Sunday, October 6, 2013

BOO! AAAAHHHH!!!

Wow, I cannot believe it is already October!  Summer is officially over in Oregon, and my apartment is freezing cold every morning because I'm too cheap to turn on my heat.  It's yet another example of how I'm slowly turning into my mother (I said it would never happen, but it is!).

Since October plays host to one of my favorite holidays as a kid, Candy Day (aka Halloween), my next couple of blog posts are going to focus on bringing out that holiday spirit of dressing up in costumes and scaring the crap out of people.  So much fun, I know!

To kick off the first blog post of the month, today, I thought it would be fun to talk about 5 of the scariest episodes of TV that I've ever seen.  Now, usually, I hate (read, REALLY, REALLY HATE) horror and scary shows, but then a funny thing happened two years ago, I got hooked on this show called Supernatural.  And it's an awesome show--it was at that point, the most graphic horror show I had ever watched.  My love for Supernatural, gradually led to a tolerance for other shows, like The Walking Dead.  And as I watched these shows, I realized, it's fun to be scared sometimes.  (In a safe environment, like that fun scared  you feel when you're at the top of the roller coaster and realize that it's a lot higher than it looked like from the ground.)

I'm gonna die!

Of course, I don't watch a lot of horror television, so I'm sure to leave some truly terrifying episodes out of my list, but I guarantee, the ones I have listed here, are pants-wetting terrifyingly good.

So, onto the list of 5 Truly So Scary It Will Keep You Up At Night Episodes of Television. These are presented in no particular order.  If you have some scary episodes not mentioned on the list, I'd love to hear about which ones you found frightening in the comments. :)

#5: Detour
Show: The X-Files

Ah, the X-Files--this is arguably the show that really opened the doorway for horror on television, and after watching an episode like "Detour" it's easy to see why.  This is the first episode of television that I remember honestly scaring the bejeesus out of me.  A word of advice to anyone reading this: when you're a senior in college, and your roommate is out of town for the weekend, and you're thinking to yourself that you want to enjoy a night in for a change, remember this important fact: DON'T WATCH THE X-FILES BY YOURSELF IN YOUR APARTMENT AT NIGHT.  (Seriously, can't stress that enough.)  I learned my lesson that night.  Because I stupidly watched "Detour" and then honestly had to sleep with the hall light on and my door open, clutching a security stuffed animal.  I'm even getting shivers right now, just thinking about that night.

The plot: Mulder and Scully are on their way to a conference when they get sidetracked by something weird in the woods.  Turns out this weird thing is a monster that can blend in with it's surroundings, effectively turning it invisible, except for it's freaky, red, glowing eyes.  In Beowulf, we never get a description of the monster because what a person's imagination can come up with is usually WAY scarier than any description can be--and this episode capitalizes on that concept.  This monster, called the 'Mothman,' managed to sneak inside a house in the episode, blending itself in with the walls--the family inside oblivious to its presence until it's almost too late.  But for me, the scariest scene, is when Scully and an injured Mulder spend the night in the woods.  Nothing even happens, but the idea that they're out in the woods, at night, practically defenseless, and the fact that invisible monsters could be sneaking up on them...

"Did you hear that?" "Relax, it's probably just Bambi."

#4: Everybody Loves a Clown & The Kids are Alright
Show: Supernatural

I couldn't decide between these two episodes, which one freaked me out the most, so I'm cheating and including both. "Everybody Loves a Clown" is terrifying, because, duh, clowns.  Now, I'm not a person who is usually freaked out by clowns, but after watching this episode I gained a healthy appreciation for why some people find them scary as hell.  In this episode, a clown follows kids home, tricks them into letting him inside, and then he murders their parents.

It'll be fun!
We are treated to shots of the clown, standing on the child's lawn, waving up at them, with an unbelievably creepy smile.  Cue therapist please.

In "The Kids are Alright," we have this: 

Have fun trying to sleep tonight.

And I feel like that's all I really need to say on that.

#3: Blink
Show: Doctor Who

This is the episode that introduced us to the Weeping Angels, and oh god, is it terrifying.  What is especially well done is how the show takes an everyday item, in this case, a statue, and makes it so freaky and scary. I laid in bed later that night thinking to myself, 'Don't turn around, don't turn around,' because I knew if I did, I would see a Weeping Angel sneaking up on me.  And then I would die of fear.

Doctor Who is a family show, but it can be absolutely frightening at times.  In "Blink" the story revolves around Sally Sparrow, who is caught up in a time-traveling mystery whilst being unknowingly hunted by the Weeping Angels.  This leads us to the scariest scene where she and a friend are watching a video explaining things, and they realize that they haven't been watching the statues.  Not so scary, you say?  Well, then, I shall provide a link to the scene so you can watch it yourself:  Click on this. I dare you. 

The Weeping Angels are considered one of the scariest monsters in Doctor Who for good reason, once again playing on our fears of the unknown, unseen monster. 

This is right behind you.

#2: Squeeze
Show: The X-Files

Another X-Files episode.  This show was a master at creating a dark, spooky atmosphere, and "Squeeze" introduces us to one of the show's scariest monsters--Eugene Tooms.  What made this episode particularly scary was the music they played whenever Tooms was sneaking up on someone.  That and the fact that he could contort his body to fit through small spaces, and the ending scene where he's in Scully's house is an edge of your seat watching experience.  

I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!

"Squeeze" was the first ever monster-of-the-week episode for The X-Files and after watching it, it's clear to see why they brought Tooms back in another episode later on.  He remains one of the scariest monsters from the show, and one of the scariest on all of television period.

#1: Hush
Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

If you Google anything like "Scariest Episodes of Television of All Time," you will find "Hush" appearing on every single list.  "Hush" is considered one of the best episodes of Buffy and it's definitely the most frightening.  The concept: A group of monsters called 'The Gentlemen' steal everyone's voices in town, then they prowl around at night, floating in the air, with their straitjacket clad minions, and rip out hearts from various people.  It is freaky, and scary as hell.

Sleeping is overrated, anyways.

One of the things about this episode that freaks me out the most is well, actually, everything.  From The Gentlemen's super creepy smiles, to the fact that almost the entire episode is dialogue free--which is unbelievably effective at building up tension--to the jump shock scares of the usual opening a door or peeking out a window and seeing the monster--this is the most terrifying episode of Buffy. Now seriously, where did I stash my security blanket?!

Since this post has been filled with images and descriptions of the freaky and creepy kind, I thought I'd post at the end, a non terrifying picture, for comforting purposes. 

AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Whoops! Wrong picture.  Here we go:

SO FLUFFY!!

Fun Fact of the Day: The Gentlemen were featured as monsters in a maze, in Universal Studios Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights in 2005 and 2008.  One day, I seriously need to go to Universal Studios. :)  

TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!

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