Top Ten films and TV shows that gave me nightmares as a child.

10. 

The Survivor (1981)

David Hemmings' 1981 Horror based on James Herbert's novel of the same name really put the wind up me.  Robert Powell stars as a pilot who alone survives a plane crash leaving 300 people dead.  The film plods its way laboriously through Powell's characters visions of crash victims and mission to seek the truth behind why he survived and what happened in the crash.  As a child of ten or eleven I watched this one evening at my school (don't ask!).  The scenes of the burned victims, in particular the children gave me a good couple of nights of wide eye syndrome.  Jenny Agutter also stars and so who can blame anyone for watching.  

9.

Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock's seminal film based on Robert Bloch's novel.  Janet Leigh plays Marion Crane who is on the run from her boss and does a disappearing act leaving her old life behind.  As she wearies on her long journey, she pulls off the highway to grab a room at the Bates Motel, run by a seemingly smart but shy young man and his mother.  I mean, come on guys..you know the story, read the book, dressed in womens clothing and buried your neighbour.  What is not to love about this incredible movie.  Well, I say that now, but when I first saw this at the age of nine, it put the shits up me.  It was truly terrifying and I was not altogether sure what I had witnessed.  The world had changed.  Needless to say sleep was not on the agenda that night. 

8. 

Poltergeist (1982) 

Tobe Hooper, he of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame, helmed this super Spielberg produced ghostly feature.  It has all the Spielberg sprinkles on it but definitely a large slice of Hooper.  The film kind of has a similar feel to E.T. but the alien has been replaced by god damn scary ghosts.  A family does its best to combat the ever growing spooksters presence in their house with the help of a paranormal crew from the university.  There are plenty of jumps scares and wonderfully designed set pieces with Hooper relying on your own imagination to build up the scare factor in the first twenty minutes or so.  After that, all hell breaks loose and there is enough to scare any young impressionable mind.  If you are not a fan of clowns or ghosts for that matter, watch behind a pillow.  

7. 

Sapphire and Steel (1979) 

This nightmare moment came from a successful 70s/80s series called 'Sapphire and Steel' with Joanna Lumley and David MaCallum in the titular roles.  The pair play Psychic interdimensional operatives, not of this earth but in human form.  Their jobs, to guard the coninuing flow of time.  

This low budget but highly entertaining scifi series was bloody scary.  Certainly for a boy growing up in the 70s.  The above clip is from series 4, entitled 'Assignment 4' or 'The Man without a Face'.  This kept me up nights and a few trips into my parents bed.  Stairs have never looked the same since.  Frightening.  

6. 

Doctor Who (1963 - Present)

My sister tells me I used to hide behind the sofa when Doctor Who came on, but I loved it and used to kick up a fuss if I wasn't allowed to scare the shit out of myself.  Well, the above trailer is with my favourite Doctor, the inimitable Tom Baker.  The episode featured is 'City of Death' which is very rubber monstery if the truth be known, but in 1979 I was seven years old and very impressionable.  Look, Doctor Who is scary ok?! 

5. 

The Haunting (1963)

Robert Wise's Magnificent film is remarkable.  The story of a haunted house and a group conducting an experiment into the supernatural.  If you have not seen this little masterpiece you must.  It is truly disturbing and one of those films that stays with you.  Please do not mistake this for the awful remake with Liam Neeson which is truly dreadful.  Based on Shirley Jackson's novel, 'The Haunting of Hill House', Wise really captures the essence of the quintessential haunted mansion.  The atmoshpere throughout is edge of your seat stuff and the set pieces make for some very scary and entertaining moments.  This is one I watched around the same year as Psycho and I was hooked on horror and film making techniques from that day.  There are two moments in The Haunting which freaked me out and gave me a few things to think about that night.  Can you guess which two? 

4. 

Jaws (1975).  

Spielberg's never bettered tale of man against beast was nerve jangling.  I remember watching this on TV behind a cushion.  But the one scene that gave me nightmares had something to do with Ben Gardener (trying not to give too much away).  The rest, meh, no problem, apart from being slightly and irrationally scared of the sea and swimming pools...and puddles, and baths ever since.  When you first see Jaws, you are gripped by the amazing story telling, the fast paced camera work and the super dialogue.  It is so good you kind of forgive the fact that the shark, 'Bruce', is rubber.  I think I was quoting "Here's to swimmin' with bow legged wimmin'." at school when I was ten.  It is an incredible film and will endure all scrutiny because of its sheer genius. 

Now we are into the the three films which gave me the worst nightmares.  OK, deep breath.....and ..

3.

 

The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist is a work of genius.  It had me gripped from the get go.  Perhaps it was because of the hype, but for me it was the sheer weight of atmosphere Friedkin creates.  William Friedkin does an incredible job of translating Blatty's book to screen.  The opening scenes with the marvelous and much missed Max von Sydow in Iraq are staggeringly atmospheric and build the scare factor very quickly.  Friedkin's use of subliminals in the film also enhance the terror and it remains one of my all time favourite horror films in terms of atmosphere, to date.  I think anyone watching the Exorcist for the first time will be scared and amazed.  The acting is wonderful and you believe in the characters and their struggles.  For any film fan, not even horror fans, but fans of the great art of film making, The Exorcist is a must watch.   

2. 

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter's incredible reimagining of Howard Hawkes classic 'The Thing from Another World' (1951) is still my favourite film to this day.  It gave me a number of sleepless nights and I can quite frankly say that when I watched it, I was scared to death.  Rob Bottin's creature effects and his make-up crew delivered something visually that I couldn't quite comprehend as an eleven or twelve year old.  I mean, WTF! as they say.  An Ennio Morricone soundtrack combines with Carpenter's masterful direction to deliver a truly terrifying bombardment of the senses.  I couldn't get the images out of my head then and I still cannot today.  I love watching this film with horror newbies or people who don't know a great deal about special f/x make-up.  It still excites me thinking about the creature and its metamorphosis.  Add Kurt Russell and a slew of other great actors into the mix and you have a legendary horror offering.  

Kurt Russell's character R.J.MacReady is, as you might expect, one of the coolest characters in cinema.  MacReady takes the bull by the horns and tries to steer a terrified Antarctic exploration team to some kind of safety, after an alien that can assimilate itself with any organic matter is found buried in the ice.  As the tag line goes...'Man is the warmest place to hide.'. 

1. 

The Omen (1976)

I am not sure if you guessed this would be the one that truly scared the living shit out of me.  You can probably see a pattern in the dates that the top ten were made, and have realised that around these tender years, I was at my most impressionable.  Well, Richard Donner's 'The Omen' is no exception.  It did not help that the Cathedral that Gregory Peck and Lee Remick try to take the young Damien was fairly local to me at the time, and as such I was freaked out that the Antichrist may live somewhere nearby.  It is a creepy film with great casting and wonderful acting.  None of that mattered to me through my initial watching of this film, because I sat through it wondering how the hell I was going to sleep.  Of course, I didn't.  I think I had three days of nightmares.  The Damien is a creepy little bastard and I won't be convinced otherwise.  It's all for you Damien...It's all for you! 

As a foot note to The Omen, I watched it again on my computer a few weeks ago and just when Gregory Peck and David Warner arrive in Italy to discover the hospital Damien was born in had burned down...my computer turned itself off.  I mean, off.  No, "Hi owner, I'm closing myself down, is that cool or are you watching something interesting?".  Just off.  Bang.  Dark screen.  It freaked me out!  I then watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off instead to lighten the mood.