Friday the 13th: What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?

CLAY: A bunch of people wanting to dive in and react on Friday the 13th to scary movies that might possibly be out there, and I’ll dive in here. Who is up first? Let’s see. I’ve got the list in front of me and I’m gonna go with Larry in Independence, Missouri. Larry, what’s the scariest movie ever made?

CALLER: Event Horizon.

CLAY: Event Horizon. I don’t even remember Event Horizon. What happens in Event Horizon?

CALLER: A spaceship that had disappeared for years and suddenly discovered and —

CLAY: Oh, I watched that.

CALLER: — it’s haunted. (laughing) That was scary.

CLAY: Yeah, that’s well done. I appreciate the call. It’s Friday the 13th if you’re wondering. Loading up the phone lines and having some fun with the scariest movie ever made. If you had to only watch one movie tonight to celebrate Friday the 13th, what would you watch? Joe in Cleveland, Ohio, what movie you got?

CALLER: I would watch The Exorcist. I thought that was the scariest movie —

CLAY: Exorcist! Thank you for the call. The Exorcist is a terrifying movie. Remember last Friday both Buck and my moms were on, and Buck’s mom auditioned for the role of one of the kids on The Exorcist.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

CLAY: I pointed out earlier in the show that it’s Friday the 13th, and the most scary series of movies that I have ever seen are The Conjuring films. But there have been other films. I went and saw Paranormal Activity by myself. My wife and I, at that time, I think we had two kids were out of the house. I came back home to the house by myself. I left every light on in the entire house and I also propped the door so it couldn’t be opened, I guess thinking that the ghost wouldn’t just float through the door.

But I was at the time I don’t know, 37, 38 years old, fully grown man, and I had all the lights on in the house after going to see Paranormal Activity. I love scary movies. I love, by the way, the Scream series in terms of pure enjoyment. As a kid growing up, I was a big Nightmare on Elm Street fan.

A lot of you want to weigh in, so let’s take some of your calls here on Open Line Friday, Friday the 13th. Dave down in Miami, I’m asking you what’s the scariest movie you have seen, if you had to give a recommendation to people to watch a scary movie tonight, which one would you go with? Dave, what you got?

CALLER: I was told to be quick, so here it is. Listen, The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist aren’t even scary movies. They’re all good. I watched a movie that messed me up for three days —

CLAY: Uh oh.

CALLER: — called Shadow People.

CLAY: I don’t know anything about Shadow People. Tell me what the general plot of Shadow People is.

CALLER: It’s about a radio talk show host that’s trying to investigate these mysterious Shadow People that people are reporting about.

CLAY: (laughing)

CALLER: (snorts) That thing messed me up.

CLAY: I’m gonna look it up.

CALLER: — didn’t bother me. I have to watch scary movies by myself anyway ’cause my wife doesn’t watch and my kids don’t watch scary movies. Nothing scares me except for Shadow People.

CLAY: But this one got you. Dave in Miami says Shadow People. Ali, I’m gonna put you… I’m already a little bit afraid there ’cause he says about a radio show host. I don’t need any terrifying radio host movies. I don’t want to be unable to get out of bed or cuddled up underneath the covers over a radio show movie.

Tim in Raleigh, North Carolina. By the way, thanks to everybody listening in Raleigh. Clay and Buck show, number one in the entire market. What is the scariest movie you have ever seen, what should people watch, Tim?

CALLER: Hey, thank you for what you do. Amazing show. Appreciate y’all. Perfect movie — the perfect movie — for Buck right now is The Relic. It’s out of Chicago, the museum in Chicago, and it’s about a scientist who goes to some tribe in the middle of nowhere and it doesn’t work out well for him.

CLAY: The Relic. I don’t know this movie, either. I’m actually writing these down because I’m genuinely curious. I’m always looking for a new scary movie to check out because I do really like scary movies. I’m not familiar with either of those. Denise in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Denise, are you a UNC Tar Heel or are you a Duke Blue Devil — or is that an insulting question to ask anybody from Chapel Hill?

CALLER: I’m from Florida —

CLAY: So, you’re neither.

CALLER: — and I won’t watch Night of the Living Dead.

CLAY: Night of the Living Dead, you won’t watch. By the way, did you see you’re from Florida so that means you don’t have a chosen team? You live in Chapel Hill. You’re not on Team UNC or Team Duke?

CALLER: No, I live here because of my granddaughter.

CLAY: (laughing)

CALLER: I won’t watch Night of the Living Dead.

CLAY: Night of the Living Dead. Thank you for the call, Denise. Denise might be the only person in Chapel Hill who can dodge the question of Blue Devils or Tar Heels because a little bit like being down in Alabama and if somebody says, “Are you an Auburn or Alabama person?” you immediately have an answer. Denise living in Chapel Hill, she has no affiliation in the biggest basketball rivalry in the country right now, at least in states. Bob in Rochester, New York. Bob, what you got for us?

CALLER: I’ll go back to 1979 and the original Alien movie.

CLAY: Oh, that was… The Sigourney Weaver original Alien movie is pretty spooky. Thanks for the call. Was it Universal Studios where they had the Alien ride in the amusement park and it comes down…? I think it was Universal Studios back in the day, and I took my kids through — and this has been like seven or eight years ago — and they were really rattled, and we watched a little bit of Alien and it was terrifying to them. It’s one of those movies that holds up. George, by the way, in Florida has another movie that I’m not that familiar with. George, what part of Florida are you in?

