Hold your loved ones close, because here comes: #9 – 5!
#9: Let Me In
 | |
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee,
Chloë-Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins
Year: 2010 |
What's it About?
Owen (played to perfection by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is twelve years old, lonely, and relentlessly bullied at school. Things seem to be looking up when he befriends Abby, a young girl new to his apartment complex. But with a string of murders plaguing the town, Owen discovers that Abby may be much older – and much hungrier – than he thinks.
"Do you think there's such a thing as evil?"
What Makes it Scary-Good?
- While not necessarily the "scariest" pick on the list, this one earns mega-points for its surprisingly genuine portrayal of young love.
- Every single actor brings their A-game, resulting in a haunting story full of characters that you grow to actually care about.
- When the fangs come out, they mean serious business. No twinkling vampires here, folks.
#8: Eyes Without a Face
 |
| Director: Georges Franju Starring: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Juliette Mayniel Year: 1960 |
"Smile. Not too much."
What's it About?
A plastic surgeon and his assistant go to extraordinary and homicidal lengths to right a terrible wrong. Here's a classic case of "the less you know, the better"; not because of endless twists and high-concept tomfoolery, but simply because the effect is much greater going in fresh.
What Makes it Scary-Good?
- Franju blends emotional character drama with grotesque horror so effectively that the terrifying moments hit shockingly hard.
- Porcelain masks are creepier than all-hell, especially when set against this film's quietly subtle black-and-white backdrop.
- Includes one scene in particular that, even though the film is more than fifty years old, gives Saw a run for its money.
#7: The Children
 |
Director: Tom Shankland
Starring: Eva Birthistle,
Stephen Campbell Moore, Rachel Shelley
Year: 2008 |
What's it About?
Several couples and their children get together for a delightful winter getaway in the English countryside. And then the children go bad...very bad.
"Bye-bye mummy."
What Makes it Scary-Good?
- What would you do in this situation? More than any other "kids-gone-bad" horror flick, it takes full advantage of its premise and makes you actually consider whether or not you could harm "innocent" children.
- Like The Shining, everything is made creepier by leaving the characters in total isolation. And in the snow, no less.
- "Severe bodily harm" doesn't quite describe what these downright horrifying younglings are capable of.
#6: The Changeling
 |
Director: Peter Medak
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere,
Melvyn Douglas
Year: 1980 |
What's it About?
After the death of his family in a tragic accident, composer John Russell rents an abandoned, historic house outside Seattle to clear his head and give himself a conducive working space. Unfortunately, the vengeful spirit trapped inside takes up most of his time.
"That house is not fit to live in...It doesn't want people."
What Makes it Scary-Good?
- No matter how you spin it, a creaky wheelchair covered in cobwebs does not ease the soul.
- A particularly haunting sequence involving a medium and a shocking communication with the spirit world.
- Not just a spook-fest, the film unravels itself as a satisfying whodunit mystery.
#5: Inside (aka À l'intérieur)
 |
Director: Alexandre Bustillo,
Julien Maury
Starring: Béatrice Dalle, Alysson Paradis
Year: 2007
|
What's it About?
Recently widowed, Sarah must defend her home and her unborn child from a ridiculously creepy woman who wants to get "inside" – in more ways than one.
What Makes it Scary-Good?
- If this woman were coming after me, I would probably just throw in the cards and collapse in fear.
- Home invasion flicks are a dime a dozen, but when paced as well as this one, they really bring the scary.
- Crosses the line into wacky, almost humorous territory on more than one occasion. But what is horror if not a heck of a good time?
Check back shortly for the ghastly conclusion to 13 Horror Films You May Have Missed!
