Happy Halloween! Spooky Season is officially over! I want to thank those who’ve supported me and my articles this month. It wasn’t easy trying to post for 31 days straight, but it’s finally finished! Back when I reached my 50th blog post, I wanted to list 50 of my favorite horror movie moments of all time. I listed part 1 back in September, and I never finished part 2. So, for the final day of Spooky Season, I’m going to finally complete my list! I hope you enjoy and let me know what your favorite horror movie moments are. Also, have a fun and safe Halloween!

(WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!!)

 

Sed-A-Give? – Young Frankenstein

Every scene in Young Frankenstein was so iconic and hilarious. The “Abby Normal” bit kills me, but this particular scene is above all the rest for me. After Frederick (Gene Wilder) successfully brings his creature (Peter Boyle) to life, he has his assistants, Igor (Marty Feldman) and Inga (Teri Garr) off on the side with a sedative in case things go awry. When the creature flips out and starts to choke Frederick, Frederick can’t tell them to give him the sedative. To remedy this, he starts a game of charades. With two syllables correctly guessed, Igor believes he’s solved it, and confidently shouts, “Give! Give him a sed-a-give!” After the creature is finally out, Frederick catches his breath and shouts “Sed-A-Give?!” That moment made me laugh so hard when I first saw it, and it’s still my favorite bit!

 

When Ed Leaves To Get The Camera – Shaun Of The Dead

Shaun of The Dead is the definitive Zom-Com that’s on a level other most will never reach. It gives a perfect balance of comedy and gore and proves even the biggest screw-ups can rise to the occasion and save the day. For Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed’s (Nick Frost) first encounter with a zombie, Mary (Nicola Cunningham), they think she’s just a drunk woman who stumbled into their garden. Even when she tackles Shaun to the ground, they think it’s all a funny situation. When Shaun realizes something’s wrong with her, Ed leaves to get a camera. It’s so funny and random. The real kicker is when Mary is accidentally impaled, but continues to walk towards them with a giant hole in her stomach. As Shaun and Ed look at her in horror, Ed begins to slowly wind his camera, before Shaun knocks it out of his hands in frustration. The whole thing was a slice of fried comedy gold!

 

When Louis Has To Say Goodbye Again – Pet Sematary

Losing someone close to you is never easy. It’s even more difficult when you have to say goodbye to them twice. After Louis (Dale Midkiff) loses his little boy, Gage (Miko Hughes), the pain is unbearable. He feels he can bring Gage back by burying him in an ancient burial ground that’s known to bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, the person you bury there isn’t the person who comes back. Gage comes back and kills Louis’s neighbor Jud (Fred Gwynne), and his wife, Rachel (Denise Crosby). Louis realizes what he’s done and knows he has to kill Gage. After a fight with the demonic creature possessing his son, Louis plunges a needle into Gage’s neck. Hearing Gage’s cries and seeing Louis’s horrified expression is so tragic and painful to see.

 

When Annie Hobbles Paul – Misery

Whenever I have writer’s block, I like to put Misery on in the background. Oddly enough, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) provides good motivation and inspiration. As famous author, Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is driving home, he gets caught in a snow storm and ends up in a horrible car accident. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the house of his #1 fan, Annie Wilkes. His recovering seems simple and pleasant enough – until Annie finds out Paul killed her favorite literary character. Now he’s held hostage and forced to write a new book. When it seems Paul’s legs are almost functional to where he can leave, Annie feels he’s not ready to leave yet. She ties Paul to his bed, puts a board between his legs, grabs a sledgehammer, and re-breaks his legs! This scene is very iconic and memorable, but definitely not for the faint of heart.

 

When The Sarge Sacrifices Himself – Dog Soldiers

After his men are attacked by mysterious beasts in the woods, Sarge (Sean Pertwee) ends up sliced open by one of them. When the survivors of the attack barricade themselves in an old farmhouse, it seems Sarge won’t make it through the night. However, not only does he recover from his injuries, he recovers at an inhuman rate. Later in the night, they realize they’re dealing with werewolves, and Sarge realizes he’s becoming one himself. In order to save Cooper (Kevin McKidd), the last survivor, and free himself of the curse, he forces Cooper into the basement, looks at a picture of his wife one last time, waits until all the werewolves are in the kitchen with him, and blows the whole damn house up. The Sarge was such a good person who genuinely cared about his men.

