10. Halloween
When you watch the original Halloween movie now, you would probably think it's nothing special. It has a formula that we've seen hundreds of times, but realize that Halloween practically invented that formula. Released in 1978, Halloween quickly became one of the most influential slasher movies of all time; resulting in countless movies imitating it as well as resulting in about a dozen sequels (almost all of them were terrible but that's beside the point). Shot on a budget of only about 300 thousand the movie went on to gross an astonishing 70 million dollars; so it's not hard to see why so many movies tried to copy it. The main antagonist Michael Myers has become a horror legend and the definitive model for a slasher movie villain. A great achievement in movie originality and independent film making, Halloween is considered by many to be one of the all time greatest horror movies.
9. Alien
Personally I'm not a big fan of Alien; I find it rather slow and often boring. But I do recognize it as one of the most suspenseful, jaw dropping, and brilliant horror movies ever. Released in 1979, Ridley Scott debuted a movie that would revolutionize the sci-fi horror genre that resulted in a long running and incredibly detailed film series. While none of the other Alien (or predator movies) could match the original or its direct sequel (James Cameron's "Aliens"), it still managed to bring the genre to places it had never gone before. Whether it be the incredible set design, practical effects, or introducing one of the most badass women in cinema history (Ripley), Alien is a movie that still captivates audiences today.
8. Shaun of the Dead
Calling Shaun of the Dead a horror movie might be pushing it a little; it doesn't make it any less of a great movie. After the end of the fantastic British comedy series Spaced, Director/co-writer Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again to make one of the funniest movies ever. One of the early zombie-comedy movies, Shaun of the Dead took a very unique look at the genre and decided to have some fun with it. There isn't a movie in existence that is as much fun to watch with some buddies Halloween night as this one is. While it is primarily a comedy, there are some seriously dark turns and shocking twists that make the movie a lot more serious than it appears to be. Shaun of the Dead is an absolute gem, a stroke a genius that resulted in two equally great follow-up films (Hot Fuzz and The World's End); but it's still hard to beat the original.
7. The Birds
I'm one of those people that subscribe to the belief that Alfred Hitchcock is the greatest director of all time, his style and uniqueness has caused countless directors to try and emulate him. One of his most recognized films is his horror/thriller "The Birds," and is often considered as one of his best. If you've ever analyzed the plot of the movie, it's pretty stupid. It's about a bunch of birds that try and kill everyone one day; how good the movie is can be contributed mostly to Hitchcock since the screenplay itself isn't very good. Yet Hitchcock managed to turn this into one of the most terrifying movies of all time, a movie the scared the living sh*t out of me when I was six or so. Hitchcock is the mast of mystery of suspense, and The Birds is one of his defining movies.
6. King Kong
I think more than any other movie on this list, King Kong has become a cultural icon. Originally released back in 1933, King Kong has inspired several spin offs (including outings into the Godzilla franchise), video games, comic books, and was even remade by Peter Jackson in 2005. At the time, King Kong was a technological marvel; if you watch it today it's obviously extremely dated, but for the early 30's the visual effects were unmatched. Combining live action with stop motion animation it stood head and shoulders above any other movie. I can only imagine what the audience felt the first time they saw it. They must have jumped out of their seats when King Kong first walked on the screen; a combination of terror and excitement that has been emulated few times in film history.
5. The Silence of the Lambs
There's a reason this won best adapted screenplay, best director, best actor, best actress, and best picture; it's pretty great. Based off the book by the same name, The Silence of the Lambs follows an aspiring FBI agent who is tasked with talking to a dangerous serial killer named Hannibal Lector. Through her talks she learns more and more about another killer that's at large nicknamed Buffalo Bill, so now she has to play Hannibal's sick games; but if she does she will make her career and take a dangerous criminal off the streets. Fun fact, this is the first horror movie to win best picture. And for good reason, this movie works on every level. From Jodie Foster's and Anthony Hopkins legendary performances to the perfect adaptation from the book, this is start to finish one of the most unsettling and memorable horror movies of all time.
