Why Cape Fear Is Martin Scorsese’s Best Horror Movie (& Why It’s Actually Shutter Island) – Screen Rant

Cape Fear and Shutter Island are definitely two of Martin Scorsese's scariest movies but which can be argued to take the top spot?

Martin Scorsese is primarily known for his work in the crime genre, helming such masterpieces as Goodfellas, Mean Streets, and Taxi Driver. But hes occasionally forayed into other genres, like comedy (After Hours, The King of Comedy) and historical epic (Silence, Kundun). Hes hardly famous for his contributions to horror cinema, but he has directed a couple of fantastic scary movies.

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Arguably his best horror movie is his 1991 remake of Cape Fear, starring Robert De Niro as a vengeful ex-convict, but a close second is his 2010 psychological thriller Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a U.S. Marshal investigating a missing mental patient who slowly loses his mind.

Most remakes of movies with legendary actors giving iconic performances fail to hold a candle to the original. Against all odds, Robert De Niro managed to match the terror and intensity of Robert Mitchums portrayal of Max Cady, while also doing his own thing with the character.

De Niros performance as Cady doesnt hold up to his dramatic turns in other Scorsese movies, like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, but he did create an unforgettable horror movie villain.

The very best psychological thrillers sink their hooks into the psychology of the lead character. But using the tricks in the cinematic playbook to put an audience inside somebody elses mind is easier said than done.

By drawing on classic noir-tinged psychological thrillers like Vertigo and Out of the Past, Scorsese successfully brought Teddy Daniels skewed psyche to the screen.

The story structure of Cape Fear is pretty straightforward. A psychopath is released from prison and starts terrorizing the family and friends of the attorney who failed to defend him in court. So, the family is relocated by the feds and the psychopath follows them to their new home.

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Scorsese didnt try to reinvent the wheel, because the original Cape Fear already had an airtight plot. The scares arise naturally from that well-orchestrated structure.

Go here to see the original:
Why Cape Fear Is Martin Scorsese's Best Horror Movie (& Why It's Actually Shutter Island) - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero