Every year around Halloween the list-making nerd in me feels the urge to create 'best of' lists.
Last year's attempt in compiling a worthy Top 15 Best Horror Movies list wasn't very satisfying. The whole list felt rushed, looked lame and I forgot about many films that are important to me.
This year I tried to do it right and... yeah, I admit I feel waaay more pleased with my Top 30 personal favorite Horror Movies of all time.
The list looks decent (at least to me) and every horror movie that I adore is in it.
Here's part 1, enjoy!
#30
Lucio Fulci's
THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (Quella villa accanto al cimitero)
THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (Quella villa accanto al cimitero)
Italy, 1981
As great as "The Beyond", "The New York Ripper" or other Fulci-classics are... I never liked them as much as I like the weird story of Dr. Freudstein.
The movie is obviously flawed like most of Fulci's films are, but due to some outstanding atmosphere, stunning suspense, fabulous gore and one of the greatest endings in horror history, I just can't get enough of this 80s Italo masterpiece. Bravo Mr. Fulci!
"No one will ever know whether the children are monsters or the monsters are children."
#29
Nicolas Roeg's
DON'T LOOK NOW
DON'T LOOK NOW
UK / Italy, 1973
Roeg's complex Daphne-du-Maurier-adaptation is one of the most suspenseful and most atmospheric movies ever made. A stylish and eerie kinda-giallo with a fantastic cast, a touching soundtrack, a highly interesting plot and many scenes that got burned into my mind (the funeral gondola, the drowning child, the uber-amazing, infamous sex scene...)
Thanx to my Mom who first showed this to me when I was 10 or 11 :-)
"Christine is dead. She is dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!"
#28
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's
PULSE (Kairo)
PULSE (Kairo)
Japan, 2001
One of the weirdest and scariest Asian movies ever made. Kurosawa created a dark, unsettling and completely unique story about loneliness and the end of the world, including a brilliant plot, many terrifying images and deeply haunting scenes.
Whenever I watch "Pulse", it impresses me, disturbs me, creeps the shit out of me and ultimately sets me into a depresssing, almost suicidal mood.
A fantastic work of Japanese art.
"People don't really connect, you know... we all live totally separately."
#27
Wes Craven's
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
USA, 1984
The birth of Freddy Krueger, one of the most iconic horror characters ever created, and the start of one of the most successful movie franchises ever.
"A Nightmare On Elm Street" is Craven's ultimate masterpiece, an inventive, innovative and highly original slasher variation, well-written and -directed, tense and scary, packed with many superb acting performances, extremely memorable scenes and super-cool dialogue lines.
A true 80s classic!
A true 80s classic!
"I don't know who he is but he's burned and he wears a weird hat and a red and green sweater, really dirty. And he uses these knives, like giant fingernails..."
#26
Brian Yuzna's
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
USA, 1989
Yuzna's directorial debut is undoubtedly one of the most bizarre, most interesting movies ever made, not forgetting that it's also one of the most underrated, most overseen horror movies of all time.
Starts out as a suspenseful and very well built-up mystery-take on some bold-and-beautiful/90210-soap-opera, and ends up with the eye-popping and mindblowing shunting orgy, one of the most grotesque scenes I've ever seen.
A disturbing but also quite entertaining effect-fest.
"The rich have always sucked off low-class shit like you!"
#25
George A. Romero's
MARTIN
USA, 1977
USA, 1977
As much as I love Romero's zombie movies, but none of them are as awesome as his 70s character study "Martin", one of the greatest vampire-themed movies in history, and nearly everything about is perfect:
the excellent cast, the awesome plot, the fabulous script, stunning cinematography and of course Martin himself, one of horror history's most fascinating, most tragic characters.
Martin = magnificent!
"I've been much too shy to ever do the sexy stuff. I mean, do it with someone who's awake. Someday maybe I'll get to do it... awake... without the blood part. Just do it with somebody, then be together and talk all night."
#24
Victor Salva's
CLOWNHOUSE
USA, 1989
Another lost 80s classic: "Clownhouse", one of the very first slasher movies I've ever seen (I was 11), and IMO still one of the greatest.
It's packed, REALLY packed with breathtakingly creepy, incredibly intense and super-thrilling edge-of-seat-scenes that still manage to scare the crap outta me.
The circus music is terrific, the acting is awesome and the 3 killer clowns' performances are just amazing.
It's packed, REALLY packed with breathtakingly creepy, incredibly intense and super-thrilling edge-of-seat-scenes that still manage to scare the crap outta me.
The circus music is terrific, the acting is awesome and the 3 killer clowns' performances are just amazing.
Fuck Pennywise, this is the real clown-shit!
"They really are out tonight." - "Who are?" - "The clowns..."
#23
Tomas Alfredson's
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Låt den rätte komma in)
Sweden, 2008
The stunning adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestseller of the same name, is one of the best and most overwhelming vampire movies of all time, one of the most touching 'love stories' of all time and probably the greatest Scandinavian horror film of all time.
Due to the gorgeous camera work, the outstanding child actors and and a perfectly written script, "Let The Right One In" absolutely never fails to impress me - this film is a jewel!
"I'm 12. But I've been 12 for a long time."
#22
Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza's
[REC]
[REC]
Spain, 2007
One of the loudest and wildest movies ever made: the Spanish [REC], an awesome mix of infected-horror and found footage film, well shot, well directed and perfectly executed.
Starts out interesting and entertaining, then suddenly gets shockingly brutal and incredibly tense for the greater part, right until the friggin' awesome ending which is able to scare you half to death.
An ingenious hell ride of a movie!
"There's something more to this place. Our cells don't work. Neither does the TV or radio. We're isolated."
#21
Dario Argento's
SUSPIRIA
Italy, 1977
Italy, 1977
Not only Argento's most powerful movie, it's also one of the best-looking, if not THE best-looking horror movie of all time.
A ravishing nightmare, filled with surreal set pieces, bizarre characters and impressive kills,
A ravishing nightmare, filled with surreal set pieces, bizarre characters and impressive kills,
Posts
Neat choices, so far, and a few you don't always see on common "best" lists. Nice approach! Interested for the next installments.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choices! There's a couple on here I have not seen and will definitely be checking them out ASAP.
ReplyDeleteAwesome list. Great to see Society get some love!
ReplyDelete"Society" ist klasse! die fx von "screaming mad george" kommen hier am besten zur geltung, "salvador dali"-esque...und schön ists die japanische laserdisc zu haben...es gibt einen Comic der die geschichte von Society mehr oder minder "fortsetzt"- selber aber nicht gelesen
ReplyDeleteYay! I love top lists, especially horror-related! Sadly, I haven't seen most of these, but those I have, I loved! I thought the remake of LTROI was actually better, in terms of technical quality and acting. You know what I think about [REC] - BEST HORROR MOVIE EVER! I hoped it will be placed a bit higher in your top 30, but I'm okay with #22. :) Can't wait to see which films made your top 20. Just posted my review of "Contagion"... Harry, you have to see it, it's BRILLIANT!
ReplyDelete@Astro:
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm pretty sure you won't find Clownhouse or Society on many best-of lists.
@Mel:
ReplyDeleteThank you!
@Eric:
Thanx! Yeah, Society definitely deserves way more attention.
@Mario:
ReplyDeleteJa, auf Screaming Mad George kann man sich halt verlassen :-)
Ursprünglich war sogar ein Sequel geplant gewesen, "Society 2: Body Modification", ist aber leider nie zustande gekommen.
@neb:
ReplyDeletenot a huge fan of Let me In. I don't hate it, it's pretty well made and the acting is superb - but IMO it's just another pointless and unnecessary remake.
Hehe yeah, I know your love for REC. :-)
As far as I remember it was on 24 or 25 in the list's very first incarnation.
Just read yor review. Looks like you were pretty overwhelmed by it.
Wanted to see it last week but I forgot. I hope I get the chance to see it this week
ja von dem sequel habe ich was gelesen (eigentlich nur den angelündigten titel!) bis auf ein drehbuch(?) u gerüchte nichts geworden...hätte mich schon SEHR interessiert!jedenfalls habe ich nie was "konkretes" von Yuzna´s Seite gehört...bei "house of re-animator" wurde da schon etwas mehr wirbel gemacht
ReplyDeleteja, ausser Titel und einem angeblich existierenden Drehbuch, ist da leider nie was weitergegangen.
ReplyDeleteHm ja, House Of Re-Animator... auch so ein ewig geduldiges projekt. Scheint aber jetzt endgültig tot zu sein. Kein Eintrag mehr auf Imdb, und laut Wiki hat Stuart Gordon dem Ganzen bereits letztes Jahr den Todesstoß versetzt. Vielleicht eh besser so. Der letzte Re-Animator war schon sehr, sehr lahm.
More good stuff, Harry. Although I'm not partial to HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY as I am Fulci's other horror flicks. I do remember bugging the hell out of my mother--not that it would do me any good--to take me to the drive in to see it after seeing the commercial back then.
ReplyDeleteREC was the scariest damn movie I'd seen in a long, long time. Hated the unnecessary remake.
SOCIETY is good and a lot of fun, although I'm not high on its political nonsense about the wealthy sucking the poor dry, especially in today's atmosphere. If you have nothing, refuse to work a legit job and get paid to sit at home and mooch off of those who are ACTUALLY WORKING...anyway, I digress. Yuzna's movie is thought provoking entertainment just the same.
CLOWNHOUSE was awesome. Which DVD is that? I managed to catch it on HBO around 1990 or so and wondered just where in the hell it came from. That DVD is cover is amazing!
I'm not much of a Freddy fan, but the first NIGHTMARE is easily the best and scariest of the series.
Again, another amazing write up, my friend!
Thank you Brian!
ReplyDeleteHBTY is a weird movie. I mean, it's flawed like hell and full of dumb dialogue - yet, there are so many remarkable and uber-atmospheric scenes in it, it never fails to impress me.
REC is just awesome - the remake stinks.
Not high on political nonsense either, and I defintely don't love SOCIETY because of its political undertones - I love it because of its excellent build-up and the terrifying special effects.
The cover is from an old VHS tape.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clownhouse-nathan-forrest-winters/dp/B000P60XV0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1320007929&sr=8-6
It was also used on the German VHS:
http://www.amazon.de/Clownhouse-Victor-Salva/dp/B000V6LIDG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320008070&sr=8-1
REC? Suspiria? Let the right one in?! Dude, you beat my own list! These are awesome!
ReplyDelete@kaijinu:
ReplyDeleteYep, they're all awesome indeed.
Thanx!