Movies: HF's top-10 horror films of all time: #10 (LAST ONE)

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Big surprise to me, Jaws ran off with the 9th spot on the list. The Omen being next up on the 70s poll, it gets in.

HF's best horror films of all-time
1) Alien (Scott, 1979)
2) The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)
3) The Exorcist (Friedkin, 1973)
T4) The Thing (Carpenter, 1982)
T4) Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)
6) Psycho (Hitchtcock, 1960)
7) Rosemary's Baby (Polanski, 1968)
8) Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968)
9) Jaws (Spielberg, 1975)
10) _______________________

Past decade polls:

Best horror film of the 2010s
Best horror film of the 2000s
Best horror film of the 90s
Best horror film of the 80s
Best horror film of the 70s
Best horror film of the 60s
Best horror film of the 40s & 50s
Best horror film of the 20s & 30s

Click to read more...

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I'll again lean toward history and vote for Nosferatu.

 

[DaaaaB's]

I've never really thought of Jaws as a horror movie although I'm not sure what genre it should fall under. Maybe thriller.

Never thought of Silence of the Lambs or Seven as horror movies either.

 

[Trap Jesus]

You oldheads need to get with the times, man. The Witch and Hereditary are both modern masterpieces.

 

[kihei]

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Nah, the usual.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Never thought of Silence of the Lambs or Seven as horror movies either.

Same. Lambs is a psychological thriller and Seven is more of a crime drama. Neither is a horror movie in my opinion.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I've never really thought of Jaws as a horror movie although I'm not sure what genre it should fall under. Maybe thriller.

Never thought of Silence of the Lambs or Seven as horror movies either.

Same. Lambs is a psychological thriller and Seven is more of a crime drama. Neither is a horror movie in my opinion.

And couldn't agree more, but, again, the films that are in the polls are the ones that won the decades polls - and films that are included in most "best horror films" lists.

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Nah, the usual.

Now that's someone who makes sense.

 

[izzy]

impressive there hasnt been one high end horror film in 40 years apparently

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

 

[Trap Jesus]

"I wonder if this is the poll a modern mov-"

Film from 1922 on pace to win.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Old movies have a built-in advantage over newer movies ... time. They've already endured. Their influence is already evident. Only natural to gravitate toward films that already are considered classics as opposed to ones that could be.

There's some horror I absolutely adore from the past 10 years (The Witch and Hereditary among them) but I'm not ready to put either of those among the 10 greatest of all time.

I am tempted to make an argument for Scream though which not only has its own merits, but also undeniably gave birth to a more self-referential approach (for better and worse).

 

[Trap Jesus]

Old movies have a built-in advantage over newer movies ... time. They've already endured. Their influence is already evident. Only natural to gravitate toward films that already are considered classics as opposed to ones that could be.

There's some horror I absolutely adore from the past 10 years (The Witch and Hereditary among them) but I'm not ready to put either of those among the 10 greatest of all time.

I am tempted to make an argument for Scream though which not only has its own merits, but also undeniably gave birth to a more self-referential approach (for better and worse).

Oh yeah, I get why people vote for them. Horror is a genre I find myself being less critical of older movies anyways. There's a certain style and atmosphere to a lot of the classics that you simply can't replicate. I think there was much more of a grimy kind of cultish aspect that a lot of 70s horror really captured, and like a lot of sexual and perverse undertones. And I love a lot of the body horror and camp of the 80s. I love more recent movies because I'm big on the technical aspects of filmmaking, style really stands out to me.

My GF is huge on 80s horror and she made a comment that was interesting to me when we were watching this really campy and not great horror movie (I think it was Prom Night 2 or something), when she said that horror doesn't feel right to her unless it has that 80s grain to it, like the visuals and the audio. And as much as filmmakers try to recapture that today, they almost never quite get it right, it always comes off as very glossy looking and clean.

I think The Witch and Hereditary captured something that felt very classic horror to me though. Aster's stuff is really reminiscent of that culty 70s horror feel. Although I wouldn't put it up there among my favorites, The Blackcoat's Daughter was similar to me in that respect. And for whatever reason I got the same vibe from The Witch as I did from Rosemary's Baby. The Black Phillip stuff at the end really captured that similar vibe to me, it just felt very subdued and wrong.

I haven't even seen Nosferatu by the way, I can't actually judge that choice. That being said, Eggers re-making it would be really interesting to me.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Oh yeah, I get why people vote for them. Horror is a genre I find myself being less critical of older movies anyways. There's a certain style and atmosphere to a lot of the classics that you simply can't replicate. I think there was much more of a grimy kind of cultish aspect that a lot of 70s horror really captured, and like a lot of sexual and perverse undertones. And I love a lot of the body horror and camp of the 80s. I love more recent movies because I'm big on the technical aspects of filmmaking, style really stands out to me.

