We’re in the home-stretch now!

To get into the spooky spirit of things, I’m doing a countdown of my favorite scary movies of all time. Now, these flicks may not be the freakiest or even the most popular or acclaimed of the genre, but they’re MY faves.

Tune in every weekday for another movie, until we get to my favorite scary movie of all time! Now, a recap of my faves so far:

#20: Jaws

#19: The Last House on the Left

#18: The Faculty

#17: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

#16: The Exorcist

#15: The Blair Witch Project

#14: Resident Evil

#13: Poltergeist

#12: Lady In White

#11: Friday the 13th

#10: April Fools Day

#9: Pet Sematary & It

#8: In the Mouth of Madness

#7: A Nightmare on Elm Street

#6: The Grudge

#5: 28 Days Later

#4: Dawn of the Dead

#3: Saw

And coming in at number…

#2

photos courtesy of Dimension Films

Scream (1996)

directed by Wes Craven; written by Kevin Williamson; starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy & Drew Barrymore; Rated R

*This movie may not be suitable for kids under the age of 17

I think the thing that makes this one of the greatest horror films of all time, is Scream‘s ability to make fun of itself and the predictability of scary movies, while still throwing stuff in there which surprises the audience. It’s also the perfect blend of humor and fear, which makes for an interesting dichotomy of emotions. This famed flick pays homage to its predecessors by pointing out the typical plot points and “rules” of the genre…and then using them themselves, while still catching the viewer off-guard and eliciting screams. In the movie, Sidney is a teen who’s being stalked by a crazed killer who’s obsessed with other horror movies. Because the killer wears a ghost face mask and costume, Sidney spends the entire movie trying to figure out who it is….and why they’re after her.

WHY IT’S SCARY: This isn’t about some mythical bad man who can’t be killed or about a ghost who’s dead-set on haunting your house. This is about real-life, everyday serial killer types. For some reason, having the villain be just like you and me (minus the psycho), makes it all the more real.

Drew looks like she's seen a ghost...

SCARIEST SCENE: The beginning with Drew Barrymore, where she’s at home alone, getting ready to watch a movie. When the killer calls her up and says “I want to know who I’m looking at”, it sent chills down my spine. Just knowing that someone’s out there threatening you is terrifying.

SCARY STORY: After I saw this movie, people started to prank each other by calling friends up, disguising their voices and asking “Do you like scary movies.” Someone did this to me and then told me to check the closet in my bedroom. I was so scared, I had to get someone to check it for me!

They always come back...

FUN & FREAKY FACTS:

* Wes Craven found the infamous Scream mask in a store while location-scouting in California.

* “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star Melissa Joan Hart auditioned for the role of Sidney Prescott.

* About 50 gallons of fake blood was used in the making of this film.

* When Casey’s parents come home and see that something is wrong, her father says to her mother, “Go down to the Mackenzie’s house” which is a quote from the original Halloween.

* The school janitor’s name is Fred and he’s wearing Freddy Kreuger’s outfit from A Nightmare on Elm Street.

* In the movie, Casey claims that all the sequels to A Nightmare on Elm Street sucked. Wes Craven sold the rights to the sequels after making the original and apparently disliked the ones made after that.

*The use of caller ID increased threefold after the release of this film.

*The killer was based on the Gainesville Ripper.

* Former cheerleader Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette met and fell in love during the making of this movie.

Surprise!

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