What Makes A Movie Scary?-- Part 4: "Here's Johnny!! Open the Door Or I'll Axe You In"

**  I've seen it.

**  THE SHINING (1980)--    Stanley Kubrick's scary movie about a man going insane.  No one  can play someone a bit off kilter better than Jack Nicholson.

**  THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS  (1991)--  The only horror film to ever win an Oscar for Best Picture.   All that cool and class and appetite.

**  THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE  (1974)--  It wa slow budget, but big scary.  Still afraid to cut my trees with a chainsaw.

**  THE THING  (1982)--  John Carpenter's remake of the 1951 classic about that cold weather creature.  All the gore and gook you could want.

BVooDoo.  --CootScare

What Makes A Movie Scary?-- Part 3: Freddie and That Giant Skull

**  Means I've seen it.

**  A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET  (1984)--  The movie that gave us blade-fingered Freddie Kreuger.  Don't go to sleep or he'll get you.  Freddie's kind of a funny guy at times.

**  THE OMEN  (1976)--  Hey, Damien is the demon child.

**  POLTERGEIST  (1982)--  That spooky old tree scared me, but not as bad as that huge skull coming out of the closet.  I almost had to leave the theater when that happened.  Man, that was scary.

**  PSYCHO  (1960)--  Alfred Hitchcock's mama's boy goes awry.  You can check in, but I don't know about checking out.

**  ROSEMARY'S BABY  (1968)--  It's a slow-builder, but creepier the whole time.

Scared Yet?  --DaCootBoo

What Makes A Movie Scary?-- Part 2: Maniac Killers and That Big Ol' Shark

**  Ones I've seen:

**  GET OUT--  (2017)--  A young black man meets his white girlfriend's family.  Guess who's not coming to dinner.

HEREDITARY--  (2018)--  They say this may be too intense for some.  You've been warned.

**  HALLOWEEN  (1978)--  John Carpenter terrorized middle America with this one.  It's all in the family.

**  JAWS  (1975)--  Steven Spielberg's masterpiece about a big ol' shark.  But you never had to worry about it until you heard that music.  That meant Sharkey was nearby.

**  NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD   (1968)--  George Romero's original.  All zombie shows owe this for their existence.

Like, BOO!!!  --CootScared

What Makes a Movie Scary?-- Part 1: A to E

From the October 24, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Rafer Guzman.

What makes a horror movie scary?  Some say its the jump-scare, that "Boo" moment that jolts you.  (That gets me every time.)  Others say its a particularly horrible looking monster, otehrs a preponderance of blood, guts and gore.

Here is a list of pretty good horror movies in alphabetical order (and just in time for Halloween):

**  ALIEN (1979)    Basically "Jaws in Space" according to director Ridley Scott.  Where, oh where, is that monster and it is pretty dark.

AUDITION (1999)  I didn't see this one.    But they say the second half "must be seen to be believed."

**  THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999)  "Found film footage."  Pretty creepy.  I wouldn't go into the woods.

**  THE EVIL DEAD  (1981)  Don't play that videotape, folks.

**   THE EXORCIST  (1973)  They said it was so scary, people fainted.  I didn't see anybody faint, but pretty creepy anyway.  And, those scary bells.

**  Means I've seen it.

--CootScared

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 8: It Follows, It

2014--  "IT FOLLOWS"--  I am not familiar with this one.  The film is a warning to today's free-love millennial  society as it tells the story of an entity that follows and kills those who have one-night stands.

2017--  "IT"--  The latest Stephen King adaptation, the film features the machinations of the supernatural clown Pennywise and his obsession with terrorizing children.  That is until he met his "match" with the group of oddballs who banded together to get him.

"It" has become the highest-grossing horror film ever.  And, there obviously is going to be a Part 2.  Of course, in my opinion, there sure haven't been a lot of good movies out of late.

This film certainly has not helped real clowns.

--CootScared

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 7: Witches, Saws and the Paranormal

1999--  THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT"--  In an otherwise underrated year that brought us the cringe-inducing "Audition," the big thrills of a revamped "The Mummy" and ghost tale "The Sixth Sense," a new-found footage genre was tapped in "The Blair Witch Project" about a small group that gets lost in the woods and is haunted by -- who knows.

You never see whatever it was.

2004--  "SAW"--  Would you kill a stranger or friend if it meant that your wife and kids would survive a serial killer?  Two people are forced to answer this question as they are held by a killer named Jigsaw.

It's the kill-or-be-killed attitude, or "torture porn," that "Saw" helped unlock as a horror sub-genre.

2009--  "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY"--  Mixing the use of security-camera footage and supernatural possession, the film was the first of a trilogy telling the generational tale of a demon and a coven.

Like, BOO!!  --CootFright

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 6: Freddy, Scream, Ringu

1984:  "A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET"--  Freddy Krueger, a child molester later burned alive by irate parents in the neighborhood where he committed his crimes, was tailor-made horror -- with a touch of humor.

1996--  "SCREAM"--  A self-referential horror film, the killer sticks to horror film tropes that are pointed out often by characters in the movie.

A mystery-comedy-satire, it seemed to show that even if you know the cliches, you can't escape.

1998--  "RINGU"  ("RING")--  The Japanese psychological horror film in which a cursed videtape brings death to anyone who watches it was remade in the U.S. in 2002.

I guess now someone will have to explain what a video tape is to the younger folks.

--Cooter

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 5: Giant Bug, "Here's Johnny," Scary TVs

1979--  "ALIEN"--  Alone in outer space with a huge ugly, smart buglike creature which only desires to kill you or plant another xenamorph inside you?  That's horror.  Nowhere to go.  When that thing burst out of the guy's stomach, another really frightening, gross moment.

1980--  "THE SHINING"  "Friday the 13th"--  Two sides of horror.  "The Shining" is a psychological thriller, a haunting in a hotel that chronicles a man's descent into madness.  "Here's Johnny!!"

There's no psychology to "Friday the 13th."  It was all physical as the mother of Jason Vorhees killed any of the campers that happened to trespass in Camp Crystal Lake.  Another good reason teens ought not to have sex.

1982--  "POLTERGEIST"--  The haunted house film was represented a few years earlier in 1979 with "The Amityville Horror," but "Poltergeist," with its cute little girl, scary clown and voices in the TV took the subgenre to near heights.

And when that huge skull came out of the closet, had my friend's wife been sitting next to me, she would have been repaid for "Halloween."  That REALLY SCARED me.

Scared to Death.  --DaCootScream

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 4: Jaws, Carrie and Halloween

1975--  "JAWS"--  The theme song alone brought terror to many a swimmer.  I haven't been into the ocean over my knees since then.

Steven Spielberg's hit, chronicling the efforts to survive attacks from and capture or destroy a huge great white shark terrorizing beachgoers, is often credited as the first blockbuster film.  And that, "We're going to need a bigger boat," is one of the best lines ever spoken in a movie.

1976--  "CARRIE"--  The first film adaption of a Stephen King novel featured Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a telekinetic high school girl who is bullied at school and abused at home -- until she went overboard.  The film was nominated for two Academy Awards.

Careful who you mess with, and whatever you do-- no blood buckets.

1978--  "HALLOWEEN"--  John Carpenter's Michael Myers is an empty, evil vessel bent  on killing anyone in his family -- and, for that matter, anyone who tries to stop him from doing that.  Another reason why teen's should not have sex as Mikey will get them.

I made the mistake of first seeing this with friends of ours, and the wife was sitting next to me and the first time Michael popped out, she really let me have it on my leg.  I asked my wife to change seats.

--CootScream

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 3: Rosemary, Exorcist and Chainsaw

1968--  "ROSEMARY'S BABY"--  Ulterior motives are at work when a husband and group of supposed friends attempt to steal a baby from Rosemary.

She later finds out that her baby is a lot more than just a baby, but chooses to raise him anyway.

Frank would not approve.

1973--  "THE EXORCIST"--  At the center of William Friedkin's film that tests religious faith, young Linda Blair puts on a tour de force of demonic possession as Regan MacNeil, a child possessed.  "The Exorcist" was the first horror film to receive an Academy Award nomination for best picture.

