1. Halloween (1978) dir: John Carpenter
2. The Exorcist (1973) dir: William Friedkin
3. Psycho (1960) dir: Alfred Hitchcock
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) dir: George Romero
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) dir: Tobe Hooper
6. Frankenstein (1931) dir: James Whale
7. The Shining (1980) dir: Stanley Kubrick
8. The Thing (1982) dir: John Carpenter
9. Alien (1979) dir: Ridley Scott
10. Nosferatu (1922) dir: F.W. Murnau
11. Dawn of the Dead (1978) dir: George Romero
12. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) dir: James Whale
13. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) dir: Wes Craven
14. Jaws (1975) dir: Steven Spielberg
15. The Blair Witch Project (1999) dir: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez
16. The Haunting (1963) dir: Robert Wise
17. King Kong (1933) dir: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack
18. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) dir: Roman Polanski
19. Dracula (1931) dir: Todd Browning
20. The Evil Dead (1981) dir: Sam Raimi
21. Poltergeist (1982) dir: Tobe Hooper
22. Black Sunday (La Maschera del Demonio) (1960) dir: Mario Bava
23. The Phantom of the Opera (1925) dir: Rupert Julian
24. An American Werewolf in London (1980) dir: John Landis
25. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) dir: Jack Arnold
26. Friday the 13th (1980) dir: Sean Cunningham
27. Evil Dead II (1988) dir: Sam Raimi
28. Alucarda (1978) dir: Juan Lopez Moctezuma
29. Carrie (1976) dir: Brian DePalma
30. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) dir: Francis Ford Coppola
31. The Fly (1986) dir: David Cronenberg
32. The Fog (1980) dir: John Carpenter
33. The Wolf Man (1941) dir: George Waggner
34. House on Haunted Hill (1959) dir: William Castle
35. Night of the Demon (1957) dir: Jacques Tourneur
36. Frankenstein (1910) dir: J. Searle Dawley
37. Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) (1994) dir: Michele Soavi
38. Thriller (1983) dir: John Landis
39. The Addiction (1995) dir: Abel Ferrara
40. Aliens (1986) dir: James Cameron
41. Phantasm (1979) dir: Don Coscarelli
42. The Thing from Another World (1951) dir: Christian Nyby
43. Zombi 2 (1979) dir: Lucio Fulci
44. The Mist (2007) dir: Frank Darabont
45. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) dir: Jack Clayton
46. The Living Dead Girl (1982) dir: Jean Rollin
47. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) dir: Joseph Green
48. The Return of the Living Dead (1985) dir: Dan O’Bannon
49. Suspiria (1976) dir: Dario Argento
50. Salem’s Lot (1979) dir: Tobe Hooper
All but one of my choices made the list, meaning I have very few original opinions.
I don't know...I think I'm getting tired of the same old movies. Sure, sure, Halloween is amazing and all, but...enough already! I need something fresh and exciting to keep up with the break-neck pace of my active lifestyle, you know? Something that's as cutting-edge as I am.
It all makes me wonder about the criteria I apply in a "best of all time" situation like this, and why I'm reluctant to choose recent films. Is it because they've yet to stand the test of time? Does something have to hold up for 10, 15, 30 years before I think it's "worthy"? Maybe. I mean, if I were to make the list right this minute, I might very well include Inside, which rocked my face off wicked hard just the other day. Will I still feel that way about it in five years, or am I just harboring a crush? Where's Miss Cleo when you need her?
So, comment here, comment at the Vault of Horror, make your voices heard: "Where's THIS? What, no one included THAT? What a bunch of jerks!" Take a cue from anonymous:
None of the participants are qualified to judge these films. Only the general public who pay to go to the cinema should be allowed to vote. Critics should be outlawed!I know..."anonymous". Shocking, right? I love how lists angry up the blood.
Wow, I've only seen 20 of these movies. I'm in danger of losing my horror geek credentials.
ReplyDeleteIt is tough, I see what you mean about a movie like Inside, which stands a good chance of standing the test of time. But I think people probably feel more comfortable with older films precisely for that reason. They've endured, we can be sure they're not just a "flavor of the moment". Sigh...I think a lot will be illuminated a year from now, when we're all doing out "Best of '00s" lists...
ReplyDeleteThe problem I always have is that I look at these lists and find more than half of them to be, at the very least, boring. I'm sick of hearing how great Halloween of The Shining are. That I don't agree is irrelevant. I'm sick of hearing how great Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind are too.
