Worst2First: My Top Ten Horror Films of All Time

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Horror Films of All Time

My friend asked me to make a list of my top ten horror films of all time.  This was no small feat, as the category of "horror" can encompass so many different styles.  Zombies, aliens, paranormal, ghosts, serial killers, psychological thrillers, science fiction, demons, monsters, Tyra Banks...all those and more encapsulate the concept of horror.

After a preliminary list of over 100, it took me awhile to bring it down to ten, and - even though it may seem cliche and typical - these ARE my top ten favorite horror films of all time.  From Worst2First.

**There could be spoilers throughout, so read at your own risk!**

#10

The Cabin in the Woods

Long before Joss Whedon directed one of the most ambitious films in modern cinema ("The Avengers"), he directed a cult classic TV show called "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."  The show revolutionized serial horror, as he mixed fighting vampires and demons with wit, humor, and heart.

With "The Cabin in the Woods," Whedon brings that same winning combination to the big screen, and turns horror on its head.  He takes a mirror to the genre and shows it itself, and does so in a humorous and witty manner. 

A group of kids go to a cabin in the woods, but all is not as it seems.  They face a night of terror delivered by a group of sadistic (yet highly comical) people who use horror's biggest cliches and monsters in order to...well, I don't want to give anything away.  You'll just have to see it to believe it, as you'll find yourself laughing as well as screaming throughout.  A great film for every true horror fan to really appreciate.

#9

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven was one of the most influential voices in the realm of horror.  There are several films of his that I could've included in my top ten ("Scream," "The Last House on the Left," "The Hills Have Eyes," "The Serpent and the Rainbow"), and modern horror iconic directors like Eli Roth and Ti West hold him in high regard.  Ultimately, it was his theme-bending "A Nightmare on Elm Street" that made the top ten.

It was 1984, and the effects the film delivered were revolutionary for its time.  The scene with the girl being dragged across the ceiling is still listed as one of the most fascinating scenes ever shot in horror.  Wes Craven brought the film to life after reading a real life situation where a child kept having nightmares, and one night he died in his sleep.  He wondered what could've made a healthy boy die so suddenly, and through that he invented one of horror's most iconic killers - Freddy Krueger, the son of a thousand maniacs, the man burned alive by vengeful parents who came back in spirit form to haunt the nightmares of the children on Elm Street.  His red and green sweater and knife claw hand sends shivers into the hearts of anyone who remembers him.

Robert Englund gives a masterclass performance as the unstoppable dream menace, and the original has the best final girl since Jamie Lee Curtis - Heather Langenkamp's Nancy, who devises a plan to bring Freddy to the real world and end the nightmares for good.  Before Freddy was a caricature of himself, he was truly terrifying.

This is also one of the first films that Johnny Depp appeared in, so Wes Craven also helped bring one of today's most fascinating and charismatic actors to the forefront.

#8

Halloween

Next up is another slasher icon of the late 70s/80s.  His name is Michael Myers, the unstoppable killer who, at an early age, killed his sister and was incarcerated.  Decades later he escaped to return to his hometown and finish what he started by targeting his other sister Laurie.

What made this film so iconic and great is the creepiness of its main character.  Michael was a silent menace, the man who hid in the bushes and stalked his prey until the right time came to strike.  He was unrelenting and undaunted in his task, and a man so set on a plan like this is spooky as all get out.

"Halloween" also gave us Jamie Lee Curtis, who was one of the best final girls in horror history.  This was her first film, and it established her as the go-to girl for horror in the 80s, which helped propel her to international stardom.  As Laurie, she enveloped everything a nice girl wanted to be - nice, virginal, sincere and friendly, but she also harbored a deep determination and power she never knew she had, which comes to the surface as she comes face-to-face with unholy terror.

Once again, the man behind the film was one of horror's most endearing directors.  John Carpenter's resume is as varied and jarring as Wes Craven's, with "The Fog," "Prom Night" and "The Thing" candidates for the top ten as well, but it was the film that birthed Michael Myers that ultimately made the list.

Plus, the soundtrack has become the go-to song for every Halloween night since 1978, and sends chills through the spine:

#7

Friday the 13th

Yes, there is a pattern here, but the pattern ends here.  There are some horror movies that are so good you can watch them over and over again and enjoy them as much as the first time, and for me, it's the original "Friday the 13th" that does it for me.  I must've seen it over twenty times, I know everything that happens and when, and I'm still entirely entertained by it.

The little film that could, the original "Friday" doesn't even feature its hockey mask wearing menace, but rather his scored mother who dispatches a gang of wannabe counselors and townspeople to get revenge for her son's untimely death decades earlier.  The kills were ingenious and filmed in a way where you didn't know who the killer was until the end, which added a Hitchcock/Agatha Christie feel to this small independent film. 

Plus, as "Nightmare on Elm Street" introduced us to Johnny Depp and "Halloween" gave us Jamie Lee Curtis, "Friday the 13th" gave us Kevin Bacon, the actor who has a game named after him.

#6

The Exorcist

The granddaddy of all possession films, "The Exorcist" was a film based from a book by William Peter Blatty that focused on everyday girl Regan (incredibly acted by young Linda Blair) who becomes possessed by the devil himself.  It's up to Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) to drive the demon out of the young girl before it consumes her.

For its time, "The Exorcist" was revolutionary, and audiences literally ran out of theaters in hysterics.  Unfortunately, when I watched it, I had found myself totally desensitized to the terror it gave, and I wasn't in hysterics.  However, I was greatly impressed by the movie as a whole, and it was still creepy as heck seeing an innocent girl being possessed by pure evil, and the things she does (I won't mention here, but trust me, they're pretty awful) hits to the bone. 

