"Here's Johnny!"
Who doesn't remember that quotable line from Stanley Kubrick's film, The Shining?
Now that Halloween is just about here, I have been seeing a few lists of greatest horror movies of all time. I feel Some of these lists are in the kill-zone, and some just get away with a few battle wounds and a little blood on their faces.
I've decided to post my list here. That's right... The list to end all lists. Agree or disagree, it's my list. What you are about to see below is ten of the best horror films of all time, in my opinion. I am not sticking to any strict set of parameters, so don't be frightened if you see a film that should appear in a different list. Are you ready? Want to see something really scary?
10) Psycho - 1960 Alfred Hitchcock
Had to put this one here because it has to be in the top ten, and if weren..t for this film, none of the rest of these films would exist. This one would typically be number 1 on everyone else's list. Not mine.
09) A Nightmare on Elm Street
The first one was great. Johnny Depp got sucked into a bed and spray-painted on the ceiling. The sequels sucked more the higher the number went. I can hear Don Dokken singing Dream Warriors as I write this!
08) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 1974 Tobe Hooper
This is some jacked-up sh!t right here. You want to sit through a movie with your mouth wide open? This is it! The remake in 2003 is also worth a rental fee.
07) Alien - 1979 Ridley Scott
Sci-Fi-Horror! This film had people jumping in my lap at the theater. Out of all the Alien films, I liked James Cameron's follow up, Aliens, the best. Just not as a horror film.
06) Halloween - 1978 John Carpenter
Who didn't gasp when Michael Myers rose up the first time after being mortally wounded, or so it seemed. Great eerie music!
05) The House on Haunted Hill - 1999 William Malone
A remake of the 1959 version. I liked this one because it came along at a time when everything else was slasher sequels. It had really cool effects, and it had a way of building up intensity.
04) Eraserhead - 1977 David Lynch
Bizarre sums up this film.. Along with all of Lynch..s films, but this one just kind of catapults you into a different world unlike his other unworldly films.
03) The Amityville Horror - 1979 Stuart Rosenberg
This movie scared the crap out of me, back in the day. Voices in the house, flies, passage way to Hell.. Had to be a hoax! =)
02) The Exorcist - 1973 William Friedkin
I actually saw this at a drive-in theater for the first time. Of course my parents had the red Mercury Station Wagon pointed in the direction of a film more appropriate for me at the time, but I know we turned the volume down, in our car, shortly after this masterpiece started one theater over. I will never forget that experience. I don't think my parents will either because I ended up in their bed that night. Timeless classic that is also known for it's eerie music.
01) The Shining - 1980 Stanley Kubrick
Without a doubt.. This film had the most profound affect on me becoming a fan of the genre. In my opinion, Kubrick's best work. The scenery, lighting, and music just scream, "BE AFRAID!" throughout this film. I can still watch it, to this day, and get the heeby-jeebies. Jack Nicholson... That's all I can say!
Hard to believe I don't have anything from Wes Craven or George A. Romero on here, huh? I think I need to make a Top 15!
Enjoy!
eric