And, then there were those creepy "Tubular Bells."

1974--  "THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE"--  The film may be about a family of cannibals and the poor souls unfortunate enough  to stumble across their rural Texas home, but one family member in particular, Leatherface, who was inspired by real-life murdered Ed Gein, could be considered the first of the slasher genre.  Right Freddie and Michael?

I've never seen it, though.

Must Get My Chain Saw Sometime, Have Tree Limbs To Cut Down.  --CootMask

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 2: Howling, Destroying, Stabbing and Biting

1941--  "THE WOLF MAN"--  Lon Chaney Jr.'s portrayal of a man cursed to change into a wolf during the full moon was repeated in four sequels.  All you ever wanted to know about werewolves.

1954--  "GODZILLA"--  A Japanese kaiju (monster movie) showed the dangers of atomic testing.

1960--  "PSYCHO"--  Director Alfred Hitchcock's split-personality thriller featured Norman Bates as a hotel caretaker.  And then there was that famous shower scene and that music.

1968--  "NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD"--  Director George A. Romero's take on zombies and a world where they overrun society.  The look of the zombies and over-the-top gore endeared it to horror fans.  "The Walking Dead" owes him a huge thank you.

--ScaredCooter

A Timeline of Horror Movies-- Part 1: Meet Frank, Count and the Kong

From the October 29, 2017, Chicago Tribune  "A Timeline of Horror: Influential movies of the genre" by Jevon Phillips, LA Times.

Stephen King's current "It" is the highest grossing horror movie ever.

The first-ever known movie that can be classified as horror would be the 1896 French short silent film "Le Manoir du Diable" ("The House of the Devil").

here are 25 pivotal moments in horror:

1910--  "FRANKENSTEIN"   Boris Karloff 1931 movie better known, but the first to bring it to life was a 16-minute short film filmed 21 years earlier.

1922--  "NOSFERATU"--  Adapted from the book "Bram Stoker's Dracula."  We are introduced to Count Orlok, who drinks human blood.  Bela Lugosi's more-famous count with a cape comes in 1931.

1933--  "KING KONG"--  The original beauty tames the savage beast.

The Big Guy Falls, the Fancy Guy Drinks.  --CootFrank

Movie Blood, Zombies & More-- Part 2: The Horror Stats Guaranteed to Shock

$2,500--  What Stephen King was paid for the rights to "Carrie" (1976), his first novel adopted to a movie.

1,000--  Gallons of movie blood director Kimberly Peirce says were used to film the prom scene of her 2013 "Carrie" remake.

$146--  Dollars 2015 horror moviegoers spent on snack bar carbonated beverages, $21 more than average moviegoers.

$114,000--  Budget for George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead."

20--  Number of days Romero needed his "Night of the Living Dead" star Duane Jones to work without pay in exchange for back-end points.  (Not sure what this means?)

0--  Number of times the word "zombie" is used in the "Night of the Living Dead."

0--  Number of main characters alive at the end of "Night of the Living Dead."

Now You Know.  --CootZom

The More "Psycho" You Get- Part 1: Horror Movies By-the-Numbers-- Part 1

From the October 29, 2017, Chicago Tribune "'Psycho' pay gap, movie blood, zombies and more"  LA Times.

Here are some numbers to eat.

$806,947--  Estimated budget of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960)

$40,000--  What Anthony Perkins was paid for hsi role in psycho.

$35,000--  What Janet Leigh was paid for "Psycho."

$40,000--  The amount Leigh's character Marion Crane stole in "Psycho."

$32 million--  Estimated domestic gross of "Psycho,"  Hitchcock's most profitable film.

What's That Sound?  --CootScared

Like Boo!: Scariest Movies of the Past 50 Years-- Part 3

Final entry.

THE THING (1982) Science fiction set in Antarctica (like that would not be horror enough) The "thing" becomes exact replicas of the researchers working there and panic ensues. (I liked the remake better than the original. Because of government furloughs, NIU not going to Antarctica now. Perhaps a good thing?)

CARRIE (1976) Stephen King's first published novel became the film that forever gave prom queens a bad name. (And lends creedance to the old saying about "payback" being a _____. I wonder why this did not become a John Travolta dance craze starter?)

