‘The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time’ Recap: ‘#62 – #50’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past few weeks, a common thread has come up regarding our discussions of the wildly delightful Shudder documentary, The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time. In that, this wildly popular series (more on that in a moment) is starting to inject overall themes into its episodes. Which seems impossible for a list-themed documentary to do, but that is precisely what is happening here. Since last week’s tale explored moments that were primal and visceral in nature, and that added depth and curiosity to the scary scenes explored there and well… this week’s episode also featured a theme of its own.
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For a vast majority of the scary moments featured in ‘#62 – #50’ revolved around horror movie moments that were revolutionary in nature. The kind where a never-before-seen special effect wowed us on the screen or where a storytelling concept and idea presented itself to us for the first time and that’s quite the important thing to focus on. Because when you think about it, a lot of what we enjoy in pop culture in this day and age, is a direct result of horror. Since some of the stuff that trailblazers put forth… influenced other filmmakers to do something brave and bold in their story or tweak a moment and inject it into something supremely standard and mainstream. Not to mention, the work of special effects titans such as Greg Nicotero and Tom Savini, and Rick Baker… paved the way for realistic effects in standard television and movies.

So, it is absolutely important that such moments are featured and dissected and spotlighted. So, we recognize the ingenuity and work that went into them, and how they truly shaped the pop culture landscape with their gravitas, and this week’s episode was rife with stunning breakdowns of how those moments revolutionized the industry and wowed us and stayed with us to this day. For instance, The Howling is a story that not only helped to usher in a new era for effects for werewolves, but it taught a new generation of filmmakers how to subvert and surprise an audience. Plus, the show also highlighted how When a Stranger Calls used minimalist storytelling and tension to create a powerhouse moment of terror, one that resonates with us now since we value our safety and sanctity in our homes, and of course… plenty more folks have tried to recreate that scene since its inception.

Plus, we’d be remiss to not point out how Jacob’s Ladder used unique visuals and storytelling to tell us a tale that was grounded in real world horrors, and that twist informed us that it was indeed okay to explore how life is scary, a message we are seeing in horror often now, and well, all of these moments made for a fascinating episode for certain. One that once again captivated the viewer through and through. Simply because recognizing the uniqueness of these moments, gives them new life and a gravity we never thought of. For so many of us saw those moments in our youth, where the revolutionary nature of them wasn’t apparent to us. They were just scary ass stories that kept us up at night and nervous over whether or not that noise outside was the monster come to get us or our imagination.

But being able to learn about them here, allows for us to cherish experiencing that moment even more and well, that level of richness, completely and utterly explains why this show has gained such a popular following. For it was recently revealed that the premiere of this series was Shudder’s most watched title of 2022 and rightfully so. Because it teaches, it engages and it outright captivates, thanks to its stellar commentary and observations and expertise. Because no one is challenging these moments because Shudder has compiled the perfect list and, the staff at Shudder deserve a round of applause for the accolades this series has received, since their hard work in creating it, paid off in spades. And now that we’ve reached the end of this leg of the journey, it will be interesting to see what other moments await us in the weeks to come, now that we are in the top half of the list. Until next time.

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