Each of the following films received two votes:
80. Ghost Story -- 1981, John Irvin
79. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark -- 1973, John Newland
78. Dressed to Kill -- 1980, Brian De Palma
77. Fire in the Sky -- 1993, Robert Lieberman
The following films received three votes each:
76. Gremlins -- 1984, Joe Dante
75. Ghostwatch -- 1992, Lesley Manning
74. Aliens -- 1986, James Cameron
73. The Others -- 2001, Alejandro Amenabar
72. Prince of Darkness -- 1987, John Carpenter
71. Clownhouse -- 1989, Victor Salva
I nabbed me a copy of Ghostwatch some time ago and it's a good time with some creepy bits here and there. Mind, this is an opinion coming long after The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity wreaked scary havoc in my brain place and faux documentary frightfests are a ha'penny a dozen. I can only imagine what it must have been like to see Ghostwatch when it aired, starring actual TV personalities and presenting the supernatural goings-on as 100% real. I'd probably still be locked up somewhere and, in true EC Comics style, muttering to myself, incessantly rocking back and forth, and sporting a Nancy Thompson-esque white streak in my hair. Ah, dare to dream!
Prince of Darkness is so underrated! It seems that people don't talk about it even when they're talking about John Carpenter movies.
I've never seen Clownhouse, and I never will. Had I known about writer/director Victor Salva at the time (for those of you who don't, this is a decent enough overview), I doubt I would have gone to see Jeepers Creepers. You can separate the art from the artist all you like, but you also have to decide how you're going to spend your money and who's going to profit from it, you know?
I remember seeing Ghostwatch when it first aired when I was 7 years old, and needless to say it scared the living crap out of me... in fact, I think I might actually have repressed the memory of most of it from sheer trauma. I really need to get hold of a copy and give it a re-watch as I haven't seen it since then, now over two decades ago... yikes!
ReplyDeleteWhoever the other Don't Be Afraid of the Dark person is, I'm your huckleberry.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about Salva's disgusting private life until someone mentioned him in the comments here the other day. Eff that guy.
Speaking of fake newcasts, even though it wasn't paranormal, Special Bulletin in the early 1980s scared the crap out of me with its nuclear terrorism realism. .... And, in the vein of Ghostwatch, have y'all heard about this WNUF "Special" that's come out this fall? http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/the-night-a-halloween-special-went-terribly-wrong/
ReplyDeleteI couldn't list "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" because although it *sounded* scary when a kid at school described the whole thing the day after it aired on the playground, I didn't actually *see* it until a few years later when I was older and it was a little freaky, but not really scary.
ReplyDeleteI'm super excited because Scream Factory just released Prince of Darkness. I can't wait to watch it.
ReplyDeleteIt was always disconcerting to me that in PRINCE OF DARKNESS Carpenter cast a guy who looked just like him as the lead.
ReplyDeleteOH MAN I didn't think Ghostwatch would qualify, I totally would have included that if so! I was so scared by that I could finish watching it - taped on VHS and watching it the next day in broad daylight. I had nightmares for ages about it, it was so, so well done and was one of my horror awakening moments!
ReplyDeleteGremlins is the movie that first scared the living hell out of me, back when I was 4 or 5. I ended up watching most of the movie while sitting behind my dad's recliner; too scary! It actually made me think I didn't like horror movies; took a few years to come around from that. Now, years later, it's one of my favorite movies; I watch it every year around Christmas time. Seasons Greetings!
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