MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Your Top 10 horror movies

Your Top 10 horror movies


Just for fun so crossover genres are fine.

Mine:

1. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
2. Hereditary (2018)
3. The Omen (1976)
4. Alien (1979)
5. 28 Days Later (2002)
6. Jaws (1975)
7. Psycho (1960)
8. The Fly (1986)
9. Wolf Creek (2005)
10. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

reply

The Serpent and The Rainbow
Tremors
Creepshow II
Friday the 13th Part VII : The New Blood
Friday the 13th Part V : A New Beginning
VHS
VHS 2
The Prince of Darkness
The Thing (1982)
They Live

I don't watch horror movies.

reply

One of your selections has one of the best fist fights in film history.

reply

They Live!

reply

That’s it!

reply

INLAND EMPIRE
Lovely Molly
The Shining
Possessor
Mother!
Under The Skin
The Thing
The House That Jack Built
Alien
High Life

reply

inland empire is a cool left field choice. i want to give it a rewatch sooner rather than later. i actually have the dvd kicking around here somewhere, but i don't have anything to play it with anymore! & annoyingly it never pops up on any streaming sites, it seems.

not an easy film to love, but it's got some of his greatest moments - images that are genuinely nightmarish.

reply

I tried to make this list like four or five times on my phone and kept accidentally wiping it and having to start over. I know there are some films that I had included on earlier versions, but can't remember now! Once I finally did get to 10 I just hit send, lol! INLAND EMPIRE is definitely my #1, and Lovely Molly is definitely my #2, after that it gets pretty fuzzy.

(Oh yeah, Midsommar was one I just remembered.)
(Now they're coming back. A Dark Song is another one.)
(Have you ever seen Deep Dark? That's a fun one.)
(Oh yeah, I had The Witch on a previous list.)

reply

Easily my favorite possible horror element is identity confusion/blurring/replacement, hence most of the above entries. I found Always Shine and Black Bear totally enjoyable for this reason too, if not really technically horror. I'm sensing an identity blurring trilogy there, by the way. Will there be a third entry?

reply

i liked always shine too. black bear is unknown to me, but i'm willing to track it down. haven't heard of deep dark either, but i'm always looking for something new, and i dig your sensibilities on these matters based on what you've posted here.

thanks!

reply

Mine are:

1. The Shining
2. The Exorcist
3. The Conjuring
4. Psycho
5. Rosemary's Baby
6. Annabelle
7. Paranormal Activity
8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street
10. Hereditary

reply

No particular order:

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Frailty (2001)
Nosferatu (1922)
The Thing (1982)
Tremors (1990)
Cat People (1942)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Blood Diner (1987)
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Halloween (1978)

reply

Frailty is one of my favourite films of all time. Funny I didn’t even think about it in the context of horror movies, but you’re right it fits 👍

reply

It's arguably just as horrific to imagine what ordinary people can do to each other compared to supernatural monsters.

reply

I had also forgot about Frailty, nice call. Its why you're at the top of the Stonekeeper list.

reply

Blood Diner is maybe the most insane movie I’ve ever seen. Completely ridiculous and always a good time.

reply

From the very first scene you can tell that it's going off the rails and joyfully maintaining the course.

reply

Just the radio broadcast and the Mom saying she has to go get tampons let’s you know what kind of ride you’re in for.

reply

TOO HARD...I HURT MY BRAIN-BAG...NOW I CANT TASTE PURPLE.🤔

reply

I've excluded Creature Feature, Sci-fi, Slasher, Vampires, Warewolves and Zombies, otherwise it would have been too difficult.

Ringu
The Omen
The Excorcist
The Shining
Carrie
IT (1990)
Poltergeist
Paranormal Activity
Rec
Scream

reply

I'm not including films like Alien or Jaws or even The Thing 1982, which all have very strong horror elements but I see are more in SF or adventure, and sticking to the classic horror genre, which includes ghosts, werewolves, slashers, etc.

1. The Shining (1980)
2. The Omen (1976)
3. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
4. Black Christmas (1974)
5. Halloween (1978)
6. Fright Night (1985)
7. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
8. The Haunting (1963)
9. Carrie (1976)
10. The Conjuring (2013)

reply

This is a tough list for me, for two reasons. The usual one, of course, any top-10 is hard (what do you leave out!?) but also, I'm not much of a horror fan, and I haven't seen some essential viewing for any true lover of the genre (like Halloween, Scream, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Nevertheless, here's my top ten.

1. Alien - no question, for me, Alien is queen. It's an essay on fear and what makes people afraid from the subliminal to the visceral, and it turns that essay into a genuinely scary mashup of sci-fi, horror, and thriller.
2. Shaun of the Dead - just because I'm laughing doesn't mean it's not a near-perfect zombie movie.
3. Nosferatu - original or remake, either are brilliant, and yes, I am cheating by lumping two in here. I mostly think of the original, though.
4. The Shining - complex, mysterious, and brilliant
5. Jaws - Great thriller with good performances
6. Pan's Labyrinth - Maybe this isn't a "real" horror movie, but whether it's dark fae beings or the brutality and evil of man, it's pretty horrifying to me.
7. Colour from Space - I found parts of this moving...upsetting. It's deeply nihilistic and underrated.
8. The Exorcist - which manages to get into its characters' lives as much as the gruesomeness of the subject matter. Take notes, horror-makers: it's not just about guts, it's about heart.
9. Psycho - how could I not include one of the seminal films?
10. Get Out - perfect blend of story and theme, and it was chilling as all...well, getout.

I left some really great films off the list, and if I think about it for two seconds, I'd re-arrange the order like mad, but that's it, roughly, more or less. (Nosferatu should maybe be number one or two, shouldn't it?)

I wish I could have included more (The Descent, 28 Days Later, The Ninth Gate, Evil Dead II, Cabin in the Woods...etc.)

reply