Ok, here it is! My list of films that, in my opinion, have the most willy-inducing scenes. Thanks to Andre at Horror Digest for the awesome topic.
10. The Strangers—Liv Tyler Smoking Scene
Why It’s Scary: Ok, trash this movie all you want, but the first appearance of someone in their house RIGHT FREAKING BEHIND Liv Tyler was absolutely terrifying. While I'm ambivalent towards the producers' desire to include this scene in the trailer, I do remember watching it very late at night and thinking "I need to see this movie!!" This is the first time we get a real good glimpse of a "Stranger" in the house. The overalls and bag overhead are like Friday the 13th, Part 2 redux, and Liv Tyler's obliviousness adds to the situation.
Why It’s Terrifying: Overall, this is a chilling moment. When I saw it in the theatre these tween girls behind me started laughing. I wanted to stand up and scream, (a la Scream 2) "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND...HE GOT IN SOMEHOW!" To my Friend Andrea's relief. I stayed put. I do think Ils was a better film (those Frenchies sure know how to make 'em), but that film never featured such an explicit showing of the intruders, which to this film's credit, was pretty GD frightening.
9. Session 9—Hank’s Reappearance
Why It’s Scary: This scene is absolutely bizarre. It appears later in the film, and serves as a follow-up to a much-cited scene that involves Hank's return to the asylum late at night to collect some coins he hopes to cash in on. In an utterly terrifying scene he's followed by some unseen assailant and his fate is ultimately unknown, but not hard to guess. From this point on, the rest of the characters are left to guess his whereabouts...until this scene. He mysteriously reappears and is found in a stairwell, blankly staring out the window. When questioned on his whereabouts he replies with a very simply "What are you doing here?" This eerie, yet simple and effective delivery is so creepy. How did he get here? Was he lobotomized? (Probably) But who did it? These are all questions seemingly irrelevant to the obvious fact that Hank has shown up...he’s just not himself.
Why It’s Important: Session 9 tends to be an often-overlooked horror film. Perhaps its lack of gore or slower movie plot contribute to this, but despite its slow progress throughout the movie there are these little instances or "windows" of sheer willy-inducing creepiness. This scene certainly is one. Almost all of the scenes in Session 9 take place during the day and it takes a certain directorial pizzazz to execute the scenes in this film to such effectiveness and creepiness given that Olympic hurdle. Nevertheless, I will never forget watching this movie as a 15 year old boy, home alone for the first time, and downright terrified.
8. Eden Lake—The End Scene
Why It’s Scary: The end scene makes you lose all faith in any possibly good outcome in the film. I mean, at least in most horror films, one of the protagonists gets away. Nope. Not here. This is where Jenny meets her end. It sucks and nobody wants to see it go down this way. But we aren’t the ones that get to decide. And that’s what sucks.
Why It’s Important: This scenes makes you lose a lot of faith in humanity. Justice isn’t going to prevail. Additionally, what makes this movie particularly unsettling is a complete lack of any enigmatic murderer. In fact, it’s some kids and then at the end some parents. Everything comes about so organically that it serves as an excellent example of the brutality human beings are capable of. And it makes you never want to piss of some kids while you’re camping.
7. House on Haunted Hill (1999)—Surgery Scene
Why It’s Scary: First, the image of the doctors and nurses simultaneously looking at the woman is pretty willy-inducing, itself, but that, coupled with the “monster” is downright frightening. This is the first victim of the film, and the first time we’ve really seen the ghosts “cross over,” so-to-speak.
Why It’s Important: House on Haunted Hill, albeit a remake, included some pretty inventive film techniques. The most impressive of which, the stop-frame motion technique, used in Gothika, Thirteen Ghosts, and The Ring creates this incredibly unnerving effect of a transient reality. It’s not clear to us what world this person is in due to their unnatural movements and the effect fits perfectly within the context of this film, where the lines beyond reality and the beyond are quite permeable.
6. Alien—Death of Brett
Why It’s Scary: The scene has the best sound imaginable. The light clinking of chains and the gentle fall of water create this eerie atmosphere as Brett searches for the cat. We have not seen the fully-grown Alien by this point, and we still don’t really have a good idea of its form. Although the complexity of how it attacks Brett really freaks me out. I mean seriously—the stabber on its tail, the double mandible contraption. The fact that Brett is just standing there in shock and horror doesn't make things better either. His time’s up. He knows it. You know it. And that’s about it. The genius of this scene is that Ridley Scott leaves so much up to the imagination. His ultimate fate is not known and a blank slate for us to project our horrors onto is so much more effective than anything a special effects whiz could cook up.
