The Harry Potter franchise is home to some lightly scary moments, rather than any all-out horror. After all, Harry Potter is about as friendly as the best family movies go. It’s certainly a lot lighter than The Hunger Games, for example.
But the guy at the top of the Harry Potter cast list, Daniel Radcliffe, reckons that there’s a scene in the Harry Potter movies that serves as a secret homage to a 1970s chiller – a sequel to one of the best horror movies ever made.
In an interview with several Harry Potter fan websites, reported by MuggleNet, Radcliffe explained which scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 he found to be physically the most challenging.
He made reference to the scene in which he has to retrieve the sword of Gryffindor from a frozen lake and, thanks to the self-preservation of the Horcrux around his neck, finds himself dragged down into the icy depths. Thinking about it, it’s no wonder it recalled the best movies of the horror genre for Radcliffe.
Discussing the scene, Radcliffe said: “Underwater stuff is always pretty tricky. In this case, it was particularly tricky because I’m going under, into the frozen lake, to get the sword of Gryffindor, and obviously, the Horcrux is fighting for its existence, and it’s trying to kill me.
“We do what will hopefully be a pretty terrifying, almost sort of semi-homage to The Omen, where I get dragged up against the surface of the ice and sort of torn around by the locket. That was pretty challenging.”
Close, but no cigar, Daniel. The scene in question is actually from the 1978 sequel Damien: Omen II, which received rather more mixed reviews from critics than its predecessor. He’s right to identify it as a very creepy moment, though.
You wouldn’t expect there to be any connective tissue between one of the best fantasy movies for kids and a ’70s horror tale very much aimed at adults, but Radcliffe’s icy underwater sequence managed to bridge the gap. Both sequences definitely pack a punch.
We’ve got plenty more reading material for Potter fans, including our picks for the best Harry Potter characters and a guide to the Harry Potter TV series release date. You can also find out why you’ve been saying Voldemort’s name wrong for years and learn about everyone who has owned the Elder Wand, as well as why we think Hermione overshadows Harry in the movies.
Elsewhere, find out about the new movies for YA audiences that are coming to screens this year, including The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date and the Wonka release date.