5. Alien (1979):
If you are into sci-fi flicks, this one is definitely worth a watch. Alien is classic science fiction blended with just the right amount of tension and thrills thereby also making it a wonderful horror flick!
The film tells the story of a spaceship, Nostromo travelling in space heading for earth when suddenly they receive a faint SOS call from a deserted planet. Three of the crew members head to the planet and on investigation find a crashed vessel with what looks like no survivors. Instead they find strange looking pods, one of which releases a strange creature that locks onto Kane’s (John Hurt) face. The three rush back to their own spaceship and inspite of the fact that Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is against the idea of letting them back in, Ash (Ian Holm) the ship’s doctor allows them to come in. That is pretty much the beginning of the end. What follows is a struggle for survival. And the hope that the humans will emerge victorious!
Kudos to Ridley Scott for being the mastermind behind such a masterpiece. Just remember that this movie was created in an era when CGI did not exist. Everything you see is the result of meticulous makeup, set creations and filming technique! And therefore this movie deserves a pat on its back! Let me also mention that sequels that followed barely live up to the original. If you like good old school horror, this one is for you!
4. Halloween (1978):
Halloween essentially is a low-budget horror flick but that does not stop it from being one heck of a rollercoaster ride! It was the first of its kind to introduce the concept of a slasher, the evil man with or without a funny mask on who basically walks around slashing people.
The protagonist of the movie, Michael Myers starts off young (6 years old) when he stabs his sister to death one night and then spends 15 long years of virtual silence in an insane asylum. What happens next? Michael Myers escapes! He returns to his hometown and goes on a killing spree. Will his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) stop him in time? Well you’re just gonna have to watch the movie to figure it out.
So if you love slasher movies and mindless multiple killings, rent this movie right now! And really….what better day to watch this movie on than Halloween itself :)
3. Psycho (1960):
Hitchcock was an inventor, a creator if you may. He loved to experiment, to disregard what society thought normal and introduce them to the new. He was pure genius. And Psycho is one of those movies that bears testimony to the prodigy that Hitchcock was.
Psycho tells the story of a young woman, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) on the run after having stolen $40,000 for her lover Sam Loomis (John Gavin) who is in debt. A night of wanting to rest turns tragic when Marion finds a little motel where she meets a strange shy man Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Norman is extremely controlled by his mother who disapproves of Marion. What follows is one of the spookiest scenes in horror film history. Yes, I am talking about the shower scene, where Marion gets stabbed to death by the crazy, jealous mother. What follows is a twisted, terrifying tale that must be watched to be believed.
This was the first time that the “evil” element in a horror movie was not of another world. It was the first time that the villain was a very real, normal looking human being. Psycho was revolutionary in that sense! The shock may wear off with time but I never cease to get amazed at the pure technique of the film! It is a true classic!
2. The Shining (1980):
The Shining, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel of the same name is one of the few movie adaptations that in my opinion actually does the book some justice! It is the story of a family of three stuck in a beautiful but eerie mountain resort in the winter with no communication with the outside world. As the weather gets worse, Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) starts to act a little evil and then some more till he becomes completely insane and homicidal. The Shining is not one of those movies that will make you scream but is rather a crazy, disturbing story that will leave you sweating till the very end!
Stanley Kubrick is a genius and has done a fabulous job of bringing some disturbing yet powerful images to the audience that will leave an impact. There is also some fantastic cinematography by John Alcott.
The movie is frightening in an eerie way. It shattered the notion that your family is your safe haven. Jack Nicholson is extremely convincing as the deranged homicidal character who wants to kill his family. I mean seriously, no one plays crazy like him. Shelley Duvall who plays his wife also does a decent job. But the little boy, Danny Lloyd with psychic powers, takes the “chill factor” up a notch. What is it about little children that makes a scary movie scarier? We will never know!
1.The Exorcist (1973):
Most of you have probably already watched The Exorcist. Maybe even more than once! It remains one of my favourite horror movies of all times simply because none of the exorcism movies that followed ever felt the same.
The story line, by itself for the unaware is not grand , a sweet 12 year old girl (Linda Blair) suddenly falls ill and starts acting strange….(Read: speaks in foreign languages and starts to float in the air). Her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) takes a while to believe that maybe her daughter has been possessed before calling onto a young skeptical priest for help (Jason Miller) who must then perform an exorcism on the child. What follows is simply put madness! Scary, bone-chilling madness!
What makes this simple story an awesome watch is the cinematography, the visual effects (the staircase scene still gives me the goosebumps!) and sound effects which were spectacular! Also there was some brilliant acting involved. But personally, I believe that besides everything else, what makes the movie probably the scariest movie Hollywood ever saw, is the fact that concepts like demon possession and exorcism are things that many of us do believe in. The possibility that this movie could be a depiction of something very real scared the hell out of people!Overall, a powerful, dark movie that you absolutely have to watch (even if you have already!)
So there you have it, our 10 picks for must watch Horror movies this Halloween! We hope you enjoy watching them and have a fantastic Halloween!
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