The first horror movies we watched

One of the traditions on Halloween is certainly horror movie marathons. For this reason, our editorial office gathered for memories and we decided to confess which of the scary movies we saw first and what memories we have with them. Check out our list!

candy man

When you believe in something and others think it is a pipe dream. Candymanis a film that I will probably remember for the rest of my life, and the bees will somehow terrify me. The 1992 production tells the story of Helen Lyle, who collects materials for her work on contemporary folklore. He wants to create something witty and interesting, and the whole thing is based mainly on conversations with students about the legends they know. One of the stories is especially intriguing and terrifying at the same time. It tells the story of Candyman, a black artist who is commissioned to paint the daughter of a white aristocrat. They fall in love and she becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, the girl’s parent does not accept their relationship and decides to take revenge for humiliating him. He hires thugs, and they cut off the artist’s right hand and throw them to the prey of the angry bees who had previously stolen the honey. The man dies in agony from bites. Provoked, he returns as a phantom, with a hook instead of a hand and no one is safe anymore. Helen decides to go to the haunted building to check the truth of the story, and her life will never be the same again, fantasies become reality. The freed specter murders people, and the main character is blamed for all the crimes.

I remember as a little bitch, I sat down with my sister to watch, and then I couldn’t sleep at night. My mother didn’t know what to do anymore because no methods worked. The vision of bees eating me or a man ripping my body apart were very real. Until now, when I see bees, I have the impression that they will eat me soon. The actor who played the Candyman, Tony Todd, was the most fearful. Perfectly selected, and his facial expressions and specific way of moving and speaking perfectly reflected the character of the “ hook killer”. It just made the vibe. And there was no need for jump scary or blood pouring everywhere. I won’t tell you if it was 100% my first horror movie I watched, but it’s definitely the best remembered one. To such an extent that I do not know if I will reach for the latest installment. –Katarzyna Gnacikowska

Spirit

It was from this horror, the foundations of which was built by Steven Spielberg himself, that my passion for horror movies began. And it has remained so until today. The ghost tells the story of the Freeling family who moved into a new, what appears to be a haunted house, built on the site of a former Indian cemetery. Shortly after moving in, they begin to experience the presence of a malevolent entity that kidnaps Carol Anne, daughter of Steve and Diane, into the spirit world. Desperate parents use the help of a psychic to get their beloved child back. This film is the first horror film I have seen when I was only 6 years old, and that’s one of the reasons why I have a huge fondness for it and like to refresh this production at least once a year.

Although the movie is much less recognizable than such horror films as Nightmare on Elm Street , Friday the 13th , Halloween or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it can still be counted among the classics of horror movies. An interesting fact is that there are many dark theories surrounding Hooper’s film, related to the death of the main character, 12-year-old Heather Michele O’Rourke, during the filming of the scenes for the third part of the trilogy. It is said that the production itself was cursed, and this curse was brought on by the creators of the horror movie, using real skeletons for its shooting, because the limited budget did not allow the purchase of plastic ones. It can be said that this is just a drop in the ocean that shows the uniqueness of this production! – Marcin Panuś

Red rose

I have no idea how I found this film, but as I remember today, I watched it on videotapes, and in two, because it was divided into parts. I was about 13, so it was one of the first horror movies I consciously turned on and watched without my parents’ objections. I remember that I organized a movie night with my friend then, and my father used the fact that we were watching a horror movie and he suddenly came by to scare us.

The production itself is impossibly long. The story is about a haunted house and people who want to explore it. Generally, there is a lot of darkness, some jump scares and a lot of great scenery. Years later, I have the impression that this film would probably not be scary for me anymore, but not wanting to spoil this youthful impression, I consciously do not decide to rewatch. Interestingly, it was only in my adult life that I learned that this was a production based on a book by Stephen King. – Jarosław Trzpis

The Ring

I consider The Ring to be the first horror I have watched . At that time, I was in one of the final classes of the six-year-old primary school, and it was the first movie of the genre that I watched with my friends from beginning to end. Before that, of course, I happened to see some snippets of other productions, such as the Blair Witch Project , when adults watched them, but I was not allowed to sit with them for too long. In addition, if my memory serves me correctly , I have already managed to see the complete Spirit of 1982 with my family in front of the Circle , but due to the outdated effects and somewhat family character, it did not scare me too much and I do not count it as my “initiation”.

