I’ve seen lists of best horror films before, and those lists are full of shit. One listed The Blair Witch Project as one of the best horror movies. Seriously. Another listed Shaun of the Dead, that was a fucking comedy! I don’t know who makes these lists, but they clearly suck at making lists so I figured I’d make my own. Oh, and I’m not listing anything from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s.
I give you my list of the 10 best horror films, in no particular order:
Se7en
I don’t know how this movie doesn’t end up on more “best” lists. Some try to argue semantics and say that this movie was a “thriller” and/or “mystery” rather than a “horror”. That’s a piss poor argument in my book. At any rate, the casting was excellent and the story was even better. The entire movie was pretty creepy and I don’t know anyone who wasn’t at least a little freaked out when they found the “sloth” victim.
The Silence of the Lambs
Here’s another movie that I don’t understand how it hasn’t shown up on more “best” lists. This too was a modern classic, it was good enough that Hollywood thought they could make more money by making 2 more films on the same subject. And again with the semantics and pigeon holing – this movie seems to often be classified as a “thriller” and/or “crime” movie. The movie is also well written and cast.
Misery
I actually saw this at the movie theater when it came out, and I can tell you when Annie breaks Paul’s ankles, the entire audience gasped. The movie was actually a bit disturbing because you could actually believe something like this would happen, given how fanatical people can be.
The Shining
I’m convinced this movie made people skeptical of twins and unoccupied buildings. And like the other movies in this list, this a modern classic and probably the only movie besides Popeye that people could actually stand to see Shelley Duvall in. I don’t need to write much about this movie because if you haven’t seen it, you’re retarded.
Jaws
Watch it today and it looks hokey, no question – special effects were nothing like they are today. However, being a child and watching this when it came out gave people a new phobia they most likely never had. This movie was popular enough to spawn more than just sequels, but amusement park attractions as well.
Bonus – Other great disturbing flicks that scared me when I was a child, not all of them belonging to the horror genre:
- The Exorcist
- Psycho
- Friday the 13th
- Halloween
- A Nightmare On Elm Street
- The Amityville Horror
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Nightmare On Elm Street
- When a Stranger Calls
- The Elephant Man