Guardian & Observer's Top 10 Horror Movies

SteveJ

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1. Psycho
2. Rosemary's Baby
3. Don't Look Now
4. The Wicker Man
5. The Shining
6. The Exorcist
7. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
8. Let the Right One In
9. Vampyr
10. Peeping Tom

Thoughts welcomed.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/oct/14/top-10-horror-movies
 
11. The Abandoned Thread (2013):

A lone poster finds himself surrounded by Pokemon-playing loonies. Years later, investigators discover a desolate thread covered in cobwebs.
 
...Also featuring Return of the Sallman. :D
 
The Wicker Man is in no way better than The Shining. It deserves to be on the list but it's defintely not the 4th greatest horror movie of all time. I'd prefer Birds or The Omen on the list over that.
 
Yup, I reckon The Omen should make the list too.
 
I'm scared of horror movies. Like I'm not easily frightened in most situations. But when it comes to film I can't watch horror. Can anyone explain why I'm such a pussy?
 
Personally, I would have the Blair Witch Project in there somewhere. Possibly the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre too.

I'm still waiting for someone to create a film that will satisfy exactly what I want from good horror. Rosemary's baby comes close though - There aren't enough genuinely creepy, adult horror movies that have been made with that sort of seriousness and skill.
 
Tbh, I found Don't Look Now's drowning scene (at the start) more horrible than anything else in the film.
 
Keenst said:
Personally, I would have the Blair Witch Project in there somewhere. Possibly the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre too.

I'm still waiting for someone to create a film that will satisfy exactly what I want from good horror. Rosemary's baby comes close though - There aren't enough genuinely creepy, adult horror movies that have been made with that sort of seriousness and skill.
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What are you looking for in a horror movie? I wouldn't put the Blair Witch Project anywhere near that list, personally. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre however is a good shout.
 
I dunno about the Blair Witch film. As with many Horror/Ghost stories or films, I think one's fear (or lack of it) depends on how much we buy into the atmosphere. For instance, a big fave of mine is the 1989 tv film of The Woman in Black; I found parts of it terrifying...yet some people laugh at those very same scenes.
 
None of the Halloween series? I like a lot of Horror movies but they're by far my favourite. Most of the others listed didn't bother me at all.

Other ones that I like include When A Stranger Calls and Paranormal Activity, which shit me up when I first watched it.
 
Twigg said:
What are you looking for in a horror movie? I wouldn't put the Blair Witch Project anywhere near that list, personally. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre however is a good shout.
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Some love the Blair Witch, some hate it. I think it's one of the best examples of what you don't see scares you more. The ending was perfect too.

Hard to describe what I want in a horror movie. It's a very broad genre tbf, I do love comedic horror like The Evil Dead for example. What I really prefer though is atmospheric horror that doesn't rely on gore and cheap shocks, which seems to be the trend now.
 
Its very over 60s middle class pretty much guardian reader list, none from the 80s that I can gather other than the shining which is a Kubrick film so I won't count that. What about the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Carrie, The Evil Dead 1 etc all from the late 70s up the late 80s was when horror was really a force in film. In fact, not a single foreign langauge film that I can discern either.

Edit: Okay let the right one in is swedish.

EDIT 2: And Nosferatu is german, but I don't think that film really holds up for contemporary audiences, I mean the Cabinet of Dr Caligari is so much better.
 
pocco said:
None of the Halloween series? I like a lot of Horror movies but they're by far my favourite. Most of the others listed didn't bother me at all.

Other ones that I like include When A Stranger Calls and Paranormal Activity, which shit me up when I first watched it.
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Unfortunately social media and the internet has had its way with Paranormal Activity and the general consensus among people now is that it's 'shit' and 'not scary', when it's a great movie and done well to shit me up. As for When a Stranger Calls, are you talking about the new-ish one, or the 1979 one?
 
Twigg said:
Unfortunately social media and the internet has had its way with Paranormal Activity and the general consensus among people now is that it's 'shit' and 'not scary', when it's a great movie and done well to shit me up. As for When a Stranger Calls, are you talking about the new-ish one, or the 1979 one?
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Paranormal Activity did a shit service for horror because now all horror films made nowadays in hollywood is like that:

Strange noise (or nothing at all) going burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and then BANG to quote Mark kermode.
 
Anyway Psycho is not a horror film nor is it scary, (apart from that ONE scene) its a thriller/suspense film.
 
