The Official BadMovies.org poll of the Greatest Horror Movies of all Time

[Rev. Powell]

These are in the BAD movie thread? If it were my favorite BAD horror movies, it would go something like this-

I put it in the bad movie thread because this category gets the most traffic.

[Rev. Powell]

I find it nearly impossible to put them in order. I like the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE just as much as the HAUNTING, or  any of these, just in different ways. Sigh.

1. the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)
2. PSYCHO (1960)
3. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
4. the HAUNTING (1963)
5. ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1955)
6. KILL, BABY, KILL (1966)
7. NOSFERATU (1922)
8. the THING (1982)
9. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
10. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)
11. WHITE ZOMBIE (1932)
12. BLACK SUNDAY (1960)
13. the EXORCIST (1973)
14. DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1932)
15. HAXAN (1922)
16. GODZILLA (1954)- Japanese version.
17. ALUCARDA (1977)
18. GUZO (2003)
19. DEEP RED (1975)
20. ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)
21. the SHINING (1980)
22. EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960)
23. the RAVEN (1935)
24. the BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
25. KING KONG (1933)

And I have to double check: do you want your 25 points to go to KING KONG, or THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE?

[RCMerchant]

^ Neither- I couldn't put them in order. Hoo-boy. I guess the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

[Rev. Powell]

^ Neither- I couldn't put them in order. Hoo-boy. I guess the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

You have to put them in order or the poll won't work correctly. You still have some weeks to work it out.

[RCMerchant]

^I guess I can't be included. I find it impossible.

[Rev. Powell]

^I guess I can't be included. I find it impossible.

Aw shucks. You're always welcome to think it over and give it a try. You could even add DRACULA in there.

[pacman000]

More of a sci-fi/fantasy/monster/special FX fan than a horror fan, but I'll still give this a shot. This list is limited to films I'm sure I've seen.

What does it mean to be "the Greatest"? I'd say the most influential films are he greatest, so...

25pts The Lost World (1925) - Set up the whole giant monster genre
24pts The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - Made German Expressionist films popular, which stuck with the horror genre for 30 or so years.
23pts Dracula - Set up Universal's horror-cycle in the 30's
22pts Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1950's) - Set up sci-fi horror of the 50's
21pts The Horror of Dracula - Hammer brought back Gothic horror
20pts Halloween - Slasher films become major, main stream successes

That sets up the beginning of the horror genre, & outlines major changes in it. I'll have to come back later, to add more, fleshing out each era.

Ok! I'm back, with a few more:

19pts Frankenstein
18pts The Wolfman
17pts The Mummy

Universal's monster films are iconic; they are still the standard versions of their respective monsters.

16pts - And Then There Were None - Kinda a bridge between Old Dark House films & Slashers. Also a nice mystery with good camera work & suspense.
15pts - THEM! - Great example of a nuclear monster movie. Think it was the first.
14pts - The Blob - I need to include a 50's Teen movie, & this is one of the best.
13pts - King Kong - While "The Lost World" was the first major giant monster film, this one fleshed out the concept.
12pts - Godzilla: King of the Monsters - And this is the most iconic radioactive monster movie.
11pts - JAWS - Made major studios pay attention to genre films. Set up the modern blockbuster.
10pts - Jurassic Park - Major leap forward in FX, & some fairly suspenseful scenes.

Still deciding on the others; numbers subject to change.

9pts - The Thing - Good FX work, which still holds up well today.
8pts - Alien - A nice creepy movie. I would've ranked it higher, but it took a lot from earlier films, most of which I've not seen yet.
7pts - Psycho -  This should probably be higher, but I found it a bit slow..

6pts - Colossus: The Forbin Project - I think 2001 did it first, but this was one of the first films to deal with an out-of-control AI. And the computer is the main focus of the movie; in 2001 the focus is on human evolution; HAL is just an obstacle.

5pts - Night of the Living Dead - Redefined what a zombie is. Also make a ridiculous concept feel real. Could be higher, but it took a lot from "I Am Legend."

I'm not sure if I've seen anything else of note. So I'll fill in the rest with some movies that are just fun.

4pts - Tormented - Bert I. Gordon's ghost movie is fun.

3pts -  Gremlins - More of a comedy, but it does have some creepy segments.

