Top 10: Best horror movies

 

 

1. The Shining (1980) - Stanley Kubrick

 

2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari/Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) - Robert Wiene

 

3. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter

 

4. Altered States (1980) - Ken Russell

 

5. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) - John McNaughton

 

6. Antichrist (2009) - Lars Von Trier  

7. House of Usher/The Fall of the House of Usher/The Mysterious House of Usher (1960) - Roger Corman

 

8. Inferno (1980) - Dario Argento

 

9. The Beyond/ ...E Tu Vivrai nel Terrore! L'Aldilà/7 Doors of Hell (1981) - Lucio Fulci

 

10. Candyman (1992) - Bernard Rose

 

Selected from 168 titles labeled either 'animated horror', 'body horror', 'early horror', 'great horror', 'sex horror', 'war horror', 'horror', 'horror adventure', 'horror anthology', 'J-horror' or 'kids horror'. The following horror label categories are so large that they will get separate Top 10 entries of their own: 'horror comedy', 'psych. horror', 'sci-fi horror', 'teen horror', 'horror action', 'horror drama' and 'religious horror'

Previous Top 10 lists:

Best action movies
Best adapted movies
Best adventure movies
Best 'big flop' movies
Best B/W movies
Best true story movies
Best 'big hit' movies
Best biopic movies
Best 'box office success' movies
Best car chases in movies
Best comedies
Best cop movies       
Best crime movies 
Best debut movies   
Best Danish movies
Best Disney movies 
Best documentaries 
Best dramas
Best drama-thrillers
Best dramedies

Best drug-themed movies

Best UK movies

Best epic movies

Best erotic movies

Best family movies

Best fantasy movies

Best films about filmmaking 

Best first-of-franchise movies 

Best 'flop' rank movies

Best Twentieth Century Fox titles 

Best French movies

Best franchise movies 

Best future-set movies 

Best gangster movies

Best gay-themed titles

Best German movies 

Best ghost horror movies 

Best gore movies

Top 10: Best HBO titles

Best heist movies

Best high school titles 

Best historical titles 

Top 10: Best Hollywood-set movies 

What do you think of the list?
Which horror movies would make your personal Top 10?

In the Mouth of Madness (1994) - Carpenter in a Lovecraftian house of mirrors

♥♥

 

A fantastic tagline ('Lived any good books lately?') and a well-made, chilling composited effect image of horrific elements springing from a book's pages make up this poster for John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness

 

Our protagonist is an insurance company investigator, who gets locked up in a padded cell, seemingly insane. What made him so? He was on a mission to locate the world's best-selling horror author, but said author's disturbing fiction led to a town that doesn't exist ...

 

In the Mouth of Madness is written by Michael De Luca (Dark Justice (1991-93)) and directed by New-Yorker master filmmaker John Carpenter (Dark Star (1974)), whose 13th feature it is. 

Winding, dark and strange, In the Mouth of Madness has good monster effects but also becomes involuntarily funny along the way. Julie Carmen (Killer Snake (2004, short)) is really bad as the character Linda Styles, and Sam Neill (Rams (2020)) fails to carry this post-modernist-enthused deconstructionist invention.

 

Related posts:

 

John Carpenter: Cigarette Burns (2005, TV movie) - Carpenter burns out in weird, tiresome TV movie

Dario Argento: An Eye For Horror (2000, TV documentary) - Great bio-doc of master filmmaker Dario Argento (interview subject)

Escape from L.A./John Carpenter's Escape from L.A./Escape from Los Angeles (1996) or, Snake Plissken in Crazy-World! 
Christine (1983) or, Bad Plymouth!

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - Evil masks ravage in Wallace's under-appreciated horror (uncredited writing)

Top 10: Best future-set movies
Escape from New York (1981) - Carpenter introduces Kurt Russell as action star in dystopic dream

Top 10: Best first-of-franchise movies 

Halloween (1978) - Carpenter's haunting slasher classic 
Top 10: The best action movies and TV-series reviewed by Film Excess to date
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) - Solid action guerilla film-making 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 8 mil. $

Box office: In excess of 8.9 mil. $ (North America alone)

= Uncertain but likely a big flop (projected return of 1.87 times its cost)

[In the Mouth of Madness premiered 10 August (Fantasy FilmFest, Germany) and runs 95 minutes. De Luca wrote the script in the late 1980s. Carpenter has himself stated that it was given a 7 mil. $ budget, but as it is listed as 8 in several places, it must have gone over budget by a million. Shooting took place from August - October 1993 in Ontario, including in Toronto. The film opened #4, behind holdover hit Legends of the Fall and fellow new releases Boys on the Side and Jerky Boys, to a 3.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 8.9 mil. $. The film's international gross numbers are regrettably not reported. If it had a subdued reception internationally, a 15 mil. $ final gross is likely, which would rank the film a big flop. Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Carpenter returned with Village of the Damned (1995). Neill returned in Country Life (1994). In the Mouth of Madness is fresh at 60 % with a 5.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of In the Mouth of Madness? 

