The Cell

Countdown to the 100 Best Scary Movies of All-Time (95 to 91)


95.     

Below (2002)

A different take on the haunted house story, this movie, directed by David Twohy (Pitch Black), takes place aboard a haunted submarine during World War II. The movie features Bruce Greenwood (The River), Scott Foley (True Blood), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) and Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense) among the ensemble cast. The crew of the submarine begin to be plagued by increasingly strange occurrences (including deaths) after they pick up the survivors of a downed British hospital ship. As the mystery behind the hauntings is slowly revealed, the film takes the audience on a suspenseful and frightening ride, leading up to an exciting conclusion. This underrated film is worth a look.

94.           

The Mist (2007)

A frightening and compelling adaptation of the Stephen King novella written and directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption). The film features a strong ensemble cast that includes Thomas Jane (Hung), Laurie Holden (The Walking Dead) and Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River). After a severe storm, some of the inhabitants of a small town in Maine are gathered at the local market picking up supplies when a strange mist settles upon the town.  The towns people begin to be become aware that something frightening is lurking out in the dense fog. As the tension and suspense builds, the film takes on a Lord of the Flies like feeling with the trapped townspeople coming into conflict with each other, as they strive to keep order and keep the monsters out. The director revised the ending of the film, making it much more disturbing than Stephen King’s original ending. The Mist performed well at the box office and received mostly positive reviews.

93.              

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) & The Company of Wolves (1984) – tie

The next two films are both stylish and well-crafted monster fables. Brotherhood of the Wolf is a 2001 french thriller set in the 18th century. The film is loosely based on the legend of the Beast of Gevaudan–a creature believed to be responsible for a series of brutal killings in the french countryside. Directed by Christophe Gans (Silent Hill), the movie is a highly watchable treat with its alluring imagery and thrilling action sequences. A huge international success, the movie took in over 70 million at the box office. The Company of Wolves is directed by Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire) and is a modern re-telling of the Red Riding Hood fairy tale. The movie features Angela Lansbury (Murder She Wrote), Stephen Rea (Underworld: Awakening) and David Warner (Titanic). A visually creative film, the movie tells the story of a teenage girl who dreams she lives in a fairy tale world. Here, she becomes aware of her budding sexuality, as she encounters strange and dangerous werewolf-like creatures on her way to her grandmother’s house. The movie was not a big success when it was released, but has become a cult classic.

92.          

The Cell (2000)

The Cell is an exciting, edge of your seat thriller directed by Tarsem Singh (Immortals) and starring Jennifer Lopez (Anaconda), Vince Vaughn (Psycho) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Law and Order: Criminal Intent). The movie tells the story of a child psychologist who uses a device to get into the alternate reality of her autistic patients’ minds. During the movie, she is approached by the police to help save a missing woman kidnapped by a serial killer after he ends up in a coma. Entering the killer’s mind, the psychologist finds herself in a bizarre, nightmarish world where she has to outwit the killer and unravel the mystery to finding his latest intended victim before it is too late. A highlight of the film is its visually stunning and horrific imagery. The reviews for The Cell were mixed when it came out, but the film did well at the box office, grossing over 100 million.

91.            

Dark Water (2002) & Dark Water (2005)

The original Dark Water is a scary Japanese ghost story directed by Hideo Nakata (Ringu). The movie is about a woman going through a divorce and her young daughter. The film begins with them moving into a creepy apartment building. Right from the first moment they arrive, strange and frightening occurrences take place, including encounters with a strange little girl in a yellow rain coat. Under the mounting pressure of fighting her domineering husband to retain custody of their daughter, the woman also has to try to maintain her sanity, as the supernatural events escalate and the mystery of the little girl in the yellow rain coat is revealed. Equally effective and creepy is the 2005 American remake directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) and featuring Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Tim Roth (The Incredible Hulk). The American version did well at the box office, grossing about 50 million.

Best Scary Movies of All-Time


Ever since I was a small child, I loved scary movies. I remember sneaking into the house and watching Siesta Cinema’s afternoon showing of War of the Worlds and then imaging that the light posts in our neighbourhood were alien spacecraft sent to destroy the earth.  I have not out grown my love of being scared by a great horror movie. 

