Blood and gore don't necessarily make the movie...
Aug 27 '01
The Bottom Line Everybody has a different take on what makes a good horror movie. This is just my point of view.
The horror movie genre is one that many people often pretend doesn’t exist. And with all the crummy examples shoved in our faces these days, I can’t say I blame them. There’s a lot of young visionaries out there who mistakenly think they’ve got what it takes to make the next horror masterpiece, and a lot of old horror veterans who think they can keep pumping out cookie-cutter claptrap and get away with it. What happened to the genre that once brought about some of the most revered movies of all time?
The biggest problem anymore has to be that people have lost sight of what truly makes a good horror movie. There’s too much reliance upon cheap scare tactics, excessive gore, and occasionally a fair selection of nude young girls. They may make you jump or cause you to cover your eyes, but chances are you’ll have gotten over it by the time the movie’s finished. Anybody can make a horror movie like this, and the result is almost always the same.
I’ll admit that the primary objective of a horror movie is typically to scare, that doesn’t mean you can sacrifice plot and decent acting – those are quintessential elements in any good movie! The best horror movies are well-written, contain relatively solid performances, and conjure up a whole new way to scare you. And so, I’ve tried to keep that in mind when choosing my list of the top ten best horror movies of all time. I hope you’ll agree that each were pioneers of the genre in their own respective manner.
10. Poltergeist - 1982
Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s ‘family’ horror film took the haunted house concept into territory previously unexplored. “It knows what scares you,” toted the theatrical trailer, and Poltergeist certainly did. It played on all sorts of common, simplistic fears and took them to the extremes. People can relate to the young American family who first struggle to understand the playful forces within their house and later find themselves overwhelmed when those forces become hostile. Not only does this movie have an intriguing plot, but it’s also very well-made and bent a lot of rules in the special effects department for it’s time.
9. The Sixth Sense – 1999
This one gets extra points straight off for being a rare example of an intelligent horror movie in this day and age. I dare say that The Sixth Sense really took a lot of people by surprise, even managing to snag a few Academy Award nominations. It combined impressive cinematography and a very unique story with good performances by Bruce Willis and newcomer Haley Joel Osment, one of the few child actors who I can actually stand. Scares are used in moderation as to increase the effect. Only a slightly spotty plot kept it so high up on the list.
8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 1974
Sure, The Blair Witch Project was also something different for today’s audiences, but it wasn’t something that hadn’t been done better before. If you want a legitimately disturbing documentary-style horror movie without the aggravation of shaky camerawork and whiny, overdramatic acting, then check out The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Not as gory as it might sound, this low-budget piece did wonders with grainy film and the unsettling concept of cannibalism. Although a pre-cursor to the overabundant teenage slasher films of recent times, this one far exceeds the usual expectations.
7. Halloween – 1978
And speaking of teenage slasher films, if I’m going to include one, it seems likely that I’d choose that which remains the first and best modern example. Too many have tried to imitate what Halloween modestly accomplished. It does tread into the realms of cheap scares and senseless violence, but it’s also got a surprising amount of plot to back it up. A young Jamie Lee Curtis does an excellent job playing a strong female protagonist instead of the expendable sex object that we’ve come to anticipate in these sorts of movies. It’s a shame that John Carpenter can’t be this good anymore.
6. Night of the Living Dead – 1968
Zombies are another overdone facet of the Horror genre, to a point where people seem to forget the first movie to have brought them about. The Night of the Living Dead dictated the rules that every one of it’s predecessors would eventually follow. Many have tried to rework the zombie ideal established in this movie and all to little avail. And it’s not just about walking corpses - subtle undertones regarding human conflict rear their heads when you least expect them, and there’s always the subject of man’s fickle morality in times of chaos. Some say the later remake was better; I say you can’t beat what’s accomplished by the old, gritty black-and-white.
5. Frankenstein – 1931
I would argue that all of the older monster movies are some of the greatest examples that the horror genre has yet to offer, but I don’t wish to limit the spectrum of this list. Therefore, I’m choosing the one I feel stands above the rest. Frankenstein showed us a completely different kind of monster – one that wasn’t necessarily evil or ravenous, but misguided and misunderstood. Although Boris Karloff came across as freakish and terrifying, seeing the way he was treated made us wonder whom the real monster truly was. A big statement on the way man instinctively regards things that are different and very monumental for its time.
4. Psycho – 1960
And, speaking of completely new breeds of monster, here’s one that’s hard to forget. Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates didn’t have fangs, claws, or any sort of supernatural powers – he was just the clean-cut boy next door. That’s what made his bizarre and murderous actions all the more shocking. Alfred Hitchcock had made many movies before Psycho, but few have left as big of lasting impact. The shower scene is one of the most notable scenes in all of movie history. This one was also considered very daring in its time, treading along the very fine line of excessive violence, voyeurism, cross-dressing, and even holding the distinction of having been the first motion picture to show a toilet onscreen. Gee whiz, the things we take for granted today.
3. The Shining – 1980
The Overlook Hotel was the ultimate haunted house – colossal, firmly set in the middle of nowhere, laced with a shady history, and completely empty aside from a small family looking after it for the winter. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the father figure of the family was a temperamental former alcoholic played by Jack Nicholson. The Shining, one of Stanley Kubrick’s most recognized works, is horror on a grand and epic scale. The powerful and unnerving imagery helps to magnify the thick aura of creepiness that remains until the overwhelming finale. Jack’s strangely comic yet frightening behavior near the end is movie gold. And he looks right at home wielding that ax.
2. The Exorcist – 1973
It’s rare that a movie made so long ago can still be considered more visually horrifying than anything seen today. The Exorcist is simply hard for some people to sit through. And I’m not surprised, either. It’s one of the most devastatingly intense and mentally challenging experiences you’ll ever witness onscreen. And to think that it was all done at the hands of a young girl. Linda Blair may have never escaped the distinction she received from this movie, but rightfully so. Who can forget? Oh yeah, there’s also a pretty good plot here, too, as well as some not-too-shabby performances. Too bad the squeamish won’t be able to sit through and enjoy them.
1. Rosemary’s Baby – 1968
It makes sense that the only horror movie in my ‘general’ top ten list would be at the top on this one. There’s something about the incredible mood of Rosemary’s Baby that makes it scary without excessive visual aids. Mia Farrow starts out a naïve female protagonist, used by her husband and neighbors as the carrier of Satan’s child. As she struggles to understand what’s happening, we can feel her confusion. We’re given hints along the way, but everything’s up in the air until the shocking dénouement. No gore, no real violence, yet still nerve-grinding. It’s psychological horror, and it’s done perfectly. There’s also great acting by everyone involved – they help turn a story that could seem absurd at times into a serious matter. It’s just an extremely enduring movie, one that I’d have trouble finding fallacies in. And that’s why it’s number one.
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cactus_matt
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Location: Florida
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