Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments

One of the better modern zombie films that arenâ(TM)t a retelling, adaptation, or have a comic book basis. This isn't exactly anything new or extraordinary, but was entertaining, and one could argue it also works as a coming of age or life changing story about a young man's abrupt evolution in demeanor in the face of a crisis. This film does show the beginning of the outbreak, the scientific aspects, and the wide spread of the disease and how the world reacts in the face of these atrocities; the panic, lack of emotion, and bottomless fear. The politics, military inclusion, and death toll are all emphasized in this unlike many of the Dead series of Romero fame. Those films better show a singular person's plight and response to what is going on around them with lack of information. This film does that well while also hinting towards the global response. Besides our characters usual situational standard, they also travel, and run amidst a group of wayward soldiers who have all gone mad with power. This is where I have a problem with the film. Zombie films are usual about the mass populous being zombie-like entities that follow the ways of what is popular, what is in the media, or advertising. While Night of the Living Dead didn't have a clear cut message, Dawn of the Dead was all about mall culture and the addictive power of buying. This one pulls into the moralistic message of the human condition, showing that without any sense of rule, of any law or order, man would break down and kill each other for survival. Looking over the alternate ending choices I would have much preferred one of them, much bleaker and understandably chosen. I did like the actual choices made, the stellar direction from Danny Boyle, and the great cast choices of usual creeper Cillian Murphy, later Pirates of the Caribbean witch Naomi Harris, 7th Doctor Christopher Eccelston, and lovable Brendan Gleeson. The story is kind of humdrum, but the actual action, the thoughtful ways they survive and ways they are saved and save each other really resonated. I especially didn't like the romantic element they thrust in for good measure and Jim's ensuing storyline and character development. Still, this really is one of the best zombie films of all time.

One obviously cool horror film. A set of scenes based on the best in creepy crawlies from the 50's, each scene is handcrafted to resemble its own film. The characters are pitious, the fear is all too real, and the direction and writing is kosher, with the team of George A. Romero and Stephen King. The only quelm I have is with that ridiculous 80's soundtrack, but that can't be helped. Highlights include an appearance by Stephen King himself, playing a farmer struck by an illness from a meteor, and one with E.G. Marshall as a germophobic racist whose eaten alive by cockroaches much like his fear of African Americans. Altogether a solid ensemble piece of horror that did have me jumping in my skin.

The Golden Age of horror was definitely the 80's. Another geniusly thought out idea with very strange follow through. Made in the later part of the decade, the animatronics on the actual doll are pretty advanced, bordering on the CGI of today. The voice of the main villain, Chucky aka Charles Lee Ray, was so well cast for the part of Brad Dourif. The kid was pretty amazingly pathetic, and the mom so harried, making for a believable plot. Chris Sarandon was imposing without being offputting, and those final scenes with Chucky's takedown were some of the coolest in recent memory.

This movie scared the pants off of me! All those elaborate, nonsense, freaky telephone calls put me into a stupor, and Billy just lurking around the sorority house, no back story no nothing, was actually quite refreshing. The ending was a bit of a bummer, but overall it was decent.

Surprising, dramatic, and the ending is shocking beyond description.

Though I sincerly adore the second one, the first is still a dear favorite. Great original.

I usually don't like old horror movies, but this one is both still scary, and wonderfully entertaining. There is a solid script, great actors, and still dizzying effects.

No one knows whether it's funny or scary in origin. I only found the absurdity funny, as do most. The scenes are primitive, the plot laughable, and the acting really does mirror humor.

Great performances, that classic twist seals it into the classics vault with the giants.

The early years of horror, which gave us radio programs featuring The Shadow, The Sealed Book, and Black Museum, were ones that relied heavily on the supernatural. Many tales before that of the crypt, we were greeted with the star studded spectacle that is The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr. Lon Chaney is a hulk, very tall, square headed, his persona is that of a buffoon with good intentions. The first half of the film introduces us to the legends of lycanthropy, the first tragic film to do so. We are introduced to a bevy of characters, and cameos featuring Claude Rains (The Invisible Man) and Bela Lugosi (Dracula) in order to set a mood best parodied by Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein; the country is foreign, gypsies amble around the grounds, and thunder claps go off at the most convenient of times. It's classic monster mayhem, sending thrills up ones spine. The second half revolves around the transformation of Chaney into the wolf man, a laughable first attempt at what would become a Hollywood icon. This version includes a wolf man still wearing human clothing and resembling Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome more than an actual wolf. It's short, not very scary, and a bit clunky, but from a nostalgic point of view, it features big time names, and all the atmosphere of an episode of The Mysterious Traveler.

There was an expectation of true horror when I sunk my teeth into this gothic epic about the Spanish American War, but Guillermo del Toro's message was far more complex than ghosts and ghouls. The main theme concerned fear. What is fear, and who should we fear in the end? Not the ghost of a dead boy. Not the murderer himself, killing doctors, orphans, and his beloved. Even small children can become mighty heros when it's called for. The special effects, including the ghost Santi, were highly original and much like del Toro's work on Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. Like Pan's Labyrinth politics were a large part of the film, as well as ethical tensions, and moral dilemmas. Heaven and hell were also at play, making this a religious debate as well as a ghost story. Highly unusual and entertaining.

Just what you expect it to be: a "this is what happens when you mess up," thriller combined with dramatization and bloody revenge. Douglas is great as always in his best movie making decade, and Close is just as brilliant as her other roles.

