Lurker > Snake5555555555

Usually got a couple but none this year

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Very nice, love where the painting is in the bottom left.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Okay yeah Demonic Toys is worse too

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

I think Trolls was still worse

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

10. Predator (Monster) (23.5 points)
Nominated by: Anagram (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 7.5
Fear: 6
Snake: 10

Predator stands at a unique crossroads as a villain. He's capable of being a stalker of horrific proportions, thanks to his advanced intelligence and technology; when revealed and confronted, he can brawl and get down and dirty with the best of 'em; and his alien race has plenty to offer and explore, if that's your sort of thing. Yeah Predator has a lot to offer, but most people probably only pay attention to the first film, for good reason. It's where the Predator has the most mystique and originality, which makes sense since he was a totally new villain. Putting him up against this group of experienced mercenaries was an inspired choice, completely tossing audience expectations aside and letting us immerse ourselves in this jungle environment, twisting conventions of horror, sci-fi, slashers, and action. I've always loved the design of the Predator. A mix of tribal and futuristic influences, his design fit in seamlessly with the jungle setting. He's almost like a subversion of the great white hunter trope, this being coming to hunt prey in foreign lands for sport and recognition. He comes equipped with some totally Star Wars battle garb, but as the hunt grows old, his tech is stripped away as he becomes more dangerous and monstrous, representing our oldest and most basic of survival instincts. This also ties in to how the Predator isn't really positioned as necessarily something that is hero or villain; he simply hunts humans and all other alien races because that's how their species operates. It's very rare to have a species, especially one as initially hostile as the Predator, take on that role, but I really enjoy that aspect of his character. Predator still retains a large recognizably factor even if many Predator films are poorly revealed or flop at the box office. He especially keeps a large profile in video games, with AvP games dating all the way back to the 90s and a new asymmetric game released this year that tries to emulate much of the tension of the first film. I'll admit most of my Predator love comes from the first film and the Capcom beat 'em arcade AvP game, but he's so fantastic in those he's one of my favorite villains in horror regardless.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

LGBTag

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Snake Presents Your Totally Terribly Terrorizing Top Ten!


Great_Paul
17. The Invisible Man (1933)
20. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Anagram
30. Ars Goetia (Book)
32. Predator (Monster)

Shonen_Bat
49. Fear itself

Gall
61. The King in Yellow (1895 book)

Cavedweller2000
87. Five Nights at Freddys (franchise)

Wallmasterz
104. Resident Evil REmake
105. The Exorcist (1973 film)

Handsomeboy2012
117. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Johnbobb posted...

Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be

Seconded easily

and I will also do Akira Yamaoka - Betrayal, for now

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

11. Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (23.5 points)
Nominated by: wallmasterz (2/5 remaining)
https://youtu.be/Dp3BlFZWJNA

Importance: 6.5
Fear: 8
Snake: 9

Composed by Krzysztof Penderecki in 1960, the Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima is one of the most haunting recordings ever produced. Using 52 string instruments, this Threnody is a piece of anxiety almost personified; it wasn't explicitly composed for the victims of Hiroshima, but upon hearing it performed, Penderecki was so moved he immediately dedicated it to them. The piece starts out screeching, and your imagination latches on and runs wild: could it be the fall of fastly approaching nuclear bomb? Could it be the terrified shrieks of the helpless people looking at it from down below as they scramble and dash for any hope of survival? Either way, at 1:47, silence. Perhaps it's the last moment for the bomb strikes. The music slowly swells up, as if we are seeing the world in in slow motion, the shockwave of the bomb echoing through the city, before becoming abrasively shocking; if anyone was lucky enough to survive, they quickly realize in horror what the weapon has done to them. Perhaps they smell the burning flesh of friends, family, or total strangers, recoiling back in the most sickening horror you can imagine. It's music almost so terrible but yet beautiful & moving in its unmatched tone and committed semi-free-form performance, in which Penderecki and the composition's performers craft a piece that could only fit one of our ugliest moments in history.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

The Conjuring is fantastic. Wan is so great at making these technically small intimate horror movies feel like the most grand epic tentpole events ever.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Just want to take a moment as well to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! Try to enjoy it as best you can even with everything going on this year (by reading some rankings of course!). We're even blessed with an extra hour this year which is totally awesome.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

