Top 10 Series: Horror Films
Hello all,
I’m naturally lazy and I don’t want to do anything too substantial for the next few weeks, so I decided to work on a new series, a collection of Top Ten lists. Similar to my original list of my fave films, I’m basing these decisions on my own personal opinion.
Today’s field is: HORROR FILMS.
This is my list of the top ten horror films ever made. Accept it or disregard as you see fit.
10. Friday The 13th (1980)
Black Christmas invented the slasher film, Halloween proved it could make money and Friday The 13th turned the genre into a phenomenon, despite the best efforts of the late Gene Siskel. Friday The 13th used the old tricks of previous films and tried to make them their own. Whether or not they succeeded I leave that up to the viewer.
Betsy Palmer may have only been the killer in the first film (leaving son Jason to rule the franchise) but she left an indelible mark on the series. Of course not all parts were good, like any film series. Part IV is my personal favorite. Part V was too brutal and mean spirited and Part VI was too silly and campy. But all in all Friday The 13th left its mark on the horror lexicon.
09. Black Christmas (1974)
Bob Clark got his start with this Canadian shocker which still sends chills through your body to this day. Ignoring the recent remake, the story of sorority girls being menaced by a man on the phone works not with a series of bloody gruesome deaths or gratuitous nudity, neither of which is present.
Instead it used an atmosphere of menace, filming shadows, dark corners and odd camera angles to create real suspense. Halloween is credited with creating the motif of the slasher film, but it was Black Christmas which originated many of them. But for me the movie’s winning moment is the end. The killer’s identity and motive are never revealed and though Keir Dullea makes an excellent red herring one can assume that “Billy” remains at large at the end.
08. Poltergeist (1982)
Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper joined forces to make this suburban ghost story and I’m not even interested in tackling the controversy of who directed the film. Instead I’d like to focus on the tale of Carol Anne and her experience with the TV people.
A chilling tale with numerous great moments such as when the chaos of the children’s room is witnessed for the first time. Poor Marty’s hallucination of him ripping his face off or the parade of spirits descending the staircase which follows directly after. And who can forget that clown, that evil, nasty clown.
But with all the scares present what matters is the story of a family which will quite literally travel to the other side for one another. A father who wants to protect his family, a mother who’s natural instinct is to fight and fight for her children. The Freelings were a real family in an unreal situation and we bought it. Poltergeist has a satisfying conclusion that ends with a classic joke and you feel satisfied when the experience is over. What more can you want? I didn’t want the two sequels that’s for sure.
07. The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick was a legend in Hollywood for good or for bad. Personally I sort of like that behavior, the maverick. Unless of course they are using their powers for good and not for the sake of pretentiousness. As I didn’t know the man I won’t make a judgment on him. But I shall judge the one horror movie he made, his classic adaptation of the Stephen King novel.
It is public knowledge that Stephen King was displeased with this effort and its well known that Hollywood has butchered pretty much every story he’s written. I think in this case, Stanley had taken the novel and made it his own. Personally I liked the book better, but this was one mother f**king scary film. To this day, this move still scares me.
The ghosts of the Grady daughters haunted me all my life. No little girls have ever been creepier and just a mere frame of them causes my heart to race. The bizarre nature of the hotel’s haunting as the film climaxes, surreal, disturbing and gruesome images that continue to make me ponder to this day. Jack Nicholson’s menace, which normally turns me off, was perfect for this film. The whole nature of this movie was too leave you upset and for some reason I forgive it for not being faithful to the book.
For better or for worse Stanley Kubrick created a masterpiece of horror that will stand the test of time.
06. The Ring (2002)
Some argue that if you see the Japanese version of this film first, it will scare you. And vice versa, if you see the American version first. I find that in truth whichever Ring you see will be the one that terrifies you and finds a place within your heart. Based on the novel Ring by Koji Suzuki, a tale of a haunted videotape that kills you within 7 days of watching it was the first film to actually make me consider leaving the theatre.
To me a good horror, a real horror movie, is one that has me pondering what I just saw and make me feel unsafe. The Ring did that for me in a big way and I don’t think another movie has done that me before, a side from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Young Actress Daveigh Chase was an awesome antagonist and to this day I still have issues with watching it. Even in the light of a room.