Top 10: Best future-set movies

 

 

1. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - Steven Spielberg

 

 

2. Back to the Future Part II (1989) - Robert Zemeckis 

 

3. Alien (1979) - Ridley Scott

 

 

4. Escape from New York (1981) - John Carpenter

 

5. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Stanley Kubrick 

 

6. Blade Runner (1982) - Ridley Scott

 

7. Interstellar (2014) - Christopher Nolan

 

8. Demolition Man (1993) - Marco Brambilla  

 

9. Children of Men (2006) - Alfonso Cuarón

10. Looper (2012) - Rian Johnson

 

Selected from 41 titles labeled 'future'

 

Previous Top 10 lists:

Best action movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best adapted movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best adventure movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best B/W movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best true story movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best 'box office success' movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best car chases in movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best comedies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best cop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date        
Best crime movies reviewed by Film Excess to date         
Best debut movies reviewed by Film Excess to date     
Best Danish movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best Disney movies reviewed by Film Excess to date     
Best documentaries reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Best dramas reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Best drama-thrillers reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Best dramedies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Best drug-themed movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best UK movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Best epic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  

Best erotic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best family movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best fantasy movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best films about filmmaking 

Best first-of-franchise movies 

Top 10: Best 'flop' rank movies

Best Twentieth Century Fox titles 

Best French movies

Best franchise movies 

What do you think of the list?
Which future-set films would make your personal Top 10?

Top 10: Best first-of-franchise movies

 

1. Alien (1979) - Ridley Scott 

 

 

2. Godzilla/ゴジラ (Gojira) (1954) - Ishirô Honda

 

 

3. Back to the Future (1985) - Robert Zemeckis

 

 

4. First Blood (1982) - Ted Kotcheff

 

 

5. Saw (2004) - James Wan 

 

 

6. Dirty Harry (1971) - Don Siegel  

7. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter

 

 

8. American Pie (1999) - Chris and Paul Weitz

 

9. Blade (1998) - Stephen Norrington  

10. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - Gore Verbinski

 

Selected from 39 reviews labeled 'first of franchise'

 

Previous Top 10 lists:

Best action movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best adapted movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best adventure movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best B/W movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best true story movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best 'box office success' movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best car chases in movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best comedies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best cop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date        
Best crime movies reviewed by Film Excess to date         
Best debut movies reviewed by Film Excess to date     
Best Danish movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Best Disney movies reviewed by Film Excess to date     
Best documentaries reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Best dramas reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Best drama-thrillers reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Best dramedies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Best drug-themed movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best UK movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Best epic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  

Best erotic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best family movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best fantasy movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Best films about filmmaking 

What do you think of the list?
Which first-of-franchise movies would make your personal Top 10?

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - Evil masks ravage in Wallace's under-appreciated horror

♥♥♥♥

 

Eeriness abounds on this poster for Tommy Lee Wallace's Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Evil Halloween masks threaten national security, and only one cop is on the right track!

 

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is written and directed by debuting Tommy Lee Wallace (Baywatch (1989, TV-series)), with John Carpenter (Escape from L.A. (1996)) and Nigel Kneale (Quatermass 2 (1957)) contributing uncredited writing. It is the third entry in the Halloween franchise (1978-) and the only entry not featuring slasher boogeyman Michael Myers.

Tom Atkins (Masquerade (1983, TV-series)) is good as the protagonist cop. Though Myers is entirely absent, and the story has no connection to preceding or later Halloween movies, the feeling of dread is clear and present in Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which is an effective, infernal b-movie horror of its very own ilk.