So it was the 2002 American The Ring (I got to the Japanese original later) that became the first “scary movie” that I voluntarily and consciously assimilated, and which in some respects became a model for me for years of what horror is. Perhaps this is where my less than average aversion to jump scares, or the setting of the mental boundary of “watchable” horror films somewhere around the year 2000, comes from here.

Whatever the case, the session was quite touching for my childhood mind. I did not have the classic fear of a lonely night trip to the toilet after it, nor was I afraid that something would come out of my TV … but somehow I lost the desire to walk in the vicinity of a nearby empty building, in front of which stood a forgotten, moss-covered well. – Krzysztof Dzieniszewski

Omen

The Omen movie was one of the most-screened horror films in the 1990s. Interestingly, the streak of “light” horror films was broadcast early in the morning, which is just after 8pm. Children’s access to horror movies was limited, but not impossible. VHS cassette rentals operated successfully, and for the owner, intrigued by the subject of selected productions, it was enough to say that he takes films for his parents. On TV, brutal screenings soaked in blood were broadcast in the latest broadcasting hours, but films such as The Omenit could be successfully watched in the early evenings. Could a little-year-old after Wieczorynka be scared of a story about a badly incarnate? Absolutely. Fortunately, I was prepared to watch such productions by my father and uncles, who watched sensational films of the 70s and 80s, regardless of the fact that a young man who had just started walking next to the car. As for Omen himself, to this day I consider the whole trilogy to be one of the best film adaptations of this type in the history of cinema. Someone may say that the set is kitschy, but let’s remember that we are talking about a 1976 film. I consider the script to be excellent. I consider the idea of ​​subjecting the contradiction of putting an innocent being, a child, the figure of the devil into the body, absolutely brilliant. The film is partly based on the accounts of the end of the world shown in the Apocalypse of St. John, which was also used in later similar productions. Additional advantages include the moving and great performance of movie stars, such as Gregory Peck or David Warner. I absolutely recommend it. – Kamil Sawicki

The shining

I’m not sure if the first, but certainly one of the first horror films in my life was The Shining by Stanley Kubrick of 1980. Probably no one needs to be introduced to this production, especially since it was made as an adaptation of Stephen King’s book. One way or another, the vast majority of horror fans have surely come across the book or movie version. Both are great, while the screen one has an added value in the form of the brilliant Jack Nicholson in the lead role. His face in the door slit is something I see every time I look at an actor, even if he’s acting in a comedy.

However, not only he stuck in my memory. To this day, I am scared of little girls standing suspiciously in place, the more so because I have a twin sister myself and seeing them made me feel uncomfortable. However, I was more terrified of the main character’s wife, who, if she suddenly stopped and approximated Jack Nicholson’s expressions, might be more terrifying than him. Her huge eyeballs still disturb me.

The shining made me wonder when someone would jump out with an ax at my hotel in an empty corridor. And as an adult I already know that the chances of it are small, but my child’s mind knows better … – Katarzyna Satława

Night of the Living Dead

The first horror I saw, or at least which I remember, was about … vampires. I remember watching it with my older cousin, and the scene in which bloodsuckers attacked one of the characters and killed her stayed with me for a long time. Unfortunately, I have no idea what was the title of that production and I actually only remember this one moment, so it will be difficult for me to find this production. Therefore, instead of her, I will write about the second horror movie that I saw and this time I remember. It was the Night of the Living Deaddirected by George Romero in 1968. In my childhood, like many of you, I loved watching Cartoon Network. However, as you perfectly remember, there was a moment when she ended broadcasting and TNT appeared in her place. Instead of going to sleep after the animation series was finished, I decided to stay at the TV (I can boast that I had my own in my room) and watch the movie. And it was just the aforementioned horror movie. I will not say that I was particularly afraid then. Although the story itself drew me in, the fate of the characters intrigued me, and since then I liked productions about the zombie apocalypse. However, lest you think that I was such a daredevil, I must admit that while I had no fear during the screening or during the following nights, it was a vision of going to the cemetery, especially alone, I was concerned about it. When Grandma sent me to go to the cemetery and light Grandpa a candle, I took a friend or two with me for a long time. I was also nervous to check if there was any suspect lurking between the graves. Anyway, we did not leave our bikes at the gate, just in case, we only took them with us, so that we could run away faster if necessary.

Finally, I would like to add that the Night of the Living Dead influenced me for a long time. Of course, I also saw the 1990 version, which I thought was even better than the original. By the way, this title was one of the ones I discussed during the high school graduation presentation, and the photos of the living dead I presented at that time probably impressed the committee, which assessed my speech (and let us boast again) at 100%! – Piotr Markiewicz