Top 20 Horror Movies

Before I begin, let's define "horror" movie. I tend to group all scary movies as horror movies, but there are lots of people who object. There is a distinction between "horror" and "thriller." While a horror movie deals more with gore, a thriller is more about suspense. I personally don't care much about this distinction. If it was made to scare me, then it is horror to me.

I have seen over 300 scary movies. After much contemplation, here are my top 20:

1. Halloween (1978) – Everything about Halloween makes a perfect horror movie. It begins with a murder seen through the eyes of the killer paired with the creepy piano music and breathing heard inside a mask. The scene ends revealing the killer is a child. Jump ahead to the "present," where a psychologist and nurse arrive at an asylum to find the patients wandering around in the rain looking ghostly. After a brief attack by the killer, we then jump to Haddenfield where the rest of the film is set. For the rest of the movie, we follow three teenage girls as masked adult Michael Myers stalks them. What makes the movie excellent to me is that he constantly lurks in the background of shots. Sometimes the music clues the viewer in to his presence, but others scenes are much more subtle. There are two false endings when we think the killer is dead; the second time he rises up behind the Jamie Lee Curtis is spectacular. The ending also fools viewers again. Just as Michael Myers strangles the main character, the psychiatrist finally comes to the rescue and shoots Michael Myers sending him out the window. But, when we look back to see his body – it is gone! The film ends with the creepy music and shots of the various parts of the house where Myers could be hiding in the shadows. The viewer feels completely unsettled at the fact Michael Myers is not only unstoppable, but that he could be lurking in the shadows of their own neighborhood and home.
Sequels: Halloween 2 - 6, H20 (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Remake: Halloween (2007), Halloween 2 (2009) Both are by Rob Zombie.

2. The Ring (2002) – I love that The Ring was so different than other horror movies I had seen up until that time. It took an every day object, a video cassette, and made it dangerous. The way the horror takes place is also very different to a slasher movie. There is no killer lurking around following the victims until the gory climax. Instead, an odd variety of symptoms happen in increasing intensity until the victims "seven days" are up. The story is very much a mystery as the main characters work to figure out what is causing the occurrences and how to stop it. This movie's structure is excellent. It starts with a traditional strong opening scene: a character who appears to be a main character is killed. Additionally, this film has a great twist ending. When I saw this movie in the theater, there were people who left five minutes before the movie was over and missed this twist and the scariest scene! This movie was also the first to have those horrible looking dead faces. I still usually find something else to look at when those faces are shown. The film also cuts to the death faces at moments viewers aren't expecting them increasing the shock tenfold. Lastly, this movie is one of the few where the fear followed me outside of the movie. I would not watch an unmarked video cassette in my dorm room for months after seeing this movie. Why chance it? I also would not click on the "don't click here" option on the DVD menu. Making something as passive and common as watching TV dangerous - brillant.
Original: Ringu (1998)
Sequel: The Ring 2 (2005)

3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) – The majority of Texas Chainsaw Massacre is gore. Horrible acts are done to the bodies of the victims in this movie, but for me that is not what makes the movie scary, or else I would have loved Hostile. Instead, a few elements make this film particularly scary. First of all, the weirdness of everything in this hick town; there are all these images of dirty people, butchery, bones, pigs, feathers, etc. When the ending reveals that all of these weirdos are working together against outsiders, everything intensifies. How could all these people could be that crazy? Next, Leatherface himself is scary to a point. When he is finally shown in this remake, he is a massive and ruthless. The average person has zero change of getting away from him, which is best shown in the scene where the first victim is hit on the head with a hammer. However, for me, what made this version of the movie most scary was the documentary portions at the beginning and end of the film. These parts made me feel like this story was real and that these images are real crime scene footage. The last shot is of a blurred close up of Leatherface in the basement, which is voiced over by the narrator saying he was never caught. This is the only movie that when I left the theater, I felt like someone was going to jump out and get me right there! On the drive home, my husband and I were expecting psychos with chainsaws to dart out into our headlights.
Original: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Sequels: There are at least four sequels, but the titles are so long I'm not going to write them out.
Prequel: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

