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Serial killers Gerald Stano and Aileen Wuornos were Daytona products who were creepy in their own right.
First in a series
By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The World's Most Famous Beach is home to some scary stuff.
Consider the fact that Volusia County -- and New Smyrna Beach, in particular - is the "Shark Bite Capital of the World."
If that's not scary, consider the fact that the Daytona area was the home turf for two prominent serial killers both since executed by the State of Florida.
There was Gerald Stano, who (Sept. 12, 1951 – March 23, 1998), who confessed to killing 41 women, but at least 22 of the homicides were tied directly to him, which sent him to rthe electric chair. Stano once worked in the mailroom of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. That's pretty scary.
Then there was Aileen Wuornos (Feb. 29, 1956 – Oct. 9, 2002), who killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990 by shooting them while pretending to be a hooker and robbing them of their cash. She used to hang out at the Last Resort bar in Port Orange in between her killings. That's pretty scary, too.
Halloween will soon be upon us. If sharks and serial killers don't scare you, then perhaps this will: Headline Surfer is counting down its picks for the Top 113 Scariest Movies to Die For.
There is no rhyme or reason to the order of these flicks except they're scary. Then again, what constitutes scary is in the mind of the beholder. After all, there are many who believe the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is downright scary. Thankfully their debates are over, right?
So let's get right to it with our first installment.
101. Race with the Devil
When two vacationing couples accidentally oversee a Satanic cult's sacrificial (human-type) offering ceremony, they soon wish they were camping elsewhere. They jump in their vehicle and hit the road with the devil-lovers in hot pursuit. Starring Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Lara Parker, and Loretta Swit.Rating: PG
In Theaters: Dec 31, 1974
On DVD: Jun 27, 2005
Runtime: 88 minutes
102. Slither
The sleepy town of Wheelsy could be any small town in America -- somewhat quaint and gentle, peopled with friendly folks who mind their own business. But just beneath the surface charm, something unnamed and evil has arrived...and is growing. No one seems to notice as telephone poles become clogged with missing pet flyers, or when one of the town's richest citizens, Grant, begins to act strangely. But when farmers' livestock turn up horribly mutilated and a young woman goes missing, Sheriff Bill Pardy and his team, aided by Grant's wife Starla, uncover the dark force laying siege to their town...and come face-to-face with an older-than-time organism intent on absorbing and devouring all life on Earth.Rating: R (for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some drug content and sexuality/nudity)
In Theaters: Mar 30, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Oct 23, 2006
Runtime: 96 minutes
103. Repulsion
When Carol, a shy young Belgian, is left alone for a few days in the Kensington flat she shares with her sister, she begins to withdraw into a reclusive existence where innocuous everyday realities are distorted by deep-seated anxieties. On screen throughout the film, Deneuve gives a wondrously subtle performance as the increasingly catatonic girl, but equally expressive of her terrifying inner torment are the sometimes surreal but never over-emphatic visual and aural effects created by Polanski to accompany her wanderings around the empty apartment or the bustling streets of South Kensington.Rating: NR
In Theaters: Oct 2, 1965
On DVD: Feb 7, 2005
Runtime: 104 minutes
104. Lifeforce
When alien vampires terrorize London, it's up to a determined police inspector and an astronaut to stop them. American and British space travelers discover humanoids while exploring near Halley's Comet. The astronauts bring three of these aliens aboard their spaceship and head back to earth. However, their guests turn out to be evil vampires who kill all but one of the astronauts.Rating: R (for violence, terror and gore, and language)
Rating: R
In Theaters: Jun 20, 1985
On DVD: May 25, 1998
Runtime: 100 minutes
105. The Mist
David Drayton and his young son Billy are among a large group of terrified townspeople trapped in a local grocery store by a strange, otherworldly mist. David is the first to realize that there are things lurking in the mist--deadly, horrifying things--creatures not of this world. Survival depends on everybody in the store pulling together, but is that possible, given human nature? As reason crumbles in the face of fear and panic, David begins to wonder what terrifies him more: the monsters in the mist or the ones inside the store, the human kind, the people that until now had been his friends and neighbors?Rating: R (for violence, terror and gore, and language)
In Theaters: Nov 20, 2007
On DVD: Mar 17, 2008
Runtime: 125 minutes
106. Nosferatu: The Vampyre
Essentially a retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Nosferatu the Vampyre traces the blood-sucking progress of the count as he takes over a small German village, then attempts to spread his influence and activities to the rest of the world.Rating: PG
In Theaters: Jan 16, 1979
On DVD: Feb 15, 1999
Runtime: 107 minutes
107. The Host
When a young girl is snatched away from her father by a horrifying giant monster that emerges from the River Han to wreak havoc on Seoul, her entire family sets out to locate the beast and bring their little girl back home to safety in South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's big-budget creature feature.Rating: R (for creature violence and language)
In Theaters: Mar 8, 2007
On DVD: Jul 23, 2007
Runtime: 119 minutes
108. House of Wax
Vincent Price plays the menacing Professor Henry Jarrod, in a role that would solidify his reputation as the creepiest man in Hollywood. With everything from cancan girls to rubber paddleballs finding their way into the audience, 'House of Wax' takes full advantage of the novel 3-D stereoscopic process.Rating: PG
In Theaters: Apr 9, 1953
On DVD: Aug 4, 2003
Runtime: 88 minutes
109. Devil's Backbone
The mournful fable of the Santa Lucia School during the last days of the Spanish Civil War. An imposing stone building set on a desolate plateau, the school shelters the orphans of the Republican militia and politicians, and other abandoned children. Creepily atmospheric and haunting, it is both a potent ghost story and an intelligent political allegory.Rating: R (for violence, language and some sexuality)
In Theaters: Nov 20, 2001
On DVD: Jun 24, 2002
Runtime: 108 minutes
110. Creature From the Black Lagoon
The story involves the members of a fossil-hunting expedition down a dark tributary of the mist-shrouded Amazon, where they enter the domain of a prehistoric, amphibious "Gill Man" -- possibly the last of a species of fanged, clawed humanoids who may have evolved entirely underwater. Tranquilized, captured, and brought aboard, the creature still manages to revive and escape -- slaughtering several members of the team -- and abducts their sole female memberRating: G
In Theaters: Mar 4, 1954
On DVD: Aug 27, 2001
Runtime: 79 minutes
111. Bad Taste
Director Peter Jackson's early low-budget shocker boasts a disgusting premise - aliens harvesting humans for fast food - that gives the budding auteur plenty of room for gross-out visuals and absurd cleverness.Rating: R
In Theaters: May 31, 1989
On DVD: Aug 5, 2002
Runtime: 90 minutes
112. Fall of the House of Usher
Scary, strange, and maybe a little silly, House of Usher represents an early high mark for Vincent Price and a career triumph for director Roger Corman.Rating: G
In Theaters: May 21, 1960
On DVD: Jun 4, 2001
Runtime: 85 minutes
113. Ginger Snaps
In this modern werewolf tale, sisters Ginger and Brigitte are ostracized by their town because of their morbid inclinations. Soon after being attacked by a wolf, Ginger begins to exhibit strange nocturnal behavior. Now Brigitte must decide whether to save herself or join Ginger in otherworldly doings.Rating: R
In Theaters: Apr 20, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Oct 22, 2001
Runtime: 108 minutes