91. Scanners (David Cronenberg, 1981)
It's me!
Having spunked his special effects load at the very start of the film with that meat-melon explosion, there's not really much more that Cronenberg could do in the way of telepath scraps other than having two men looking at each other while concentrating really hard. Which is why it's the aftermath here that's more shocking, the disjunction of our hero's voice coming from the scarred face of his defeated enemy, Daryl Revok.
90. The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005)
Swing it, sister
As effective as they were, the slimey monster things in Marshall's spelunking nasty are only the third scariest thing in the film, behind a) the unbearable claustrophobia of the cave-crawling, and b) the people they're chasing, full of determination and, as this moment of icey, murderous resolve shows, killer vengeance.
89. Requiem For A Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
Montage of ruin
The final descent of Aronofsky’s doomed and drug-addled characters, spiralling through their final humiliations and defeat: prostitution, amputation, and insanity.
88. Misery (Rob Reiner, 1990)
He'll never tango again
A beautifully deranged piece of escalation. We knew she was bad, right? The fact she's imprisoned James Caan's rabbit-in-the-headlights author and is forcing him to write a novel at apron-point is proof of that. But this sledgehammer hobbling shows us the deadly steel behind the passive menace – in cold, unblinking style.
87. Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999)
The beast stirs
Before the overtly gruesome stuff kicks off, the biggest jolt Miike’s coruscating romantic horror delivers is when we’re just beginning to suspect and fear unassuming girl Asami and we see a sack in her bare apartment twitch and growl horribly.
86. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
Where is my mind?
Jonathan Price's blundering everyman Sam Lowry finally falls into the clutches of Brazil's Kafkaesque regime. But as he's prepped for interrogation – hurrah! - Robert De Niro's freedom fighting plumber rescues him and he races across town and finds the girl and makes an escape and this could really happen because this is a Gilliam film after all. Only it can't, and a devastating cut brings us back to Sam, broken and staring, still in the torturer's chair.
Next: 85 - 80
Comments
snooochies
Nov 24th 2009, 4:06
Oh dear! Close Encounters is actually post-Star Wars, having been released in November of '77. Awesome list though, missing the T-1000 though or even Arnie being good from T2
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NDitum
Nov 24th 2009, 9:30
Oh man, headslapping mistake. Had 1975 in my head. Obviously. I'll see if I can have a tinker... Terminator a good shout - there is a space left!
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ChristoLaurent
Nov 24th 2009, 10:55
I'd like to nominate Ichi The Killer (...any number of scenes!) and also Gozu, the ending is pretty out there, although I love the actual "Cow head" scene too. Dead of Night (Ealing) has the great ending, especially the moment with the dummy. Although not a great film, but passable, the ending of The Entity..."Welcome Home C**t"
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Pokoboy
Nov 24th 2009, 11:58
My jaw dropped when Bill Murray played himself in Zombieland. That was a pretty special moment in a mediocre zombie comedy.
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chenneye
Nov 24th 2009, 14:44
This should have had usual suspects at no.1 and surprised that the kerb scene from American History X is missing.
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BlueRyan
Nov 24th 2009, 18:48
For that golden 100th place i believe the "I have a Milkshake" scene from There will Be blood should own it. Considering it's one of the most bizzar and subliminal pieces of film in the past decade it should rightfully take the 100th place.
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Agent69
Nov 24th 2009, 21:26
That Irreversible scene scared me for life.
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Pokoboy
Nov 25th 2009, 22:49
Is this the same Nathan Ditum thats the reviews editor for official playstation magazine? 10/10 f0r uncharted 2!!! 11/10 surely?
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joVceski
Nov 26th 2009, 21:30
You have to watch Pascal Laugier's Martyrs, I couldn't pick up my jaw from start to finish, it's so f..... up.
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mark912smith
Nov 27th 2009, 12:06
Great list and good call no. 5 on the kerb scene from American History X. I thought that the 'tree-rape' scene from the Evil Dead might have placed somewhere?!?
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jrod85
Nov 27th 2009, 14:39
Thanks Pokoboy, some people haven't seen Zombieland yet. Way to ruin the surprise. Well done, j*****s
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Pokoboy
Nov 28th 2009, 7:47
ah my bad, apologies.
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NDitum
Nov 30th 2009, 0:49
Yes, same me as from OPM :) Seen Matyrs. Kinda hated it. It's nasty like falling over. Kerb scene - we had it in the recent shocking moments feature. I guess the shock had worn off...
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Hadouken76
Dec 1st 2009, 13:09
Whys is there a complete absence of John Carpenter movies? Like the girl asking for an ice cream in Assault on Precint 13? The little boy at the the start of Halloween? The doctor losing both arms in The Thing or the head spider?
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starwars4life
Dec 3rd 2009, 20:49
Awesome list, really, and yes; everything on this list has good value to be in the 99, BUT there is one film which I would personally place at number one and it was very surprising that you didn't include it: The Machinist!!!! It has one of the most awesome twists and jaw-dropping moments EVER in the history of film! Please amend the list and get it in there, it REALLY deserves it :)
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starwars4life
Dec 3rd 2009, 20:55
Almost forgot, not nearly as important as the machinist but Lucky Number Slevin deserves a place, it really has the shock factor and I would also say the scene in 'The Phantom Menace' where Maul ignites the double-bladed saber deserves a place further down becaus; although it may not seem like much now and television adverts probably ruined it, it is obviously a big reveal as he only uses one blade earlier and it must have been epic for the ignorant star wars fan at the time!
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RazorbalNL
Dec 9th 2009, 15:39
GREAT ARTICLE!!!
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littlebocuk
Jan 8th 2010, 21:39
Some of these moments really had me but I would like to see "Terminator removing his eye" thing in this list.
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