4. Signs (2002) – For me, the idea of alien invasion is scary because if its going to happen, I can't do anything about it. Unlike Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where I could just not pick up hitchhikers or stop at weird little towns, or The Ring, where I can not watch unmarked videos, alien invasion is unavoidable if it were to occur. M. Night Shamalyan creates great tension and suspense throughout the movie as stranger and stranger events happen around this one broken family. The characters are very real. This is not a movie where you are thinking, "You dumbass, yeah, investigating the strange noise in the dark is a great idea." Instead, I was left thinking that I might react in the same ways. Four factors make this movie a favorite for me, only one of which deals with horror. First, several great jolting scenes reveal the aliens (or parts of them). For me, it is particularly the scene where Merrill watches the video of the alien on the news that is outstanding. Not only is the alien creepy, but Merrill's reaction is so real. Next, I love that there is humor in this movie. For example, in the aforementioned scene, Merrill yells at the little Mexican kids in the video to "vamonos" so that he can see better. Also fabulous: When Graham says that they all need to "eat some fruit or something" because they're too jumpy. Another great element to this film is that it is about more than aliens; it is also about Graham's family dealing with the lose of their wife and mother. Lastly, perhaps the best aspect of the film is how everything pulls together in the end to make sense. The glasses of water, the asthma, the car crash, the baseball bat: All these items are crucial to the climax of the movie. They not only work to defeat the aliens, but they restore Graham's faith. When viewers see the preview of this movie, they think it is called Signs because of the crop circles seen in the first scene, but in the end we learn that it is really called Signs because of the signs around Graham which restore his faith.

5. Saw (2004) – The original Saw combines some of the best elements of the previously mentioned films. There is gore. There are jumpy moments. There are creepy masks. There is mystery, which pulls together in the end to reveal a fabulous twist no one could see coming. The story line starts so simply with two men locked in a room, but it soon becomes complex with intricate twists and depth. And, I must mention that I simply can't trust Michael Emerson who plays Ben on Lost because he plays a character in this movie.
Sequels: As of 2010, there were six movies in the series, one released each year. The most recent is part of the 3D craze. They used the line, "If its Halloween, its Saw," at least once in advertising.


6. Scream (1996) – Wes Craven's Scream was my first favorite horror movie. What first impressed me about Scream was the opening sequence: It turns a normal situation into someone being tormented and killed. We don't expect sweet, megastar Drew Barrymore to die in the first ten minutes. Even though the structure of the movie follows the classic slasher movie format, the characters are aware of this format. The characters openly comment on their situations knowing about horror movies; they even watch Halloween at some point. The humor in this movie also makes it a favorite. One of my favorite moments is when the principal mistakenly yells at an old janitor in a red and green sweater; he then apologizes calling him Fred. Clever allusions like this as well as witty dialogue between characters allow viewers to feel a little less scared. However, the mask from the movie, now a cliché since the first Scary Movie, was truly scary for me the first few times I watched the film. These elements combined with several good jumps and a great mystery of who-done-it, keep Scream in my top ten.
Sequels: Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 due to come out in 2011

7. Dawn of the Dead (2004) – The remake of Dawn of the Dead contains perhaps my favorite opening seen to a movie. The opening contains great dramatic irony, where the audience knows that the zombies are coming, but the main character is unable to read this signs or misses hearing the information by mere seconds. Then the action accelerates as the main character's normal life turns upside down. Because of this scene, I have informed my husband to never pretend to be a zombie for long or I am not responsible for what I do to him. I like that this remake investigates more fully the idea of being trapped in the mall, which is only a segment of the original. Also, this movie has a great ending, which is easy to miss if viewers skip the credits.
Original: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Sequels: technically this is part of Romero's four part zombie series

