This second part of my favorite scary movie moments series has sure taken a long time. As you know from previous posts, I’ve been very down lately. I’ve been trying to pick myself up though, and write when I can. Just because it isn’t published on here yet doesn’t mean I’m not writing anytime I get a dose of hitch in my giddy-up. I am. I might slowly but surely be coming back! As always, let me hear you! None of this means anything without you folks! This edition features a demon attached to a child, a psycho stalker with a knack for the telephone, a serial killer, and a vengeful British ghost. Hope you like the GIFS, but be gentle – it was my first time! 
Insidious (2011)
We all know that some people were bigger fans of Insidious than others. And while there were flaws in the film, there were quite a few startling, and unique scenes. Some were just plain brilliant, and the entire movie is visually innovative and appealing. It’s strange for me to say, knowing that this film was made by the people who created Saw (not scary – gory – but not scary), and Paranormal Activity (lame beyond lame, even refund-worthy). Not to mention, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are two incredibly sexy human specimens. Here are my favorites moments!
1. Gettin’ Down to Tiny Tim
Not only is it incredibly horrifying to have a turn-of-the-century dead ghost child dancing terribly in your house, he’s also groovin’ to Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”, which is creepy in itself. Not that I’m not now addicted to that song, and classify it as one of my many guilty pleasures, but mixing the two together, especially in broad daylight, creates one scene none of us are likely to forget.
2. Creepy Demon in the Room
Anytime there is some kind of demonic creature, or any creature for that matter lurking in the shadows, especially one with elongated arms, pointy fingers, and what looks to be perhaps cloven hooves, it creeps me out. Obviously, it’s because it’s unexpected – it’s the jump factor – but you gotta admit, that creep standing there is enough to make you check your own room before jumping into bed!
3. Creepy Demon in the Room Again
Okay, so this scene is up for much debate, as some found it totally scary, and others simply saw a bad Darth Maul rip-off, but as before, the jump factor is present. While talking to his mother (a very nicely aging Barbara Hershey) and his wife about the weird goings-on, this cosmetically-pleasing, red-faced punk appears behind Josh, opening its mouth and revealing his, well, sort-of-razor-sharp teeth. As usual, the creature is only on-screen momentarily, and quickly disappears as Josh’s mother shrieks in horror and jumps up from her chair.
The Woman in Black (2012)
I did have serious misgivings going into this film, because most horror flicks these days, well, bite the big one. But I was pleasantly surprised! It’s nice to see Daniel Radcliffe in something else (HP is not my cup of tea, if you’ll forgive the British reference), but he is actually pretty sexy in this movie. Oh, he can act, too! Of course. 
As is usually the case, once we find out the motive behind the ghost’s vengeful haunting, it’s not so scary. But the build-up is the most important aspect, and this movie has it…..in spades!
1. The Marsh….Itself!
Does this really need any explaining? The setting of the movie itself is enough to scare someone, without even adding the ghost element to the mix. Just look at it! If you have to go through that, and that, and that, to get to that, it’s a bad idea. Just say no.
2. Bad Rocking Chair
This house is full of secrets, and of course, the usual creaky floors, awkward silences, and startling BANGS just as you put some delicious popcorn in your mouth (trust me, I know). But rocking chairs that move by themselves (or not….) have always given me the willies. There’s something about them, but I’ve never been able to put my finger on it. Not to mention, this chair rocks backwards unexpectedly far, which sort of looks like fun! Not so fun when we get a glimpse of the horrid witchy bitch causing the ruckus, and Harry Potter is none the wiser.
3. Dead Boy Returns
More creepy sequences in the house of doom, Harry Potter watches as the little dead boy rises from his mucky grave in the marsh, and books it to the front door. Well, he doesn’t book it, ghosts always walk, yet somehow get to where they’re going incredibly fast. So does Jason Voorhees. And Michael Myers. But I digress. The little dog who has been sent to keep our hero company begins barking at the door, as the knob begins to rattle. Dogs are smarter than people, how many times must I say this?! Upon opening the door, no one is there, but in the distance there appears several more young dead children, looking horribly soaked from the rain. Or just from being dead. The little boy pulls a jump scene, covered in mud, with his mouth open, a few short scenes later. So does the Woman in Black, several times. Why do scary characters always have to have their mouths open? I’m unclear on this.
When a Stranger Calls (1979)
This often-quoted, frequently criticized gem from 1979 is part cheesy detective story, part psychologically horrifying thriller. The latter is the reason for its mention on my list. The opening sequence is a classic, even if most of us could totally do without the rest of the movie! The “Babysitter and the Man Upstairs” urban legend comes to life!
1.Opening Sequence
Ahh, the classic opening sequence, which still stands the test of time today, is absolutely terrifying. First of all, the phone ringing constantly is just plain annoying. Not helping matters is when the caller is taunting, tormenting, harassing, and scaring the receiver half to death, after having killed the two children upstairs sleeping in the babysitter’s care. Carol Kane delivers an Earth-shattering performance, and really portrays fear well. The calls are coming from upstairs (somehow, I’ve yet to figure this out), and Jill is saved only because the operator was able to trace the call, and warn her to leave the house, just as killer Curt Duncan emerges from the shadows. Phones are creepy, don’t you agree?!
2. Psycho Stalks Another
When the killer escapes his confinement in an insane asylum, he approaches a woman at a bar. I mention this scene because, as a woman, well, even just as a human, I know the apprehension and fear of being around someone who is not all ‘there’ in the head’. We have gut instincts for a reason, and this woman, Tracy, followed hers by pacifying the creep when he follows her home, lets himself into her house, and sits down on her couch for a spell. She convinces him to come back another time, which grants her a temporary reprieve from his wily charms. That was not a compliment. Later, he comes back to kill her, but is finally stopped by the detective who has been hunting him since his escape. Whew, that was a close one!
Zodiac (2007)
A David Fincher masterpiece, Zodiac is one of my favorite movies. It’s one of those few near-perfections in life, and the psychological thrills have definitely been burned into my mind. Chasing a killer that to this day has never been apprehended is scary to begin with, but the way it consumes cartoonist Robert Graysmith’s life is inspiring, mind-numbing, and depressing all at the same time.
1. Lake Berryessa Terror
I have referenced this scene before in other posts, but when Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell are tormented and stabbed at the lake, it goes through me like few other things have. Cecelia’s screams are enough to give anyone the chills, as she watches her date being stabbed in the back repeatedly, dreading her own turn at the hands of the Zodiac Killer. Utterly horrifying, because it isn’t demons, or ghosts, or any other supernatural being, it’s a human doing this to another human, on purpose, and enjoying it.
2. Arthur Leigh Allen’s Interview
After incriminating tips from a former friend lead Inspectors Toschi, Armstrong, and Sgt. Mulanax from San Francisco and Vallejo to pay Arthur Leigh Allen a visit, we get a wonderfully crafted and chilling scene, which, if one did not know any better, would absolutely convince us that he was the Zodiac. Though DNA “cleared” him decades after the murders and his own death, I myself am still convinced he was involved somehow. Too many coincidences. Anyway, John Carroll Lynch portrays pedophile creepster Allen with quiet but menacing calmness, even proclaiming, in a deeper voice, “I’m not the Zodiac, and if I was, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.” Shudder.
3. A Visit to Bob Vaughn
After years of indirectly being around the Zodiac investigation at the San Francisco Chronicle where he worked as a cartoonist, Robert Graysmith plays detective, and decides to put an end to the mystery once and for all. He never officially succeeds, as the case remains open, but in one such instance, he happens upon some movie posters that contain handwriting strikingly similar to the Zodiac’s. It turns out the man he goes to speak with about the suspected killer, Rick Marshall, Bob Vaughn, drew the posters himself. This causes Graysmith to automatically suspect him in the crimes, and when he ventures to the basement to find out when his theater played The Most Dangerous Game, Graysmith hears footsteps and creaking from upstairs. He questions several times if anyone else is in the house, and Vaughn (Charles Fleischer) is quietly creepy throughout, adding to our own suspense and tension. We begin to question him ourselves! This scene always freaks me out – it is so wonderfully filmed. It also gives us a different perspective on the murders. Perfectly brilliant and nerve-wracking.
I’d like to start by saying the point of this movie is very important, to every person, and especially to parents. The subject matter is very intense, and startling in its depiction of how many teen girls really act. That said, the beginning hour or so of this film sucks, and is totally unnecessary. 
Common sense aside, I suppose it is also no surprise that everyone blames Amy, the outcast, for Megan’s disappearance, because teenagers can be really dumb and cruel. Amy decides to contact ”Josh”, who proceeds to berate her, humiliate her, and threaten her over the internet. She is very attached to her video camera, and uses it to record her thoughts and feelings about Megan and what’s happened. Megan’s disappearance is all over the news, and completely takes over another case of a missing African-American boy, because our world has become so prejudiced these days, and since Megan is white and rich, this should also come as no surprise, much to my chagrin. Amy doesn’t speak up about “Josh” until weeks later, when suddenly she also promptly disappears while videotaping herself talking in her favorite hide-out spot. Now they’re both gone, and authorities are baffled. Of course, no one knows who “Josh” is, and apparently cannot track their conversations or IP address. However, two photos portraying a distressed Megan entrapped in some sort of device are somehow leaked on the internet. The last 30 minutes or so of this film are the best, because it finally gets going, albeit being very graphic and saddening. Seriously, the last part of the film is a little disturbing, particularly when you realize this guy will never be caught, and no one knows if these girls will ever be found.
