You know what, I'm just gonna shut up and get outta the way because man, we got nothin' but bangers today. It's kind of been that way every day, but today, wow. Okay, shutting up now. Let's get to it with movies that are perfect ten vote getters.
68. Raw -- 2016, Julia Ducournau67. Pulse (aka Kairo) -- 2001, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
66. Mullholland Dr. -- 2001, David Lynch
65. Don't Look Now -- 1973, Nicolas Roeg
Time to crank it up to films that received eleven votes each:
64. The House of the Devil -- 2009, Ti West
63. The Evil Dead -- 1981, Sam Raimi
62. REC -- 2007, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza
61. Messiah of Evil -- 1974, Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz
60. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II -- 1987, Bruce Pittman
59. Ghostwatch -- 1992, Lesley Manning
58. Fright Night -- 1985, Tom Holland
57. The Exorcist III -- 1990, William Peter Blatty
56. Deep Red (aka Profondo rosso) -- 1975, Dario Argento
55. Daughters of Darkness -- 1971, Harry Kümel
54. Cat People -- 1942, Jacques Tourneur
53. Bride of Frankenstein -- 1935, James Whale
52. Barbarian -- 2022, Zach Cregger
51. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors -- 1987, Chuck Russell
50. 28 Days Later -- 2002, Danny Boyle
Ooh, now it's time for twelve not-angry...vote-receiving...movies...............
49. Train to Busan -- 2016, Yeon Sang-ho
48. House (aka Hausu) -- 1977, Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
47. Halloween III: Season of the Witch -- 1982, Tommy Lee Wallace
13 votes each! Spooky!
46. Trick 'r Treat -- 2007, Michael Dougherty
45. The Fly -- 1986, David Cronenberg
- Pulse is terrifying, depressing, prescient...its 20th Anniversary passed during the pandemic and I wrote a feature for Rue Morgue celebrating it and tying it to that particular time. One of my favorite things I've written, I won't lie!
- Awww yeah Messiah of motherfucking Evil!! I will continue to spread my Messiah of Evil agenda forever.
- A reader on The Evil Dead: "Bunch of us cousins would rent this every Christmas when I was a pre-teen/teen. Every time I watch I think of Christmas with the family."
- I love those kinds of ties we get with specific horror movies. When I think of The Evil Dead, I think of the friend I watched it with who made me take the tape out of the VCR when it was over--she didn't want to touch it because she was sure it was cursed.
- Barbarian was a late late night random "eh, why not throw this on" flick and hot dang what a flick it was! Loved it.
- A reader on The Exorcist III: "Kinderman talking about the carp in his bathtub plays on a perpetual loop deep in the recesses of my brain."
- It's great that Ghostwatch is so readily available now (I only saw it Back in the (Relative) Day because of the wonders that having a region-free DVD player can bring) and it still holds up so well, even if you know...you know. But wow, what it must have been to see it Back in the (Actual) Day and not know. You know?
I'm surprised that Fright Night came out on top of the big 3 80s vampire movies. (I voted for all 3). And also very pleasantly surprised to see Cat People so high.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, LOVE The Exorcist III. It's so much better than a movie with that kind of title would have any right to be. And while I'd never go so far as to say that it's superior to the first one, at least to me, TE3 offers more rewatch value. There are just so many odd/memorable moments crammed into this film. Like the whimsical dream sequence that seems to have been lifted from an entirely different movie and features blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos by Samuel L. Jackson and freaking Fabio of all people. Or the now semi-infamous hallway scene, arguably one of the best jump scares in the history of cinema. Or Kinderman being stalked by the old lady crawling across the ceiling as he investigates the hospital. I don't even mind the tacked on and studio-mandated exorcism at the end because it's just so bonkers.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my favorite part about this movie is George C. Scott. Man, what an actor! A lesser thespian would've shrugged his shoulders at the script and phoned it in for an easy paycheck. But with Scott, you can tell that he really sank his teeth into the role. His performance is so ripe with raw, desperate humanity. One of my favorite scene comes shortly after Kinderman has learned about the bizarre murder of his best friend. He tries to pretend like this is business as usual, but, while interrogating a doctor, it all becomes too much for him to bear and he suffers a brief but intense breakdown. It's the kind of emotional fallout that is shockingly missing from a lot of horror movies. As far as I know, Scott didn't really care about awards, but he should have received more recognition for his work in this film. Maybe if it hadn't been called The Exorcist III...
George C Scott is incredible, it's absolutely an Oscar-worthy performance. I agree--the scares are top-notch, but what's come to stick with me is that friendship between Kinderman and Dyer. Getting to see a genuine love between two older men onscreen is so rare, and it makes the film personal for the LT the way the first was for Chris. It's such an excellent film, and I love that so many people are seeing it for the first time in recent years.
DeleteI had [REC] on my SHOCKtober 2013 "10 That Scared You the Most" list because even before it was over I had to pause it, turn on the lights, and reflect on what I was doing subjecting myself to this much terror. I did turn the lights off and finish it, but I hadn't been that scared by a movie since childhood.
ReplyDeleteThe sequence in the attic had me literally holding my breath without realizing it, it's so damn scary!
DeleteAny time I see EXORCIST III mewntioned I lament that William Peter Blatty only directed two movies. Because both this and THE NINTH CONFIGURATION are such beautifully strange, atmospheric little movies unlike anything else you've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteEXORCIST III comfortably falls into the horror genre for many reasons, but I honestly couldn't tell you what genre THE NINTH CONFIGURATION was.
Thanks for the reminder that I need to see that!
DeleteI didn't have it on my list, but I'll note that Train To Busan is maybe the only horror movie that I've cried at.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's that and Sixth Sense. Great scares with hankies!
DeleteTwo more days to Halloween
ReplyDeleteHalloween
Halloween
Two more days to Halloween
Sil-ver Shamrock
Ahhhh now there are worms and bugs coming out of my face
DeleteMy first encounter with Barbarian was exactly the same. Up late, couldn't sleep, heard some things about it but was largely ignorant as to what I was getting into. Good times!
ReplyDelete