With the recent success of Paranormal Activity, it saddens me to realize that authentic horror movies may be a thing of the past. I was glad to see Paranormal Activity do so well not only because it was creative in many ways, but because it proved that there are studios and directors out there that want more than just to make a buck off of a terrible remake. And while Rob Zombie isn’t the only one guilty of this (did we really need a Halloween reboot…and did you know Nightmare on Elm Street is on the way?), what he has done to Halloween makes the future of horror look bleak. The torture porn that Eli Roth and his minions are churning out on a yearly basis doesn’t help, either. (Sorry folks, but I got tired of the Saw franchise about halfway through part 2 and actually started laughing about halfway through Hostel).

But I digress…

In looking back on the last few years of the horror movie industry, it made me think about the few moments in my cinematic memories of when a horror movie—or even just a well-made psychological thriller—really took me by surprise and made me sit up and pay attention. And while I’m sure the following list is different for everyone (I’m sure most of you will laugh at my Number One, but oh well), here are the top five horror movie moments that really grabbed me and have still not truly let go.

5. Suspiria – I’m not going to pretend to be a movie expert and claim to have known this movie before it became “underground.” I saw a little bio on Dario Argento on Bravo a few years back and ended up renting Suspiria as a result. Granted, there are a few scenes in this movie that try so hard to be gruesome and disturbing but come off as cheesy. But when it does work in Suspiria, it works well. For example, consider the scene where a seeing-eye dog seemingly becomes possessed and/or terrified of some unseen force and tears out its owner’s throat in a very uncomfortable scene. Oh, and the graphic hanging at the film’s opening is an attention-getter as well.

4. Dog Soliders – I speak to a lot of people that have only seen this when it was playing on the Sci-Fi Channel (I still refuse to call the network by its new name…). If you are one of these people, you must see it on DVD. While there was nothing in this movie that really scared me, there were some gross-out moments that were really well done. These include, but aren’t limited to:

• A man opens a truck door, unaware that one of his buddies has been hacked to pieces inside. He then gets drenched by the oozing mess of blood, guts and other indiscernible bits that come flooding out.
• A soldier is injured, writhing in pain on the floor with his intestines drooping out slightly. A friendly dog comes along and decides that the intestines are a chew toy.
• A bad-ass soldier fights a werewolf with his bare hands and a kitchen knife and makes quite a match out of it.

There are tons of great moments in this movie and if you have not yet seen it, I highly recommend it.

3. The Shining – I was watching one of those “Scariest Horror Movie Moments” shows several Halloweens ago and when this moment was named, I thought: Finally…someone else gets it!

That is because the scene in question had always bothered me for some reason I never understood and whenever I mention it in a list like this, I get odd glances. The scene comes near the end of the movie where Jack Torrence is rambling through the Overlook, axe in hand. As he rampages, the Overlook offers up some odd scenes. One of these scenes involves a businessman and someone in a bear suit about to do…well, something in one of the Overlook’s rooms. It’s perfectly abstract, surreal and somehow fits. The fact that I have never been able to pick out why this bothers me makes it all the more haunting.

Another noteworthy scene is, of course, the naked lady in the bathtub of Room 237 revealing what she really is as Jack is kissing her when the camera pans to the bathroom mirror.

2. Eraserhead – Honestly, most of this entire damned movie creeps me out….most notably the chicken/dinner scene and the baby/weird creature/what-the-hell-is-that-thing at the end. This is quite frankly a movie that makes me feel as if I need a shower after watching it. Still, it’s such a perfectly visually disturbing movie considering the lack of effects and color.

1. Misery – No, it’s not the hobbling scene (although I always cringe when Annie Wilkes raises the sledgehammer). Keep in mind, I watched Misery in the theater when it was first released—I was eleven or twelve, I think–and my aunt somehow found it fitting to take a bunch of pre-teens to watch this movie. There is a scene where the helpless Paul Sheldon wakes up at night during a storm and as he glances around the dark room, a single (and terribly loud) lightning flash reveals Annie Wilkes’ face, close up and sneering. (Kathy Bates deserved every bit of praise she garnered for this role).

This one shot scared the piss out of me. That scene gave me nightmares for weeks and even though it doesn’t jolt me these days as it did back then, it still bring back the memory of being truly terrified by a movie for the first time.

How about you guys? Any moments you’d like to share?

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Barry has had fiction and poetry included in several print and online publications such as The Edge of Propinquity, Everyday Weirdness, Southern Fried Weirdness, Northern Haunts, Death in Common, Sand and others. His dark fiction has been collected in his book Debris, released by Library of Horror Press. Barry enjoys coffee, ambient music, all things astronomical and paranormal, and irony. You can read more of his meanderings at www.barrynapierwriting.wordpress.com.

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