Not THAT Jackson…PETER JACKSON! As any genre fan worth his or her psychoses can tell you, PJ was all about horror long before he started trolling for Hobbits. As befits his status, Jackson was one of the many experts consulted for the upcoming BRAVO special 100 Scariest Movie Moments. The folks over at Fangoria have kindly posted some of his picks and related comments. Check out the excerpts below:
NOSFERATU – I’m not in love with the movie, but it…established an original look for the vampire that so affected people that you keep seeing it in modern films today.
PSYCHO – PSYCHO is one of those movies where it obviously has a collection of scenes which are particularly freaky.
THE EXORCIST – THE EXORCIST’s a movie that for me is not really about the moments; it’s actually about the overall impact. That film transcends its moments and creates an experience that’s just so disturbing, especially the last half.
THE WICKER MAN – The entire tone of the film is unlike everything you’ve ever seen before. It has a pagan creepiness that keeps building.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE – It’s a classic sense of boredom before the sting where you’ve got this slow creepy exploration of the house and up the hallway and it’s really naturalistic, and you’re kind of getting bored and you think, ‘Come on, what’s going to happen?’ And then suddenly [makes chainsaw noise] and bang, he gets whacked on the head with a hammer!
JAWS – It was just creepy, that feeling that there’s this monster under the water making no sound, and you don’t even realize that it’s there.
CARRIE – People remember the moment more than they remember the movie.
HALLOWEEN – It was the first time I’d ever seen the Steadicam, which right from that opening shot just dragged you into the film; it just built up this incredibly sinister and strong feeling of suspense which just gripped you and it never let you go.
DAWN OF THE DEAD – I’d never seen the prosthetic skin and the ripping, and it was so disturbing that as I watched the film two, three, four times, I was dreading that moment, because I knew it would disturb me when I saw it again.”
To read the full article click HERE.
Let’s hope the esteemed Mr. Jackson doesn’t make us all wait too long before he returns to his genre roots. In case you’re wondering, no, KING KONG doesn’t count.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed