Board 8 > THE Snake Ranks Anything Horror Related (Vol. 5) *5th Anniversary* *RANKINGS*

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Snake5555555555
10/23/20 3:11:46 PM
#252:


*SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE POST*

45. Ending of Midsommar (18.5 points)
Nominated by: jcgamer107 (2/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InRMXiwFPxE

Importance: 2.5
Fear: 6
Snake: 10

You know, Halsingland really was such a nice place before those tourists showed up. Okay so maybe it wasn't, but who am I to say what sacred, ancient traditions are bad and which are good? Dani looks pretty happy there at the end doesn't she? Well, I'm getting ahead of myself. Up until Josh decides to take a little ol peak at the at the Harga's sacred text, Midsommar is actually pretty straight-forward. Yes, there's always a sense of dread, unease, and confusion, but one thing Ari Aster is so incredible at is using traditional tropes of horror movies to make these gigantic, prestige horror movies more approachable for a general audience (it's what makes Hereditary as great as it is too). American tourists in a foreign location, okay, maybe you've seen Hostel, or Green Inferno, or even Turistas, even if you haven't, you have this picture in your head of how these typical vacation horror movies go: bunch of immature Americans who have no idea how to act in public or in other cultures do something averse and pay the ultimate consequence for it. Aster doesn't rely on these cliches, he morphs them into his own, progressing his characters into fully realized people with wants, desires, and fears, not simply using a foreign location because it's easy and looks good on film, but because there's a genuine interest in this age-old tradition and there's a story to explore that relates to that tradition's themes and meaning. Back to Midsommar, this typical vacation gone awry is used to spring-board into a psychedelic journey of the self, once Dani starts taking turns around the maypole, it totally becomes her show, and her life and emotions, already shot and decayed due to her sister's passing passes the event horizon when she discovers Christian is having sex with one of the members. It was coerced against his will, but still we know Christian was going to break up with Dani and we always got the feeling something like this was coming. So, Dani becomes the may queen and is paraded as royalty, while Christian runs around frantically, encountering the corpses of his friends. Again, Aster uses that knowledge you have of slasher movies to give this scene a frame of reference, but the sickening artistic brutality of the kills transcends past any sense of familiarity, as its terrific use of constant bright daylight twists our sense of safety and our grasp on time and reality. Dani meanwhile, is showered with flowers and white beautiful clothing, transforming her once drab appearance into an angel-like purity, and she chooses Christian as the last sacrifice the Harga need to finish their to ritual to purge evil. Christian is sewed up paralyzed into a a bear suit, and you hear his muffled pleas as a small wooden temple, seen in the background since they arrived, burns up in flames. So, I know I skipping some stuff, but I think what really matters here is Dani's emotional transformation, and what her pout-turned-smile means for her. Dani struggles throughout the film being treated as this unwanted nuisance, and totally alone in the world after the death of her family. She's an absolute nervous wreck treated as a human doormat, and even as she is praised and adored by the Harga, it's really still all against her will. Dani is ultimately shown to have no real agency in her life and looks constantly to others for reassurance and stability. However, choosing Christian as the last sacrifice is entirely her choice, or at least she thinks it is. Dani realizes as the temple burns, that she has finally broken free from her crutches, the emotional baggage of her old life, and has experienced the true joy of discovering a family who will always be there for her. It matters not what their real intentions were, only what Dani feels. Her last smile is that final slippage of sanity, but also the hopeful becoming of what will be a new start for her.

tl:dr
Midsommar is the ultimate break-up romance movie just with way more wailing over the sounds of people burning to death.

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Johnbobb
10/23/20 3:16:59 PM
#253:


Snake5555555555 posted...
Midsommar is the ultimate break-up romance movie just with way more wailing over the sounds of people burning to death.
Idk sounds about on par for me

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Snake5555555555
10/23/20 3:19:13 PM
#254:


Fair enough

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GavsEvans123
10/23/20 6:53:13 PM
#255:


If anyone wants to make the trailer for The Evil Within 2 less scary for themselves, I found it goes really well with Simple and Clean from Kingdom Hearts.
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Snake5555555555
10/23/20 10:47:08 PM
#256:


44. Feeling like something is slightly off (19 points)
Nominated by: Shonen_Bat (3/5 remaining)

Importance: 10
Fear: 7
Snake: 2

Feelng like somethng is light off can the most naggng thought ever. It's when you're watching a movie, and feel somethng in the back of your mind ever so slightly distractng you from the plot and characters. Or when things are too silent but you just know somethng is out there, ready to pounce at you at a moment's notice. By all accounts life is good, it feels good, but there's always this feel deep inside you, that you think you can improve, one thing you should've said, one thing you should've done different. This a simple feelng but difficult to explain. Everyone will experience it at some point. You may be feelng it right now. For whatever reason, you can't focus, you can't think clearly, it scratches and irks you beyond belief. In more extreme cases, it may even be a symptom of ADHD or derealization, I of course am no doctor but I struggle with the former myself. You never quite feel satisfied with whatever activity you're doing, like you could always be doing somethng better or enhancng your experience to a perfection that may never come. Whatever the case may be, there's no real cure for this feelng, sometimes you just gotta push it out of your mind the best you can. That's all there is to it.

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Snake5555555555
10/23/20 11:18:07 PM
#257:


43. The Uncanny Valley (19 points)
Nominated by: Gall (1/4 remaining)
https://imgur.com/a/xIsG1WE

Importance: 9.5
Fear: 5.5
Snake: 4

The Uncanny Valley generally refers to computer-animation or real-life robots created with the intent to look as human-like as possible, but end up falling just a few centimetres short. The Uncanny Valley as a term has existed since about 1970, right around the time robots and computers were starting to really take hold in the world. It's interesting this term comes right after "feeling something is slightly off" since this is exactly what the valley does to you. It's really that visual trigger that makes the uncanny valley work its magic. While the valley is mostly used to actively criticize and lampoon media, such as movies like The Polar Express, Cats, or those terrible CGI replacements in newer Star Wars movies, I think that's really only one part of it, and is of much greater interest to the population than we may think. Take Sophia, a robot with citizenship. It's certainly awesome and futurist to grant a robot citizenship, but taking a look at her, she really just does not feel right at all, especially with her circuits hanging out in view behind her fake skin. We can't help but take to mind countless dystopian landscapes where robots have taken over the Earth and enslaved us as the inferior species. Is there a way to fix this? Could we get to Detroit: Become Human levels of realism where it becomes impossible to spot the difference at a glance? Sure, anything is possible, but I think it's a long time before we get there, or if we even want to get there. Relating this subject to horror, now that I'm always for. It's the one place I believe people can creatively use the valley to achieve a desired level of fear automatically in a viewer. Michael Myers, Chucky, and pretty much all zombie media utilizes the valley to some extent. With Myers' pure white mask, we as a viewer never get to know what he is thinking or feeling in any situation. Through body language we may project our own feelings onto him, but we can never be 100% sure it is the correct feeling. Chucky is a more traditional example, a type of robot that talks and acts like a little child, but his rubber face and stilted movement make him seem like a terrifying threat with or without the crazed murder's soul attached to it. Zombies, especially the classic Romero ones, often feature pale skin and blank expressions devoid of any humanity, yet we still feel like there's some part of their former selves still inside, which compels us closer despite knowing the realities and dangers of the situation. There's plenty more examples I could cite, but they're all pretty similar to the ones I mentioned. Truth be told, the uncanny valley is really just a tool for us to make sense of what doesn't. Our brains love a rational explanation, and we might just be too good to ever be fooled enough by a robot or animation. Or the uncanny robots are just there to distract us from the ultra-real robots we see everyday without ever realizing it. Well, I'll save the conspiracy theories for another time!