8. The Shining (1980) – Unlike most of my other favorites, The Shining doesn't start with a strong opener. Instead, a slow sense of insanity and danger builds throughout the film. By the time Wendy finds Jack's "All work no play makes Jack a dull boy" manuscript, we realize that its too late. Wendy and Danny are snowed in at a mountain resort with someone who is no longer who they thought he was. I miss from the novel commentary on alcoholism and abuse, but otherwise The Shining is a favorite for its tremendous tension and sense of isolation.
Remake: TV mini series (1997)

9. Blair Witch Project (1999) – For me, what isn't seen is usually scarier than what is shown. The Blair Witch Project takes me we never see who or what terrorizes the three characters. Even though I don't like a single one of the characters who constantly bicker, I do feel their terror as they run through the woods trying to accept that they are lost in the woods with no food or way out. The ending of this movie is the strongest. There are switches in point of view, running through the woods, out of control screaming, creepy children's hand prints, and a dark house in the woods. The last few minutes leave you totally unsettled and never solve the mystery of the Blair Witch.
Sequel: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

10. The Strangers (2008) – This film had perhaps the scariest trailer and movie poster I have ever seen, and that marketing alone rank it high for me. I thought that seeing this movie might do me psychological damage. Luckily, it didn't, but for that reason, it also didn't live up to my expectations in many ways. I loved the scenes were the killers were lurking around much like Michael Meyers in Halloween. Most terrifying was when one of the killers is inside the house, in the same room as Liv Tyler's character, yet she is totally unaware of the danger! After this scene, I can't help but imagine that there could be someone in my home watching me waiting to do to me what happened to this couple.

11. Nightmare on Elm St. (1984) – They don't call New Line Cinemas the "house that Freddy built" for nothing. Unlike Michael Myers, I never worry about seeing Freddy Kugar lurking in shadows. Not only is he funny, but once the movie is over, I know that I don't live on Elm St. and that if I ever did see him its a dream. Yet, during the movie, there are some pretty freaky things going on. The first big scene where Tina dreams of Freddy's arms stretching out and subsequently Freddy drags her bleeding around the room up onto the ceiling is excellent. But, Nancy's dream while in class makes me more uneasy. This scene really shows how the line of dream and reality blurs making one a little less sure of the world around one. Maybe if something weird happens I really am asleep? Oh, and did I mention Johnny Depp being drown in a water bed of blood? All round, great horror fun.
Sequels: There are five sequels with varying names; New Nightmare (1994), which is about the actors; Freddy vs. Jason (2003), which is just what it sounds!
Remake: Nightmare on Elm St (2010), sequel to remake set to come out in 2012

12. Silence of the Lambs (1991) – This awesome psychological thriller also contains some of the traditional serial killer plot. The suspense is excellent, the characters fascinating, and the mystery blossoms more than unfolds. Few people can see Anthony Hopkins and not think of this role. Yet, it is not placed higher because it did not stay with me once I left the theater. During the movie I get lured in by Hannibal's manipulations and thrilled by suspense of tracking down the killer, but once it is over I am not actually worried that I will encounter Hannibal Lector in the real world.
Sequel: Hannibal (2001)
Prequel: Manhunter (1986) and its remake Red Dragon (2002)

13. The Sixth Sense (1999) – Did I mention I love M. Night Shamalyan? The Sixth Sense is excellent because of the twist ending that changes the viewer's whole perception of everything that precedes it. This is my favorite aspect of the film, but that doesn't make it a great horror movie, just a great movie. This movie is a strong example of horror because of the suspense created in many scenes, namely when Cole is trapped in the closet at the party and the ghosts in the apartment. Additionally, the horror is happening to a young boy, which makes us more sensitive to it seeing how afraid he is. It helps that Cole (Haley Jole Osman) is such a cute and quirky little boy, doing a little dance in his underoos, hiding in big glasses, and setting up army men in a church. Cole's fear lies under each of these actions, which otherwise appear cute on the surface.

