Scary movies are scary for a whole lot of reasons and as guest contributor Jessica Snow points out in her post, even objects like windows can scare the bejesus out of you. Here's presenting the 7 creepiest windows in film. Thanks Jessica!
The scariest aspect of a film may not be a ghost or a monster. Sometimes, it’s an object (a video tape in The Ring), a place (Overlook Hotel in The Shining), or the way the plot unfolds (The Blair Witch Project). Here’s a list of the seven creepiest windows seen in movies.
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1. The Watcher in the Woods
It’s an indelible image**:** The little girl writing the word «NERAK» onto a window. Viewed from the other side of the window, the word is «KAREN,» the name of a little girl who disappeared from the village 30 years earlier. The window bearing this word certainly has a strong creep factor in the context of the story.
The Watcher in the Woods taps into our primal fears with its masterful use of suspense and the supernatural. When young Jan Curtis stumbles upon this chilling clue, she is drawn into a twisted mystery that transcends time. The eerie moment she uncovers the name etched backwards suggests a haunting connection between the present and the tragic past. The film uses the window as a portal to the unknown, leaving viewers with a haunting question: what if someone, or something, is still watching from the other side?
2. The Woman in Black
This entire movie starring Daniel Radcliffe is drowning in creepy overtones. The windows of Eel Marsh House are the gateway through which three little girls jump to their death. As the main character gazes through one of the windows of this manor, he sees the image of a ghost-like, veiled face beside him. Not even cheery window treatments could make these windows (and this house) less creepy.
The chilling atmosphere intensifies when Radcliffe's character, Arthur Kipps, hears the haunting sounds of a rocking chair in an empty room. The supernatural occurrences become increasingly unsettling, with the mournful cries of the Woman in Black echoing through the decrepit hallways. Each glance through the murky glass adds to the mounting dread, making viewers acutely aware that something otherworldly is always lurking, just out of sight, yet ever-present. The film brilliantly uses the windows as portals to the ghostly realm, underlining the inescapable presence of the eerie specter that haunts the Eel Marsh House.
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3. Scream
The original film in this franchise features Drew Barrymore on the phone. As the conversation turns from weird to frightening, the caller tells her to look out the window. With this command, the sliding glass doors become something to dread. What’s lurking outside? Check out this 1996 horror classic to find out.
As Barrymore's character cautiously peers through the panes, the chilling realization that she's not alone sets in. The window, ordinarily a source of light and scenic views, morphs into a sinister gateway for the masked villain who's orchestrated a deadly game. This nerve-wracking scene became iconic, embedding itself into the fabric of horror cinema. The glass barrier seemingly offers protection, yet it also provides the killer with a voyeuristic view, turning the safety of home into a glass-walled trap. Scream masterfully plays with the idea of visibility and vulnerability, where windows, the eyes of the house, witness unspeakable terror.
4. Psycho (1960)
This Hitchcock favorite serves up a number of memorable images and moments. One of them is the silhouette of who we’re led to believe is Mrs. Bates, the mother of Norman Bates who runs the spooky Bates Motel. The image of the window framing the silhouette gains new creepitude when the plot unravels and we discover the truth about Mrs. Bates and her son.
5. Rear Window
Jimmy Stewart leads the cast in this entertaining Hitchcock mystery. And when the window appears in the title, you know it’s going to play a prominent and creepy role. Stewart’s character breaks his leg, and while confined to his apartment, begins watching his neighbors through the rear window. Soon, he witnesses some strange events and becomes obsessed with finding out whether one of his neighbors has killed his wife.
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6. The Others
Nicole Kidman’s mad obsession with keeping those heavy curtains drawn make the windows of her house seem creepy. By covering the windows all the time, the interior of the home looks and feels like perpetual midnight. The movie's big twist and its ending sequence involve a shot of the three central characters standing in an upstairs window.
7. The Amityville Horror (1979)
The front upstairs windows of the house in this movie look like the house’s eyes. It’s an image that underscores the major fright factor that moves throughout this film. Also, one of the little boys of the main family gets his hand crushed when a window falls on it. Oh, and don’t forget about the red eyes the mothers sees outside a second story window. This movie gets top props for creepy windows.
Which movie’s windows have given you the creeps?
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