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Snake5555555555
10/24/20 12:03:31 AM
#258:


42. Mr X (Resident Evil 2) (19 points)
Nominated by: Cavedweller2000 (3/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P618Q4vlCs

Importance: 6
Fear: 7
Snake: 6

Mr. X was a game changer for survival horror. Sure, Scissorman of Clock Tower fame terrorized players through the fabric of connected areas, but the T-00 felt different somehow. He was larger, more imposing, more forceful. Scissorman was a given, but you never quite knew where Mr. X would show up next, always breaking through something to get to you. In the first game, Tyrant T-002 was the final boss, the ultimate threat but Mr. X makes him a recurring baddie for whichever character was unfortunate to go through the game for the B scenario. As a kid, Mr. X was the source of many a heart attack for me, I will always remember the first time he crashed through the wall after getting the cog, and then again when you exit into the hallway and go around the bend! Even after playing the game a million times, there's always some part of me that tenses up here. I guess though, it's important to note the unfortunate reality of Mr. X: he's actually kind of lame on replays. It's so easy to run past him and he really has no greater presence than being this random guy out of nowhere that blocks your path for a extra seconds. Lore wise, him actually being after Sherry's pendant and the G-Virus was an interesting touch though. Seeing a Tyrant actually being utilized for a field mission will always be awesome to me. That's what makes the Incineration Plant in RE3 such a badass final location to showdown with Nemesis, just seeing all these T-00s everywhere, without their power limiters and then actually playing out that battle in ORC, oh man, say what you want about that game, but for an RE lore nerd like me, it was so awesome. Speaking of his final form, it's a good fight, he's agile and hits hard, and positioning is important. It's of course better if you're being Claire, I mean what RE game isn't, since you get the line "You lose, big guy", which manages to be so cool and so corny at the same time. Mr. X will always have a special place in my heart, even if he's pretty old-fashioned nowadays, but for 11-year old me, he was one of the scariest enemies I came across in a video game up until that point. As a design template for the far superior Nemesis, well then that's where Mr. X's place in video game history is totally secure.

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Snake5555555555
10/24/20 2:42:33 AM
#259:


41. Deadman Wonderland (anime) (19 points)
Nominated by: PrinceKaro (0/4 remaining)


Importance: 5
Fear: 7
Snake: 7

Now, I know I haven't seen that much anime, but Deadman Wonderland is up there as having one of the most fucked-up openings ever. Ganta, just an innocent schoolboy, has his life turned upside down when a powerful individual completely decimates his classroom and everyone inside it, leaving Ganta as the sole survivor at the center of an absolute bloodbath of gore, bones, and absolute trauma. To make matters worse, Ganta is sentenced as the perpetrator of this mass murder, due to manipulation from his own lawyer and slimy individuals in power, and sent to Deadman Wonderland, a weird amusement park/prison hybrid, and in a moment of irony, where Ganta and his class were headed to a field trip. Everything is handled here with a total sense of seriousness, I watched the dub, and usually I'm not very impressed with them at all, but Greg Ayres put his all in into Ganta's character, I truly believed his desperate crying, total bewilderment, and desires to die and put an end to all his suffering. However, Ganta does meet Shiro, a seemingly innocent young girl who tries to fulfill Ganta's wishes, but he actually wants to live and thus his "deadman" powers are activated, granting him the ability to control his blood. From here, I wouldn't really call Deadman Wonderland that much of a horror series, instead operating as more of a dystopian thriller that revolves around these sort of game shows that take place in the prison, like the incredible cruel Carnival Corpse (a clear Cannibal Corpse nod/pun) which are just these absolutely insane gladiator-type battles between inmates. Learning about Shiro and Ganta's real relationship was the most compelling part however, and it's well-written how their pasts actually intertwine and can be a little sickening to find out the truth. It's a good series overall, I wouldn't say it's an exceptional anime, and the manga is a lot more brutal, but it's worth a watch since it's short and like I said the main story is definitely a doozy.

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Snake5555555555
10/24/20 12:06:45 PM
#260:


40. World War Z (book) (19 points)
Nominated by: Xeybozn (2/5 remaining)


Importance: 6
Fear: 6
Snake: 7

World War Z is one of the most important pieces of zombie media to come out in the past 20 years. Together with other landmarks like 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, The Walking Dead, & Left 4 Dead, World War Z defined a new era of the classic baddies, one that took to examining the individual stories of survivors in the thick of it, recounted as if a documentary or clinical report. This rewriting of the zombie canon into something more concrete, more real, was devised by Max Brooks, whose previous work The Zombie Survival Guide helped inform this sort of sequel. Whereas that book was a more humorous take with an alternate history slant, World War Z is a totally serious novel, deftly examining Brooks' deep seated fear of zombies and the various forms of terror they can represent. It was written with total accuracy in mind, especially when it came to military tactics and the other cultures represented in the world. Some of its greatest themes are that of isolation however, as the rich barricade themselves in ultra-fortresses, or in Canada where the ultra-cold weather would freeze zombies but had the averse effect of dwindling resources and cabin fever which made people resort to cannibalism. It's situations like this that Brooks dominates you by putting that pit in your stomach, drawing comparisons to the real world, and ultimately immersing you into a zombie story that reads like a piece of history. It's a great read and a powerful allegory, and if you're going to catch any zombie story of a recent memory, better make it this one.

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jcgamer107
10/24/20 3:19:17 PM
#261:


Great Midsommar write-up, you really got it. I think the audience is so emotionally burnt out, like Dani, by the end that it's hard to know how to feel at first. The tables are flipped and Christian is now consumed by an overwhelming, burning pain yet is unable to react - a physical manifestation of the grief and agony which was consuming Dani, which she felt the need to suppress out of fear of abandonment. It's a spectacular exclamation point that somehow even tops the gut punch of an opening.

To me the story is rife with possible messages. It's a uniquely millennial fairy tale, reflecting our generation's rejection of the traditional Christian family (it's no accident that the boyfriend's name is Christian), replaced with a broader and potentially more chaotic emotional support system. It's also a good study of how trauma and social disconnection can make someone much more emotionally malleable. Ari Aster has an understanding of psychology and social constructs that is matched by very few other filmmakers.

The striking cinematography and score elevate the whole the thing to an instant classic. One of the most fascinating and impactful movies I've ever seen.