ReplyDeleteAnd Thriller? Really? Mother fucking THRILLER is the 38th greatest horror flick of all time? A Michael fucking Jackson music video is a better horror movie than something like The Descent?
These lists are ridiculous. All they really do is give people something to complain about. There are just so damn many of them that they tend to lose all meaning.
Pretty good list, but yeah, pretty usual. I think Scream and The Strangers is way more deserving than The Mist (wtf?), The Ring definitely being better. Even 30 Days of Night is better than the Mist haha. Zodiac anyone? No Country for Old Men? Not typically "horror" but both scared me/are better than the Thriller video hahaha. And Suspiria so low??? Its not as good as the Mist? Lol. Some weird choices. And Salem's Lot? Really?? Movie is okayyy. Otherwise, I agree with Halloween, and actually the whole top ten ha. The whole idea and everything is awesome though, love it.
ReplyDeleteI know lists like this are subjective by nature, but still. A Michael Jackson video? A Michael Jackson video over Hellraiser? The mind, she boggles.
ReplyDeletei honestly think texas chainsaw is the scariest shit i have ever seen my short life. fo realz.
ReplyDeletebut i was surprised to see suspiria down there at the bottom of the heap. what the frack? that shit is scary.... the music, the razor wire, the dog. eeks!
i would get angrier, but i kind of agreed with most of the list.
Wait, was Amityville on there????
Oh!!! and i totally love Ginger Snaps.
Prince Of Darkness bums could kick the shit out of the Thriller zombies any day.
ReplyDelete..'sayin..
-Ben
The list is fine and all. It's just a list, so there's nothing to get upset over.
ReplyDeleteBut what I would like to see [HINT HINT] is a list [WINK WINK, NUDGE NUDGE] of movies that would not normally make a "typical" list like this of movies we've all seen and can therefore argue about. That would be really useful for me when I want to see a good scary movie that I haven't seen before.
What would the criteria be? I don't know. Maybe the top 25 movies of the new century? Or maybe the top 25 "indie" movies? Or maybe just the top 25 movies that aren't on this list?
I challenge thee to a future blog entry of "the top 25 horror movies we might not all have seen several times"! The gauntlet has been thrown!
Here's one to get you started: Audition Now run with it. Run like a little girl in a field!
I love that The Mist is so polarizing. It's a film that people absolutely went nuts over, myself included, or they can't stand. It gets a reaction and that's what good art is supposed to do.
ReplyDeleteI thought the criteria for nominations were way too casual for such a finite list, but nobody wants to be a nazi about it ...except for those whose opinions are worthless. So the line between "best" and "favorite" began to blur. Is *this* movie REALLY alot better than *that* movie? If not, why would it have been on somebodies list in the first place? I think the idea of "best" was left open to interpretation. We were only allowed a list of ten, so the fact that there was enough variety to make a list of 50 is pretty crazy, to me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there are sooooo many variables to take into account for a "top 10 best horror films ever made" list that a bulletproof list would take much more time than anyone can afford to give (not to mention a top 50.) And why would they when all people want to do is complain? Should Scream or the Strangers be included in my "top 10 best horror films ever made" list? Really?
I didnt put Thriller on my list, but the topic of the list is "best horror films of all time", and short films were not excluded.
The biggest problem I have with people who leave negative comments is that they are always pointless and waste everyone's time.
There are three face-rocking titles that are missing: Wolf Creek, Audition, Hellraiser.
ReplyDeleteAnd count me as an official Mist hater. Mediocre film with a suck-ass ending. (and no it isn't because it was a downer, it's because it made no sense).
Grrrrr. Bad Lists make Hulk mad....
No "Silence of the Lambs"?
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see a list like this, my cries of "Boris Karloff's 'Body Snatcher' is amazing, its his best performance ever, you must see it...." seem to disappear ever further into the void...
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I should get all pedantic or not, but I'm going to go ahead and be that thing, and point out that, despite what the credits say, it's generall accepted that The Thing from Another World was directed by Howard Hawks, not Charles Nyby.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Black Christmas didn't make the list, and this fact shocks me. Neither did any Val Lewton film, which doesn't shock me, but it does
Shit, I posted my message without knowing whether or not I'd completed my though. Work distracted me...
ReplyDeleteWhere's The Giant Gila Monster?
ReplyDeleteWhat if you had a top ten of not necessarily the best but the scarriest. For example I love the Thing, my personal favorite, but wouldn't qualify it as scary.
ReplyDelete