My GF is huge on 80s horror and she made a comment that was interesting to me when we were watching this really campy and not great horror movie (I think it was Prom Night 2 or something), when she said that horror doesn't feel right to her unless it has that 80s grain to it, like the visuals and the audio. And as much as filmmakers try to recapture that today, they almost never quite get it right, it always comes off as very glossy looking and clean.

I think The Witch and Hereditary captured something that felt very classic horror to me though. Aster's stuff is really reminiscent of that culty 70s horror feel. Although I wouldn't put it up there among my favorites, The Blackcoat's Daughter was similar to me in that respect. And for whatever reason I got the same vibe from The Witch as I did from Rosemary's Baby. The Black Phillip stuff at the end really captured that similar vibe to me, it just felt very subdued and wrong.

I haven't even seen Nosferatu by the way, I can't actually judge that choice. That being said, Eggers re-making it would be really interesting to me.

I'm a sucker for anything genuinely 80s or spiritually 80s. Likely a product of being a 41 year dude raised on 80s movies (especially horror - thanks negligent and/or cool babysitters!).

I think Eggers is fantastic. And he absolutely feels like he has a direct line to the past. Aster too, though I have to admit I strongly disliked Midsommar, which I thought looked amazing but was pretty hollow and derivative. I had high hopes for Ti West after House of the Devil, but have been lukewarm on everything he's done since then.

I waffle a little bit on whether or not technology is good for horror. I wonder if the ability to do something is sometimes too much of a temptation when restraints that older movies were stuck under would be better. I like a little grit too, less polish which horror benefits from. Sometimes the cheapness of old FX are part of the fun.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Old movies have a built-in advantage over newer movies ... time. They've already endured. Their influence is already evident. Only natural to gravitate toward films that already are considered classics as opposed to ones that could be.

There's some horror I absolutely adore from the past 10 years (The Witch and Hereditary among them) but I'm not ready to put either of those among the 10 greatest of all time.

I am tempted to make an argument for Scream though which not only has its own merits, but also undeniably gave birth to a more self-referential approach (for better and worse).

I was with you until you mentioned Scream. The only reason it had a following is because it was an obvious easy cash-grab. As self-referential horror, it came late after Demons (and its sequel), which is also a way better horror film (IMO). I think Wes Craven realized he threw a lot of things that went above everybody's heads in his New Nightmare (1000x more interesting as a self-referential film) and that he only went for the dumbed-down version. In short, I hate Scream, and everything else related to Kevin Williamson.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Oh yeah, I get why people vote for them. Horror is a genre I find myself being less critical of older movies anyways. There's a certain style and atmosphere to a lot of the classics that you simply can't replicate. I think there was much more of a grimy kind of cultish aspect that a lot of 70s horror really captured, and like a lot of sexual and perverse undertones. And I love a lot of the body horror and camp of the 80s. I love more recent movies because I'm big on the technical aspects of filmmaking, style really stands out to me.

My GF is huge on 80s horror and she made a comment that was interesting to me when we were watching this really campy and not great horror movie (I think it was Prom Night 2 or something), when she said that horror doesn't feel right to her unless it has that 80s grain to it, like the visuals and the audio. And as much as filmmakers try to recapture that today, they almost never quite get it right, it always comes off as very glossy looking and clean.

I think The Witch and Hereditary captured something that felt very classic horror to me though. Aster's stuff is really reminiscent of that culty 70s horror feel. Although I wouldn't put it up there among my favorites, The Blackcoat's Daughter was similar to me in that respect. And for whatever reason I got the same vibe from The Witch as I did from Rosemary's Baby. The Black Phillip stuff at the end really captured that similar vibe to me, it just felt very subdued and wrong.

I haven't even seen Nosferatu by the way, I can't actually judge that choice. That being said, Eggers re-making it would be really interesting to me.

Hello MaryLou is the only interesting Prom Night film!! I really like that film, even though it's campy, I think it works. The first one was the common formulaic slasher, and the third was just so dumb.... Part 2 all the way.

 

[Trap Jesus]

I'm a sucker for anything genuinely 80s or spiritually 80s. Likely a product of being a 41 year dude raised on 80s movies (especially horror - thanks negligent and/or cool babysitters!).

I think Eggers is fantastic. And he absolutely feels like he has a direct line to the past. Aster too, though I have to admit I strongly disliked Midsommar, which I thought looked amazing but was pretty hollow and derivative. I had high hopes for Ti West after House of the Devil, but have been lukewarm on everything he's done since then.