Snake5555555555 posted...
tl:dr
Midsommar is the ultimate break-up romance movie just with way more wailing over the sounds of people burning to death.
lol

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Snake5555555555
10/24/20 5:54:32 PM
#262:


39. Ice Nine Kills The Silver Scream (Album) (19 points)
Nominated by: Bane_of_Despair (0/3 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLftjY7J7MkIq1Z7buUDSF5QhQklGrdQYP

Importance: 3
Fear: 6
Snake: 10

Never before has metal been this absolutely cinematic. In a suite of absolute metal bangers, Ice Nine Kills reinterprets the American horror movie canon through a series of face-melting riffs, heart-pounding drums, and sinister alternating vocals that vary between agonized screams of the murderers it tributes and softer arena-rock ready choruses that encourage sing-alongs and represent the quieter moments of these horror movies before moments of intense terror take hold. The American Nightmare kicks off the album with some straight-forward blasting guitars, with one of the album's catchiest choruses. INK revels in Elm Street references and sings from the perspective of Krueger, with a sample about the importance of sleep setting the tone for a track that ties perfectly into the themes of Elm Street, and the bridge features an interpolation of Krueger's infamous nursery rhyme. You can easily draw comparisons to Krueger's kills with the American war machine, doubling as a criticism on the amount of unnecessary death overseas that occurs daily. Thank God it's Friday starts off with a campground jingle, something children would sing about this song's inspiration, Jason Voorhees, followed by an intense breakdown with a tribute to Jason's, "ki-ki-ki, cha-cha-cha" sound accompaniment as the hook. The song shifts to major key towards the end of the song but quickly shifts back to minor for the final act of the track, as if to signify Jason's unkillable nature.

Stabbing in the Dark is one of my favorite cuts off the album, with some of the most intricate guitar work on the album. The riffs are absolutely dazzling and much like "Friday" the use of soundbites is fantastically done, adding an unmatched atmsophere to the heavy song. I will say Savages, taken from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is a weaker track on the album, but The Jig Is Up, which heavily features a fantastic Jigsaw impression, is a lyrically complex track with some of the most overtly horrorcore lyrics on the album. It ties into Jigsaw's MO and beliefs, and this commitment to getting inside the head of a murderer is an uncompromising way of getting the mood just right as we head mid-album. A Grave Mistake is a softer ballad based on the Crow and deals with the unfortunate passing of Brendon Lee during the shooting of that film while connecting it to the overall themes of the film. Rocking the Boat is just incredibly cheesy fun based on Jaws, and has some of the best soundbites on the album (IN FIFTEEN MINUTES WE'LL BE FUCKING SHARK BAIT!). INK interpolates the Jaws theme near the end of the track and they drop references to their previous tracks and albums, along with guitar melodies that recreate the panic and tension of that iconic shark. Merry Axe-Mas could be a fun alternate choice for a Christmas playlist, but it's really the final track, It is the End, that I love the most.

Spencer does one of the best Pennywise impressions I have ever heard, and the lyrics go for the jugular, with the especially visceral and comedically black "just like Georgie, it's all out of hand". The song features Buddy and JR of Less Than Jake and they add a frantic horn section to the metalcore production, along with fun touches like a clown horn that verge on being silly but end up being totally chaotic and badass instead. Patrick's drumming is rhythmically interesting and carries on the song with a breakneck pace. This is INK's magnum opus, and with the exception of The People in the Attic, their most chilling song ever in my opinion.

INK is an essential for both horror fans and metalheads. This is some fresh-ass metal with clear passion, inspiration, and pure joy put into every note. It's not often you hear music this enjoyable but at the same time a icy, chilling experience that grabs you and forces you to listen front-to-back every time, even on some of the weaker tracks. INK is at the top of their game artistically and commercially, and hell's the limit for these awesome musicians. This is simply one of the best albums of the decade and a must-listen.

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Snake5555555555
10/24/20 6:47:50 PM
#263:


38. Shia LaBeouf (song) (19.5 points)
Nominated by: Xeybozn (1/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI&list=LLdH6CvJsxsaIgtw6Ed_RHuw&index=13

Importance: 4.5
Fear: 7
Snake: 8

This awesome memetastic song was released right around the time when Shia LaBeouf was just about going off the deep end. Sung by Rob Cantor, it's a tongue-in-cheek song that includes references to LaBeouf being an actual cannibal. The lyrics are actually pretty frightening though, featuring LaBeouf as this backwoods stalker, each verse punctuated by the hilarious whispering of his name (Shia LeBeouf). I mean the idea of this superstar celebrity is so outlandish, the overly-descriptive nature of the track really sells you on the idea. Its orchestral arrangement gives off the feeling that this is some long-lost epic and adds both to the comedy and intensity of the song. The video, a live rendition of the song, actually features LaBeouf too in a nice touch, along with creepy dancers in LaBeouf masks. This reminds me of a crazy, but simpler time, and this song is still just crazy fun and may even be a perfect track for your next Halloween playlist.

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Snake5555555555
10/24/20 7:18:17 PM
#264:


37. The Blood Test Scene (The Thing) (19.5 points)
Nominated by: BetrayedTangy (2/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2o2FRwn_hg

Importance: 2.5
Fear: 7.5
Snake: 9.5

This is like the textbook of how to perfectly produce tension in any horror movie scene. Kurt Russell leads this scene as MacReady; since it appears every part of the Thing is an individual life-form with its own desire to survive, MacReady devises this test to test all members' blood with a heated piece of copper wire. Watch how the camera pans across each man, each with the same dour look on their faces, knowing the implications of what will happen if their blood turns up positive, looking petrified but also distrusting and apprehensive about MacReady as the leader. I love how the scenes goes through the trouble of painstakingly filming each person's finger getting cut, it is just a slight bonus to make the viewer that much more uncomfortable. The scene is perfectly paced, so slow and agonizing, you just constantly waiting in alarm for one of the blood tests to come up positive, the whole time, keeping in mind, one of them is definitely the alien creature. It can become a guessing game for the audience, and as MacReady goes through blood sample after blood sample, subtle things are revealed about each character, such as Garry's suspicious feelings the blood test is a fraud, or Child's quickness to judge MacReady as a murderer for killing the human Clark, these small touches exponentially expanding the tension just turned high enough to make the Thing's reveal occur at a misleading time and completely surprise everyone involved. It's Palmer, and as he turns into the Thing, the effects here are out-of-this-world amazing, as Palmer practically melts into a disgusting pile of slime, flesh, and blood, and the mood is pure chaos as Windows hesitates with the flamethrower and the other people are still tied down, making it a case of all-out survival for everyone involved. Finally though, MacReady burns both Palmer and now the infected Windows, and things calm down for the moment. Whenever I rewatch the Thing, this is one of the biggest scenes I look forward to. At its heart, it's about how humans can so quickly turn on each other, even after knowing one another for years and years. how quickly paranoia can spread, and how cabin fever and already high tensions can only contribute to a sense of total confusion. It's well-shot, well built-up, and contributes to knowing each character even more, and that's an amazing horror scene in my book.

