Martin Scorsese scares pretty easy. I understand that these kinds of lists are idiosyncratic by definition, but some of his titles annotated on The Daily Beast must surely come with an asterisk (”*scary when I was 9 years old.”) I’m glad I finally caught up with Dead of Night this week — on the recommendation of a few trusted readers. It’s good to be familiar with the classics that once spooked the pants off audiences, but for me Dead of Night was almost a comedy. The second flashback, with the youngster who met a ghost in the attic, was a hilarious reminder of how many teenage actors of the past had no concept of “act natural.” — “I’m not frightened! I’m not frightened! Oh, please! Hold me tight!” (3:50)
I’ve never seen The Entity or The Uninvited and now I want to. But I can say without hesitation that the only thing scary to me about Dead of Night and Isle of the Dead is their hellishly stilted dialogue and paralyzing pacing. That said, I’m down with Scorsese’s other 9 choices, and I’m hoping his obvious affection for crazed isolation helps him conjure up some of the same classic atmosphere on Shutter Island.
1. THE HAUNTING
- “You may not believe in ghosts but you cannot deny terror!” was the tagline for this absolutely terrifying 1963 Robert Wise picture about the investigation of a house plagued by violently assaultive spirits.
2. ISLE OF THE DEAD
3. THE UNINVITED
4. THE ENTITY
- Barbara Hershey plays a woman who is brutally raped and ravished by an invisible force in this truly terrifying picture. The banal settings, the California-modern house, accentuate the unnerving quality.
5. DEAD OF NIGHT
- A British classic: four tales told by four strangers mysteriously gathered in a country house, each one extremely disquieting, climaxing with a montage in which elements from all the stories converge into a crescendo of madness. Like The Uninvited, it’s very playful…and then it gets under your skin.
6. THE CHANGELING
7. THE SHINING
8. THE EXORCIST
- A classic, endlessly parodied, very familiar— and it’s as utterly horrifying as it was the day it came out. That room—the cold, the purple light, the demonic transformations: it really haunts you.
9. NIGHT OF THE DEMON
- Jacques Tourneur made this picture about ancient curses near the end of his career, but it’s as potent as his films for Val Lewton. Forget the demon itself—again, it’s what you don’t see that’s so powerful.
10. THE INNOCENTS
11. PSYCHO
- Again, it’s so familiar that you think: great movie, but it’s not so scary anymore. Then you watch it…and quickly start thinking again. The shower…the swamp…the relationship between mother and son—it’s extremely disturbing on so many levels. It’s also a great work of art.
23 Responses for "Scorsese’s lists the 11 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time"
‘The Uninvited’ is really good. Creepy more than scary. ‘The Entity’ is scary because the whole idea of it freaks you out long after the movie is over. Who was in ‘The Haunting’? If it was Vincent Price then I agree. There is a scene with a chick behind the door that makes me jump. Haha.
But you if you want scary, I’d go with ‘Suspiria’ or ‘The Sentinel’. Suspiria is atmospheric scary. ‘The Sentinel’ is just F’ed up.
I was not the biggest fan of the Exorcist, particularly the last half. I guess I’m more scared by things that are at least somewhat realistic, and a girl whose head spins around 360 degrees and floats in the air isn’t that scary nowadays.
That said, the Crucifix scene is one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen on film. It has not lost a bit of it’s impact since it’s release. If the film stuck to more realistic and shocking moments like that, I think I would’ve liked the film much more.
Great list. The Innocents is such a good movie and often forgotten about.
The original Halloween still scares the hell out of me even though I’ve seen it several times now.
Nick, I disagree. Part of the reason THE EXORCIST works as well as it does is because the entire thing has the feeling of “this could happen.” People believe in this kind of stuff, demons possessing bodies, exorcisms, and it’s freaky when you see the movie and start to wonder…
Now I don’t believe in any of that stuff myself, but it’s the visceral, psychologically unnerving way Friedkin crafts it that keeps it lingering. Religion is such a powerful thing it can make you believe anything…
In my opinion, Psycho is without a doubt the greatest horror movie ever made.
No “Les Diaboliques”? For shame Scorcese!
He’s right. The Haunting is a great, scary film. It’s all done with sound, lights, film work and great acting. No need for special effects, here. I wouldn’t sleep with my hand outside of my bed for years after seeing this film. Scared the bejeebies right out of me.
Fantastic list. I’ve seen every one of them, but THE HAUNTING is my favorite horror film of all time. The atmosphere trumps anything else I’ve ever seen. The only one missing from the list is NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. I would place that above THE EXORCIST.
i agree with Scorsese.
THE HAUNTING is the best.
you never see a thing
and you end up terrified.
someone asked, who’s in it?
Julie Harris–a legend on
the stage (has won more
Tony Awards than any other
actor). in film she’s best
known playing opposite
James Dean in EAST OF EDEN.
Claire Bloom–another stage
legend, but with more film
work. Probably her best known
role (with film buffs) was
LIMELIGHT with Charlie Chaplin.
Also Russ Tamblyn from WEST
SIDE STORY.
not trying to plub Amazon.com
but you can buy HAUNTING on
sale for $5.79. also check out
their “$5.79 Sale” –it is full of
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i love scorsese’ list but for me hitchcock still legend of horror.his all movies very touching.
Nice to see that Marty took most of the movies I posted on my scary movie top ten list I posted a coiple days ago. NOW will you kids check these awesome films out?
@SeattleMoviegoer I don’t remember Russ Tamblyn in the one I was thinking of. Thanks.
Antoinette,
You were thinking of THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL with Vincent Price, directed by schlock-meister William Castle. They are often confused. It’s a fun movie, but not in the same league. Do yourself a favor and see THE HAUNTING.
Also to Ryan, you must see THE UNINVITED. It’s fantastic. I had to hunt down a bootleg copy because Universal has been so shitty about releasing their classic catalog. It’s pretty prevalent on the internet though. And THE ENTITY is pretty freaky too. It wouldn’t have made my list but it’s worthy.
That’s it. Thanks.
LOVED the addition of “The Changeling” easily one of the scariest movies ever made and a movie I have mentioned several times on this blog that NOBODY has mentioned or commented on. Shame on you all. You are missing out on a goodie.
DONT LOOK NOW for post film disorientation.
THE OTHER (Uta Hagen and the creepy twins) from the 70’s – physical shudders in the audience.
Shadow of a Doubt: While not scary, it’s freaky. And it’s brilliantly made.
Forgot about Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? also.
The Other was an okay adaptation, not great. Uta Hagen and some of the other cast made it a worthwhile view, but I highly recommend reading the book over seeing the movie. Absolutely brilliant stuff.
TMC, our TV IV infusion to the classics, is naturally running a terrific schedule of chillers this weekend. Early this morning they showed Dead of Night and The Haunting back-to-back. (And I’ll admit, after seeing the ventriloquist dummy sequence twice in the past 3 days, it thoroughly creeped me out this morning on second viewing. Maybe because I tuned in late and missed the rather shaky first half of the movie. One of the middle segments broke the spell for me. Too bad Alberto Cavalcanti didn’t direct the whole movie.)
The Haunting is on right now, and the spiral staircase scene is seriously intense. For the first time I’m noticing how much the cinematography in The Haunting reminds me of Citizen Kane (the Robert Wise connection) and now I see how much the sound design of Paranormal Activity owes to The Haunting.
Anybody who wants to read a very authentic recreation of the moody novels of Daphne DuMaurier should check out a recent thriller called The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. It’s 95% atmosphere and 5% ghostly happenings, but the mix is absolutely perfectly balanced. Set in post WWII England at a dilapidated manor house, t’s one of the best pure old-fashioned ghost stories I’ve ever read. Genuinely tingling, it’ll get under your skin, I promise you.
ah, but back to TMC — later this afternoon they’re showing Cat People and Curse of the Cat People. I’ve never seen either one, so don’t come ringing my doorbell begging for friggen treats between 4 o’clock and 7.
You know, we mock the Golden Globes, but the HFPA nominated Robert Wise for Best Director in 1964 for The Haunting. There’s something to be said for having an objective perspective outside the system. Then and now.
Scorese picked some movies that I’m unaware of and of course the obvious picks-Psycho, The Shining, The Exorcist, and the Haunting.
Here are the best movies I think for horror
1. John Carpenter’s Halloween
2. The Frighteners
3. Universal Monsters-Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy
4. Psycho
5. Puppet Master
6. The Birds
7. Bad Taste
8. Hallowwen 2
9. Nosferatu
10. Friday the 13th
11. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
12. Alien
I was happy to see The Changeling on the list. It has a solid cast (George C. Scott, Melvyn Douglas) and some of the best atmospherics I have ever seen. The tiny wheelchair, the seance, the noises — all of it! When I was in school and worked at Blockbuster one year, I recommended this during Halloween and so many people came back impressed. This movie will give you the chills.
Calahan,
Any top ten list with PUPPET MASTER on it automatically discounts your opinion from future discussions. And HALLOWEEN 2? Really? Not even FRIDAY THE 13TH belongs anywhere near a top ten. Top 100 I’ll give it, but…Yikes.
Don’t get mad now. I’m a friendly. Just think your taste is somewhat lacking…
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