Favorite Top Seventy-five Horror Movies!

[Dyan Kharis]

Here are my favorite sixty-five horror movies of all time in alphabetical order.

1. Alien (1979) directed by Ridley Scott

2. An American Werewolf in London (1981) directed by John Landis

3. Audition, The (1999) directed by Takashi Miike

4. Bedlam (1945) directed by Mark Robson

5. Black Cat, The (1934) directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

6. Black Sunday (1960) directed by Mario Bava

7. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) directed by James Whale

8. Burn Witch, Burn (1962) directed by Sidney Hayers

9. Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The (1919) Directed by Robert Weine

10. Cat People, The (1942) directed by Jacques Tourneur

11. Conqueror Worm, The (1968) directed by Michael Reeves

12. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) directed by Jack Arnold

13. Curse of the Cat People, The (1944) directed by Robert Wise

14. Dark Water (2002) directed by Hideo Nakata

15. Daughters of Darkness (1971) directed by Harry Kumel

16. Dawn of the Dead (1978) directed by George Romero

17. Day of Wrath (1943) directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

18. Devils, The (1971) directed by Ken Russell

19. Devil's Backbone, The (2002) directed by Guillermo del Toro

20. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) Directed by John S Robertson

21. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) directed by Rouben Mamoulian

22. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) directed by Victor Fleming (deviates from R.L. Stevenson's classic book but is profound never the less)

23. Don't Look Now (1973) directed by Nicolas Roeg

24. Dracula (1931) directed by Tod Browning

25. Dracula's Daughter (1936) directed by Lambert Hillyer

26. Exorcist, The (1973) Directed by William Friedkin

27. Eyes without a Face; et Yeux sans Visage, Les (1959) directed by Georges Franju

28. Faust (1926) Directed by F.W Murnau

29. Frankenstein (1931) directed by James Whale

30. The Golem (1920) Directed by Paul Wegener

31. Halloween (1978) directed by John Carpenter

32. Haunting, The (1963) directed by Robert Wise

33. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990) directed by John McNaughton

34. Horror of Dracula, The (1958) directed by Terence Fisher

35. Hunchback of the Norte Dame (1923) Directed by Wallace Worsley II

36. I walked with a Zombie (1943) directed by Jacques Tourneur

37. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) directed by Donald Siegel

38. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) directed by Philip Kaufman

39. Invisible Man, The (1933) directed by James Whale

40. Island of Lost Souls (1932) directed by Erle C. Kenton

41. Jaws (1976) directed by Steven Spielberg

42. Kuroneko (1968) directed by Kaneto Shindo

43. Kwaidan (1964) directed by Masaki Kobayashi

44. Legend of Hell House, The (1973) directed by John Hough

45. Mad Love (1935) directed by Karl Freund

46. Martin (1977) directed by George Romero

47. Masque of the Red Death, The (1965) directed by Roger Corman

48. Mephisto Waltz, The (1971) directed by Paul Wendkos

49. Metropolis (1926) Directed by Fritz Lang

50. Mummy, The (1932) directed by Karl Freund

51. Night of the Demon (1957) directed by Jacques Tourneur

52. Night of the Living Dead (1968) directed by George Romero

53. Nosferatu (1922) Directed by D.W. Murnau

54. Old Dark House, The (1932) directed by James Whale

55. Onibaba (1964) directed by Kaneto Shindo

56. Other, The (1972) directed by Robert Mulligan

57. Phantom of the Opera, The (1925) Directed by Rupert Julian, Edward Sedgwick, Lon Chaney Sr.

58. Psycho (1960) directed Alfred Hitchcock

59. Repulsion (1965) directed by Roman Polanski

60. Ringu (1998) directed by Hideo Nakata

61. Seventh Victim, The (1943) directed by Mark Robson

62. Shining, The (1980) directed by Stanley Kubrick

63. Son of Dracula (1943) directed by Robert Siodmak

64. Son of Frankenstein (1939) directed by Rowland V. Lee

65. Spiral Staircase, The (1946) directed by Robert Siodmak

66. Spirits of the Dead (1968) directed by Vadim, Fellini, and Malle

67. Tenant, The (1976) directed by Roman Polanski

68. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) directed by Tobe Hooper

69. Thing, The (1982) directed by John Carpenter

70. Thing From Another World, The (1951) directed by Howard Hawks

71. Unknown, The (1927) Directed by Tod Browning

72. Uninvited, The (1944) directed by Lewis Allen

73. Vampyr (1931) directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

74. Wicker Man, The (1975) directed by Robin Hardy

75. Wolf Man, The (1941) directed by George Waggner

[imported_Grev Drasen]

Too lazy to type up all sixty-five, but I will say The Shining takes the cake.