2pts -  The Ghost & Mr. Chicken - A Comedy through & through. But that scene where the organ starts playing is creepy.

1pt -  Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein - Not scary at all, even as a kid. But It gave Lugosi another chance to play Dracula, & he did a good job.

[Rev. Powell]

Less than two weeks until Halloween, everyone else is invited to submit their lists! We have 6 voters which creates a pretty good consensus, but more is always better.

[M.10rda]

I will post my list on the 29th or 30th... lol. Hope that's okay. Got a lot more movies to watch or rewatch!

[Rev. Powell]

I will post my list on the 29th or 30th... lol. Hope that's okay. Got a lot more movies to watch or rewatch!

Sure is, keep us in suspense!

[M.10rda]

I hope the suspense has been sufficient! I will get mine posted before midnight.

[M.10rda]

A lotta' good films hit the floor - either due to technicalities, equivocation/waffling, or I ran out of time and couldn't watch 'em or re-watch 'em.

The order doesn't totally satisfy me but the films themselves I'll stan for. I could've made much smarter picks to leverage other people's picks - but I'm a dumb guy, what can I tell you?

25.) LEGEND OF BOGGY freakin' CREEK = 1 point
24.) JIGOKU (1960) = 2 points
23.) POULTRYGEIST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD = 3 points
22.) HELLRAISER (1987) = 4 points
21.) RE-ANIMATOR = 5 points
20.) THE EVIL DEAD (1981) = 6 points
19.) INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) = 7 points
18.) CLOVERFIELD = 8 points
17.) VIDEODROME = 9 points
16.) THE BLACK CAT (1934) = 10 points
15.) SUSPIRIA = 11 points
14.) IN A VIOLENT NATURE = 12 points
13.) IT FOLLOWS = 13 points
12.) DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004) = 14 points
11.) DON'T LOOK NOW = 15 points
10.) NIGHT OF THE CREEPS = 16 points
9.) THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE = 17 points
8.) THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS = 18 points
7.) RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD = 19 points
6.) BEETLEJUICE = 20 points
5.) ALIEN = 21 points
4.) THE THING (1982) = 22 points
3.) HAUSU = 23 points
2.) TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME = 24 points
1.) POSSESSION (1981) = 25 points

Thx 4 including me. 

[RCMerchant]

25. the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)
24. BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (1955)
23. the HAUNTING (1960)
22. the BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE (1959)
21. the RAVEN (1935)
20. the THING (1982)
19. SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
17. KILL,BABY,KILL (1966)
16. the EXORCIST (1973)
15. ALUCARDA (1977)
14. DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT (1973)
13. I DRINK YOUR BLOOD (1970)
12. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
12. the BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
11. the SHINING (1980)
10. DRACULA (1931)
9. BURIAL GROUND-NIGHTS OF TERROR (1981)
8. the SADIST (1963)
7. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)
5. the BIRDS (1962)
4. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
3. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)
2. KING KONG (1933)
1. GODZILLA (1954)

Ok! It's Halloween! How does all this rank, Rev?

[Rev. Powell]

OK, with 7 voters, this is how it finally shook out. I wish we could have got a few more voters to break some of the ties, but the way it works out at least everyone's top three choices end up somewhere in the top 25:

1. The Thing (1982)                           95
2. Alien (1979)                                   78
3. Psycho (1960)                      67
4. The Shining (1980)                      57
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)      52
6. Jaws (1975)                              51
7. Halloween (1978)                      49
8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)      42
9. Frankenstein (1931)                      40
10 (tie). Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)   35
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)      35
12. The Exorcist (1973)            33
13 (tie). The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)   32
Dracula (1931)               32
15. The Omen (1976)            30
16 (tie). Dawn of the Dead (1978)      29
Suspiria (1977)               29
Videodrome (1983)            29
19 (tie). Possession (1981)         25
Pieces (1982)               25
The Lost World (1925)            25
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)              25
23 (tie). Bride of the Monster (1955)      24
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)      24
25 (tie). The Haunting (1960)         23
Hausu (1977)               23
The Mutilator (1981)            23
The Wicker Man (1973)            23

The top 10 is pretty good. Thanks everyone! I think I'll try to compile another list like this with "bad movies" on it.

[Alex]

Nice idea Rev, thanks for doing it. I thought the top picks would only have a few votes between them.