Have You Ever Slept With The Lights On?

I got an email from Classic Becky Saturday night after she had watched a film that scared her silly! She said she was going to sleep with all of the lights on after her little Horrorfest. Of course we had a good laugh about it then I got to thinking about films I've watched over the years that scared me that badly.  And here I am making a post about it and most likely traumatizing Becky again along with scaring myself.

Nosferatu 1922...Sorry dude but you're scary as H^#@ and your hands are just creepy but please revisit my Halloween post on that HERE!

I don't recall any film that I've watched from the Silents through the 1950's that has scared me at all. Well other than Nosferatu because let's face it he was beyond terrifying.  I've sat through about 30 Monster movie clips from the 1950's over the past few days and they brought giggles instead of fear (Thank you Nathanael!).  So where did my total fear of scary movies actually come from? Yep, I readily admit that I will NOT watch a scary movie just for kicks and if you will bare with me I'll tell you about the two films that not only made me sleep with the lights on but beyond traumatized for good and avoiding truly scary films at all costs.

As a kid growing up in California during the 1970's, one of the things that my parents really enjoyed was going to the drive-in theater. Of course it was always a triple feature with the first film being kid friendly and a night that we got so excited about because we could always invite one friend to pile into our station wagon.  Sure most of the time it was a Disney film but every once in awhile my parents would lose their minds and actually bring us to a scary R rated film, which we happily went along with donned in our one piece pajamas and dragging along our lawn chairs.

Well guess what? With the way things are now my parents would probably be charged with child abuse..Times have changed!  (If you're reading this mom and dad, don't worry I won't be mentioning your full names)  One particular drive-in weekend my occasionally naive parents took us to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974.  (I'll give them a break here and assume they thought it was a film on hand tool safety.) Just typing that title makes me want to cry, vomit and hyperventilate!  Who even thinks up something like that anyway? It was the most horrific and scary thing I've EVER seen. And while my parents were consoling me all while saying "We told you to hide your eyes and go to sleep" (I'm sorry but when you tell a kid to 'hide their eyes' guess what? They DON'T!) Sorry to get crude here but Leather Face, forget you and kiss my arse buddy!  The skin on his face and the chainsaw making that awful sound as he mowed everyone down was really uncalled for and never a good way to make an entrance if you want positive attention. I loathe you for inspiring remakes too but that's another blog post.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" 1974  (The scariest movie poster I've ever seen) Ya sickos.

So yes there's your answer! "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is the scariest film that I've ever seen.  I slept with the lights on for weeks and my older brother would sneak into my bedroom and make chainsaw noises just to insure I was thoroughly freaked out for months afterwards.

We move ahead to 1977 when I'm 3 years older and obviously I've gotten the hang of 'hide your eyes' so we head back to the drive-in for "The Hills Have Eyes". Now I don't know if you have seen the film but it is a mess from beginning to end and beyond scary.  A film by Wes Craven who will forever be banned from my viewing list even if he did find himself. And by finding himself I mean 'gross everyone out and make them bawl while in the fetal position'.  Eating other peoples heels and acting like depraved animals in the desert is basically all I remember but that's really just fine. Say what you will but showing films that depraved and scary should be against the law.

"The Hills Have Eyes" 1977  (Losing campers by the droves in desert states for years to come.)

I went on a blind date several years ago and he took me to a Halloween Haunted House. (Okay, given my history perhaps I was setting him up for failure but this isn't a therapy blog now is it?)  We weren't in there 2 minutes before a large guy rounded the corner dressed like Leather Face and carrying a chainsaw. I was so traumatized that I sat in a corner crying and begging this idiot to just leave me alone. It was obvious that he got pleasure out of seeing me so scared that he followed me with that chainsaw while I was being carried out of the place in tears. (I did not return my dates calls!) There really is no moral to the story just in case you were waiting on something profound here other than certain films really do have a lasting impact on us. To this day I die a little inside every time I hear a chainsaw in the distance. 

What makes a film so scary to you that you've never forgotten it?  I want all of you who are still reading this to leave a comment (other than how ashamed you are at my parents) on the scariest film you've ever seen and I want to know if you've ever seen a film that actually made you leave  the lights on.  I'm no longer a kid being dragged to the drive-in or wearing one piece pj's but I did get talked into watching Paranormal Activity a couple of years ago and I was so freaked out by it that I slept with the lights on for a couple of nights.  

Thanks for indulging me and please share the scariest film you've ever seen and let my readers know what you thought of the two that I mentioned. Oh and I have to give a special thanks to Becky for bringing back horrible memories as well as inspiring this post.  BOO!

Excuse me while I go cry under a street light.

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