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In this Jan. 14, 2014 photo, Leah Remini arrives at the 2014 UNICEF Ball in Beverly Hills, Calif. Remini is talking about Scientology and Tom Cruise in a new interview with ABC’s “20/20.” The actress says in a clip released Monday, Oct. 26, 2015, that “Being critical of Tom Cruise is being critical of Scientology itself.” (Photo by Richard Shotwell Invision/AP, File)
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Brandy Station, Va., vicinity. Large wagon park]
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Tim Constantine reports on possible unintended consequences of Russian airstrikes in Syria, some tea party groups are still waiting for the IRS, and a new focus for actor David Duchovny.
TheBirds
#10. THE BIRDS is a 1963 horror thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the 1952 story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California over the course of a few days. The film features the screen debut of Tippi Hedren. It also starred Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and Veronica Cartwright. The screenplay was by Evan Hunter. Hitchcock told him to develop new characters and a more elaborate plot, keeping du Maurier's title and concept of unexplained bird attacks. The film received a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 96%, with the consensus: "Proving once again that build-up is the key to suspense, Hitchcock successfully turned birds into some of the most terrifying villains in horror history."The eminent film critic David Thomson refers to it as Hitchcock's "last unflawed film". The film was honored by the American Film Institute as the seventh greatest thriller and Bravo awarded it the 96th spot on their "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments" for the scene when the birds attack the town.
the-thing
#14. THE THING (also known as John Carpenter's The Thing) is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter, written by Bill Lancaster, and starring Kurt Russell. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a parasitic extraterrestrial lifeform that assimilates other organisms and in turn imitates them. The Thing infiltrates an Antarctic research station, taking the appearance of the researchers that it absorbs, and paranoia develops within the group. The film is based on John W. Campbell, Jr.'s novella Who Goes There?, which was more loosely adapted by Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby as the 1951 film The Thing from Another World. Carpenter considers The Thing to be the first part of his Apocalypse Trilogy, followed by Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness. Although the films are narratively unrelated, each features a potentially apocalyptic scenario; should "The Thing" ever reach civilization, it would be only a matter of time before it consumes humanity. The Thing received nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films for Best Horror Film and Best Special Effects, but lost to Poltergeist and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, respectively. The film was nominated in the Razzie Awards for Worst Musical Score.
Poltergeist
#5. POLTERGEIST is a 1982 American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Tobe Hooper. Steven Spielberg wrote and produced, but had a clause in his contract to prevent him directing another movie while he made E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Therefore, Hooper was selected to direct based on his work on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It is the first and most successful entry in the Poltergeist film series. Set in a California suburb, the plot focuses on a family whose home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct the family's younger daughter. The film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments (The 'moment' being the clown attack scene) and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made. The film also appeared at #84 on American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies. Poltergeist was nominated for three Academy Awards. The Poltergeist franchise is believed by some to be cursed due to the premature deaths of several people associated with the film, a notion that was the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story.
omen
#2. THE OMEN is a 1976 American-British supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. The film stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer Stephens, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Martin Benson, and Leo McKern. The first installment in The Omen series, the film centres a young child adopted by American Ambassador Robert Thorn alongside with his wife. Surrounded by mysterious ominous deaths, they are unaware that the child is the Antichrist. Released theatrically by 20th Century Fox in June 1976, The Omen received acclaim from critics and was a commercial success, grossing over $60 million at the box office and becoming one of the highest grossing films of 1976. The film earned two Academy Award nominations, both won and nominated for Best Original Score in regards to Jerry Goldsmith's score; the only Oscar he has received for. The film appeared at #16 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Later the film spawned a franchise, starting with the first sequel, released two years after its predecessor.
Jaws
#8. JAWS is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's 1974 novel Jaws. The prototypical summer blockbuster, its release is regarded as a watershed moment in motion picture history. In the story, a giant man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers on Amity Island, a fictional New England summer resort town, prompting the local police chief to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter. The film stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as oceanographer Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint, Murray Hamilton as Larry Vaughn, the mayor of Amity Island, and Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife, Ellen. The screenplay is credited to both Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography. Shot mostly on location on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the film had a troubled production, going over budget and past schedule. As the art department's mechanical sharks suffered many malfunctions, Spielberg decided to mostly suggest the animal's presence, employing an ominous, minimalistic theme created by composer John Williams to indicate the shark's impending appearances. Spielberg and others have compared this suggestive approach to that of classic thriller director Alfred Hitchcock. Universal Pictures gave the film what was then an exceptionally wide release for a major studio picture, over 450 screens, accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign with a heavy emphasis on television spots and tie-in merchandise. Generally well received by critics, Jaws became the highest-grossing film of all time until Star Wars. It won several awards for its soundtrack and editing. Along with Star Wars, Jaws was pivotal in establishing the modern Hollywood business model, which revolves around high box-office returns from action and adventure pictures with simple "high-concept" premises that are released during the
alien
#12. ALIEN is a 1979 science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature that stalks and kills the crew of a spaceship. Dan O'Bannon wrote the screenplay from a story he wrote with Ronald Shusett, drawing influence from previous works of science fiction and horror. The film was produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler and Walter Hill through their Brandywine Productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Giler and Hill made revisions and additions to the script. Shusett was executive producer. The eponymous Alien and its accompanying elements were designed by Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger, while concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss designed the human aspects of the film. Alien was the first film produced in the Alien franchise and is the second chronologically, with the 2012 film Prometheus set in an earlier time frame. Alien received both critical acclaim and box office success, receiving an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction for Scott, and Best Supporting Actress for Cartwright, and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, along with numerous other award nominations. It has remained highly praised in subsequent decades, being considered one of the greatest films of all time. In 2002 the film was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In 2008, it was ranked as the seventh-best film in the science fiction genre by the American Film Institute, and as the 33rd greatest film of all time by Empire magazine.
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Heath Morrow, a white Alabama teacher, is apologizing for his "error in judgment" after a photo of him dressed in blackface went viral on social media. (Heath Morrow via WHNT)
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Jimmy Morales claimed victory and his opponent, former first lady Sandra Torres, conceded defeat after official results showed him winning around 69 percent of the votes, with 94 percent of polling stations tallied. (Associated Press)
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Actor and singer David Duchovny performs at The Cutting Room, to promote his debut album "Hell or Highwater" on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
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Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
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In a Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, file photo, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest takes the oath of office during the inaugural ceremony at the state Capitol in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)
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Prosecutors allege 25-year-old Adacia Chambers "purposely" drove around a barricade before crashing into spectators. They plan to charge Chambers with four counts of second-degree murder. (Associated Press)
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This Jan. 19, 1960, file photo shows movie actress Maureen O'Hara photographed in her front yard in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Harold Filan, File)
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FILE - In this March 17, 1999 file photo, St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal Maureen O'Hara waves to the people lined up along Fifth Avenue at the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York. O'Hara,who appeared in such classic films as "The Quiet Man” and How Green Was My Valley," has died. Her manager says O’Hara died in her sleep Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 at her home in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey)
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FILE - In this March 9, 2004 file photo, actress Maureen O'Hara poses for a photo in the Bel Air Estates area of Los Angeles. O'Hara,who appeared in such classic films as "The Quiet Man” and How Green Was My Valley," has died. Her manager says O’Hara died in her sleep Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 at her home in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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Former Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade (3) drives past New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham (44) during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game in New Orleans, Friday, Oct 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman) ** FILE **
