Best Horror Movies of All Time

[Guest 85555]

Where did that element first come in? I assume it was there before Ravenloft! I suppose it jumped from Jewel of the Seven Stars, probably in one of the Universal or Hammer movies.

I think it was the Jack Palance version of Dracula from the 70s. But not sure. All of the hammer dracula and vampire movies start to bleed together after a while (definitely wasn't teh case in Horror of Dracula though, as he went after Mina to replace the bride harker had killed in that one)

 

[Bohandas]

I have to admit, I have never been a huge fan of the 1931 Dracula. I understand its importance, and I understand Legosi's legacy in shaping portrayal of the character...it just always bores me to tears.

It's dull but I think by the standards of Universal's monster movies it's pretty exciting. It holds one's attention a little better than The Wolfman or Creature from the Black Lagoon. And it's MUCH more exciting than The Mummy. Practically nothing happens in The Mummy* until the very end, and the end isn't that exciting either

*(which BTW is a possibility for where those bad Dracula remakes got the reincarnation angle from. I think they may have gotten their Universal monster movies mixed up)
**Which makes it ironic that the 1999 remake is one of the most interesting and exciting movies I've ever seen. There isn;t one wasted second.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's dull but I think by the standards of Universal's monster movies it's pretty exciting. It holds one's attention a little better than The Wolfman or Creature from the Black Lagoon. And it's MUCH more exciting than The Mummy. Practically nothing happens in The Mummy* until the very end, and the end isn't that exciting either

*(which BTW is a possibility for where those bad Dracula remakes got the reincarnation angle from. I think they may have gotten their Universal monster movies mixed up)
**Which makes it ironic that the 1999 remake is one of the most interesting and exciting movies I've ever seen. There isn;t one wasted second.

I rather like the Boris Karloff Mummy. It has great atmosphere. 1999 very cleverly turns the same story into an action movie though.

There was a big fad for mixing up Egyptology, Reincarnation and spiritualism in the early 20th century. The Bram Stoker story Jewel of Seven Stars which I mentioned earlier was one example and a big influence on the Universal and Hammer mummy movies. Hammer’s Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb was a direct adaptation (although I think it deviated a lot!)

 

[Guest 85555]

It's dull but I think by the standards of Universal's monster movies it's pretty exciting. It holds one's attention a little better than The Wolfman or Creature from the Black Lagoon. And it's MUCH more exciting than The Mummy. Practically nothing happens in The Mummy* until the very end, and the end isn't that exciting either

I don't know, I found Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Mummy all much more engaging than Dracula. I agree the pace in all of them isn't exactly break neck, but something about Dracula just bores me. Woflman, I love. Creature from the Black Lagoon is an incredible horror film, and the Mummy is properly scary (at least I found it scary)

*(which BTW is a possibility for where those bad Dracula remakes got the reincarnation angle from. I think they may have gotten their Universal monster movies mixed up)
**Which makes it ironic that the 1999 remake is one of the most interesting and exciting movies I've ever seen. There isn;t one wasted second.

That is an interesting observation

 

[Guest 85555]

I rather like the Boris Karloff Mummy. It has great atmosphere. 1999 very cleverly turns the same story into an action movie though.

Boris Karloff is terrifying in this film. And I agree on the atmosphere. I like the 1999 one as well. Not really a horror movie but it is a great action adventure film

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Zoltan, Hound of Dracula. Awesome!

 

[MGibster]

Again, I have never seen an actual head explode, so i don't know how visible skull matter would be with that kind of explosion, but I don't think they were going to for accurate realism as much as gore impact (which I think they achieved).

More than a decade ago, I watched Friday the 13th 3 for the first time in a number of years. There's a scene where a biker confronts Jason in a barn and gets his arm cut off by a machete blow. As a kid, I thought it looked pretty good, but as an adult I thought, "I've never seen someone get their arm cut off, but I don't think it'd look like that."

 

[Bohandas]

If we're talking about the best horror movie of all time, I'm willing to bet it hasn't been filmed yet. For some reason, you all seem to be focusing on horror films from the past and present.

Johnathan

On that topic, of horror movies that have yet to me made, I've had the thought that you could make a really frightening horror film if you took the premise of Pleasantville and then reversed it, so that it becomes a zombie movie. It would start out as a vibrant colorful modern society, and then one by one the protagonists would be converted by some memetic contagion into soulless 1950's zombie people

EDIT:
J. Edgar Hoover will appear and destroy us

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Some older movies still grab me every time, no matter how poorly the SFX or storylines have aged. I love:

The Monster That Challenged the World

5 Million Miles to Earth (aka Quatermass and the Pit)

The Green Slime

Oh, and I’ll take this moment to mention The Creeping Terror as a strong contender for worst movie ever, not just horror movie.

 

[MGibster]

Some older movies still grab me every time, no matter how poorly the SFX or storylines have aged. I love:

Not every movie has to be fantastic, innovative, or even good for that matter. Sometimes it's nice to just sit, turn your brain off, and enjoy a fun ride.