12. The Terminator (movie) (23.5 points)
Nominated by: Xeybozn (0/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k64P4l2Wmeg

Importance: 9.5
Fear: 6
Snake: 8

Some might argue with The Terminator being a horror movie, especially compared to the much more bombastic action sequels of the franchise, but its dark atmosphere and foreboding antagonist given a larger-than-life feel from Arnold Schwarzenegger made The Terminator a delectable slice of sci-fi futuristic paranoia with a slasher guise hiding just underneath. With its bleak, dystopian vision of a future ravaged by out-of-control technology, it felt like a direct response to the rapid growth of AI, robotics, and computers, and Arnold as the Terminator its grim reaper handing out humanity's penance for our hubris. The Terminator has more in common with Jason Voorhees than SHODAN however; he's unstoppable, indestructible, and is totally remorseless, plus hiding a wicked veneer under a mask. Also like a slasher, he's absolutely the star. First-billed, face on the poster, the movie practically wants you to root for him, as if to say we accept our new robot overlords and we are powerless to halt this progress so may as well give in and enjoy the ride. After all, the film's portrayal of 1984 Los Angeles is anything but hopeful. It's chock full of down-on-their-luck characters, hanging out in dingy night clubs or homeless on the streets, crime runs rampant, people are apathetic we were doomed way before the robots ever started taking over. I would be remiss not to mention to the film's cold, mechanical soundtrack, with off-kilter time signatures making this robotic and haunting motif that plays throughout the film. Yes, The Terminator is a fun action-filled movie you still quote to this day, but much like its skeletal antagonist, its The Terminator's bones that make the film as timeless and long-standing as it is. Its loud parts are just as memorable as its quiet and contemplative moments, and that in my book is a sign a film is truly great.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Robbed at gunpoint

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Jesse_Custer posted...

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

13. Headless Horseman (general literary character) (23.5 points)
Nominated by: v_charon (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 6.5
Snake: 7

The Headless Horseman is an entity with a legacy of fear & terror that has spooked generations all the way back to the Middle Ages, whether through classic folklore, mythology, or Disney movies. His generic and blank slate-type character design makes him the ultimate versatile antagonist for any sort of story. Marvel comics is able to grab him and position him as a Spirit of Vengeance, or ultra-stylized in the fantastic art style of Final Fantasy. He has no head; anyone and everyone can play a headless horseman, and there's even all sorts of fun stuff you could do with that. Have no head at all, have his head as a pumpkin, make him appear to have no head but really he's just wearing his shirt a couple of inches too high to trick the town bully, coward, drunkard, etc.. This versatility is a double-edged sword however. He will never be as iconic as someone like Dracula or Frankenstein's monster due to this malleable nature, with very little in the way of personality. Unless you're specifically doing a Sleepy Hollow adaptation, the Headless Horsemen tends to become relegated to fodder and not as a main antagonist, and that diminishes his fear factor by a sizable amount. He's still an awesome stalwart of Gothic aesthetics, but how long has it been since you truly felt a Headless Horseman was actually memorable? I bet it has been awhile. Still, with roots in almost every culture around the world, the Headless Horseman is one character that won't be leaving the realm of fictional vernacular any time soon.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Batman
Spider-Man
Ducktales
Death

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

14. Nosferatu (1978 Film) (23 points)
Nominated by: paulg235 (0/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOTLurSgkYU

Importance: 5
Fear: 8
Snake: 10

It may seem taboo to remake such a seminal, ageless, influential classic like Nosferatu (one of my personal favorite horror movies of all time), but in the experienced hands of auteur Werner Herzog, failure or insultation was not even a possibility. This is much more than a remake however, now able to use actual names from Dracula, Herzog expertly weaves elements of Murnau's classic with that of the novel, to craft an atmospheric masterpiece that surpasses both. Klaus Kinski is placed in the role of Dracula here; the look screams Orlok, but the comparisons stop and end there. I dare say this is the best portrayal of Dracula of all time; Kinski wastes no screen time performing every little tic, every look, every gesture with an utter sense of pure unrealness. Herzog's sense of lighting, shadow, the agonizing slow-builds of every scene, with little to no dialogue, it creates this sense that you're there, that you're bearing witness to an actual vampire. Kinski is nearly always cast in total shadow, with only his pale head piercing through, an oppressive use of character building, destroying any sense of comfort or familiarity you may share with the vampire genre. This Dracula is old, sickly, cursed with the inability to die while he ironically brings death and plague wherever he goes. He seeks love, affection, and is a much more contemplative character than most adaptations. Instead of fear, you just sort of find him despicable and pathetic, which definitely has a horror all its own too. You owe it to yourself to experience this depiction of Dracula, unfettered and unfiltered through the keen directorial eye of Werner Herzog in a perfect slice of Gothic fantasy.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

