Horror Movies About Hands Can Be Silly, Gross, And Funny
With your hand on your heart, which organ works for you most significantly when you watch a horror movie? Most viewers will point to their eyes because the sights we see in most horror movies are the ones that are supposed to scare us, disgust us, or shock us. Others will argue that it’s the ears, especially in films based on Jump Scars or loud noises. In contrast, some people would mention the taste, like the nibbles we eat during a horror movie, or, if you will, the feeling of disgust that prevents us from being able to eat something. Some will point out that horror movies should act on our brains, even if, in practice, in most cases, it is very useful to take logic, reason, or rationality out of the picture when watching a horror movie.
The hand is not the most significant organ used while watching horror movies, at least not in the movies we see (what is wrong with you?). Nevertheless, in terms of plot, some films prove that the sky is the limit. There are horror movies in which the main enemy is the human body, sometimes a specific part of it, like a killer hand movies.
The following article will analyze horror films with murderous, deadly, infected, or strange hands. The best thing is that some horror movies about hands are genuinely remarkable; some are even considered cults.
Why Can A Horror Movie About Hand Scare Us?
In general, making horror movies about hands sounds like a ridiculous idea. Therefore, it is unsurprising that we can find quite a few films that use this concept.
If we sin in a somewhat “academic” analysis, we can argue that the hand can relate to our experience watching the film (not in the way you think, perverts!). Hands are an integral part of the human experience. They have many roles, such as communication with the world: in the beginning, the hands are the primary means of communication before we speak. We can touch, feel, express ourselves, or even create with our hands throughout life.
In the world of cinema in general and horror movies, hands can become a source of fear. The films are often based on losing human control, even over the human body. Psychologically, they represent control and action. When the hands become malevolent (as we will see later), our sense of security about controlling the body or the world disappears. There is potential for fear here because many horror films are based precisely on the idea of loss of control and stability.
If we get a bit picturesque or cheesy, hands symbolize closeness and intimacy (not what you think. What’s going on with you?). They are part of our relationship with the social environment, usually the closest. When they become threatening, our personal space is violated, and we lose some of our security, sometimes to the point of harming the integrity of the body. It is clear that the fear of murderous hands is irrational, but we have already seen that successful horror films can dispel our skepticism.
As you will see from the review of the films we will present here, a large part of the interest is the comic aspect of hands that get out of control and do what they do. Still, some of the more successful films use hands to say something about the world, sometimes even deep thoughts with a philosophical basis (did someone say Tim Burton?).
Horror Movies About Hands – Our Picks
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
“Edward Scissorhands” is one of Tim Burton’s best films, without a doubt. This gothic fairy tale film corresponds with classic novels like “Frankenstein” and the feelings of alienation that Burton himself stated he experienced in his youth.
The protagonist here is Edward (Johnny Depp, at a time when horror films were in his work and not in his private life with Amber Heard), a laboratory product of a veteran scientist (horror icon Vincent Price). The problem is that the scientist could not fulfill his creation before he died, and Edward was left unfinished, with scissors instead of hands. He is picked up by a pleasant woman named Peg (Diane Wiest) and adopted by her, only to discover that society’s treatment of outliers is the most frightening thing here.
“Edward Scissorhands” is not a horror film in the complete sense of the word, but it certainly presents the best Gothic cinema associated with Burton. It is a dark fantasy that says something about society and how it cannot accept those who deviate from it. Despite Edward’s good intentions, society sees what it wants to see. Even characters who change their attitude towards him – such as Kim (Winona Ryder), Peg’s daughter – discover that a happy ending is out of the picture in this film.
We get a must-see film here thanks to the exciting characters, the excellent acting, the gothic atmosphere, and the soundtrack (composed by Danny Elfman, one of Button’s co-creators).
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” differs from the other films on this list because the hand is used here mainly in the symbolic aspect. Nevertheless, since it is a successful thriller with touches of horror and, as much as necessary, a title that is scary on paper, we decided to include it on the current list. Arguably, the film uses the motif of hands as a symbol of care, protection, and trust, which is broken when someone with malicious intentions takes the reins.
