Top 10 Horror Films

Though the following list is written in no specific order and the films selected are my own personal favorites, each work listed is terrifying in its own right:

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

For every chuckle the original 1950s B-Movie incurred with its silly storyline and insinuation of Pod People, the 1970s Donald Sutherland-helmed remake rebuts with great gusto. It should be noted that the tone of this film is far different from the subtly anti-communist original and supplants it with a viral pandemic more fitting of modern times. If the first two hours of the movie don’t frighten you, then the last three minutes most certainly will.

9. Se7en

Though the trailer makes it seem more traditional popcorn fare or nineties-suspense-junk, the movie itself is chilling in its grotesque depictions of each of the victims with the most frightening coming at Sloth. There is a twist ending, but not one that takes precedence over the whole film. What makes this movie so effective is its general grime and unpredictability.

8. Don’t Look Now

Yet another seventies Sutherland entry, but this one veers far into the territory of the surreal and has gained most of its publicity from a far too graphic opening sex scene. Though one should not let the simple beginning of the work distract them from what has to be the single scariest ending in all of cinema.

7. An American Werewolf in London

Fresh off of Animal House, John Landis ventured into horror with a seemingly campy werewolf movie. The thing is, it’s one of the best and scariest ever made. If the still shocking effects can’t pull you in, then the frightening fever dreams of the main character and apparitions of his victims can.

6. Nosferatu

Some would say that a silent film can no longer be scary. However, I beg to differ with this especially eerie piece which flourishes on its lighting, lavish set pieces, and arresting acting on the behalf of Max Shreck. One particularly notable bit is Nosferatu’s arrival and infiltration into London which has some of the most arresting visuals in the film.

5. Candyman

Set right in the heart of Cabrini Green circa 1990, Candyman inspires paranoia and dread with an undefeatable antagonist, spiraling madness of the main character, and a haunting score by Philip Glass. The film also opens with a breathtaking overhead crawl across the streets of downtown Chicago.

4. Mulholland Dr.

The trailer may betray the nature of this film as more of a murder mystery or crime drama, but the nightmare-like efficiency with which David Lynch executes a scene concerning ‘The Man Behind Winkie’s” allows it to become the single scariest sequence I have ever seen or heard of.

3. The Twilight Zone

The film is generally tame throughout and offers not more than average jolts or shivers along its duration, but the real showstopper happens within the first eight minutes with some of the most comedic actors of the time, Dan Ackroyd and Albert Brooks.

2. The Evil Dead

Director Sam Raimi has far outshined the name of his debut feature with movies like Spiderman, but this still remains my favorite horror movie for many reasons. The acting is bad and the lighting is subpar, but the efficacy of the scares in this movie had even Stephen King jumping when he saw it in theaters.

1. The Shining

Speaking of Stephen King, this adaptation of one of his best and earliest works, while straying far from the source, creates its own psychological hell-hole littered with iconic and disturbing images. While many are familiar with the film and its select infamous scenes, a little known fact regarding it is that Kubrick altered the plot so as to introduce a subtext involving White Men trampling the rights of native Americans.