One of those films you could glimpse quickly and want to watch the whole thing.

A pulse racing epic battle between a criminal and the man who wronged him, Cape Fear is both psychologically frightening and maddening to the senses. Made in the 60's, there is no comparison to the black and white night, so forbidding and frightful that color would ruin a perfectly good chase scene.

An innovation in film making and the first in the realism by the handheld camera genre, Blair Witch sparked films such as Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity, and Quarantine. Besides that, it is a really well made film. Drawing on old Hollywood's technique of building suspense without showing the ghost in the closet or the scary monster under the bed, Blair Witch leaves much up to the imagination. Three filmmakers, two are friendly, one is an outsider. As they become lost in the vast woods, running low on supplies and turning on one another for a scapegoat, they also come into contact with a series of strange events, including footsteps all around their campsite, piles of rocks, and bundles of twigs that were not there when they arrived. Blair addresses all the audience's concerns by answering the questions of: Why are you still filming even though there's a witch after you? Where's the confrontation towards your new member? Everything that you're expecting to poke holes in is covered, and so it's a character study in a way. As the terror builds, the truth comes out amongst them: we may die. Not of starvation, but by the hands of this thing that's hunting us. The drive in the witch is fueled by Joshua's disturbance of a scared cairn, and in doing so is her principle target, getting slimed and chased through the woods. This ghost is furious, all powerful, and unstoppable, exemplifying the best kind of fear. The only reason I couldn't get into it fully was because I know none of it is real, this isn't 1999 when the sensationalism was building for this film, and Paranormal Activity scared the pants off me years later with its payoff. Still, a true gem of horror film making.

Suspiria was one of the last films shot in Technicolor, and it really does bring out the amazing detailing. It's supposed to signify Snow White, which I suppose I didn't grasp, but I was way more interested in that creepy music. SO creepy, with that male voice singing along. Still scary, still weird, still Suspiria.

Not so much scary as completely and utterly creepy, the main event seems to be the ending. Otherwise it's mostly a paranoia swirl with secretive husband on top. The cast was impeccable with the casting of the satanic neighbors, one of which is legendary Ruth Gordon from the lovely Harold and Maude. Mia Farrow, so vulnerable and innocent is a victim pure and simple, with no true ulterior storylines. Watch that ending though, and you'll understand why it's worth watching.

The reason the original film worked so much better than the remake is because the fear was all supposed to be based on what you couldn't see, what your mind could dream up when your eyes are at rest from CGI special effects and gross out blood splatter. Instead of being an overly wrought, plot conundrum like the remake, the simplicity of the original Haunting, is that there is no main ghost, but instead a satanic house designed by a cruel man. There's also no reasoning towards why some residents of the house fall down staircases, others commit suicide, and still others become elderly recluses. As it draws in the nubile and innocent character of Eleanor (Harris) it becomes more than just her becoming more and more afraid of her imminent fate, but her attachment to a home for herself after years of taking care of an ill and abusive mother. The ending is almost happy, yet bittersweet, because though Eleanor is not an altogether likable character (much like Stephen King's Carrie) she is looking for a feeling of belonging that everyone can relate to. Psychological, and gut wrenching to watch, this scared me into insomnia.

Watching this on the actual date of October 31st isn't the best idea. I know because I've done. The suspenseful soundtrack, breathtaking screams, and twists of fate make Halloween is horror time classic like none other.

Even though Scream is basically a horror film that harps on horror films, it is a cornerstone of 90's pop culture, and certainly scary. Just don't watch that beginning alone.

Stephen King...what more can I say? He's a genius, and this time there's so much to fear you won't know where to start. The script, which jumps off the page to astound and scare, has been crafted around Caan and Bates, who deliver again and again. From pleading with the demented fan, to trying to save his own life, Caan is sensational. Don't get me started on Bates, there's not enough time.

There have been so many sequels and imitations in the zombie genre that not seeing and appreciating this first great stride in horror filmmaking is a crime in and of itself. As in any horror film, there was great stupidity by the victims, but what can be expected of such a simplistic monster? Everything that you suspect happens: the ghouls walk slowly, covered in blood and lesions, a group of strangers hide out in a supposedly safe place, battle for power, and ultimately are picked off one by one. Culturally, it was good to finally see an African American portrayed as the protagonist without any of the stereotypical exploitation of the 60's and 70's. Much more than horror, the implications of social development weren't on Romero's mind at all, but the obvious nod to consumerism is fully fleshed out in the sequel Dawn of the Dead. Wonderfully shot and with an expert use of cinematography, there was no simplicity to the film, and even if there wasn't a societal message in the intention, the ending made the entire film meaningful for anyone to see.

It's a perfect story, and just controversial enough to make it seem rebellious.

After numerous years this tale of shark on beach goer vengeance is still as thrill imbibing as it was when it was released in 1975. This classic stays classic with the help of the beautiful score by John Williams, the superb give and take between the characters Quint, Matt Hooper, and Chief Martin Brody, and the panic that came from the special effects of a large animal throwing off blood from its snout and into the deep recesses of the sea. Even though it's been nearly forty years since the original, it still holds up as one of the scariest films of all time. It preys on the uncommon but horror inducing fears of a populus that values their limbs.Not only does it touch on public panic, but broaches upon a saga of unimaginable intrigue concerning the killing of the Great White, a battle between man and intelligent beast. Utterly amazing monolouge by Robert Shaw, a cornerstone of cinema. It's a horror/thriller classic.