Finally "The Caz" returns with another blog. This marks my first simultaneous posting of a new blog and episode of "Sarcazmo's Funhouse" on the same day. In a perfect world, this will become more of the norm in the future.
#7. Trilogy of Terror (Zuni doll scene) 1975. Trilogy of Terror is a horror anthology. The 3rd story is the only one worth watching. It involves a woman who buys a doll and accidentally knocks off its necklace causing the doll to come to life. The doll proceeds to chase and harass the woman for the majority of the story. She eventually traps the doll in the oven and sets it to 450 to bake some Zuni doll casserole not realizing its charred ashes floating in the air are about to possess her.
This is where the scary stuff happens. She calls her mother and invites her over. The next scene is the woman now possessed crouching on the floor, knife in hand, waiting for her mother to visit so she can chop her up.
#6. Prince of Darkness (Subliminal Jesus scene) 1987. One of the most underrated horror movies of the 1980's, Prince of Darkness is about a group of scientists/students who discover a liquid anti-matter (Satan) in the basement of a church. The liquid begins to possess each one of them. This coincides with Lucifer attempting to bring his boss to earth through a mirror. The plot is a little shaky, but its John Carpenter so its still quality.
#5. The Blair Witch Project (tent shaking/little kids outside scene) 1999. Witch gets the award for best use of sounds to scare its audience. The witch is never shown, therefore your mind gets to conjure up images galore of what she could look like.
All the witch hoopla is irrelevant during the scariest scene of said movie. Its night and the filmmakers are in the middle of elsewhere sleeping in their tent. They are awakened by what sounds like little children playing outside the tent. The tent starts to shake frantically and the two leads run into the night, why they would run from their tent into the darkness remains a mystery.
This to me is the scariest scene in the movie, NOT the ending, which was a letdown. The ending should have shown the witches hairy feet walking towards the dead filmmakers and then dragging them away. Or a wicked looking hand with long fingernails grabbing the camera from the ground.
The tent scene is so effective. Are the ghosts of the murdered kids shaking the tent? Is it locals? Is it their missing partner? That's why Blair Witch works for the most part, it doesn't answer the questions.
#4. The Entity (1st Rape Scene) 1982. The 2nd scariest movie of all time behind The Exorcist. Basically a simple story about a woman who routinely gets raped and assaulted by an unseen assailant. Rape and ghosts...do you really need anymore.
There are many a scene of ghost rape here, but the scariest is the first because it comes out of nowhere. The woman is putting (Nair for short shorts) lotion on her legs, then out of nowhere she gets cold, smells something foul, gets an overhand right across the chops, thrown on the bed, and then raped. She gathers her kids and leaves. The score here is as musically creepy as it gets. Quentin Tarantino even "borrowed" it for a scene in Inglorious Basterds. The rest of the movie never lets up on the ghost rapes either as there are about 2-4 more of them.
#3. Paranormal Activity (dragged out of bed scene) 2007. This was one of the last times a movie scared me. In the scene a girl is dragged by her leg out of bed and down the hallway, likely to be taken up into the attic and then who knows what. That to me is what makes it scary, where was it taking her and what was the demon going to do to her when it got her there? 
Having one of the scariest scenes ever does not a good movie make. Activity is pretty Para-NORMAL, its boring and you only really care about getting to the night-time scare scenes. When it gets there though, its affective.
#2. The Exorcist 3: Legion (beheading scene) 1990. Without a doubt, and I stand by this 100%, the most ORIGINAL scary scene ever filmed.
Scary scenes non horror? How about a scene in 310 to Yuma. I thought this was really disturbing. Russell Crowes character is handcuffed and being transferred cross country by a group of men.
Biggest disappointments. During research for this blog, I kept reading about scary scenes in these two movies Dont Look Now and The Changeling. Well needless to say if I'd paid money, I'd want it back.
Dont Look Now is so damn tedious it makes paint drying look like Oceans 11. Its one of those artistic horror movies where the director tries to make a statement, the statement must have been he was going to try to make the dullest movie in the history of cinema.
The much hyped payoff at the end is scary only because you realize how scary it would be to have to watch that movie over again...... and that's with a few fast forwards.
My latest Youtube video is part 3 of Sarcazmos 1st Annual Halloween Extravaganza. During one segment , I rank what I believe are the top 7 scariest scenes of all time.
I find it very hard to be frightened by movies anymore. Watching so many movies (bad movies) has dulled my fright sense I think. What I find scares me, are scenes that in some way shape or form, could really happen.
I find it very hard to be frightened by movies anymore. Watching so many movies (bad movies) has dulled my fright sense I think. What I find scares me, are scenes that in some way shape or form, could really happen.