 

One Last Howl – Van Helsing

Van Helsing was one film that I loved growing up, that was also hated by the rest of the world. Notorious monster slayer, Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman), is sent to Transylvania to protect Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) and stop Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) from bringing his monstrous vampire children to life. On his mission, Van Helsing ends up bitten by a werewolf. This actually helps him because he soon learns that a werewolf is the only thing that can kill Dracula. After an epic battle of the beasts, Van Helsing proves victor. With Dracula finally dead, Anna tries to inject Van Helsing with the werewolf’s cure. She was successful in injecting him, but he ended up killing her. Realizing what he did, he holds her close and gives one last howl at the moon before transforming back to his human form. It’s a sorrowful moment, and a beautiful shot as their silhouettes are illuminated by the full moon next to them.

 

The Monster Hunting Montage – The Monster Squad

The Monster Squad was one of my all time favorite movies when I was growing up! A young club of monster nerds realize that the monsters they idolized are not only real, they’re convening in their hometown. The club decides it’s up to them to prevent the end of the world. With one day left, they prepare for battle in epic ‘80s montage fashion. This includes the oldest member Rudy (Ryan Lambert) sharpening wooden stakes in his woodshop class and creating silver bullets out of stolen silverware, Patrick (Robby Kiger) making Monster Squad cards, Phoebe (Ashley Bank) playing dress-up with Frankenstein’s monster (Tom Noonan), and young Eugene (Michael Faustino) writing a letter to the army. Writing all of this, I realized Rudy did the most to prepare for the fight. He even stole a bow and arrows, he’s the real MVP! I can’t ever hear Rock Until You Drop from Michael Sembello without thinking of this scene!

 

Oh, When The Bats Come Rushing In – From Dusk Till Dawn

Two killers, Seth (George Clooney) and Richard (Quentin Tarantino) Gecko, are on the run from authorities. After escaping to Mexico with hostages, they stop at secluded bar to lay low till their contact gets there. Unfortunately, they definitely chose the wrong bar. This one is filled with deranged vampires, ready to kill all the bikers and truckers inside. Following a legendary battle, a handful of survivors were able to eradicate all of the vampires inside, and keep the rest of them locked outside. Although, one of the survivors, Sex Machine (Tom Savini) ends up bitten during the altercation, and while Frost (Fred Williamson) tells the rest of a group a story, the vampire’s curse starts to consume him. Now fully vampiric, Sex Machine sneaks up from behind Frost and bites him. While still human, Frost fights Sex Machine and throws him out of a window, creating an opening for the rest of the vampires. As the camera pans back we see the vampire bats fly behind Frost, whose face is now grotesque, and whose humanity is now gone.

 

When The Group Discusses How They Die – Cry Wolf

Back when I first started getting into the horror genre, this was one of the first films that didn’t completely freak me out. There was one scene that couldn’t escape my mind for years. As Owen (Julian Morris) and his new friends create a killer as a game for the whole school. As part of their game, the group sits in a circle and discuss how each one will die. I think this was epic foreshadowing of things to come. The grainy execution was also very creepy. It’s very funny to see a group of friends who are so comfortable with each other, that they have no problem discussing killing each other.

 

The Ballad Of Harry Warden – My Bloody Valentine (1981)

I know this is technically not a moment within the film itself, but I still think it’s worth talking about. As Axel (Neil Affleck) the killer draws back into the mine, laughing, the credits roll and a somber song starts to play. In a way, the song continues the film’s story. The lyrics that John McDermott beautifully sing tell the aftermath of the massacre of Hanniger Mine. It tells us that, even decades later, no one has recovered from that horrific night in Valentine’s Bluffs. I can’t explain why, but this song sends chills down my spine every time I hear it.

 

When Anna Realizes Alex Was Dead The Entire Time – The Uninvited (2009)

After losing her mother and spending time in a mental hospital, Anna (Emily Browning) returns home where her father (David Strathairn), her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel), and their father’s new girlfriend, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). After some time, Alex and Anna start to suspect that Rachel was the one who killed their mother. With Rachel acting suspicious, their paranoia grows. They try to convince others that Rachel is a killer, but they needed evidence to prove it. While in pursuit of the truth, Anna ends up drugged and Alex kills Rachel in self defense – or so we’re led to believe. When Anna tries to tell her father that her and Alex were almost killed, he brings her back to reality and reminds her that the accident that killed their mother also killed Alex – an accident that was Anna’s fault. Along with Anna, we’re taken back to everything we thought we knew. It’s one of my favorite twists, and its dramatic execution never wavered.

