Fang's Top 10 List of Scary Movies

Phil "Fang" Volk is an American pop culture treasure, as well as a great rock & roll musician. He is best known as the bassist for 60s hitmakers Paul Revere & The Raiders. Below is his list of 10 movies that he classifies as scary thrillers and/or bordering-on horror movie type flicks. "Fang" writes: "This is going to be a very eclectic list, so I've decided to make a few comments about each movie so you can understand my motivations and reasonings. I'm going way back to when I was a little kid, and what scared me back then, but probably wouldn't scare me today. I thought the commentary would add some insight about why I chose these films, plus give me an opportunity to offer you my personal 'back story' on these films, and, perhaps, even throw in a little humor in the reviews, just so people don't get bored reading it. Anyway, here we go..."

 

1. The Wizard of Oz – (1939) This was the first movie I ever saw in a big theatre and it sacred the crap out of me. That wicked witch and those flying monkeys were terrifying! Hey, I was only four years old, when my older brother Georgie, who was supposed to be babysitting me, decided to take me to the theatre instead, on the handlebars of his bicycle! (my folks had a few words to say to him when we got back.) Being in that big dark theatre with all those crazy characters on the screen was not my idea of having a good time. I spent most of the time on the floor hiding under my seat. When that tornado picked up that house and that witch started laughing, I dove under my seat. My brother thought it was funny that I was so scared. Every time he put me back in my seat, some other freaky creature would appear on the screen, and down I went to the floor again! At the tender age of 4, it was traumatizing, to say the least.

 

2. King Kong – (1933) Animals gone wild...and in this case, a very large animal, capable of stepping on people and squishing them! My Dad was an actor at the time, and played a small role in the film as a policeman in New York City when the big gorilla went on his rampage. Unfortunately, he got squished, along with hundreds of other "extras." It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. I was proud of my Dad that he stood up to that awesome beast. He did what he could with his little six-shooter! Obviously, he needed a bigger gun, which brings me to my next scary film where they needed a bigger boat... "Jaws."

 

3. Jaws – (1975) More animals gone wild... and not even a bigger boat could stop this 25 foot killing-machine of a shark. Nothin' could slow down his wrath, mayhem and murder! Why was this fish so pissed off? He obviously was the "King of the Deep" but he seemed to have a personal vendetta against one or all of the three "R's:" Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. One of the best ensemble cast of actors ever assembled. "Hey, let me show you one of my scars!" But the best line was Shaw recounting a previous shipwreck of his old navy cronies lost at sea. "If the cold embrace of the sea didn't get ya, then the sharkies would – and that's no lover's kiss!" Oddly enough, there was more suspense and terror when we didn't see the shark, (which was not visible through most of the film) but our anticipation kept us on edge! Great movie making by Speilberg...

 

4. Signs – (2002) Speaking of "less is more," those mean-spirited aliens in this film had very little screen time, but they were still pretty scary anyway. It was obvious they had no intentions of being nice. Why was this movie scary? Well... the anticipation of being torn from limb-to-limb by these bad-ass critters, powerful aliens that we rarely got to see, but knew they were just outside our door, kept the plot edgy and moving forward in a sort of terrifying way. Excellent performances by Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix protecting those two little kids, made us believe this was really happening to them. Good movie escapism! We took another couple with us to see this movie, and the woman said she didn't like scary movies, because they made her scream out loud. Since I was sitting next to her in the theatre, the first time she screamed, I nearly lost my "cookies." She wasn't kidding. Her screams were blood curdling! Scarier than the movie itself.

 

5. Alien – (1979) Speaking of creatures from other worlds, this film had a little bit of everything going for it, not the least of which were the incredible special effects. But obviously, the special effect we all remember the most is when John Hurt's chest burst open and a "baby alien" comes out & scares the crap out of everybody. Hey, that puts new meaning in the word: emphysema! Finally, when Sigourney Weaver realizes she's fighting a toothy, acid breathing "Mother-Bitch," this movie ultimately becomes "the-cat-fight" from hell. Classic & unforgettable! Sigourney Weaver is truly a "mother-of-invention" here (Frank Zappa would've been proud). Her quick thinking and bravery, along with a very clever use of a futuristic fork-lift, saves the day for her and the little girl she discovers. I love happy endings.

