A Bloody Good Time 10.23.08: The 100 Greatest Horror Films Ever Made, Part 4: #40-21
Posted by Joseph Lee on 10.23.2008
More classics turn up as we get closer to #1!
Welcome to A Bloody Good Time. Just like last week, we're getting right into things.
M:-X says: I doubt we will see love for Clive Barker's less known films like Lord of Illusions or Nightbreed, but I'm a fan of both.
It remains to be seen if either film makes it, but I do love all of Barker's work.
Shockmaster replied: The Grudge? Gadzooks, I HATED that film. If you have played the Fatal Frame video games this was completely tame by comparison. Add a lack of speech from the monster and no inventive kills and it was a snoozefest.
I think you may have the version I listed, Ju-On confused with the remake. Totally different movies. The Fatal Frame games are awesome, though.
JMAC says: Devil's Rejects - I prefer House of 1000 Corpses. The characters make this fun, though.
I thought House was a little too weird. Devil's Rejects was more visceral and grimy.
Eddie Chicago disagreed with me by saying: Se7en is not a horror flick, neither is Silence of the Lambs... they are unnerving and atmospheric but not horror flicks. Cube isn't a horror flick either, its a sci fi movie.
I really think it's subjective. Horror doesn't have to be blood and guts or lots of scares. Sometimes it can be all atmosphere which is what the three movies excel at. If Cube isn't horror, than neither is Saw, but that's a whole other can of worms.
And since I did so last week, I'll link you to the previous chapters of this epic list.
Plot:American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable, dinosaur-like beast.
Godzilla is THE movie monster, appearing in as many films as he has, being the biggest star ever in Japan and a worldwide star. Godzilla has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A fictional monster, mostly played by a guy in a suit, has that star. Godzilla's never been known for being too scary, or all that evil, but his popularity and staying power is what makes him #1 on my movie monsters list a few months ago. His debut film was a message about the horrors of atomic and nuclear weapons. It was also a pretty great monster movie, as Godzilla smashed everything in sight and terrified Japanese audiences. The Americans would at Raymond Burr and the King of the Monsters subtitle, but this is the version that's the best.
#39: Mimic(1997)
Directed By:Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Alexander Goodwin, Giancarlo Giannini, Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton
Plot: Three years ago entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease, now the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind!
Mimic is only Guillermo del Toro's second film, but he used it to show a glimpse of what was to come with his films. The Judas Breed cockroaches are very scary as they attempt to mimic both human appearance and behavior. These monsters want to eat us, so no one is safe. Even children can become victims of the Judas Breed, if they get caught. This movie features a particularly nasty scene involving using the dead bug's scent in the only way possible, by covering themselves in it's guts. Del Toro showed his promise here, and the result was a very nasty little monster film.
#38: Stir of Echoes(1999)
Directed By: David Koepp
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope, Illeana Douglas, Jennifer Morrison
Plot: After being hypnotized by his sister in law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her.
It's unfortunate that this was released around the same time as The Sixth Sense because it was quickly dismissed as a rip-off when it's not at all. Kevin Bacon delivers a great performance as Tom Witzky, the man driven to insanity by the visions of the ghost. When he's not digging up his backyard, he's having terrifying visions involving the decay of himself and the deaths of others. This movie caught me off guard completely and really did scare me, which is something that can't be said for a lot of horror films. It was superior to The Sixth Sense and yet disregarded as a cash-in. Check it out.
#37: King Kong(1933)
Directed By: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
Plot: A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal giant gorilla who takes a shine to their female blonde star.
He's a giant ape that goes on a rampage in New York (and eventually Japan). Kong is also a constant, sticking around cinema for as long as he has. He's America's answer to Godzilla (although Godzilla came after) and he's the only really big monster we have. Kong is known for being able to put the hurt on a T-Rex, get rid of pesky humans and destroy a plane or two. Kong has a group of island natives that worship him, and an entire island to himself to do what he wishes. He has the strength to break solid steel chains created just for him. Kong is King.
