Ten Best Horror Movies

The Shining is my favorite horror movie.

Other favorites include:

John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (from Masters of Horror)
In the Mouth of Madness
Psycho
The Birds
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari

 

Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein

 

My list-

1. The Exorcist
2. The Shining
3. The Fly (1986)
4. The Thing (1982)
5. Poltergeist
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) particularly the ending.
7. Burnt Offerings
8. Lost Highway
9. Alien
10. The Ring (original Japanese film)

 

Funny, I just co-hosted a special episode of the review show I work on yesterday, and the subject was our 10 favorite horror films. Maybe not the scariest, or the all-time best, but the 10 I'd first scoop up
if required to.

Here was what I yakked about:

THE HAUNTING (1963)

PSYCHO (1960)

PHANTASM (1979)

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)

ASYLUM (1972)

SUSPIRIA (1977)

DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)

HALLOWEEN (1978)

THEATRE OF BLOOD (1973)

 

10 favorites:

Dracula (1931)
White Zombie (1933)
Supernatural (1933)
The Ghost Of Frankenstein (1942)
The Uninvited (1945)
Psycho (1960)
The Haunting (1963)
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Changeling (1980)
The Shining (1980)

Honorable mention: Doctor X (1932) with Fay Wray, directed by Michael Curtiz

 

Psycho
Rosemary's Baby
Bride of Frankenstein
Alien
The Innocents
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original)
The Haunting
The Omen
Poltergeist
Cat People (original)

Runner-ups:

Invisible Man
Carrie
Son of Frankenstein
The Serpent and the Rainbow

 

Glad to see there are more fans of 'The Changeling'.
When I saw 'Phantasm' in the 80s, I liked it. But I don't think I'd watch it again, because it might seem really dated and lose that appeal. (That happened with 'The Sentinel' which I viewed recently.)

It's sort of a supernatural adventure story; but 'Brotherhood of the Wolf'. It's not in the ten, but still a good yarn.

 

I enjoyed Brotherhood of the Wolf too. Not sure how you'd class it. A hint of horror, some martial arts, a bit of a Western and a large dollop of Hound of the Baskervilles!

 

Oh, I don't know. That's a pretty darn scary movie to me! Not many have scared me as much....one of those rare films where perhaps it belongs in both as its certainly sci Fi as well (I sure hope so)!

 

Don't know if its scary as much as it is weird! Jonathan Price was wonderful in that role! I try and watch it from time to time but it sure drags in places! I wish they added another backstory or something....it could have been an amazing movie, just not enough there for a whole movie IMO.

 

Definitely agree Jaws doesn't belong here, and you are spot on with Alien. And ya, Psycho is really more of a thriller though I can see some saying its horror. Halloween has to be my number one choice and at one time scared the heck out of me, but I've now seen it so many times its merely entertaining.

 

10 Favorites:

The Shining
Hellraiser
Poltergeist
The Descent
The Grudge
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Ring (Japanese)
The Conjuring
Grave Encounters
The Omen

 

Halloween is another movie I enjoyed, but the video transfers were awful for a long time, partly due to its low budget. I'd like to see the newer HD scans from the camera negative and see if the movie holds up for me after 30 years.

 

I think the boundaries of the genre - any genre - need to be flexible for growth, so I wouldn't want to argue against the presence of Jaws or Alien or Psycho on some of these lists, though strictly speaking their primary genre may lie elsewhere. The scene in Jaws where the guys are fishing at night builds up the tension and the audience's expectation using conventions of the horror genre pretty much the same way the attic scene does in The Exorcist and Psycho became something of a template for may other 'slasher' movies, though its subject matter was rooted in real life. If Psycho can't be classified at least partly as a horror, where does that leave Texas Chainsaw Massacre? More brutal, but inspired by the same events.

 

I would like to rewatch it at some point. I also tend to like horror from a certain period more for its mood and film quality than any real merit as a film.

I just rewatched Rituals (The Creeper), which also drags, like most of the films on my list.

 

Another list:

The Exorcist
The Shining
Halloween
Evil Dead
Rosemary's Baby
Ring (Japanese)
Jaws
The Omen

 

Yes, and even a little conspiratorial stuff-before Dan Brown-! It is said to have been based on a true pre-revolutionary story from France. As far as colours and costuming go, pretty decent too.

 

The only movie that scared the bejesus outta me was 'The Ring'. The US remake that is, not the lame Japanese original. That's the only reason why I have so much respect for director Gore Verbinski. The rest, in my list below are not scary at all but are just well made horror flicks. I classify 'horror' involving spirits, ghosts, zombies and such. For killer sharks, axe-wielding psychos with Nixon masks and others that'll be in the 'thriller' category. Not so sure about aliens from another planet though, I guess it depends if they are scary or not.

My top ten Horror Movies:

1. The Ring ( US version)
2. Shutter (the original Thai version)
3. The Entity
4. The Exorcist
5. The Haunting (original)
6. Drag Me To Hell
7. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
8. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (1973 TV movie)
9. Stir Of Echoes
10. Sugarhill ( not actually well made but it's the only blaxploitation zombie flick I know. Now you don't get much of those, don't ya?)

 

The Omen should have been on that list.

 

JAWS - Spielberg
ALIEN - Scott
HALLOWEEN - Carpenter
THE THING - Carpenter
FAUST - Murnau
FRANKENSTEIN - Whale
RINGU - Nakata
THE EXORCIST - Friedkin
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - Hooper
CAPE FEAR - Scorsese
Honorable mention goes to my wedding video...

 

I hadn't watched my wedding video in seven years, but popped it in the player the other day and - wouldn't you know it -
James Franco was in that too. You can't get away from that dude.

 

I just ordered the new bluray and I've heard it's nicely restored....will let you know. And after my new Wizard of Oz failed to play, I did go out and get a new mid level Panasonic player and it loads in seconds and plays fine now. I need to update that thread...will follow up with my thoughts on the new Halloween disc.

 

Good points....

 

Oh man, forgot about Cape Fear! That was something the first time I saw it, and it's still a fun ride. DiNero is just amazing, as always. Was well cast and well acted.

 

To this day, I've never seen so many people walk out of the theater as when I saw 'Cape Fear' in '91. Some folks actually ran. When 'The Gimp' scene went down in 'Pulp Fiction' was a close 2nd!