A Horror Movie Fix for the Curious Scaredy-cat

Psycho set, 1960 © Universal

Happy Halloween, everyone!

One undeniable truth about me is that I'm a big scaredy-cat. I don't love horror movies, though I've seen my fill of classics over the years. Hitchcock, '30s monster movies, the occasional psychological thriller, and anything by Del Toro... I have my limits, and thankfully, after many horrible choices (don't let your friends convince you to watch The Devil's Rejects when you know in your gut it's just not for you), I've learned what those limits are.

But as a lover of cinema... I've had a hard time disregarding an entire genre just because I'm such a wuss. Turns out, I'm actually more curious than I am scared; I want to know about all these movies that other people seem to love or devour with frightened delight--and when I was in college, I found something that made that possible.

Obviously, lists and countdowns are my jam. In 2004, the Bravo network aired a countdown called the 100 Scariest Movie Moments--and I have watched this three and a half hour fright-fest every year for the past 10 years in the days leading up to Halloween.

Since it's a free cable network, they can only show you so much--but it's just enough to give me the taste of fear, and the education on the world of horror that my scaredy-cat self would normally miss and dismiss. Many of the "talking heads" they get to give comedy and commentary are luminaries of horror, and more than anything, they make it entertaining and thrilling. While a lot of it still makes my stomach churn (I just walk away when they talk about the original The Last House on the Left), I have to admit: I love watching it.

And thanks to the world of the internet, every segment has been broken out into 100 short videos on YouTube. Watching it is my own personal tradition, and for anyone like me who hates horror movies but feels that tinge of curiosity... this epic countdown might just be for you.

Even if you're in the opposite camp and love horror films, seeing what Bravo considered (in the olden days of 2004) to be scariest movie moments is pretty interesting. Enjoy! And have a great Halloween!

Click below to watch a playlist of the entire countdown, courtesy of ThatHorrorMovieGuy: