Speaking of Evil...

Here are three Movies That Scared The Daylights Outta Me...or at least left me with unpleasant mental images of things I wished I had not seen.

1. The Shining

This movie definitely goes at the top of my list, for the lingering feeling of deep unease it left me with. I first watched it during winter break at college many years ago, with my then girlfriend and a bunch of our friends. At the beginning of the film she expressed a reluctance to watch a scary movie and a fear that she wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Yet hours later she was snoozing away and I was the one creeping about my apartment , opening all the closet doors to make sure there weren't any sinister little twin girls lurking about. And the infamous furry scene - I never want to see that again.

2. The Ring

I saw this movie during my last visit to Chez Bunny in Annapolis. The opening scene put me on edge and the from-the-well-through-your-TV sequence was no walk in the park either. Sinister little girls are now on the list of Wrong Things Best Avoided right alongside clowns and mimes.

3. The Changeling

Confession time - I never actually saw this movie. The TV commercial alone was enough to give my ten year old self a serious case of the heebie jeebies. It also left me with a healthy respect for attics (and their opposite, cellars) as in 'if things start to seem, well, wrong, do not seek refuge in a place where evil seems to like to hang out. Like your attic, basement, or any room with a large number of dolls that maybe just come to life and attack you. Or caves. Sleestaks live there you know.