What set "The Exorcist" apart from other horror films is that it was greatly honored by the Academy Awards, which hardly give horror films a second glance.  It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress (Ellen Burstyn), Best Supporting Actor (Jason Miller), Best Supporting Actress (Linda Blair), Best Director (William Friedkin), Best Art Direction and Best Editing, and won the Oscars for Best Writing and Best Sound.  All of the accolades are clearly deserved, as "The Exorcist" was a pitch-perfect film from start to finish, and one that lingers in my memory years after seeing it.

#5

Night of the Living Dead

Zombie films have existed since the start of cinema, with "White Zombie" in 1932.  They've been in numerous movies but never really hit the mainstream until a little film in 1968 called "Night of the Living Dead" put zombies on the map, and solidified them as horror staples, spawning countless success stories, most notably "The Walking Dead."

In the mid 60s, then-unknown director George A. Romero took some friends to a house in Pittsburgh and filmed a small film.  No one knew it then, but it would go to become one of the most well-known films ever, and struck fear in the hearts of those viewing it.  Sadly, it doesn't hold up very well to today's standards of horror, but it's still a revolutionary piece of work that demands to be seen.

Plus, Romeo cast Duane Jones in the lead, making him one of the first African American leads in a film, and also gave a political and social undertone to the film that Romero never intended, but added to the depth of the film.

#4

Shaun of the Dead

Fear and comedy are two ends of the same coin.  Both are the extremes of emotions that move you, and that's why some of the best comedies out there are also horrific as well.

Hence the British import "Shaun of the Dead," which propelled Simon Pegg into the international spotlight, earning him crucial roles in the "Star Trek" and "Mission: Impossible" series.  In the film, Simon is a go-nowhere bum who wants to get back together with his girlfriend when the zombie apocalypse hits - except he doesn't know it.  Now, not only does he need to reconcile with his girlfriend, but he has to keep his friends and mother alive as well.  Very stressful for such a loser.

From start to finish, "Shaun of the Dead" delivers the thrills and laughs in equal measure, and its one of the few comedies I can watch over and over again and still laugh out loud during it.

#3

The Human Centipede 2

You must all be wondering two things: 1) HOW is this film in my top ten, and 2) HOW is it so high?

Easy answer: it really creeped me the heck out.

Shot entirely in black and white (which adds to its sense of hopelessness), "The Human Centipede 2" has one of the most unnerving and almost unwatchable actors in horror cinema in Laurence R. Harvey (and I mean that with all due respect).  He is a short, overweight, bug-eyed loser who idolizes the original "Human Centipede" film so much he sets out to do it for real - with twelve people.

The original "Human Centipede" did nothing for me in the realm of horror, as I saw it nothing more than a lame gimmick that wasn't nearly as unnerving as it said it would be.  Maybe that's why I didn't expect much with the second outing, and maybe that's why I found it completely compelling.

When you have a film where there's twelve people medically sewn together to resemble a huge centipede - and that NOT even being the most grotesque part of the film - you've got something that hits to the core of the human psyche, something that grabs hold of you and refuses to let go.  That's what "The Human Centipede 2" did to me.


**NOTE: My top two horror films of all time are all foreign films, so there's subtitles.  Most people don't even give foreign films a chance because of this, but if you're a true horror fan, you'll disregard that stereotype and check them out...if you dare.
Also, if you do choose to watch them, I highly recommend you don't do it all at once.  It could easily mess with your mind.**

#2

Martyrs

The French really know how to do horror.  With "Martyrs," it raised the stakes to a whole new level.  "Martyrs" is a story of a girl who was abducted and forced to endure unspeakable tortures until she escapes and seeks revenge against those who did those terrible things to her.

However, that's just the beginning of a psychological thrill ride that takes you to the depths of depravity as a society of people believe you can achieve nirvana and euphoria through pain, and enlists girls - known as martyrs - to tell them of the secrets hidden therein.  They go through insurmountable pain in order to achieve this new level of intellect and knowledge, at the price of their very lives.

The ending of the film leaves you simply speechless, but its not even the most shocking moment in the film, which occurs somewhere near the middle.  If you see it, you'll know it.  As the blurb says on the cover, "Martyrs" is definitely a ferocious horror film.

#1

Inside

Once again, the French know how to mess with your psyche.  "Inside" is a simple film at its heart - in reality there's just two actresses and one house.  However, the tale it tells chills you to the bone and grips your heart in a vice-like grab that refuses to let go.

"Inside" focuses on the fears most expectant mothers have - of someone trying to steal their baby.  However, for this poor woman, someone wants her baby - while its still in the womb.  What follows is an intense cat-and-mouse game with an incredibly nerve shattering ending.

"Inside" is true horror, as it doesn't feature something that can't happen, like a Jason Voorhees or a Freddy Krueger.  Instead, it's something that has happened in real life, and that adds a whole new dimension to the horror...because it's real.  

For "Friday the 13th," I said some horror films are so good you want to see them over and over.  With "Inside," once was more than enough for me.

It's so gory, so surreal, so downright nauseating, it's actually not a film I would suggest for mothers or expectant mothers, or anyone with a weak stomach or heart.  It's THAT terrifying, it haunts me today after watching it once over a year ago.

So, for those of you who care, there you have it.  My personal top ten horror films of all time.

I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it'll make you want to check them out for yourself!