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Snake5555555555
10/24/20 10:54:50 PM
#265:


36. The first year of the COVID-19 Pandemic (20 points)
Nominated by: paulg235 (2/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 9
Snake: 1

I don't think you need me to tell you exactly how awful this year has been. Everyone, no matter who you are or where you live, went through this this year. It has been emotionally draining, and perhaps the toughest year any of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes. When my brother came home from high school one March day and said school was closed until next Wednesday, then April 20th, then indefinitely, I knew something had changed. Yes, the warning signs were there since December, but I'll admit, I always took for granted how these viruses and outbreaks never seemed to effect where I lived or anyone i knew, and despite hearing about them often enough, didn't really have to pay them any mind. It feels so selfish and apathetic in retrospect. I know differently now however, and I'm happy to have been so humbled. Wearing masks and socially distancing feels second nature now, and it happened so quick. I'm lucky enough to work at home for the most part, but I feel for the people who aren't so fortunate, and I'm grateful for what they do everyday. Even now, as the US sees record-high numbers, it's important we stay ever so mindful and safe in these absolutely trying times, and if you have or had a family member or someone close to you go through this absolute dangerous virus, my heart goes out to you, and I know that's not much, but I mean it. Even if all seems hopeless, it's important to keep positive however you can and maybe, just maybe, this will all be over soon.

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Snake5555555555
10/25/20 1:54:11 AM
#266:


35. 2020 (20 points)
Nominated by: NFUN (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 7
Snake: 3

I was pretty excited for this year. Our home business was just starting to take off, I was feeling energized, creative, and inspired perhaps more than I ever was, and there were plenty of awesome games, shows and movies to look forward to as well. Sure, things started off rough with threats of World War III, and the unfortunate passing of sports legend Kobe Bryant, but boy were we really in for it after that. Rumblings of coronavirus reaching the US started to take hold from February into March, and suddenly the country, hell, the world, was on total lockdown and in quarantine. I'll admit, I'm not usually one to let life's problems keep me down or frighten me, but this virus and lockdown really did me in, in that span of March-May especially. I just felt totally drained and hopeless, and every day there seemed to be some new terrible story like murder hornets or Australian wildfires to just compound matters. However, bigger than me, bigger than any of us, perhaps even bigger than COVID were the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, sparking a wave of protests, both peaceful and violent, around the world as an attempt to put an end to police brutality and racial injustice. Though I may personally disagree with the senseless breaking, entering, and looting of businesses, I feel like there did come a genuine change this year, a small but powerful step we need to keep working on in the years to come. See, I think it's easy to just focus on all the horrible things that have happened this year. Whether it's spending more time with family, learning new skills or hobbies in quarantine, being out on the streets in peaceful protests, or just doing your duty and staying home safe from COVID, we should use this year as a lesson in taking better charge & accountability in our lives, to learn to rely on and trust our fellow man, and to band together to solve a common problem. Hardship is just as important as the seemingly easy years, and I for one have learned that this year and I'm sure so have many of you. With one of our most important elections ever coming up in just over a week, this year could be the turning point many of us need to actually make our lives better than it ever has been before!

(And I know there's like a billion things I didn't touch on, but why go through that misery parade again?)

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handsomeboy2012
10/25/20 2:31:27 AM
#267:


This year totally sucks and I'm not very optimistic on the next year either

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Snake5555555555
10/25/20 2:44:01 AM
#268:


I totally get it. I just prefer to be positive about things I guess.

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Dark Silvergun
10/25/20 12:15:28 PM
#269:


In regards to Mr. X in RE2, as much as it is normal that most people dislike Resident Evil Survivor, it does come with some very unique yet disturbing files in the mid-late portion of the game about the very unsettling procedure to extract a necessary ingredient from the brain of a human to mass produce the Mr. X tyrants.

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Warning, the self-destruct system has been activated, all personnel should evacuate immediately, 5 minutes to detonation.
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Snake5555555555
10/25/20 12:37:00 PM
#270:


Yeah I loved that actually! It's even foreshadowed and built-up by a patient chart in the hospital somewhat early on.

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Snake5555555555
10/25/20 3:24:33 PM
#271:


34. Angela Orosco (Silent Hill 2 Character) (20 points)
Nominated by: Inviso (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 2
Fear: 8
Snake: 10

Angela is one of Silent Hill's most tragic characters. While Silent Hill 2 was primarily viewed through the lens of James Sunderland, a great feature of that game was featuring strands of other souls gone astray, offering brief and fringe glimpses into their otherworlds and symbolism. A victim of pure abuse, Angela seeks out Silent Hill, or rather vice-versa, in a misguided repressed search of her mother and brother. In her life, Angela was molested and beat up by her own alcoholic father & brother. Her mother simply ignored everything. Angela is the first person we meet in Silent Hill 2, and rather quickly too. She's kneeling besides gravestones in the cemetery, and we can tell something isn't quite right with her. She appears to be lost within herself, socially awkward, apologizes in an excessive manner, and maybe even experiences some stunted growth with her use of the word "mama" and how she quickly corrects her words. First time players may assume Angela is in the cemetery by coincidence, but her examination of the gravestones and her words "I thought they would be here" are interesting choices and no small accident. Angela ran away from home after stabbing her father to death, and the idea of him still being alive is too much to bear for her. When we next encounter Angela, she's on the floor, looking through two reflections of herself, one in a huge mirror, and one in the blade of a knife. Angela suffers from dissociation here and suicidal thoughts, having no identity of self or personality of her own anymore. Angela prefers to look into the reflection of the knife, since it symbolizes how small and fragile she thinks her own life has become. James tries to take the knife from her, and Angela reacts in a frantic panic, a personality shift due to her dissociation and a defense mechanism as Angela presumably sees James as just like her father in that moment. Interestingly, the mirror room and rooms just outside are the first glimpses into what she sees in Silent Hill, representing her childhood apartment and room. We don't see Angela for a long time after this, but her next encounter is perhaps her most important. She's fighting with the Abstract Daddy, a twisted mass of flesh representing Angela's sexual abuse, with two figures sewed onto a bed-frame in a sexual position, with a figure of Angela on the bottom and her father on top. It's important to note we only see the Daddy through the lens of James, who sees it the way it is due to his memories of the bed-ridden Mary, but Angela sees it as something far worse, perhaps a figure just as terrible as Pyramid Head is to James. The room is filled with these holes, pistons pumping in and out, and the sexual symbolism here is obvious, a sickening, constant reminder of the non-stop abuse Angela had always received. In our last encounter with Angela, we get a first-hand experience at what her otherworld is like: a constantly burning inferno, flickering away the last bastions of emotion or hope she has left.

Silent Hill 2 may be the story of James, but it's characters like Angela that also give the game such a vibrant personality and make it one of the greatest horror experiences of all time. Angela's portrayal of PTSD and the emotional damage of sexual abuse, by one's parent no less, is shown with great care, subtlety, and understanding, and I can see her being a painful source of relatability for some players. Games, hell even most media in general, are reluctant to properly show this level of abuse without resorting to cliches or watering it down for a general audience. Despite appearing only briefly, those who have played Silent Hill 2 will never forget Angela, and the touches of pure darkness in which many of us should count ourselves as lucky as to have never experienced in our own lives.