CALLER: Melbourne on the East Coast.

CLAY: Yeah, yeah. So, the movie that you’re saying? It’s Friday the 13th. Scariest movie if you had to give people a suggestion?

CALLER: Well, this came out in the seventies, and it was a really cheesy movie. But when I first saw it, it scared the dickens out of me. It was called Phantasm.

CLAY: Yeah? I don’t know Phantasm, either. Thank you for the call. You can weigh in @ClayTravis on Twitter as well. I put this poll question up. It wasn’t even a poll question. It was just, “Hey, what do you have out there?” And I knew, by the way, some people were gonna respond this way. John Rich — who a lot of you are gonna know the country music singer — he responded.

So, I just put up on Twitter for everybody out there, and you can go vote and get in a debate. I think, what, 700 comments beneath this. “Friday the 13th, what’s the scariest movie ever made? Debate and discuss below.” This is on Twitter. I’m @ClayTravis. John Rich, fabulous success as a country music singer, said, “The scariest movie ever made is the one we’re living through right now.” So the Biden administration, I can certainly understand. I knew someone would think that, and certainly I don’t disagree. Of all presidents we’ve had in my lifetime, Joe Biden is the one I trust the least to solve any issue at all that might arise in this country.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

CLAY: We’re having some fun, taking a lot of calls about what exactly is your favorite horror movie, since we are right now obviously on Friday the 13th. And a lot of you have weighed in. I wanted to give the show… The show crew all put their picks in. Ali, Silence of the Lambs. Very, very scary movie back in the day. Anthony Hopkins, man, how good was he in that? And the Clarice character who was played by… Oh, yeah. Jodie Foster. She was great in that too.

Greg, 28 Days Later — these are all the people who work on the show — Dracula’s Daughter. Dean, The Evil Dead. Mojo went with Young Frankenstein. Lisa went with Jaws. And I have to say, I think Jaws is the single most influential movie that has ever been made in American history. And some of you out there are like, “You’re crazy, Clay.” Think about it. I’m down at the beach right now. I’m going to go in the water when I get done with the show, and when I go in the water, I will think at least for a moment, “I hope I don’t get eaten by a shark.”

Every single person, and a lot of… This was such a… Back in the day when this movie was made, you’ve probably gotten scared of sharks swimming in a lake. You’ve probably gotten scared of sharks swimming in a swimming pool at night. That’s how impactful this movie is. I’m not sure that any movie ever made has ever impacted the American cultural conscience the same way that Jaws has.

Andrew went with Jacob’s Ladder, that was a spooky movie, and then Dub… Look, if I had to pick someone to win a fight to the death that works on the show, Buck… Well, Buck, he was in the CIA. I don’t even know. Buck might have all sorts of crazy, choke you out or make you pass out by bending your thumb the wrong way. But Dub is a big dude. Dub said, “I hate scary movies.”

He’s the biggest guy on the show, probably 6’4”, 240, and he’s afraid to watch scary movies. Okay. So, we got a couple more people who want to weight in. Before that just want to say we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of Clay and Buck, and we are loving being able to spend three hours with you guys every single day all over the country. Thank you for letting us do this job.

I really do think — and I know I speak for Buck as well — that we have the best jobs in the entire country. I’m excited to get out of bed, come talk with you guys every single day. Thank you for making this such a fun experience as we come up on the one-year anniversary of this show. All right. Dan in Buffalo, Wyoming, which is a heck of a name for a town. What movie are you rolling with?

CALLER: I’m rolling with a TV movie made in 1972 that you can still watch on Netflix. It’s called Gargoyles, and it was absolutely terrifying. I was 19 years old when it came on TV. I was at home alone one night watching the television, and it struck a nerve with me, and I haven’t forgotten about it for over 50 years — 50 years it’s been, yeah. (laughing)

CLAY: I appreciate that, Dan. I need to get out to Wyoming, by the way. I’ve never spent any time in Wyoming. I love the Yellowstone television show. And spoiler alert, they dump all the dead bodies allegedly from Montana in Wyoming in a big crevice there. By the way, Yellowstone’s a really fun show if you need something to watch that is not really scary. Adam in Florida, what part of Florida you in?

CALLER: Largo.

CLAY: Oh, okay. Yes. What would you roll with as the scariest movies here on Friday the 13th?

CALLER: You ever hear of Burnt Offerings?

CLAY: No. You guys are giving me a lot of scary movies that I’m not familiar with. I do know The Omen, which is another one that you liked.

CALLER: Right. Burnt Offerings that’s with Oliver Reed and Karen Black, and Bette Davis has a little part it.

CLAY: Appreciate the call. I have to check… I’ve been jotting down a bunch of these scary movies to check out, and let’s go ahead and close out the week. Jim in Nantucket, Mass. Has it gotten warm up in Nantucket yet? Have all the people from out of town started to roll in yet?

CALLER: Ah, they’re starting to roll in. But my movie was Play Misty for Me. Jessica Walter was a knife-wielding psychopath stalking Clint Eastwood.

CLAY: Interesting.

CALLER: We watched it. There was a little movie theater we’d go to during the week, about 10 of us, and would all sit separately. By the end of the movie, we’re all in the same row — — and then I walk home.

CLAY: (laughing)

CALLER: I walk home on the dark street to my house — I can’t go to sleep. So I put TV on. Jessica Walter is the guest on Johnny Carson show and showing the worst clips of the movie.

CLAY: Thank you for the call. Good luck with the influx of out-of-towners.