Top 10 Must See Horror Flicks

[Zadoc]

What would everyone's top 10 must see Horror Movies be?

Mine are as followed:

1. Night of the Living Dead (hasn't aged a bit since it's 1968 debut)

2. Nosferatu (just amazing seeing how old this flick is and still capturing a great blend of primitive special effects and beautiful creepy scenery - skip Universal's Dracula and see this film instead - far more true to Brahm Stoker's novel)

3. Bride of Frankenstein (by far the best of the classic Universal Monster series, and the closest to it's roots in the Mary Shelley novel)

4. The Shining (the 1980 Stanley Kubrick version of course - disregard the TV Mini-series version and just enjoy a brilliant mix of Steven King and Kubrick)

5. Texas Chain Saw Massacre (pushed the boundries of modern horror films with realistic death and gore scenes)

6. Friday the 13th parts 1-4 (While part 2 is my favorite - scared the living daylights out of me as a child - I must admit part 3 - argubaly the weakest of the first 4 movies due to it's cheesy exploit of being in 3D - was the first Friday movie I ever saw. If I had to split them up and whittle it down to one movie, however, I'd have to go with part 4 - it's the 'end all' 'be all' of Friday movies. I also can't ignore the powerful ending of the first movie that launched this series - so seeing as that they all have strengths and weaknesses, I'm going to count them all as one movie. I wouldn't recommend going much farther in the many sequels this movie has - part 4 was supposed to be 'The Final Chapter' and the more recent sequels are just plain ridiculous)

7. Psycho (while not my favorite horror movie or my favorite Hitchock flick, you have to give credit where credit is due. This movie started off the whole slasher-flick genre and was the first movie to be based on the true life serial killer Ed Gein - who also inspired TCM. The death scene after the infamous shower scene is the highlight in my opinion - keep note of how long Janet Leigh keeps motionless and unblinking in one continuous shot.)

8. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (both versions - while I prefer the 78 film for better effects, acting, and characters you can't easily dismiss the original. It has it's own charm. Hard to really label this a true horror movie as it crosses over into the realm of sci-fi)

9. Deranged (One of the more accurate portrayals of Ed Gein's story. It stretches the details slightly but the Gein character 'Ezra Cobb' is by far my favorite)

10. Creepshow (In the time of it's release it was the perfect marriage of George Romero and Steven King. Brings the comic book feeling of classic horror seeials to life on the big screen - some stories are better than others, some age better than others, but all in all it's a well rounded effort and one that reignites the feeling of youthful horror nostalgia)

[Courtney]

HA HA!! And away we go!! This list does not necessarily reflect my top 10 FAVORITE flicks, however, it is what I feel the top ten most important horror flicks, and best flicks to introduce someone into the genre, I shall begin at number 10...hazaa!!

10. Alien- Beautiful and dark. While I enjoy parts 2 and 4 as well, this is the one I have the most respect for. Massive suspense and best of all...Jonesey Lives!!!

9. An American Werewolf in London- Proves beyond a shadow of a doubt we can live without CGI. While I don't mind a small and respectable amount of CGI, it just is not needed. What is important and great about this movie is that I find it one of the most respectable as far as blending dark humor with nightmarish horror.

8. The Shining- I think it is the best rendering of a King story besides Stand By Me. I don;t think there is much I can say about it that people don;t already know.

7. Creepshow- Not only does it blend King and Romero and Savini, it also has a slew of great actors that obviously felt the same way about the concept and stories. The Crate will always be my favorite, but I thnink as a whole, it IS the perfect on-screen rendering of classic horror comics. From the massively impressive score (of course, of which, I own...see me if anyone is looking for some rare soundtracks, I don't have a zillion but I do have some beauts, lol) to the fun lighting and intertwining of comic book pages, it really stands out.

6. The Exorcist- Another one I really don't need to explain. One of the few movies that still creep me out in certain parts to this day. I also think part 3 is one of the damn creepiest movies I have ever seen in my life.

