Aaaaaagggggghhhhhh!
The criteria used for ranking these top 10 horror movies were entirely personal. I like a good dose of humor and a strong original story with my creepiness.
For horror devotees, there's a quote listed with each entry. Can you guess who says each line quoted?...enjoy! If you don't get scared off, the quiz answers are at the bottom of the lens.
top ten countdown
- Looking For Something Horrific?
- #10: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
- #9: DEAD RINGERS
- More Horror Bests
- #8: ROSEMARY'S BABY
- #7: AMERICAN PSYCHO
- Top 5 Horror Movies from Netflix
- #6: PSYCHO
- #5: THE THING
- Behold The Horrors!
- #4: THE EXORCIST
- #3: BUBBA HO-TEP
- Shrieks, Screams and Pleas
- #2: ALIEN
- #1: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
- Your Favorite Horror Flick
- Horror Quote Quiz Answers
- P.S. Do you read ReallyScary.com?
Looking For Something Horrific?
for the home horror collection
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#10: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
1996 - Directed by Richard Rodriguez, screenplay by Quentin Tarantino
"The world's my oyster, except for the fact that I just rammed a wooden stake in my brother's heart because he turned into a vampire, even though I don't believe in vampires. Aside from that unfortunate business, everything's hunky-dory."
Plot Basics: Two brothers are on the run from the cops, trying to get to Mexico where they can "retire" and hide. They take a man and his two kids hostage and cross the Mexican border. They then stop at a biker/titty bar where they are supposed to meet their contact in the morning. The bar turns out to be populated almost entirely by vampires and they must then fight for their lives.
Orthia sez: This is a total piece of candy, a guilty pleasure included because a top 10 list just wouldn't be the same without including something gratuitous. A lot of this movie is over the top and all over the place, but that's sort of the point of it. One of the creepiest things about this movie is Tarantino's portrayal of sexual killer Richie Gecko but that's often overshadowed by Selma Hyack as vampiress Santantico Pandemonium, or Tom Savini's turn as biker-turned-vampire Sex Machine, or George Clooney's tribal tattoo.Click for more info or to buy FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
#9: DEAD RINGERS
1988 - Directed by David Cronenberg, Written by David Cronenberg and Norman Snider
"Bev, you haven't done anything until I've done it too. You haven't f#@ked Claire Niveau until you've told me about it."
Plot Basics: Highly-intelligent and socially-awkward Elliot and Beverly Mantle are identical twin boys who grow up to be brilliant gynecologists and fertility specialists who share all the women in their lives. When a woman's love comes between them, they are psychically torn apart.Orthia sez: Fantatic and creepy performance by Jeremy Irons as both Mantle twins. What were then state-of-the-art effects finally erased the boundaries between the matte shots and computer control allowed for precise camerawork, yielding ground-breaking doubling of one actor. The depth and individuality that Irons brings to each twin is both subtle and intense at the same time. And of course there are those lovely Cronenberg touches like nightmares of Siamese twins, gynecological instruments for mutant women and a most creative use of surgical tubing.
Click for more info or to buy DEAD RINGERS
More Horror Bests
- THE 100 SCARIEST MOVIE SCENES
- This has been a great labour of love and truly one of the most fun articles I've ever had the pleasure of putting up on retroCRUSH. It's easy to talk about scary movies, but we wanted to highlight the individual scary scenes that really stick out. Some films aren't scary by design, but happen to have creepy and shocking moments that deserve special recognition. So enjoy this list and have fun discovering a bunch of new movies to see!
- Scary Movies Slideshow
- Editors' picks for the most frightening flicks ever
- Box Office Prophets: Our Favorite 50 Horror Films, Top Ten
- BOP's 50 Favorite Horror Films: Top Ten
- Harris' Horror Top 10
- In alphabetical order
- DVD Stalk: Top Ten Horror DVDs of 2006
- DVD Stalk - Complete coverage of all Horror Related DVDs and Movies.
#8: ROSEMARY'S BABY
1968 - Directed by Roman Polanski, Screenplay by Roman Polanski
"Oh, shut up with your 'Oh, Gods'
or we'll kill you, milk or no milk!"
Plot Basics: Newlyweds Rosemary and Guy move into a new apartment in NY, with some eccentric neighbors. Following the suicide of a young woman and Rosemary becoming pregnant, the neighbors take a strong interest in her life. As her pregnancy progresses and her husband's stalling career revives, Rosemary becomes suspicious, fearing for the safety of her unborn child.