14. The Fly (1986) – This movie is the ultimate gross out. As I heard it described on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, every time the viewer sees Jeff Goldblume he wonders how "Brundlefly" could possibly look worse, but then it is worse! However, the worst part of the whole film for me is Gene Davis's dream where she gives birth to a baby sized writhing maggot! The whole film encompasses the idea of losing control of one's body and it turning against one in disgusting ways. That dream sequence embodies that idea for me and sickens me beyond words.
Original: The Fly (1958), which sequels Return of the Fly (1959) and Curse of the Fly (1965)
Sequel: The Fly II (1989)

15. Night of the Living Dead – I like the original black and white (1968) and the color (1990) remake with Tony Todd equally. Actually, I enjoy all of the Romero zombie series that I've seen. Zombie movies are my husband's favorite category of horror, and I enjoy them quite a bit myself. I enjoy how Romero deals with horror minorities (including strong female characters, African Americans, Latinos, and the mentally challenged) throughout his films; he goes beyond the traditional roles these characters may have (such as the progression of Barbara's character from the 1968 version to the 1990 or that Ben isn't the token black guy who dies first), if they had a place in horror at all. But as far as the actual horror is concerned, zombies are just kinda freaky the way they wander up and become a swarm. As much as I love the fast zombies in remake of Dawn of the Dead, the slow ones are creepier. These two movies are a nice twist on the haunted house idea. And, there is some great gore with the zombies. The line, "There coming to get you, Barbara," is a favorite and gives me a little chill. I absolutely love the homage to that line in Shaun of the Dead.
Sequels: Technically, this could be considered the first installment of Romero's zombie series.


16. The Exorcist (1973) - For many people this movie is at the very top of the list. Yet, since I am not into organized religion, it isn't as scary for me. However, even without religious ties, some parts of this movie are still very scary. There are well placed little jumps and oddities such as the phone ringing while Daemon listens to the tape recording or Morgan talking about Captain Howdy. Morgan doing the "spider walk" down the stairs though is a big moment. Because of my age in relation to the time of the movie's release, her head spinning and the pea soup vomit where already cliché by the time I saw the movie. One unexpected element that makes this movie an uneasy watch for me is the anguish the mother goes through getting Morgan diagnosed. The part of the movie that I have to look away is when Morgan gets a certain medical procedure done which requires filtering out some of her blood.
Sequels: The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Exorcist III (1990)
Prequel: The Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

17. Friday the 13th (1980) – This film is worth mentioning because of the huge franchise it built. For me, it isn't as scary as the other masked killer movies because I don't go camping. Also, Jason is so strong, that I know I stand no chance. Unlike the other slasher movies listed where there is the possibility of a chase or prolonged torturous injury from which one can be rescued, Jason breaks victims in half and that's that. "Wait", you say, "I've seen the opening sequence of Scream! Jason isn't the killer in the first one!" Yes, that is why this one merits a spot on the list for me. How the ending reveals Jason and leaves him at large is a unexpected and unsettled.
Sequels: There are 12 sequels, including the newest installment from 2009.

18. War of the Worlds (2005) - As I mentioned under Signs, I find alien invasion scary because there is not much the average Joe is going to be able to do about it. I really like the tension created in the suspenseful scenes of this movie, such as when Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning are in the basement. Tim Robin's character as well as the madness over the car add another dimension to this type of scenario; how people would act crazy in the face of this kind of emergency is another one of my fears. I have very clear memories of my reactions while seeing this in the theater; they consisted of saying "oh my God" more times than I probably have during any other horror movie. Most notable was when we discover that the red goo being sprayed is made of the people the aliens are collecting - gross and horrific.
Original: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Remake: The War of the Worlds TV series (1988)
Sequel: The War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008)

