HORROR'S BEST RED HERRINGS

[AntonioDelLago]

HORROR'S BEST RED HERRINGS

We all know the type. Its the character who serves one purpose in a horror film: to throw the audience off, to confuse us into thinking that he or she is the film's killer. Here is my list of favorite red herrings. Some ended up as victims. Others heroes. Many psychotic.

FISH MARKET: In PROM NIGHT, several characters were suspected as the possible killer, including the nominal lead (Leslie Nielsen), his emotionally unstable wife (Antoinette Bower) and seemingly innocent son (Michael Tough), as well as the obligatory escaped mental patient and creepy school janitor (the latter role played by Robert Silverman).

THE BOYFRIEND DID IT: Keir Dullea in BLACK CHRISTMAS; Jerry O'Connell in SCREAM 2; Paul Kelman in MY BLOODY VALENTINE.

MOMMY DEAREST: Candy Clark in CHERRY FALLS.

ABRA-CADABRA: David Copperfield (yes, the magician) in TERROR TRAIN.

PSYCHOTIC SUSPECTS: Anthony Perkins in PSYCHO II; Paula Sheppard in ALICE, SWEET ALICE; Samantha Eggar in CURTAINS; William Dix in THE NANNY; Liev Schreiber in SCREAM 2.

GOOD COP/BAD COP: Patrick Dempsey in SCREAM 3.

HARRIED HEROINES: Deborah Foreman in APRIL FOOL'S DAY; Melissa Sue Anderson in HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.

JASON TAKES A HOLIDAY: Mass murder survivor Tommy Jarvis (John Shepard) AND the presumed dead Jason Voohrees were both suspects in the hilarious FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART 5. The killer turned out to be a paramedic with a grudge (who was responsible for the film series' highest body count...22 corpses! Not even old Jase could have pulled that one off!)


[This message has been edited by AntonioDelLago (edited 07-11-2001).]

[bromy]

no no no no! ya see yer absolutely wrong about that idiot Roy (the disgruntled paramedic) his total of kill was only 17, the movies total kill was 22, the first 2 kills were in that dream sequence of tommy's, the last 2 was Roy himself, & Pam in Tommy's dream sequence

alot of Jason movies can top that including Jason Goes To Hell (yes I know it was absolutely awful) but in that movie Jason picked up 21 total kills for himself & the movies entire total was 24 & if ya wanna get right down to the nitty gritty of it I'll take ya there, ya remember that boat on part 8 caled the lazarus, well ya know how jason was responsible for the sinking of the lazarus, well if you watch the opening scenes you'll notice about 20-30 people getting on that boat, who by the way were all told to stay in the ships ballroom when the ship went down! so if ya wanna go technically here, which I do, that movie, as bad as it sucked, had the highest damn death count to date.

Your wrong!
Ya know how I know your wrong?
Cuz I'm right!
Ya know how I know I'm right?
CUZ I AM ALWAYS RIGHT!

[AntonioDelLago]

Sorry for counting the film's total deaths as Roy's kills. Forgot about the dream sequence opening, as well as Tommy's attack on Pam in the finale (but did she really die?).

[!MorganOnyx!]

BROMY -
ANTONIO was wrong but you didn't have to rub his nose in it! Besides, i'm sure you've been wrong before! You can't always be right!

ANTONIO -
Regarding your red herring nominations for the SCREAM movies. At first i didn't suspect DEREK (O'CONNELL) cos the boyfriend was so obvious, but then i thought back to Billy and how they tried to throw us off. So, i thought "No, it could still be this dude - cos no one would suspect this nice young man!" With Kincaid (DEMPSEY), he mentions to his partner that "usually one of them (the cops in horror flicks) makes it" I interpreted this as him saying "I'l kill you and i'll live cos i'll kill everyone, or at least, that's what the plan is!" I didn't fully suspect him - i really wasn't sure with SCREAM 3!

[teenkiller]

Spoilers for Sleepaway Camp and My Bloody Valentine











I thought Ricky and the dude that supposedly escaped from the hospital in My Bloody Valentine were alright attempts at throwing people off. The Scream series always had me guessing as well. Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[!MorganOnyx!]

I knew all along who the killer was in SLEEPAWAY CAMP. I don't even think they were trying to fool the audience it was so obvious. That reminds me I've just replied to ANTONIO'S BEST ENDINGS thread and didn't put this movie down. What a weird, weird, freaky, scary, creepy, funny ending!! UNFORGETTABLE!!DING DONG!!!

[Spider-man III]

Originally posted by AntonioDelLago

JASON TAKES A HOLIDAY: Mass murder survivor Tommy Jarvis (John Shepard) AND the presumed dead Jason Voohrees were both suspects in the hilarious FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART 5. The killer turned out to be a paramedic with a grudge (who was responsible for the film series' highest body count...22 corpses! Not even old Jase could have pulled that one off!)

I think Jason killed 27 unfortunate mo fo's in Jason X

[izombie]

Moving to Horror Best/Worst/Vs/All Lists

[bobo_the_clown]

Antonio, I'm curious. I might have missed the point but are "red herrings" the characters that are innocent but made to look like they could be the killer to throw the audience of track? Its just if that is the case please explain why Alex Hammond was listed as a red herring in Prom Night because well I take it youve watched Prom Night right through cos you'd know that Alex WAS the killer. So how is he a red herring? This is not a dig or anything I just got confused when i saw his name/

[Dr. Giggles]

Originally posted by teenkiller
Spoilers for My Bloody Valentine










the dude that supposedly escaped from the hospital in My Bloody Valentine were alright attempts at throwing people off.

I remember the first time I watched it, I had no reason to suspect that it wasn't Harry Warden. Good times, good times.

[DWhots]

old Scooby Doo Kids cartoon, where they always blamed everything on a red head called Red Herring, always made me laugh.

[Dr. Giggles]

Originally posted by DWhots
old Scooby Doo Kids cartoon, where they always blamed everything on a red head called Red Herring, always made me laugh.

Haha, yeah good times, good times.