Orthia sez: One of Polanski's best. This movie captures perfectly many of the concerns that expectant mothers actually have and gives them a nasty little twist. The horror is created almost entirely by psychological situations with a minimum of gore or violence.
Get the DVD of ROSEMARY'S BABY or buy ROSEMARY'S BABY as a downloadable movie.
#7: AMERICAN PSYCHO
2000 - Directed by Mary Harron, Screenplay by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner
"I like to dissect girls.
Did you know I'm utterly insane?"
Plot Basics: A Yuppie struggles to fit in perfectly with his high-profile lifestyle, while indulging his psychopathic tendencies on the side.
Orthia sez: Some of the horror in this film comes from acts of outright violence and some of it comes from the juxtaposition of this violence against scenes of extremely normal routine and day-to-day activity. For those who appreciate black humor, this movie is a rich treat. The scene where Bateman (Christian Bale) axes a co-worker (Jared Leto) while espousing the brilliance of the Huey Lewis and the News album "Sports" is a tour-de-force.
Click for more info or to buy AMERICAN PSYCHO
Top 5 Horror Movies from Netflix
- 001- Underworld: Evolution
Working together to expose the truth about their bloodlines, vampire warrior Selene (Kate Beckinsale...- 002- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
A prequel to the first two Underworld films, this fantasy explains the origins of the feud between t...- 003- Saw
Would you kill to live? That's what two men, Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Gordon (Cary Elwes), have to...- 004- 28 Weeks Later
In this chilling sequel to 28 Days Later, the inhabitants of the British Isles appear to have lost t...- 005- Underworld
Vampires and werewolves have waged a nocturnal war against each other for centuries. But all bets ar...- Try Netflix free for 14 days
#6: PSYCHO
1960 - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Screenplay by Joseph Stefano
"A boy's best friend is his mother. "
Plot Basics: An officeworker frustrated with her life takes a chance and walks away with $40,000 to start a new life. The police and her family begin searching for her, following her trail to the Bates motel, where she was last seen. There they work to unravel the mysterious actions of manager/owner Norman and his elusive mother.
Orthia sez: A total classic! There is hardly any gore in this film, but it's still managed to scare people away from showers for decades. The quick cuts in the infamous shower scene (70 of them) forever changed film editing.
Get the DVD of PSYCHO or buy PSYCHO as a downloadable movie.
#5: THE THING
1982 - Directed by John Carpenter, Screenplay by Bill Lancaster
"Why don't we just wait here for a little while...
see what happens?"
Plot Basics: Men stationed in the Antactic see a helicopter chasing a dog, trying to kill it. The copter crashes, but the dog survives and the men rescue it. Soon it becomes apparent the dog was really an alien life-form which can take on the form of any life from which it gets a DNA sample. The men then turn on each other as they and the alien fight to survive.
Orthia sez: One of Carpenter's best, and also one of his wonderful collaborations with actor Kurt Russell. The practical effects were state-of-the-art for their day and they still hold up really well 20+ years later. The horror parts of this movie are a balance between spectacular alien attacks/transformations and the extreme paranoia of the characters.
Get the DVD of THE THING or buy THE THING as a downloadable movie.
#4: THE EXORCIST
1973 - Directed by William Friedkin, Screenplay by William Peter Blatty
"Keep away. The sow is mine."
Plot Basics: A priest who once fought an old evil and a young priest facing doubts in his faith over his mother's illness come together to help a little girl who is possessed by the Devil.
Orthia sez: You may never eat pea soup again after seeing this movie. Stunning makeup and spectacular voice casting turned teenage Linda Blair into a visage that will haunt you long after the movie ends. Her transformation from pigtails to what you see here is stunning. Max von Sydow, Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn are all fantastic. This was a horror film that earned two Oscars, for the screenplay and the sound. None of the sequels lived up to the horror of the original.Click for more info or to buy THE EXORCIST
#3: BUBBA HO-TEP
2002 - Directed by Don Coscarelli, Screenplay by Don Coscarelli
"Don't make me use my stuff on ya, baby!"
Plot Basics: The "real" Elvis and a main who claims to be JFK join forces to battle an evil Egyptian spirit that is claiming the souls of the residents of a Texas nursing home.
Orthia sez: Funny, funky and poignant! It's rare that you get a rocking B-movie that has a such a strong emotional core, but Bruce Campbell's portrayal of Elvis has many genuine and touching moments along with the high comedy. As much a highlight as a send-up of its own genre. Ossie Davis plays the man who claims to be JFK. ("They dyed me this color!")
