Monday, June 27, 2011

Top Ten Movies that scared the s**t out of me as a child

I have been holding off on this list for a little while now, but I think it is time. I know there are some people out there that have to agree with me on a few of these. I wasn't always the horror loving guy that I am now, and these movies are why. They scared the shit out of me!!! There was just something about the movies of the 80's that were terrifying. They didn't have cheap CGI gimmicks, and they didn't have as many regulations on what they could show to keep a "R or PG13" rating. I won't delay it any longer, but I want to know your thoughts.



10. Alligator (1980) Dir. by Lewis Teague

There is just something about this urban legend that just seems to hold some truth to it, and it only makes this movie scarier. Don't look at me like that! People do flush alligators down the toilet and some have survived. They have proved it!



9. Razorback (1984) Dir. by Russell Mulcahy

Some of you have probably heard me rant and rave about this movie before, but I think it is pretty much the closest things to perfection to ever come out of Australia, and they made a giant scary as hell.



8. An American Werewolf in London (1981) Dir. by John Landis

With some of the best special effects/make-up work ever known to cinema, there is no way this movie didn't scare the crap out of me as a child. Plenty of nightmares came as a result of this legendary film.



7. Cujo (1983) Dir. by Lewis Teague

Thank you again Lewis for once again making my list, and ruining my childhood by not wanting a dog for the fear that it would rip my limbs from my little fragile body.



6. Children of the Corn (1984) Dir. by Fritz Kiersch

I justified my youth thanks to this film. It made me feel like it was ok to not have friends.



5. Gremlins (1984) Dir. by Joe Dante

Yes I know, the movie is hilarious now, but at five years old the movie is pretty much the scariest thing ever. However... I did want to own a mogwai, and I hope they eventually make a third movie.



4. The Twilight Zone (1983) Dir. by four legendary dudes

I can't see how anyone who reads this list can say they weren't scared by this film. I would call you a liar. That damn gremlin on the wing!



3. Critters (1986) Dir. by Stephen Herek

These guys were so frickin terrifying. I used to take my mom's unused hair holder things (I'm a dude, don't know what they are called, but they looked like millions of sharp teeth) and I would put them up by my face and on stuffed animals pretending to be critters. Scary scary little creatures!



2. The Shining (1980) Dir. by Stanley Kubrick

It wasn't even about Jack's character when I was younger. I was just as scared of the little boy and his hallucinations.



1. Child's Play (1988) Dir. by Tom Holland

How could this one not make the list? Come on people! Thanks to this movie I never wanted to get a My Buddy Doll when all my friends had them. Tom Holland you are an asshole, and not just because you made (in my opinion) the worst Stephen King film adaption ever put on film with The Langoliers. You are lucky you made Child's Play and Fright Night, or I would kick your ass for scaring me as a child, and then I would help you up and shake your hand for helping pave me to be the horror loving freak I am today.

I hope you liked the list. Let me know your scary movies that ruined you childhood, but as a result made you the awesome freak of nature you are today.
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4 comments:

  1. msmariahJune 28, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    I'd have to add the tv movie "It" to that list, as well as the 70's b-movie, "It's Alive." Of course the Shining is way up there.

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  2. R.D. PenningJune 28, 2011 at 9:43 AM

    Great choices. By the time I had seen It I had already read the much scarier book, so I think that lightened the blow a bit, but it was still creepy for sure. Scariest Clown ever.

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  3. UnknownJune 28, 2011 at 1:18 PM

    I wouldn't say any of these films affected me when I was younger, but I do remember loving the crap out of all the CRitters movies. The two that really scared me were Pumpkinhead and Tales from the Darkside: The Movie. not really sure why, but I'll eventually put my feelings into a blog post.

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  4. Franco MacabroJuly 2, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    Nice list! I still need to see Cujo and Razoback though. Critters, I loved that one when I was a kid, still do actually. Mean little creatures those Crites. I think if you were a kid during the late 80s, you had to be scared of Childs Play!

    Your post has inspired me to do a similar one...but it will have to be in August, because right now Im doing Japanese Themed Summer, where Im exploring Japanese Cinema.

    But one of the films that scared the shit out of me when I was a kid was: John Carpenter's The Thing. I was terrified of this one, weird thing is that now its one of my favorite horror films ever. I guess that happens once you grow up and realize it's all an illussion.

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