15. DOOM (1993 video game) (23 points)
Nominated by: MetalmindStats (0/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODs5WPvE2ic

Importance: 10
Fear: 4
Snake: 9

DOOM is a product of its reputation, a "gaming nasty" if you will. Much like films such as Cannibal Holocaust & The Driller Killer, Doom spread like a wildfire through the public thanks to its progressive first-episode freeware model, and with it, a cursed satanic reputation rose, as critics were quick to shout out its potential as a "mass murder simulator", its high levels of graphic violence nearly unmatched for the time, with concern growing for the youth playing this type of game. It may seem tame now, but DOOM remains a sizable power over the gaming industry, a mythical Rosetta stone in game design, a perfect design doc on how to present horror & action, and a permanent scar on how games are perceived and criticized to this day. It wouldn't be out of bounds to call this the single most important game released since 1990. DOOM is incredibly simple to pick up and shoot, yet mechanically rich, every room a puzzle of dynamic enemy placement and level geometry so perfect you can feel it in every movement of your character and every pump of your shotgun. Other games would position its demonic hordes as horrific end-game enemies, DOOM meanwhile has you slay them by the dozen with hardly a second glance. Its music, MIDI covers and medleys of popular thrash and rock songs, pumps up the action and brings the pace to an absolutely gleeful, bloody boil of guts and carnage. Its early form of environmental storytelling meanwhile brings in the horror with stuff like corpses on spikes, and gives you a steely resolve to put all demon sons-a-bitches to rest for good. I'm sure this is all stuff you've heard before, but with DOOM it always bears repeating. There's a reason DOOM has been on every electronic known to man, and it's because it's just a damn joy to play. You can get an incredible adrenaline rush just by playing E1M1; there's no pretense, no BS, it's just you and the game, and really that's all gaming ever really needed to be. DOOM, even with its controversies and unfortunate connection to real-life tragedies, will always be the distillation of what makes gaming so appeal all over the world, and that's its ultimate legacy.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

ninkendo posted...

DMC5:SE

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Huh, I think you're the first person I've seen who didn't find Lake Mungo totally traumatizing!

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Snake5555555555 posted...

Opeth - Ghost of Perdition

Screw it since there would be a second and nobody will second Handguns anyway I'll put this in. Matches the theme better anyway.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Halloween

and not because of the topic, because it is

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Yes, one of the scariest villains ever

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Ghost - If You Have Ghosts
Handguns - Waiting for Your Ghost

I think the second counts

otherwise I will put in Opeth - Ghost of Perdition

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Hopefully someone nominates BMTH's Survival Horror album next year.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Oh this is actually tough!

I may have to pick Spec Ops: The Line after having given it some thought. Experiencing that game with no spoilers or knowledge of what that game does in its narrative was a transformative experience.


---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

16. Misery (Book) (23 points)
Nominated by: GavsEvans123 (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 7
Fear: 8
Snake: 8

