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Ninput's ListMay 12 '05 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line These films are the creme de le creme to me, the best of a lacking genre. Stop reading this and go watch them. Now. Let me set the record straight. I hate horror films. Most of them are simple, unscary, stupid, and mostly just boring. They sacrifice being genuinely disturbing and frightening for cheap, surface thrills, and boring plots. And the acting…ho boy, lets not even start on that. But there is always light at the end of the tunnel, or rather, a few real knives in the garbage. These films show us the real horror that exists in our world, and delivers it all with suspense, skill and class. These real films are some of my favorites of all time. If only more horror movies could be like them, it would be a stunning genre. Well, here we go. Ninput's Top Ten Horror films of all time. 10: Ginger Snaps: This little Canadian movie that was shown to me by a friend actually turns out to be quite superior. A story about a young girl as she gradually becomes a werewolf, it is told in an entertaining and downright fun fashion. There are a lot of good, creepy scares, and some genuinely disturbing moments. And that violin score at the end. Mmmmmm. A feast for any fan of the horror genre! 9: Session Nine: Few films can say that they were quite this unsuccessful. But this hidden gem of a horror film surely deserves to be ranked up there. Set in an abandoned mental hospital, asbestos cleaner picks up a bunch of old tapes concerning the sessions of a schizophrenic psychopath. He is disturbed when, soon after opening the tapes, his friends and co-workers start disappearing. This movie definitely is pretty creepy, ascending way above simple visceral thrills. And the ending is a real shocker. With great plot, great music and a really creepy atmosphere throughout, this film has few rivals. 8: Ginger Snaps 2 : A sequel better than the original? This film pulled it off. Set in a drug rehab center, the sister to the character in the first movie is now coming down with werewolf symptoms, and is beginning to change. Great lighting and plot is combined with some heart stopping jump scares, and special effects that look like they cost twice as much as the film's low budget would suggest. And unlike so many horror films, its actually well acted. Good. 7: Psycho : Perhaps the most classic horror film of all time, with good reason. It involves a young girl who has just stolen $40,000. She escapes and heads out of state, only to stay one night at the Bate's hotel. This film is a classic, and still manages to frighten today. Hitchcock builds suspense like no other, and the direction is second to none. And it is indeed, really scary. And you gotta love that absolutely awesome music. 6: Mothman Prophecies : Wow. This movie is really scary. It involves a man who has lost his wife to some mysterious force. He goes to a town, only to find himself, and the town folk, haunted by this same force prophesizing their doom. The lighting is absolutely tremendous in this film, with some freaky as h--l shots of the Mothman. This movie really gets under your skin and scares you. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it even worse. Easily one of the best horror films ever. 5: Saw : I saw Saw, and it is good. Most of the film is set in a single room, with two prisoners chained to a pole. They have two Saws nearby and realize that to get out, they have to saw through their legs. The killer is really creepy, claiming he is trying to convince people to live for moral reasons. The jump scares really get at you, and seeing the two characters break down in the room is genuinely disturbing. What is best is that the movie is just damn cool and has some really good jump scares. Excellent. 4: Silence of the Lambs : Perhaps the most realistic and one of the most psychological movies of all time. It's about young Clarice Starling, an FBI agent who has to hunt down a vicious killer named Buffalo Bill. To succeed though, she has to meet with cannibal Hannibal Lecter, who will only give her information in return for insight into her own, complicated past. The film relies on almost no jump scares, it's all psychological. The scenes when Lecter is leaning in to listen to Clarice tell him about the "Screaming of the Lambs" is more chilling than a dozen Friday the Thirteenth movies. It is also superbly acted, and with a great story. 3: Jaws : An awful book spawns a great movie? Has the world gone mad? It happened in this classic suspense tale by Steven Spielberg. It is the story of Police Chief Brody, the head constable on Amity Island. He is disturbed when an unwelcome visitor has arrived off their shores, and starts eating up the citizens. From the moment you hear John William's classic score (Da Dum, Da Dum) you know you are in for a treat. The film appeals to that primal fear of the water in all of us. The direction is also half the movie here. The decision to use the camera to represent the shark was a stroke of genius. 2: Signs : Equals and transcends virtually every other horror film out there. It is about a family in rural Pennsylvania on a farmhouse. They wake up one day to find their back yard has become a giant signal from outer space. This film manages to be really creepy, with direction very similar to that of Hitchcock. Shymalan wisely chooses not to let us see the creatures until the very end, letting the blood pump ever higher. What is really great about this film is the dramatic element though. It is as much about a man finding faith, finding his family as a horror movie. There are some very powerful dramatic as well as horror moments. A great film that anyone can enjoy. And accompanied by some great violins. Well, there's my top nine list. Some great movies there. But now we come to the big one. The one that really takes the cake. And it is…. 1: The Shining : Let me put this straight. If I could take all nine of the movies I previously listed to an island, or this one, I would take this one in a second. It is just, quite simply, that good. A masterpiece in every way and perhaps the only film I would ever say is absolutely perfect in every way. I would not change it a bit. The film is set around the Torrance family as they head up to the Overlook Hotel to care for it during the long winter months. Their son though is gifted with the Shining, and feels terrified at what the hotel might hold. It is of course haunted by malevolent ghosts, who start to whisper into the ear of Jack Torrance. And he starts paying attention. I wont go on any more without ruining it, but let me just say that this is easily the pinnacle of the horror genre. It's the Ulysses, the Beethoven's Ninth, the Hamlet of the horror genre. It manages to both terrify and disturb, make one laugh and make one scream. It is a fascinating look at the human mind in isolation, and a terrifying look at the supernatural. The jump scares are fantastic. The music is amazing. The direction is so perfect, so beautiful it can almost be said to be without peer. And the acting…oh the acting. Fantastic performances from everyone. What really makes this film great is just how different it was. I picked it up almost by accident. I was bored, and had nothing else to do since I was sick. I expected just another horror movie, and was blown away by it. Shock after shock after shock. From the opening sequence of Jack Torrance driving up the mountain, the scenes in the infamous Gold Ballroom, and the sequences with Mr. Grady (those who seen it know what I mean) this film pushes the genre foreword. It is, quite simply, the best Horror film ever made, and my second favorite movie of all time. Well there you go. My top ten list. Honorable mention goes to… Sixth Sense-Cool, scary and moving. Great acting. Alien-Creepy, cool, action packed, Alien. Nothing wrong with that. Open Water-Not as good as Jaws, but still pretty damn cool. Battlefield Earth-The real horror is that it could ever be produced. Watch it at your own peril. The worst film ever. NOT on the List! Nightmare on Elm Street-Awful, boring, comedically bad. Just stupid. Halloween-About as scary as my kindly old mother. Awful music The Grudge-The special effects are almost humorously awful Scream- Self referential, boring clap trap Last House on the Left- A scary movie with country music? Has the world gone mad? The second worst movie of all time.  |
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by dangbro
