I don’t know about you but when October rolls around, I like to get my Halloween on by watching as many Horror movies as I can feed my eyeballs. I love Horror year round but, this time of year, I like to overdose on films that get me into the season. If you feel the same, then I thought I’d post my Top 10 “go-to” Horror flicks. If there’s any you haven’t seen, you must stop and watch these immediately!
Now, this is NOT the Top 10 Greatest Horror Movies ever made. I want to be clear on this, and have to be, because people like to pick me apart. These are the films that get the most rotation in my house. I’ve ranked them based on enjoyment. While I might think Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best Horror films ever made, I just don’t sit down and watch it that much. This list could change from year to year (and I may revisit next year) but, right now, these are the “old dependables”. The flicks I turn to when I want a good scare and a damn good movie to watch. Make sure and share some of yours in the comments section below…
But, first, some EXCLUSIONS: I am not including any Comedy/Horror films. The films on this list should not make you laugh. So, while I like them, I’m leaving Shaun of the Dead, Ghostbusters and Army of Darkness out. I’ve seen them pop up on other Horror lists before and I don’t like it. I’m also excluding (one of my favorite films) Aliens. I know some people consider it a horror film but, while it follows a Horror formula, I have always seen it as a straight-up Sci-Fi film.
Now let’s jump in…
10. HIGH TENSION (aka: SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE).
You can’t make a Horror list without including a French film. I mean, they’re almost as effed up as the Japanese! While most Horror aficionados may turn to French submissions like Inside or Frontiers (both great films), I’ve always had a special place in my heart for this film. Which is not only a great Horror film but features a great twist ending!
9. THE DEVIL’S REJECTS.
So, Rob Zombie sucks at remaking classic Horror films but has original Horror making chops that I’d compare to the best out there. What I like about this film and the one that it followed is they remind me of 70s Horror. Great throwbacks to a great time in the genre. Zombie created an iconic Motley Crue in the Firefly family, a group of serial killers (reminiscent of a similar family in Texas) who take to the lamb in this sequel. I actually like the first two thirds of House of 1,000 Corpses a bit more but the ending always bugged me. It feels like it becomes a different type of Horror film and I lose my interest in it so this one gets a ton more play… and is well worth the watch.
8. 28 DAYS LATER.
Man, I Love Films’ own Nick Jobe has been quite clear on the fact that he considers this to be one of the greatest Zombie films ever made (you lose… deal with it!). I couldn’t agree more. Danny Boyle doesn’t really make bad films so it’s not a surprise that he could take a tired formula and inject new life into it.
7. THE MIST.
I don’t want to say much about this film because you should know as little as possible going in, but YOU MUST SEE IT! I feel like it might be one of the most underrated films of the past 10 years. What I can say is that it’s about a small town, located near a military base, that is overcome with a fog that brings creatures from another dimension. Much like a good Zombie flick though, the real drama comes from the effect it has on the people. I’ll also say that the ending will blow you away and leave it at that. I’m still looking to get the Blu-Ray and watch the alternate Black & White version which I’ve heard is amazing!
6. SAW.
I almost excluded it because while the sequels are straight-up Horror flicks, I’ve always thought of the first film as being a great Thriller more akin to something like Silence of the Lambs or Kiss the Girls… but, hell, a guy saws his foot off. I’ll count it. While the sequels may be forgettable blood baths, the first film in this franchise is a brilliantly executed film that never disappoints.
5. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.
BWP is one of those polarizing films. You either love it or hate it or shaky cams make you sick… Wussy! I’m one of those people that was all in from moment one. This movie scared the shit out of me when I saw it in theaters. And I went back to see it three more times. Which is quite a statement considering how much I love going to the theaters!
4. THE DESCENT.
Until I saw #2 on this list, I thought this was the best Horror film of the decade. I like it because it works on two levels. The first half of the movie plays on suspense and natural fears like claustrophobia. Then, it turns into an all out bloodbath as six sperlun… (let’s call them) cave divers get chased around in the dark by a group of unevolved human carnivores. A must see!