Some may disagree, but I think The Ring is scary.
05. Scream (1996)
Wes Craven had a hard time following the success of his A Nightmare On Elm Street, following that with such films as Shocker, People Under The Stairs or Serpent & The Rainbow.
But when finally agreeing to direct the script from Kevin Williamson, he reinvigorated the slasher genre and created a rare 100 million dollar horror hit.
In 1996 horror films (slashers especially) had become stale and along came Scream which both poked fun of the horror films we grew up with and created a horror universe of its own. The tale of two film geeks actually committing murder sparked fear of copycat real-life attacks and caused problems for the production. The film proved to be a record breaking smash and returned Craven’s name back to the forefront. It made stars of its cast and though no real life murders took place, Scream helped to create copycat films which laid waste to the genre faster than most had wanted.
04. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1985)
Wes Craven gave birth to a new horror icon and a new style of slasher film with A Nightmare On Elm Street. Freddy Krueger ushered in the era of the talking, menacing figure that didn’t act with wanton violence, but sadistic delight. The razor glove and striped sweater became icons in themselves and horror history was born.
Inspired by articles of two teenage boys fearing their dreams and subsequently dying in their sleep, Craven came off the success of his Hills Have Eyes to make this ’85 shocker which also set New Line Cinema on the path of Hollywood super-stardom.
As with many actors who create a memorable character, Robert Englund would forever be known for assuming the role of Freddy. The story is a simple one, the ghost of a pedophile haunts the dreams of victims he failed to get and only the heroine Nancy can stop him. Nancy never did stop Freddy considering the series spawned 6 sequels, a TV series and a cross-over film pitting him against Friday’s Jason Voorhees. But that’s what happens in a franchise.
And this franchise started right here in the mind of Wes Craven and with this film.
03. The Exorcist (1973)
I knew of the Exorcist before I had even seen it. This film was one of the movies kids liked to talk to each other about, whispers in the classroom, legends of the unknown horror, some boasting to have seen it, but no one had. Then I came of age and I watched it and was slightly impressed. It had a good story, good acting and some interesting effects. But a tale of the devil possessing a young girl had no resonance in my agnostic bones. I just saw a heroic man protect a child with his life and be a good example to the rest of us.
Years of watching it on the TV and on video simply de-sensitized me to the Exorcist until I went to the theatre to see The Version You’ve Never Seen. I was sitting in a dark theatre, surrounded by people and unable to pause or shut the movie off. And it scared the shit out of me, and I realized then and there why exactly is this movie so revered and respected.
It’s a horror movie for certain, but like all the best ones it goes beyond being merely a film of cheap scares. I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize the true impact of this film, but I fear it now.
02. Dawn Of The Dead (1979)
My number 8 choice on the all-time list is the zombie masterpiece which all other zombie moves are judged and compared to. The second in Romero’s “Dead” series, its more of a polemic, exploring the apocalypse in the form a “zombie epidemic” and its effect on society, rather than being a traditional horror film.
It’s story of four survivors hiding out in a shopping mall has become so famous that the Monroeville Mall, used as the primary location, resulted in the actual mall becoming a tourist site visited to this day.
For the film it stood as the main symbol to the cultural decay and satirical consumerism which runs rampant throughout. A fitting result for the mall.
01. Halloween (1978)
My number 5 choice on the all-time list is the champion of this list. John Carpenter’s Halloween really was the one film that started the entire slasher genre and he managed it with a good story, virtually no blood and genuine scares. Michael Myers quickly became the first of the horror icons and proved the prototype for a dozen automaton killers (Jason Voorhees anyone?) and gave birth to the holiday theme horror films which happily ended when Friday The 13th prove the best of the bunch.
Sadly this has been the one film that Carpenter can’t escape, but being a fan of his work he’s never had to prove anything to me.
Carpenter was at his best with this film, the atmosphere, the lighting, the dark voyeur shot, his score being so memorable that when Moustapha Akkad tried to give story credit to Carpenter and the late Debra Hill, and they declined, he snuck in a Halloween Theme by John Carpenter in the opening titles.
And so concludes my top ten horror films of all time. Until next time.
I bid adieu,
your Origami reporter,
L.Manly
Stumble it! View blog reactions
Topics: Movies |
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.