No single day is held in more fearful regard than Friday the 13th. It doesn’t matter which month it falls in, and the superstition itself exceeds racial boundaries, religious differences and generational gaps. Quite frankly, it’s the one day of any year guaranteed to freak a whole lot of people out. (And it happens three times in 2009!)
The fancy word for the fear of this particular day is paraskavedekatriaphobia. The superstition has no roots in written history prior to the 19th century, and is believed in some circles to have been concocted from two separate superstitions of the day: the belief that Friday was an unlucky day, and that the number thirteen was an unlucky number.
It is estimated that as many as 21 million people are afflicted with paraskavedekatriaphobia and that businesses lose as much as $900 million dollars on each occurrence of this day. That’s a lot of people at home hiding under the bed!
It seems to never fail that as we approach a Friday the 13th on the calendar, cable and network television channels advertise horror movie marathons. Furthermore, it’s not at all unusual for a new horror film to be released in the theaters on this day.
The history of horror movies is a rich one, with the first recorded creature feature appearing as early as 1890, and the first spooky-talky showing up around 1930. Those early films, when viewed today, offer a surreal perspective on what has become a modern day cult-phenomenon.Horror films, by definition, seek “…to elicit responses of fear, horror and terror from viewers.” The industry makes about a zillion dollars a year (not an accurate accounting) and many of the movies (even ones that weren’t that good to begin with) get remade time and time again. Fear, much like sex, is a big business.
Personally, I have no fear of Friday the 13th and my husband actually considers it to be a lucky day, based on some illustrious football victory from his childhood. We’re also big fans of the horror film, in all its goriffic glory, and rarely pass up the opportunity to enjoy a good one.
So, for this weekend, we’ve worked together to come up with a list of (count ‘em!) thirteen horror films for your consideration. I just didn’t feel like a mere five movies could accurately honor the natural fear that will be celebrated tomorrow.
A Nightmare On Elm Street Teenager Nancy Thompson and her closest friends are all having the same bad dream in which they are being hunted with murderous intent. As her friends are killed off one by one, Nancy tries to get the adults in her life to take her seriously. Then, one fateful night, Nancy’s mother reveals a secret that is the stuff of nightmares. Nancy must take a stand to stop an evil that was put in motion by her parents many years ago. She must bring the monster out of the nightmare and into her world, where she has a few tricks up her sleeve.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is desperate for gainful employment. His track record of anger and violence has lost him jobs and almost cost him his family. Determined to make things right, Jack accepts a position as winter caretaker of a hotel with a murderous reputation. Snowbound in the mountains of Colorado with no contact to the outside world, Jack’s mind breaks down and makes him easy prey for the spirits of the Overlook Hotel. His special son and his tormented wife become his playthings in an evil game that no one will win.
Shaun of the Dead Shaun just can’t catch a break. He forgets to make a reservation for his anniversary dinner with Liz, which lands him in the doghouse. Liz, tired of hanging out at the pub with Shaun’s obnoxious friend dumps him. But Sean doesn’t want to lose Liz, and puts together a plan to win her back. Unfortunately, zombies have taken over London and provide a great interference to Shaun’s plans.
Bug Agnes (Ashley Judd) is a lonely woman with a tragic past. She lives in a roadside, Oklahoma motel and takes in a veteran of the Gulf War named Peter (Michael Shannon). As the pair becomes closer, Agnes shares the details of her son’s disappearance and Peter reveals knowledge of a government conspiracy that has infiltrated their bodies and minds. Consumed by their combined paranoia, they determine that they are the keys to the governments successful infection of the rest of the world and will stop at nothing short of madness to end it.
The Grudge Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is an American nursing-student living and working in Japan. When a coworker doesn’t show up for work one morning, Karen is assigned to fill-in. She finds her patient unattended by family and living in a severe state of disarray and agitation. As she investigates the rest of the house Karen is confronted by an evil presence and a murderous curse.
Rosemary’s Baby Against the advice of friends, Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse move into a creepy old apartment building. Initially Rosemary (Mia Farrow) is charmed by their eccentric neighbors. When she becomes pregnant, however, she becomes haunted by dark dreams and begins to suspect that the neighbors mean to harm her unborn child. Guy (John Cassavetes) assures Rosemary that she’s just being silly, but as time goes on Rosemary begins to suspect her husband, as well.
The Exorcist Twelve-year old Regan (Linda Blair) McNeil’s body has been taken over by an ancient soul. As her health and mental state deteriorate, the demon inside of her just gets a stronger hold. In desperation, Regan’s mother (Ellen Burstyn) calls in a priest, who attempts to drive the evil spirit from the young girl’s body.
The Mist The morning after a lightning storm, an eerie mist descends upon a small Maine town. David Drayton and his young son travel to town and soon find themselves and their neighbors trapped within the grocery store. Alien creatures emerge from the mist and annihilate everything in their paths. Attempts to escape are met with bloodshed and the tension mounts both within the market and without. Then, as night descends, the real horror begins.
The Silence of the Lambs Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is the FBI rookie assigned to interview renowned cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Lecter’s understanding of the criminal mind may hold valuable secret to uncovering the identity of a killer who is currently on the loose. But to get the information from him that she needs, Clarice may have to sacrifice a little more of herself than she can comfortably afford.
Mr. Brooks Portland’s Man of the Year is successful, good-looking and well-respected. He’s also a husband and father who regularly attends AA meetings in an attempt to control his destructive impulses. Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) is not an alcoholic, however; he is a psychopathic serial killer whose tenuous control has finally faltered. When Earl gives in to his dark desires and murders a young couple, his crime is witnessed and recorded on film. Earl braces himself to deal with his would-be revealer, only to discover that the man with the camera (Dane Cook) has other plans.
Interview With The Vampire Louis (Brad Pitt) has a tale to tell, and chooses a young reporter (Christian Slater) as his audience. In Louis’ story we learn of his life and death, his loves and losses, and his ultimate acceptance of his role as an immortal. We hear of Lestat (Tom Cruise), the vampire who made Louis, and we meet Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), the monster child that bound them. Based on The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
Scream Even though a year has passed since her mother’s murder, Syndey (Neve Campbell) still isn’t the same. She seeks comfort in the arms of her boyfriend and the company of her friends, but then two young lovers are slaughtered and it’s revealed that the town has not quite recovered from the previous year’s events either. Sydney begins to suspect that the new murders are related to her mother’s death and fears she may be the ultimate target.
The Ring Naomi Watts plays Rachel Keller, a journalist who launches an undercover investigation into the mysterious deaths of several teenagers, including her own niece. She learns that each of the kids was found in very similar states and had died at exactly the same time. Furthermore, they were al l inexplicably linked to an odd video tape that Rachel herself watches during the investigation. As she gets closer to the truth, she discovers that she is racing the clock to break the curse before she becomes its next victim.
Sources:
Wikipedia-Horror
Horror Film History
Wikipedia-Friday the 13th
2 thought(s) on the subject:
I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I saw Nightmare of Elm Street. *Shiver*
I still haven't seen The Shining.. It was on tv last night but we watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist instead.
I haven't seen a single one of those movies. I cannot handle scary stuff. In my first film class we were supposed to watch the Shining on the big screen and I could not handle it. I watched 2001: a Space Odyssey instead.
I watched American History X last night and the suspense of the last 40 minutes knowing something bad was going to happen nearly killed me.
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