10. Animal Kingdom: This choice seems more out of the box, but what makes it so unnerving is two of its characters that are the most memorable on-screen psychopaths in recent memory: "Smurf" and "Pope" Cody. "Smurf" with all of her menace buried under that sugary smile, and "Pope" who can kill you with just a look, will leave you shivering by the time the credits roll. Also, you may never look at the song "All Out Of Love" by Air Supply the same way again.
9. Martha Marcy May Marlene: While being hunted down in a deserted summer camp can be bone-shattering, being involved with a sinister cult in the peaceful upstate New York mountains is enough of a reason to make you appreciate the suburbs. Even when John Hawkes' characte sings a harmonious tune to our lead heroine, you can still sense the darkness behind it.
8. Schindler's List: The film didn't have to show us the horrors of the Holocaust to showcase how bad it was. Yet it still shows how cruel humans can be. None more so than the Nazis, especially Amon Goeth, who in this film is evil personified.
7. Blue Velvet: While Martha Marcy May Marlene showed how life in the mountains can make you appreciate the suburbs more, Blue Velvet shows that even life in the suburbs can be unnerving. Director David Lynch sums that up even through the opening sequence where we see the sunny suburbs, then slowly go deep underground.
6. The White Ribbon: As I said in my review, even if this film isn't exactly a horror film, it still has a structure that is similar to much older horror films because of how we piece the puzzle ourselves: We create what happens behind closed doors and try to figure out who the perp is throughout. There is never a boogeyman wearing a mask because anyone in the village can be wearing an invisible one.
5. The Hunt: The Hunt introduces a different kind of villain. Something that isn't a sentient being or a ghoulish spirit: Rumors. One small idea that can spread and infect the minds of simple townsfolk, turning the town into a modern-day witch hunt.
4. We Need To Talk About Kevin: It has been a couple years since I first saw this and I still can't hear the song "Everyday" by Buddy Holly the same way again. I don't ever plan on being a parent, but watching this sealed the deal for me. In fact, any parent that watches this will be clutching their children by the time it's over.
3. Compliance: Much like how The Hunt demonstrates how a simple idea can grow out of proportion, Compliance shows how one prank can slowly get out of hand and ruin people's lives. What seems like a simple day at work for our main characters will become a night of horror and the main villain doesn't even have to be there for it to happen.
2. Fatal Attraction: Anybody who looks to cheat on their spouse should perhaps watch this before doing so since it is Exhibit A on why you shouldn't do so, thanks to the efforts of actress Glenn Close as the psychotic Alex Forrest. But like Forresr herself, this movie shouldn't be ignored.
1. Requiem For A Dream: Don't do drugs, kids.
So that was my list of the top 10 Scariest Non-Horror Movies. I would love to hear your thoughts on my list in the comments section. Feel free to share your own list in the comments section as well. Thanks for reading and have a very happy and safe Halloween!
No comments:
Post a Comment