Top 10: Awesome Lines #1

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

There’s not much more satisfying in this world than a good one-liner. Especially in horror flicks where we don’t always get treated to the top tier screenwriting talent that other genres tend to enjoy.

So what is it that makes ’em work when they do? It can be situation, presentation, or sometimes we even get unbelievable writing. And of course everybody has their personal faves. So make sure to Spit Bullets if your most loved doesn’t make the list. Share and share alike!

WARNING – VERBAL ACUITY BELOW!

10. Leslie Vernon, BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE AND FALL OF LESLIE VERNON

“You have no idea how much cardio I have to do. It’s ridiculous.”

This flick is one of the best horror gems I’ve seen, and a lot of it had to do with lines like this. Nathan Baesel gives an amazing performance as Vernon, managing to make me laugh with lots of goofy antics early, but then bringing the sauce pretty hard core when it comes time to be scary in the last block.

9. Ellen Ripley, ALIENS

“Get away from her, you bitch!”

Part of the reason ALIENS is such a great sequel is that it stays true to the universe while creating a completely different film. The vibe, tension and purpose are all its own. A one-liner like this in the first film would have been out of place and completely ridiculous, but with the follow-up’s amped up, pedal to the medal, action/sci-fi extravaganza firing on all cylinders it’s a joy when Ripley goes Alpha Mom on the Alien Queen to save little Newt.

8. Norman Bates, PSYCHO

“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”

The line is subtle, probably worth little notice at first if you don’t know what’s coming. But the whole damn film is contained in the sentence. From the wording, to the tone and intonation, the body language, it’s all top quality. There are scarier moments in PSYCHO, but none as indescribably unsettling.

7. Chief Brody, JAWS

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

Has there ever been a better example of an understatement? We’ve hardly seen the shark at all by this point in the film, and the chase is just bordering on monotonous. Even Brody has started to relax a bit out on the open sea, and suddenly we’re all right in the middle of it. Rickety old fishing vessel vs. the biggest, baddest sea predator around. Damn straight you’re gonna need a bigger boat!

6. Various Psychos, IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS

“Do you read Sutter Cane?”

This is the first movie quote I ever wanted to get made into a t-shirt. Of course, I’m lazy as hell so it never happened, but still, the impulse was there. My favorite aspect of the quote is that it gets repeated throughout the film by multiple people (or not depending on how you look at it) and it gets creepier each time as the understanding of just what it means grows. So tell me, do you read Sutter Cane?

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!