31 Best Scary Movies

Last year, I put out my list, but this year I spent a lot more time analyzing my picks and set a standard for myself on how to judge them.   This list is not just simply the scariest movies, its the best scary movies I have seen.

First of all, that means there’s a list of movies you might think are better that I haven’t seen because I can really only convince myself to see one really scary movie a year… and this year it was “Paranormal Activity”. 
Second, to seperate the really good from the just okay, the movies on this list are quality, well made movies and the movie (or a certain part of it) is the kind of frightening, creepy, or scary that stays with you and impacts you: the stuff of adult nightmares. 

So here it is (as of 2009), the 31 Best Scary Movies (that I’ve seen):
 

1. “The Ring” (2002)
2. “The Shining” (1980)
3. “The Exorcist” (1973)
4. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)
5. “Halloween” (1978)
6. “Psycho” (1960)
7. “Paranormal Activity” (2009)
8. “Saw” (2004)
9. “The Grudge” (2004)
10. “The Sixth Sense” (1999)

(more…)

Swayze loses two year battle with pancreatic cancer

 (INFO FROM AP:) Patrick Swayze, the actor who danced his way into viewers’ hearts with “Dirty Dancing” and then broke them with “Ghost,” died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully (Monday) with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” said a statement released Monday evening by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from a particularly deadly form of cancer.

More info on Swayze’s death

Swayze starred in 33 movies (last was “Powder Blue” (2009)),  appeared in 13 TV shows/movies – most recently “The Beast” and including the 1985 & 1986 mini-series “North and South”

Swayze was nominated for 3 Golden Globes:
* 1988  Nominated for Best Performance in Comedy/Musical: “Dirty Dancing” (1987)
* 1991  Nominated for Best Performance in Comedy/Musical: “Ghost” (1990)
* 1996  Nominated for Best Performance in Comedy/Musical: “To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” (1995)

He received his Star on the Walk of Fame on August 18, 1997 (At 7018 Hollywood Blvd.).

My Top Patrick Swayze movies
(here’s a good list if you’re looking to rent Swayze movies to pay tribuite to the actor)

1. “Dirty Dancing” (1987) as the dancer “Johnny Castle”
2. “Point Break” (1991) as surfer criminal “Bodhi”
3. “Road House” (1989) as “Dalton”, the bouncer at a rough bar
4. “The Outsiders” (1983) as “Darrel ‘Darry’ Curtis”, the oldest brother
5. “Red Dawn” (1984) as “Jed”, the unofficial leader of the “Wolverines” 
More in Laff’s Lists

(more…)

In lieu of posting my review for “Dance Flick”, a parody of movies that wasn’t very good, I was inspired to post my favorite Parody Movies on “Laff’s Lists“.  Please note that there are no movies on this list from this decade!!!  What do you think ???

Best Parody Movies of My Lifetime:

1. “Airplane!” (1980)

2. “Spaceballs” (1987)

3. “Young Frankenstein” (1974)

4. “This is Spinal Tap” (1984)

5. “Hot Shots” (1991)

6. “Princess Bride” (1987)

7. “High Anxiety” (1977)

8. “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (1993)

9. “Austin Powers” (1997)

10. “Galaxy Quest” (1999)

See all of my “Laff’s Lists” (of movie stuff): http://blogs.woodtv.com/2008/09/27/laffs-lists/  (more…)

Laff’s Lists:

Just like John Cusack in “High Fidelity” (2000), I like to put my opinions in some sort of order… in lists of favorites, here now, is a work-in-progress blog of My Favorite Movie-Related things…

31 Best Scary Movies (updated 10/26/09):

(this list based on quality standards and movies I’ve seen)
 

1. “The Ring” (2002)
2. “The Shining” (1980)
3. “The Exorcist” (1973)
4. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)
5. “Halloween” (1978)
6. “Psycho” (1960)
7. “Paranormal Activity” (2009)
8. “Saw” (2004)
9. “The Grudge” (2004)
10. “The Sixth Sense” (1999)
11. “The Others” (2001)
12. “Jaws” (1975)
13. “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968)
14. “Amityville Horror” (1978)
15. “Identity” (2003)
16. “The Mothman Prophecies” (2002)
17. “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
18. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
19. “The Omen” (1976)
20. “Alien” (1979)
21. “Carrie” (1976)
22. “Poltergeist” (1982)
23. “The Blair Witch Project” (1999)
24. “The Birds” (1963)
25. “Arachnophobia” (1990)
26. “Dark Water” (2005)
27. “House on Haunted Hill” (1999)
28. “House of Wax” (2005)
29. “Misery” (1990)
30. “Vacancy” (2007)
31. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)

 My Top Patrick Swayze movies

 1. “Dirty Dancing” (1987) as the dancer “Johnny Castle”

2. “Point Break” (1991) as surfer criminal “Bodhi”

3. “Road House” (1989) as “Dalton”, the bouncer at a rough bar

4. “The Outsiders” (1983) as “Darrel ‘Darry’ Curtis”, the oldest brother

5. “Red Dawn” (1984) as “Jed”, the unofficial leader of the “Wolverines”

6. “Ghost” (1990) as the stuck-in-limbo “Sam Wheat”  (more…)