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Channel 4's 100 Greatest Scary Moments from Film, TV, Advert

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http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/S/scary/results_10-1_1.html

Anyone catch this?

I always find Channel 4's "100 Greatest...." efforts entertaining, although they're vulnerable to all sorts of criticism.

Whole franchises that might have merited two or more entries get just the one, and it's always the first film in a series, even where sequels might have been scarier (Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, the Hannibal Lector films)

Plus, if you're allowed remakes in some cases (Dracula movies), why not others? Verbinski's "Ring" doesn't figure, but the inferior original does.

As ever it's "voted for by you, the public", but it seems certain that voters were asked to choose from a pre-determined short-list, a list that may have comprised just the final 100, meaning we're asked simply to put them in order.

How else could "Train Pulling into a Station (1895)" have weighed in at 100? Barely anyone would have heard of it, but the panel responsible for the shortlist have clearly decided to shoe-horn in entries from the dawn of cinema, reflecting things that people found scary more than a century ago as well as up-to-the-minute shockers.

I was pleased to see cheesy TV classics like The Tripods and Day of the Triffids make the list, and with hindsight The Shining was an obvious no.1, even if I didn't see it coming during the countdown. In fact I was expecting "The Sixth Sense" to be at the top. Personally I didn't like the film and I think that Shyamalan is over-rated, but I know so many people that speak highly of it, its absence from the list seems to me an oversight.
 
Some of the moments were more funny than scary in my opinion.
I am a great fan of league of gentlemen - but it isn't really that horrifying is it?
But I have to admit after watching the prog sat night, i was a little freaked out buy the end - 'Evil Dead' pretty freaky, and 'don't look now' (never seen it ) scared me.:eek!!!!:
 
'The Shining' isn't all that scary either, so I dunno how it was voted as number 1. True, there are a few good moments in it, but most of the film is Mr Nicholson over-acting a bit ;) Scare for scare, films like 'The Exorcist' are more scary IMHO (if you remember how you reacted when you first watched them). I still think the modern remake of 'The Thing' is still one of the better horror films, because it's both scary and rather weird.
 
JerryB said:
I still think the modern remake of 'The Thing' is still one of the better horror films, because it's both scary and rather weird.

I really rate The Thing, actually. It's both gory and scary, which is a bit of a rarity.

The special effects for both that and American Werewolf have stood the test of time fantastically well in the face of CGI. I know it's the done thing to slag off CGI these days, but it was quite revolutionary, and when done well it's awesome. No-one relies on animatronics and models these days, so it's great to see that the best animatronics stand up to the best CGI.
 
Yep, they work well because they're lit in the same scene and react to movements of the camera and film in the same way. This still isn't something CGI can mimic at the moment, and WRT to lighting it's partly down to CGI artists not getting things 'just so'. (This always bugs me, because it shows that few of them seem to have any fundamental art or photography training).
 
A lot of people who hadn't seen Don't Look Now commented to me about how scary they thought the clip played was. Sadly most were oblivious that C4 had seen fit to ruin the end of the film with the reveal.
 
Throw said:
A lot of people who hadn't seen Don't Look Now commented to me about how scary they thought the clip played was. Sadly most were oblivious that C4 had seen fit to ruin the end of the film with the reveal.

yeah, I thought that at the time! Hadn't seen it, but is was fairly clear the clip was a pivotal moment in the film, unless it had been a dream sequence or summat.

The only thing I'd known about Don't Look Now before seeing the Channel 4 countdown was that on-screen and at the time real-life couple Christie and Sutherland were supposed to have been making the beast with two backs for real in the nookie scene.
 
Most embarrassing scene of a mainstream film to watch with your parents EVER
 
I'd have certianly put the Thing at number one (and followed it up with Salem's Lot which scared the piss out of me as a kid) - I like the Shining but it more eerie and unsettling rather than actually frightening (the only bit that made me jump was where he appears and nails the ranger with the axe). It was rather a pedestrian choice which by its very nature it has to be - restricted list to pick from, haivng to get tapes to the talking heads so they can actually watch the things they are supposed to be talking about, etc.. Jimmy Carr is always worth watching though ;)

What was more fun was Sky One's "The Very Worst...... Gory Movies" which included some real classics!! Blood Feast, Evil Dead, Zombie Flesh Eaters, The Beyond, Hills Have Eyes, Cannibal Ferox, Battle Royale, Story of Ricky, etc. but Cradle of Fear as #1!! It also appears they showed material on TV that was cut from the UK DVD releases.
 
