What's the Movie that's scared you the most? Over the years, we have had a lot of writers that have we've teamed up with. The Toddster put the question to the writing staff of The Evening Sun. "What was your favorite scary movie?" I always like to ask and we've got another teamup that's coming but more on that later. he Toddster will be in there too. Take a look and see if you agree with them.
Cameron Turner -(Stephen Kings' It)- Halloween and the fall season is hands down my favorite time of the year. Many people flock to the Christmas season, or a holiday such as the Fourth of July, or Thanksgiving – but where is the fun in those? Halloween, in my opinion, is a far less consumer driven holiday, and who doesn’t love to get genuinely scared whether it be by a haunted house, the monster under your bed, or your favorite scary movie. Therefore, in honor of the best holiday that exists, my favorite scary movie of all time would have to be Stephen King's 'It'. In light of all the killer-clown sightings – which have died down recently I must add – I figured what better favorite movie than one of a child killing demon posing as the clown Pennywise. When I first watched 'It', a long time ago as a child I was terrified and had many sleepless nights. Now when I look back at the child-killing sewer dwelling Pennywise – well, I am not so frightened to say the least. However, despite the actual scare-level that Stephen King's horror movie brings me currently, it – no pun intended – still remains one of, if not my favorite all-time scary movie. So if you haven’t tortured yourself yet by watching ‘It’, I suggest you get out and find a copy somewhere to see how, or should I say if, a young group of friends finally overcomes their childhood demon – years later when Pennywise finally returns to their hometown many years later to wreak havoc on their lives as adults.
Kieran Coffey (Misery)- In honor of the season that’s in it, I would say that my all-time favorite 'scary' movie is Misery, a 1990 movie adapted from a Stephen King novel. I prefer psychological thrillers rather than the average horror movie, and the enthralling Misery provides plenty of drama and suspense throughout, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat.
The plot begins with famous novelist Paul Sheldon, played by James Caan, who is involved in a severe car accident. At the time of the accident, Sheldon is finishing up work on a new novel, taking a break from his renowned series 'Misery'. He is rescued by Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates.
Wilkes is a tremendous fan of Sheldon's 'Misery' novels, and as she is nursing the wounded writer back to health, she is finishing up reading the last novel in the beloved series. Wilkes becomes enraged when she discovers that Sheldon has decided to 'kill off' the main character, Misery Chastain. As a result of her anguish, Wilkes proceeds to injure Sheldon relentlessly, and forces the now crippled writer to compose a new 'Misery' novel. Meanwhile, a local Sheriff, played by Richard Farnsworth, and his agent are attempting to track down the whereabouts of the missing novelist.
The movie comes to a thrilling climax that will live in viewers minds for eternity.
I chose this movie because I believe it encapsulates a number of fantastic film techniques. I also think that the composition of the script and screenplay, as well as the acting, is exceptional.
If you haven't seen the classic Misery, make sure you check it out this Halloween.
Grady Thompson (Netflix's Stranger Things)- I recently hopped on the 'Stranger Things' wave, a series that many of my friends have been chatting about all over social media, and I have not been disappointed. 'Stranger Things' is a Netflix Original Series about a boy who mysteriously vanishes, thus prompting his friends and family as well as a concerned Police Chief to frantically search for him. Soon thereafter, a timid little girl named Eleven shows up in the small town and joins forces with the missing boy's friends, quickly revealing that she has strange powers of her own that she can use to help their cause or to cause pain to those who try to hinder their efforts. It is revealed that there is plenty of paranormal stuff going on behind the scenes in this small town linking Eleven to the boy who goes missing, and the government (in particular the Department of Energy) is working tirelessly to keep everything on the hush-hush, even faking the missing boy's death at a certain point to keep people from further looking into it. The series is spooky, riveting, and entirely binge-worthy as there is only one season out right now, with a second season set for release in 2017. I've watched through 'Stranger Things' twice, and I was completely engrossed both times. While I might not have given the series much justice in my description, I can't recommend it to everyone enough, especially in the spirit of Halloween.
Matt White - (Halloween) - My favorite scary Halloween film(s) are the first two productions of the Halloween franchise, you know, the break-out roll for Jamie Lee Curtis. There’s something sickeningly nostalgic about late 70's-early 80's slasher horror films that just can't be replicated. It was the first low-budget indie film for a generation brought up on Hitchcock. It's remarkable to note the evolution of the franchise antagonist Mikey Meyers, who in 1968 inexplicably slayed his mom and sister and subsequently committed to a mental institution, from the first (movie released in 1978) to the second film released in 1981 is a spectacle in and of itself. Between the two releases of Halloween 1 and 2 sprang the back and fourth between Friday the 13th that lasted well into the 1990's. While the first Halloween film showcased Mike Myers as just a normal creepy psycho on a killing spree, the filmmakers had to up to ante to keep pace with the 'Friday' franchise, painting him as more freak of nature with both superhuman strength and a passion for visceral carnage.
Todd Campbell (Salem's Lot)- When I first started writing this column just about 11 years ago, one of my first columns had a number of categories with my favorites. The scariest movie was, hands down, the 1979 version of "Salem's Lot." Based on a book written by Stephen King. (Seems to be a theme here) We meet Ben Mears (David Soul). Ben was returning home after working for years as a writer but was having a bit of writers' block and needed some material for a book he needed to start writing. Following coming back, he starts to learn about a series of murders where the wounds look like the work of a vampire. What he sees he can't believe. The more he investigates, the more he's convinced he's right. Ben can't anyone to believe him. The only one is a young boy named Mark Petrie (Lance Kerwin) who has an interest in the undead. This one scared the hell out of me and to this day it still does. Will Ben and Mark find out who or what is responsible? Loved this one
That's it for this one. The Toddster has another teamup coming up with the guys but you'll have to join us for a future patrol to see what we've coming up. Also, we'll have some new Toddster takes that we've checked out along with some new DVDS. Until next week, The Toddster will be back.