{"id":39442,"date":"2014-10-27T13:25:44","date_gmt":"2014-10-27T12:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wonderlandmagazine.com\/?p=39442"},"modified":"2015-01-17T19:32:31","modified_gmt":"2015-01-17T18:32:31","slug":"halloween-top-10-scary-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandmagazine.com\/2014\/10\/27\/halloween-top-10-scary-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"HALLOWEEN: TOP 10 SCARY MOVIES"},"content":{"rendered":"
The nights are drawing in – all of your friends are either picking out sexy kitten outfit or hiring a fully functional Iron Man costume for roughly the retail value of a 64-gig iPad Air. Don\u2019t allow them to ensnare you in the Halloween cosplay circus \u2013 It\u2019s all about the movies anyway. Kick back with a frosty bottle of Hobgoblin, a tub of popcorn and appreciate what the holiday is really all about: lots of people getting terrified, in lots of different ways.<\/p>\n
1. Halloween<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n Clearly. The film that not only introduced the world to Jamie Lee Curtis but pretty much cemented the rules that the horror genre has abided by for the past 30 years. No sex + No Drugs = Relative safety. Elegant in it\u2019s execution and imitated on countless occasions \u2013 Michael Myers is the Don Corleone of horror personalities: relentless, hugely intimidating and never equalled. \u00a0John Carpenter\u2019s score is the most instantly recognisable horror theme next to Jaws. Iconic.<\/p>\n 2. Alien<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Oft-referred to as the \u2018haunted house in space\u2019 flick. This is one of the first films made to treat being an astronaut as a job; which in itself would be an exceptionally boring way to spend the duration of a film. It\u2019s a good job then that the crew of the Nostromo decide to embark on the least successful Easter egg hunt on any planet, ever.\u00a0 The film retains the ability to shock even four decades on \u2013 which may go some way to proving that a sizeable phallus, filled with incisors, exploding out of a chest cavity will never not be petrifying.<\/p>\n 3. Threads<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a genuinely harrowing experience; look no further. This BBC produced, socio-realistic dramatization of nuclear holocaust will replace your heart with a chunk of granite, such is its atmosphere of despair. Following various groups before, during and after the bomb has been dropped on Sheffield; its unrelenting 2-hour running time will leave you gasping. Most soul-destroying scene? It\u2019s a toss up between the immediate bloody aftermath, as the city burns, or the final, muted, scream of desperation that the film ends on. Bring tissues and a copy of Frozen to watch on repeat immediately after.<\/p>\n 4. Monster Squad<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n After all that abject terror you\u2019ll need some respite – Monster Squad is basically Goonies slathered with a generous helping of Creature Feature on top and, for horror aficionados of a certain age, it\u2019s the filmic equivalent of your mothers chicken soup served up on a day when you have a bad case of sniffles. SPOILERS \u2013 Frankenstein getting sucked into the vortex at the end is one of the most harrowing scenes you\u2019ll witness this side of Shindlers List. Also step forward, Horace. Hero to every rotund child of the 80\u2019s, and studied practitioner of death via shotgun. RIP.<\/p>\n 5. Rec\/Rec 2<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Technically two films, yes, but allowed on the basis that the sequel follows on directly after the first film creating one continuously harrowing experience.. Ostensibly it\u2019s a zombie found-footage film, with a decidedly religious undercurrent pulsing through it. The Rec saga took a minor misstep with the third in the series, Rec: Genesis. But, these films taken together represent the very apex of what can be achieved in contemporary horror.<\/p>\n 6. The Shining<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Jack Nicholson tears the screen in half as the irrepressibly homicidal Jack Torrance. Kubrick masterfully adapts Stephen King\u2019s novel into a sublime meditation on isolation, insanity and the evil that dwells at the hearts of all men. Some (King himself dislikes the film) consider the movie to be a cold, inhospitable picture \u2013 but they\u2019re missing the point. Technically brilliant and staged to within an inch of its life, it\u2019s rare a horror film is lavished with this much attention to detail and reverence.<\/p>\n 7. ParaNorman<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n From Laika, the studio responsible for Corraline and the recently released Boxtrolls comes this overlooked stop-motion gem. Taking influences from all over the horror genre, ParaNorman is essentially a tale teaching acceptance of others, be they ghoul, zombie or nerd. Those who watched Nightmare Before Christmas and have since only given time to Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie, need to re-evaluate their lives if they haven\u2019t already made this a priority purchase on Blu Ray.<\/p>\n 8. Dawn of the Dead<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s sick of zombies now, right? Video games, toys, TV shows as far as the eye can see. Do yourself a favour and go back to the source. Dawn of the Dead is the daddy of them all. Yes, the effects have aged and yes, the production budget could probably only pay for Norman Reedus\u2019 PA for a week. However, what DOTD lacks in looks it makes up for in smarts. Holding a mirror up to consumer culture and greed it has more to say in two hours than The Walking Dead has managed in its four (and counting) seasons.<\/p>\n 9. Let the Right One In<\/p>\n