapped in an insane asylum. Munchkinland deserted and faded. The Yellow Brick Road shattered. The Emerald City a barren, mouldering wreck. Psychotic wheeled men. A witch princess with a secret room full of living, screaming heads. People touching a cursed desert and crumbling into sand...slowly. There are endearing heroes and a happy ending, but this remains one of the darkest fantasy films of the 80s.
The Innocents- A stylish 1960s Gothic film about a repressed, obsessive governess. She believes she's protecting her charges from supernatural evil. But as her "protection" becomes increasingly intense, one begins to wonder if the children will survive it...
At first Deborah Kerr would seem to be seriously miscast in this adaptation of The Turn of the Screw. She doesn't seem as young or naive as the character in the original story seemed.
Then, I realized she's actually perfect. She's a woman who never truly grew up, knowing on some level that there's something missing inside. Hungry, so hungry to find something to fill that emptiness with...
She becomes a sympathetic, but ultimately terrifying monster.
[ May 16, 2009, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: Puffy Treat ]
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Dude, The Wizard of Oz is scary enough for me as it is. Those flying monkeys creep me out big time. *shudders*
I like The Others when I want a good scare; I know what's coming but I still scream every. single. time! And Nicole Kidman is frankly gorgeous in those 1940s clothes.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
God, Return to OZ freaked me right the heck out when I was a wee lad.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
I loved Return to Oz, sadistic little kid that I was. I watched it recently with some friends we all freaked out all over again by Mombi's heads and the cross dressing Nome king, with his ornament collection.
Have to say though, if you're going to revisit disturbing movies of your eighties childhood, Labyrinth is much, much better. And *blush* I still adore the ballroom scene.
Someone recently suggested 'Susperia' to me - 1970s ballet boarding school with much gore and evil dead witches, and some of the most stilted and unlikely dialogue possible (even in Germany) as a contender for best Halloween Movie.
Personally I'd vote for the Japanese 'Dark Water' - but then I'm not easily scared by films.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: Have to say though, if you're going to revisit disturbing movies of your eighties childhood, Labyrinth is much, much better. And *blush* I still adore the ballroom scene.
I love Labyrinth! However, it seems to be much better remembered than Return to Oz, so I tend to mention the latter more often. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Labyrinth is awesome. Also The Dark Crystal. I don't find either very creepy, though.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, and I just remembered one I loved as a teen but never want to see again-- The Craft. Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Labyrinth is awesome. Also The Dark Crystal. I don't find either very creepy, though.
Yeah. I grew up watching The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, both of which occasionally featured grotesque, monstrous-looking Muppets. So, not much in either film bothered me. Posted by Amilia (Member # 8912) on :
I still haven't seen Labyrinth all the way through, it freaked me out so badly as a kid. We'd watch it at family reunions. I would be creeped out enough to go upstairs and listen to the grown-ups' conversation fairly early on in the movie. And I would still get nightmares about my little brothers and sisters getting stolen by goblins while I was babysitting.
My favorite scary movie is Wait Until Dark.
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
Watcher in the Woods
Something Wicked this Way Comes
Two of my favorites when I was about 12 years old looking for something scary (but not too scary) for Halloween.
Rewatching them more recently has been a bit of a let down, particularly Something Wicked; it's aged very poorly.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Trolls 2 — only scary insofar as it is possibly the worst 'scary' movie ever made.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I had a terribly preserved made-from--a-television-screening VHS of Return to Oz that I watched *constantly* when I was a kid. I loved that movie so much. I suppose that explains a lot about me. Posted by Achilles (Member # 7741) on :
Well, I don't know how scary it is, but my Halloween is never complete until I view An American Werewolf in London.
It gives my wife nightmares, however. Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by SenojRetep: Rewatching them more recently has been a bit of a let down, particularly Something Wicked; it's aged very poorly.
The only reason I've ever watched the Disney version of Something Wicked This Way Comes is Pam Grier as the Dust Witch.
(No, I'm not proud of it. But come on! Pam Grier!)
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I enjoyed The Craft. It was fun...
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
Scares without scarring.
Well, Hocus Pocus was pretty scarringly scary when I was 10, probably still is, but it's not scary on the Scream/Night of the Living Dead level.
Posted by Trent Destian (Member # 11653) on :
I'm unaware if The Mothman Prophecies was meant to be a scary film, but is to this date the only film that truly frightens me.
I'm not sure exactly why it has this effect on me, but it so severe that I can barely speak out loud about it without my jaw clenching up, my body tensing, and being in a state of near panic.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
My mom and I were shopping together and both bought our own copies of Hocus Pocus, and it is still just as amusing as it was when I was a kid, but not really as scary. The zombie is still pretty freaky, actually.
That, and Ernest Scared Stupid are about as teriffying as my horror movies get. Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
Trolls 2 is often unfairly derided as one of the worst horror movies ever made, or sullied by claims that it is unintentionally hilarious.
Not true.
Trolls 2 is a very important movie. It's a dire, completely serious warning about the evils of vegetarianism.
We all need to eat more bologna. I'm glad I saw Trolls 2 before it was too late for me.
Posted by Catseye1979 (Member # 5560) on :
If you have a fear of clown you might try Killer Klowns from Outer Space It's also good for a few Laughs.
If you find Dummy's scary then Making Contact was one that spooked me as a child. Dummys are scary. It was kind of a thriller for kids. Also fun to watch and name which special effect scene was ripped off of which 80's Movie.
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