Movies that are meant to go bump in the night are staples of the Halloween season. But the movies that qualify as truly scary are often ones hardly anyone sees coming.
At this time of year, classic horror movies are in high demand, and for those whose tastes runneth into more disturbing waters, there's frightful fare by David Lynch and David Cronenberg to keep you and your split personality warm at night. But the creepiest of all is the unintentionally scary flick, a film that can't be shaken no matter how many times you attempt to wipe it from your memory.
The pitch black comedy, the subversive kids' film, the core-rattling documentary. These are the films that qualify as unintentionally horrific.
Here are 10 of the most notable.
1 Watership Down (1978). The film version of Richard Adams's beloved book is one of the most violent, disturbing animated films in history, in spite of its hopeful undercurrent. Watership Down was made during an era in which PG-13 death was presented with far less sensitivity than it is today, which means this fable about a clan of rabbits on the move to a better place remains a pivotal, profoundly unsettling film in the lives of those who saw it as children. A searing portrait of nature, in all its complicated glory.
2 The Elephant Man (1980). The only thing to fear is fear itself - that, and the inhabitants of 19thcentury London who heaped scorn, prejudice and judgment upon the central character in David Lynch's stirring Oscar-nominated film, The Elephant Man. It wasn't the disfigurement of real-life titular character John Merrick (played to perfection by John Hurt) that caused concern, but the treatment of him by society at the time. That's scarier than any knife-wielding maniac ever put on screen.
3 Crumb (1995). This documentary recounts the horrifyingly true story of Fritz the Cat creator Robert Crumb, a gifted genius with some serious issues. Director Terry Zwigoff torches the screen with interviews featuring the famously eccentric artist, his oddball family and his sexual obsessions (the likes of which are captured in his comics). It is an original, dramatic piece of filmmaking, in spite of its creepy undertones and off-putting conclusion.
4 Happiness (1998). The release of Todd Solondz's quirky 1995 black dramedy, Welcome to the Dollhouse, marked the arrival of an important new moviemaking voice. That reputation was put to the test - along with the patience of fans, critics, and censors - with Happiness, a film that covers multiple hot-button topics without flinching, even for a second. It is revered in some cinematic circles, and reviled in others. Bottom line: It's scary as hell.
5 The Cove (2009). No box office bogeyman can outdo humankind in the fear factor department, especially not when money is on the line. Ostensibly a film about Japan's whaling industry, The Cove uncorks more tales of fright than anyone could have imagined. Watch in horror not at the bloody scenes - though the sounds and sights of dolphins being slaughtered will keep you awake at night - but at the behaviour of fisherman and politicians who willingly poison their children with tainted meat.
6 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). Gene Wilder is a fantastic comic actor with a mischievous glint (in Blazing Saddles, he plays the straight man with an insane wink-wink insouciance). Thus, the role of chocolate maker Willy Wonka came naturally to Wilder, who ran amok in a world of candy-coated imagery - a little too amok, in fact. Those who remember the horrifying acid-trip boat ride during the film are likely scarred for life.
7 The Wizard of Oz (1939). Sure, the most-watched film in history is a certified classic, a fairy tale with just enough in the tank to make it one for the time capsule. The only problem? Musical-loving parents whose love of Dorothy and Toto runs deep may forget that an evil wizard, flying monkeys, and a green-skinned wicked witch who gets crushed by a house are things fit for nightmares. Still, they foist repeat viewings upon wee tikes, scaring the bejeezus out of them in the process.
8 The Polar Express (2004). Performance-capture filmmaking has grown considerably in recent years, peaking with the record-breaking release of Avatar. But when The Polar Express hit theatres in 2004, its digital edges had yet to be fully smoothed out; to wit, the near-maniacal visage of Tom Hanks, who plays a train conductor with such brow-furrowed relish he could have unseated Jon Voight from his role in Runaway Train. The scenery is astounding, but there's an edge to the characters in this PG film that makes it too mature for youngsters, and slightly too creepy for adults.
9 Man Bites Dog (1992). History is full of films that score unanimous praise from critics yet leave audiences aghast in epic numbers. Man Bites Dog, a celebrated faux documentary staged as dark, disturbing satire, is precisely that type of film as it follows a documentary crew tasked with filming a serial killer named Benoit. All sorts of unimaginable acts transpire, only to be captured in all their black and white gory glory.
10 Kids (1995). The debut from controversial director Larry Clark signalled the arrival of teen screenwriter Harmony Korine, whose perceptive script about a group of largely amoral Manhattan teens still has the ability to shock. With a strong and unseemly undercurrent, one that centres around the laissez-faire attitude of teens regarding AIDS, Kids remains an "issue" film that can't help but confound.
