I got my favorite scary movie for Christmas, and I am soooo pumped. Its called The Changeling, made in 1979, starring George C. Scott. Its just a classic ghost/haunted house story…like doors opening and closing when nobody’s there, strange noises, the ghost’s voice being heard at a seance, and of course, the tiny haunted wheelchair. It scares me more than any movie ever made. Even thinking about it gives me chills from hell. Its a very interesting story as well…figuring out who the ghost actually is, why its not at peace, what does it want from us, etc.
I would really like to know if anyone has seen this movie and if it scared them as much as me.
My faves:
**The Changeling
Poltergeist ** Scary but also fun & interesting characters, I think the parents’ characters is what makes this such an enjoyable flick…plus the little girl’s voice coming from the TV – scary as HELL. Amityville Horror Havent seen the whole movie, but just the scene with Margot Kidder seeing the eyes in the window creeps me as bad as The Changeling. But I thought the bleeding walls and gooey steps were more silly than scary. Children Of The Corn Dont know what it is, but this movie is really creepy to me. (*demonic voice: *“He wants you too, Malachi.”) Nightmare On Elm Street Slasher movies arent really that scary to me, but this one creeps me out. I thought Halloween was pretty terrible.
I thought the original 1960s The Haunting was pretty scary…kinda like The Changeling.
I figure lots of people will be mentioning The Exorcist…yes it scared the hell out of me, but its not one of my faves. Need to see it again.
I love that movie!!! I saw for the first time when I was about 10 and it’s always scared me. It’s excellent and please tell me where you got it, I’ve never been able to find it. George C. Scott could always get a reaction from me because he was so straight forward you just knew if something was happening around him it was big! I also loved him in The Exorcist 3, that one scared the shit out of me. Another of my all time favorites was a made for tv movie called Night Of The Scarecrow. It mades me cry and scares me every time I see it. I dread watching it yet every time it’s on I have to watch it. One other one scared me but I can’t really remember it’s name, it had something to do with Gargoyles hanging from powerlines. It was freaky. The Hills Have Eyes freaked me out because the first time I watched it I had just moved to Arizona and was living out in the middle of nowhere. I love scary movies, I got the love from my Mom who owns almost every scary movie made and watches them all the time.
Oooh, that’s a good one, too. Truly harrowing, though most of the victims are rather unsympathetic. The scene where Jupiter taunts the father from the shadows is one of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen.
I just got done ordering about 20 or so DVDs from Amazon & The Changeling totally slipped my mind. I agree about its classic haunted house scare factor. It has been so long since I’ve seen it, but IIRC they didn’t need much in the way of special effects to come up with a movie that really sends chills up your spine.
Back to Amazon I go…
Another I think I’d like to nominate is Ghost Story. Even though the Amazon.com editorial review calls the movie a steaming turd, the average customer review is 4 stars & I agree. Mainly because I like Alice Krige, but also because the cast list includes Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. & John Houseman. I agree with one reviewer’s comment:
If you like the classic scary/haunting movies from 10+ years ago as opposed to the “gallons o’ blood” movies coming out recently, this one is for you.
MamaHen: as Attrayant mentioned, The Changeling is available at Amazon. I also was surprised to see it at the Suncoast video store AFTER I had told my mom she would have to order it from Amazon! And I cant BELIEVE its actually on DVD!!!
Glad to hear mention of Dark Night Of The Scarecrow…it was plenty scary, and it’s another one which uses classic creepiness to scare the hell out of you.
I will definitely check out Ghost Story.
The Tenant directed by and starring Roman Polanski.
Of course, it’s very helpful to have seen Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby first. It’s also helpful to know about Polanski’s personal situation at the time – he had fled to Europe to avoid arrest on a morals charge. The result is very clever, very scary, and very resonant.
Someone should really post a link to one of the seven hundred previous “What’s your fave horror movie?” threads. I’ve found them to be a wealth of information…mainly as to which other Dopers I’d want to be stranded on a desert island with a big screen teevee and a huge library of videotapes with.
I usually give ThisYearsGirl’s answer…REPULSION, Polanski’s 1965 gem. Closely followed by RealityChuck’s THE TENANT.
Supposedly these two, plus ROSEMARY’S BABY (which fell between them), constitute Polanski’s Major Statement on the Scariness of Modern Urban Life. Works for me.
My favorite horror movie was “The Dentist” with Corbin Bernsen. For those of you who don’t like dentists already, I would suggest passing on it. I saw it on television late one night, and haven’t looked at my dentist the same way since. Definately worth it.
The scariest movie I remember seeing was “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Not scary for the plot or the action, but because I think it’s scary that a movie can suck that badly. Don’t people at movie studios watch the crap they produce?
Many people consider it campy rather than scary, but I liked The Abominable Doctor Phibes, with Vincent Prince. The first time I saw it I jumped out of my seat when he pulls his mask off.
And I cant BELIEVE its actually on DVD!!!