#36: The Wolf Man(1941)
Directed By: George Waggner
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr, Claude Rains, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Evelyn Ankers
Plot: A practical man returns to his homeland, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and imbued with a malady his disciplined mind tells him can not possibly exist.
This starred genre legend Lon Chaney Jr as Larry Talbot, the titular Wolf Man. The original was such a classic that it doesn't need me to praise it. But if you're one of the few who haven't seen it, it's about a man who becomes a werewolf after being bitten. Lon Chaney brought emotion to the role, and he was playing a conflicted character who couldn't help the fact that he was a monster and sought desperately to die so he could be rid of the curse. That's pretty dramatic stuff for a horror film. The transformations were pretty ahead of their time and The Wolf Man was scary for his day. Plus Bela Lugosi gives another memorable performance as Bela, and you can't beat that.
#35: The Haunting(1963)
Directed By: Robert Wise
Starring: Julie Harris, Richard Johnson, Claire Bloom
Plot: The film centers around the conflict between a team of paranormal investigators and the house in which they spend the night.
The fact that The Haunting was one of the first horror films I ever watched and it stuck with me this long is a testament to it's quality. This film isn't so much about the ghosts that haunt the house, but the slow process of a woman being driven insane. Insane to the point that she wants to be one with the ghosts. Robert Wise directs a slow, tense movie of a woman's slow descent into madness. It disturbed me as a child and it still holds up today.
Plot: A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
The claustrophobic feel is a big reason this film is successful. A group of girls are trapped in a darkened cave with no room to move around. On top of that, strange creatures are feeding on them. Paranoia is a huge theme of the movie and it works well. In addition to not knowing where the creatures are, the girls soon feel they cannot trust each other. The movie also features one big scare scene when the monsters are first revealed that I always felt was well done. It takes some concepts that have been done before and it still makes good use of them.
#33: Frailty(2001)
Directed By: Bill Paxton
Starring: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary, Jeremy Sumpter
Plot: A man goes to the police with the belief that his brother is the "God's Hand" killer. He tells a story of his father, who killed people he believed were demons.
It's a truly great horror film and something of a masterpiece. It works on multiple levels. It works as a scary film, it works as a mystery, it works as a religious statement. Matthew McCoughnahey has his best role here, and then there's Bill Paxton. The man is just on fire with this one. The direction he provides here is great, making everything work on every level. Then there's his performance. It's a conflicted one of a man who wants to serve God and kill these demons, but also has a great love of his children, even the one who opposes him. He's both frightening and sympathetic. Frailty is a great great film and I cannot praise it enough.
#32: The Phantom of the Opera(1925)
Directed By: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Ernst Laemmle, Edward Sedgwick
Starring: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland
Plot: A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.
One of the oldest and greatest horror films of all time. Lon Chaney is an expert at knowing what scares people, becoming a man of many faces. This film was from the silent era, but that doesn't take away the impact of the film. The ballroom scene, one of the only in color, the big reveal of the Phantom's face (which terrified audiences when it happened), all of these are memorable. The biggest reason to check this out is the performance of Lon Chaney, who was truly a master at what he did. He knew how to scare people and also make them sympathize with his character. You will do both when watching him in action as the Phantom.
#31: The Changeling(1980)
Directed By: Peter Medak
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish VanDevere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Jean Marsh
Plot: A man staying at a secluded historical mansion, finds his life being haunted by the presence of a spectre.
As I've said before, I love ghost stories more often than other types of horror films. This is exactly what you get with The Changeling, which is one of the best of it's kind. At it's heart it's a murder mystery, but that doesn't take away from the eerie and disturbing experiences which befall George C. Scott's character. He delivers a one-man show, playing a widower who is haunted by these visions. Could he be losing his mind or is there really a haunted spirit trying to get him to solve a murder? Seventeen years before Stir of Echoes, this features a similar plot and just as satisfying of a film.
Plot: A wealthy San Francisco playgirl pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people there in increasing numbers and with increasing viciousness.
