Is there anything creepier than leaving a movie theater or a friend’s apartment after watching a scary movie? The sky always looks extra dark, modes of public transit are near-empty and/or filled with weirdos, and there’s just this sinister sense of unease that hangs in the air. But what makes it even more unsettling is when the spooky film you’ve just watched took place on your home turf, allowing specific events to take strike more harshly at your psyche. So for anyone in NYC who’s looking to embrace the dark side this Halloween season (or any other time), here’s a list of films that will surely make you nervous about walking home alone or making your next late-night bodega run.
1. Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Jacob’s Ladder is equal parts terrifying and brilliant. It tells the story of a Vietnam veteran who ends up working as a Brooklyn postal worker — and experiencing some truly frightening hallucinatory shit — after he returns to the States. It says a lot about the psychological ramifications of war and the horrors of non-consensual human research, and it contains the the most nightmarish subway scenario of all time.
2. Joshua (2007)
No offense to all of the parents out there, but little kids are ridiculously creepy. So it makes sense that fictional made-to-be-creepy kids are downright horrifying. When it comes to young villains, it seems the titular Joshua doesn’t get as much recognition as Damien, Isaac or the Grady twins, but his weird eccentricities and prodigal brain make him particularly diabolical. The next time you’re strolling through Central Park or The Brooklyn Museum, and a weird little kid in a fancy suit starts to look at you ominously, remember Joshua, and get away.
3. American Psycho (2000)
Mary Harron’s cinematic take on the infamous Bret Easton Ellis novel is scary and hilarious, and it truly makes you wonder what all of those Wall Street bros are fantasizing about while seated at their Palazetti glass-top desks. Or rather, it makes you wonder how you can most effectively distance yourself from them. Although, it should be said that even though the film is an incredible and somewhat graphic adaptation, the book is far more likely to cause involuntary screaming and/or gagging, if that’s what you’re looking for.
4. The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
Like American Psycho, The Devil’s Advocate is jarring because of the way it portrays normal, seemingly well-adjusted people as total monsters. (And a middle-aged, over-the-top Al Pacino is freakishly believable as the devil) TDA also does a particularly excellent job of making Manhattan seem like a beautifully twisted place, and includes scenes from just about every neighborhood in the borough.
5. Sisters (1973)
Speaking of boroughs, it seems as though Staten Island is often left in the shadows of its neighbors across the river, so it’s nice to see that the Brian De Palma-directed creepshow Sisters shows SI some love. The film definitely utilizes Hitchcockian suspense tactics — and a great score by Bernard Herrmann — but it also has a very distinct vibe of its own. Plus, the subject matter makes it the perfect film to watch between episodes of American Horror Story: Freak Show. Oh, and fun fact: AHS’s producer Jennifer Salt played the detective in Sisters!
6. The Sentinel (1977)
The Sentinel has been regarded by many as campier, Brooklyn version of Rosemary’s Baby, but it’s super creepy with an awesome cast and a bunch of freaky moments. And honestly, ‘campier Brooklyn version’ doesn’t sound like that bad of a description, does it?
7. C.H.U.D. (1984)
The title stands for ‘Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers’ and that’s basically all that you need to know. Call your friends, conjure up some cocktails that look like sewer slime, and make C.H.U.D. into an epic drinking game. You won’t be disappointed.
8. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Rosemary’s Baby is the best. Say what you will about Roman Polanski, but he can create a terrifying and painfully disturbed atmosphere like no other, and this film just has so many amazing things to offer; there’s the bone-chilling and brilliant theme song, Mia Farrow’s iconic (and revolutionary!) pixie cut, some creepy-ass witches, gorgeous shots of uptown Manhattan, and so much more. Again, Polanski is pretty incredible when it comes to horror, but there’s just something about Rosemary’s Baby that sets it apart from his others, or anything else in the whole genre.
Article by Nicole Woszcyzna. Follow her on Twitter @nicolewosz