Throw said:
Most embarrassing scene of a mainstream film to watch with your parents EVER

along with the scene by the bonfire in The Howling. *cringes*
 
Emperor said:
I'd have certianly put the Thing at number one (and followed it up with Salem's Lot which scared the piss out of me as a kid) -

Good Lord, yes! I remember that when I were a lad of maybe 9-10, they serialised Salem's lot on BBC 2.

I flicked channels onto said programme while my old dear was on the phone in the hallway, and was struck rigid with fear at the site of a toothy vampire floating towards the camera.

The scene stayed with me, but strangely, when I came to watch the film in one, rather than as a serial, as an adult, I couldn't pinpoint the particular moment that had so unsettled me as a kid. Can only conclude that my memories of it had become distorted over time. Either that or the serialised version included extra footage.
 
Conners said:
Good Lord, yes! I remember that when I were a lad of maybe 9-10, they serialised Salem's lot on BBC 2.

I flicked channels onto said programme while my old dear was on the phone in the hallway, and was struck rigid with fear at the site of a toothy vampire floating towards the camera.

Yep - I'm pretty sure that is the same showing that got me. It was the first time my brother and I were allowed to babysit ourselves and so didn't we go and watch Salem's Lot?? I'm pretty sure the bit that really made us freak out was the scene in the jail where its quiet and dark but you still know somehting bad is going to happen and then the Nosferatu-style vampire suddenly appears close to the camera (or something like that - its been a while). It nearly scared us senseless and our parents returned home to find hundreds of paper crosses stuck to the windows of the house.

Thats possibly the most scared I've been although I do remember some of the Dotor Who episodes being close - just none of those shown on the show (although I'd need to watch the old DW back agin to spot the ones that really touched a nerve). I was always pretty unbothered by the Daleks.
 
Oh and it didn't have enough zombies - they are just about the only thing that will scare me (in fiction obviously - and only when done right). Night of The Living Dead (53) should certainly be higher as should Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (47) which has some of the same feel of overwhelming inevitability, the fear of 'infection'/loss of identity and Nietzschian fear of the mob.

I'm suprised 28 Days Later (18) scored higher than Day of the Triffids (88) and The Tripods (69) - as that whole feel of 28DL was prety much lifted from them and was done far better.

And Star Wars was never scary - Darth vader was too much of a panto villian ;)

And The Incredible Hulk? Carry on Screaming?
 
I started watching it but sort of lost interest after a while, was Jeremy Paxman interviewing Michael Howard on at all?

How else could "Train Pulling into a Station (1895)" have weighed in at 100?

it was on time, that's why . . . :eek!!!!:
 
I watched Salems Lot as a small child. Looking back all i can think is "what were my parents thinking"? I have to say I don't remember much of the movie, just the scene where the brother is floating outside the window scratching and then comes in and bites the older brother. I slept with the covers up round my neck for years after seeing that! I actually saw a rebraodcast on the Sci/Fi channel and saw that exact scene over...not at all scary. But hey i was 4/5 at the time, it scared me to death!
 
Emperor said:
And The Incredible Hulk? Carry on Screaming?

Call me a complete wuss but Carry on Screaming scared me as a kid. The bit where they generate the monster is pretty scary admit it!!!!
 
I don't know about you but Little Mo scares the crap outta me.

:rolleyes:

Sky One's Top Ten Worst Gore Movies was a lot better f only for the fact they seemed to abandon the concept in the first thirty seconds and just showed really cool clips from really cool films.
 
Emperor said:
And Star Wars was never scary - Darth Vader was too much of a panto villain ;)

And The Incredible Hulk? Carry on Screaming?

I think it depends on how old you are, I'd a small cousin who was scared of Vader's wheezing, she was also terrified by the Hulk (TV) and I got a right bollocking off her mother for letting her watch it (how was I, at 12, supposed to know an 8 year old would be scared of it?!?)