5. Silence of the Lambs- I hope I don't get bashed for this, lol. I actually love all three; Manhunter, Silence and Hannibal. I feel the remake of Manhunter, Red Dragon, was adequate and at times good, but I cannot watch it as much as I do the others. By the way, Barney is the only actor in all four (he is a cop in Manhunter briefly). I just find this movie important in that I (I know others disagree immensely) personally find it a flawless horror/psychological thriller. Great story, intelligent and respectable acting/characters, incredible atmosphere, twists and turns, and it helped to bring some modecum of respect to the much faltering genre at the time garnering multiple academy awards...a first for a horror movie. I urge others to see Manhunter. That is rough in that it rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but it at least should be seen. And I knnow I get a lot of flack for this, but I find Hannibal brilliant, gorgeous and purely romantic...the only flaw I find with that film is the changed ending...Clarice should have gone with him. A person can only be pushed so far and the treatment she got from the FBI, her lifeblood, I DO find it believable that she would eventually crack.

4. Dawn of the Dead- While Day is my favorite, I have watched Dawn probably 100 times more. That sounds silly, lol. I feel that Dawn is important in that it really started a boom of wonderful things to come. Some will disagree with me, but I also find it one of the first horror films that generated a fanatical approach to the point of followers just drenching their lives in it at the time it came out, and those people are still loyal to it to this day. It was edgy and groundbreaking. It was a shout about the effects of consumerism and greed and power. And best of all...there were zombies in it!! On a side note, the reason I watch it so much more than Day is that I find it to be one of my "comfortable" movies. When I throw one of my "comfortable" movies in the player, I just let it run....I know the movies so well, they are sort of like background noise to me and a comfort. I better stop explaining before you all have me committed.

3. John Carpenter's The Thing- What I believe is Carpenter's finest movie. While I LOVE The Fog, Assault on Precinct 13, Escape from NY, Prince of Darkness, They Live, and Halloween, I firmly believe this was his most serious and beautiful piece. It establishes everything you need for fear: claustrophobia, darkness, cold, nightmarish images and distrust. This was the first film I remember seeing when I was around 7 years old that made me say "I wanna do that!!" (not morph into an alien or hang out with Wilfred Brimley, but make horror movies, lol).

2. The Evil Dead- Truly a must-see, if you can handle this you can handle almost anything. Gore, atmosphere, cheesy haircuts, possession, tree-rape and phenomonal camera work all rolled into one fun splatter fest. Paved the way for many a copycat.

1. Night of the Living Dead- The original of course (however I LOVE the remake!!!! Nathan is going to shoot me) I don;t really need to say much on this one either, except that it really started something big and I will always worship it for that alone.

A few honorable mentions: Jaws, Dead Alive, Halloween, Nosferatu, Phantasm, Friday the 13th, Return of the Living Dead (Nathan is going to really shoot me), Rosemary's Baby, TCM, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Psycho, and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

[WitchDr13]

I was really hoping we wouldn't have this thread just yet... as I have about 3 lined pages of "must see" horror/suspense movies. And since I've been typing, deleting, and retyping my list for almost an hour now, I'm going to give up and choose to not submit a list.

Except for no. 1: Tod Browning's Freaks

And to state for the record: I love Stephen King, own everything he's done, love Stanley Kubrick, have most everything he's done... but I could not stand The Shining. Am I the only person who didn't find it a little boring, hackish, and frankly, sorry, a really bad adaptation of one of King's best early works?

[The Ghoul]

Okay, I'm gonna play odd ball here and list mine to give you all a reason to argue.
10 -Dee Snyder's Strangelands
09 -Friday the 13th, just pick one if you want a nice night of casual violence with some friends.
08 -House of Wax (Vincent Price, Carolyn Jones... really creepy)
07 -Freaks
06 -X, the Man With X-Ray Eyes
05 -Scooby Doo... it's scary cuz it got made.
04 -Return of the Living Dead 1 & 3 (okay, more comedy than horror, but great nonetheless)
03 -Psycho, Alfred Hithcock version
02 -Hellraiser 1, 2, 4 (please, for gods sake, burn your copies of 3)
01 -The Living Dead Trilogy (Night, Day, Dawn)

I know you're gonna tear this list apart, so let me say in my defense that I'm dead. Rigor Mortis hit my brain months ago, so I'm extremely partial to zombie flicks. Clive Barker (hellraiser) is one of the sickest individuals to pick up a pen.
Let me make an arguement: I was never too fond of the Shining. It's a great movie, just not my preferred type of horror. I always thought the Halloween movies were dull too... every cliche of the industry gets into those scripts and Michael Myers doesn't quite have the personality of Jason (or at least the one he developed after Kane Hodder took on the role), which is why I prefer the Friday films. A Nightmare on Elm Street is classic, yeah, but I think that only one and two were particularly likable, while all the rest were just the same old crap around new effects.
Furthermore, I think that the sequels to Texas Chainsaw Massacre only destroyed the impact of the first one. I love part 2, parts of part 3 (like a Leatherface who moves supiciously like Jason Voorhees, on account of Kane Hodder's being stunt coordinator, no doubt). But part four was one of the most boring pieces of drivel I ever sat through, regardless of Rene Zellweger running around scantly clothed and seeing Tawny Kitaine or whatsername's boobs just couldn't make me forget that.
This list is also subject to change as my whim permits, so don't rake me over the coals for forgetting something that should be glaringly obvious...


~az

[The Ghoul]

Can you believe this thing wont print a name like Alfred HitchC-O-C-K?

[Courtney]

Poor Alfred!!! Lol! I wouldn't tear the list apart, it's how you feel! I was a bit surprised though at like X- The Man with X-Ray Eyes, my mom has that movie and loves it!

Hitch#@%!.
The #@%! crowed.
#@%!rock rules!!
#@%!er Spaniel.
#@%!eysville, PA.
#@%!pit.
#@%!-a-Doodle-Do.
Titmouse. That works.

[Zadoc]

The said:

05 -Scooby Doo... it's scary cuz it got made.

ROTFL!!!!!!!!

I know you're gonna tear this list apart, so let me say in my defense that I'm dead.

Nah...for the most part that's not a bad list at all. I had a tough time myself placing the 'Dead' movies - I wanted to put Dawn somewhere on the list, but then I came to the conclusion that all the buzz over Dawn wouldn't have been possible without Night anyways. Personally, I prefer Night (and Day) over Dawn, but you can't discredit Dawn either - it was probably the biggest box office draw of the three, and probably the most beloved.

I always thought the Halloween movies were dull too... every cliche of the industry gets into those scripts

That's my feeling too. I never really cared much for Halloween. It's alright, but put up against Jason and the Friday movies, Jason wins hands down. With Jason we're sympathetic to his cause, with Freddy we just plain hate him (his dastardly human life, I mean) but with Michael Myers we just don't care.

and Michael Myers doesn't quite have the personality of Jason (or at least the one he developed after Kane Hodder took on the role)

Now here I have to disagree. Kane did a reasonably okay job in Friday the 13th part 7 (affectionately known as Jason vs Carrie) but I think by this point (and certainly afterwards in the forgettable Jason Takes Manhattan) Jason became more of a ridiculous indestructable superhero.

Although he technically could never be killed in parts 2, 3, and 4 (aside from the ending which he was supposed to be killed off) he was always at least able to be subdued. If you hit Jason over the head with something heavy he was incapacitated and gave the victims a little chance to escape. Kane basically made Jason too larger than life for my tastes - Jason punching someone and watching their head fly off with ease is a bit too much. Every movie monster has to have some weaknesses.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is classic, yeah, but I think that only one and two were particularly likable, while all the rest were just the same old crap around new effects.

Again I agree. I've felt that Freddy is far overrated. Towards the end Freddy was more about slapstick comedy and one-liners before killing his victims than he was at being something we should be afraid of. After a while Freddy was more 'likable' than something to be feared.

Furthermore, I think that the sequels to Texas Chainsaw Massacre only destroyed the impact of the first one.

Again, agreed. The sequels became more campy, whereas the original almost had the feeling of a 'true story' feel to it. I've only seen bits and pieces of the sequels, refusing to taint the TCM name by watching the full flicks.

[Zadoc]

WitchDr13 said:

Except for no. 1: Tod Browning's Freaks

Hehe "ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US!"[/i] Honestly, I used to despise Todd Browning (after just about ruining Dracula) until I saw this flick. Outstanding that he employed real 'freaks' for the movie.

