Your favorite Horror Movies ever

[quickccc]

In the spirit of Halloween - what are your top, favorite HORROR movie films ever.. !

this is MY top list:

1- The Exorcist
2- The City of the Living Dead (aka Gates of Hell)
3 - Evil Dead
4 - The Conjuring
5 - Lights Out
6 - Dawn of the Dead
7 - Dog Soldiers
8 - Fright Night 2
9 - Aliens 2
10 - Let the Right One in
___________________
11- 30 days of Night
12 - Underworld 2: Rise of the Lycans
13 -From Dusk til Dawn
14 - Carrie
15 - the Howling
16 - Arachnidphobia
17 - 28 weeks Later
18 - Dead Alive
19 - Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
20 - John Carpenters Vampires

 

[Tabascocat]

Lots of good ones out there but I have to list a few favorites due to the year released and my impressionable age:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Friday the 13th
Halloween
When a Stranger Calls
Nightmare on Elm Street

Those were very scary at the time but if a young person watched them today, they would probably laugh

I like Scream but don’t really consider it a horror movie, not sure what though. Saw was another good one in this century.

 

[CF74]

Lots of good ones out there but I have to list a few favorites due to the year released and my impressionable age:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Friday the 13th
Halloween
When a Stranger Calls
Nightmare on Elm Street

Those were very scary at the time but if a young person watched them today, they would probably laugh

I like Scream but don’t really consider it a horror movie, not sure what though. Saw was another good one in this century.

That’s how I remember The Fog. Ahh to be a little kid again just for Halloween...

 

[cowboyec]

dracula
frankenstein
bride of frankenstein
wolfman
the mummy
creature from the black lagoon

 

[The Dark Bishop]

In the spirit of Halloween - what are your top, favorite HORROR movie films ever.. !

this is MY top list:

1- The Exorcist
2- The City of the Living Dead (aka Gates of Hell)
3 - Evil Dead
4 - The Conjuring
5 - Lights Out
6 - Dawn of the Dead
7 - Dog Soldiers
8 - Fright Night 2
9 - Aliens 2
10 - Let the Right One in
___________________
11- 30 days of Night
12 - Underworld 2: Rise of the Lycans
13 -From Dusk til Dawn
14 - Carrie
15 - the Howling
16 - Arachnidphobia
17 - 28 weeks Later
18 - Dead Alive
19 - Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
20 - John Carpenters Vampires

When actually adding your list I wish to see dates of the videos.... Sadly there were remakes of both Fright Nights (though the 2nd one was different), a remake of the Evil Dead, as well as a remake of Dawn of the Dead.... While I think remakes are crap for the most part, I was actually impressed by the remake of Dawn of the Dead though the original was still better... The other remakes suffered badly from their originals.... While I loved the line in Dog Soldiers, "I hope I give you the poops" sorry I edited it, all in all is was a decent Horror flick....

I will say you have some top 20 material there... I agree with many of your choices it they are the originals....

For my list I would say.....

The Exorcist (1973)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Shining (1980)
The Thing (1982)
Pyscho (1960)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
A Nightmare On Elms Street (1984)
Hellraiser (1987)
Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
I could include many others but that is a base 10 for me....

 

[Longboysfan]

The Crawling Eye...

 

[CouchCoach]

Need a division here. Horror like Dracula, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Hostel, Poltergeist, Pumpkinhead and Sci-Fi Horror like Alien, Predator and The Thing.

It's easy to distinguish between the two. Horror includes indigenous creatures, madmen and psychopaths. Sci-Fi Horror includes alien creatures even though they may be creating their mayhem on Earth because in space, no one can hear you scream.

I also think Tabasco nailed it, what makes us laugh now, didn't then. The original Halloween, Exorcist, Nightmare and Friday the 13th had impact. It was nervous laughter to break the tension.