3. THE THING.
Of all the “classic” Horror movies out there, this is the one I go back to the most. My apologies to Mr. Krueger. The reason I go back so often is because it’s just a damn good film that achieves Horror the old fashion way. By building suspense, keeping you guessing and injecting a bit of paranoia. If you saw the prequel that came out recently and felt disappointed, have no fear… a great movie awaits you on DVD!
2. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.
I’ll be honest… I think this is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen! I saw this film in my 30s and left the hallway light on for a month after seeing it. I actually think it’s a brilliant film that doesn’t get a fair shake. I think many people see it as a Blair Witch copycat (formulaically) or an internet fad. I think in time though it will be regarded as one monumental film, not just in the Horror genre. After all, I do believe it is considered the most profitable film ever made (produced for $14,000 and taking in over $100 million at the box office). It also convinced Paramount to open up a film division strictly for developing films made for under $100,000. The first move of this kind since the Indie renaissance of the 90s. It also showed that the internet can be a valuable marketing tool as this film relied solely on internet support to find it’s niche in mainstream media… the first film to do so successfully. Did I mention it’s scary too?
1. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD & DAWN OF THE DEAD.
I’ve lumped these two together to avoid redundancy. Still, it comes down to this… Zombie films are my favorite kind of Horror film and Romero is the Godfather! I consider Dawn, hands down, to be my favorite. However, Night will always be the textbook that all filmmakers in the future will follow. I’ll also give a shot-out to Zack Snyder’s Dawn remake which I watch ALL the time and consider to be one the greatest remakes ever made.
So, what are some of your favorite Horror films to watch when Halloween rolls around?
I don’t think you’ll get much love for this list: Halloween? The Exorcist? The Shining? The Orphanage? The Evil Dead? Nightmare on Elm Street? Scream? Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Rosemary’s Baby? Don’t Look Now? Silence of the Lambs?
And thats just off the top of my head/looking at my own DVD’s…
I have a feeling you are going out of your way to ignore the “big guns”. Fair enough with Night of the Living Dead, Blair Witch Project and 28 days Later – I haven’t seen THE THING – but I am a huge fan of the entire SAW franchise but other then the end 5 minutes, it has the WORST lead actors ever – Cary Elwes “I’m a doctor!” and Leigh Whannell “I’m not an actor – I’m a screenwriter” are so bad to watch … one thing the sequels did was to bring on better actors at any rate! SAW is a great story with some incredibly gory sequences – and I do love it – but is it a better film that The Exorcist? No. Better than The Shining? Hell no. SAW is a guilty pleasure for me – and ‘guilty’ is the operative word.
You know, he did emphasize that this was a “favorite” list, not a “best” list. So I think it’s OK to have “guilty pleasures” on here… and it makes the “is it better than…” argument moot.
True. You’d be hard pressed to leave The Exorcist off a top-10 best or most important horror film list, but it wouldn’t come close to my top-10 favorite list.
Now, 28 Days Later would, because it’s my favorite zombie movie (I’m with Kai on this one).
Like Nick said, “favorite” not “best”. I don’t believe anyone whose “favorites” list reads like any random “best” list you can dredge up from any respected critical institution.
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:06 pm
Simon, please read intro to post. Here is the start of the second paragraph:
“Now, this is NOT the Top 10 Greatest Horror Movies ever made. I want to be clear on this, and have to be, because people like to pick me apart. These are the films that get the most rotation in my house”
I would certainly have Freddy and Leatherface on a best ever. As I said above, this list could change from year to year but in the past year these films have gotten the highest rotation in my house. They are merely viewing suggestions for the holiday.
Despite my comment to Simon, I will say that this probably wouldn’t look anything like my own list. It would have 28 Days Later (which is not a zombie movie. Deal with it) and Saw, but that’s about it. Possibly the Snyder remake of Dawn. But I’ll have to think about what my list would entail.
And I still think The Descent is one of the most overrated horror films of the last decade.
Even I’M getting tired of the whole “28 Days Later/zombie” thing. Who cares if it’s a zombie movie or not, it’s still a good movie. Dammit!
-Jason
28 Days Later is not a good movie. 28 Days Later is made out of awesome. “Good” is not nearly enough to describe it.
Hey… he’s the one who keeps bringing it up!
what?! kai is beating something to death?…killing a once good joke…that NEVER happens!