[Ki-Adi Kindo]

I'm with Grev. Sixty-five is a bit much, but since I do love horror flicks, here's my top five list on which scare me the most.

5. Stephen King's Rose Red
4. Halloween
3. Halloween 2
2. The Shining
1. Candyman

After I first watched Candyman, I didn't go in my bathroom for a week. :p

[imported_Kanji]

5. Jason (All)
4. The Shining
3. 28 Days Later
2. Hellraiser
1. Freddy's Flicks (Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.)

[Ki-Adi Kindo]

If any of you haven't seen Rose Red, rent it. It's not toooo scary, but it's quite a spooker!

[Dyan Kharis]

Of the sixty-five movies I listed I would most strongly suggest looking into Bedlam; The Black Cat; Burn Witch, Burn; The Cat People; Curse of the Cat People; Dark Water; Daughters of Darkness; Day of Wrath; The Devils (highly controversial); The Devil's Backbone; both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (even suggest the silent version not listed too); Don't Look Now; Eyes without a Face; The Haunting; I walked with a Zombie; Invisible Man; Island of Lost Souls; Kuroneko; Kwaidan; Mad Love; Night of the Demon; The Old Dark House; Onibaba; The Other; Repulsion; Ringu; The Seventh Victim; The Spiral Staircase; Spirits of the Dead; The Tenant; The Uninvited; Vampyr; and The Wicker Man.

They're some of the most intelligently thought-provoking or profound horror around. Unfortunately, most anything produced by the legendary RKO producer Val Lewton and his collaborations with either Mark Robson and Jacques Tourneur are more worth a looksie. Highly sought after rarities are they all with their layered subtexts. Directors Kobayashi and Kindo made marvelous horror inspired deeply by dark japanese folktale and legend. Then there is the masterful psychological horror of Polanski, Franju, Siodmak, Mulligan, Roeg, Wise, Nakata. The powerful poignant works of Dreyer and the allegorical Guillermo del Toro. These all need exploring. I truly love horror.

Point these titles out only because lack of recognition beside the others in my list.

[imported_Eve]

The only horror movie (some of you may call it comedy) that EVER... not really scared me... but made me all creeped out was Killer Clowns From Outer Space.

The part where the killer clown used the police man as puppet! AH!

That and E.T. Had nightmares for years off that one. I thought he lived in my dark basement. I had several dreams of him in family portraits and chasing me saying "E-T, E-T, E-T ....".

Ugh.

[Dyan Kharis]

Over the last two weeks, I viewed (re-viewed) several silent classics which I have now added to the list ... including Metropolis which really doesn't belong on any horror list but did it anyways. Timeless cinema I will further add.

Of the silent classics, my favorites are Nosferatu, Metropolis, Phantom of the Opera, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These four movies and the other silent films are simply astonishing. Max Schreck as Nosferatu is the creepiest and most effective vampire ever portrayed on film. Metropolis is full of breathe-taking F/X and undeniably the most ingenius and intelligent sci-fi film ever made. Phantom of the Opera is one of my more favored classics, the 'Bal Masque' and rooftop sequences have to be seen to be believed. Visually stunning. Lon Chaney Sr in one of his greatest performances ever. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I love all three adaptations of this title that I have listed. John Barrymore performed strenous facial contortions and even painfully dislocated his jaw in order to create the hideous Hyde transformations. An elaborate and eerie movie in the manner of Nosferatu and Phantom of the Opera.

Besides these titles, some of the movies on my list that have become quite dated in terms of effectiveness are Spirits of the Dead, The Tenant, Don't Look Now, and especially The Exorcist. There is plenty of reports of young moviegoers actually laughing at the recent theatrical re-release of The Exorcist (i.e. you've never seen before). Just shows how viewer tastes and the genre in general has changed since then.

[darth_mcbain]

Originally posted by Eve
The only horror movie (some of you may call it comedy) that EVER... not really scared me... but made me all creeped out was Killer Clowns From Outer Space.


Don't worry Eve - you're not the only one that was creeped out by that movie... It was kinda funny and cheesy, but throughout the whole thing I was definitely weirded out... *shudders* Clowns are freaky...

[Senator Kensington]

Army of Darkness, Signs, and Event Horizon. I'm not a fan of horror, so these I just kind of throw in there. Please don't pelt me with various vegetables!