For me, it doesn't get better than a dark house and Alien or The Thing to get creeped out and get up a couple of times to double check the locks on the doors. Love Aliens too but that is more Horror/Action than the original that was created specifically to make the viewer feel uncomfortable with that score and muddying the sound on purpose. That film had more hold your breath moments than any I've ever watched but it's not a Halloween movie.

 

[paladin]

Audition

 

[YosemiteSam]

Never really been a horror guy, but I would say my favorite is probably Into the Mouth of Madness and Nightmare on Elm St.

I'm just not really a fan of horror movies, but I love both of those movies.

 

[quickccc]

Need a division here. Horror like Dracula, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Hostel, Poltergeist, Pumpkinhead and Sci-Fi Horror like Alien, Predator and The Thing.

It's easy to distinguish between the two. Horror includes indigenous creatures, madmen and psychopaths. Sci-Fi Horror includes alien creatures even though they may be creating their mayhem on Earth because in space, no one can hear you scream.

I also think Tabasco nailed it, what makes us laugh now, didn't then. The original Halloween, Exorcist, Nightmare and Friday the 13th had impact. It was nervous laughter to break the tension.

For me, it doesn't get better than a dark house and Alien or The Thing to get creeped out and get up a couple of times to double check the locks on the doors. Love Aliens too but that is more Horror/Action than the original that was created specifically to make the viewer feel uncomfortable with that score and muddying the sound on purpose. That film had more hold your breath moments than any I've ever watched but it's not a Halloween movie.

yeh, i guess the same kind of division as if what's the scariest horror film you've ever seen ..vs your particular favorite horror film.
for instance, some may love Return of the Living Dead or Zombie Land as a favorite because of it's zany hilarious comedy element that is uniquely placed in a horror film.
but it doesn't tip their scale as chilling to watch as "scariest."

" Aliens " series would definitely be one I'd call Sci-Fi Horror, as it's in category as BOTH a sci-fi and a horror. What genre would it be under in Netflix ?

But still after decades and decades since 1973, from reading many ongoing reviews, polls, and critics/viewer audiences – there still seems to the never relishing opinion that the Exorcist still reigns easily
as the stand out as the leading horror film of all time. There’s just a uniqueness, dark macabre and stigmata and hysteria that it still brings to the audience that no other horror film ever has come close to.

Even with director James Han’s tendency to strongly expand the “ jump-scare “ tactics in his recent films that are the flavor of today’s horror films – but yet no film and no one has managed to
capture the exact elements and mass hysteria that the Exorcist has been able to.
Han's The Conjuring may have been the closest creepiness/macabre to come to it, imo.

Remake of the ’73 classic ? Nope. i’ve never heard any mention of it throughout all these years. And BTW, the Exorcist sequels were outright hideous ! lol

 

[CouchCoach]

Never really been a horror guy, but I would say my favorite is probably Into the Mouth of Madness and Nightmare on Elm St.

I'm just not really a fan of horror movies, but I love both of those movies.

Like both but I would have preferred more detail on the monsters in Mouth of Madness, just like I would have in Cabin in the Woods. I watch stuff like that, I am all about the creatures and monsters and the victims are there to give them something to do with their claws, fangs, etc.

 

[CouchCoach]

yeh, i guess the same kind of division as if what's the scariest horror film you've ever seen ..vs your particular favorite horror film.
for instance, some may love Return of the Living Dead or Zombie Land as a favorite because of it's zany hilarious comedy element that is uniquely placed in a horror film.
but it doesn't tip their scale as chilling to watch as "scariest."

" Aliens " series would definitely be one I'd call Sci-Fi Horror, as it's in category as BOTH a sci-fi and a horror. What genre would it be under in Netflix ?

But still after decades and decades since 1973, from reading many ongoing reviews, polls, and critics/viewer audiences – there still seems to the never relishing opinion that the Exorcist still reigns easily
as the stand out as the leading horror film of all time. There’s just a uniqueness, dark macabre and stigmata and hysteria that it still brings to the audience that no other horror film ever has come close to.

