By: Dave Clark
Today we kick off our Top Ten Horror Film Countdown. The Atomic Geekdom staff voted and we put together this list of our favorite horror films. Each day, leading up to Halloween, we'll reveal the next entry in our countdown. So let's begin...
Starting us off at number 10 is a movie from my childhood that had me afraid of my own toys and the tree in our yard. Poltergeist is about a family who is terrorized by malevolent spirits within their home. For me it was a very 80's film, capturing a lot of things from my childhood. Granted it only came out in 1982 and I was one year old and wouldn't see it for a few more years, but the little boy had Star Wars stuff all over his bedroom, much like I would eventually.
The movie was produced and written by Steven Spielberg and you can very much tell its one of his films even though he didn't direct it. As a horror film, I think this movie had everything. A creepy-ish little blonde girl who's in jeopardy from the spirit through the entire film. She has probably the most iconic scene in the film, and one of the ages in which she turns to her parents and says, "They're here."
We also get to see a spirit reaching through a television to snatch up the little girl. What's more frightening then our trusted friend the TV trying to attack us? Not cool, man. Not cool.
The movie also include a tree that tries to eat the family, the yard erupts with coffins and corpses springing from beneath the soil, but most terrifying of all....the clown that tries to eat the little boy.
The climax of the movie sees the family fighting to survive their last night in the home which was built over an ancient burial ground and the company that the father worked for had not removed the bodies, thus desecrating the grounds. The family would escape the house and watch as their home implodes upon itself.
Not only was the movie great, but there were stories behind the scenes that the film and hits franchise were cursed. There were several premature deaths of people associated with the movie. The film is currently being rebooted and set for a July 24th, 2015 release with Sam Rockwell as the father.
I believe this movie holds up, apart from the special effects at least. Its got some shock worthy scenes and just all around creepy moments in the film. Its worth seeing and well worth being in our top ten list. What did you guys think? Would this movie make your top ten?