One of King's most thematically important stories, Misery tells the story of write Paul Sheldon and his crazed obsessed fan Annie Wilkes; Paul is injured in a snow-storm, alcohol-induced car crash and rescued & taken care of by Annie, and by taken care of I mean he's stuck, a prisoner in her house. King was inspired to write this book from his own experiences being constrained to the horror genre; when he wrote the high fantasy epic Eyes of the Dragon, King received incredible backlash for not including any of the elements he was known for at the time. Writing Misery became a cathartic experience for the author, able to insert plenty of his self-experience into Sheldon, with his critics positioned as the character of Annie, though she was so well-realized she stands apart as her own strong personality and driving force of the story too. For those who have only seen the film, it plays it generally close to the novel, but there are key differences that I believe the make the book a more well-rounded experience. First of all, the book is actually a lot more horrifying and brutal in Annie's torture of Sheldon; instead of hobbling Sheldon with a sledgehammer, Annie cuts off his foot with an ax (alluded to on the book's amazing cover), later his thumb as well, and in general she's much more cruel, even taunting him somewhat in telling him the truth of why she won't even bring him to a hospital. The other huge difference to note is the excerpts from Misery's Return, the novel Paul is writing to appease Annie, the book-within-the-book. The book presents these as analogues to Paul's mental state and situation, and are typed out with accuracy taking into account the broken keys in an immersive touch, and we also learn a lot more about the lore and character of Misery. This obviously wouldn't have been very filmmable, and is a unique meta detail that could only be done in novel format. Otherwise, Misery is every way the same fantastic look at overly obsessed fandom the film is and then some, a must read for any aspiring authors out there who wish to choose an another career pronto. A pure piece of dread and psychological torment that only come from the mind of someone who experienced it first-hand.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Garden
Spectacular
-
X-Men

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

17. Mr X (Resident Evil 2 Remake) (23 points)
Nominated by: Cavedweller2000 (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 6
Fear: 9
Snake: 8

Mr. X was arguably Resident Evil 2 remake's best improvement over the original game. While in original Resident Evil 2 it was more our minds that made Mr. X the terrifying tyrant the game wanted you to think he was, Mr. X in RE2make is the real deal. Capcom used over 20 years of game development to craft one of the best antagonists the medium of gaming had ever seen. No longer limited by the constraints of loading screens or scripted sequences, Mr. X was a free-roaming, intelligent baddie who would hear and see your movements and respond accordingly, making even the fearsome Nemesis seem like a baby villain in comparison. His design was more noir based this time with a real trench-coat and fedora, fitting the more mystery edge RE2make had overall, and having better graphics made battling Mr. X a reactive experience as he would show shock, annoyance, and pure, unbridled, unstoppable rage as he barreled towards the player. I for one hated Mr. X and found him annoying through the first couple of playthoughs especially on hardcore thrown into the mix with lickers and zombies, but once you get good at detecting his AI patterns he can almost become an afterthought. However, this had the weird effect of making him an even more compelling villain; yes I could avoid him, but hearing his constantly stomping footsteps echoing through the halls of the RPD, just knowing he was out there, had a fun psychological effect where I felt like no matter my skill, Mr. X could ruin my shit at any moment with one false move. The popularity of RE2make has turned Mr. X into a certified icon, with memes up the wazoo from thong-wearing T-00s to of course "X Gon Give It To Ya." Playing as a Mr. X was even a main selling point of Project Resistance, and the disappointment of Resident Evil 3 Remake has caused X to completely overshadow Nemesis, ironic that the progenitor has now become the master. There's plenty to criticize and love in the RE2make, but I think we can all agree Mr. X has now completely overshadowed his PS1 predecessor, and seeing his wrinkled, zombie-like face in the dark, bloody halls of the RPD will be just as thrilling as it was the first time around.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

18. Dark Souls [Game] (23 points)
Nominated by: Dark Silvergun (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 9.5
Fear: 6.5
Snake: 7

When I was discussing dark fantasy, I specifically avoided talking about Dark Souls for a reason, since I knew I would be writing only a few spots later. However, everything I said in that dark fantasy write-up can surely apply here, and tenfold. Its big, red, bold "YOU DIED" is that perfect encapsulation of all of dark fantasy's themes of despair, hopelessness, and death, and has become as ubiquitous a death a screen as gaming itself. Released in 2011 as a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's previous effort Demon's Souls, it was much of an instant smash than the more niche Demon's Souls ever was. It was a game that felt like a direct response to all people who said, "Modern gaming has gotten too easy", and you may agree or disagree (I'm personally in the latter) with that statement, but you must admit Dark Souls was indeed much harder than almost anything else released at that time. It was survival horror re-skinned for a new generation, as the old guard horror series lost their bites and their reputations along the way. Its minimalist storytelling through use of flavor text, bonfires as save rooms, and seriously jaw-dropping environments may have re-awoken memories of past haunts, but Dark Souls was a punishing plunge of gameplay all its own. Every battle, from solo shambling corpses of the undead to the most towering of titanic dragons encouraged, no, required, strategic thought, careful planning, and the most precise of button presses to make it through. Even when the game played its most unfair hands, there was always something you could've done differently to turn a 'YOU DIED' into a successful run to the next bonfire. I hated this game when I first picked it up. I was honestly expecting more of a DMC-esque experience but playing it like an action game proved costly. When I understood it from the perspective of a genre I had played and loved nearly my whole life, that's when Dark Souls really clicked for me. Inventory management, enemy avoidance, strategic saving, it was obvious, staring me in the face the whole time, and that's where I think the true genius of Dark Souls lies. It never was the scariest game ever, nor was it designed to be, but its pure tension, slow-pace, and confidence in its quiet atmosphere punctuated by battles potentially over in instants still marks it a stark anti-thesis to nearly everything in the mainstream market to this day and is one of the must-play games of the last twenty years, worth experiencing even if it's only for one YOU DIED screen.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Gotta watch more Kitboga!