 

When Christine Is Dragged Into Hell – Drag Me To Hell

After refusing to give an old woman another loan extension on her house, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is now on the receiving end of a horrific curse and she has 3 days to figure out how to get rid of it before the Lamia drags her into hell. After many different tries, including a sacrifice and a seance, and many fails, Christine learns she can’t get rid of the curse, but she can pass it to someone else. So, she gives the curse back to the old woman who gave it to her. At least she thinks she did. Before she gives it to the old woman, the envelope holding the cursed object, a button, got mixed up and unintentionally switched with her boyfriend Clay’s (Justin Long) coin. This little blunder cost Christine her life. The way she’s dragged into hell by multiple demonic arms is a very cool visual. Also, seeing her skin come off as she’s reaching for Clay is very creepy and haunting.

 

The Table Dance – Beetlejuice

When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam (Alec Baldwin) die, they have to deal with a new family living in their home. In an effort to make them leave, they force the family and their guests into an epic table dance. This scene holds a lot of sentimental value to me. Back in the day, a childhood friend and I would watch this scene on repeat. We learned the choreography, danced along with the characters, rewound it, and started it all over again. I used to know that dance by heart! That song and that scene is now cemented into my most cherished childhood memories.

 

Barb’s Death – Black Christmas

This is one of my all time favorite death scenes. When Barb (Margot Kidder) has a nightmare about an unknown man in her room, she wakes up, terrified. She tells Jess (Olivia Hussey) about her dream, but Jess gets distracted by some local carolers outside. She leaves Barb to fall back asleep and she goes outside to watch the little carolers perform. Unfortunately for Barb, there actually was a killer in her room. I love the set-up of this scene. As we hear the children sing, we witness Barb repeatedly stabbed by a unicorn statue. It was a beautiful and haunting death scene.

 

When Moonscar Rises – Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is another childhood favorite. It was creepy and the story was so different than the other mysteries. As the Mystery Gang reunite for one more case, they take a trip to Moonscar Island, a place many claimed is haunted by spirits and zombies. As Shaggy (Billy West) and Scooby (Scott Innes) are chased by Mojo the hunting pig, they suddenly fall into a giant hole. That hole just happened to contain the remains of Captain Morgan Moonscar (Jim Cummings). As Shaggy and Scooby are trapped with no way out, they are forced to witness Moonscar slowly resurrect from his resting spot. This was one of the creepiest scenes I watched as a kid, and the sound of Moonscar’s groaning stayed with me for years.

 

When The Sanderson Sisters Curse The Partygoers – Hocus Pocus

I had a hard time choosing a specific moment from this film, there are so many that are fantastic. As Max (Omri Katz) tries to warn his parents and the other partygoers that the Sanderson sisters were resurrected, the sisters take the opportunity to cast a spell on everyone – in the form of an epic song! With their rendition of I Put A Spell On You, the sisters put on a hell of a performance and completely bewitch the town of Salem. Then, to put the cherry on top, they curse the partygoers to “Dance! Dance until you die!” It’s such a fun and catchy scene!

 

Denise’s Death – FearDotCom

FearDotCom is a peculiar website that people can’t help but check out. But beware, cause once you do, you get pulled into a deadly game. A vengeful woman, Jeannine (Gesine Cukrowski) appears on your screen, and asks if you want to play the game. The game: you have to find her, or in 48 hours, you die by your worst fear. While checking out a fried computer, poor Denise (Amelia Curtis) gets pulled into the game, and it drives her mad. The next time we see her, she’s surrounded by bugs, her apartment is destroyed, and she’s writing all over the floor and walls. When it’s her time, she slowly walks in the dark towards her open window, ready to jump. Her emotionless expression was unforgettable, and the music in the background was the cherry on top of a really eerie scene.

 

When Karen Checks Chucky For Batteries – Child’s Play

I had a fear of Chucky (Brad Dourif) for many years, and it was all because of this one scene. After buying a doll for her son Andy’s (Alex Vincent) birthday, Karen (Catherine Hicks) gets concerned when mysterious deaths start occurring around Andy and the doll. With Andy under psychiatric watch, Karen takes the doll home and notices she still has the box Chucky came in. When she picks the box up, the batteries that were supposed to go into the doll fell out. She comes to the terrifying realization that Chucky has been moving and talking all this time with no batteries. To be absolutely sure, Karen picks Chucky up, uncovers his back, and opens him up to see he had no batteries. Chucky takes this opportunity to turn his head around and scream, “Hi, I’m Chucky! Want to play?!” The whole scene had perfect suspense and it terrified me for years!

