My parents bought two movies when they first purchased a VCR: Porky's and Night of the Living Dead. My father kept Porky's hidden somewhere in the depths of my parents' bedroom, so all us kids had to watch (while awake way past our bedtimes) was the classic black and white horror movie on Saturday night. One time, while watching almost to the end and scared out of our pre-teen wits, my older brother turned to me and my cousin, pulled his face taut with fear and pointed at the window directly behind our heads. I was so shocked that I actually dove over the coffee table. From then on I loved the sensation of being scared.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
Directed by George A. Romero
Wanna know where the term "zombie movie" came from? Right here. With almost no budget to speak of, this movie proves that it's what you don't see that can scare you the most. The film itself is dark and contrast-y, leaving it up to the viewer's imagination to make up the horrible details you don't want to see. I know that some of you dismiss black and white films as too old and therefore ineffective to the modern eye. To that I say watch this movie alone in the middle of the night and tell me you didn't get freaked out.
THE INNOCENTS (1961)
Directed by Jack Clayton
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, there is something inherently wrong with little kids who are evil. Maybe it's because they are children and children are supposed to be innocent. Maybe it's because they can get those looks on their faces like they know way more then they're supposed to. I don't know. But evil children can really creep me out. This movie is a little hard to find, but look for it anyway. It's a classic ghost story based on the Henry James novella A Turn of the Screw. The two child actors are really believable, and the film even comes complete with a creepy children's lullaby that'll get stuck in your head.
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