[Dyan Kharis]

Originally posted by Eve
The only horror movie (some of you may call it comedy) that EVER... not really scared me... but made me all creeped out was Killer Clowns From Outer Space.

KCFOS was a freaky 'lil tongue-in-cheek piece. The cotton candy scenes were particularly gruesome. >D



Originally posted by Senator Kensington
Army of Darkness, Signs, and Event Horizon. I'm not a fan of horror, so these I just kind of throw in there. Please don't pelt me with various vegetables!

All three of those films are great in their own right. I am not the greatest fan of the endless cliched ripoffs from 80s and highly commercialized teen-slashers of the 90s going into the new age. Not that there hasnt been some great films produced in these two decades of horror cinema but it is just too far and between the plethora of poorer material.

[Senator Kensington]

Actually, I think Forbidden Planet is one of my favorite sci-fi horrors. Delves deep into the human psyche and all that. Plus "Robby the Robot" is awesome. w00t!

[Dyan Kharis]

Originally posted by Senator Kensington
Actually, I think Forbidden Planet is one of my favorite sci-fi horrors. Delves deep into the human psyche and all that. Plus "Robby the Robot" is awesome. w00t!

If you love this movie you would probably love The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) loosely inspired by the account of Christ, delved upon the Cold War paranoia and hinted at global totalitarianism. The alien Klaatu and his mighty robot Gort come to preach peace and warn against experimenting with nuclear power. One of the best science fiction movies ever made.

Another good sci-fi film is Things to Come (1933) based on a H.G. Welles story which considers mankind and his science after Earth fell to global disasters such as war and plague.

Here is a list of great soon to be released classics on DVD:

Island of Lost Souls/Mystery of the Wax Museum Double Feature (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JD7U/qid%3D1058687156/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-3167780-8344004)

The Haunting (1963) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009NHB6/qid=1058687334/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-3167780-8344004?v=glance&s=dvd)

The Thing From Another World (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009NHC0/qid%3D1058688157/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-3167780-8344004)

[Senator Kensington]

Yeah, I've seen The Day the Earth Stood Still. Classic.

Klaatu barrada nikto!

[Dyan Kharis]

Originally posted by Senator Kensington
Yeah, I've seen The Day the Earth Stood Still. Classic.

Klaatu barrada nikto!

It's interesting to note in Return of the Jedi, Lucas certainly pays homage to this classic film by naming three alien races ~ Klaatu, Barada, and Niktu. And Army of Darkness of course puts a comical spin on the theme.

[Dae Jinn]

How can The Shining be scary? That's like saying Rosemary's Baby is scary :x

I like Friday the 13th (seen ever one, multiple times, and know them almost off by heart. I can tell which one is which by the people about to be killed...:lol), but they aren't scary. Anything with huge creatures killing random people = funny. Think Deep Blue Sea, Lake Placid, etc. 8-legged Freaks was better than I thought it would be.

I remember being forced to watch The Lost Boys at a babysitters and then having nightmares for a week. I watched it recently, and it was really ...not scary. I was also disappointed by The Ring. That movie wasn't as scary as everyone seemed to make it out to be.

[Dyan Kharis]

Originally posted by Dae Jinn
How can The Shining be scary? That's like saying Rosemary's Baby is scary :x

Well, The Shining much like Polanski's Rosemary's Baby and Spielberg's Jaws, perhaps can not chill or scare today's audiences. You imagine how terribly scary Jaws must of been when in opened in theatres in '76. At a time when most the general public remained fairly in the dark about great white sharks and their nature. Now people are far more educated about the subject, lessening the movie's impact. But what these three movies have in common is they contain fantastic characterizations, direction, and acting.

BTW, my favorite favorite horror movie by director Roman Polanski is Repulsion which concerns a troubled young French girl (played by gorgeous Catherine Deneuve) who is equally attracted and repulsed by sex. Whose stability and grasp of reality begins to blur, after her sister leaves her all alone for vacation. Great movie but may move at a pace that today's younger viewers may not appreciate. Which leads me to my next point. IMO, the most effective horror are the films that rely heavily on the psychological delivery, spurring one's own imagination. Horror doesn't necessarily have to make one literally jump out of their seat to be effective but can provide food for thought or just tell a great story that may or may not step beyond the bounds of our reality.


I like Friday the 13th (seen ever one, multiple times, and know them almost off by heart. I can tell which one is which by the people about to be killed...:lol), but they aren't scary. Anything with huge creatures killing random people = funny. Think Deep Blue Sea, Lake Placid, etc. 8-legged Freaks was better than I thought it would be.