19. Penny Dreadful (2006) - The first time After Dark Films had Horrorfest, my husband and I were very excited. They marketed these films as movies that were too scary and that the studios didn't want us to see. Well, that was all marketing hype. They were really just the average horror movies (that is to say, rather bad horror movies repeated on SyFy), but we were impressed with Penny Dreadful. The concept was unique: Penny is afraid of being in a car due to being present when her parents died in a crash, so Penny works to over come her fear by taking a long car trip with her therapist. What could go wrong? Well, if they were smart and drove through say a city during the day time, probably nothing. But no, they drive through a cold, dark woods, in the evening. There is a lot of tension in this movie revolving around being stuck alone and unable to get help. One of the interesting things about this movie is the layers of fear Penny experiences; she is trapped inside a car, her life long fear, but something even worse than that is terrorizing her. The scariest scene: When she realizes he is in the car with her!

20. American Werewolf in London (1991) – This movie contains the best werewolf transformation scene of all time, even with our modern special affects. Additionally, the dialogue is funny. However, the story was predictably straightforward and the full transformed monster was not terrifying from my side of the screen.
Sequel: American Werewolf in Paris (1997)
Remake: IMDB states that a remake of the original and this sequel are both due out in 2011



Runner-Ups:There were a few movies I had trouble placing on my list, but I couldn't get another ten movies in order to make a top 30.

• Cabin Fever (2002)– Although very different in plot, Cabin Fever is along the same lines of The Fly. This movie is all about gross out as it deals with the idea of losing control of one's body. This movie is weaker than many others because it includes other oddities that detract from the central theme and horror. Once the disease is caught though, it is scary because the characters don't know how they are catching it and are unable to get help. The twist at the end, which is often not shown on TV, really brings the idea home, literally.
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)– All the movies in this venue deal with the idea of people no longer being who their love ones think they are. I have seen three additional versions of this plot (The Invasion, The Faculty, and Body Snatchers), but have never seen the original 1956 version. I've also read Finney's novel, on which the films are based. The Faculty and this version are my favorites, but The Faculty, despite Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnet, is more of a teen horror movie, and thus fits neatly in the teen slasher format, making it less exciting. But, I'm not talking about The Faculty. This version of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers was so good because I really love a good ending, and this one deliverers. Donald Sutherland doing that ghastly scream and point with that terrifying look on his face is awesome.
• 28 Days Later (2000) - The big debate about this movie is whether it is a zombie movie or not. Technically, no, there are no zombies. The people are infected with a virus and aren't dead. However, that is a rather small difference, especially since the new Dawn of the Dead decided to make fast moving zombies. What is cool about this movie is that it seemed to come out of no where. I vaguely remember seeing an ad or two for it on TV. Then, my husband had me watch it right when we started dating after he accidentally came across it one cable on night. I enjoyed how this explored some different venues, such as being in a coma when the crisis starts and the military base's need for women. In the end, the infected are not the villains our heroes are fighting against.
• Dead Silence (2007)– This move is a great combination of horror elements. First, there is creepy music that is like a combination of the Halloween music and the Saw music. The movie starts swiftly like Halloween, Scream, and The Ring with an early murder. Next, there are creepy dolls / puppets. For me, creepy dolls are very much like creepy masks (which is why the doll mask in The Strangers is so freaky). The horrible dead faces like those first seen in The Ring are also in this movie also make a big impact on me. There is a twist at the end which also makes the ending unique and makes a subsequent viewing a new experience.
• Carrie (1976) - I read and enjoyed King's novel before seeing this film. I am usually a purist about novel to movie translation, so I was glad that there weren't any major changes made. Carrie's mother's craziness is far more scary to me than Carrie's prom night freak out. Her mother's insanity peaks when Carrie returns from the prom and her mother is hiding behind the upstairs door planning to kill her. The very end is excellent, too. The hand coming up out of the grave grabbing Sue Snell spliced with shots of her stuck in the nightmare screaming is very jarring.
• Psycho (1960)- Like Scream and The Exorcist, by the time I saw this film, much of the novelty and surprise had been given away. The shower scene is still great, and the music is awesome, but it is hard to be surprised by it. For me, the best part of this film is the end. Not only is the decaying mother gross and creepy, but I an totally unsettled by Norman Bates' internal monologue as he sits in the police station. Something about his face and his complete insanity gives me the willies.
• Quarantine (2008)- This is a nice cross of the documentary of Blair Witch Project and the zombies of Romero. This is the only movie on the list that I have only seen twice. What sticks with me the most is that scary case where those in power are screwing over innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is scary, and hence in lots of horror movies, particularly those dealing with zombies and viruses (can you say, The Stand?). Beyond that, I remember most clearly the excellent scene where a "man" with the broken leg getting up and walks on it.

Honorable Mentions:These are titles that I found myself considering as Runner-Ups, but I didn't like them enough personally to do a write up on them.

• American Psycho
• Rosemary's Baby
• My Bloody Valentine
• Black Christmas
• The Others
• The Decent
• Poltergeist
• Red Dragon

Want more?The Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments special covers most of the movies mentioned here, but not all. It is my favorite horror movie special, and I will watch it over and over. In fact, the list is on my fridge and I cross of a title whenever I see it. (Currently, 54 movies are crossed off, which I consider a good ration considering the number which were released before I could even get into an R rated movie). There are extensions of the list as well adding newer movies mixed with older movies that were overlooked previously. On YouTube, you can see the clips for each movie on the list.

A few words about remakes and sequels:
For the most part, I feel the way most people do about remakes: If I saw the original movie first, then I usually don't like the remake as nearly as much. The only exception that comes to mind is Dawn of the Dead, for which I saw the original long before the remake, but wasn't that taken in by it. I'm always excited to see a remake, but usually I'm let down. Movies like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm St spend too much time on back story and don't put enough time into the scary scenes and details. They play homage to the classic scenes or elements, but don't creatively make them new. For example, the new Nightmare on Elm St. pulls back the drag across the ceiling scene, tosses in Freddy's teasing appearance in the wall and bath tub, and cuts back on Nancy's dream at school. All these scenes were what was great about the original, but they are underplayed in the remake. Now, to make a good remake, look to the Tony Todd Night of the Living Dead. The opening scene plays homage to the original, but adds new depth to the scene. The zombie appears at a totally different moment than we anticipate. Then, instead of lots of back ground about why the zombies are there, we instead see differences in the character development, most notably Barbara. The new ending is a satisfying variation which doesn't veer way off course of the original, but doesn't just play it back either.

As for sequels, they are never quite as good, and usually are now where near as good, as the original. This goes for prequels and long running series. There are some good ones. For example, the second two movies in the Scream trilogy pretty much follow the pattern of the first movie while still keeping the mystery fresh, the characters interesting, and the commentary on the horror movie industry funny. Also quite good is Halloween II, which continues right where the first leaves off where Laurie is stalked around the hospital. However, the other Halloween movies gradually decline, and then there is the oddity of Halloween III. Similar to the Halloween series is the Saw franchise. These movies have gradually declined, but Saw II and III keep up a lot of the interesting torture devices and the great mystery and plot twists. Lastly, there is Red Dragon, which is a remake of a prequel! (I've never seen Manhunter). It gives its own creepy story with just enough of Hannibal Lector; he doesn't take over the movie. But, by and large, sequels and prequels are disappointing. Most notably for me were The Ring II and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

Lastly, several of these movies were based on books or have since have books written based on them. I've decided to leave those links out, but have tried to mention the novels in the write ups.

Criteria for a Great Horror Movie:

• Its hours later and you are safe at home, but you are still afraid.
• The situation could really happen to the average person.
• The situation is unavoidable.
• Realistic, human reactions to the situations from the characters.
• A riveting opening scene.
• There are some great moments that make the viewer jump.
• Good endings such as twists, pulling everything together, or a great final jump!
• The story explores something deeper than the plot.
• Creepy masks!
• Dramatic irony! People lurking in the shadows that the characters don't know about.
• Gore and violence contribute to the story instead of being the story.
• There is some humor, mystery, or both.