Horror Begins With a Storm Trivia Quiz

Answer: Urban Legend

A slasher flick with a twist, "Urban Legend" stars Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid, and others as a killer in a large winter jacket stalks around a university campus killing the students in horrible ways, akin to urban myths. In the case of the opening sequence, Michelle arrives at a gas station to find a more-than-creepy attendant waiting on her.

When the attendant tries to prevent her from leaving, she gets into her car and drives off into the rain, only to discover the actual killer in her back seat. Ironically, the attendant had been trying to save her (and in a sense, so was the music on her car radio). "Urban Legend" spawned a couple of sequels including "Urban Legend: Final Cut" which appeared in theaters in 2000.

The original was a financial success.

Answer: The Mist

When damages are made in a small coastal town in this Stephen King adaptation, Thomas Jane, his son, and his neighbour head to the grocery store to pick up some supplies before a thick fog envelops the area. Now trapped by this mist, they and others must seek refuge in the store until hopefully, one day, the fog passes over. Tensions heighten as some of the captive locals band together and decide to sacrifice non-believers to the monsters outside their door. "The Mist" was one of the more profitable and well-received horror films of its year and it was a critical and financial success.

The ending of the short story was extended for the sake of the adaptation with Stephen King's approval.

Answer: Friday the 13th (2009)

The reboot of the franchise, produced by Michael Bay and Platinum Dunes, was released in early 2009 to mixed reception. Including many elements of the first three original films of the series, a brief origin story is touched upon during the opening credits, during which Mrs. Voorhees is killed by one of the camp counselors. Little does anyone know, Jason is not dead after all; he is watching from the forest.

The film fast forwards several decades to find a number of college-aged students stalked by the same hockey-masked killer that horror fans have come to recognize time after time.

The movie stars Jared Padalecki and Amanda Righetti.

Answer: Suspiria

Suzy, arriving in Germany, takes a taxi through the rain to her academy, only to be denied entry upon reaching the front door. As she arrives, a girl flees from the building, yelling something blocked out by the noise of the storm around her. It turns out that this information is very important to Suzy, who goes on to use it to determine the secret hiding place of a coven of witches, hiding in plain sight in the building. While many feel this movie to be the pinnacle of Argento's horror career, his specialty is typically giallo horror films. Nonetheless, the film has earned a cult following in the proceeding years and was followed by two sequels to form the "Three Mothers" trilogy. "Suspiria" was also notable for being the final film to be released in technicolor.

Answer: Pontypool

The quiet independent horror film, "Pontypool", is based on a book and screenplay written by Canadian author Tony Burgess. When it finally showed up in 2009, it brought with it a very unique approach to the horror genre: zombification through the English language. Characters in the film realize that certain English words are infected.

More importantly, the main characters run a radio station in a church basement and while the movie never really leaves this setting, they must persist with getting the word out...even though said words might be deadly. The film begins with the protagonist, Grant Mazzy, as he heads to work in a snowstorm.

As he goes along an empty road, he finds a woman babbling to herself in the night.

Answer: Dead Silence

Jamie's fiancee is killed by Mary Shaw, the supernatural sender of the package, before Jamie returns from the store. To investigate, Jamie makes his way to the derelict town of Raven's Fair, to learn of his family's secret and the truth behind Mary Shaw and her evil dolls. What he finds is more than frightening and that true evil is masked by silence. "Dead Silence" was directed by James Wan after he and Leigh Whannell had finished production on the first film in the "Saw" series.

Although it was highly-promoted, it barely recouped its budget.

The movie starred Ryan Kwanten and Donnie Wahlberg.

Answer: 1408

While Mike Noonan (played by John Cusack) visits a supposedly haunted hotel, in the opening of Stephen King's "1408" during a storm, he later exits the hotel, having felt that it does not contain ghosts. In his quest to find more materials for his book on the topic, he checks into the Dolphin Hotel in New York City. Little does he know, this is a big mistake. Room 1408 (whose digits add up to '13') is indeed a paranormal hot-spot, bent on making its inhabitants go mad. "1408" was originally a short story in Stephen King's "Everything's Eventual" short story collection.

The film, which was a financial success, was directed by Mikael Håfström.

Answer: Hatchet

"Hatchet", a 2007 film directed by newcomer Adam Green, was a film festival winner upon its theatrical release. Noted for its relentless approach to old-school horror, "Hatchet" stars a number of horror figures (Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, etc.) as a tour group tries to escape a supernatural, mutant killer in a forbidden Louisiana bayou.

The rainstorms throughout the movie appear sporadically and often result in the cause of problems for the main characters. "Hatchet" quickly became one of the most popular original films under the Anchor Bay production company's name. Soon, it spawned a sequel in 2010, also directed by Green.

In the meantime, he also released "Frozen" in early 2010.

Answer: They

"They", while never really connected to Wes Craven in any other way except on DVD covers and posters, was released in 2002, under the direction of Robert Harmon, also known for "The Hitcher" (1986). "They" was a weird little horror film about students and their night terrors. Finding a connection between these and odd creatures hiding in the otherworldly darkness, they set out to save themselves...though they don't get far. The film opens with a young boy who has been experiencing bad dreams. When his mother turns out the light during a storm, the creatures waste no time in dragging him into the darkness and doing what they will.

Answer: Storm Warning

While "Storm Warning" never took on a large release, Dimension Extreme released the video as part of their brand on DVD (along with many other titles in an attempt to independently expand the horror genre). The movie follows a couple as they go out sailing and come across a fierce storm. Docking at an island, they realize that they picked the wrong place to wait out the storm, as evil hillbillies reside in a cabin nearby. Jamie Blanks also released "Urban Legend" and "Valentine" in earlier years.

While "Storm Warning" never hit it big with most critics, horror-based reviewers felt it was a notable film.