I remember being forced to watch The Lost Boys at a babysitters and then having nightmares for a week. I watched it recently, and it was really ...not scary. I was also disappointed by The Ring. That movie wasn't as scary as everyone seemed to make it out to be.

The original Ringu is far more atmospheric and scarier. Touching upon one's own maternal and primal fears. The same director, Hideo Nakata, made another excellent ghost story called Dark Water.

Personally, I am not big on slasher flicks. Yet, I have Halloween listed because it is a perennial classic. Texas Chainsaw Massacre really doesn't fit under the slasher motif but is quite undeniably macabre. An american gothic tale revealing terrifying human degerencey. Other slasher films I have listed have much stronger psychological leanings, such as Psycho, The Spiral Staircase, and Eyes without a Face. I love these three particularly. The latter is a French made film directed by Georges Franju, which concerns a young beautiful girl whose face was severely mutilated in a tragic accident. Whom is now forced to wear a mask and live in seclusion on her father's estate who happens to be a doctor. But something sinister abounds.

[Dae Jinn]

Halloween = SUCKY

I hated that movie SO much! I did enjoy Jaws though, even if it wasn't "scary" IMO.
I heard The Ring is simply a shot for shot remake of Ringu - maybe I was wrong? Still, it wasn't scary in anyway. Psycho, at least the remake, sucked. Not scary and not what I would classify as scary.
I suppose I prefer "OMG! What's going to happen next?!" times of horror to the lame cliche films we have today. I hate watching a horror movie and being able to call every single scene. :x

[Dyan Kharis]

Have you ever wanted to watch a horror movie because it had a fantastic or overly stimulating tale of suspense? I.e. Onibaba, Kuroneko, The Devil's Backbone, Island of Lost Souls, The Black Cat, and just about anything produced by legendary RKO screenwriter/producer Val Lewton.

Someone who really helped pioneer horror by shaping it. His complete horror filmography is as follows... The Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The Leopard Man, The Seventh Victim, Curse of the Cat People, Isle of the Dead, Bedlam, The Body Snatcher (not to be confused with Siegel's classic), and The Ghost Ship. BTW, the recent release of the movie sharing the same title has no bearing at all to the original Ghost Ship. Their completely unrelated plot and material wise.

I have only had the pleasure of seeing nearly half of Lewton's rare classics.

[Dyan Kharis]

Here are four sites dedicated to two Masters of Horror ~ Kaneto Shindo and Val Lewton. Tread carefully spoilers may abound in any and all text.

Kaneto Shindo films (http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/shindo.html)

Onibaba ~ Beware unavoidable spoiler (http://www.bmonster.com/more1.html)

Val Lewton Home Page (http://www.acm.vt.edu/~yousten/lewton/index.html)

Val Lewton Screenplay Collection (http://home.earthlink.net/%7Esangun/)

Now some pics:

Karloff and Bela together in The Black Cat ~ Satanist and Architect
Poelzig and Werdegast confront Alison (http://www.davidmanners.com/images/BLACK%20CAT%20%231big.jpeg)

Karloff the Legend
The ominous Poelzig (http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/horror/boriskarloff/boriskarloff10.jpg)

[imported_Marcus]

Where's The Birds????????? Bad list without that movie. It's still the only movie I genuinely found frightening enough I could not watch.

[Sanis Prent]

The Birds was excellent.

Eve, KKFOS also gave me the heeby-jeebies.

Anybody remember TROLL :cry?

Well it was scary when I was six years old.

[Dyan Kharis]

Originally posted by Marcus
Where's The Birds????????? Bad list without that movie. It's still the only movie I genuinely found frightening enough I could not watch.

Yes, this one should have been included and not that I didn't recall it at the time of the writing. Only the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock can take such absurd subject matter and give it genuine terror. Just when I wrote up the list, something discouraged me at the time. Maybe because it has been so long that I have seen it and feared it would feel quite dated.

But other great movies to include would be Brian DePalma's Carrie; Jack Clayton's The Innocents (The basis for the recent film The Others starring Nicole Kidman, yet felt The Haunting and The Uninvited were far more effective IMO); Herk Harvey's 1962 cult classic Carnival of Souls (need to watch it again); and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (same reason as previous).

New movies that I haven't seen yet but hear more or less mixed acclaim are Gaspar Noe's Irreversible; Michael Haneke's Funny Games; Beniot Poelvoorde's Man bites Dog; and George Sluizer's Spoorloos.