13 bloody BRILLIANT movie TITLES
April 17th 2007 04:34
To screenwriters the power of the movie title is paramount, although producers will always fancy exerting their own two cents worth of creative control (often at the expense of credible merit). I like both movie titles where the title hints obscurely at what the movie is about, yet the words alone conjure up all manner of nightmarish images, as well as the here-I-bloody-am-now-prepare- to-be-shit-shock-scared title.
Here are my picks of movie titles which have been so firmly etched in my mind because of their raw intensity, atmospheric mystique, or the sheer power of a single word.
The title of Dario Argento’s tale of a coven of witches at an exclusive German ballet academy means “sighs” or “whispers” in Italian. It’s onomatopoeic as if the witches themselves are calling from the darkness.
John Carpenter’s seminal slasher has arguably one of the most brilliantly effective titles in modern horror history. The events happen over one night: Halloween, which in itself is the night when all evil spirits are released in lieu of All Saints Day (November 1st)
Phantasm (1978)
Don Coscarelli’s mélange of otherworldly weirdness is fully captured in the title which refers to an apparition or spectre. Whenever the letters “ph” are used to pronounce the “f” sound they conjure something a little twisted.
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott’s space shocker title plays so effortlessly, referring obviously mainly to the extra-terrestrial menace, but also to the entire atmosphere (especially in the planet exploration scenes of the other alien beings’ craft) which is so foreign to these unfortunate space miners.
Here's the ominous slow burn title sequence from that seminal space shocker:
Another of Dario Argento’s creepy titles, this time translating as “darkness” or “shadows”, it also hints at the mind, the psyche (it’s a perverse psycho-thriller), even sounding bio-scientific in nature, albeit obscurely. The heavily cut American version sported a great title too: Unsane.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Can you put together two more intensely evocative words for a horror movie? I doubt it.
Any of the “ing” horror movies sound pretty darn effective (The Changeling, The Shining, The Burning, etc). I particularly like this one as it describes both the sound of the creature menace (werewolves) and a cry of either intense pain or paranoid fear.
The word “wolf” is a particularly scary looking and sounding word. Put it with the lonely word “creek” and you have one ominous, creepy and doom-laden title indeed.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1958)
These next three are three of the finest let’s-spell-it-all-out-in-a-r aw-intense-way. Invasion means violent calculated confrontation and body snatchers just sounds damn scary.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Any title with the word “night” suggests fear or subversion. As for “living dead” … say no more.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
This is probably the most horrifically effective title in modern horror history.
This is more of a mischievous, lurid title than the others (a guilty pleasure title you could say), but undeniably effective in conjuring an air of dread and dangerous mystique, and provocatively memorable in a sex-death fashion.
I Spit on Your Grave
This is a nasty sounding title if ever there was one (and a very nasty film it is too). The two words “spit” and “grave” are potent little buggers and combined as a first person statement of intent, the phrase leaves an indelible mark.
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Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Flesh for Frankenstein
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Another simple title I've always thought very effective was The Exorcist. When you've got anything related to exorcisms in the title, you know you're usually in for some good fun.
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
Hows about:
Bloodthirsty Butchers...?
;o)
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
I remember feeling a chill with 'The Lost Boys'... these guys sure as hell weren't from NeverLand... well, I suppose they were...
And movies titles that are just incongruous .....like 'Pumpkinhead'...I mean come on...not that I'd watch it...
I don't know....anything Wolf is...sexy....
I use Wolf to describe what a GammaMan is
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Cronenburg had some quality ones like: Shivers, Rabid, Videodrome, Existenz etc.
The Thing always stuck with me too and Jaws etched itself into the psyche the second it was first uttered..
The title Bloodsucking Freaks always made me smile, as did the film.
The Omen and The Exorcist work well too.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
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Actually, I thought The Hills Have Eyes was a good title...
Comment by Vixter
People
Diet Food Lifestyle
CHEATERS
1 For The Road
Makes you think of the lowest common denominator of being...
Besieds spitting - ewwwwww!
One Titile that always freaks me right out - Children of the corn...I think even if I didn't know what the film was about - it would still be creepy.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I'd strangely forgotten The Exorcist .. which as a young boy unnerved me as a title ... perhaps it was that "x" in the word ... and the fact that I didn't actually know what an exorcist was ... but it sounded like some kind of nasty creature!
yes, Jaws is superb. And Cronenberg's The Brood is probably my fave of his titles ...
Flesh for Frankenstein is pretty visceral indeed.
Keep 'em comin!
Comment by Anonymous
Out of those you mentioned, Halloween and the Americanized Unsane pack the most wallop.
-lilith
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Daria consistently has great titles ... Inferno, Deep Red, Four Flies on Grey Velvet, and of course Suspiria and Tenebre (aka Unsane).
I like Cat People as a title too ... it conjures both the sensualism and the danger ....