Here are my favourite Scary Movies of  all-time:

  1. Alien  (1979)
  2. The Exorcist (1973)
  3. Psycho  (1960)
  4. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 
  5. King Kong (1933)
  6. The Sixth Sense (1999)
  7. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
  8. Bride of Frankenstein  (1935)
  9. Carrie (1976)
  10. The Haunting  (1963)
  11. The Others  (2001)
  12. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
  13. Seven (1995)
  14. The Omen (1976)
  15. Don’t Look Now (1973) 
  16. The Shining (1980) 
  17. The Wicker Man (1973) 
  18. Jaws  (1975)
  19. 28 Days Later (2002)
  20. Frankenstein (1931)
  21. Poltergeist (1982) 
  22. The Vanishing (1988)
  23. The Birds  (1963)
  24. The Innocents (1961)
  25. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
  26. Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte  (1964)
  27. Halloween (1978)
  28. Cat People  (1942)
  29. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
  30. Scream  (1996)
  31. Les Diaboliques (1955)
  32. Audition (1999)
  33. Dracula (1931)
  34. Wolfen (1981)
  35. The Bad Seed (1956) 
  36. Let the Right One In (2008) 
  37. The Thing from Another World (1951) 
  38. The Ring (2002) 
  39. The War of the Worlds (1953)
  40. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
  41. Nosferatu (1922)
  42. Repulsion (1965)
  43. The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
  44. M (1931)
  45. The Lost Boys  (1987)
  46. Misery (1990) 
  47. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  48. Wait Until Dark (1967)
  49. Ginger Snaps (2000)
  50. The Descent (2005)
  51. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
  52. Fright Night (1985)
  53. Near Dark (1987)
  54. The Wolf Man (1941) 
  55. Session 9 (2001)
  56. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
  57. An American Werewolf In London (1981)
  58. Videodrome (1983)
  59. I’m Not Scared (2003)
  60. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
  61. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
  62. The Grudge (2004) / Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
  63. Frailty (2001)
  64. The Hunger (1983) 
  65. The Dead Zone (1983)
  66. Cat People (1982) 
  67. Dressed to Kill (1980)
  68. The Mummy (1932)
  69. The Fly (1986)
  70. Village of the Damned (1960)
  71. Below (2002)
  72. Altered States (1980)
  73. The Collector (1965)
  74. The Amityville Horror (1979)
  75. The Legend of Hell House (1973)
  76. The Changeling (1980)
  77. The Uninvited (1944)
  78. The Evil Dead (1981)
  79. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
  80. The Dead Zone (1983)
  81. The Return (2006)
  82. The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
  83. The Eye (2002)
  84. The Messengers (2007)
  85. Peeping Tom (1960)
  86. Hellraiser (1987)
  87. Pitch Black (2000)
  88. Carnival of Souls (1962)
  89. The Mummy (1932)
  90. Sisters (1973) 
  91. Burnt Offerings (1976)
  92. The Stepford Wives (1975) 
  93. Black Christmas (1974) 
  94. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
  95. The Cell (2000)
  96. The Company of Wolves (1984)
  97. Blood and Chocolate (2007)
  98. House of Wax (1953)
  99. The Mist (2007)
  100. Saw (2004)
  101. The Thing (1982)
  102. Freaks (1932)
  103. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
  104. Stir of Echoes (1999)
  105. The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
  106. Underworld (2003)
  107. 30 Days of Night (2007)
  108. Dead Calm (1989)
  109. Silver Bullet (1985)
  110. Them! (1954)
  111. Magic (1978)
  112. The Other (1972)
  113. Insidious (2010)
  114. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
  115. The Gift (2000)
  116. The Skeleton Key (2005)
  117. Secret Window (2004) 
  118. Mimic (1997)
  119. The Howling (1981)
  120. Identity (2003)
  121. 1408 (2007)
  122. What Lies Beneath (2000)
  123. Dark Water (2005)/Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002)
  124. Gothika (2003)
  125. The Crazies (2010)
  126. Stigmata (1999)
  127. The Relic (1997)
  128. Suspiria (1977)
  129. Needful Things (1993)
  130. The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
  131. Case 39 (2009)
  132. The Exorcist III (1990) 
  133. Paranormal Activity (2007)
  134. The Seventh Sign (1988)
  135. Hostel (2005)
  136. The Strangers (2008)
  137. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
  138. Scream 2 (1997)
  139. Eyes of Laura Mars  (1978)
  140. Dog Soldiers (2002)
  141. FeardotCom (2002) 
  142. Race with the Devil (1975)
  143. Child’s Play (1988)
  144. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
  145. Boogeyman (2005)
  146. They (2002)
  147. The Brood (1979)
  148. New Nightmare (1994)
  149. An American Haunting (2005)
  150. Demon Seed (1977)
  151. Urban Legend (1998)
  152. Candyman (1992)
  153. Scream 3 (2000)
  154. Wolf Creek (2005)
  155. Joy Ride (2001)
  156. Infection (2004)
  157. The Fog (1980)
  158. Darkness Falls (2003)
  159. Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)
  160. Jeepers Creepers (2001)
  161. Ravenous (1999)
  162. Cabin Fever (2002)
  163. Hollow Man (2000)
  164. The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
  165. The Hills Have Eyes (1977) 
  166. Devil (2010)
  167. Isle of the Dead (1945)
  168. The Ghost Ship (1943)
  169. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
  170. Friday the 13th (1980)
  171. Dementia 13 (1963)
  172. Ghost Ship (2002)
  173. The Funhouse (1981)
  174. Bless the Child (2000)
  175. Lost Souls (2000)