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Taylor Swift - The Story of Us
The Band Perry - Done.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Snickers

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Yeah it really did, I mean the Old Universal horror movies had already pulled it off fine! Still I think I would prefer 100 Invisible Mans to a connected universe just connected for the sake of it.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

19. The Invisible Man (2020 film) (22.5 points)
Nominated by: BetrayedTangy (0/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSBsNeYqh-k

Importance: 5
Fear: 7.5
Snake: 10

The Invisible Man is my new gold-standard for remakes. The fact that we got this amazing film from out of the failure that was the Dark Universe is a feat in and of itself. Incredibly modern and culturally relevant, I'm tempted to call this film the next evolution in horror storytelling. We could've easily gotten a lazy film much like 2017's awfully forgettable The Mummy: an action-adventure flick where none of the action or adventure is fun to watch at all and only the lightest touches of horror are present in a retelling stuck in the doldrums of retelling a story no one really cares about anymore. Imagine a world where this was a remake that had Griffin create the invisible potion in his mad scientist lab and then terrorizes a city as Detective McDerrick played by Chris Evans tries to track him down. Directed by Leigh Whannell fresh off his 2018 action-body horror hybrid Upgrade, he had much bigger ambitions in mind. Make no mistake, The Invisible Man is made for mainstream audiences, but melds blockbuster horror sensibilities with an artful minimalism, where its antagonist is never seen by design and it becomes solely a character study focused on this traumatized young woman (Cecilia), abused emotionally and physically by her controlling mega-millionaire boyfriend (Griffin). Cecilia manages to escapes this cycle of violence, but still feels the presence of Griffin everywhere she goes, even after he seemingly commits suicide. When Cecilia starts getting mysteriously drugged, feels like she's being watched, and her life gets put in danger, of course no one believes her. It becomes an obvious allegory seeped in MeToo and Believe Women comparisons, and that's fine. Elizabeth Moss infuses her character with decades worth of pent up anger, emotion, and injustice, serving as the perfect avatar for any woman out there who has ever been afraid to share their story, their emotional trauma, their abuse at the hands of men just like Griffin. Owing to the film's modernity yet again, Griffin feels like Tony Stark by way of Harvey Weinstein, a character in power only increasing that manipulative stranglehold over others through the use of science, money and invention. For example, Griffin leaves Cecilia millions of dollars in a trust fund only to have it frozen when she's committed to a mental institution; Griffin toys with Cecilia's life as if she's his own personal plaything simply because he can. And yeah, you could say it was Griffin's asshole lawyer brother in the suit, but I think that again ties into the whole 'believe women" thing, where the real abuser gets away with everything simply due to his current stature. No, when Cecilia slits Griffin's throat at the end, it's a statement, to stop letting anyone, man or woman, keep getting away with any sort of abuse you may be experiencing, no matter how small or insignificant it my seem.