Mitch_93 said:
Anyway Psycho is not a horror film nor is it scary, (apart from that ONE scene) its a thriller/suspense film.
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It does today have a reputation for that one scene and the soundtrack which it's recognised mostly for, but I think it's a great film. Not number one though.

Keenst said:
Some love the Blair Witch, some hate it. I think it's one of the best examples of what you don't see scares you more. The ending was perfect too.

Hard to describe what I want in a horror movie. It's a very broad genre tbf, I do love comedic horror like The Evil Dead for example. What I really prefer though is atmospheric horror that doesn't rely on gore and cheap shocks, which seems to be the trend now.
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Oh, I don't hate it. Not at all, it's a great movie, just not in my top 10.

I know what you mean about atmospheric horror. I like it in movies when a lot of it is left down to your imagination, rather than cheap shocks. Have you watched Session 9? I think you might enjoy that.

SteveJ said:
Some claim that this film started it all off, mate:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Broadcast_(film)
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Thanks, Steve. I might watch it. Have you seen it? Is it a good film?
 
Twigg said:
Unfortunately social media and the internet has had its way with Paranormal Activity and the general consensus among people now is that it's 'shit' and 'not scary', when it's a great movie and done well to shit me up. As for When a Stranger Calls, are you talking about the new-ish one, or the 1979 one?
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I've only seen the recent remake. Is the original good? I liked the recent one though, it reminds me a lot of Halloween in that it's things that you see in the background that really get you going. The first half of the film was pretty intense, I thought.
 
Twigg said:
I know what you mean about atmospheric horror. I like it in movies when a lot of it is left down to your imagination, rather than cheap shocks. Have you watched Session 9? I think you might enjoy that.
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Haven't seen it, will check it out!
 
Twigg said:
It does today have a reputation for that one scene and the soundtrack which it's recognised mostly for, but I think it's a great film. Not number one though.


Oh, I don't hate it. Not at all, it's a great movie, just not in my top 10.

I know what you mean about atmospheric horror. I like it in movies when a lot of it is left down to your imagination, rather than cheap shocks. Have you watched Session 9? I think you might enjoy that.
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Definitely a fantastic film, but not number 1. I mean where is POLTERGEIST?

Also imo, The Evil Dead 1 (1980) isn't funny, unlike the other films which are. I mean you all know the tree scene, no way thats funny!
 
pocco said:
I've only seen the recent remake. Is the original good? I liked the recent one though, it reminds me a lot of Halloween in that it's things that you see in the background that really get you going. The first half of the film was pretty intense, I thought.
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I've not seen the original, I've not seen the remake either, I just wanted to know which one to download. Thanks. :D
Mitch_93 said:
Definitely a fantastic film, but not number 1. I mean where is POLTERGEIST?

Also imo, The Evil Dead 1 (1980) isn't funny, unlike the other films which are. I mean you all know the tree scene, no way thats funny!
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Poltergeist is good, but nothing more than that, in my opinion.

Thinking about it, I'd probably put Dawn of the Dead on there somewhere.

Keenst said:
Haven't seen it, will check it out!
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You should definitely.
 
I know that neither is a cinematic masterpiece, but Candyman and Arachnophobia had the biggest lasting effects on me of any horror movies I've ever watched.

The black and white version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde scared me shitless when I was a wee nipper too.
 
Twigg said:
I've not seen the original, I've not seen the remake either, I just wanted to know which one to download. Thanks. :D


Poltergeist is good, but nothing more than that, in my opinion.

Thinking about it, I'd probably put Dawn of the Dead on there somewhere.
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Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead, which all have more social connotations than most of those films put together. Friday the 13th, which also has a lot of subtext.
 
Twigg said:
Thanks, Steve. I might watch it. Have you seen it? Is it a good film?
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Only seen clips of it, mate, but it looked effective enough.

I did admire the Blair Witch marketing/promotion though; inspired thinking.
 
Keenst said:
Personally, I would have the Blair Witch Project in there somewhere. Possibly the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre too.

I'm still waiting for someone to create a film that will satisfy exactly what I want from good horror. Rosemary's baby comes close though - There aren't enough genuinely creepy, adult horror movies that have been made with that sort of seriousness and skill.
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That is not even a good film , never mind a decent horror film, I thought it was dreadful.
 
Most horrific/bloody: Texas chainsaw massacre
Most disturbing: The exorcist
Best: Vertigo (not sure if it counts as horror or suspense or mystery, but IMO it is better than Psycho)
 
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