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Snake5555555555
10/26/20 12:14:40 AM
#272:


33. Resident Evil Code: Veronica [Game] (20 points)
Nominated by: Dark Silvergun (1/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0qQQ4iSp2E

Importance: 4
Fear: 6
Snake: 10

The black sheep of the franchise. Not quite a main series title, not quite a spin-off, it exists in a weird limbo for the series, initially released on a quickly failing console that would be the first time the series appeared on a non-Sony system. Code: Veronica boasted impressive 3D visuals for the time, and in my opinion, still looks pretty damn awesome today. It stars my girl Claire, and is a direct sequel to her ending in Resident Evil 2, where she heads to a European Umbrella headquarters in search of her brother Chris. If you thought RE3 was bombastic, the intro of Code: Veronica will leave your jaw dropped. It will even make the Anderson films blush as normal college student Claire dodges out of the way of helicopter bullets, sprints faster than a helicopter, and clears a flight of stairs in a single bound. It's stupid, it's ridiculous, it's pure Resident Evil and I love it! The rest of the game is rather subdued however. After the intro, Claire is captured and brought to Rockfort Island, as a prisoner. The island is quickly attacked, and the prison's guard, Rodrigo, lets you out. The game starts off with this impressively slow atmosphere, a dank prison cell dripping with moisture, leading to a rainy scene up above, in a cemetery. It doesn't take long for zombies to start rising from their graves however, and Claire is caught in the middle of it all, as she scrambles and cowers out of the way, full of PTSD fresh from the Raccoon City Incident a mere two/three months ago. This intro quickly sets up the player for what kind of RE experience this is going to be: challenging, claustrophobic, and full of zombies and monsters. We meet Steve, the most annoying character in the series depending on who you ask, and then the true game pretty much starts here. We explore the complex, find out twists and turns through files, and dodge and shoot plenty of enemies along the way.

As an RE vet, I can safely say this is one of the most challenging games in the series. Zombies seem to take a ton of hits to be put down, zombies now populate rooms by the dozen, and healing and ammo can be tough to find, especially in early game. Bosses here are the hardest in the series, no ifs, ands, or buts. Tyrant T-078 is an unflinching tank fought in a prison cell-sized arena, and if you don't have the proper amount of grenade rounds or explosive bow gun bolts, you're not getting through it. A mutated Steve you run from in the late game hits hard and seems impossible to avoid, once again, if you don't have the proper healing items, you're not getting through it. My first time ever through this game, I didn't even finish it because of this fight. Then there's the final boss, Alexia; her first form is easy enough, but once she starts flying all bets are off as the game struggles to target her as well as having to deal with annoying insects she lets out to pester your feet. There are also some spots of artificial difficulty unfortunately, and you can't see them coming either. Midway through the game, Claire will get captured by Alexia and switch you over to Chris; the thing is, whatever you had in Claire's inventory, will not be available to Chris. There are even more soft-lock opportunities like this, and I really have to question why they either didn't you warn first or just emptied her inventory into the box for you. It's not like RE really follows any sort of continuity with item boxes & inventories anyway. I think this really soured the game for many people, and I totally understand why.

So, maybe the gameplay isn't the series' best here, but what I really love about this game is its Gothic atmosphere, main villains, and strong thematic storytelling. This is the first game in the series to use full 3D environments, and while some areas look a little empty and has that Dreamcasty aesthetic (which I totally love by the way), areas like Alfred's private residence, the Ashford palace, and torture chamber are some of the creepiest and intricate areas in the franchise. Alfred's residence boasts a suspended doll as a centerpiece, the camera slowly panning up with it constantly in view, before revealing its head on the very top floor. It's shots like these that make fixed camera angles so worth it, it brings a level of film-making craft on not just a cinematic level, but a gameplay level too that few other series can even come close to matching. On to the story, the game establishes this rivalry between the Redfields and the Ashfords, both brother-sister combos, comparing and contrasting their relationships with each other. Interestingly, opposite genders are placed as the main rivals, Claire to Alfred, and Chris to Alexia. Claire and Alfred are similar in that they both idolize and can be somewhat dependent on their sibling, while Chris and Alexia act as the guardians and guiding hands to their siblings. Barring some incredibly out-dated dialogue ("cross-dressing freak" anyone?), Code: Veronica further examines gender by having Alfred impersonate his sister Alexia, showing just how attached he is to his sister and how insane he has gotten over the years since she had frozen herself. This is still Resident Evil and must be taken at a B-movie grain of salt of course, but I still find these relationships the game weaves to be incredibly compelling and is a lot of the game's main source of horror.

Ultimately, I really think Code: Veronica is a hardcore survival horror fan's game. Its incredibly tough gameplay and plot that can verge on stupidity for many will be a hard sell for your average gamer. There's a reason Capcom mistreats this game, such as seemingly skipping over it for the remake treatment or putting out a version on PS4 that's the PS2 version instead of the nice HD port the released just a few years prior. For Resident Evil fans, it's a must though. I think it's Claire's best game, has amazing lore for both Umbrella and the expanded universe at large, and the monster design and soundtrack are superb. If you somehow missed this one, rectify that as quick as you can. The rest of you, play at your own risk.

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Anagram
10/26/20 1:10:29 AM
#273:


I'm surprised you give CV a 6 in horror. I thought it was definitely the least spooky RE game, except maybe 5, which I think doesn't even count as a horror game.

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Snake5555555555
10/26/20 2:32:01 AM
#274:


I guess it really just comes down to that Gothic atmosphere and psychology of the two main villains. It's such a different type of horror for the series to explore and it does a decent job of it.

Some of the music is really creepy too, CV has one of my favorite OSTs in the series, probably only third to REmake and RE3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AI3pmwKnMw (some Hitchcockian influence here, with some playful piano representing the dollhouse nature of the residence but thunderous rumblings underneath that hides the horror under innocence)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFySmkjsmuc (Epic battle theme mixed with a reprise of the Ashford lullaby, kind of creates this twisted feeling for Alexia's new form, representing her humanity and mutation all at once)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxq5ymqPAsQ (Even the save room theme feels more melancholic than usual)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt6-DGzv3-k (That thumping bass representing Nosferatu's heart, and how it incorporates more melodic parts while still ramping the tension)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipyyetLoSbI (Atonal piano mixed with subtle distortion and varying tempos of the strings that really crafts a feel of things not feeling right, like you're being watched, again some Hitchcockian paranoia here)

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Snake5555555555
10/26/20 2:59:49 AM
#275:


32. SCP-106 (20.5 points)
Nominated by:Murphiroth (0/5 remaining)


Importance: 3.5
Fear: 8
Snake: 9

From his rotting face to his corrosive-touch, SCP-106 looks just as dangerous as he actually is. This isn't any teddy bear that grows ears on your body or music sheet that compels you to finish it, SCP-106, sometimes referred to The Old Man, is just plain someone you're going to stay far the hell away from. He can walk through walls and generally goes for vital organs before transporting you to his pocket dimension. His corrosion is represented by sharp rust, black mucous, and intense cracking. Aging is the central theme here with 106 in general, representing industrial decay in long-forgotten abandoned factories and the stigmata of growing old, that fear that your family will dump you somewhere and prefer to forget and avoid you however they can. Or, we could look at 106 as a manifestation of contagious plagues & disease, perhaps the pocket dimension representing the small, sterile hospital room we'll end up in if we catch a particularly bad case. Either way, SCP-106, with his horrific appearance, may be a more straight-forward SCP than some others, but that doesn't diminish his fear factor in any way. He would be a plain simple nightmare to deal with, and is one monster of many we should be glad doesn't really exist.