The 1970's flick The Sentinel tried the same trick but came off a bit more exploitive and tacky. It's sad to watch, as the movie shows so much potential to have been better than it actually is.

And to state for the record: I love Stephen King, own everything he's done, love Stanley Kubrick, have most everything he's done... but I could not stand The Shining. Am I the only person who didn't find it a little boring, hackish, and frankly, sorry, a really bad adaptation of one of King's best early works?

The funny thing is, that's how I feel about Steven King's novel verison of The Shining. I was pretty disappointed when I read it as it didn't capture my interest as much as the movie did.

But again rarely do my favorite Steven King movies match up with my favorite Steven King novels. (examples I loved the novels "The Tommyknockers", "Needful Things", and "The Dark Half" - while "the Dark Half" was disappointing it was at least watchable, the other two movies were utter pieces of crap)

One other example of Steven King novels vs movies that might ruffle some feathers is..."Misery". I loved the book, and even as much as I love Kathy Bates, I hated the movie. The whole foot scene was sooo much better in the book. I know alot of people feel just the opposite - loved the movie but couldn't get into the book - but I could never understand that.

[Mrs. Ghoul]

Well, I've finally been to your corner, and I'm a little disappointed that I've only seen one of the movies on your top ten list. ( Night of the Living Dead) Az needs to better educate me on horror films or I'm going to turn the reigns over to you Courtney. ;D

[Patricia]

My Top Ten List (these are the movies that scare me personally)

10. The Manster
9.Blood Feast/2,000 Maniacs (originals)
8.This Is Not a Test
7.Wrong Turn
6.Dead and Buried
5.The Evil Dead
4.Psycho
3.Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
2.Night of the Living Dead (original)
1.Carnival of Souls (original)

[WitchDr13]

Now, by "You" I'm probably not referring to most members of the board (esp Courtney... I've seen her movie collection... it made me feel inadequate). "You" refers to all those people whose idea of horror is Scream, TCM 2003, and Final Destination. Here's the list of harder to find, not on HBO, not featured at Blockbuster type movies... separated by me into 9 lists, with links cause frankly, I can't write reviews the way Courtney, Az, or Nathan can:

Best "based on a true story" movie:
Deranged www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev362.html
www.imdb.com/title/tt0071408/

Best cheesy 80's horror. (tie)
Night of the Demon www.imdb.com/title/tt0093624/
I just have a special spot for Angela...

Night of the Creeps www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev280.html
www.imdb.com/title/tt0091630/

Goriest movie ever... as far as I know.
Dead Alive (Braindead)
Note there are 3 versions of this movie:
US version (85 mins)
International version (97 mins) and
Uncut version (104 mins)
Don't bother with the US version unless you really have to.
www.imdb.com/title/tt0103873/

Creepiest movie ever.
The Other www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev245.html
www.imdb.com/title/tt0069050/
(with a pre-Three's Company John Ritter!)
If anyone has a copy of this to sell/dub, let me know... I havn't seen it in about ten years.

Best "Mad Scientist" movie.
(Also Best post-Danzig Misfits song)
Boxing Helena
www.imdb.com/title/tt0106471/

Best vampyr movie.
Nosferatu
www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

Best "golem creature" movie.
Bride of Frankenstein www.imdb.com/title/tt0026138/

Best werewolf movie.
An American Werewolf in London www.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/
Still trying to figure out why this is shown on Comedy Central... I just don't think of it as a comedy.

Best Horror Movie period.
Freaks
www.imdb.com/title/tt0022913/

[Zadoc]

WitchDr13 said:

Goriest movie ever... as far as I know.
Dead Alive (Braindead)
Note there are 3 versions of this movie:
US version (85 mins)
International version (97 mins) and
Uncut version (104 mins)
Don't bother with the US version unless you really have to.
www.imdb.com/title/tt0103873/

It's about time someone gave this movie some credit...This was the first movie Courtney and I watched together when we 'started dating' (it's a long story as to why I had to put that term in quotes )

Directed by a then-unknown Peter Jackson. It's a little silly, but it is done very well, and yes, it's FILLED with gore - you're going to squirm watching some parts without a doubt.