“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” is a psychological thriller directed by Curtis Hanson, one of the most prominent suspense creators of the ’90s. Hanson is responsible, among other things, for the excellent “L.A. Confidential” whose screenplay received the Academy Award (along with nominations in the category of director and best film ), to the first version of “The River Wild” and even “8 Mile” with Eminem. He indeed manages to take here a plot that has since become quite familiar – about a woman who wants to take revenge on another woman for a terrible disaster that happened in her family, comes to her as a nanny and tries to carry out her plot – and builds it gradually throughout the film.
Although the script here looks more like a Hallmark lunchtime TV thriller, Curtis’ direction and strong performances from the cast (which includes Rebecca de Mornay, Annabella Sciorra, Julianne Moore, and others) do the trick.
And by the way, we just recently learned about a remake of the film that is in the works, in which one of the hottest actresses in horror cinema in recent years will star – the excellent Maika Monroe we remember her from movies like “It Follows,” “The Guest,” “Greta,” “The Significant Other” and the recently acclaimed “LongLegs.”
Idle Hands (1999)
We continue the review with “Idle Hands,” a film that brings me back to Friday evenings during high school when I would sit with friends to watch a movie we rented at the late Blockbuster. “Idle Hands” is a suitable film for viewing under these circumstances, primarily because it is too weird, and some parts are super funny and silly.
“Idle Hands” is based on the well-known saying that “idle hands are the devil’s playthings.” The hero is a lazy guy named Anton (Davon Sawa, right before he starred in the first “Final Destination”), who discovers one fine day that he killed his parents and his best friends. More specifically, he discovers that his lazy hand has taken on a life of its own, causing him to do horrible things like murder.
Anton, his dead friends who refuse to go to heaven and come back as stellar corpses (Seth Green and Elden Henson) and the sexy neighbor Molly with whom he is secretly in love (Jessica Elba, in one of her first film roles) try to destroy the hand. It turns out to be tricky because the attempts to cut or burn it in the microwave do not work. There is also a subplot about some bad guys wanting the hand, the spirit behind it, or something like that. In short, look for something other than logic here.
Although “Idle Hands” was quite a failure at the box office – revenue of a little more than 4 million dollars for a budget of about 25 million dollars – some would say that it has become a cult film, especially in the “stellar films” segment. It’s funny at times, with a bit of nastiness and sex, which makes it primarily suitable for Friday evenings with friends, even if Blockbuster isn’t there anymore.
Talk To Me (2022)
“Talk to Me” is a low-budget Australian horror film that we have already defined as one of the best horror films of 2022. In this film, the hand takes on a completely different role, which takes us to the sub-genre of the haunted object films, which coincidentally fits with the séance films. This is not exactly a killer hand movie, but it has it as the main object here.
The plot of “Talk to Me” sounds silly on paper: young people have a séance with a mummified hand that previously belonged to a medium. They realize a little too late that the contact with the hand causes them – after they light a candle, say “talk to me” and “I let you in” – to contact the dead, which causes them to see all kinds of things and make scary faces. The problem is that you must finish the connection within 90 seconds. Otherwise, much worse things will happen.
From this rather simplistic plot description, the fact that “Talk to Me” is an excellent film can be surprising. Still, it happens. The directing of the brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, who came from the realms of YouTube, does the job, as the two manage to create a tense atmosphere and several scenes that will accompany you. The unknown cast, headed by the talented Sophie Wilde, does the job. Some will argue that this is not a classic horror film but more of a thriller with psychological touches, but there is no doubt that it is pretty disturbing.
The “Thing” We Must Mention
In recent years, the mythical Addams family has returned to the headlines thanks to the hit Netflix series “Wednesday,” in which Jenna Ortega played the daughter of the Addams family. You don’t need to be an expert on the series to know that “Thing” – a hand with a life of its own – is one of the mythological characters of the family. We found it in the television series from the ’60s, the animated series in the ’70s and ’90s, and both movies in the ’90s (“The Addams Family” from 1991 and “Addams Family Values” which came out two years later), in the animated films in the teens and of course also in that Netflix series, which will soon return for a second season.
“Thing,” which started as a cartoon created by Charles Addams in 1938, is the faithful assistant of the Addams family. The hand is responsible for actions that gothic (and probably lazy) people are happy to do in their place, such as moving cigarettes and lighting them, changing television channels, changing the turntable records, and the like. But “Thing” also communicates differently and, in many cases, proves herself to be the voice of reason in this crazy family.
