Two years ago Bravo did a phenomenal countdown of the top 100 Scariest Movie Moments. They had some great picks with some great placements, but more importantly the talking heads on the show really knew their stuff. Though I hadn’t seen a single promo for this year’s 30 count "Even Scarier Movie Moments", I happened to catch roughly the top 20.
I’ll not complain extensively about their inferior lineup (who really gives a damn what the guy who wrote the When a Stranger Calls remake has to say?), but this can’t go unchecked. The number 2 moment was the Singing in the Rain rape scene from A Clockwork Orange. The number 1 was Hostel - not one specific scene, but Hostel in general.
Stanley Kubrick plays second fiddle to horrorfrat boy Eli Roth? Are you kidding me? I don’t care if you liked Hostel or not, there is absolutely zero argument that any scene from that movie is more psychologically or morally damaging than any one frame from A Clockwork Orange.
The rest of the "countdown" has some interesting choices, though it does weight on the more modern side with choices like Saw and Saw II placing high, but that top choice is a pack of lies. Just because Eli Roth talks a good talk in your interview segments, doesn’t mean you have to back slide him the number one slot. But even if his appearance on the show didn’t have an influence on his film’s placement, the notion that one of the most controversial and influential films of all time from one of the greatest directors of all time is weaker in impact than a cro-mag browed euro-torture film is just recockulous.
At least it had the awesome Jenna Fischer talking horror, even if she was one of the Hostel devotees.
I remember when Bravo actually showed relevant movies with no commercials. Those were the days. The fact that they’re ranking Hostel number one in anything is rather silly. They’re no different than American Movie Classics at this point.
Scariest Movie Moments? Isn’t that the show that had the expert critique of the genre from the Coors Light twins? Oh yeah, that was a shining moment.
I just watched Hostel tonight. Liked it way more than you did. Then again, I was expecting more dreck like Cabin Fever.
Yes I saw the second half and I need some serious help.
Do you know the name and director of the Japanese movie where the guy has a love affair with his daughter and tried to prove his innocence or, apologize by cutting his tongue off?
Did Takashi Miike have something to do with this movie?
I need to know, I need this movie!
e-mail me, katt1928@yahoo.com
Emailed.
The short of it, though, is a South Korean movie called Oldboy, directed by Chan-wook Park with nothing to do with Miike.
My wife and I finally watched this show, and couldn’t believe how heinously they gave that plot point away. Oldboy is such a bad ass flick, and not knowing that particular fact is damn-near crucial!
Then again, they ruined the end of just about every movie they covered.
Yeah, I was pretty offended that they ruined one of few climaxes that actually had my jaw agap.
That countdown was such bullshit. I get angry thinking about it.
Actually Jenna Fischer was on Slither, not hostel.
Yeah, but on this countdown, she was one of the people who loved Hostel.
I agree with your clockwork orange hostel debate 100%. I loved the 100 scariest movie countdown and was pretty disapointed in the 30 scarier moments. Although i like alot of the movies on the list. One of my top horror movies would be Funny games from director michael haneke i found it more disturbing and real then devils rejects or even last house on the left both i find to be good horror movies.
I found your blog though whlie trying to find the list for the 30 scarier movie moments i saw it last year remember alot but wanted to bookmark the list i had it from wikepedia but it’s been removed. Anyone know where i can find it?
Bam!
30: The Grudge:
26: Play Misty For Me
25: Red Eye
24: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
23: Manhunter
22: American Psycho
21: Dead Alive
20: 2001
19: Fear
18: Army Of Darkness
16: Saw II
15: Exorsisim of emily rose
14: Scanners
13: Dawn Of The Dead(2004)
12: Wolf Creek
11: The Stepford Wives(original)
10: Children Of The Corn
09: Open Water
08: Land of The Dead
07: The Devils Rejects
06: Veritgo
05: Oldboy
04: Videodrome
03: Saw
02: A Clockwork Orange
01: Hostel
That is the “Even Scarier” list (minus a few), the original Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments list is:
100-28 Days Later
99-Creepshow-Theyre creeping up on you
98-Fulci’s Zombie
97-Cat People (original)
96- The Birds
95-Jurrasic Park
94-Pacific Heights
93-Childs Play
92-Village of the Damned (original)
91-Shallow Grave (Danny Boyle’s)
90-Night of the Hunter
89-Alice,Sweet Alice
88-Invasion of the Body Snatchers
87-Black Christmas
86-Wizard of Oz
85-Blood and Black Lace
84-Blue Velvet
83-The Others
82-Terminator
81-The Howling
80-Poltergeist
79-Dracula (Browning)
78-The Brood
77-Signs
76-Evil Dead
75-Candyman
74-Willy Wonka (what the hell???)
73-Blood Simple
72-Them
71-The Sixth Sense
70-The Stepfather
69-The Re-Animator
68-The Black Cat
67-Duel
66-Marathon Man
65-The Tenant
64-Near Dark
63-Deliverance
62-The Wolfman
61-The Devils Backbone
60-The Beyond (not from beyond)
59-Fatal Attraction
58-Cujo
57-House of Wax
56-Single White Female
55-The Vanishing
54-The Changeling
53-Demons
52-Phantom of the Opera
51-The Dead Zone
50. The Last House on the Left
49. Diabolique
48. The Thing
47. Nosferatu
46. The Sentinel
45. The Wicker Man
44. The Game
43. It’s Alive!
42. An American Werewolf in London
41. The Hills Have Eyes
40. Black Sunday
39. Dawn of the Dead
38. Peeping Tom
37. House on Haunted Hill
36. Cape Fear
35. Aliens
34. The Hitcher
33. The Fly
32. Pet Sematary
31. Friday the 13th
30. The Blair Witch Project
29. The Serpent and the Rainbow
28. When a Stranger Calls
27. Frankenstein
26. Seven
25. Phantasm
24. Suspiria
23. Rosemary’s Baby
22. Don’t Look Now
21. Jacob’s Ladder
20. The Ring
19. Hellraiser
17. A Nightmare on Elm Street
16. The Omen
15. Freaks
14. Halloween
13. Scream
12. Misery
11. Audition
10. Wait Until Dark
9. Night of the Living Dead
8. Carrie
7. Silence of the Lambs
6. The Shining
5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
4. Psycho
3. Exorcist
2. Alien
1. Jaws
http://www.retrocrush.com/scary/index.html
I found that list a lot more agreeable for me.
And Hostel wasn’t scary to me, strange people. I think the only part that really got to me was the whole eye thing, but, again, none of it was “Oh god, this is so scary it needs to be on a list” type of horror.
And still a no-show for Event Horizon and Amityville Horror? Harumph.