4. The Host
The thing that makes The Host stand out among horror movies is that it brought the classic horror monster movie into the 21st century. Known by its South Korean name "Gwoemul," The Host tells the story of a small family whose youngest member is kidnapped by a monster that has mutated due to chemical dumping. This might actually be the most emotional horror movie I've ever seen, you really feel for this family. On top of that it's believed that the monster is spreading some sort of disease, and since the father of the girl that was taken was touched by the monster it's believed he's patient zero. So the family sets out to move the heavens and the earth to save the daughter, and it gives us a pretty great story. Also that monster is creepy as all hell.
3. 28 Days Later
I know a lot of people hate this movie claiming that it's not a real zombie movie and that its overrated, but they can go f*ck themselves because this is by far the greatest zombie movie of all time. Released in 2002, Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later redefined and revitalized the entire zombie genre. Probably the most distinguishable characteristic would be the zombies, in that they aren't actually zombies. These zombies are actually infected people so they can die like people, whether it is bullets or starvation; but what is most memorable is that 28 Days Later is the first movie to ever use fast zombies and they are terrifying, they run like Nigerian sprinters. 28 Days Later is an amazing horror movie and is totally underrated, and it's probably my favorite horror movie of all time.
2. Jaws
On any other day I could have chosen this as number one, I was close but not today. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jaws was an instant sensation reaching critical acclaim, winning several Oscars, and became the highest grossing movie of all time and held that record for several years. Supposedly, Jaws was so terrifying at its release that eastern tourist towns took a huge economic hit because no one wanted to go to the beach. Jaws is Spielberg's masterpiece; some say his best movie is Schindler's List, others say it's Raiders of the Lost Ark, but to me Jaws will always be his best. Jaws was an impressive movie then and it's an impressive movie now, the people behind it worked like hell and managed to make one of the most terrifying movies of all time.
1. Psycho
The undefeated, undisputed, king of the horror genre is none other than Alfred Hitchcock's unrivaled masterpiece, Psycho. This movie was a game changer; panned by critics but loved by audiences, Psycho has become a classic and is considered by many to be THE definitive horror thriller. The most notable aspects would be the two jaw dropping twists that take place in the movie; supposedly when the movie was still being shown in theaters, if patrons showed up late they wouldn't be allowed in the movie because this is a story you need to see from start to finish. While this might not be the best movie on this list (being slightly edged out by Jaws), no movie defines genre like Psycho; and it's undoubtedly the greatest horror movie of all time.
When you watch the original Halloween movie now, you would probably think it's nothing special. It has a formula that we've seen hundreds of times, but realize that Halloween practically invented that formula. Released in 1978, Halloween quickly became one of the most influential slasher movies of all time; resulting in countless movies imitating it as well as resulting in about a dozen sequels (almost all of them were terrible but that's beside the point). Shot on a budget of only about 300 thousand the movie went on to gross an astonishing 70 million dollars; so it's not hard to see why so many movies tried to copy it. The main antagonist Michael Myers has become a horror legend and the definitive model for a slasher movie villain. A great achievement in movie originality and independent film making, Halloween is considered by many to be one of the all time greatest horror movies.
Personally I'm not a big fan of Alien; I find it rather slow and often boring. But I do recognize it as one of the most suspenseful, jaw dropping, and brilliant horror movies ever. Released in 1979, Ridley Scott debuted a movie that would revolutionize the sci-fi horror genre that resulted in a long running and incredibly detailed film series. While none of the other Alien (or predator movies) could match the original or its direct sequel (James Cameron's "Aliens"), it still managed to bring the genre to places it had never gone before. Whether it be the incredible set design, practical effects, or introducing one of the most badass women in cinema history (Ripley), Alien is a movie that still captivates audiences today.
Calling Shaun of the Dead a horror movie might be pushing it a little; it doesn't make it any less of a great movie. After the end of the fantastic British comedy series Spaced, Director/co-writer Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again to make one of the funniest movies ever. One of the early zombie-comedy movies, Shaun of the Dead took a very unique look at the genre and decided to have some fun with it. There isn't a movie in existence that is as much fun to watch with some buddies Halloween night as this one is. While it is primarily a comedy, there are some seriously dark turns and shocking twists that make the movie a lot more serious than it appears to be. Shaun of the Dead is an absolute gem, a stroke a genius that resulted in two equally great follow-up films (Hot Fuzz and The World's End); but it's still hard to beat the original.
