Now that you are done dressing up as a horror character for Halloween, you might want to stay home this weekend to scare yourself silly with some scary movies. Here are the top 3 horror movies of all time.
The Exorcist I, II, III
www.pinterest.com, http://www.booktryst.com/2011/07/another-fine-mess-considering-its-age.html
Mention horror movies and The Exorcist jumps into mind followed by the spine chilling scenes that seems to be embedded into everyone’s minds after watching the film. Directed by William Friedkin, The Exorcist is focused on the demonic possession of a 12 year old girl and her family’s attempts to save her with the help of 2 priests. Released in the 70s, the special effects were so way ahead of its time that the general reviews from critics were nothing short of being the scariest film; and some theatres had to provide barf bags. Even to this day, despite the advance special effects we see on such a regular basis, this movie still has the ability to send shivers down your spine and make you cover your eyes. Perhaps this could be attributed to the fact that the book was inspired by a real life exorcism that was performed in 1949 on an anonymous boy, Roland Doe (or Robbie Mannheim).
Some Scenes To Look Out (or shut your eyes) For:
1. Linda Blair coming down the stairs on her arms and legs upside down in a contorted manner very much akin to a spider.
2. Linda Blair turning her head 360 degrees
While many movies out there depicting demonic possessions have been labelled as cursed, nothing could come as close as The Exorcist. Actors and crew either suffered injuries on set or deaths from both natural and unnatural causes. The set in which the house was used for filming this movie was burnt to the ground and the room where most of the possession took place was unaffected.
The Poltergeist I,II,III
(from left to right) www.horreur-web.com, www.themissingreel.com
Written and produced by highly acclaimed director, Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist is a story about a family whose home is invaded by malevolent spirits who subsequently abduct their youngest daughter. Released in 1982, this movie was the 8th highest grossing film of 1982 and made it to the Chicago Film Critics Association 20th spot of the scariest film ever made. It also received recognition from the American Film Institute. It was also named one of the most cursed movies in Hollywood with many of the actors dying after making the movie. But it was the death of Heather O’Rourke who played Carol Anne Feeling just months before the release of the final chapter of Poltergeist trilogy that sealed the deal on this film being one of the most cursed movies.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
(from left to right) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcism_of_Emily_Rose, www.avclub.com
The Exorcism of Emily Rose tells the story of a girl whose demonic possession caught the attention of a priest who performed a series of exorcisms on her to save her. The possessions left her very emaciated and she ultimately succumbed to her death. With forensic evidence pointing to starvation as the cause of death, it led to an aftermath of legal proceedings and charges filed against the priest and her parents. This 2005 film was inspired by an actual event based on a German girl, Anneliese Michel who underwent exorcism rites for almost a year and died. When the court rejected possession over medical evidence, the priest and her parents were charged with manslaughter. Continue the horror by looking for the real recording of the actual exorcism. Warning: it features some really terrifying sounds and images.
If these movies aren’t enough to give you the chills this weekend, I don’t know what will. So gather your friends over for a night of horror movie marathon this weekend and see who makes it through the night.