Only Alfred Hitchcock could take a plot so ridiculous and so simple and turn it into one of the greatest horror films ever made. The Birds starts out slow, and then the birds attack and all hell breaks loose. From there it's a free for all as the cast tries to stay inside, but learn not even that can save them. The birds are everywhere and attacking everyone. No one is safe. This movie actually predicted an incident years later where birds went mad and attacked people. The movie had innovative special effects, great performances and of course, great direction from Hitchcock.
#29: Shaun of the Dead(2004)
Directed By: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy
Plot: A slacker must do something with his life when his neighborhood is invaded by zombies.
This movie has so much to love. There are references to the Romero movies, the Evil Dead movies, and virtually anything zombie-related that occurred previously. The script was written well because all the characters are fleshed out (and well-acted). The jokes that you notice right away are funny enough, but it's the jokes that you notice again on multiple viewings that are even funnier and more clever, because you see how they were set up previously. Shaun also unleashes Simon Pegg, who plays the straight man to every other character here, whether it's the asshole David or the loser Ed. He's something of a slacker himself, so he is able to provide his own jokes here and there. I was right there with him the whole time as he certainly has that "everyman" appeal that you would want the hero to have.
#28: Silence of the Lambs(1991)
Directed By: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthongy Heald
Plot: A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
I really don't have to say anything about this movie, as I feel J.D. Dunn covered it. But I'll add onto it. Anthony Hopkins and Ted Levine are both terrifying as Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill. Each in their own way. Hopkins provides a psychological, subtle performance while Levine plays the more visceral, perverse Bill. Jodie Foster shines as the heroine and the entire movie is loaded with suspense and genuine horror. It's no wonder this movie won a ton of awards, because it's a great horror film. Notice I keep saying it's horror? That's because it is.
#27: Phantasm(1979)
Directed By: Don Coscarelli
Starring: A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm
Plot: A young boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man, who keeps a mysterious arsenal of terrible weapons with him.
Phantasm is unlike any horror movie that came before it or after it. It's just very bizarre. What makes the Tall Man so scary? The Tall Man is creepy is the guy who played as him, Angus Scrimm. He hardly talks at all, but when he does, he says the lines just a certain way that makes them memorable. Plus his facial expressions, and movements make him one of the scariest villains to grace the screen. This movie has a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere throughout the entire thing, which works well. Then...there's the balls. These things really have to be seen, especially if you don't know what I'm talking about. Let's put it this way. Freddy has his glove, Jason has the machete, The Tall Man has balls.
#26: Hellbound: Hellraiser II(1988)
Directed By: Tony Randel
Starring: Claire Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham, Imogen Boorman, William Hope, Doug Bradley, Barbie Wilde, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford, Sean Chapman, Oliver Smith
Plot: Kirsty is brought to an institution after the death of her family, where the occult-obsessive head resurrects Julia and unleashes the Cenobites once again.
While it could never match the original, Hellbound: Hellraiser II is itself a very effective horror film. While the original is set in an enclosed house and the events are fairly localized, this is more grand and epic. The cenobites are in their home and we get visions of hell, which are not pleasant at all. Everyone has their own hell and they're all equally disturbing. This also gives us the Channard cenobite, which is unfortunately a short-lived character in the span of the series because he's very memorable (even if he did use bad medical puns that would make Dr. Giggles cringe). We also get some origins of Pinhead, but not enough that you ever know anything about him. Hellbound is the perfect sequel, continuing the original story but standing alone as something great.
#25: Poltergeist(1982)
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins, Heather O'Rourke, Zelda Rubenstein
Plot: A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts.
This is the movie Spielberg referred to as the "suburban nightmare". It opened a week after E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, which he called the "suburban dream". The movie starred Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams and Heather O'Rourke. The movie starts out simple enough. An all-American family moves into the suburbs and have a normal, calm peaceful life. Until their little girl Carol Anne starts talking to the "tv people" and strange things begin happening. Soon Carol Anne vanishes into the spirit world and the Freelings have to get her back and escape the hell their home has become. It's a very simple movie in the fact that it doesn't hardly ever leave the house, and the entire story builds and builds on a supernatural level until the very end when the house is sucked into the netherworld. It's this gradual building (which starts with chairs moving, a fairly tame beginning) that culminates in a wild ending and at this time you're behind the Freelings and just want them to get the hell out. This is done with the great performances from the cast, the superb direction of Hooper as well as the amazing special effects that still hold up now. Considering the movie is twenty-six years old, that's amazing.