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Snake5555555555
10/26/20 12:29:53 PM
#276:


31. Drag Me to Hell (2009 film) (20.5 points)
Nominated by: Xiahou Shake (0/2 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPOaxHqoYxo

Importance: 4.5
Fear: 7
Snake: 9

Drag Me to Hell was Sam Raimi's great return to horror after spending nearly a decade on the mainstream Spider-Man franchise. With a horror slant inspired by Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell nevertheless takes its subject matter a little more seriously than the average Raimi horror flick. Alison Lohman portrays Christine, a loan officer who denies Ganush, an old gypsy woman, a third extension on her mortgage. Ganush ambushes her later on and puts a curse on her, to torture her for three days before she is totally dragged to hell, by something called the Lamia. Drag Me to Hell definitely has the gross-out factor you would expect from a Raimi film, and throughout the film there always seems to be something disgusting landing in Christine's mouth. However, the three-day time limit gives the film a sense of frantic pacing, as Christine tries anything and everything to rid herself of the curse. Drag Me to Hell, despite its comedy, is a film that plays with morality. We initially feel bad for Christine, a lower-class woman just trying to do her job, but over the course of the film, as Christine saves her skin countless times by sacrificing others to the Lamia and even kills a kitten, and the film really tests your patience and likability towards her character. I've also read that the film is a meta-commentary on the audience's desire to actually see the effects of hell on the main character, and how we revel in other's suffering as long as we're nice and comfy and safe. I mean, I guess I can see that interpretation, it's the foundation a lot of slashers are built on, but I don't totally buy into it here. It's more a look at how differing interpretations of good and evil can built up and flipped on its head, and in that regard, it's a powerful film that delivers a blend of horror & comedy only someone like Raimi can deliver in the way he does.

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Snake5555555555
10/26/20 1:55:50 PM
#277:


30. 1408 (film) (20.5 points)
Nominated by: Cavedweller2000 (2/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIASqPZqnhs

Importance: 3
Fear: 8
Snake: 9.5

1408 is a film I have always adored. It's one of my top 5 Stephen King adaptations ever, thanks to its strong psychological core at the heart of its main character, Mike Enslin. This being King, I'm sure you can guess his occupation, but this time there's something about his paranormal investigations and skepticism that separates him from the pack here. 1408 comes down to the man breaking the job, than the job the breaking the man. Enslin heads to this supposedly haunted hotel room, an anonymous challenge sent to him in a postcard, at the Dolphin in New York. The room has a nasty reputation: 56 deaths in the last 95 years. Enslin is seriously discouraged by the hotel's manager, Olin, but Enslin doesn't heed this warning and heads in anyway. What I love most about this film is how it builds up the psychological dread of the room. It starts off normal enough, maybe even fancier than what Enslin is used to, chocolate on the pillows, fully stocked minibar, folded towels, pay-per-view, and of course, Enslin acts like his typical haughty self. Suddenly though, the room starts to get hotter, a blue light reveals the remnants of past murders, strange apparitions start appearing to Enslin. His once self-sure sarcastic self gets quickly broken down, as if the room itself is alive, or taking on the aspects of Enslin's haunted, tormented, fractured mind. Despite it seeming like the movie would wear itself down in a such a claustrophobic location, it does wonders in making its three small rooms feel expansive, as the film constantly invents new ways to scare and frighten in this limited place, making the room feel like a looping maze of endless insanity. Chilling shots like a zoom out revealing Enslin's two windows as the only windows remaining on this foreboding brick slab of a hotel building are the most enigmatic aspects of the film, really emphasizing how trapped literally and figuratively Enslin feels in his life. The film's cruelest moments come when Mike appears to be free of the nightmare and goes on with his life normally, until it is revealed it was all an illusion crafted by the room. Again, this is such a fantastic use of the location and one of the film's most psychologically gruelling aspects. I think the film might get a little heavy-handed with literally showing figures from Enslin's past, but I guess it does service Enslin's character to make the deteriorating quality of the room more connected to Enslin's psyche. This film has 3 different endings of varying degrees of positivity. I do like the theatrical ending the best; some might say, why watch a horror movie if you're planning on feeling good afterwards, but it serves Enslin's growth as a person and makes the torment he goes through worth it in the end. If he's just going to die after it, what was it all for? Simply fantastic film, it draws you in from start to finish, and I almost couldn't ask for a better adaptation of King's work.

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Snake5555555555
10/26/20 2:47:30 PM
#278:


29. John Wayne Gacy (21 points)
Nominated by: BetrayedTangy (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 10
Snake: 1

I hate even posting this despicable man's picture. John Wayne Gacy was one of the most prolific serial killers in United States history, having assaulted and murdered at least 33 people. His murders would include rape, torture, asphyxiation, or strangling with a garrote, then he would bury them under a crawl space in his own house. Imagine how absolutely sick you must be to actually live with your victims under your feet. He would lure his victims from bars and nightclubs, buying them drinks and "schmoozing" them before taking them home and showing a "magic trick", trapping them in handcuffs. A totally unremorseful monster of a human being, Gacy would work as a clown, mostly under the name Pogo, and actually perform in front of children at fundraisers and children's hospitals. Gacy had operated for 6 years before capture, and some of his victims are actually still unidentified to this day. In prison, he would paint constantly (claimed to be meant to bring joy to people's lives, uh huh), and learned law in attempt to appeal his sentencing. His last words: "Kiss my ass." Yeah, what a fucking amazing capstone to your loathsome life. Gacy was the inspiration for some of Pennywise's characterization, especially in 1990's IT, and as well as some films you're more likely to find hidden in a dumpster in some back alley than any DVD store. One part of his painting, "Pogo in the Making", was also used as the cover art for the infamous Acid Bath album "When the Kite String Pops", a much sought after underground classic and a landmark in sludge metal that is an actually incredible listen. We can't change what Gacy did, but hopefully it's the memories of all those he killed that live on longer than he does. Serial killers like him are just an unfortunate part of reality, and it's a reminder that horror doesn't and never existed solely in fiction.

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BetrayedTangy
10/26/20 3:17:39 PM
#279:


I think what's even more horrifying about Gacy (as well as serial killers in general) is how glorified they are in our society. Despite being bottom of the barrel scum, they have had a wide range of influence on horror as well as a litany of documentaries that are insanely popular. It really makes you wonder about our human culture as a whole.

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Snake5555555555
10/26/20 4:01:11 PM
#280:


I think mainly it's that mystery and enigma of them, the "why" someone would do what they do, the drive to solve it. It's like instinctual. Horror movie inspiration is just an extension of that. It definitely gets extra weird though when like people want to marry these killers, or picture them more as comic book anti-heroes, but fear does produce the same reactions as arousal and excitement does.

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wallmasterz
10/26/20 5:20:14 PM
#281:


Lots of great write ups lately. Of all the works of fiction on this list (so far) Ive experienced, the opening of Midsommar stands out - the ending is definitely crazy and a worthy nom, but the imagery and score of the opening make for a visceral and deeply affecting no, disturbing experience.

And the moment when Dani trips on shrooms, goes to the outhouse and you can see her sister in the mirror for a split second... Jesus. The stuff of nightmares right there, in my opinion. I find that far more unsettling than when it was done to famous effect in one of my remaining noms.