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:07 pm
Zombie!
Out of curiousity, Nick, have you seen Night Dawn and Day (originals)?
Kai: Of course I have! I own both Night and Dawn. I actually don’t care for Day.
Twitter: manilovefilms
October 25, 2011 8:41 am
I haven’t seen any of ‘em! The sad thing is that I’ve owned Night for like 5 years now, if not longer. One day…
Also…Kai, send me Snyder’s Dawn! That’s the “of the Dead” I most want to see.
Twitter: kaiderman
October 25, 2011 6:22 pm
Dylan, I can do that but is it not streaming?
Twitter: manilovefilms
October 25, 2011 10:49 pm
I was half-joking…but no, it’s not streaming.
Twitter: fandangogroover
October 24, 2011 6:30 am
I wouldn’t argue with anything on the list. For me The Descent was the best horror of the decade as mentioned here: http://wp.me/prVbF-DB (compiled before I had seen Paranormal Activity).
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:08 pm
I’m with you, Andy. Did Paranormal surpass it for you as well?
WITHOUT GIVING THE ENDING AWAY, I’ve heard that the ending of ‘The Mist’ was more of a polarizing WTF-moment than simply flat-out awesome. True? (Either way, I’d like to see it eventually.)
It’s true. It’s more polarizing WTF than anything. Either you think it’s very brilliant or too cruel.
Yeah, when Thomas Jane is revealed to be Jesus and he raptures the entire town-AW FUCK! Sorry!
-Jason
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:09 pm
It knocked me on my ass. I was dumbfounded. Two minutes earlier, I looked over at my wife and said the studio would never let them do that… and then they did it!!!
Love anytime The Thing gets love.
Same here, huge fan of The Thing. It’s cool to see a list of someone’s personal favorites, take a break from the typical top-ten all-time lists. Also really cool to see that someone else has Night of the Living Dead as their favorite, I think this movie doesn’t get as much love as it should. I’m following this horror movie bracket with fan-nominated entries and fan voting ( http://goo.gl/lRMcP ) and was really dissapointed to see Night of the Living Dead get knocked out in round one. Still have a chance though to get my #2 favorite, The Shining, the win.
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:10 pm
As I said, I prefer Dawn but I think Night is the perfect Zombie film… the Bible (if you will).
Thanks for the appreciation. We don’t do definitive here because we don’t believe there is such a thing. Just personal opinions and fun movie discussion.
Twitter: MarkusWelby1
October 24, 2011 8:27 am
HMMMMM…..KAI sir you are most enigmatic. You doth protest the horror/comedy, but I do indeed see “The Devil’s Rejects” making the list which is chock full of chuckle inducing dialogue at every turn. I therefore disqualify it from the list.
I think he meant films that tried to be funny throughout the whole movie. Sure there MIGHT be some laughs in “Devil’s Rejects” but can it be classified as a comedy? Not really.
-Jason
Twitter: MarkusWelby1
October 24, 2011 8:39 am
Zombie did try to be funny throughout. It’s one of my favorite horror films so believe me I know. A great majority of the dialogue in the movie is meant to elicit a laugh. He deals in horror……but he also deals in black comedy. Rejects is a hybrid of many different genres.
I wouldn’t classify Rejects as horror-comedy at all. It’s not predicated on consistent comedic beats throughout and it doesn’t mine its most brutal and frightening moments for laughter; even in Shaun there are punchlines during moments of high tension.
Twitter: MarkusWelby1
October 24, 2011 11:34 am
Doctor Satan recommends 2 re-watches of Rob Zombie’s horror/comedy/exploitation hybrid and call him in the morning.
Twitter: MarkusWelby1
October 24, 2011 11:44 am
“The movie is not merely disgusting, but has an attitude and a subversive sense of humor. Its actors venture into camp satire, but never seem to know it’s funny; their sincerity gives the jokes a kind of solemn gallows cackle”
quote from Ebert’s review. It aint just me baby…..the fatman hath spoken….thumbs up.
