Here's a thing... Over at GeeksAreSexy.net (It's no joke, some of us are) ;-) "Natania" has posted "Ten of the Scariest Scenes in 80s Movies I Saw as a Kid" which makes for an interesting top ten of 80's horror. Interesting, but wrong. Even when you take into account that we're only talking about scene's here and the fact that "Natania" is referring to so-called kids films... the list is still.... not quite right.
With that in mind, here's the correct list of full on mainstream horror from the 80's that scared the be-jesus out of me when I was a kid. (Scariest last). There's photo's at the bottom. But I'd suggest not looking that far.... uggghhhhheeeee.AARGAGAHARHHHHH!
10 - An American Werewolf in London (1981). Looking at this again now, it's incredibly tame, but in my youth, that flappy bit in this guys cheek = Full on heebie-jeebies.
9 - Poltergeist (1982). "Kaal Aann. Kaal Aann. Go toewad the lie-t Kaal Aann." Getting stuck in your TV has to be one of the most terrifying experiences a child could have. I blame Oscar Wilde for my fear here. I always thought Poltergeists were fun sort of ghosts thanks to "The Canterville Ghost". Turns out, that's not quite true according to Mr Spielberg.
8 - Omen III - The Final Conflict (1981). There's something about the attempted assassination in the TV studio. The melting plastic and the melting hands. I think it's because we all know we have to stop this evil. We simply have to. If only we had a decent sense of balance.
7 - Hellraiser (1987) - Who is this guy with pins in his head? and what the hell are they doing!?!?... This was so bad for me, that for the first time, I was actually unable to watch the whole film all the way through. Maybe when I'm older eh!?.... No fear.
6 - A Nightmare on Elmstreet (1984). How is that kid stuck to the ceiling?? Where is all that blood coming from. Freddie's here and I can't sleep..
5 - Alien (1979). It's so very nearly an 80's movie that it's just got to be in the list for John Hurt's "Chestbuster", but if that's not a good enough excuse, I vividly remember covering my eyes during Aliens (1986) thanks to the way those poor terraformers had been cocooned and the re-emergence of the "Bitch"
4 - The Thing (1982). So much terror awaits you in this movie that It's got two entries in my list. First. The defibrillator. OK, so there's some panic due to the fact this guy needs his heart restarting, but did anyone expect that!?!? Not sure I'd want to use a defibrillator..... ever....
3 - The Thing (1982). Second. The head. with legs. scuttling. I'm afraid of spiders in a "not very manly" sort of way in the first place. So to see a guys head transform into a cross between a spider and a crab is just too much for my twinge-at-the-back-of-my-neck nerve.
2 - The Shining (1980). I'm sorry but this movie is also sooo freaking scary that I've had to include two scenes as well. The image of those two girls outside the blood filled elevator is burned into my retina's. It's something to do with the blood. All that blood. So much blood.... where did they get all that blood!??!?! Arrrgggrh
1 - The Shining (1980). Combine that with having a great time, riding your trike along those deserted corridors. Corridors that are covered in psychedelic carpet. Stopping outside a random room... and... just.... what.... the.... effing... jeffing... hell is that iN THE BATHROOM!!??! OMFG!!!!!!! Get me out of here!!!! The level of fear and terror is unspeakable. I love it.
To be honest, both The Thing and The Shining are such stand out horror movies that I could leave the rest for dead (all puns intended). Classic Halloween Stuff.
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It might seem odd but, for me, the worst scene in The Things was when they were testing their blood to see whether they were Human or not. The blade cutting in to their thumbs was not nice. I suppose it is because it is easier to connect to?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Friday the 13th? I thought they were trend setter of all to come!
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