One of my friends recently said to me, if you put a face on fear, it isn't scary anymore. I thought this was a brilliant point. Because what scares me isn't monsters like Freddy, Jason, Dracula, or Frankenstein. Its the unseen and mysterious anticipation that lets my mind conjure up what COULD be hiding under the bed or in the closest.
Most of my top 7 here, for the most part, could happen. There are few exceptions here depending on if you believe or disbelieve in the supernatural.
My criteria on what makes a scary scene follows a few guidelines.
1. If you were watching it alone, in a house in the woods, would you sleep with the lights on afterwards.
2. Does the scene give you chills?
3. Could the scene really happen?
4. Is the scene original?
5. Does the scene stay with you for a few hours or days after you've watched the movie?
6. Do you remember the scene from your childhood.
7. Does/did the scene give you nightmares?
8. Would you refuse to watch the scene again?
Lets get started. Watch the top 7 scenes on my Youtube channel, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc4_L0rMsZA then have yourself a helping of some blog below.
#7. Trilogy of Terror (Zuni doll scene) 1975. Trilogy of Terror is a horror anthology. The 3rd story is the only one worth watching. It involves a woman who buys a doll and accidentally knocks off its necklace causing the doll to come to life. The doll proceeds to chase and harass the woman for the majority of the story. She eventually traps the doll in the oven and sets it to 450 to bake some Zuni doll casserole not realizing its charred ashes floating in the air are about to possess her. 
This is where the scary stuff happens. She calls her mother and invites her over. The next scene is the woman now possessed crouching on the floor, knife in hand, waiting for her mother to visit so she can chop her up. The scene is creepy due to the fact that moments ago this was a normal woman, now shes all Zuni-dolled out with chiclet like teeth to boot. If you were watching this alone, your mind would conjure up images of this woman hiding behind you or waiting to prance in the next room.
#6. Prince of Darkness (Subliminal Jesus scene) 1987. One of the most underrated horror movies of the 1980's, Prince of Darkness is about a group of scientists/students who discover a liquid anti-matter (Satan) in the basement of a church. The liquid begins to possess each one of them. This coincides with Lucifer attempting to bring his boss to earth through a mirror. The plot is a little shaky, but its John Carpenter so its still quality. The movie has several creepy moments, like this looker right here...
..but its a series of nightmares the scientists keep having that's scary as all hell. In the scene, you hear some creepy, almost subliminal, guy on a radio warning us about the future. As the radio stranger is talking, a shaky cam makes its way down a sidewalk only to catch (depending on your views) a freshly resurrected Jesus Christ or Satan. Now I shouldn't be creeped out by the 2nd coming of Christ, but in actuality, wouldn't it be kinda scary? At least until you got to know him? Its the kind of video that would generate billions?? of Youtube hits....could you imagine.. Jesus Christ caught on video. The fact that's its never shown who this is adds to the creep factor.
All the witch hoopla is irrelevant during the scariest scene of said movie. Its night and the filmmakers are in the middle of elsewhere sleeping in their tent. They are awakened by what sounds like little children playing outside the tent. The tent starts to shake frantically and the two leads run into the night, why they would run from their tent into the darkness remains a mystery.
This to me is the scariest scene in the movie, NOT the ending, which was a letdown. The ending should have shown the witches hairy feet walking towards the dead filmmakers and then dragging them away. Or a wicked looking hand with long fingernails grabbing the camera from the ground.
The tent scene is so effective. Are the ghosts of the murdered kids shaking the tent? Is it locals? Is it their missing partner? That's why Blair Witch works for the most part, it doesn't answer the questions. 
There are many a scene of ghost rape here, but the scariest is the first because it comes out of nowhere. The woman is putting (Nair for short shorts) lotion on her legs, then out of nowhere she gets cold, smells something foul, gets an overhand right across the chops, thrown on the bed, and then raped. She gathers her kids and leaves. The score here is as musically creepy as it gets. Quentin Tarantino even "borrowed" it for a scene in Inglorious Basterds. The rest of the movie never lets up on the ghost rapes either as there are about 2-4 more of them. 
#3. Paranormal Activity (dragged out of bed scene) 2007. This was one of the last times a movie scared me. In the scene a girl is dragged by her leg out of bed and down the hallway, likely to be taken up into the attic and then who knows what. That to me is what makes it scary, where was it taking her and what was the demon going to do to her when it got her there? 
Having one of the scariest scenes ever does not a good movie make. Activity is pretty Para-NORMAL, its boring and you only really care about getting to the night-time scare scenes. When it gets there though, its affective. 
