From fake blood to terrified shrieks, the purpose of horror films has not evolved much – after 25 years, their primary purpose is still to strike fear in the hearts of viewers. Although modern technology has increased the graphic quality of movies, today’s films have stayed away from the simplicity of classic scary movies. As Halloween approaches, The Bark decided to review a few classic horror films deemed worthy of watching based on their scare factor, plot, and quality of effects.
The Shining (1980):
Isolated by a 25-mile stretch of winding road, the Overlook Hotel sits alone amid the trees. During the season, the hotel lodges hundreds of happy families and guests. But when winter rolls around, the hotel completely shuts down because of the extreme expenses to keep the roads plowed. The only ones who reside at the hotel during this time are the keeper and his or her family. But one winter, everything doesn’t go so smoothly.
After Jack Torrence lands a new job as the hotelkeeper, he moves his family to the Overlook to settle into their new winter home – but with almost no communication with the outside world, they soon begin to hallucinate and go stir crazy.
The Shining is an all-time classic. Though there aren’t any special effects in modern horror films, the simple film quality adds an eerie effect to the movie. The movie has that classic, simple, and easy-to-follow plot that many modern movies complicate with excesses effects and overdone graphics. Having a solid story laid out makes the movie more enjoyable to watch, because the audience can see the movie’s progression.
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984):
Many of us have had a scary dream involving a masked man chasing us until we find ourselves screaming out loud, only to realize the whole thing is just a nightmare. But for four teens on Elm Street, that nightmare is real.
Whenever the teens fall asleep, a completely burned man wearing a red and green striped sweater haunts them, trying to kill them with his razor-like nails. One by one the teens are killed in their sleep. However, the last of the four is determined to outsmart the killer. Viewers are left with an unclear ending which enhances the eerie plot.
Nightmare on Elm Street is a short hour and a half film that jumps right into the action of the movie and then proceeds to build a plot. For a movie created in the ‘80s, the graphics are satisfactory, but it is clearly lacking the modern effects. Bloody scenes look as if ketchup has been splattered about a room and the organs are a florescent green color, making scenes look very fabricated. Overdramatized music and iffy acting make some of the “scary scenes” more laughable rather than terrifying, but, the film is scream-worthy nonetheless.
Halloween (1978):
It was Halloween night, 1963. While most were out trick-or-treating, the police arrived at a house on Lamkin Lane to discover the lifeless body of 15-year-old Judith Myers. Judith’s night had come to a tragic end when her six-year-old brother Michael stabbed her to death. Shortly after the murder, Michael is institutionalized and is set to remain there for life.
Fifteen years later, on the day of Halloween, Michael breaks out of the institution and heads for his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. His psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis, attempts to follow him back and return him to the institution, but by the time he arrives, it is too late for many people in the town.
Suspenseful, creepy, and terrifying, the original Halloween is everything you could ask for in an effective scary movie. Though it is clearly outdated, it is truly the epitome of scary movies, complete with an eerily normal setting that leaves viewers thinking, “That could be me.” This movie doesn’t need modern graphics or fancy effects to qualify as one of the most horrifying films of all time.