These last few haunting shots of the film are definitely sick and twisted, and heartbreaking as you begin to realize that no matter how dumb these girls are, no one deserves this. It is also maddening because these days it is so hard to get through to kids and young teens about the dangers of the world. It sounds so cliché, but is it not true? Every week we’re hearing about some young person vanishing, either by way of the internet, or out doing something else crazy. I do not want to sound preachy, but if any movie will make you think this way, it’s this one. Like I said, the beginning half of the movie is pretty dumb, dull, and boring, but it really shows that young kids are extremely naive and way too trusting. They think, “Oh, it’ll never happen to me”, but apparently it will. The shots of Megan rotting in the barrel are brutal, and I have never seen a movie where the killer stuffs his living victim in a barrel with a dead one. Horrifying. As for the long-winded shovel dig, it does seem to take forever, literally, like, six or seven minutes long, but I suppose it is effective and useful in showing the horror of child abduction and murder. Anytime we as a society can grasp this and wake the fuck up, I guess it is a good thing. All said, this movie’s all right, not one you’ll want to watch often, but by the end it does have an incredibly powerful message. While it is not the most graphic movie I’ve ever seen or ever will see, it sort of haunts you and shocks you a little, like the way it feels splashing extremely cold water on your face. I’d fast forward some of the beginning, because it’s just like watching a teenage sex comedy, but the rest is kind of decent.
If you haven’t seen this film, I strongly urge you to do so once it is released on DVD wherever you reside. We Need to Talk About Kevin follows a mother (Tilda Swinton) and the aftermath of a horrendous tragedy. Most of the film, however, is flashbacks to the beginning - the beginning of the tragedy that is Kevin. We see him as a newborn, a toddler, a little boy, and finally, a disturbingly dark, twisted teenager. Another film I love that debates the theory that people can be born bad, as well as nature vs. nurture, this one is psychological and actually features very little violence. If you want to see the development and upbringing of a psychopath, this one’s definitely for you!
Like some of my reviews, I will try not to divulge any major details, as this film is one you must experience on your own, and you cannot really grasp its power unless you do. I must say, and this is definitely the girly girl in me coming out, that Ezra Miller (teenage Kevin) is gorgeous. Not like, “OMG, he’s so hawt”, but he’s just a beautiful specimen. The fact that he can act extremely well only adds to his attractiveness. Probably not since Patrick Bateman has a psychopath really grabbed our attention, and hormones. Okay, that’s enough fawning, because it makes me sound unprofessional, but it is the truth. He is a fabulous young actor and has a bright future. Watching a little kid grow up to be completely apathetic and sociopathic is sheer genius, and I really don’t think any other set of actors could really pull this off. That said, John C. Reilly as Kevin’s dad, and Eva’s husband, is a strange choice, because frankly, it is weird to see Swinton and Reilly’s characters get it on. It’s just awkward. But, that said, I think it adds to the message of the movie. They never really seemed to connect to one another despite being married and the parents of two children. This disconnect adds to the tension of Eva’s suspicions about Kevin being really “off” since birth, as he is pretty close to his father and his dad never sees his bad side. This is usually what happens – one parent gets the shitty side, and the other gets the glowing, perfect child. That part is really scary, because to me, it means that Kevin knows what he’s doing and can manipulate any situation to his advantage. Even when he is a young child, his father always stands up for him, using the typical “boys will be boys” farce of an explanation. Kevin is really fucked up and twisted since birth and it only grows more intense and palpable as he matures into adolescence. Some attribute this to Eva never connecting to her son or feeling that motherly love, or it could be said that he is simply not all right from day one, which contributed to Eva feeling as if she never could fully connect in a maternal way. You could cut the tension with a knife, and you really get the sense that you’re a fly on the wall of this family.
Without giving away too much, many aspects of the film foreshadow the ultimate outcome, and even small things seem to connect by the end of the film. Kevin also injures his little sister, tricks his mom into giving her computer a virus, and even kills his sister’s pet. Though there is nothing really gory in this film, you can feel the emotional side of it, rather than having gore shoved in your face for its own sake. Some movies don’t require it, and this is absolutely one of them. You should check this film out if you’ve not seen it, as it comes highly recommended. It may start a little slow, but give it time and a chance, and it will blow your mind. Fantastic, fantastic film.