Even with director James Han’s tendency to strongly expand the “ jump-scare “ tactics in his recent films that are the flavor of today’s horror films – but yet no film and no one has managed to
capture the exact elements and mass hysteria that the Exorcist has been able to.
Han's The Conjuring may have been the closest creepiness/macabre to come to it, imo.

Remake of the ’73 classic ? Nope. i’ve never heard any mention of it throughout all these years. And BTW, the Exorcist sequels were outright hideous ! lol

Like they like to say in the horror films, "some things should be left alone". Can't stop them from capitalizing as they did with Nightmare and Saw and tried to with Alien.

I agree about the scary vs favorite and for pure fun can't beat Scream, Nightmare and my must watch once a quarter, Cowboys V Aliens. The most polarizing horror movie with critics. Some beg for a sequel and some ask why it was made in the first place.

The Exorcist would be a tough remake, they tried with Rosemary's Baby and bombed. They thought they could make it better, they didn't.

Personally, because I have Arachnophobia, that is the scariest horror movie to me of all time. I cannot sit still when I watch it.

I wish they'd do a film version of Salem's Lot as they've done It. The TV versions were good but I think someone like Del Toro could do a fine Salem's Lot.

 

[quickccc]

Like they like to say in the horror films, "some things should be left alone". Can't stop them from capitalizing as they did with Nightmare and Saw and tried to with Alien.

I agree about the scary vs favorite and for pure fun can't beat Scream, Nightmare and my must watch once a quarter, Cowboys V Aliens. The most polarizing horror movie with critics. Some beg for a sequel and some ask why it was made in the first place.

The Exorcist would be a tough remake, they tried with Rosemary's Baby and bombed. They thought they could make it better, they didn't.

Personally, because I have Arachnophobia, that is the scariest horror movie to me of all time. I cannot sit still when I watch it.

I wish they'd do a film version of Salem's Lot as they've done It. The TV versions were good but I think someone like Del Toro could do a fine Salem's Lot.

Before there was Arachnophobia, ..there was William Shaftner's " Kingdom of the Spiders " which was creepy in it's own right during its era and time.

the on-ground camera work for Arachnophobia and it's slow-crawl, music score made it really creepy, such that I still periodically check the inside of my shoes after I've
seen Arachnophobia again, .. and i'm still get tickled pink when i'm popping up popcorn and i'm remembering that " Jeopardy" scene in there. ..lol

 

[quickccc]

Like they like to say in the horror films, "some things should be left alone". Can't stop them from capitalizing as they did with Nightmare and Saw and tried to with Alien.

I agree about the scary vs favorite and for pure fun can't beat Scream, Nightmare and my must watch once a quarter, Cowboys V Aliens. The most polarizing horror movie with critics. Some beg for a sequel and some ask why it was made in the first place.

The Exorcist would be a tough remake, they tried with Rosemary's Baby and bombed. They thought they could make it better, they didn't.

Personally, because I have Arachnophobia, that is the scariest horror movie to me of all time. I cannot sit still when I watch it.

I wish they'd do a film version of Salem's Lot as they've done It. The TV versions were good but I think someone like Del Toro could do a fine Salem's Lot.

you're right, some films such as Arachnophobia are in a class of it's own. and remake ideas should be left alone at that.

it's a reason why movies like Saw, .Chucky... Paranormal Activity,..Leprecaun, etc. ... continue on as sequels.
Apparently there's a character identity that is marketable and in demand in certain age generations and studios are very quick to capitalize on that. I thought for sure generations would be
burnt out and tired of Chucky as eventually they seem to be with Freddy Kruger and Jason and Michael Myers - but to my surprised they are steadily creating more Chucky movies.

