Forget the recent Halloween releases, HiLite reporter Lauren Mugavin brings you the top 5 classic movies to scare you silly

By Lauren Mugavin
<[email protected]>

1. ‘The Exorcist’

At first I had no idea why everyone was making such a big deal about this movie about a girl named Regan MacNeil who is possessed by a demon…until I saw it. It had an incredibly intense effect that both surprised and scared me. Considering it was made in the ‘70s, it is extremely dark and evil–in an entertaining way, of course. The stair scene was delightfully disturbing, something that’s sure to leave an imprint in my mind for a while. Regan was entrancing as the little girl possessed and as the normal, happy girl. The entire time she is possessed, you aren’t even aware that it’s a little girl, only that it’s a demon in a deceiving form. Some of the events that occur from the time the demon enters are shocking and horrifying, tearing the viewer between the desire for more and the desire to cover their eyes. I love the whole trek through trying to discover the truth behind the little girl’s “personality disorder” until they realize they don’t need a doctor, but an exorcist.

2. ‘The Sixth Sense’

This horror/suspense movie by M. Night Shyamalan rules. The story is about a young boy who is cursed with the ability to see the dead and is helped by a child psychologist. Everything about the plot and story line is brilliant. The actors are perfect for the parts they played. Bruce Willis allowed me to sympathize with the struggling child psychologist, Malcolm Crowe, who was willing to sacrifice everything just to help young children. My heart reached out to young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) the moment he came into the scene. It was so obvious that this adorable boy was an innocent, tormented soul who just wanted to “make them go away” so that he could be a normal kid with real friends and problems like, “What am I taking to lunch today?” instead of “What am I going to do about that bloodied dead guy standing next to me?” The real horror in the movie are from the ghosts Sear is cursed to see. They are battered up enough to at least make viewers cringe. It’s not a constant horror fest with scene after scene of senselessly bloodied bodies that are just meant to get a reaction out of the viewers. It has a real storyline that reels viewers in and conjures up emotion.

3. ‘Psycho’

This 1960’s movie is about a violent murder and the mystery of who committed it. It is definitely a classic. It proved that Alfred Hitchcock was thinking way ahead of his time. Because it is a slow-paced movie that moves gradually from one conflict to the next, it gives viewers a bunch of time to figure the character out. The infamous suspense music adds anxiety for something to happen, and eventually audiences are blown away when they reach the famous scene, the moment of suspense, the part that everyone has been talking about: the shower scene. The shower scene is the essential item that makes this a horror movie, and everything surrounding it is just adding to the movie’s mood. Plus, the ending is completely shocking. You almost have to laugh at how sick or “psycho” it really is.

4. ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’

A breakthrough for its time, this movie scores the top five of my list for its pure uniqueness. The fact that Freddy kills teenagers in their sleep was new and intense. He is the perfect horror image, with his burned and torn face and his knife-claws. The theme music to the movie is a suspenseful mix between the “Phantom of the Opera” and the “Exorcist”, promoting the scary movie mood. Aside from the horror, it was also Johnny Depp’s first emergence in the film world, which may have started his successful career. He gave a great performance as Glen Lantz, a lazy but supportive jock boyfriend to tormented Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp). She added to the movie with her extensively dramatic portrayal of a frightened teenager, haunted by a creature she can’t get away from. Together, they strive to stay awake in order to avoid Freddy, which is an adventure in itself.

5. Interview with the Vampire

This movie explores different aspects of being a vampire, making audiences realize things about the demons that you would never suspect. The characters are bloodthirsty killers. Still, you cannot help falling in love with them and eventually thinking, “God, I wish I were a vampire.” You would never have thought that one man’s transformation into an immortal being would be so interesting, but yet, his story is both sympathetic and wondrous. If you thought Brad Pitt was gorgeous as a human, you clearly have not seen him as Louis the vampire. His creamy and pale skin along with his perfectly proportioned features make you wonder why Lestat (Tom Cruise) is getting all the girls (although Cruise is equally enchanting). Just when you think it cannot get any better, in swoops Kirsten Dunst as the stubborn Claudia who completely changes up the engaging storyline. The horror in the film mainly comes from the different kinds of vampires, their non-romantic, but binding relationships, and most importantly, the way they enchant and kill their prey.