I’d recommend 3-4 watches of Shaun of the Dead for a proper idea of what “horror comedy” means. By your logic Aliens is a fucking horror comedy because it has a few funny moments in it.
Also, re: Ebert. He’s just confirming that it has a sense of humor. I’m not saying Rejects doesn’t have a few punchlines, but that hardly qualifies it as “horror comedy”, which is kind of specific.
Twitter: MarkusWelby1
October 24, 2011 1:22 pm
objection overruled.
…okay.
I’m with Andrew. Rejects ain’t a horror/comedy, no matter what the fat man sayeth. It might have comic moments, but a lot of horror films do. And they’re meant to. But horror/comedies are generally on the silly/goofy side. Rejects might be out there, but it’s no where near the same categorization as Shaun or Flight of the Living Dead or Dead Alive or Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. It’s a dark slasher with clever dialogue. That doesn’t make it part comedy.
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:12 pm
Markus…. really???
Twitter: MarkusWelby1
October 24, 2011 10:44 pm
Let me be clear when I say that I respect everyone’s counterpoints. Well played. The Devils Rejects is such an unusual beast that I can’t classify it as total horror, nor can I say it’s total comedy. It’s a strange sort of hybrid, and truthfully though there were some genuinely horrific moments (the hotel scene) I found myself laughing more than not. I just have trouble taking seriously a family of serial killers that are named after the Marx brothers and spending an entire lengthy scene talking about chicken fucking. I actually love this film and own it, but there’s no denying the darkly comedic tone Zombie was going for.
Twitter: kaiderman
October 25, 2011 6:23 pm
Put it this way… Shaun of the Dead plays on Comedy Central… would Rejects?
Twitter: manilovefilms
October 25, 2011 10:49 pm
Mmm…good question. I think that solves it.
Apparently my title of “horror guy” around here doesn’t carry as much weight as I thought.
Seriously though, I highly doubt Rob Zombie himself meant for “Devils Rejects” to be a “horror-comedy”. He meant it to be a “exploitative horror” film. At time same time making a horror version of “The Empire Strikes Back”.
-Jason
Markus, I don’t deny that Zombie went for laughs in his script, but I don’t think it muddies the waters when trying to classify the film at all because Rejects is very clearly an exploitative slasher flick before it’s a comedy film.
Twitter: callmesirphobos
October 24, 2011 6:53 pm
You guys can argue over it being a horror/comedy all you like. I haven’t watched it in a few years, so I would need to catch up before I jumped in with my own opinion. All I’ll say is here’s a quote from Rob Zombie, talking about the comedy in the movie:
“Well I thought if the movie didn’t have scenes like that, the movie could be almost unwatchable. Because the movie becomes so bleak. It’s like anything, you need to create a flow. In order for the darker scenes to work you need to lighten a few scenes here and there. Otherwise it becomes too aggressive.”
I’ve had whole towns burn images of me in effigy because I said I hated “The Descent”. It’s an hour and 25 minutes of chicks climbing ropes and then 5 minutes of monsters. I only paid 4 bucks for the DVD and I still felt ripped off.
Everything else on here is an awesome pick, which I get that it’s your PERSONAL FAVORITE top ten. Later this week on my blog I’m gonna roll out a top ten of my personal favorites.
What, no mention of “Martyrs”?
-Jason
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:13 pm
No, haha… no Martyrs. You’re welcome to share that list here this weekend if you want to.
Eldritch horrors locked away from the world before man unwittingly releases them. Masked killers stalking the woods or the suburbs or the cities murdering kids who just want to get their rocks off. Angry spirits wreaking havoc on the lives of the living. They’re all perfectly scary in their fashion but to date few films scare me more than The Wicker Man, which calls on none of these and instead just falls back on plain old human madness and cruelty.
The Thing also makes the list, but I don’t find it “scary” as much as I just find it to be an excellent piece of filmmaking all around.
Great calls all around here, and apart from The Thing we share Night of the Living Dead and The Descent in common.
Twitter: Joelburman
October 24, 2011 12:05 pm
I assume there will be a follow up list with the best horror films where I hope to find poltergeist, the exorcist, halloween, scream etc. on.