And I figured that certain genres in horror the studios know are still very favorable and in high demand, such as vampire and zombie flicks, even with TV series such as we've with Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, True Blood, etc. and in the Zombie era as Walking Dead, ..Fear the Walking Dead,.. I-Zombie, etc.

BTW, I've read where there's plans for a " Dark Shadow " TV series in the making, .I'm familiar with the old classic TV series as it was more a soap opera than a thrill-shriek series such True Blood.
(and Dark Shadow series bored the hell outta me as a kid)

I think I attempted to see "Rosemary Baby " remake but it was disinteresting and lame, that I bailed out and never finished it, and it was so came and gone and so low regarded and never talked about, that I totally forgot that a remake was even attempted.
When it comes to remakes, these studios and directors never seem to be able to bring anything extraordinary and unique to the 2nd making, and then we're left with why even the attempt.

In fact has there EVER been a remake that ended up being better than the original ? I just cannot think of one, at this time ?
just maybe some will say the Dawn of the Dead remake was better than the original because it let the undead run full speed, instead of slowly lumber around. But still ..

 

[CouchCoach]

you're right, some films such as Arachnophobia are in a class of it's own. and remake ideas should be left alone at that.

it's a reason why movies like Saw, .Chucky... Paranormal Activity,..Leprecaun, etc. ... continue on as sequels.
Apparently there's a character identity that is marketable and in demand in certain age generations and studios are very quick to capitalize on that. I thought for sure generations would be
burnt out and tired of Chucky as eventually they seem to be with Freddy Kruger and Jason and Michael Myers - but to my surprised they are steadily creating more Chucky movies.

And I figured that certain genres in horror the studios know are still very favorable and in high demand, such as vampire and zombie flicks, even with TV series such as we've with Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, True Blood, etc. and in the Zombie era as Walking Dead, ..Fear the Walking Dead,.. I-Zombie, etc.

BTW, I've read where there's plans for a " Dark Shadow " TV series in the making, .I'm familiar with the old classic TV series as it was more a soap opera than a thrill-shriek series such True Blood.
(and Dark Shadow series bored the hell outta me as a kid)

I think I attempted to see "Rosemary Baby " remake but it was disinteresting and lame, that I bailed out and never finished it, and it was so came and gone and so low regarded and never talked about, that I totally forgot that a remake was even attempted.
When it comes to remakes, these studios and directors never seem to be able to bring anything extraordinary and unique to the 2nd making, and then we're left with why even the attempt.

In fact has there EVER been a remake that ended up being better than the original ? I just cannot think of one, at this time ?
just maybe some will say the Dawn of the Dead remake was better than the original because it let the undead run full speed, instead of slowly lumber around. But still ..

The Thing is technically a remake because they find it encased in ice but they went steroid on that remake and took it to another level with them not knowing who it was hiding in. I do not like the dog scenes and ff through that when I watch it but that was a really well made sci-fi horror with a great cast.

Another of my favorites is The Relic. Great score and I find that horror film scores are the most magic of all at building the intensity level. Doesn't get much creepier than the opening scores for The Exorcist and Halloween, real tension setters.

 

[dreghorn2]

Horror is my least favorite movie genre, but anytime movies are a subject on CZ i love chiming in. It's great to see people on here, or anywhere for that matter, enthusiatically talking about films.

In my life, i've been uncomfortable watching 3 'horror' films, two as a kid, and one as an adult, i don't watch many though so have missed out on many i'm sure would have made me squirm.

The Exorcist, no explanation required.

The Entity, a movie with a 'this is a true story' back drop. Demons attacking a woman, rape scenes, paranormal investigators, and a scare the heck out of you final scene just before the credits roll, i only watched it once and if it's like i remembered it as a much younger person (which i'm sure it isn't), i never want to again.

The Fourth Kind, oddly a relatively recent film which i watched as an adult by myself late at night. Made me uncomfortable even with the full knowledge that 'hey, it's just a movie, i know it's just a movie, why the heck do i feel a little weird right now i'm an adult for cripes sake.' Milla Jojovich, dark Alaskan setting, potential alien interaction/abductions/interrogations.