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) Oscar-winning performance of the world's most memorable cannibal. (The world's most interesting man? Smooth and depravity at the same gulp. Like they said about Bluto in "Animal House, "Just keep your hands and feet away from his mouth.")

HALLOWEEN (1978) A killer escapes from a psychiatric hospital and stalks his targets with those chilling piano notes playing. (Another reason for teens to abstain from sex. Have sex and Michael gets ya'. If not the scariest movie, it sure was the most hurtful one. I was sitting next to friend Wendy when we saw it and the first time Michael came out she really clobbered my right leg. )

THE RING (2002) Watching eerie images on a videotape means death in seven days.

Not Sitting Next to Wendy at Horror Movies Anymore. --Cooter

Death of Jerry G. Bishop (Svengoolie) and Cleveland/Philadelphia's KYW Radio

I wrote about Jerry G. Bishop's death September 15, 2013, in my Down Da Road Blog because of his connection with WCFL-AM 1000 in Chicago, one of the big two rock stations most all teens listened to growing up in the 60s and 70s. However, he also had a TV career for even more years than radio and created that much-beloved horror show host Svengoolie in Chicago.

He could make even the corniest scary movie even cornier.

One of the radio stations he worked at was KYW in Cleveland and that sent me out on another quest. What, a station east of the Mississippi beginning with the letter "K"?

I wrote about these back on October 18th in that blog.

Those Rubber Chickens.  --Cooter

Like BOO!!!: Scariest Movies of the Last 50 Years-- Part 2

Just in time for Halloween. Continued from Oct. 14th.

THE EXORCIST (1973)--A priest battles an unrelenting demon for the soul of a child in a Catholic-sanctioned exorcism. (Not as scary as they said it was, but still creepy.)

JAWS (1975)-- The classic man-versus-nature drama, complimented by the most tension-filled movie score ever. (Loved the line, "We need a bigger boat." You were safe until you heard those strings.)

ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)-- A pregnant woman slowly descends into nightmares as she wonders about the true origins of her baby. (Gives new meaning to "Baby Daddy" and "Who's Your Daddy.")

POLTERGEIST (1982)-- "They're here!" What a five-year-old sees that the others can't is what will keep you up at night. (We just saw it again yesterday. One hungry dog doesn't protect his family. When that skull came out of the closet...well, that still skeered me. One other person said that was why her kids were scared of clowns.")

And, I Still Have Five More to Go. --Cooter

Getting My Fright On

Of course, I'm planning on seeing the "Carrie" remake movie in the next couple weeks. They still haven't learned not to "Mess" with her.

Yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart in DeKalb, Illinois, (we were there for NIU Homecoming) and bought four scary movies (well, two were comedies with potentially scary monsters). I bought "Men in Black" and "Men in Black II" on the same DVD as well as "Poltergeist" and "Alien."

When that huge skull popped out of that closet with mouth agape in "Poltergeist"...well, that "skeered" me a lot. Then, where was the alien? And, of course, its birth sequence.

The Last Two Should Keep Me Awakie the Next Several Nights. --Cooter

Like, BOO!!!: Scariest Movies of the Last 50 Years-- Part 1

From the October 2013 AARP Bulletin by Carol Kaufmann.

"It's the month of ghouls and goblins, but who needs a slasher film to produce a chill down the spine? In the last half-century, we've seen some movies that terrify us, not with whiz-bang special effects but by playing to out worst nightmares." Maybe one of these has given you nightmares:

THE HAUNTING (1963) Paranormal experts investigate-- and stay in the ultimate haunted house.

THE CHANGELING (1980)-- A grief-stricken composer retreats to an old country estate to be alone-- only to learn he's anything but.

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979) Is an allegedly true story, a family moves into a nice suburban house and discovers that the previous family hasn't left...exactly. (OK, the red eyes peering into the upstairs window got me.)

THE SHINING (1980) A timid wife, a psychic son and a father who is slowly going mad-- all locked away in a remore hotel during winter... What could possibly go wrong? (Is it possible for someone to be more deranged than Jack Nicholson?)

Like, BOO!!! --DaCoot