Best vampyr movie.
Nosferatu
www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

Best "golem creature" movie.
Bride of Frankenstein www.imdb.com/title/tt0026138/

No arguments here. Nosfertu 'should' be considered the official original Dracula movie. In some aspects I'd say it's even more faithful to Bram Stoker's novel than the Francis Ford Coppola Dracula from 1992 starring Gary Oldman. And Bride is the definitive Frankenstein movie and certainly the launching point of Boris Karloff's illustrious career in horror cinema.

Best werewolf movie.
An American Werewolf in London www.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/
Still trying to figure out why this is shown on Comedy Central... I just don't think of it as a comedy.

It's a stretch yes, but I do find the scene where a half decaying Jack confronts David in the movie theatre hysterical.

Overall though, it's got more dark moments than light hearted humor and it's kinda stretching it to call it a comedy. Evil Dead 2 would be better apt for that title, but alas it's 'generally considered' a horror movie instead.

[Courtney]

WitchDr13 said:

(esp Courtney... I've seen her movie collection... it made me feel inadequate).

Lol, thank you! I work hard, lol. Your list is perfect, and I agree completely I did some checking up and The Other with John Ritter is available at amazon and for cheaper at ebay. I have the good version of Dead Alive, as well, if anyone is interested.

[Mrs. Ghoul]

I'll call this my top ten "virgin" horror list. Until I met The Ghoul himself, I would have been the people who considered Scream a horror flick. Initially, he was genuinely surprised that I had never seen Silence of the Lambs. Once realiizing that I was a "virgin", Az began introducing me to real horror flicks. here's what he's shown me thus far:

Carnival of Souls, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, ( 2004, and then the original) Day of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead, Pieces, Silence of the Lambs, Resident Evil, Creepers, Texas Chainsaw Massacare: Next Generation, Jason X, Pieces, Silent Night Deadly Night, Horror Rises From the Grave, Jeepers Creepers 1 & 2, and Final Destination.

And just for refrence, pre-horror education, I watched the following "horror" flicks: Ghostship( which Az saw for the first time recently ;D), Scream, The Sixth Sense, & Resident Evil.

Based on this I give me my top ten "virgin" horror list ( 1 being the best).

10. GhostShip: basically, it made me squirm, twice!

9. Resident Evil: I was so relieved when this was over, therefore I'll give it a scare factor.

8. Pieces: really, really, really strange, that's all I can come up with.

7. Jeepers Creepers: odd plot, stupid people, I liked it.

6. Carnival of Souls: Okay! I will tell you I remeber being scared and we'll just leave it at that.

5. Creepers: one of the first flicks I was introduced to, it holds sentimental value and it scared me too. ;D

4. Night of the Living Dead: I rank this fourth largely due to the fact that I saw this 3rd in the Dead trilogy. (Ask The Ghoul.)

3. Strangelands: at this viewing, I was completely captivated by it and didn't talk much at all (and that's pretty rare).

2. Dawn of the Dead (original): it was really hard to choose between Dawn and Day, and I put this one 2nd, with a quick game of ene-meanie-miney-moe!(sp?) ;D

1. Day of the Dead: meet moe.

There it is, i bet the "virgin" term makes more sense now.

Mrs. Ghoul ( still enrolled in horror 101)

[ChrisHalen]

While not really a horror movie...you will always find it in the horror section.

"I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE"

A great movie. And believe it or not, it is a feminist movie. The rape scenes are extremely real and graphic, but the point of the movie...the political agenda is to show the strength of a woman. A great movie. Very well done. But I wouldn't call it a horror movie. Just because a guy takes an axe to the back, another guy gets hung (while he was "hung") and the classic "suck it bitch" line while the guy gets chopped up by the boat motor...it gets put in the horror section. My favorite movie of this genre.

Other favs...

The Vampire Journals
Strangeland
Blade
Carrie
Fright Night
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Interview with The Vampire
Queen of The Damned
The Halloween Series (except for the one where Michael Myers wasn't even in the movie)

I am partial to vampires.