Love seeing movie threads on the Zone.

 

[quickccc]

The Thing is technically a remake because they find it encased in ice but they went steroid on that remake and took it to another level with them not knowing who it was hiding in. I do not like the dog scenes and ff through that when I watch it but that was a really well made sci-fi horror with a great cast.

Another of my favorites is The Relic. Great score and I find that horror film scores are the most magic of all at building the intensity level. Doesn't get much creepier than the opening scores for The Exorcist and Halloween, real tension setters.

yeh, I'm very familiar with the Relic with former actor Tom Sizemore's version. Quite a gore-fest movie, Didn't know if there was an original relic.
For those familiar with " Texas Chainsaw " movies, I'd wonder if the remakes were better than the original ?

 

[CouchCoach]

Horror is my least favorite movie genre, but anytime movies are a subject on CZ i love chiming in. It's great to see people on here, or anywhere for that matter, enthusiatically talking about films.

In my life, i've been uncomfortable watching 3 'horror' films, two as a kid, and one as an adult, i don't watch many though so have missed out on many i'm sure would have made me squirm.

The Exorcist, no explanation required.

The Entity, a movie with a 'this is a true story' back drop. Demons attacking a woman, rape scenes, paranormal investigators, and a scare the heck out of you final scene just before the credits roll, i only watched it once and if it's like i remembered it as a much younger person (which i'm sure it isn't), i never want to again.

The Fourth Kind, oddly a relatively recent film which i watched as an adult by myself late at night. Made me uncomfortable even with the full knowledge that 'hey, it's just a movie, i know it's just a movie, why the heck do i feel a little weird right now i'm an adult for cripes sake.' Milla Jojovich, dark Alaskan setting, potential alien interaction/abductions/interrogations.

Love seeing movie threads on the Zone.

I am that way about Hostel and Wolf Creek, sorry I watched them both as they were more disturbing than horror. But some people can't get enough as they made sequels to both....that I have not seen and have no plans of watching.

 

[CouchCoach]

Silence of the Lambs not getting any love here? How about Manhunter? Or should films with humans as the monsters be under a different classification?

And I consider Helter Skelter to be a horror, made for TV, movie because that was all too real.

The real horror of these serial killer films is the knowledge that as I am writing this, it is happening and we just don't know about it yet. And that's why I try to avoid those based on actual events. They hang with me too easily.

 

[quickccc]

Horror is my least favorite movie genre, but anytime movies are a subject on CZ i love chiming in. It's great to see people on here, or anywhere for that matter, enthusiatically talking about films.

In my life, i've been uncomfortable watching 3 'horror' films, two as a kid, and one as an adult, i don't watch many though so have missed out on many i'm sure would have made me squirm.

The Exorcist, no explanation required.

The Entity, a movie with a 'this is a true story' back drop. Demons attacking a woman, rape scenes, paranormal investigators, and a scare the heck out of you final scene just before the credits roll, i only watched it once and if it's like i remembered it as a much younger person (which i'm sure it isn't), i never want to again.

The Fourth Kind, oddly a relatively recent film which i watched as an adult by myself late at night. Made me uncomfortable even with the full knowledge that 'hey, it's just a movie, i know it's just a movie, why the heck do i feel a little weird right now i'm an adult for cripes sake.' Milla Jojovich, dark Alaskan setting, potential alien interaction/abductions/interrogations.

Love seeing movie threads on the Zone.

the horror movies that really freaked me out so bad that I was all night sleepless after seeing it:
The Exorcist
City of the Living Dead (aka Gates of Hell in USA)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Gargoyles
Jaws ( the eyeless, bald head scene !)
Blackula ( thawed out vampire running out)

I like threads like these as it gives me some films to seek and research/view, as some films I had never heard before.