Top 5 horror films

[haleyrules]

Since it's Halloween month give us your top-5 horror films.

Later on we'll delve into black & white horror films and those horror films that we enjoy but are not as well known...

1. Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". So many elements of the film that I enjoyed from the premise of the film, to the location, to the actors themselves. And I thought the ending was spectacular.

2. John Carpenter's "The Thing". I'm still stunned on few people went to see this in its initial release. Today it's considered a classic.

3. "Aliens". It's got a monster (or monsters) in it so it's a horror film in my book. The premise was incredible. The dialog was great. The pacing magnificent.

4. George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead". George's "Night of the Living Dead" started the genre, but this film is what really got the genre rolling. The makeup and special effects haven't held up well over the years, but the story is still rock-solid. No horror movie had more of an impact on me after coming out of the theater than this one– I was stunned after seeing it.

5. John Carpenter's "Halloween". Not a big body count, but the story is one that would hold up no matter what the year was. Donald Pleasance gave a magnificent performance.

The Shining and the Thing are classics. Too good.

 

[Sarek]

Not into horror movies for sometime now.
As a kid it was The Omen, The Exorcist, Halloween, Friday 13th, The Amityville horror.
The song from Freddy was cool.

 

[Ranching]

The Cowboys game vs Denver this year still gives me the willys!

 

[Ranching]

My older brothers took me to see the Texas Chainsaw Massacre when I was about 9 or 10 years old. Good times.

 

[haleyrules]

My older brothers took me to see the Texas Chainsaw Massacre when I was about 9 or 10 years old. Good times.

GD it Coach...I was just going to include the Texas chainsaw massacre..the original...I lost my chance because l had to look up the spelling of Massacre...

 

[Sarek]

Off-topic side note: John Carpenter's The Thing, Escape From New York and Halloween have some of the best music scores--simple but elegant.

Escape from New York was great.

 

[haleyrules]

OK..For an old flick...the original Psycho wasn't too bad either...God bless Alfred Hitchcock.

 

[Sarek]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Poltergeist are also top 5 material.
The Shinning doesn't real seem like a typical horror movie. The Shinning might be a top 20 greatest movie ever in any category.

 

[haleyrules]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Poltergeist are also top 5 material.
The Shinning doesn't real seem like a typical horror movie. The Shinning might be a top 20 greatest movie ever in any category.

Agreed...especially about the Shining. It had enough weirdness to qualify as a top horror show. Great writing and great material. The acting was extraordinary.

 

[haleyrules]

There is always the oddball A Clockwork Orange.

 

[Sarek]

Agreed...especially about the Shining. It had enough weirdness to qualify as a top horror show. Great writing and great material. The acting was extraordinary.

Acting was great all around in that film.

 

[haleyrules]

Acting was great all around in that film.

Yeah. I don't mean just Nicholson..but the entire cast was outstanding and well chosen.

 

[Ranching]

Debbie does Dallas scared the heck outta me when I was 10. Lol

 

[haleyrules]

Debbie does Dallas scared the heck outta me when I was 10. Lol

Ha!! I once saw a picture of Whoopie Goldberg naked in a bathtub full of milk. Changed my life. Been searching for that ever since.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

GD it Coach...I was just going to include the Texas chainsaw massacre..the original...I lost my chance because l had to look up the spelling of Massacre...

I think TCM is a good movie. But it never struck me as a great movie.

Could have been because I did not watch TCM until the early 80's on VHS. By that time there was a flood of this type of movie out there... Most with far better production values.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Agreed...especially about the Shining. It had enough weirdness to qualify as a top horror show. Great writing and great material. The acting was extraordinary.

On top of that it the sound stage they created was amazing. At that point it was largest sound stage ever built.

 

[haleyrules]

I think TCM is a good movie. But it never struck me as a great movie.

Could have been because I did not watch TCM until the early 80's on VHS. By that time there was a flood of this type of movie out there... Most with far better production values.

The low level production scheme was part of the charm. It was a little ahead of its time and I remember thinking at the time that it was a semi cult classic.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

The low level production scheme was part of the charm. It was a little ahead of its time and I remember thinking at the time that it was a semi cult classic.

Like I said, it the early 80's when I finally watched it the low production values were less charming and more cheesy. LOL!

Today, yeah I look at it with a different point of view and consider it a very good movie.

 

[haleyrules]

Like I said, it the early 80's when I finally watched it the low production values were less charming and more cheesy. LOL!

Today, yeah I look at it with a different point of view and consider it a very good movie.

I just need to add something. The Shining. TCM . Psycho...had a believable edge to them and, to me, that's what truly made them scary and classics...in their own unique way.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I just need to add something. The Shining. TCM . Psycho...had a believable edge to them and, to me, that's what truly made them scary and classics...in their own unique way.

That's true enough.

One reason I never found "Nightmare on Elm St." to be a great movie FOR ME there was no believable edge to them... Especially after the first one.

On the other hand I found "Blair Witch" to be believable and thought it a much better tale.