Best horror film scenes

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) started yet another franchise. The first was the best, preying on our fears of nightmares over which we have no control. And there was also the sense of the sins of the fathers being visited upon the children.

The Shining (1980) lacked the heart-tugging father-son moments of Stephen King’s novel, but Stanley Kubrick never went in for “heart.” The movie version has its own chilling identity, heightened by Jack Nicholson’s staggering performance. His most memorable moment guarantees that you’ll never again hear “Heeeeere’s Johnny!” without getting a distinct chill.

Friday the 13th (1980) preys on our fears of that unlucky date and makes sharp use of knives, axes, arrows and anything that slices and dices. If you never liked summer camp, you’ll like it even less after seeing this movie. The film spawned nine sequels, with yet another one scheduled for 2009.

Alien (1979) made John Hurt’s last name seem eerily accurate. When the alien erupted from his body with a wicked grin, his cries of agony made everyone cringe. This was a horror movie with intelligence and class.

Carrie (1976) spotlights teens at their meanest — and that’s mighty scary in itself. A highpoint was religious nutcase Piper Laurie being virtually crucified. And that terrifying final scene of a hand reaching out from the grave will never be forgotten.

Jaws (1975) is actually a lesson in restraint. Steven Spielberg said the film would never satisfy today’s audiences because he waited so long to show the shark and current moviegoers crave instant gratification. But that first shot of the toothsome fish is staggering, cleverly followed by Roy Scheider’s desperate understatement, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat!” The opening shark attack, all splashing water and terrified screams, has only two words that can be heard clearly: “It hurts!” You betcha.

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