Halloween: 10 horror films to scare yourself
Want to get spooked? Halloween-themed movie night coming up?
Here is a selection of 10 classics in the genre to scare yourself.
The Exorcist (1973)
The pitch: Chris McNeill, a television actress, is concerned about hearing strange noises in her little daughter, Regan, more and more frequently. She complains that she has difficulty sleeping because of the spasmodic movements that shake her bed. At first incredulous, Chris soon verifies her daughter's statements. She gradually turns into a real monster.
This cult film released in 1973 is known as one of the most cursed films in the history of cinema. Indeed, there were multiple incidents on the set and 9 deaths afterwards.
Night Claws (1984)
The pitch: Nancy, Kris, Quentin, Jesse and Dean live on Elm Street, in the heart of a residential suburb similar to thousands of others - peaceful, clean and uneventful... But for some time now, these five young people have been haunted every night by the same oppressive nightmare: a man with a cavernous voice emerges from the darkness. Dressed in a torn red and green t-shirt, he hides his horribly burned and disfigured face under an old hat.
The film is based on a news item. In the 1980s, dozens of men died in their sleep after having nightmares. Most of them were immigrants from Cambodia with heart defects. The stress of their recent arrival in the United States and the nightmares triggered cardiac arrest. The director, Wes Craven, read articles about this problem and came up with the idea of a serial killer who stalks his victims while they sleep.
The Ring (2002)
The pitch: One day, a cassette tape arrives. Without a label or distinctive mark. Similar to millions of others. If curiosity pushes you to watch it, you will quickly be captivated by a series of disturbing images, nightmarish visions, an interweaving of obscure and bewitching symbols. As soon as you come out of this ordeal, your phone will ring and a voice emerging from nowhere will inform you that you only have seven days to live.
This is a remake of Ring, a Japanese film by Hideo Nakata, released in 1998. Two sequels were released, The Circle 2 released in 2005 And The Circle: Rings released in 2017.
Psychosis (1960)
The pitch: Phoenix, Arizona. Marion Crane and Sam Loomis are lovers but the lack of money compromises their marriage. Sam must pay alimony to his ex-wife and pay off his father's debts. Marion increasingly finds it difficult to bear this love limited to furtive encounters. Back at the office, she witnesses a real estate transaction between a wealthy client and his boss, who asks her to deposit $40,000 in the bank.
The shower scene is a key moment in the film, which has become a cult classic. Lasting only 45 seconds on screen, it took no less than seven days of filming and 70 takes.
Halloween (1978)
The pitch : Halloween night 1963. Young Michael Myers rushes into his older sister's room and brutally stabs her. After his act, Michael retreats into silence and is committed to a mental institution. Fifteen years later, he escapes from the hospital and returns to the scene of his crime. He then attacks the town's teenagers.
The soundtrack ofHalloween is one of the most famous in horror cinema. We owe it to John Carpenter himself, also a musician and used to writing the music for his films
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The pitch: Gathered at the Korova Milk-Bar, Alex and his gang get high on drugs before going on an ultra-violent spree. After beating a drunken bum to death, they break into a house, rape the wife and seriously injure the husband. The next day, Alex is captured by the police after unintentionally killing another victim.
A Clockwork Orange is the fastest movie ever Stanley Kubrick, accustomed to long productions, have never done. In fact, from the first day of shooting to the release of the film, it only took one year!
That He Came Back (1990)
The pitch: In Derry, a small town in the United States, several children have just met a mysterious death. Mike, the librarian, is under no illusions. He is back. He is that mysterious and bloodthirsty clown, a child killer, that Mike and his friends had managed to chase away 30 years ago. Mike remembers. It all started with Georgie's murder. Georgie was playing quietly in the gutter with a small boat when the big shoes of the crazy clown approached him.
That is the adaptation of the famous fantasy novel of the same name written by Stephen King published in 1986. The work had already been transposed to the screen via the successful TV film That – He came back directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and broadcast in two parts in 1990 in the United States and in 1993 in France
A more recent adaptation has been released in cinemas, but in my opinion, it is far from the atmosphere and the universe of the 90s version.
The Shining (1980)
The pitch: Jack Torrance, caretaker of a hotel closed in winter, his wife and his son Danny are preparing to live long months of solitude. Danny, who has a gift of medium, the Shining, is frightened at the idea of living in this place, a theater marked by terrible past events...
Before turning to Jack Nicholson, Stanley Kubrick considered casting the role of Jack Torrance Robert De Niro, Robin Williams or even Harrison Ford. Stephen King was not convinced by this decision since he saw Michael Moriarty Or Jon Voight more suitable for the character.
Hereditary (2018)
The pitch: After Ellen's death, her daughter's family begins to uncover cryptic and terrifying secrets about their genealogy. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to escape the sinister fate they seem to have inherited.
The initial idea for Hereditary came from a series of terrible ordeals suffered by the director's family over a three-year period, to the point that he wondered if they were cursed. Ari Aster wanted to feed off this experience but without directly addressing the suffering endured by his loved ones and himself
Midsommar (2019)
The pitch: A couple travels across Sweden to visit a friend and attend a local festival. But the reunion quickly turns into a sordid pagan cult.
2e Ari Aster's film after Hereditary, I discovered this film recently. And I must say that it made me very uncomfortable. It's not scary, nothing gory but it really plays on the psychological, very disturbing. But it's worth seeing!