To be fair I haven’t seen that many on this list. I do find the ending to the Mist being way overrated. I saw it coming way early.
I saw all-time favorites like these in this fan-driven list http://goo.gl/ozUFM Was interesting to see how the voting played out though… The Ring over the classic Poltergeist? I think general “best horror movie ever” type lists sometimes can be misleading. To some scarier = better, to others the gorier the better, while for people like me you look at the film as a whole, and the effect they had on the genre.
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:15 pm
I, personally, think The Ring is hugely overrated but it scared the shit out of my wife so to each his own.
Scream was #11, Joel.
I don’t watch Halloween and Poltergeist too often.
I have issues with a great chunk of this list. A lot of classics are left out, particularly A Nightmare on Elm Street. But hey, it’s your list and I can’t argue much with what you prefer. I’ve covered a lot of my favorite horror entries on my own site, but I’ll only add some comments on Hayte Tension.
Basically, HT has brutal, unrelenting violence and gore. It also has an awesome sting at the end. Much if that movie works for people because of the twist. However,I couldn’t really enjoy the movie – and not just because the twist was spoiled for me and some points don’t make any sense because of it. No, it was spoiled forme because the pic basically uses the same scene over and over. Woman runs from range, hides when she could/should be doing *something* then does it all over again. It made the pic repetitious, hard-to-buy, and actually kind of annoying.
That said, 28 days later rocks hard, and I did like the first Saw, as well as Final Destination 1, even if they all had truly awful sequels.
Arg, “runs from danger” is only one of many typos, but it’s the worst. I blame tablet devices
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:17 pm
Thad, in response to your issues with this list. This is only a list of the films I watch the most. Not the bets films. As I said in paragraph 2:
“Now, this is NOT the Top 10 Greatest Horror Movies ever made. I want to be clear on this, and have to be, because people like to pick me apart. These are the films that get the most rotation in my house”
And, as far as HT, I think it’s the first French Horror film I saw and it’s just a guilty pleasure.
yeah, I dug that. I just think that The Mist has little replay value given how depressing & one-track it is. Same for the Descent. I never saw PA or tDR, but I think Rob Zombie rocks no matter what.
Twitter: videovangaurd
October 24, 2011 3:51 pm
The black and white version of “The Mist” is more scary than the color version. I know it’s seems hard to belive, but I am more freaked out by that than the color version.
Twitter: kaiderman
October 24, 2011 6:17 pm
I believe you, Vern. I can’t wait to see it. I think it would be great in B&W!
Twitter: callmesirphobos
October 24, 2011 7:14 pm
I hate High Tension. Worst. Ending. Ever. I loved all of it up until that twist.
Some people do need to learn how to read good with the words and stuff, because it’s clearly stated these are the movies you love and watch often. That’s it.
For myself, I’d have to say that Zombi is so, so rewatchable. There are more, but I’m having trouble coming up with them at the moment.
Completely agree on High Tension. The big twist blows the whole shebang for me. The only good to come of that reveal is the ending shot of Marie creepily reaching out toward the mirror, but that moment doesn’t make up for how swiftly Aja craps on the entire film preceding it.
Twitter: waywardjam
October 26, 2011 7:57 am
Solid list. I’ve always refused to watch BWP; I felt it was way overhyped when released and then there’s the whole shaky-cam wannabes it spawned.
Thumbs up for High Tension, Descent, PA and Mist – all some of the best horror of the last decade. Not a huge fan of Devil’s Rejects, but completely agree on House of 1000 Corpses; it’s the best, and worst, horror film I’ve ever seen. If you care to read my take on it: http://reelwhore.blogspot.com/2009/07/counting-down-zeroes-run-rabbit-run.html
Twitter: Top10Films
December 7, 2011 4:09 am
Some fantastic choices here, Kai. Many of these get regular rotation in my house too. The only one that doesn’t…well, actually there are two – The Devil’s Rejects and The Mist. I guess I’m one of the few people who didn’t like The Mist.
Switchblade Romance is great and the likes of The Thing, The Descent, Blair Witch, Night of the Living Dead, Saw and Paranormal Activity are all favorites of mine.