I'm one of those people that subscribe to the belief that Alfred Hitchcock is the greatest director of all time, his style and uniqueness has caused countless directors to try and emulate him. One of his most recognized films is his horror/thriller "The Birds," and is often considered as one of his best. If you've ever analyzed the plot of the movie, it's pretty stupid. It's about a bunch of birds that try and kill everyone one day; how good the movie is can be contributed mostly to Hitchcock since the screenplay itself isn't very good. Yet Hitchcock managed to turn this into one of the most terrifying movies of all time, a movie the scared the living sh*t out of me when I was six or so. Hitchcock is the mast of mystery of suspense, and The Birds is one of his defining movies.
I think more than any other movie on this list, King Kong has become a cultural icon. Originally released back in 1933, King Kong has inspired several spin offs (including outings into the Godzilla franchise), video games, comic books, and was even remade by Peter Jackson in 2005. At the time, King Kong was a technological marvel; if you watch it today it's obviously extremely dated, but for the early 30's the visual effects were unmatched. Combining live action with stop motion animation it stood head and shoulders above any other movie. I can only imagine what the audience felt the first time they saw it. They must have jumped out of their seats when King Kong first walked on the screen; a combination of terror and excitement that has been emulated few times in film history.
There's a reason this won best adapted screenplay, best director, best actor, best actress, and best picture; it's pretty great. Based off the book by the same name, The Silence of the Lambs follows an aspiring FBI agent who is tasked with talking to a dangerous serial killer named Hannibal Lector. Through her talks she learns more and more about another killer that's at large nicknamed Buffalo Bill, so now she has to play Hannibal's sick games; but if she does she will make her career and take a dangerous criminal off the streets. Fun fact, this is the first horror movie to win best picture. And for good reason, this movie works on every level. From Jodie Foster's and Anthony Hopkins legendary performances to the perfect adaptation from the book, this is start to finish one of the most unsettling and memorable horror movies of all time.
The thing that makes The Host stand out among horror movies is that it brought the classic horror monster movie into the 21st century. Known by its South Korean name "Gwoemul," The Host tells the story of a small family whose youngest member is kidnapped by a monster that has mutated due to chemical dumping. This might actually be the most emotional horror movie I've ever seen, you really feel for this family. On top of that it's believed that the monster is spreading some sort of disease, and since the father of the girl that was taken was touched by the monster it's believed he's patient zero. So the family sets out to move the heavens and the earth to save the daughter, and it gives us a pretty great story. Also that monster is creepy as all hell.
I know a lot of people hate this movie claiming that it's not a real zombie movie and that its overrated, but they can go f*ck themselves because this is by far the greatest zombie movie of all time. Released in 2002, Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later redefined and revitalized the entire zombie genre. Probably the most distinguishable characteristic would be the zombies, in that they aren't actually zombies. These zombies are actually infected people so they can die like people, whether it is bullets or starvation; but what is most memorable is that 28 Days Later is the first movie to ever use fast zombies and they are terrifying, they run like Nigerian sprinters. 28 Days Later is an amazing horror movie and is totally underrated, and it's probably my favorite horror movie of all time.
On any other day I could have chosen this as number one, I was close but not today. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jaws was an instant sensation reaching critical acclaim, winning several Oscars, and became the highest grossing movie of all time and held that record for several years. Supposedly, Jaws was so terrifying at its release that eastern tourist towns took a huge economic hit because no one wanted to go to the beach. Jaws is Spielberg's masterpiece; some say his best movie is Schindler's List, others say it's Raiders of the Lost Ark, but to me Jaws will always be his best. Jaws was an impressive movie then and it's an impressive movie now, the people behind it worked like hell and managed to make one of the most terrifying movies of all time.
The undefeated, undisputed, king of the horror genre is none other than Alfred Hitchcock's unrivaled masterpiece, Psycho. This movie was a game changer; panned by critics but loved by audiences, Psycho has become a classic and is considered by many to be THE definitive horror thriller. The most notable aspects would be the two jaw dropping twists that take place in the movie; supposedly when the movie was still being shown in theaters, if patrons showed up late they wouldn't be allowed in the movie because this is a story you need to see from start to finish. While this might not be the best movie on this list (being slightly edged out by Jaws), no movie defines genre like Psycho; and it's undoubtedly the greatest horror movie of all time.
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