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jcgamer107
10/26/20 5:38:40 PM
#282:


wallmasterz posted...
Lots of great write ups lately. Of all the works of fiction on this list (so far) Ive experienced, the opening of Midsommar stands out - the ending is definitely crazy and a worthy nom, but the imagery and score of the opening make for a visceral and deeply affecting no, disturbing experience.
I nominated the opening last year lol

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wallmasterz
10/26/20 6:06:46 PM
#283:


jcgamer107 posted...
I nominated the opening last year lol

I just went back and read it. Snake did it justice!

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Snake5555555555
10/27/20 2:06:45 AM
#284:


28. The Nazi concentration camps of World War 2 (21 points)
Nominated by: paulg235 (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 10
Snake: 1

I pray and hope we'll never have a time in the world that was scarier or more tragic than Nazi-era Germany. The concentration camps, still standing today, serve as stark, sobering reminders, still erect so that we may never forget the atrocities that occurred here in these forsaken places. You've definitely heard of Dachau or Auschwitz, but all together, there were 23 of these camps, full of human suffering and totally devoid of happiness & mercy. Originally, concentration camps was for political prisoners who would build and extend the reach of the camps, or other general forced labor like quarry or coal mining. By the roaring of heights of World War II, the camps would transform into cold places of death, as Nazis killed large numbers of people opposed to their regime or beliefs, whilst also increasing the efforts of the German war machine including production of vehicles, artillery, and armaments. Camps would regularly torture their prisoners, through such vicious methods as total starvation, flogging, or strappado, more commonly known as hanging torture. There were actually several different types of camps, and the ones known as "killing centers" are the ones typically thought of when the the term enters the mind, the camps like Auschwitz, with gas chambers carrying out the mass genocide of the Jewish people. To think that there was a time when these murders were taking place for years on end can just boggle the mind sometimes, truly pushing the limits of humanity's most disgusting, despicable, and atrocious traits to nauseating degrees. Concentration camps tend to not get brought up in horror media much, even ones set in WW2. The Twilight Zone is the closest I can think of, in the episode Deaths-Head Revisited, which features an ex-SS officer returning to Dachau years after the war ends to get a twisted taste of nostalgia for himself, only to get tortured by the ghostly victims of the prisoners he brutalized and tortured himself all those years ago. It's a great source of cathartic justice as Serling writes it, and I think his outro sums it up best:

"All the Dachaus must remain standing. The Dachaus, the Belsens, the Buchenwalds, the Auschwitzes all of them. They must remain standing because they are a monument to a moment in time when some men decided to turn the Earth into a graveyard. Into it they shoveled all of their reason, their logic, their knowledge, but worst of all, their conscience. And the moment we forget this, the moment we cease to be haunted by its remembrance, then we become the gravediggers. Something to dwell on and to remember, not only in the Twilight Zone but wherever men walk God's Earth."

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Snake5555555555
10/27/20 2:22:39 PM
#285:


27. Death of John Edward Jones (21 points)
Nominated by: jcgamer107 (1/5 remaining)
https://youtu.be/WaIoXN-7FjM

Importance: 10
Fear: 10
Snake: 1

This is such a tragic and depressing loss of life. John Edward Jones was an amateur spelunker, recently married, had a 1-year old daughter, and attending med school. Things were looking up. It was a few days before Thanksgiving, and Jones was with his family and friends, nine others, at Nutty Putty Cave in Utah. When I say Jones was an amateur spelunker, I mean he hadn't done it since he was a child. So, when he tried a challenging area of the cave network, known as the Birth Canal, he found he wasn't as small as he used to be and found himself with no choice but to keep moving forwards as going backwards was not an option. Eventually, the passage got so narrow that Jones was completely stuck. John's brother found him, and went up to the surface to get help. It took an hour alone to even get equipment down to where John was. Even with rescue services, they couldn't get him out. If they pulled him out, his legs would've been broken; now you may say, well, broken legs are better than dying, but the shock of the injury combined with fluids pooling in his head and lungs would've been enough to kill him. A true catch-22, lose-lose situation. Despite the best efforts of the rescue time, John was unable to get out and died, still in Nutty Putty Cave to this day, which is now sealed and erected as a natural moment to Jones. This story is enough to turn anyone into a claustrophobe, and it's truly horrifying how rescue was so close in reach, and the physical and psychological toll of being stuck that long only to see the rescue efforts fail. My heart goes out to his family and I hope any thrill-seekers looking to pull something off like this in the future take better precaution and look at the worst-case scenario before getting into something you'll very quickly regret.

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Xiahou Shake
10/27/20 2:30:25 PM
#286:


A super messed up story to be sure. Spelunking has always been pretty solidly in the list of thrill-seeking activities that just welcome way too many horrific situations for me to ever consider it. I was terrified watching The Descent even before the spooky stuff started happening!

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wallmasterz
10/27/20 2:39:38 PM
#287:


Three 10/10/1s in a row

Gotta hate real life horrors. Snake sure does!

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Snake5555555555
10/28/20 12:25:46 AM
#288:


26. Immortality (21 points)
Nominated by: Shonen_Bat (2/5 remaining)


Importance: 10
Fear: 6
Snake: 5

Immortality; one of those things everyone wants at least until they hear about the downsides. It's true, everyone you love will pass away leaving you behind, the Earth will crumble & decay eventually, & time speeds up so much you will barely even enjoy your immortality as millenniums passing feeling more like decades. Hell though, I still kind of want it! Yeah the negatives are there, but fuck me if isn't appealing as hell to just think of having all that free time ahead of you. And if you become immortal, who's to say someone else couldn't become immortal along with you? I guess you would run the risk of becoming the ultimate procrastinator though... yeah I'll play that new game within the next epoch, I swear!

It's easy to understand why immortality fascinates us as a species. Death, the ultimate equalizer, but if it wasn't? What if we could dump our greatness weakness and live on truly as we see fit? I think, beyond those existential and immaterial feelings of time literally spilling out of minds or the final destruction of Earth, we as immortals would lose total sight of the little things that bring us so much happiness. A crisp breeze brushing against the skin in autumn, your arm goose-bumping ever so slightly, refreshing walks along with your thoughts & emotions, an awesome home-cooked meal with your loved ones, or just a simple hug & kiss from a significant other. These moments matter to us because our time is so short. It compels us to take stock and offer perspective on our lives. This is the true downside of immortality, and everything we think we would do with infinite time at our disposal would end up becoming mere foot-notes in a constant state of boredom, aimlessness, and total irrelevancy.

Immortality is a pretty popular theme & subject of horror, mainly seen in the vampire genre. Interview with the Vampire grapples with the choice of becoming immortal, and uses the analogy of vampiric feeding and unaging to mine the darksides of immortality to fantastic effect. Rachel Heng's novel, The Suicide Club, makes immortality a government-sanctioned law, as a declining birth-rate prompts the government to genetically separate those who are more "immortally-inclined" from the ones who won't make it past 100. The use of the concept on such a wide scale positions its titular Club as rebels, proudly taking ownership of their deaths as it makes them more human compared to the upper-class lifers. My all time favorite use of the trope is in the 2014 film Spring, by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (the best horror directors of the decade, just sayin'!) In Spring, Louise seems like a normal flirty woman, but is really a 2000 year-old mutant who has to have intercourse every 20 years in order to keep on living, but doing so turns her into a new kind of creature. However, she can give it all up at any time by becoming pregnant, and meeting Evan, the film's protagonist, really makes this a tougher choice than she ever thought it would be. I don't want to spoil too much as it is an incredible film, but it really gets to the heart of why immortality can be both positive and negative at the same time.