Click for more info or to buy BUBBA HO-TEP
Shrieks, Screams and Pleas
Just dying to say something? Don't be afraid to shriek loudly... I'm sure someone will hear you... eventually.... If your twisted mind enjoyed this lens, please let me know by voting, thank you.
Rosenthall wrote...
Bubba Ho-tep is a crazy film, not many peeps have seen this one.. good lens!!
Posted June 24, 2009
Random wrote
some of these films should not be where they are. I understand they are personal opionions and i respect that. I respect all the research you did, but i have a totally different view. I dont think alien should be on this list because there is no way it is scary, sorry but thats my opinion. Maybe you should have added films like American werewolf in london and IT.
Posted June 23, 2009
MikeMoore wrote...
Love this list. I think The Exorcist is the scariest horror movie ever made, but to each their own, right? :) I'm going to lensroll this with my top ten horror movies list. Thanks for the read!
Posted May 19, 2009
StrangeConversation wrote...
The Exorcist is not only the scariest film ever made, it's the best horror and quite possibly the best film ever made. This is an excellent list of some fine horror movies - I agree with much of it. As much as I enjoyed Bubba Ho-Tep and From Dusk Til Dawn, I wouldn't have included them in my top 10...off the top of my head I'd replace them with either The Shining, An American Werewolf In London, or The Blair Witch Project.
You might like to have a look at my top 10 1980s horror movies: http://www.squidoo.com/tophorrormovies1980
Posted April 09, 2009
Mortira wrote...
Awesome list! This is truly a great collection of horror classics, and I love that you included Bubba Ho-tep - Bruce Campbell is a horror/comedy god. 5 stars and a 'roll!
Posted September 24, 2008
#2: ALIEN
1979 - Directed by Ridley Scott, Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon
"You still don't know what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility...I admire its purity, a survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusion of morality."
Plot Basics: A commercial spaceship comes across a deep-space signal and investigates. They find a strange alien ship along with some unusual eggs. A creature leaps out of one, attaching itself to one of the crew. The alien creature then uses the attacked crewmember as an incubator, producing a much more deadly lifeform. The crew must then fight the new creature while trying to determine why they were sent to investigate what they now know to be a warning, not an SOS.
Orthia sez: Even with repeat watchings, the tension of ALIEN remains. Stunning design by H.R. Giger produced one of the most memorable movie monsters ever. Remember, all this was done without the aid of super-fancy computer graphics. It's good old-fashioned matte paintings, scale models and monster suits. This movie has atmosphere and a spectacular collection of characters. One of the best movie casts ever. Sequels got flashier, but never reproduced the paranoia and creepiness of the original.Trivia moment = when you see the astronauts walking towards the alien ship, and it's huge, just dwarfing them.... it's really Ridley Scott's young kids in the environmental suits walking on the set, making them seem much smaller in comparision to the alien architecture than adult actors.
Click for more info or to buy ALIEN
#1: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
1968 - Directed by George A. Romero, Screenplay by John A. Russo and George A. Romero
"They're coming to get you, Barbara..."
Plot Basics: Astral phenomena cause the dead to come back to life, attacking and eating the living. A group of people barricade themselves in an isolated farmhouse to try and survive the night.
Orthia sez: The movie that gave birth to the zombie genre. I think it still beats out all the sequels and its own remake. Filmed in black-and-white, the gore factor is pretty nasty but is toned down due to the lack of red. The movie horror comes from not only the horrific zombie attacks, but in watching the psychological crumblings of the farm house occupants as they struggle to survive. The people don't beat the zombies with firepower, they beat them with smarts, guts and a bit of luck. Incredible sucker-punch ending too.Get the DVD of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or buy Night Of The Living Dead as a downloadable movie
Your Favorite Horror Flick
from the ten horror movies listed here
Horror Quote Quiz Answers
if you want to be REALLY hardcore, you have to name the character and the actor...
10. from FROM DUSK TIL DAWN - George Clooney as Seth Gecko9. from DEAD RINGERS - Jeremy Irons as Elliot Mantle
8. from ROSEMARY'S BABY - Patsy Kelly as Laura-Louise McBirney
7. from AMERICAN PSYCHO - Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman
6. from PSYCHO - Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates
5. from THE THING - Kurt Russell as MacReady
4. from THE EXORCIST - Mercedes McCambridge as Pazuzu
3. from BUBBA HO-TEP - Bruce Campbell as Elvis
2. from ALIEN - Ian Holm as Ash
1. from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - Russell Streiner as Johnny
P.S. Do you read ReallyScary.com?
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