Why it’s important: Alien is F-ing scary. Anyone that doesn’t agree has simply confused it with Aliens. Period. At any rate, there are a lot of scenes in Alien that can qualify as sincerely willy-inducing. While the chest-buster scene is particularly effective (also knowing that the actors’ reactions were very sincere), for some reason it just didn’t have the same effect on me.
5. Inside—Woman standing outside Sara’s House.
Why It’s Scary: This woman already knows waaay to much about Sara. I mean…she knows her name for starters, but wait…she claimed to have had her car break down outside, ostensible a random accident. She also knows that Sara is alone without a husband. However, the scariest part is a few moments later, when the woman is standing outside the large glass window. She calmly lights a cigarette while standing outside, and then seemingly loses “it” and punches the window resulting in a spider’s web of cracks. You know there is a determination and motive here…you just don’t know what. And that’s willy-inducing.
Importance: Almost anyone that watches Inside has had some kind of warning to this film’s brutality and shock-factor. Either it was through a friend’s rants or any review written, everyone knows they’re going to be in for a wild ride. The revealing of the antagonist and seemingly calm and collected, but later out-of-control amps us up for what we know is going to be crazy nonsensical hijinks and carnarge to come. In a way the antagonist is sort of the antithesis to the calm stoicism of Michael Myers of Jason Vorhees. They seem to have no motive and are absolutely larger than life. This woman knows what she’s doing. Yikes!
4. The Abandoned—Appearance of the Doppelganger.
Why It’s Scary: Seeing yourself is scary. Particularly when your eyes are glazed over and your Doppelganger is creepily skulking around an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, Russia.
Importance: We’re so obsessed with “The Other” in horror movies that sometimes we need to stop and remember that we can be just as scary ourselves. In The Abandoned it’s pointed out to us that the protagonist has a connection to the place, but the reasons as to why he doppelganger is at the house remain a mystery. It intrigues us, but disturbs us. It leads us to wonder what has happened or what will happen to the protagonist, which still remains unknown.
3. Wait Until Dark—Mr. Roat Jumps and grabs Susy’s Ankle
Why It’s Scary: This entire movie is basically a slow burn lead-up to the final confrontation with Mr. Roat. Until this point there has been a steady ratchet-up effect of suspense without any “pop-up” scares. This end one is sure to have a room of people (who haven’t seen it) sincerely screaming.
Why It’s Important: Wait Until Dark is perhaps the first (save maybe Psycho) film to use the genuine “pop-up” scare tactic to good effect. What makes it so effective in this film (dated 1967 btw) is that it doesn’t overuse the effect. It’s not a movie full of “pop-ups,” but no suspense. It savors this moment. It waits until the best possible moment. It starts the old adage made famous in Scream “they always come back for one last final scare.” Sure enough, this one doesn’t disappoint and is downright terrifying. It’s pure, original, and accompanied by a great set of strings.
2. Black Christmas—Jess Discovers the calls are coming from inside the house.
Why It’s Scary: The first time this Urban Legend was done was the best. As an audience, we’ve known all along where the killer’s been and what he’s been up to. However, watching this realization hit Olivia Hussey’s character Jess all at once is absolutely willy-inducing. Not to mention Olivia Hussey’s blood-curdling (albeit futile) screams.
Importance: Black Christmas was the pioneer, the first, and the original domestic disturbance horror film. What makes it unique is that the Final Girl is actually aware of her pending peril before her actual introduction to the killer. Unlike Halloween or Friday the 13th, where the killer is introduced in a moment of surprise, about to kill, Jess finds out via the Police Officer on the phone. The resulting terror is due to her own volition to walk up the stairs (she could’ve run out the door…but I guess that’s not what sorority sisters do to each other).
1. Halloween—Michael Myers carrying Annie’s Body
Why It’s Scary: It’s so unassuming. It’s quiet. It doesn’t jump out and scare you, it’s off-putting and is exactly what it is. A man is obviously carrying a body inside a house cast in bright floodlights, almost taunting the audience with its obviousness. All of a sudden, as an audience we know exactly what The Shape's intent is...and we are scared.
Importance: Halloween set the standard for the “display your dead bodies here,” motif but the other films don’t actually allude to where this location might be. Halloween hints at this. The deaths occur in the same house. You see the body being brought in by the killer. Other films lose credibility because you are assaulted with all the images at once and wonder where these bodies come from/how they got there. Everything seems to arbitrary. In Halloween, it was Jamie Lee who approached the house, which itself acts as a character. The fact that Tommy sees Michael Myers is also significant. Not only has the killer been “revealed early” to someone who doesn’t immediately bite the dust, but the “seed” of the boogeyman gets planted in his head. You also now know his exact intentions, as Annie had been his first kill seen up to this poi
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