#2. The Exorcist 3: Legion (beheading scene) 1990. Without a doubt, and I stand by this 100%, the most ORIGINAL scary scene ever filmed. Exorcist 3's stock has improved since 1990, it has a solid idea (elderly people getting possessed), but the rushed exorcism at the end really hurts its momentum....the priest just comes out of left field at the end, and goes to work.
The movie actually has a few scary scenes, like the woman on the ceiling and the opening scene in the confession booth.
The movie actually has a few scary scenes, like the woman on the ceiling and the opening scene in the confession booth.
The show stopper here is the beheading scene. What a brilliant burst of film making exhibition on display here from novice director William Peter Blatty.
The scene itself is in a hospital after hours, a nurse is doing checkups when she hears noises coming from one of the rooms. She checks it to find ice melting and a doctor wakes up to startle her.
Now you feel safe for the girl because a police officer is CLEARLY on guard within sight of the nurse.
The timing here is key. As the the officer is summoned away, the nurse closes a door, as shes walking away a white figure with garden shears prances behind her and she is beheaded off screen. Who the killer was, was probably one of the possessed elderlies, but you never know for sure. A masterpiece of a scene, should go down in history as one of the greatest ever.
#1. The Exorcist (Father Karras's dream sequence) 1973. Sarcazmo's favorite movie of all time and EASILY the scariest movie of all time, The Exorcist is one of the few movies I give a 7 out of 7 (Golden Caz) using my ratings system.
There isn't a wasted line in this script.... as well written a script as I've ever read. They don't and wont make them like this ever again. Even when they do the inevitable remake, its going to be a joke. If ever a movie should never be remade, this is it.
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This movie scared the living hell out of me as a child, I remember it perfectly. I couldn't believe some of the things I was seeing. I honestly slept with the light on and my face covered with a pillow for at least the next month mainly due to the #1 scariest scene of all time.
In the scene, Father Karras is drunk and passes out. He then proceeds to have a nightmare about his deceased mother...oh and in between dreams, the devil decides to make a cameo/subliminal appearance.
It was this quarter second flash of a face that caused me all kinds of sleepless nights. When I turned off the light I would think I saw that face. I had nightmares about that face, then I would have nightmares about the possessed girl.
I remember reading about the hype when the movie originally came out. One of the more unusual stories happened at a theater where a guy who thought he was the only one who saw the face, charged at the screen headfirst and knocked himself out. Later he claimed he was trying to "kill the demon."
A scene that didn't originally make the cut was a spider walk sequence where Reagan walks hunched like a spider down the steps.
There are actually two, one where she spits bloods, and one where she flicks her tongue and attacks the assistant. They used the spewing blood scene in the re release, but the original flicking tongue is scarier. The way she looks at the assistant and crawls towards her is eerie for sure.
BONUS BLOG!!!!
Here's some quick, random bursts of blogness.
Biggest omission of the top 7 goes to Pet Sematary. Anything with Zelda is disturbing and difficult. Zelda (with scarier makeup) chasing the girl out the door and down the steps would have put this over the top and even higher on my list. The problem is its a man in the wig, why didn't they get a girl?
The Shining twins scene is scary, but it would have been scarier if after they say come play with us, they start walking towards the boy..almost chasing him.
Best shock scare scene goes to Edge of Darkness. A shock scare is when a movie sets you up to make you think everything is gravy only to scare the bejesus out of you with some loud random act of violence or noise. The scene in question has both...violence and noise.
Mel Gibson's character is talking to a witness, she says goodbye and when she gets out of the car she is SMASHED...and it gets you. Not a horror movie but the scene works.
Scary scenes non horror? How about a scene in 310 to Yuma. I thought this was really disturbing. Russell Crowes character is handcuffed and being transferred cross country by a group of men.
One of the men repeatedly taunts Russell's character.
The scene in question is when the men go to sleep, later it cuts to Crowe repeatedly stabbing the man who was taunting him. I just thought it was really realistic and in your face.
Most overrated scary. Night of the Livng Dead. Does this really scare anyone anymore? I love George Romero as much as the next guy but this movie is dated. Slow zombies do not induce scares here.
Dont Look Now is so damn tedious it makes paint drying look like Oceans 11. Its one of those artistic horror movies where the director tries to make a statement, the statement must have been he was going to try to make the dullest movie in the history of cinema.
The much hyped payoff at the end is scary only because you realize how scary it would be to have to watch that movie over again...... and that's with a few fast forwards.
The Changeling is a haunted house movie that is dated and weak. The scene with the speeding wheelchair is suppose to induce scares, for me it induced the eject button on the blu ray player and the off switch on the remote.
If you want a scary chair scene watch Poltergeist.