My Top 10 Horror Movies
This is nothing more than my opinion, to give you my take on what I regard as my top 10. They are not in order, I like them all more or less the same. After making the list I was struck by how many of these movies are from the 1970s. The only director to have more than one entry in the list is John Carpenter. Some movies that didn’t quite make the list are: Aliens (I didn’t want both Alien and Aliens on the same list) The Descent, 28 Days Later, White Zombie, The Wicker Man (1973) Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) The Evil Dead 1 and 2, The Birds, Day of the Dead (1985), Phantasm, Friday the 13th to name just some.
Warning: there might be mild spoilers.
The Thing (1982)
The John Carpenter remake of The Thing is not just a masterpiece but one of the few occasions when the remake is "better" than the original. This film is not just a top 10 horror film, this would make my top 10 across all movie genres. The film has it all, great effects, great acting, great cinematography and one of the greatest movie monsters in history, a monster that duplicate and hide within humans or any other animal. As close to perfection as any horror movie will ever achieve. It also helped that Kurt Russell give probably his best acting performance in the role.
Alien (1979)
One of the most iconic horror movies within the horror genre. The scene with the chest buster scene is now ingrained in our popular culture. This movie has a monster that gives the monster in The Thing a run for its movie, and perhaps more! This is a clever, cunning monster but also sadistic. The scene with Lambert, the noises, we all know something deeply unpleasant has happened. This is not just some mindless monster, this is a sadistic killing machine. I can literally watch this movie over and over, it’s that good. I really wanted to cheat and have Alien and Aliens for the same entry as both are equally good in my opinion.
Halloween (1978)
Another John Carpenter movie, and another genre defining film. This was, people should remember, a movie with a relatively small budget. There have been so many similar movies, with no doubt bigger budgets made since but this one is still the standard they should aspire to. Like The Thing and Alien this movie has a monster, something human yet less than human. What motivates Michael Myers, is he possessed, a supernatural force, what is guiding him. The film does not tell us, because it doesn’t need to, he is the way he is and that is that. Part of the problem with the remakes was trying to rationalise the actions of the killer, give them a back story, but the more we know about him the less scary he seems, at least to me. The movie has excellent acting from both Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence. One of those must watch movies at Halloween.
Hellraiser (1987)
This movie genuinely scared me when I was younger, when it came out I was a child and to me this movie was almost too scary to watch. This movie was unlike any other horror movie I had ever seen. The notion that you can summon beings from another dimension (hell?) by solving a puzzle box is very unnerving. The performance of Doug Bradley as Pin Head makes the movie and he has become iconic, indeed inseparable in my opinion from Pinhead. The real monsters in this movie are not the Cenobites but instead the people within the movie, namely Frank and Julia. This movie really is like nothing else from the 1980s. This is no slasher movie but it does have gore and quite a bit of it.
The Shining (1980)
The Shining is a movie of stunning visuals in my opinion. The cinematography is excellent. Some say that Jack Nicholson hammed it up too much but I think his performance was perfect. He really is convincing at playing the role of a crazy person. This is one of those horror movies that will creep you out. It also had a great ending, with the scene within the maze imprinted on our minds as too the scene with a sea of blood flowing down the corridors or Jack typing his “novel”. There are so many iconic scenes from this movie, it really is just an amazing movie.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Whilst the Shining was a movie of stunning visuals the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of bleak images, the common made uncommon, with its nod to Ed Gein with furniture made from human remains. There is surprisingly little gore for a film that is perceived as being bloody. What the movie does well is build a sense of foreboding that eventually comes to pass when they enter the house of the Sawyers. This movie is stripped back raw horror, no pretensions, it simply tells a story and does it well.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
When people think of zombies they think of Night of the Living Dead but for me the Dawn of the Dead is probably the best zombie movie. The movie takes up after Night of the Living dead in the sense that society is breaking down more due to the zombie outbreak. The acting is good, the plot is simple but it doesn’t need to be complicated. Whilst Night of the Living Dead happened in a house, Dawn of the Dead happens in a large shopping mall. There is no doubting the social commentary, something that was present in Night of the Living dead. We watch zombies walk around a mall, not that far removed from what they did when still alive. You really want the survivors to triumph, for the happy ending, but we all know that is not going to happen.
Deep Red (1975)
For me this is perhaps the best movie on the list in terms of imagery, the cinematography is excellent. Dario Argento has such attention of detail when directing that your eyes will be glued to the screen. The film starts strong, the middle never feels like its dragging and the ending is great too. In terms of Italian horror movies this is easily my favourite.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Wesley Cravens second movie, but for me this is my favourite. Like Texas Chainsaw Massacre this is a raw, gritty movie. The monsters in the movie are all human, albeit with a taste for human flesh but this is a movie more about revenge than cannibalism. Unlike most horror movies the real hero (or the good guy) is not human but a dog out for revenge for the death of his partner. The movie is a must watch for any horror fan.
Black Christmas (1974)
Before the movie Halloween the slasher genre had a movie that really doesn’t get enough praise. This movie came out in 1974 but it really was before its time. The movie Halloween gets all the plaudits, but this movie is equally watchable and is more effective in giving you the creeps. Do you yourself a favour and watch the original and not the remake.