Coming up with even my top 20 horror films is really difficult because there are so many fantastic horror/supernatural films out there, but since I had to list only 10 for dear MissMalini, I have come up with these which are definitely in my favourites list – but in no particular order of preference. 🙂 – Dipannita Sharma
The Shining
This one is my ‘hide-under-the-bed-with-fear’ film of all times. The fact that you physically cannot see a ghost makes it even scarier, and the way the main protagonist (isn’t Jack Nicholson just beyond brilliant?) changes as the film progresses makes you shiver. Plus, the word ‘Redrum’ – especially the way it’s said in the film – is unforgettable.
The Exorcist
Disturbingly horrifying and the first of its kind on this subject. How will we ever forget the little girl climbing down the stairs in a distorted manner? Stays in your head for very long.
The Omen
You can’t bear the dashing Gregory Peck going through what he does, just because the devil is born to him in the form of his son. The grandeur, the background score and the little child with 666 on his head, makes the eerie atmosphere even more real. I can’t ever forget the scene where the child’s nanny climbs to a high floor and announces ‘This is for you Damien’ and jumps to her death.
Nightmare on Elm Street
This one completely revolutionised the horror genre. I feel it’s one of the most important films when it comes to changing people’s concept of a ghost. Imagine, you can’t sleep because if you fall asleep, the ghost will kill you. So basically, you will be killed for dreaming… sleep, which is meant to be a blissful state, turns into a curse in this film. I actually couldn’t sleep well for nights after watching it.
Juon (Original Japanese version of ‘The Grudge’)
The Japanese just changed our perception of horror and this one was the first of that kind. Once you came into contact with this house, the curse wouldn’t leave you. You could leave the house, the country, hide under a blanket or even in the closet but the fact is that you can’t run away because it is with you and in you. That, for me, is petrifying. I actually got a DVD of this for myself and I was so scared that I gave it away. 🙂
Ringu (Japanese original of ‘The Ring’)
I get a cold, damp feeling every time I think of or watch even one scene of this feature. The way the story is woven together and how the loose ends tie up is just amazing. Everything you see or feel while you are watching it has a reason, which you only understand at the end. It’s a visual treat as well, with several disconnected visuals that suck you in. The freaky ones being – the woman brushing her hair, the well and the surreal ring.
The Blair Witch Project
Although I have to give it to the makers for marketing it so well, as a real tape suddenly found, the film was truly freaky. The first of its kind, in its style of horror telling, it gives you the creeps from frame one. I think for me it’s that whole fear of what I can’t see… and the unsteady handy cam all over the place makes this film spooky.
El orfanato (‘The Orphanage’)
Calm and soft in its approach, this horror defies cliches of the genre. It deals with the human psychology at a deeper level. Its intensity is what makes the fear creep into you but not for once does it leave you. The fear in it is very real.
Raat
Way ahead of its times, this ground breaking Hindi horror film by Ram Gopal Verma is one of my all time favourites for many reasons. The film opens with a casual Revathi (heroines weren’t seen so casual those days) getting off a bus and walking through lonely, dusty lanes of a rural area… all by herself! Not a soul in sight. That was enough to pull me into it and that was only the beginning of it. The stuff that happens after was unthinkable for the kind of horror that we were used to. It’s a precious piece of work in the Indian horror scene, for sure. No wonder it has attained cult status.
The Conjuring
This is one of the most effective horror films that I have really enjoyed in recent times. When an entire theatre jumps up in fright in unison, in regular intervals with squeals and screams, you know the horror is a success. I enjoyed every bit of this film because despite its physical display of horror, it didn’t take away from the depth of it. You will not forget that joker face for a really long time 🙂
Dipannita Sharma stars in Pizza 3D which releases this Friday.