Best Horror Movies of All Time

[gban007]

One thing I like with some of the older special effects, and for me this is especially true when comparing the original The Thing vs it's sequel/prequel movie - the practical effects in the original made the alien more 'alien' as such - it didn't move as creatures on earth do. Whereas the second movie with it's CGI led to crisper / more recognizable and less alien movement.

 

[MGibster]

One thing I like with some of the older special effects, and for me this is especially true when comparing the original The Thing vs it's sequel/prequel movie - the practical effects in the original made the alien more 'alien' as such - it didn't move as creatures on earth do. Whereas the second movie with it's CGI led to crisper / more recognizable and less alien movement.

I still think CGI doesn't look so great on its own. There's a chase seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade at the end where Indy rides a horse and jumps onto a moving tank. It looks real probably because they got a stuntman to jump on a moving tank. Contrast that with Cystal Skull and the chase scene on the jeeps through the jungle. It looked and felt fake. Because they used CGI, there was no weight to anything, and without weight there were no stakes. I might as well have been watching a cartoon.

Some movies mangage to use CGI to great affect, the last Mad Max movie for example, but too many producers/directors just don't use CGI properly.

 

[Golden age Superhero]

Funny, because Jenny Agutter made me feel funny watching Logan's Run when I was about 10 or so...

The actor that played David got fired for his nude scene by Dr. Pepper.

 

[Golden age Superhero]

One horror movie that hasn't been listed in The Ghost and the Darkness. This was a good example of nature can throw stuff at you that you never expected. The dream scene at the train station was one of the best jump scares I have ever seen. Also when the two hunters go the lions den it's genuinely scary.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I tend to appreciate atmosphere and acting performances.

Over reliance of FX, irrespective of if it’s CGI or practical, doesn’t make for good horror, since if you start thinking “how was that done” or “that’s wrong” it takes you out of the story.

The best horror is on the radio.

 

[Maxperson]

Poltergeist: probably the scariest PG movie I can think of. Compares favorably to many R-rated films.
Alien: I was 10-11 when it hit theaters (same weekend as Halloween), and knew it was a scary movie when I saw the fully posable action figure. I wanted it, but at $28, it would have been a big ask. And because I knew it would scare me in my darkened bedroom, I never did. When I finally got to see it, I thought it was brilliant.
Halloween: helped create a genre
Cabin In the Woods: I don’t think there’s a better meta-horror movie
The Thing (original): a great film that set a standard for many films that followed
The Thing (remake): a completely worthy remake
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original): a great film that set a standard for many films that followed
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (remake): a completely worthy remake

I know that’s only 8, but I struggled narrowing it down at all, and there’s at least 20+ films vying for the last 2 slots…or replacing some I’ve listed.

There’s a bunch of Cthulhu Mythos stuff I’ve enjoyed. Sci-fi horror. Big-name classics.

That list is pretty much my own. The only thing I'd add is Nightmare on Elm Street, the original. The remake was actually pretty good, though it doesn't make the list for me. Cabin in the Woods is absolutely brilliant. It might be my all time favorite.

 

[Maxperson]

I just remembered 13 Ghosts, which I really like.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I just remembered 13 Ghosts, which I really like.

The original or the remake?

(FWIW, I prefer the remake, because of Tony Shaloub and the visual aesthetic.)

 

[payn]

The original or the remake?

(FWIW, I prefer the remake, because of Tony Shaloub and the visual aesthetic.)

The remake of 13 Ghost was a good looking movie.

House on Haunted Hill remake was fun, but I wouldnt put it on a best list.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Maybe my picks will seem kind of lame/tame because I don't enjoy horror films - for the exact reason people go to watch them: they freak me out so I have a pretty low threshold for what scares me.

• Salem's Lot (Stephen King)
• It (original - although, the last scene was kind of goofy)
• Blair Witch Project (I went to see it with a friend who told me it was a documentary)