Classics | Scariest Movies

Predator (1987) is the perfect subversion of expectations type of movie. The typical action movie opening where people die left and right, along with the casting choice, is the perfect setup to all of the characters being torn through like mincemeat, accented with moments of a final stand that you might see in a 80’s action movie. John McTiernan is the perfect director that could’ve been picked for a movie like this, holding a few classic action movies under his belt. The length that the characters go to to stop the predator while the predator kills each man with ease help the audience understand the dread of the characters.

All characters are terrified by a the predator, which only one character saw

The predators weaknesses help establish more scenes with suspense as we wonder if the main characters can stop what they are fighting. A shot of blood, along with a scene of the predator mending the wound, helps establish the predator’s mortality, strengthened with the line by Arnold, “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”

predator's blood — One of the characters scooping up a drop of predator blood

The ending fight between Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, Dutch, and the predator is a great scene leaking with symbolic undertones, of the predator being a basic predator, just trying to kill Dutch in the most direct options possible, while Dutch uses his knowledge and planning to set up multiple traps for the predator, while also not being visible to his heat vision, speaks more about human ability to adapt instead of evolve, while also being the best action scene of the movie, ending with the predators terrifying laugh.

PREDATOR, Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1987, covered in mud. TM and Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.

The Thing (1982) by John Carpenter is a masterpiece of many crafts. The practical effects, especially for the time, are the best from any horror movie. All of the character designs are terrifying to the core. The dedication of Rob Bottin to his craft is amazing.

example — Notice how the pod opening for the dog thing is made out of dog tongues

The way that any character can be hiding as the thing causes nearly every scene to be held with a strong tension that never releases. The decision to have the first human infected character represented as a shadow is a great way to establish that no character can be fully trusted. The subtle hints that Carpenter gives take years and an attentive eye. The impressive effects that the movie has easily make it one of the best movies of all time.

Shadow on the wall — The actor used for the shadow was not one of the main cast, but an entirely different person.