 

Related posts:

 

Halloween franchise: Halloween (2007) - Zombie's remake is a bloody stinker  

Halloween H20/Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) - Myers spreads fresh terror in Miner's fine sequel 

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) - Myers returns for dull slasher 

Halloween (1978) - Carpenter's haunting slasher classic

 

Watch a VHS trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 2.5 mil. $

Box office: 14.4 mil. $ (North America only)

= Some uncertainty - but at least a huge hit (returned 5.76 times its cost in North America alone)

[Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released 22 October (North America, Turkey) and runs 98 minutes. The original Halloween's writers Carpenter and Debra Hill envisioned Season of the Witch as the first film to turn Halloween into an annual anthology horror franchise, each with a wholly fresh plot and characters. Kneale had his name removed from the credits, because executive producer Dino de Laurentiis insisted that more gore be added to the script. Joe Dante dropped out of directing shortly before production to work on his segment in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), and Wallace was consequently hired. Shooting took place from April 1982 - ? in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release First Blood, to a 6.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#2) and grossed 14.4 mil. $. Regrettably the film's international gross numbers are not made public. It is the lowest-grossing in the Halloween franchise, and this fact turned the filmmakers and studio heads to the opinion that all future Halloween movies must center on slayer Michael Myers. Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. Wallace returned with The Twilight Zone (1985-86), Max Headroom (1987, TV-series) and theatrically with Aloha Summer (1988). Atkins returned in 6 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in The New Kids (1985). Halloween III: Season of the Witch is rotten at 41 % with a 4.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Halloween III: Season of the Witch? 

Halloween (1978) - Carpenter's haunting slasher classic

♥♥♥♥♥

 

A jack-o-lantern that becomes a strong hand stabbing with a kitchen knife makes up this iconic poster for John Carpenter's Halloween

Michael Myers is evil incarnate; locked away since childhood for murdering his older sister. Now he has broken free from the mental hospital, and he is heading home to Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween - with blood lust!

 

Halloween is written by co-writer/producer Debra Hill (The Fog (1980)) and great New-Yorker filmmaker, co-writer/director/composer John Carpenter (Dark Star (1974)).

It is an incredibly simple premise in one of the all-time strongest horror classics. Jamie Lee Curtis (Love Letters (1983)) is a brave sport, and Donald Pleasence (Dracula (1979)) is ideal as Dr. Loomis, who has long ago seen and recognized the dark evil in Myers.

The mask is just as important, and Carpenter's catchy musical theme. You simply can't argue with the effectiveness and screaming thrills of Halloween.

 

Related posts:

 

Halloween franchise: Halloween (2007) - Zombie's remake is a bloody stinker  

Halloween H20/Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) - Myers spreads fresh terror in Miner's fine sequel 

John Carpenter: Cigarette Burns (2005, TV movie) - Carpenter burns out in weird, tiresome TV movie

Dario Argento: An Eye For Horror (2000, TV documentary) - Great bio-doc of master filmmaker Dario Argento (interview subject)

Escape from L.A./John Carpenter's Escape from L.A./Escape from Los Angeles (1996) or, Snake Plissken in Crazy-World! 
Christine (1983) or, Bad Plymouth!

Top 10: Best future-set movies
Escape from New York (1981) - Carpenter introduces Kurt Russell as action star in dystopic dream
Top 10: The best action movies and TV-series reviewed by Film Excess to date
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) - Solid action guerilla film-making 

 

Watch a short TV spot trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 300-325k $

Box office: 70.2 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 216-234 times its cost)

[Halloween was released 25 October (North America) and runs 91 minutes. Carpenter earned 10k $ and 10 % of the profits for his work; Pleasence was paid 20k $; Curtis 8k $. Shooting took place in April 1978 in California, including in Los Angeles. The Myers mask was actually a cheaply bought Captain Kirk mask (molded from William Shatner's face) with widened eye holes and then spray-painted a bluish white. The film opened to a 1.2 mil. $ first weekend in 198 theaters in North America, where it grossed 47 mil. $ (67 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. NBC bought the original TV rights for 3 mil. $ in 1980. A novelization and a video game followed, along with 11 sequels (including remakes and reboots); Hill and Carpenter were involved as writers and then producers of the first two of the sequels, Halloween II (1981) and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982). Carpenter returned with Someone's Watching Me! (1978, TV movie), Elvis (1979, TV movie) and theatrically with The Fog (1980). Curtis returned in The Love Boat (1978, TV-series), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979, TV-series) and theatrically in The Fog; Pleasence in 3 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in L'Homme en Colère (1979). Halloween is certified fresh at 96 % with an 8.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Halloween?