So, what about you? Would you choose immortality, or go on living your mortal life? Personally, mortality seems like the better choice, but it sure is tempting. I guess the more pertinent question, will it even be possible in the future? Possibly, but for now, it remains a conflicting theme that I'm sure will continue to be utilized in tons of fiction to come.

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Shonen_Bat
10/28/20 12:36:54 AM
#289:


The possibility of living with a host of mental issues for the rest of time makes that a pretty clear 'no thanks' even without thinking about any of the usual downsides

you could argue that science will eventually evolve to make that irrelevant but considering where we are right now and how many people don't even have a basic understanding of mental issues you could also argue pretty easily that it won't.

eh, I didn't mean to make this serious or whatever. Just, immortality gets a no from me dog

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jcgamer107
10/28/20 1:52:07 AM
#290:


I had what you might call an "episode" at the age of 10 trying to comprehend existing for eternity. I think it's worse than never existing again.

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Snake5555555555
10/28/20 3:31:32 AM
#291:


25. Jump scares (horror trope) (21 points)
Nominated by: Wallmasterz (3/5 remaining)
Compilation of Important, Personal Favorites, and Bad Jumpscares: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-zBIN_6XhWn37ikwBW8omacC3u5nbkI6

Importance: 10
Fear: 6
Snake: 5

Jump scares: there as inseparable from horror as vampires, serial killers, and bad movies filmed in your local woods are. Love 'em or hate 'em, there's a reason they're used so often: because they work. You can see a jump coming from a mile away and there's a possibility it will still get you. Us humans are predisposed to be jumpy and on edge; loud noises mixed with the something unexpected will 100% of the time at least us make flinch a little. I think what's interesting about the jump scare and its evolution is that it's a purely visual & audio trick, something unique to the progression of film you can't really pull off in a book the same way. Jump scares can be fantastic tools in building suspense or emphasizing the dangers of your main antagonist by showcasing their quick movement, stealth capabilities, or intimidating stature. The worst kind of jump scares are when you have someone, maybe alone in their house or wherever, going through their daily routine, and then BAM! oh it's just her best friend Rob from next door, then he'll say some goofy crap like "What, thought I was the Woodslash Killer, did ya?" while chugging down a cold brewski. These are the kinds of jump scares people really tend to hate and associate with mainstream theatrical horror, jump scares that telegraph themselves so painfully well that they lose any sense of horror and sort of just become a carnival ride where spooky things happen every so often. I'm not saying that's totally wrong or that you can't or shouldn't enjoy that type of thing, but you have to at least admit it's not something that sticks with you for very long like a great horror film should.

There are exceptions, of course. The most important and influential jump scare in film history, Lewton's bus scene in Cat People, exemplifies this perfectly. Notice the subtle touches of detective noir influence, elongated silence broken only by diegetic sound, Jane Randolph's properly paranoid acting with quickened paces and constantly shifting glances. When the bus finally pulls in (sounding appropriately like a hissing cat), you've feel like you've been on the street for an agonizingly long time with Alice, and though the bus feels safe, sounds and tension still linger on as the scene ends. It may have been a flashy technique found in the editing process, but it's one that obviously proved popular with audiences, and it's use is purposeful and unexpected while still leaving some looming thoughts to gnaw on as it transitions on to the next part.

From here on, jump scares were used sporadically, in notably cerebral ways in films like Psycho and Repulsion. I actually talked about Repulsion when I did mirror scares, a sub-genre of the jump scare, and how it uses the mirror and the jump to signal Carol's ever weakening mental decline throughout the film. I think the jump really exploded in the 80s, coinciding with slashers; having your awesome slasher villain crash himself or victims through a window served as excellent short-hand for "oh shit, things are about to be scary now." These are mostly lame if you ask me, it's where a lot of modern horror movies get their jump influence from, but I do enjoy some of them, like "where's the corkscrew" in Friday the 13th The Final Chapter or the incredibly cruel Nightmare on Elm Street twist ending. I highlight American Werewolf in London and Exorcist III's hospital scene as two of the best of the era and of all time however.

The next big evolution in jump scares exceeding this was in video games. Resident Evil's dog window was the launching platform for a whole new generation of scared little horror fans, as suddenly being startled like this also meant having to scramble for your own survival instead of merely watching it play-out on screen. No horror game was too good to use this: Silent Hill 2, every Resident Evil ever made, Clock Tower, Rule of Rose, the list goes on, and you know, these are some of the best examples of jump scares ever, just due to the fact that they're interactive experiences. Hell, I don't even mind the jump scare fest of Five Nights at Freddy's, which turns the jump scare into a punishment for poor play, giving you an incentive to practice and learn the game better. Games that rely on jump scares like Outlast or Amnesia are some of my favorite games of all time, because they combine the jump scare with compelling atmospheric gameplay like the best of its film counterparts. I will make a quick shout-out here to my favorite jump scare of all time, from the Puppet Combo game Night Shift. If you don't know it and you probably don't, either play it or watch it for yourself, it's legitimately the closest I've come to pissing my pants playing a video game.

So, we reach the modern age. The Conjuring universe films and various Blumhouse productions dole out jump scares like candy on Halloween night. Some are great, like Insidious' red devil or the Nun painting, but some of the worst can be found in films like Sinister 2 or the Paranormal Activities which are like the epitome of boring dead silence followed by a loud noise I've ever come across. I see the place these films have but man I just can't help but feel how separated mainstream and "art" horror have become over the past decade. Well, there's no use complaining, jump scares will always be here to stay, and I'm fine with it overall. They're usually over quick anyway, and maybe you'll become so numb to it that the one truly well-built up, didn't-see-coming jump scare will be the one that jolts your senses back like a bolt of lightning!

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Snake5555555555
10/28/20 7:50:27 PM
#292:


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.

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Snake5555555555
10/29/20 12:31:38 AM
#293:


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.

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Snake5555555555
10/29/20 12:51:55 AM
#294:


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.

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NFUN
10/29/20 1:04:26 AM
#295:


hey. who turned out the lights?

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Snake5555555555
10/29/20 3:45:33 AM
#296:


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.

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Snake5555555555
10/29/20 12:51:44 PM
#297:


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

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jcgamer107
10/29/20 1:07:19 PM
#298:


Definitely not the nom I thought would do best but glad it's still in

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Snake5555555555
10/29/20 1:40:18 PM
#299:


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!

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jcgamer107
10/29/20 1:57:38 PM
#300:


Lol oh there it is. Yeah I love how the music drops out as he approaches. Very impressive to create that eerie of a scene in a crowded room. The fact that it's Robert Blake playing the Mystery Man makes it even creepier.

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Snake5555555555
10/29/20 2:13:54 PM
#301:


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

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