10 Favorite Scary Movies

10. Cabin in the Woods (2012)

This was one of my favorite movies of last year, which is rare for me to say about a horror film.  This is a great horror movie, because it understands why I hate most horror movies.  Its jump scares are genuinely scary, you care about the characters, there are multiple settings, it utilizes humor while taking itself seriously and above all it is creative.  One of those movies that I knew nothing about beforehand and I was very pleasantly surprised by all of the unexpected twists.

9. Gremlins (1984)

A lot of the scary movies I like are comedies or involve humor in some way.  That is because comedy can be way more messed up than drama and this classic is a prime example.  There are some hilarious gags in this movie but those are also the scariest scenes.  The puppeteering and special effects are really impressive and still impressive, these are great movie monsters and they are scary (except Gizmo who is cute and appealing).  Many consider this to be a Christmas movie, but it has the most disturbing Christmas scene of all time.

8. Alien (1979) 

While the perfect sequel has plenty of scares Aliens is an action movie while this is a horror movie.  The space setting is great sci-fi but the alien is pure terror.  So many iconic scenes from this, namely the facehugging and chestbursting.  There are twists that are common knowledge today, but even if you know the identity of one particular crew member and who makes it out alive they are still effective.  Ellen Ripley is one of the best scream queens/action stars of all time and the xenomorph is a great, well-designed movie monster.

7. The Shining (1980)

A horror film by Stanley Kubrick starring Jack Nicholson and based on a novel by Stephen King is bound to be a great horror movie.  This is just a great movie and all of the iconic scares hold up.  The setting is great and the performances all work.  One of the best portrayals of a decent into madness ever filmed.

6. Halloween (1978)

This launched numerous copycats, but despite lesser quality of the many sequels and imitators that followed this is still one of the best horror movies of all time.  The score, use of The Reaper, scares and especially Jamie Lee Curtis make this a classic.

5. Scream (1996)

This not only works as a subversion of horror films, but it is a good horror film itself.  It is scary, it is iconic and it is clever.  You are intrigued by this story and care about these characters.  It has a great cast, Neve Campbell in particular gives a great performance.  I've watched this several times and always enjoy it.

4. Psycho (1960)

A cinema classic.  We all know the iconic moments and the twists, but a great movie doesn't rely on surprises.  A great movie can hold your attention across multiple viewings which this one has done for over fifty movies.  Great score, the shower scene, the bravery to kill of the lead character halfway through the movie, Anthony Perkins performance.  Just perfect.

3. Poltergeist (1982)

I named this the fourth best movie produced by Steven Spielberg.  This is a great scary movie because it takes its time to set up the characters and the setting.  Once the horror elements finally come we feel the intrusion of this comfortable environment.  I also like how gradually and intentionally the eerie interruptions are introduced.  As with almost all of these selections it is iconic and influential.

However I have to say that the scariest scene for me is when Craig T. Nelson grabs his boss and screams at him.

2. Misery (1990)

This masterpiece never gets its due.  This is from Rob Reiner's era of great movies (the man had a run that also included This is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men and American President).  Great suspense and thrills and an incredible cast of Kathy Bates, James Caan and the late Richard Farnsworth.  A movie that is as smart as it is scary.  Part of what makes this movie so great is that the two leads are pretty evenly matched.  They are both smart and capable in their own ways.

1. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

This is my favorite scary movie, mainly because it isn't a scary movie.  It is a package feature with two great shorts that ends with a terrifying scene.  Most scary movies dilute themselves by overusing cheap scares.  But this movie sets up its atmosphere and character.  It has great cartoon gags, which adds to the scares as you are feeling both tension and amusement at once.  It is also interesting to note that the Headless Horseman moves realistically while Ichabod is the cartoon character.  I have a full review of the film that goes into more detail.

Non-Oscars: Best Actress

The Oscar nominees for best actress were Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis and Naomi Watts.  I was a fan of Lawrence and am ecstatic that voters had the courage to vote for Wallis.  Seeing Zero Dark Thirty tomorrow finally, so will finally be able to talk about Chastain and Bigelow's newest movie.  So here are my picks for Best Actress Not Nominated for an Academy Award:

Elizabeth Banks, People Like Us

We take Elizabeth Banks for granted.  We are so used to her as a dependable character actress that we forget her leading actress potential.  Banks is an actress that will give a good performance no matter the quality of the production or the size of the role that when she finally gets a substantial character in a good movie she does not squander a second of screen time.  Elizabeth Banks plays the role of struggling, frustrated mother trying to get by perfectly.  She is able to be in terrible circumstances without losing the audiences respect.  Her likability and intelligence are showcased really well here.  She has great chemistry with Chris Pine and helps to bring a great performance out of him.  I am very happy that they took a chance on Banks in this movie.  They easily could have casted someone more popular or younger (not that she is old by any stretch of the imagination), but this movie would not have worked as well without her.  I am sad to see this movie bomb so hard, because I really want to see more of her.

Kristen Connolly, Cabin in the Woods

How do you make the scream queen role seem fresh?  Kristen Connolly really carries Cabin in the Woods on her shoulders as the viewpoint character.  She balances naive and innocent along with intelligent and respectable.  Her transition into action star is also natural and believable.  She was clearly cast for her acting ability and the movie is better for it.  I am surprised that she does not have any movies coming up.  Seems like people would want to cast her and her enviable range.

Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect

After being a reliable supporting player in Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim and End of Watch this is Kendrick's transition to leading roles.  Her maturity and likability help to elevate Pitch Perfect above the average coming of age movie.  She puts her own personality into the role of troubled college student and makes the ideal stand-in for the audience.  She is a terrific singer and plays off of her enviable cast well.  This is not a role with a lot of meat to it, but she gives it her all.  She is also able to have fun and it shows and the fun bleeds into the audience.

Jennifer Lawrence, Hunger Games

I can't imagine Hunger Games without Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, they really lucked out in getting a  proper actress for this teen action movie.  Lawrence has a youthful enough look to be believable in this setting, but has the necessary maturity.  Despite being voted several times as one of the most beautiful people alive she looks fairly toned down and is able to look like a normal person instead of a movie star.  Jennifer Lawrence carries this movie with the physicality of an action star, but her more personal scenes are what keep you invested.  I actually cared about this character and will be returning to see more of her, can't say that about most leads in these types of movies.  Also in comparing this role to her Oscar nominated adult role in Silver Linings Playbook she demonstrates a range that not many actresses are allowed to utilize.

Aubrey Plaza, Safety Not Guaranteed

Aubrey Plaza in Safety Not Guaranteed delivers one of the best performances I have ever seen in a very specific scene.  There is so much honesty and vulnerability in the scenes when she is talking to Mark Duplass about her mother.  The scene begins with her clearly lying to him and it naturally transitions to her opening up to him in a way that she has obviously never opened up to anyone else before.  It is one of the most heartbreaking things I've seen on screen all year.

As for the rest of the movie, she makes a great anchor for the movie.  She is able to be the more normal character without losing the tragedy that is unique to her.  I have heard a lot of criticism of Plaza for always playing the same character.  And yes you can certainly draw similarities to April Ludgate, but she reaches depths I have seen few other actors reach.  It is definitely one of my favorite performances of the year.

Other Great Leading Performances:

Emily Blunt (Five-Year Engagement), Anna Faris (The Dictator), Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Leslie Mann (This is 40), Jennifer Aniston (Wanderlust), Razzie Nominated Barbara Streisand (The Guilt Trip)