Horror Taglines of the 2000s Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Mist

Originally written as a novella for the "Skeleton Crew" collection, this Stephen King tale is about a group of people who are stranded inside a department store as a mysterious white mist envelops their town. Soon, they realize that there are mysterious creatures hiding in the fog outside, and venturing out will result in their deaths.

As some survivors try to figure out an escape plan, another group starts finding faith in higher powers, but this leads to religious fanaticism and word of sacrifices to appease the mist. Frank Darabont, known for his work on other Stephen King film adaptations ("The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption"), directed the film.

At the box office, it became one of the higher-grossing films of 2007. Additionally, it became one of the more critically acclaimed horror films of recent years.

It starred Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden.

Answer: Saw

Written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, "Saw's" first installment was financially well-off. After a popular initial release, sequel after sequel soon followed. The original, however, starred Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, and Leigh Whannell and is perhaps best-known for its visceral torture 'games' in which participants must decide upon the lesser of two evils to 'possibly' make it out alive. Elwes (playing a doctor) and Whannell (playing a photographer) must find a way to escape a dingy bathroom and unchain themselves from their shackles before time is up. What they discover, however, is that the killer responsible has a big game in mind for them, and there's no way that he can let them both go out alive. The following "Saw" films explored more immoral themes and the idea that some people would do anything to save themselves.

Answer: Dead Silence

Written and directed by James Wan, one of the co-creators of the "Saw" series, "Dead Silence" fared moderately at the box office, being pulled only a few weeks after release. Nonetheless, the film was one of the scarier offerings of 2007, taking the whole 'evil ventriloquist doll' fear and projecting it on the sleepy town of Ravens Fair against a backdrop of blacks, grays, and deep reds.

The protagonist, Jamie, tries to determine the mystery behind the spooky Mary Shaw and her ventriloquist dummies, but soon comes to realize why he should never scream when he sees Mary Shaw, or else he'll suffer the consequences. The film co-starred Donnie Wahlberg, who also worked in the second and third "Saw" films. James Wan only worked on the first installation in the long-running series before setting his sights on different titles.

Answer: The Grudge

"The Grudge" began as a Japanese horror series known as "Ju-On", originally release a year earlier. The Americanized version is based on the events of the first film, "Ju-On - The Grudge" while subsequent sequels were original, created for a more Western audience.

After the popularity of the original "Grudge" film, which reached number one in the box office and took in almost forty million in its first weekend, a sequel was greenlit within three days of release. The original "Grudge" starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as an American student on exchange in Japan.

When she applies for a caretaking job, she inevitably ends up in a cursed house controlled by a ghost with a clear vendetta against everyone. Once the ghost sees its victim, it haunts them and kills them, spreading the curse indefinitely.

After three American films and five Japanese iterations, the curse never seems to disappear.

Answer: The Ruins

"The Ruins", based on a horror novel by Scott Smith, is a film about a group of people in Mexico on vacation. When one of their relatives goes to an archaeological dig in the rainforest, they decide to tag along to retrieve him, but they discover the ruins in question completely deserted, their tents and belongings still waiting on the top. Additionally, the locals won't let them leave once they start climbing up the structure, covered in red vines. Soon they discover the true nature of the nature around them and find that they probably won't escape while the unnatural tendrils around them start stalking their prey. The film made eight million in its first week and debuted in fifth at the box office.

It starred Shawn Ashmore and Joe Anderson and was written for the screen by its original author.

Answer: 28 Days Later

Directed by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (who won in 2009 for "Slumdog Millionaire"), "28 Days Later" is about a virus known as 'Rage' which transforms the population of the UK into infected creatures. Once infected blood enters the system of another body, that person quickly transforms into a similar creature with a thirst for blood and death. Unlike other zombie films, "28 Days Later's" infected creatures are not dead, they simply kill out of the need to. Jim, played by Cillian Murphy, wakes up in a hospital to discover that all of London has been destroyed, and most of those that remain are infected with the contagion.
The sequel to this film, "28 Weeks Later", was released in 2007 and it chronicles the events following the outbreak and containment of the Rage virus. Of course, nothing goes so easily as planned...
Both films were quite successful, both critically and at the box office.

Answer: Hostel

Written by Eli Roth, "Hostel", released in 2005, was quite well-known for its intense depictions of torture and gore. Produced in part by Quentin Tarantino, the film has a niche audience and may have been one of the driving forces behind the soon-to-be-supersaturated 'torture porn' genre. Hitting #1 in the box office in its opening week, "Hostel" regained twenty times its budget in ticket sales.

The popularity of the film allowed Roth to create a sequel in 2007. "Hostel", set in Slovakia, is about a couple of backpacking Americans (and their Icelandic friend) who arrive at a hostel only to discover the nefarious purpose behind it: its tenants are being killed by sadistic businessmen.

The premise is revisited in the second film, but the backpackers are replaced by vacationing women.

Answer: Drag Me to Hell

Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival as a non-competitor in 2009, "Drag Me To Hell" was the first horror film to be directed by Sam Raimi since "The Evil Dead 2", more than two decades earlier. The film is based on the story of a woman who tries to be good, but is forced to make a tough decision at work that results in a curse being placed upon her. Now, she has three days before she's dragged into Hell to suffer for all eternity.

The film stars Alison Lohman (in her first horror role) and Justin Long (who previously appeared in "Jeepers Creepers") and was written by Sam and Ivan Raimi, both of whom worked extensively on the "Evil Dead" trilogy. The film premiered to extremely favourable reviews and many cited it as a complete turnaround from Raimi's previous film, "Spider-Man 3".

Answer: Thir13en Ghosts

One of the first films under the Dark Castle Entertainment name, "Thir13en Ghosts", like "The House on Haunted Hill", appeared in a slew of horror remakes at the same time. Originally made in 1960, "Thir13en Ghosts" is about a family which moves into a unique house made for trapping and housing ghosts.

In the remake, Tony Shalhoub's character and his family (including Shannon Elizabeth) and their maid move into an inherited house only to discover after a single night that they are trapped inside the see-through, shifting, frightening building with the enraged spirits of captured ghosts, each one more dangerous than the last. The film grossed sixty-seven million in its run at the box office and debuted at number two to less-than-stellar reviews.

The original director, William Castle, was also the director of the first "House on Haunted Hill" and the remake's director, Steve Beck, directed "Ghost Ship" in 2002.

Answer: House of Wax

"House of Wax", released to theaters in 2005, gained a fair amount of hype prior to its release when Hilton let the word out that her character would be brutally murdered. Eager viewers and sadistic fans lined up and the film grossed twelve million in its first weekend.

As a result of her performance, Paris won the award for Worst Supporting Actress at the Golden Raspberries. Based on the Vincent Price 1953 film of the same name, "House of Wax" follows a group of friends heading to a football game, but along the way they come across the town of Ambrose, home to a house of wax.

When they all get separated, they realize that the people in town are maniacs, and the citizens are all wax figures. Elisha Cuthbert, Jared Padalecki, and Chad Michael Murray also star. Since then, Paris appeared in Darren Lynn Bousmann's "Repo!: The Genetic Opera", Elisha Cuthbert appeared in "Captivity", and Jared Padalecki became a star on the TV show "Supernatural".