The University of St. Louis’ “The Current Online” published a story of the top ten scariest movie quotes. Most of these quotes are scary to people. However, they are not going to be scary to people who do not know about the scary movies. Here is a commentary on each of the choices for somebody who is not familiar with scary movies.
10. “Here’s Johnny!” from “The Shining”
Honestly, this line seems like a reference to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
9. “Candyman, candyman, candyman…” from “Candyman”
Nothing. Maybe somebody really likes the song “Candyman,” by Aqua. For somebody that is not familiar with a lot of scary movies, a much better choice would have been “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.” It’s well known in culture and there was even a Beetlejuice cartoon.
8. “Friends to the end.” from “Child’s Play”
This phrase recalls good memories from the movie The Fox and the Hound.
7. “They’re coming to get you, Barbara” from “Night of the Living Dead”
Not knowing what this is from, it is not all that scary. However, the reference to at least police coming to get a person, so it can seem a bit scary.
6. “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti” from “Silence of the Lambs”
Even if not familiar with the source, the quote is gross. The fact that somebody would say that is scary.
5. “Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.” from “Nightmare on Elm Street”
It is not really scary with an unknown source. However, it does conjure the feelings of being afraid because obviously falling asleep is usually a good thing to get rest. It implies that something is wrong.
4. “They’re all going to laugh at you.” from “Carrie”
It is not scary for somebody who does not know the source. Rather, it produces images of cruel classmates laughing.
3. “Seven days” from “The Ring”
For somebody who does not know the source and is religious, this quote relates to the creation story in the Bible. There’s nothing scary there.
2. “What your favorite scary movie” from the “Scream” series
It’s not really scary if the source is not known. However, around Halloween or any time after dark, it may seem a bit more scary. It seems like something somebody older would say to taunt somebody else.
1. “They’re here!” from “Poltergeist”
Even if the source is not know, this quote is scary. It is used so much in popular culture that it is known as a scary quote. Most people seem to know how to say the phrase with the perfect tone and inflection that it can easily send chills up anybody’s spine.
Of course, people who know these movies are going to have a totally different opinion of this list. They are completely welcome opinions.
