The Best Of Horror

[Bartwald]

I was asked to prepare a list of best/scariest/most influential horror films in the history of cinema. I tried to do my best and came up with the list underneath. Now I'm asking YOU to tell me if I erred anywhere there. The point is to have a list of 100 titles, so if you decide that something should be added to it you will also have to tell me what - in your opinion - should be erased. Shortly speaking - please give me some reasons why YOUR title is better than the one on the list (you should have seen both films). There should be balance of titles coming from various decades, so if you want a 70's film to be kicked out, you should propose another 70's film in its place - and vice versa. No remakes or sequels.

The list:

28 Days Later (2002)
Alien (1979)
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Audition (1999)
Bad Taste (1987)
Bay Of Blood (1970)
The Beyond (1981)
The Birds (1963)
Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)
Black Christmas (1975)
Blair Witch Project (1999)
Braindead (1992)
The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1919)
Candyman (1992)
Cannibal Holocaust (1979)
Carnival Of Souls (1962)
Carrie (1976)
Cat People (1942)
Cat’s Eye (1985)
Cemetery Man (1994)
The Changeling (1979)
Child’s Play (1988)
Creep (2004)
Creepshow (1982)
Cronos (1993)
Deep Red (1975)
Demons (1986)
The Descent (2005)
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Don’t Look Now (1973)
Dracula (1931)
The Evil Dead (1982)
The Exorcist (1973)
Final Destination (2000)
Friday The 13th (1980)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Ginger Snaps (2000)
God Told Me To (1977)
Der Golem (1920)
Halloween (1978)
The Haunting (1963)
Haute Tension (2002)
Hellraiser (1987)
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1987)
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
The House (1986)
The Howling (1981)
The Innocents (1961)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
It’s Alive! (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Ju-on (2000)
The Last House On The Left (1972)
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Maniac (1980)
Maniac Cop (1988)
May (2003)
Medium (1985)
Misery (1990)
The Mummy (1932)
Near Dark (1987)
Night Of The Demon (1957)
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Nosferatu (1922)
The Omen (1976)
Open Water (2003)
Peeping Tom (1960)
Pet Sematary (1989)
Phantasm (1979)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
Piranha (1978)
Poltergeist (1982)
Psycho (1960)
Re-Animator (1985)
Repulsion (1965)
Ringu (1998)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Salem’s Lot (1979)
Scream (1996)
The Serpent And The Rainbow (1988)
The Shining (1980)
Sisters (1973)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Society (1992)
Spirits Of The Dead (1968)
The Stuff (1985)
Suspiria (1977)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1979)
The Tenant (1976)
Tombs Of The Blind Dead (1971)
Videodrome (1983)
The Village (2004)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Wolf Creek (2005)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Wrong Turn (2003)
Zombie Flesh-Eaters (1979)

[slayrrr666]

Nice list. I always thought that Bird with the Crystal Plummage was from 1971, but I guess that's just me.

I would've loved to see The House of Usher on that list, but the other films from the 60s aren't called classics for no reason. What's that Spirits of the Dead about, I've never seen or heard about. What about Les Diabolique? That one should be on there.

[Bartwald]

slayrrr666 said:

Nice list. I always thought that Bird with the Crystal Plummage was from 1971, but I guess that's just me.

Hmm... imdb is saying it's 1970, I thought it was 1969... Can anyone solve the mystery here? And thanks for bringing up the subject of the dates; it's possible I made some more mistakes there - my head went spinning as I was trying to get the hundred titles right - so your help in finding them would be most precious.

Spirits Of The Dead (Histoires Extraordinaires) - which I just watched half an hour ago, actually! - is a set of three tales based on Poe's stories, each directed by someone else (Fellini, Malle, Vadim); loosely connected with the source material but nicely weird and good-looking. Nino Rota's score for the Fellini episode is a treat, too.

Les Diaboliques is a good idea - I was considering it when thinking of the list - but which one should go then?

[frankenjohn]

Felini doing Poe-- that sounds cool, man.

[slayrrr666]

admin said:

slayrrr666 said:

Nice list. I always thought that Bird with the Crystal Plummage was from 1971, but I guess that's just me.

Hmm... imdb is saying it's 1970, I thought it was 1969... Can anyone solve the mystery here? And thanks for bringing up the subject of the dates; it's possible I made some more mistakes there - my head went spinning as I was trying to get the hundred titles right - so your help in finding them would be most precious.

Spirits Of The Dead (Histoires Extraordinaires) - which I just watched half an hour ago, actually! - is a set of three tales based on Poe's stories, each directed by someone else (Fellini, Malle, Vadim); loosely connected with the source material but nicely weird and good-looking. Nino Rota's score for the Fellini episode is a treat, too.

Les Diaboliques is a good idea - I was considering it when thinking of the list - but which one should go then?

That was the one I immediately caught that might affect placement of other films. Bay of Blood is 71, but since you say 70, it's still in the same decade, so close enough. So is Bird, by the way. It is 1970. I asked a friend who has the DVD and it does say 1970 on it. I really wouldn't know what to kick off for Les Diaboliques. The only one I can think of is Repulsion, but I haven't seen it so I wouldn't know. That still looks like the right list.

[Bartwald]

slayrrr - Repulsion has to stay, it's too much of a classic; and Les Diaboliques is not as much horror as it.

frankenjohn said:

Felini doing Poe-- that sounds cool, man.

Quite a trip indeed! And with the great Terence Stamp as the main character.