I waffle a little bit on whether or not technology is good for horror. I wonder if the ability to do something is sometimes too much of a temptation when restraints that older movies were stuck under would be better. I like a little grit too, less polish which horror benefits from. Sometimes the cheapness of old FX are part of the fun.

I'm actually not even really talking about special effects, I'd take the practical effects of The Thing over any modern day movie. I just find there's more thought put into camera movement/blocking today, and of course just general improvement in camera tech. Not to say that's the standard across the board, but when you have so many different people making movies now, you're going to find people that are looking to push the envelope on different things. Not horror, but the Safdie Bros are a good example of that to me, they're stamping their movies with a style through audio and visuals you wouldn't have been able to really do as effectively years ago. I find when I watch a lot of older movies it feels much more bland stylistically a lot of the time.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Ok, serious business. Voters from this last poll who ask for it will receive links to Amer (with subs) + La fin de notre amour (short film by the same directors, silent).

That's one recent film that you should see. Experimental giallo pastiche. Wonderful film.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I was with you until you mentioned Scream. The only reason it had a following is because it was an obvious easy cash-grab. As self-referential horror, it came late after Demons (and its sequel), which is also a way better horror film (IMO). I think Wes Craven realized he threw a lot of things that went above everybody's heads in his New Nightmare (1000x more interesting as a self-referential film) and that he only went for the dumbed-down version. In short, I hate Scream, and everything else related to Kevin Williamson.

Well I won't back down from my enjoyment of Scream. Seeing it on opening weekend remains one of the most memorable and fun movie going experiences I've ever had. I'm probably somewhat colored by that memory — no one really knew anything about it at that moment other than it was a horror movie staring Drew Barrymore so the jokes and twists hit the crowd hard. The first movie still holds up for me. (I'd go to bat for part 2 too).

I think its influence (again for better and worse) is undeniable. It wouldn't be in my top 10 but as I started to consider comparatively more contemporary movies that's one that jumps out to me.

But I absolutely will assess myself a five minute major for slighting New Nightmare. And Demons is a blast. There are a couple of Tony the Pimp lines that a friend of mine and I still throw at each other when the occasion is right.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I'm actually not even really talking about special effects, I'd take the practical effects of The Thing over any modern day movie. I just find there's more thought put into camera movement/blocking today, and of course just general improvement in camera tech. Not to say that's the standard across the board, but when you have so many different people making movies now, you're going to find people that are looking to push the envelope on different things. Not horror, but the Safdie Bros are a good example of that to me, they're stamping their movies with a style through audio and visuals you wouldn't have been able to really do as effectively years ago. I find when I watch a lot of older movies it feels much more bland stylistically a lot of the time.

I dig it. Not to be a broken record but that's certainly where Eggers and Aster are strong. There's good film making there full stop. Not just good horror film making.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

Old movies have a built-in advantage over newer movies ... time. They've already endured. Their influence is already evident. Only natural to gravitate toward films that already are considered classics as opposed to ones that could be.

There's some horror I absolutely adore from the past 10 years (The Witch and Hereditary among them) but I'm not ready to put either of those among the 10 greatest of all time.

I am tempted to make an argument for Scream though which not only has its own merits, but also undeniably gave birth to a more self-referential approach (for better and worse).

Well said. On top of that, I've seen my favorite older films multiple times, whereas the newer stuff has pretty much been single viewings (Get Out is the exception, but I don't think it was in any of the polls for some reason).

And I love the 90s, but it wasn't a great decade for horror IMO.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Well said. On top of that, I've seen my favorite older films multiple times, whereas the newer stuff has pretty much been single viewings (Get Out is the exception, but I don't think it was in any of the polls for some reason).

And I love the 90s, but it wasn't a great decade for horror IMO.

Get Out finished tied at #6 in the 2010s poll. The 90s had a few great films flirting with horror, with some of the most disturbing wide-releases I've seen (Funny Games, Audition), and some real fun more straight-forward horror films (In the Mouth of Madness, The Exorcist III). For some reason, people went with films that I don't myself consider horror (Scream being a pastiche and a - I'm sorry Kallio - weak exercice de style, I don't consider it really more of a horror film than Se7en or Silence of the Lambs). I could have imposed stricter rules, but I included everything that was mentioned in other "best of" lists.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

If there's takers for Amer, just hit me (here or inbox).



Also, would need that tie to be broken. One more voter please?

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I think I have said this in previous horror discussions but I rewatched Poltergeist for the first time in probably 20 years a year or ago and I was shocked at how poorly it did not hold up for me.

 

[Eisen]

"I wonder if this is the poll a modern mov-"

Film from 1922 on pace to win.

Most of the top9 movies are modern to me.