 

When Freddy Returns – A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

After The Dream Warriors defeat and bury Freddy (Robert Englund) in A Nightmare On Elm Street 3, I’m very surprised Part 4 went in the direction it did. With Freddy buried, the remaining warriors believe the nightmare is over and they can resume their normal lives. Of course, that wasn’t going to be the case. As Kincaid (Ken Sagoes) slips off into a seemingly peaceful sleep, he suddenly wakes up in the junkyard Freddy was buried in. As he explores the junkyard, he stumbles upon Freddy’s grave. Once he sees Freddy reassembling his skeleton, Kincaid tries to bail, only to find there was no way out. Once he realizes he was about to die, he shouts to the sky, calling for his friend Kristen and trying to warn her that Freddy was back. I love how his words echo and we pan out to see the whole dream world contained nothing but cars. And, in good Kincaid fashion, he doesn’t die without telling Freddy he’ll see him in Hell.

 

Kirsty’s Nightmare – Hellraiser

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Hellraiser franchise, but I really enjoyed the first film! It was creepy, the special effects were excellent, and the story was very unique. As Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) is staying with her boyfriend, she has a terrifying nightmare about her father. She slowly walks into a room that’s lit by only two candles. There are feathers everywhere, and the only sound we hear is a child crying in the background. Between the candles, there’s a body laying there with a white sheet covering it. As Kirsty looks at it, the sheet starts to get red with blood. When she removes the sheet, her father’s corpse sits up and Kirsty screams at the top of her lungs. The whole scene was eerie and very well-done.

 

Seth’s Final Transformation – The Fly

For me, The Fly is one of the rare remakes that have surpassed their originals. While testing out his teleportation pods, Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) unknowingly steps inside one of the pods with a little fly. The computer is confused by this and fuses them together, creating “Brundlefly”, a disturbing mutation. As his mutation worsens, Seth comes to the conclusion that in order to be more human again, he’d have to fuse with another human. So, he chooses to fuse with his partner and lover, Veronica (Geena Davis). As Veronica tries to stop him, his last bit of human features start sliding off of him in an atrocious fashion. It was one of the best uses of practical effects in ANY film!

 

Mr. Hanson’s Death – Gremlins

Back when I was a big wuss, I tried (unsuccessfully) to watch Gremlins all the way through. One of the main scenes that terrified me was Mr. Hanson’s death. As Mr. Hanson (Glynn Turman) runs some tests on a little Mogwai, he digs a needle into its hand to extract some blood. The little Mogwai is hurt and he feels betrayed. Even after morphing into a gremlin, it never forgot what Hanson did. As Hanson notices it’s not in its cage anymore, he starts to look all over his classroom for it. He grabs a candy bar and tries to lure it out from under his desk. Everything seems fine, but then Hanson starts to scream. It’s one of the creepiest scenes in the film, but seeing Hanson’s body with a needle stuck in his butt definitely took away the seriousness of it.

 

When Marty Tears His Face Off In The Mirror – Poltergeist

When I started getting into the genre, I used to watch “scariest horror movie moments” on youtube, so I saw this particular scene long before I watched Poltergeist. While investigating the disappearance of Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) and the paranormal activity in the Freeling household, Marty (Martin Casella) helps himself to a midnight snack. Though, his plans go south when his food starts to move and sprout maggots. He runs to the bathroom to wash his face and notices a cut. Instead of leaving it alone, he decides to pick at it to the point where he’s ripping his skin off to the bone. Then, in a bright flash, he’s suddenly normal again. That’ll teach you to help yourself to other people’s food. The special effects haven’t aged very well, but it was my introduction to Poltergeist and it holds nostalgic value to me.

 

The Time Warp – The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Newly engaged couple, Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), are on a trip to tell their professor the good news. When they break down on the way, they have to walk to a mysterious castle. Within the castle, they stumble upon a room full of partygoers, all dancing to The Time Warp. When I first saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I didn’t know a single thing about it. You can imagine my surprise when I first saw Tim Curry throw off his cape and sing about being a transvestite. When I heard The Time Warp for the first time, I was immediately hooked. That song and dance are forever in my mind as one of the weirdest and catchiest scenes.

 

How Shall I Die? – An American Werewolf In London

I know it’s blasphemous to not pick the famous werewolf transformation scene. However, I chose this moment because it was both hilarious and perfect. After David’s (David Naughton) first night of murder and mayhem, his dead friend Jack (Griffin Dunne) forces him to confront the souls of the people he killed. They tell David that they can’t escape limbo until he dies. This leads into a whole discussion on how David should kill himself. I love this scene because it’s such a dark and messed up discussion but you can’t help laughing at how upbeat some of the characters are when they are throwing in their suggestions.