It's almost time for Halloween! And me being the "Scream Queen" I am, I'm willing to share my top 10 favorite horror movies with you so you can binge watch them as well!
10. Carrie (Both versions, new and old)
While the older version could be named the best version by some, and it is the one that I grew up with, I think the new version did a wonderful job at remastering the old one. It didn't seem to change anything about it, only add to it, and the special effects are a million times better now than they were in the 70's.
In the new version, we get to see a little deeper into the relationship between Carrie and her mother, which is a very important relationship... I mean, it's basically the reason she goes all "Carrie" on everyone. And even though you can't replace the original cast, the new cast does a brilliant job as well. It's definitely a new classic. Hey, go a head and watch them back to back and let me know which one you think is the best. I know, it's hard to decide.
Scare rating: 6/10
9. Paranormal Activity Movies
Once again, say what you will, but these movies brought about a whole new genre of horror. It took what The Blair Witch Project did in the 90's (handy-cam horror) and ran with it. I recently watch the Blair Witch Project, because at 10, it was terrifying, and I noticed that you never even see the Blair Witch. NOT ONCE. Actually, the only thing you really ever see is people freaking out and some guy standing in a corner of some old house at the end. There's nothing scary about that movie, except the unknown and shear panic. Well, and the fact that people actually believed that this was real found footage. Brilliant, really, for the creators at least. These movies however, let you see what is caught on tape when you aren't looking. The story line is pretty good, and I love how all the movies tie in together. There were several times during all of these films where I nearly jumped out of my seat.
Scare rating: For all movies in series - 7/10
8. V/H/S & V/H/S/2
Ahhh, once again, the handy-cam genre at it's best. These movies, like the Paranormal Activity movies, were super inexpensive to make, yet to stories are so good that you kind of forgive the bad CGI. I think the first Paranormal Activity only cost around $1000 to make, and made over, what, millions at the box office. Pretty smart, I'd say. You just can't beat good story lines. And with the V/H/S movies, you get great ones.
Each movie is compiled of 4-6 short stories, which I love, and one larger story to tie them all in. Granted, some of the stories are poop, but it's worth it to get to the good ones. And even the bad ones were good ideas, maybe just poorly executed. Either way, they are worth a watch. I ended up buying both of them because I loved them so much. I think you will, too.
Also, each story within the movies were written and directed by different people, which is awesome, because you get stories from different creative minds and aspects on different subjects, as well as different actors and actresses in each one. So that's pretty cool.
Scare rating: V/H/S - 7/10, V/H/S/2 - 7/10
7. The Amityville Horror (Both Original & Remake)
Here's another original/remake like Carrie. The original scared the ever loving crap out of me, but as I get older, the special effects just don't do it anymore, even though the story is wonderfully gruesome. I mean, it's based on the true story of a guy who killed his whole family, even his young siblings, with a shotgun while they slept, yet not one of them woke up. That's odd enough. I mean, if a shotgun goes off in my house, you better believe I'm going to wake up, let alone 5 shotgun blasts. That's just crazy.
But adding to the story, like in Carrie, didn't work out with the remake this time. They should have just left the story alone and focused on the super awesome CGI they couldn't wait to use. The whole bit about the Native American burial ground... was stupid. The story didn't need it. At all.
Scare rating: Original - 8/10, Remake - 7/10.
6. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
This is one of those movies that still scares the crap out of me today. I can't watch it alone, nor can I barley stand to watch it with someone if the lights are off. This movie makes me super paranoid. The Exorcist and The Rite come in close behind this one for your possession movies for sure.
This one however, pretty much pits the law/science against religion. It's brilliant, because I love me a legal drama and horror, and this movie is pretty much "Law & Order: Exorcism", which I would definitely watch in place of any overworked Law & Order series right now, no matter how much I love them.
The effects are wonderfully scary and the actress who plays Emily Rose (who is also on Dexter) is probably the best actress I've ever seen. It's a shame I haven't seen her in many other horror films, because I would watch them just to see her acting again.
Scare rating: 9/10.
5. Mama
Okay, like dolls, I also can't handle creepy kids. Maybe those things go hand in hand, but either way I hate it. Usually, you put a doll or creepy kid in it and I'm out. Someone who loves me must beg me to see it with them, and then they have to hold my hand the whole time. I don't know why I feel this way about dolls and kids... Maybe Child's Play has something to do with it. And I still haven't seen Children of the Corn. Not. Going. To. Do. It.
But, Joey talked me in to seeing this one, and it even scared the crap out of him. The CGI was okay, you can usually scare me with over-extended jaws, as well, which is what they went for here. And it worked.
Scare rating: 8/10.
4. The Conjuring
So, once again with the creepy dolls... this movie starts out focusing on Annabelle, which is now a full on movie of it's own. I have NOT seen it yet. Dolls, man. But if it's anything like The Conjuring, it will scare the crap out of me.
This movie has a very 1970's feel, which is why I love it so much. It feels like it could have been made right along side the original Amityville Horror.
It was well written, well shot, and based on true stories. you can't go wrong.
Scare rating: 8/10.
3. Sinister
Creepy kids, man.
This one has a true crime writer moving into murder houses in order to write about them. I'm a horror writer, and I would never EVER do this. The house next door, maybe. I mean, we never hear about people dying who were in the house next door...
This one was pretty creepy. Scare rating: 9/10.
2. Stanley Kubrick's The Shining
Absolutely brilliant screen adaptation. You never know if Jack is really seeing ghosts, or if he's just going crazy. This have been one of my favorite movies for a very long time, and I don't see anything else taking it's place. Actually, I think #1 and this movie share a spot for my favorite.
Scare rating: 9/10 because of the human condition.
1. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Oh, my favorite zombie movie ever made! And you should know how much I love zombies... I have written 2 novels about them, and had a zombie wedding! Zombies are my favorite because it all comes down to the people still living, not the zombies themselves. What are people capable of when there is no law, no government, no one to tell them what's right from wrong. Will they stay human... in more ways than one? Would you be the kind to kill or be killed? Would you be Rick or would you be The Governor? That's what makes zombie tells so fantastic. You think you know what people will do, but they always surprise you. You think you know someone, but then they betray you. And then you throw race eating zombies in the mix. How will you survive?
And this movie probably has the best opening of any movie I've ever seen. I actually just watched it again last night, and it's still an awesome movie. And I love the ending. No spoiler alerts here, but I'll just say that it's one of the most well made zombie movies to date. It's only followed closely by a TV show - The Walking Dead, of course. And you HAVE to have zombies in your horror movie line-up, so make it a good one.
Scare rating: 8/10
Other Noteworthy movies: World War Z, Shaun of the Dead, The Haunting in Connecticut, Psycho, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, Jaws (I'm still terrified of the Ocean), Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead, The Birds, Cabin in the Woods, Zombieland, The Fly (Probably the most graphic movie I've ever seen, and that's saying something), The Exorcist, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Misery, Poltergeist, Scream, 1408, Nightmare on Elm Street (the first and third), The Rite, and Oculus.
The Upcoming movies Annabelle, Dracula Untold, and Ouija (not The Ouija Experiment. That was poop.) looks pretty promising. Let's hope they are good and not poopy crap.
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