From Cutting To Clapping: Memorable Hand Scenes In Horror Movies
Of course, a horror movie doesn’t have to put the hands in the center to scare them to be creepy as hell. There are some very memorable scenes involving hands, and in many cases, they are haunted.
The Others “I Am Your Daughter” (Creepy!) Scene
One of the most favorite scenes of the writer of these lines is from the masterpiece “The Others,” which plays on the seam between the living and the dead. In the scariest scene in the movie, mother Grace (Nicole Kidman) talks through the door to her daughter, who is playing alone in the room. When Grace enters the room, she discovers that it is not precisely her daughter, and that her hand is not exactly that of a little girl but of an older woman.
This scene gave me chills for the first couple of times I saw it, and that’s very rare in horror movies for me.
Evil Dead 2 Hand Fight
“Evil Death 2” (1987) is another cult film combining horror, humor, and gore. In one of the most memorable scenes from the movie, Ash (the legendary Bruce Campbell) discovers that an evil spirit has taken over his right hand. The possessed hand makes strange noises, attacks him, breaks plates on his head, tries to strangle him, and more.
The desperate Campbell tries to cut her with a knife and later with an ax (“Who’s laughing now?”). Like this entire film, the result of “Evil Dead 2” hand scene is a few minutes of pure pleasure.
Videodrome Hand Scenes: From Gun To Hand Grenade
“Videodrome” (1983) by David Cronenberg, starring James Woods and Debbie Harry (the main vocalist of “Blondie”), is one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen. The plot here deals with the manager of a TV channel that broadcasts porn films, interested in torture films. He arrives at a library of videotapes, which blur the boundaries between reality and imagination. This complex film deals with topics such as virtual reality, the influence of media on humans, sexuality, and technology, plus various forms of harmful content, from Sadomasochism to snuff films.
In a memorable scene from a movie, the protagonist, Max, puts his hand into his stomach, and a hole opens that resembles the place intended for tapes in the VCR. He takes out a gun and very quickly discovers that his hand has turned into… something else. This change of formation symbolizes, among other things, the blur between man and machine and the destructive potential of technology on our bodies and minds.
Several other scenes in the film use the same idea, such as when the hand turns into a hand grenade.
The Perfection Arm Cut Off Scene
Continuing with the intriguing “The Perfection” (2018) of Netflix, which shows the relationship between two musicians: Charlotte (the fantastic Allison Williams, “Get Out,” “Megan,” “Girls”) and Lizzie (Logan Browning, “Dear White People”) are cellists, one retiring and the other on a meteoric rise.
At some point, jealousy develops between them, perhaps causing one of them to do something that will cause the other to cut off her hand because she thinks there are parasites inside. This film is strange (its final scene is one of the most hallucinatory seen in recent years) and uneven in its level, despite the excellent cinematography and the impressive acting of the cast. Anyway, the hand scene and the surprise that follows it are memorable.
The Conjuring Clappin Scene
Another example is the clapping scene in the “The Conjuring” movies, a game the characters play to make scary things and jump scared happen. Without going too much into the rules, it’s a combination of hide and seek and Marco Polo, a game that also starred in several horror movies (remember “Night Swim”? So it was one of the more likely segments there).
In the cinematic universe of “The Conjuring,” this game is the basis for a scene ending with a very effective jump scare. Much like the films themselves that make up the most successful franchise in horror cinema history, this description sounds silly and mundane, but it works.
Will There Be More Horror Movies About Hands?
Of course, this list only summarizes some horror films that gave importance to hands, and indeed, not every individual scene that combines hands.
But if you count the films and scenes on the fingers of our hands, you can see how a horror film with a hand looks like a strange idea on paper that can develop in different, exciting, and even scary ways. The hands in these films represent a wide variety of issues, such as the presence of a malicious entity, loss of control and threat to the integrity of the body, blurring of boundaries, etc., sometimes at the level of the narrative and sometimes in more profound ways. In any case, the films manage to turn what should be familiar and safe – our hands – into a source of discomfort, fear, or horror.
This is what horror is all about, so surely we will be able to put our hands on more horror movies involving this vital organ.