#24: The Evil Dead(1981)
Directed By: Sam Raimi
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Hal Delrich, Teresa Tilly
Plot: Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
What a terrific little horror film this is. It's what put Bruce Campbell in cult status and made Sam Raimi a big name in Hollywood. Amazing what one low-budget movie with tons of innovative shots and gore will do for a career. But that's what you get with Evil Dead. This movie features lots of innovative techniques, lots of gore, even the use of claymation! It also has one of the most disturbing scenes ever committed to celluloid. If you've seen it you know what I'm talking about. Two words: tree rape. It's extremely disturbing and the fact that it happens early in the film is a sign of things to come.
Plot: Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
I mentioned 28 Weeks Later in this countdown and if you wonder how anyone could top that, well this is the movie that does so. 28 Days was an indie British horror film that became a phenomenon because of the fact it's so damn scary. The running "don't call us zombies" infected people that terrorize the empty streets of London (with the few survivors there are feeling for their lives) are some of the more horrifying monsters in quite some time. There is also a nice little tale here of how the survivors bond with each other, and defend each other not only against the infected, but the evils of their fellow man. Danny Boyle crafted a masterpiece when he made this movie.
#22: Fright Night(1985)
Directed By: Tom Holland
Starring: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys
Plot: When a teenager learns that his next door neighbour is a vampire, no one will believe him.
Tom Holland may have helped create Chucky in 1988, but three years earlier he had everyone jumping and laughing with this horror comedy. It's such a simple tale that's since been done to death, but it's the performances that carry this over the top and into legendary territory. William Ragsdale as the young man no one believes, Chris Sarandon as the charismatic and evil vampire and even Roddy McDowall as the washed-up horror actor. All of them deliver here and make the simple plot a lot more than what it would be in other hands. This also featured some great makeup effects and gore, and it's a very memorable vampire movie.
#21: The Fly(1986)
Directed By: David Cronenberg
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Plot: A brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.
Taking a hokey Vincent Price originally and turning it into something completely different, David Cronenberg gave us The Fly in 1986. Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis are essentially all alone in this one, playing off of each other and the situation they find themselves in. What is that situation? Jeff Goldblum is slowly falling apart and mutating into something that is not human at all. This movie works because it gets under our skin quite early and never gets out. When I say that Jeff Goldblum falls apart, I mean that. He loses body parts, teeth, hair...and his mind. The special effects are some of the best ever and the movie itself is disgusting and scary even 22 years later.
That's it for Part 4. Next week we get into the final part, where I show you the top twenty. Will your favorite make it? Tune in next week to find out!
Stir of Echoes and Frailty are fantastic. Good work on this list so far.
Posted By: Jeff (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 02:29 AM
You get 50,000 points for putting Phantasm on this list.
Posted By: Captain Patterson (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 03:22 AM
stir of echoes is an awesome movie. I didnt think it would be that great but it is.
The Fly= sex scene with Geena Davis. She doesnt show anything but its still a hot scene.
Posted By: gutter (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 04:26 AM
The Wolf Man is on there, so you automatically win. I hope more people realize that Universal is remaking it for April 3rd next year, with Benicio del Toro as Larry and Anthony Hopkins as Sir John
Posted By: SCF (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 06:43 AM
Everything's great on here except Stir of Echoes!
Hellraiser 2 is my favorite of the Hellraisers (1 was not Cenobitey enough, 3 was too campy, Bloodline didn't have ENOUGH gore and after that they all blew)
Posted By: M:-X (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 08:27 AM
100 cool points for stir of echoes and 28days later. I think that the only reason Silence of the Lambs isnt higher on the list is because its not a typical horror.
Posted By: Adam (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 08:39 AM
Stir of Echoes, Frailty and the Descent equals WIN. I read "the De2cent" hits in January. hope it follows up and is as good as the first. Stir of Echoes was great. I had the dvd for years befor my wife and I actually watched it and when we did, I couldn't believe it'd sat there in the binder so long, untouched!
Posted By: JP (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 09:26 AM
i dont care how many 'points' ther est of your readers give you, you have a COMEDY on this list (Shaun of the dead). WTF, and godzilla? Horror? lame. Frailty was awesome though.
Also, a genre isn't determined by a persons atmospheric opinion. Go to the video store....psycho is horror, se7en is drama.
Posted By: Big Cello (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 09:29 AM
Good list. Silence of the Lambs was probably the last movie that scared me in the theaters. If it scares you, it's horror. Watching Hellraiser 1 and 2 back to back (for the first time) snowed in at a hotel in Minn holds a special place in my heart.
Also, I know it won't be on the list because it #20-#1 is too high for it, BUT have you ever seen Serpent and the Rainbow? It is the only movie that freaked me out enough to leave the theater (I was in HS, so cut me some slack), and I still find it disturbing 20 years later. Whats you thoughts of it?
Great job. Your list on horror movies has been one of this entire site's highlights for the last 4 weeks.
Posted By: LAMANAMA NUMEE (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Frailty should be higher. Also, the Decent sucks. There I said it.
Posted By: Guest#4208 (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 10:15 AM
i dont care how many 'points' ther est of your readers give you, you have a COMEDY on this list (Shaun of the dead). WTF, and godzilla? Horror? lame. Frailty was awesome though.
Posted By: Big Cello (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 09:29 AM
Lets break this down a bit, Shaun of the dead had Zombies, which qualify as horror, albeit with comedy elements. Godzilla is and battles monsters. Monsters also qualify as horror.
Posted By: APrince66 (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Did no one like 30 days of night? I know you are to far on your list now but I would put it in my top 100
Posted By: Mike (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 11:15 AM
I'm sick to death of the overhype when it comes to Shaun of the Dead. Yes, it crossed genres but what's the point when you only do each genre adequately. The horror aspect wasn't at all scary and the comedy was a bit plain (especially for the high standards Simon Pegg usually sets with his comedies)
Posted By: mr_wishart (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Glad to see The Descent one there. Great Horror movie. The last one I saw in the theaters that actually scared me.
Posted By: Kevin (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 02:47 PM
Great list...... The descent though the last half hour or so is rubbish, the first hour or so was shit scary... I loved the creatures in it, they were creepy as hell.
Very intrested to see the top 20, though I hope to god the Shining doesn't win. Yes it was influential and yes it had its moments but overall I just totally think 'Shelley' took all the atmosphere out of the film with her ridiculous acting. Plus the fact that Jack gets totally owned by her at every turn....
I'm just ranting now... i pray it doesn't top this great list so far.
Posted By: Andrew Barbarash (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 03:05 PM
I was hoping Evil Dead and Fright Night would be a little higher. But both of them on this list are very good choices.
Posted By: Kip (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 05:53 PM
I definitely confused the American remake of The Grudge with the one ranked here, which I've never seen.
Stir of Echoes was a great film and the type that's so scary I dread watching it. There are very few films I can say that about.
The Wolf Man is a classic but for whatever reason werewolves have never intrigued me, despite the interesting moral conflict aspect. I'm just more of a vampire guy.
I only saw the abomination that was the remake of The Haunting with Catherine Zeta-Jones. As soon as they made her character bisexual for no apparent reason I knew I was in for a long couple hours (nothing happens guys).
The Birds was funny to me even as a little kid. Really, I'm supposed to be scared of crows? Maybe I need to see it again, but I just found the whole thing silly regardless of Hitchcock's involvement.
Silence of the Lambs goes under the premise "if it scares you it's horror". Nobody can say it isn't scary, so it belongs here.
Phantasm did have a dreamlike atmosphere and was scary, but I don't think I would have put it so high on the list.
I've only seen parts of Hellraiser films and even then on regular cable where they were edited to death. On my must rent list.
Poltergeist, like Stir of Echoes, is one of those few films so scary I'm reluctant to watch it. I can laugh at Freddy's puns and cheer Jason chopping people up but Poltergeist is legitimately scary. What exactly are these spirits? SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT: Was that thing in the kid's closet trying to suck them into hell? The tree trying to eat the son, that damn clown doll (I have always had a healthy fear of clowns not named Bozo or Krusty), you never knew what was coming next, and they couldn't fight something without form so defeating the monster was IMPOSSIBLE. The end saw the main characters all survive and simply flee in terror. How often does that happen?
Clearly this part of the list is solid since The Fly is the third one here so scary I don't like watching it. I saw this when my parents loaded the family into the station wagon and we went to the drive-in. I was nine and had displayed a stomach for scary movies, but nothing had prepared me for this. Her nightmare about giving birth to his, ahem, offspring was grotesque. His attack on that guy with the shotgun toward the end made me queasy. If you haven't seen this, you need to, and I would say the special effects are BETTER than anything I see now.
Another fine effort, and I agree this is the best thing on 411 right now by far. Just don't make Psycho number one!
Posted By: Shockmaster (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 06:13 PM
"Also, a genre isn't determined by a persons atmospheric opinion. Go to the video store....psycho is horror, se7en is drama."
-----------------
Yeah, how dare he form an independent opinion about his favorite horror movies, on this, his list of favorite horror movies based on his....independent opinion.
Glad to see The Fly was ranked so high. Jeff Goldblum was probably never better, and Geena Davis was smoking without having to do a whole lot.
I personally would've ranked Silence of the Lambs in the top 10, but seeing as how there's so much goddamn controversy over whether or not it's even horror (it is), it got a decent showing.
Posted By: BJC (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 06:29 PM
If you're gonna go ahead and put Silence of the Lambs in the horror genre then it should be at or near the top. For god sakes it won an Oscar for Best Picture! And if that's horror then if imagine that films like American Psycho or Zodiac you just didn't like or have yet to come, because they're way better than some that you have listed so far? I don't know, a little loose with genre specifications here
Posted By: yeah sure (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 07:33 PM
I mean by that logic going on subject matter and graphicness things like the x files or csi is horror. Just saying
Posted By: yeah sure (Guest) on October 23, 2008 at 07:50 PM
Way to go putting Fright Night in the top 25. Growing up, with the exception of the first Nightmare on Elm Street, I was never a real fan of the "slasher" genre & preferred campy movies much more like this. It was just so original for a vampire movie & everyone contributed probably their best offerings including Tom Holland the director. (Never much of a Child's Play fan). The female vamp is probably the scariest looking vampire ever put on screen. Props for recognizing a truly great, semi-scary, funny as hell horror movie. Also good ranking of Silence of the Lambs since I believe even those involved in the making of the film won't catagorize it as a true horror film.
Posted By: mj (Guest) on October 24, 2008 at 12:35 AM
While Fright Night belongs on the list, I don't think it belongs above classics like Wolfman, Godzilla, etc.
Posted By: Guest#6522 (Guest) on October 24, 2008 at 03:50 AM
Horror is not subjective. It's a genre. IMDB does not classify "Se7en" or "lambs" as horror films. Now i understand your point of why you see them as "Horrific" but that doesnt make them horror flicks. They are psycological thrillers and police procedurals.
Do you classify every episode of CSI with a deranged killer as horror?
How bout "Blue Velvet"? Frank Booth is deranged and evil and the film is down right dark and distrubing, but it's not a horror flick.
Posted By: Eddie Chicago (Guest) on October 24, 2008 at 01:11 PM
A movie that NEVER gets any recognition from ANY list and is actually pretty good and still is pretty creepy...The Serpent and the Rainbow. I don't think it should be top 20, but it certainly is top 100 worthy.
Posted By: Guest#5028 (Guest) on October 30, 2008 at 12:53 AM
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