NOT SAFE FOR WORK: Top 13 WTF Moments in Horror
Steve Barton
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One of Us. Gooble, Gobble – Freaks (1932)
Tod Browning’s remarkable movie about a group of sideshow freaks (adapted from Clarence Aaron ‘Tod’ Robbins’ 1923 short fiction story Spurs) is stunning even now, over 80 years later. There isn’t just one WTF scene in this movie; the whole thing is insane. And the reason why? Because Browning decided to use actual deformed individuals to play the role of the sideshow performers. Ever see a guy with no arms or legs light a cigarette with a match? Well then, step right up! But how smart a casting move was this? Evidently, it wasn’t too bright because after Freaks was unleashed to an unsuspecting public in the early ’30s, Browning (who had just directed Bela Lugosi in Dracula two years earlier) could no longer find work. He directed 57 films before Freaks and just four after. In creating Freaks, he literally made himself as much of an outcast as the strange members of his cast. In a sense, that is the most stunning part of this tale – how one choice by a man trying to do something new and creative destroyed his career. However, on the positive side, Browning would certainly be proud to know his film, because of the unique choice he made, is still, to this day, infamous and appreciated by those who enjoy a look at the darker side of things.
Lila Discovers Mrs. Bates – Psycho (1960)
The ending of Psycho was so stunning and so important to Alfred Hitchcock that he went as far as to outright ask the audience not to share the shocking ending with those who hadn’t yet seen the film. He also bought up as many copies as he could of the novel the film was based on to try to keep the ending secret. And what a secret it was! Lila Crane, desperate to find out what happened to her sister, Marion, finds herself being chased into the cellar of stately Bates Manor, only to find a preserved corpse sitting in a chair and Norman, half-dressed like a woman, wig wild on his head, brandishing a butcher knife. For 1960 this was a shocking moment, and every time a new viewer gets to watch Psycho, even today, without prior knowledge of the ending (as rare as that is), it still holds up brilliantly.
And moving on to some more modern OMG moments…