With powerfully resonate themes and Whannell's confidently stylish direction that incorporates dazzling and creative superhero-esque action with an unmatched sense of suspense and excellently timed shockers, The Invisible Man has already cemented itself as one of the early bests of the 2020s. It's not afraid to throw out what doesn't work in the old story to make room for a new voice that people actually want to hear, while still keeping the integrity and intent of the original intact. I thought this was movie was going to blow big time based on the trailers, but I've never been so happy to have been proven dead wrong. Its status as one of the first COVID-affected movies to be released for home streaming early also made sure this film was put in front of a lot more eyeballs than maybe it would've otherwise, though that being said it still managed to be a box office smash. This is the kind of horror remake we need more of now, there simply isn't any room for The Mummy route anymore. The bar has been raised, and now it's up the filmmakers to keep meeting that bar and deliver pertinent, scary horror films like The Invisible Man.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Yeah his last role before, well you know... Horror as only life writes it i guess.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

20. Mystery Man scene (Lost Highway) (22.5 points)
Nominated by: jcgamer107 (0/5 remaining)
https://youtu.be/qZowK0NAvig

Importance: 3.5
Fear: 9
Snake: 10

While David Lynch resides and thrives in the horror genre, his branding often revolves around trippy narratives and a sense of bewildering confusion that aren't so much based on raw scares but rather make the brain feel off-kilter and off in subtle ways. However, when Lynch really wants to scare you, he can, as proven by this scene, while still keeping those same psychological charms he's known for. Some context: the "Mystery Man" as he's known was dreamed of by Fred prior to this scene, and Fred has also been receiving mysterious video tapes intruding on his privacy, such as shots of him in bed sleeping or of the exterior of his house. So, Fred, hanging out at a party hosted by his friend, gets approach by the Mystery Man: "We've met before, haven't we?, referencing the dream, but Fred doesn't make that connection. I absolutely adore the use of sound and music in this scene, and it allows Lynch to have some fun in the background during this scene with song titles. The track being played before the Mystery Man shows up is called "Something Wicked This Way Comes", a very 90s jazzy-dance song from the soundtrack, which also lifts the riff from the Classics IV Halloween staple, "Spooky", two horror-themed titles that tie-perfectly into the Mystery Man's character and sudden appearance in the scene. The Mystery Man has this oppressive, unsettling design, sort of like a modern day Count Orlok, inhumanely pale with a sharp haircut and gloomy profile. When he walks up to Fred to talk to him, all sound and music cuts out, besides this dull hum that is ever-present throughout their conversation. This allows the audience to ignore all distractions and focus entirely on the coversation, filmed in shot-reverse shot with uncomfortable, claustrophobic close-ups. Fred is initially stand-offish to the man, but that quickly ends when the Mystery Man tells Fred he's at his house RIGHT NOW. The Mystery Man is even kind enough to offer Fred a cellphone to verify it for himself. Lynch uses the trope of "calling from inside the house" in one of its most morphed and unexpected executions of all time: the Mystery Man is in two places at once, clearly in front of Fred, and he's able to answer the phone at Fred's house without Fred even being home! The levels here are mind-boggling! Lynch also incorporates some vampire lore, adding even more mystery as the Mystery Man was somehow invited in to Fred's home, he hasn't broken in. The Mystery Man's follow-up echoed, doubled laugh in stereo is just purely the stuff of nightmares. As the Mystery Man turns to leave, the music once again comes back in, breaking the hypnotic spell and giving us a chance to breathe and reflect.

In the span of a mere 3-minutes, Lynch accomplishes horror acrobatics, everything designed and in its proper place to catch the audience hook, line, and sinker. It touches on the pitfalls of fame, the Mystery Man could be a stand-in for an overly-obsessed fan with the qualities of a stalker, getting uncomfortably close to Fred's personal life. It reflects the anxieties of the rich lifestyle and party anxieties, the pressure to keep up appearances and make small talk even if your life is spinning desperately out of control. And most of all, it reminds us to not talk to strange possibly-a-vampire mystery men and take their cellphone to call our house to see if said mystery man is actually there right now!

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

It's time for another quick recap as we enter the top 20!

Xeybozn
14. The Terminator (movie)

Great_Paul
17. The Invisible Man (1933)
20. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

GavsEvans123
24. Misery (Book)

Anagram
30. Ars Goetia (Book)
32. Predator (Monster)

BetrayedTangy
36. The Invisible Man (2020 film)

Paulg235
45. Nosferatu (1978 Film)

Shonen_Bat
49. Fear itself

Gall
61. The King in Yellow (1895 book)

MetalmindStats
71. DOOM (1993 video game)

Cavedweller2000
86. Mr X (Resident Evil 2 Remake)
87. Five Nights at Freddys (franchise)

V_charon
94. Headless Horseman (general literary character)

Wallmasterz
104. Resident Evil REmake
105. The Exorcist (1973 film)
106. Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima https://youtu.be/Dp3BlFZWJNA

Dark Silvergun
113. Dark Souls [Game]

Handsomeboy2012
117. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Jcgamer107
125. Mystery Man scene (Lost Highway) - https://youtu.be/qZowK0NAvig

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Murder Party

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Superman
Courage
X-Men
Primal

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

21. The Dark Fantasy genre (22.5 points)
Nominated by: Shonen_Bat (1/5 remaining)
Compilation of Dark Fantasy examples: https://imgur.com/a/DcOTaOu

Importance: 10
Fear: 6.5
Snake: 6

Also known as when someone writes a horror story but they don't want to call it horror so people actually experience it. I kid mostly, dark fantasy is actually a super-important sub-genre of both fantasy and horror, with its roots in classic fables and olde fairy tales of yore. On paper, it doesn't seem to differ much from high fantasy, with its common use of monsters like orcs, dragons, goblins, trolls, and so on, but the context is a lot different. Settings tend to be cast in deep shadow, with moody tones that rely more on an ebony ambiance with a backdrop of Gothic castle-like structures that nearly eclipse the sky, moonlit swamps with decaying, desolate landscapes, and capped a sense of hopelessness or utter despair in its world, whereas normal fantasy tends to be more optimistic. Yes there's danger in both worlds but dark fantasy has this omnipresence of death and destruction that normal fantasy settings tend to lack. I also find dark fantasy to be more so character-driven than plot driven. Going back to fairy tales, we might consider Little Red Riding as one of the first ever dark fantasy stories; the plot is simple, just a little girl heading home to grandma's, but it's through her ordeal with the big bad wolf where she and us learn the costly lesson to not be so naive and trusting of total strangers. This is like dark fantasy boiled down to its most simplistic but all the elements are at play: an oppressive setting, anthropomorphic antagonist, and a somber tone in its use of sickness, trickery and death. Jumping far ahead, author Neil Gaiman basically uses many of these same tropes in works like Coraline and especially The Sandman. Coraline juxtaposes a contemporary setting with the fantastical world of "the Other', and this time uses the dour tone of Coraline's reality to at first emphasize the positive traits of the other world, before turning in on its head later on in the story, all while telling a compelling coming-of-age story where Coraline learns acceptance, patience and maturity to go along with her adventurous, brash nature. The Sandman performs familiar feats with its stories but from a more adult perspective, perhaps best emphasized in the "Dream Country" arc with fantastic issues like "Calliope" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". These are poignant, human stories and I think represents a missing piece of the dark fantasy: where you could remove all elements of the fantastic and supernatural and have the stories still carry that weight and power over you.

Of course, there's still the old reliable swords-and-sorcery forms of dark fantasy that many people probably think of first: your Dungeons & Dragons (this in particular is the ultimate codifier for this genre, unfortunately I know very little about it!) Castlevanias, Witchers, Game of Thrones. This is where I think dark fantasy becomes a lot more confusing and malleable as a separate genre, the aesthetics and elements are there but I think the tone gets lost in translation a little. This is most likely just a gripe of my own, but these are more like epics with some sprinkling of darkness thrown in here and there without that personal touch that make many other dark fantasy story lines more compelling for me. They're absolutely important to the growth and mainstream popularity of the genre for sure though, and I will admit they serve as effective gateways into darker storylines and even more full-on horror material.

In the end, a genre isn't good or bad. It's a tool to use in storytelling just like anything else, and while I feel dark fantasy has gotten absolutely watered down with box office fodder like Black Death, Solomon Kane, and Season of the Witch, there will always be potential within the genre to tell the next great fable, for us to brush with pure despair and maybe come out a changed person on the other side of it: whether that's alive or dead, of course.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Inside

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

22. Vashta Nerada (Doctor Who Enemy) (22 points)
Nominated by: Inviso (0/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOE90ZSundc

Importance: 4
Fear: 9
Snake: 9

Vashta Nerada, literally translated "the shadows that melt the flesh", could strip humans bare to the bones in milliseconds. The Vashta Nerada continues a tradition of pure horrifying Doctor Who, like the Weeping Angels, enemies that could even potentially live on our world despite their fantastical nature. They represent our collective fears of the darkness, since swarms of the Nerada tend to hide out in shadows like their namesake suggests. I think what I found most fascinating about these wee buggers is that they're actually not that dangerous, and even live alone as one speck in a pile of dust. One of the most famous instances of the Vashta Nerada is in the episode, "Silence in the Library"; you might have even seen an image of a skeleton in a spacesuit just casually browsing online, which is how I first encountered the Nerada without even realizing it, as the Nerada stripped the flesh off that man's bones and proceeded to reanimate him. Despite me knowing how little danger this species poses and the situation in the library was an extremely rare occurrence, I still can't help but feel these guys have a ton of horror potential in them, and the possibility could always be there of a mass outbreak where every shadow simply crawls with them. Well either way, you may think twice of the shadow or dark closet you step in to next.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

The House of the Devil

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

23. Baron Scarpia (Tosca) (22 points)
Nominated by: trdl23 (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 8
Fear: 7
Snake: 7

Tosca is an operatic version of the Grand Guignol, a dramatic presentation that specialized in the horrific and the sensational, and has been cited as a marked influence on melodrama, mystery thrillers, and of course, the slasher film. Baron Scarpia isn't an unstoppable madman however, even if he may seem like it; he's the corrupt chief of police, who has holds Rome in his iron grasp while Napoleon's takeover of Italy rages like a hurricane throughout it all, threatening the current regime and by proxy, Scarpia's power. As villains of grand theater go, Scarpia is up there as one of the most desipable. He's a total liar, cheat, sadist, and rapist who will do anything and everything in his power to cruelly toy with Floria Tosca, a highly jealous singer who is tricked by Scarpia into believing her lover Cavaradossi has been less than faithful with another woman. Scarpia really wants Tosca for himself, and to kill Cavaradossi who has been helping an enemy of the state in secret. Thus, with both of them in his lion's paw, he proposes Tosca have sex with him in exchange for Cavaradossi's survival. I'm simplifying things a lot here, but the important thing I want to note here is Scarpia's absolute ruthlessness, how he has no sympathy or class for anyone besides himself. A man totally built on a house of selfishness and ego. Scarpia's plan almost works too, but Tosca stabs him resulting in his death but a mock execution sent up for Cavaradossi ends up being the real deal and he is executed, leading to Tosca's total devastation and eventual suicide. Even in death, Scarpia proves to a painful thorn in the side of humanity. Scarpia is played by a baritone, and so his voice is deep and thunderous perfectly echoing his deepest evils. Purely irredeemable, Scarpia remains one of the most stark villains of classic opera, and a character that stands the test of time and proves influential to this day.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Stir of Echoes

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Sexy Silent Hill 2 Bubble Head Nurse

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

24. Kraken (monster) (22 points)
Nominated by: handsomeboy2012 (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 6
Snake: 6

Krakens are some of the oldest and most well known mythological creatures out there. Originating from Scandinavian folklore, as long as there were deep oceans, ships and sailing, there were stories and tall tales of towering cephalopods terrorizing those very sailors. Krakens combine several of our natural-born phobias into one: the unknown represented by the darkest depths of murky waters, the giant stature representative of those with more power and control over us, and superstitions common with sailors due to the high mortality rate of those in the profession. The kraken, though we know is firmly rooted in myth and fiction now, was originally believed to be a real being, and a genuine fight and threat to watch out for while sailing. Giant squids and similar species I'm sure contribued to this myth, and as far as we can be concerned, are the closest we have to a myth like the kraken exist in our world, just as terrifying and rare to spot. Krakens are typically reserved for mythological fantasy stories like Clash of the Titans or Pirates of the Caribbean, but there can be some connection made to Lovecraft's mythos seen in monsters like Cthulhu, with their intimidating stature and tentacled-designs. There's never really been that definitive work to define krakens themselves in horror though, and that's kind of a shame. Instead of the ten billionth shark movie, someone should make an actually good Kraken movie, but it could be that there's nothing really left to mine from them anymore. Well, I'm sure Krakens will continue to be featured in many fictional stories, their stock is still high and they are an essential generic enemy of the sea, and with that, their legacy of fear & superstitious influence will continue to live on as well.

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S

Lake Mungo

---

Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S