Carry On Screaming? I nearly wet myself at that when I was 9 ... :eek!!!!:

I always thought the alien baby scene from V was the scariest thing I ever saw ... (well not these day obviously, but at the time :nooo: )
 
My worst nightmares involved cartoon advertising characters - I had a dream where the Fig Newton Man was putting body parts into fig newtons, and another dream where the cartoon machine named Cecil, mascot for a 70's breakfast cereal, was eating babies.
 
I think some of the more horrifying stuff - comes from those public info ( protect & survive, lonely waters) and government ads (aids - 1986).

I bought the Disney classic - Snow white & seven dwarfs for my kids to watch. Having never seen it myself, i though disney, kids film - can't go wrong!
We watched it once - they refuse to watch it again....... not one for the kids in my opinion.......
 
Mr. R.I.N.G. said:
My worst nightmares involved cartoon advertising characters - I had a dream where the Fig Newton Man was putting body parts into fig newtons, and another dream where the cartoon machine named Cecil, mascot for a 70's breakfast cereal, was eating babies.

Zo, Meester Ring. How vas your relazionzship vis your parents?
 
The only scene in a horror movie I remember scaring the living bejezuz out of me was the scene in Poltergeist when the guy starts ripping the flesh on his face off - the first time I saw I burst into tears instantly, and ran to cover my face with a pillow.

You have to understand how utterly stoic I usually was with any type of horror to get the full effect of this story I suppose, but let's just say I didn't scare all that easily.

I guess at the time, despite the fact I knew movies were fake, that scene in particular did NOT look fake and it fucking blew mind.

-Fitz
 
The worst bit for me in Poltergeist was the clown under the bed. That still scares me. :nooo:
As for salems Lot, I think the bit where Mike Ryerson is sitting in the rocking chair, in semi darkness, and then opens his eyes and stares at the teacher is pretty scary. "Look at me teacher!" Eek! :eek!!!!:
 
Ozymandias said:
Zo, Meester Ring. How vas your relazionzship vis your parents?

Pretty good, oddly enough. I think that if you are going to have nightmares, they are going to come out of whatever imagrey you have around, and for me it was cartoons and commercials!:D
 
Yup, I think Protect and Survive was easily the scariest thing on there.
 
That Charley was really sinister.

Other than a couple of films that push particular buttons (like "Dead Calm") I've yet to find a film that's actually scary. Not "The Exorcist", not "The Shining" (how can that be scary?) and certainly none of the films on that list.

"Evil Dead" is hysterical.

Sam
 
I'm of an age to have seen The Evil Dead in pirate form and I was rather spooked by it, especially the tree rape scene..I think it was the first time I had ever seen the low level very fast camera shot used as it whizzed through the trees. I suspect if I saw it now I would be yawning my way through it.

As for Evil Dead 2........'groovy'......:D
 
The Evil Dead's success is directly proportional to the amount of column inches it generated in tabloid newspapers. It was released straight to video before it's reputation on the street secured it a theatrical release.

The story goes that Braindead was released uncut in this country because censors thought nobody could ever take it seriously. Now marvel at the number of people they must consider have been raped by trees and possessed by ancient, evil spirits whilst taking a weekend break in the cabin up the woods...
 
I watched Salems Lot as a small child.

Ditto, scared the heck out of me. It's the bit where there's a dark room and the master vampire suddenly pops up and makes this sound like "Vrrrrrrrrrrrrr":eek:

There were a few Dr Who's that scared me witless too, The Brain of Morbius (the monster in that still scares me now), The Seeds of Doom (where a guy turns into a cthuluoid monster that fills a mansion house) and there's a horrid talking vent. dummy in The Talons of Weng Chiang. Some of the android ones where their faces fell off used to freak me out too:eek!!!!:

IMO Evil Dead is a thoroughly dull film. The only bit my middle school contemporaries used to rave about was the tree rape scene, and then it got banned so it was 'cool' for a while. Dull, dull film.
 
and there's a horrid talking vent. dummy in The Talons of Weng Chiang.

Man, that was a seriously creepy thing! Freaked me out totally, and I had the pleasure of visiting the same thing upon my own children when it came out on dvd..!

Something that is majorly overlooked, in my opinion of course, is the first Elm Street movie, which is (or was at the time) bloody scary to me. The simple genius of making you afraid to go to sleep.
 
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