Stanley Kubrick has touched every genre of film making and made a legacy out of it. The shining is about an aspiring writer Jack ( Jack Nicholson) who expects to be a caretaker of an isolated Hotel in the Colorado Rockies.He moves there with his family and soon horrific events start affecting the psychic nature of Jack. His minor son possesses an unusual ability where he sees the horrors of the Hotel’s past. The shining shocks at every point because of its scary narrative. It is about the toxic effect of a horrific environment , boredom and extremities of psychic nature on Jack. Though it’s a horror, it hardly has any spirit or ghost involved and the quote ‘All work and no play makes ‘Jack’ a dull boy’ is horrifying (than a ghost). There are many such horror flicks made which scare you, plays with your psychology and gives you a splendid plot too.
So if you loved The shining , here are 10 movies you must watch:-
1. Rosemary’s baby(1968):-
A young couple Rosemary and Guy move into a new apartment in New York city. Rosemary finds her neighbour who is an old couple too friendly but her husband forms a bond with them. Rosemary expects a baby but suspects that the old couple plans something evil to get her child for an antichrist ritual. The beauty of the film is that it’s simple and it has original screenplay. Based on a book with the same name , Director Roman Polanski builds a strong information for a devilish end. The viewers feel for Rosemary and that’s what the movie uniquely stands out. It is different from the usual psychological horrors because the real demons are actually the people surrounding Rosemary. Rosemary’s Baby is a bold take on the horror genre considering the era in which it was made.
2.Psycho(1960):-
Alfred Hitchcock was already doing what every filmmaker in his time was just thinking of the execution. This horror flick starring Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates starts with Marion Crane (Vera Miles) stealing a big amount from her boss and planning to give it to her boyfriend which eventually will get them married. Marion stop and checks in at Norman’s Hotel out of the city and changes her decision to steal and go back. Further, Marion gets killed suspiciously and Norman becomes the prime suspect in case. Norman’s psychosis begins to unravel and the viewer’s see Hitchcock’s genius direction. The background score sends chills down the spine every time it collaborates with the scary scenes. It received mixed reviews initially but later got acknowledged for its creative brilliance and now considered as one the best psychological horrors of all time.
3.The Blair witch project (1999):-
Yes it is a found footage horror film. But it still questions the viewers what exactly happened in that forest. Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez tell a story of three students filmmakers who wander in the Black hills, Maryland to shoot a documentary on the Blair witch. They all disappear in search of an exit but arrive on to the same location repeatedly. The dialogues are mostly improvised by the actors and were left alone with walkies for instructions by the crew while shooting. This made the performances real. The Blair witch project has a refreshing take on the genre as the evil antagonist is almost the forest itself. It hits the psyche of the viewers the way the students repeatedly end up in a loop while trying to leave the forest. With a low budget and grossing a whopping amount , the Blair witch project enthusiastically gave rise to other independent filmmakers to experiment with content over an audibly scaring audience.
4. The silence of the lambs (1991):-
This film had to be on the list. With Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins carrier best performances, Director Jonathan Demme adapts this from a novel about a psychiatrist and cannibalistic killer Dr. Hannibal lecter.
Clarice Starling(Jodie Foster) an FBI trainee is assigned to interview Dr. Hannibal lecter who is already imprisoned in the Behavioural Science Unit , to help her seeking clues about another serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill”(Ted Levine).The film was selected to be preserved in the National Film registry in 2011. The cinematography plays an important role as Hannibal addresses more to the audiences in most of his scenes. This is quite thought provoking for the viewers. With the first and till now, the only film to win the best picture Academy award (for a film considered as horror). The silence of the lambs creatively satisfies the psychological horror lovers.
5. The Witch (2015):-
The witch, set in 1630s New England, is a story of a couple, William(Ralph Ineson) and Katherine along with their daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-joy),son Caleb and twins Mercy and Jonas , who starts living on a building farm near a large forest. Katherine gives birth to her fifth child Samuel who soon goes missing, who is revealed to be abducted by a Witch.Then the story revolves around the children missing and witchcraft being performed on them. The killing in the film is mostly unexpected and the director interestingly doesn’t specify the details. The art direction is visually thrilling and the director uses the secluded forest to scare, which really does.The Witch is a unique film based on witchcraft and thoroughly shakes the genre fans. It has a compelling plot which separates it from spirit oriented horror flicks.
6. Secret Window (2004):-
Stephen King’s novels had always encouraged filmmakers to portray them on big screen. Johnny Depp starrer, Secret Window directed by David Koepp is about a writer Mort Rainey who, on the verge of divorce with his wife, isolates himself in his cabin near Tashmore Lake. Later he is confronted by John Shooter (John Torturro) blaming him for stealing his story. Mort’s dog and his neighbours get killed . Mort realizes the consequences of his depression. Secret Window looks creamy and beautiful initially but its dark theme blossoms and sends shocks in the end. Johnny Depp shines in his gray shaded Mort. ‘Sowing Season ‘ recited by Mort in the end is terrifyingly sweet.
7. The others (2001):-
Spanish Director Alejandro Amenabar, gives an intelligent plot twisting horror with great performance by Nicole Kidman. The others is a story of a single mother Grace Stewart who lives with her two children. She hires three servants and after learning that the house seems to be haunted , it is revealed that the servants are already dead.The film stands out alone on the basis of its plotline. With numerous horror movements it brilliantly keeps the grip by psychologically playing with viewers minds. A mind blowing thriller with an intelligent story makes this one of the best psychological horror and thriller of all time.
Nicole Kidman won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for best actress for this film.
8. Jacob’s Ladder(1990):-
Set in the 1970s, Jacob is an American soldier involved in the Vietnam war. After an attack his fellow soldiers exhibit abnormal behaviour which horrified him and he flees to the jungle. Four years later Jacob is shown in a subway , he starts getting hallucinations of faceless people and horrific incidence of his past. Jacob’s Ladder is complex but scary. It is a smart and compelling horror film with a fresh concept of scaring elements. The film developed a cult following after a loose response at the box office and encouraged a horror video game franchise Silent hill.
Watch it if you are looking for some variety in the psycho-horror genre.
9. Get out (2017):-
Directed by Jordan Peele , Get out is about
Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a black man, agrees to meet the family of his girlfriend Rose(Allison Williams). There he finds weird behaviour of black people and the way they are treated. At a function organised by Rose’s parents Chris has a bizarre experience with another black man. Horrified Chris plans to leave, but uncovers a disturbing secret about the family. Jordan Peele’s smooth direction keeps the viewers guessing about the end. He cleverly puts thrilling scenes at regular intervals between the calm and original screenplay. The climax is unthinkable and bizzare but reaches at creative brilliance.
Nominations for Academy award, Golden Globe, critics choice and BAFTA, Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya have a promising future.
10. The Haunting(1963):-
the 1960s was a decade of quality horror flicks. With Rosemary’s baby and Psycho already on the list from the same decade, The haunting is likely to be more horrific than psychological from others on the list. Dr. John Markway( Richard Johnson) wants to study the reported paranormal activities at Hill House which has a haunting past of killings and suicides. He accompanies Theo and Eleanor lence(Julie Harris) who is already mentally unstable due to her mother’s death. Horror starts as they invade the house but Eleanor gets affiliated with the house. The haunting scares from the first scene and it keeps sparking as it proceeds. It deals with more mental breakdowns than just ghosts and spirits. That’s why this film gained a cult following years after its release. For the horror lovers it is surely a fresh content to look out for, if you haven’t. Martin Scorsese’s first choice in his Top11 horror films of all time.
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