Any other suggestions?

[Quorthon]

I have to disagree with these:

Cannibal Holocaust
Last House on the Left

Both of those are more exploitation than horror.

No Jacob's Ladder?

And dammit man! Wrong Turn fucking sucks! Wasn't Cabin Fever 2003? Or 2002? That's way better than fucking Wrong Turn! At least Cabin Fever was original! Wrong Turn was just a lame rip-off of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I also don't consider "May" to be a horror film. More a gothy "demented love" story.

And if the list isn't supposed to have remakes, then technically, shouldn't Dracula be removed? It's just a different interpretation of Dracula than Nosferatu, which came first?

Also, what about the first Godzilla from the 50's? I'd suggest King Kong 1933, but I know it's as much an adventure film as it is a horror/giant monster movie.

Them! 1954 was the first horror/science fiction film to feature giant mutated bugs--and mind you, the best (Tarantula is second). And where's The Creature from the Black Lagoon? Also 1954 as I recall.

I'm iffy on considering Misery a horror film, also. It's a dramatic thriller in my book. I'd have put Christine up there first.

Sorry to have so many disagreements with yah, man.

I never finished Repulsion. Did it turn into a good movie? Because the first half sure did suck.

And Bart, there are better King adaptions than Cat's Eye.

Sorry again for all the disagreement!! Imagine how bad this would've been if you forgot Night of the Living Dead!!

[Bartwald]

Thanks a lot, Quorth! I'll definitely think about some of these - especially Creature From the Black Lagoon and the Nosferatu/Dracula problem. Last House On The Left and Cannibal Holocaust have to stay as I'm going to treat exploitation as kind of a horror sub-genre, just don't want to put too many exploitation films there.

Wrong Turn may eventually get replaced with some 2006 gem (Hostel, perhaps?), so don't worry about this.

Cat's Eye I just like a lot - more so than Creepshow.

Jacob's Ladder was there on the first version of the list - I may put it on again, we'll see. A great film.

Misery IS debatable.

Much appreciated!

[Quorthon]

I personally prefer Creepshow over Cat's Eye. Romero's atmosphere and cinematography (along with that music) make it such a strong horror film. I like Cat's Eye, but considered it too light on the atmosphere, personally.

Also another one:

In the Mouth of Madness. Carpenter's H.P. Lovecraft-inspired horror show with Sam Neil.

I was going to suggest Event Horizon, but decided against it because Paul Anderson doesn't deserve the recognition. He just got lucky with that one.

What do you consider Jurassic Park to be? That's a scary movie, too.

How do you like that? Three in a row with Sam Neil.
Heh, too bad I can't recommend Omen III! It'd be four!

Oh, why not Signs?

[42ndstreetfreak]

What the hell is that shit heap "Wrong Turn" doing in the best of anything?
Replace it with "Saw" or something. Anything in fact.

[slayrrr666]

42ndstreetfreak said:

What the hell is that shit heap "Wrong Turn" doing in the best of anything?
Replace it with "Saw" or something. Anything in fact.

Not really, I'd put Wrong Turn over Saw. Saw's big thing for me was the great twist at the end (Relax Q, it's the only part I liked about it. It still doesn't deserve to be on the list.) Wrong Turn was pretty surprising, and I liked it. Saw just had the one moment, but otherwise...

[Phoenix]

John Carpenter's The Thing should really be on that list IMO. It's on many people's top ten horror list and has been a staple in modern horror because of it's make-up, direction, and overall cult status. Perhaps you don't consider it horror? It is in my book and much better than a few of those. If that doesn't make your cut, I'm disappointed......

[slayrrr666]

He said no remakes or sequels at the beginning, Phoenix, so that's why it's not on there and why all of us haven't said anything about it. Otherwise, that would be one I would chew him out for. Just so you know.

[Quorthon]

slayrrr666 said:

42ndstreetfreak said:

What the hell is that shit heap "Wrong Turn" doing in the best of anything?
Replace it with "Saw" or something. Anything in fact.

Not really, I'd put Wrong Turn over Saw. Saw's big thing for me was the great twist at the end (Relax Q, it's the only part I liked about it. It still doesn't deserve to be on the list.) Wrong Turn was pretty surprising, and I liked it. Saw just had the one moment, but otherwise...

As far as I'm concerned, Saw and Wrong Tun both suck some major balls about equally. They might as well have been directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. I've agreed before that the end of Saw was it's highest point--and even that was kind of stupid.

Suspect Zero > Saw & Wrong Turn

Of course, Suspect Zero feels more like a thriller at times.

I mean, Wrong Turn had that part where they jumped from the, what was it? Fire lookout tower thing? And the one chick landed on her ribcage in a tree. And she was fine! Fuck that! Retarded over-the-top stunts in a movie whose plot was lifted directly from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Deliverance? Lame.

I'm with 42nd on this one--and here I thought I was the only one on here that hated Wrong Turn. I think I'm still the only one that hates Mimic.

C'mon, Bart--THEM!

[Bartwald]

Good point, slayrrr. There's a problem with The Thing 'cause even though it's not a straightforward remake or sequel to the '51 film, it is definitely treading very similar grounds - that's why it's not on the list.

Wrong Turn will eventually leave the list, perhaps, but in my opinion it's much better than the so-so Saw.

I'll reconsider Them!, Quorth.

Now, what remakes and sequels should get a honorary nod here (they still don't get to the main list , though)? The obvious being:

Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
The Thing (1982)
The Fly (1986)