Re93animator's Top 100 Horror Films

→ in
Tools    





The Exorcist and Diabolique are great horror films, and i'm watching Rosemary's Baby tonight.
__________________
"Puns are the highest form of literature." -Alfred Hitchcock



The top ten:

10. Dawn of the Dead (1978)


9. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

James Whale’s mark is firmly in place of this one. Even though he directed the first film as well, his signature blend of dark comedy and strange themes come full force in this. Its effect may have lessened a bit over the years, but the ‘big movie’ feeling that it evokes makes it easy to watch in the mindset of an original audience member. It’s not hard to let yourself get wrapped up in what almost feels more like an event than a film.

8. Jaws (1975)


7. Halloween (1978)


6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)


5. Nosferatu (1922)

While filming his remake, Werner Herzog stated Nosferatu is what he believes is the most important film in German cinema. I know I used the ‘creepy old painting come to life’ description for Haxan, but I’d like to echo it for Nosferatu. Today, Nosferatu might be more famous as an image than an actual film. When thought of, a still of a strangely stiff Max Schreck comes to mind, even without having seen the film. The effect that the actual motion picture brings is twice as creepy, and the antique quality of the images only accentuates it (similar to the deteriorated visual style of Dreyer’s Vampyr).

4. Psycho (1960)


3. Alien (1979)


2. Frankenstein (1931)

The best and perhaps most durable horror classic around. The only thing that hasn’t aged well is the dummy falling off the windmill at the end. 1931 may have been the most important year for the horror genre, and Frankenstein was an eminent factor in making it that.

1. The Shining (1980)



I like to think of this as a sort of ‘jack of all trades’ (no pun intended) when it comes to horror films. It goes through a variety of different genres and sub-genres, has plenty of atmosphere, suspense, effectively abrupt shocks, and psychological tension. One of the only things I can’t really call it is a splatter film, though it does have its ‘slasher’ moments. It may be a tad cliché to say this, but it’s often imitated, and never bettered.


I'm still not done with this. I'll post some extra stuff sometime tomorrow.
__________________




Fantastic list, The Shining was an excellent choice for the top spot (even though I would've loved to see it go to Psycho )

Lots of my favorites here, and even more that I need to see.



Movie Forums Stage-Hand
I thought that The Sixth Sense and Beetlejuice would be higher. Also, the book of The Shining was a lot better than the movie. Great list though, thanks.



Here's the full list:

1. The Shining
2. Frankenstein
3. Alien
4. Psycho
5. Nosferatu (1922)
6. The Silence of the Lambs
7. Halloween
8. Jaws
9. Bride of Frankenstein
10. Dawn of the Dead
11. The Exorcist
12. The Thing
13. Evil Dead II
14. The Phantom of the Opera
15. Kwaidan
16. Rosemary’s Baby
17. Santa Sangre
18. Se7en
19. Diabolique
20. The Night of the Hunter
21. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
22. The Omen
23. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
24. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
25. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
26. Faust
27. Dracula (1931)
28. Haxan
29. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
30. Peeping Tom
31. Repulsion
32. Eyes Without a Face
33. The Innocents
34. Dead of Night
35. The Tenant
36. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
37. Blood and Black Lace
38. Let the Right One In
39. Fists in the Pocket
40. The Body Snatcher
41. Angst
42. Don’t Look Now
43. The Invisible Man
44. Night of the Living Dead
45. Videodrome
46. Deep Red
47. Misery
48. An American Werewolf in London
49. The Haunting
50. Aliens
51. Vampyr
52. The Devils
53. The Wicker Man
54. Black Christmas
55. The Evil Dead
56. I Walked With a Zombie
57. Sweeney Todd
58. Predator
59. King Kong
60. The Picture of Dorian Gray
61. El dia de la bestia
62. Island of Lost Souls
63. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
64. Army of Darkness
65. Kuroneko
66. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
67. Cat People
68. Onibaba
69. The Hound of the Baskervilles
70. In the Mouth of Madness
71. The Fly
72. Re-Animator
73. The Woman in Black
74. The Phantom Carriage
75. The Mist
76. Sleepy Hollow
77. Hour of the Wolf
78. The Sixth Sense
79. Scream
80. Mad Love
81. Black Sunday
82. The Kingdom
83. Night of the Demon
84. Dracula (1992)
85. The Cremator
86. Horror of Dracula
87. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
88. I Saw the Devil
89. The Man Who Laughs
90. The Birds
91. Braindead
92. Freaks
93. Beetlejuice
94. The Unknown
95. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
96. Cemetery Man
97. Shaun of the Dead
98. Who Can Kill a Child
99. Eraserhead
100. The Spiral Staircase


Plus, 101-150:

101. The Uninvited (1944)
102. Carnival of Souls (1962)
103. Ravenous
104. Black Sabbath
105. Suspiria
106. Funny Games (1997)
107. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
108. The Old Dark House
109. The Hitcher (1986)
110. The Thing From Another World
111. Martin (1976)
112. Angel Heart
113. The Wolf Man (1941)
114. House of Wax (1953)
115. Cure (1997)
116. The Lodger (1927)
117. The Collector (1965)
118. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
119. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
120. Poltergeist
121. Hangover Square
122. House of Usher (1960)
123. Jacob’s Ladder
124. The Abominable Dr. Phibes
125. The Ghost Breakers
126. Suddenly, Last Summer
127. Son of Frankenstein
128. Tesis
129. Dust Devil (1992)
130. From Dusk till Dawn
131. Night of the Creeps
132. Nightwatch (1994)
133. Near Dark
134. Isle of the Dead
135. The Orphanage
136. The Penalty (1920)
137. The Others
138. The Golem (1920)
139. 28 Days Later
140. Bedlam (1946)
141. The Raven (1935)
142. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
143. Gremlins
144. A Bucket of Blood (1959)
145. Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte
146. The Black Cat (1934)
147. Them! (1954)
148. The Fly (1958)
149. Cube
150. Creature from the Black Lagoon


Some great non-horror films that might appeal to horror fans:

Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Cape Fear (1962 & 1991)
Come and See
The Conversation
Delicatessen
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler
Duel
Gaslight (1940 & 1944)
High Plains Drifter
Manhunter
Mulholland Dr
Nightmare Alley (1947)
Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Scarlet Claw (1944)
Séance on a Wet Afternoon
Seconds (1966)
Shock Corridor
Shutter Island
They Live
Throne of Blood
The Vanishing (1988)


... and a bunch of stuff that I didn't know what to do with:

The Beyond – To be honest, I don’t really ‘get’ Fulci. I don’t see the ambition that fans claim he puts into his work. Even while watching his films with a lenient mindset, I’ve only found The Beyond and Zombi somewhat entertaining. Nonetheless, with the huge cult following that this has, I felt I had to give it a mention.

Carrie – I couldn’t put this on the list. Even if I placed it within 100-150, I feel like I’d be doing so solely because of its reputation. Just a film that I've never cared for, even having seen it plenty of times.

The Cat and the Canary (1939) – In the vein of The Ghost Breakers, more of a comedy than a horror flick, but quite a good from what I remember. It’s been too long since I’ve last seen it to solidify a place for it on the list though.

CHUD – One of the best 80’s camp films that, like Hardware, I just felt too subjective towards. It’s nowhere near a good movie, but it’s a blast.

Dagon – Quite a polarizing film. The special effects look like they came out of a playstation game, and the acting is predominantly sub-par (especially from the lead). But, the atmosphere is something of a masterpiece in itself; something that’s uniquely Stuart Gordon’s. But, I still couldn’t decide whether or not it should be on the list. Nonetheless, it’s a personal favorite.

Dracula (1931 Spanish Version) – I didn’t want to include this since it’s essentially the same film as the Browning version. It was filmed simultaneously to Browning’s version with a Spanish cast, and the Spanish crew took advantage of it by attempting to improve upon everything that the English version did.

Hardware – In the opening post, I stated that I can’t eliminate all subjectivity with any film; with Hardware I can’t eliminate any subjectivity. In a list of favorites, this probably would crack the top ten.

Hammer Horror films – Namely the Dracula, Mummy and Frankenstein adaptations. The production company made plenty of good b-movies, just not enough great ones.

Hausu – One that I can sort of understand the praise for, but I personally couldn’t stand. It has quite the cult rep though.

The Most Dangerous Game (1932) – Just barely missed the 100-150 mark. It’s made by some of the same crew that ended up on King Kong the next year, and even used some of the same sets.

Paranoia 1.0 – Couldn’t decide on whether or not it was ‘horror’ enough, nor could I decide if it deserved a position, but it’s another one of my favorites.

The Queen of Spades (1949) – Another film that I just haven’t seen recently enough to put in. Though, it’s worth mentioning that Martin Scorsese considers it a masterpiece.

Roger Corman/Vincent Price films – I felt bad not including more of their collaborations, since I do think they’ve had much significance, but I just don’t really think that many of them are good enough.

Street Trash – Extremely awesome, but I just couldn’t decide if it belonged or not. Highly recommended for the camp hounds.

Zombi 2 – See: The Beyond.