 

6. Deliverance – (1972) What can I say? After "Dueling Banjos" this movie kept you on the edge of your seat to the very end. Even during the final credits we get one more moment of terror, when that bloated hand comes floating to the surface of the lake. Hey, enough is enough, already. You're scarin' me! Those toothless, sadistic backwoodsmen were enough to scare anyone. To this day, when I go backpacking or river-rafting, I get flashbacks, and find myself looking deep into the woods for signs of any unusual movements. Plus, I wear my stainless steel underwear just to be safe from perverts! This movie was terrifying, but so well-done! This could happen to anyone... What a classic! Burt Reynolds has never been as strong in a part as he was in this one.

7. Cape Fear – (1997) The Martin Scorsese film featuring Robert DeNiro as a psychotic stalker was truly an edgy thriller. As a Dad myself I can only imagine what I might do to protect my family from such a monster. I've had stalkers come and go in my life – some benign, and some who were potentially dangerous – but the bottom line is: you never know when they're out there watching you or tracking your every move. During the Raider days on tour, I had a rather weird fan tracking me like that, and showing up at the most inopportune moments and causing me some grief. The worst episode came when the Raiders had a day-off in New Mexico, and we decided to take a trip to Carlsbad Caverns, which ultimately takes you a down through a cave over a mile below the surface of the earth. At the very bottom of the cavern they had a lunch area, where we all sat around some tables and had a bite to eat. All of a sudden, an announcement came over the intercom saying: "Emergency phone call for Phil Volk!" My heart nearly stopped, as I tried to process that gloomy message and walked toward the one telephone they had down there a mile underground, I was literally shaking, thinking something terrible had happened to a family member. The only people that knew we were going to the Caverns was the Hotel manager where we were staying. I thought something bad may have happened to my parents, and my siblings were urgently trying to reach me. When I picked up the phone and said "Hi, who is this?" the voice on the other end said, "Hi Fang, this is your favorite fan, Linda Wacko.... I just wanted to see how you were doing...etc.." I was so angry at her for doing this. I cursed her out. She threatened to send some of her boyfriends to find me and kill me. How did she know where I was? Why did she say it was an emergency? Why did they connect her? Why, why, why??? Stalkers are real. Be glad if you don't have any of them tracking you, but then again, you never know... This movie is kind of like that.

8. The Illustrated Man – (1968) This was a very strange movie, with a very strange storyline and a very strange and troubled main character. When you talk about someone being sinister, mysterious and a little left of center, Rod Stieger is the man. This movie was riveting and very edgy. Here's a man with a body full of tattoos, and a crazy, scary story for every one of them. Be careful not to stare! It's not polite... It's not safe either! I think because of this movie, I've never gotten a tattoo on my body. In fact, I've never seen this movie again, but it did leave a lasting impression on me... Hey, no pun intended...

9. The Birds – (1963) Once again, animals gone wild!!! This time it's our not-so friendly-winged-creatures! Hey listen, when I was a little boy, I was attacked by a flock of geese and it wasn't very funny. In fact, it was very scary for me, and obviously, it didn't feel very good, either. I know some people who use geese as "watchdogs" to protect their property. They can be pretty aggressive, in fact, downright mean-spirited. Such was the case in this movie, the birds began to swarm and eventually became very mean and dangerous and of course, deadly! This kind of aggressive and carnivorous bird behavior is even mentioned in the Book of Revelation where it describes birds feasting on the dead carcasses of humans! Maybe Alfred Hitchcock was on to something here... maybe the movie is prophetic!

10. Psycho – (1960) What can I say? This movie scared everybody. It set a new standard for horror movie thrillers. Being in black and white made it even more ominous and threatening. Having the main character knocked-off halfway through the film may have seemed odd at first, but director Alfred Hitchcock realized that fear resides in the mind, and the psychological thriller that followed was even more tense and mind-bending then any shower scene gore. Anthony Perkins was so calm on the surface, but underneath there raged a very troubled monster with a lot of secrets. I was in college in the early 60s when I saw this film. I went alone, late at night, not really knowing what to expect. To this day, I don't think I've ever felt that kind horrific terror in a movie theatre before... well, of course, with the exception of "The Wizard of Oz" when I was only four years old...

There you go. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. 

 

Looking just beyond the week ahead, Fang's Family & Friends show will be at the Aquarius Hotel Casino in Laughlin, NV on December 31st, 2011 for a New Years Eve gala concert celebration in their Pavillion ballroom. Also, Fang has released an incredible rockin' version of Dylan's classic "The Times They Are A Changin'," re-imagined for today's world of turmoil. The song is available at most internet outlets including Phil's personal website: www.PhilFangVolk.com. Please read more about Phil "Fang" Volk in yesterday's Horror Happenings column, click here: