# What is your favorite horror film?



## immortalem (Mar 29, 2005)

What is your favorite horror film?  I have a few that are my absolute favorite and they are:

Pet Sementary 1 & 2
Exorcist
Interview with a Vampire
Bram Stroker's Dracula
Stephen King's Ths Stand


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## BAYLOR (May 6, 2020)

To star this list 

The Sentinel  1977  a very underrated and creepy film with an interesting story premise .


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## Victoria Silverwolf (May 6, 2020)

I need to divide this up into eras and categories.

Of the silent era, *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari *stands out for me.

Of the 1930's Karloff/Lugosi era, the genuinely weird and creepy *The Black Cat*.

Of later films:

Best psychological horror:  *Psycho*

Best supernatural horror:  *The Haunting*

Best slasher:  *Black Christmas*

Best _giallo_:  *Deep Red*

You can tell I don't watch a lot of new films.


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## Boaz (May 6, 2020)

*Tremors*.  Uh, I don't really do horror.


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## Rodders (May 6, 2020)

It’ll alway be John Carpenter’s “The Thing” for me. Just brilliant.


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## Vince W (May 6, 2020)

As much as I love *The Thing*, for horror it ends up being a 3-way tie between *The Exorcist, The Omen* and *Hellraiser.* Each one of those films chilled me to the bone when I first saw them.


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## Boaz (May 6, 2020)

I forgot *The Thing*.


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## Stenevor (May 6, 2020)

The first two Omen films and Angel Heart come to mind. In general I liked the ones that had some Devil/Satan connection, I never got on with monster or haunted house films. I imagine I might like The Witch if I ever got .around to watching it.


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## BigBadBob141 (May 7, 2020)

There is a horror film that is so horrible that any who watches it is soon after found de


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## AlexH (May 8, 2020)

Classic: *Psycho*
Newer: *One Cut of the Dead* (though it's more of a comedy in the end) or *Timecrimes*


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## paranoid marvin (May 9, 2020)

Poltergeist
Exorcist
Oh Whistle
Night of the Demon
Jaws
Alien and Aliens
The Thing
The Fog

I had to think if Jaws , Alien and The Thing were horror. Alien and The Thing could be sci-fi, but the space part is superficial; the aim is to frighten the watcher. So horror. Jaws is a tricky one - is it a monster flick (is monster horror?) it's a natural creature doing what comes naturally to it, although it is unnaturally intelligent and strong. But there are lots of frights in the movie, and some of the stuff that happens is really pretty frightening. So horror.


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## Robert Zwilling (May 9, 2020)

Favorites are the black and white horror movies because I enjoy watching them, unlike color movies that are made to squeeze the life out of me, or die trying. Too many to mention, but at the top of the list, I can always watch Them made in 1954.


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## Droflet (May 9, 2020)

Hell House from the book by Richard Matheson. Nice and spooky.


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## Guttersnipe (May 9, 2020)

It Follows (2014)
Us (2019)
Cat People (1942)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Vampyr (1932)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Fright Night (1985)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
It (miniseries--mostly for Tim Curry) (1990)
The Fly (1986)
1408 (2007)
The Mist (2007)
Halloween (1978)
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Psycho (1960)
The Thing (1982)
The Omen (1976)


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## Rodders (May 9, 2020)

The Omen (the original) scared me, the remake less so, but I still found it entertaining.
Alien. Just brilliant.
Salem’s Lot was pretty scary when I first saw it. (I was only a kid.)

Horror is really difficult to get right. Many movies now days relay on Jump scares, which aren‘t really horror.


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## BAYLOR (May 10, 2020)

*X The Unknown *1956 on the best science fiction hammer ever produced and it also fits into the cagey or horror as well.
*The Mill of the Stone Women*  1960   This one one define must see.


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## Rodders (May 10, 2020)

I remember the Quatermass and the Pit terrified me as a kid.


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## BAYLOR (May 10, 2020)

Rodders said:


> I remember the Quatermass and the Pit terrified me as a kid.



Alot  eally edgy creepy unsettling  scenes it that film. I used turn away from the one scene in particular . The one where   Colonel Breen who who is  standing near the glowing Martian space capsule slowly burns to death. Even today that's a rough scene to watch.


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## dask (May 10, 2020)

If I had to create my own desert isle double feature it would probably be something like Robert Wise's *The Haunting *and *The Horror Of Dracula* with Christopher Lee.


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## kythe (May 10, 2020)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)


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## BAYLOR (May 11, 2020)

kythe said:


> Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)



The 1978 remake is equally good.


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## kythe (May 11, 2020)

BAYLOR said:


> The 1978 remake is equally good.



I haven't seen that one.

Overall, I'm not much into horror.  I don't like gore or jump scares, and many horror movies feature very stupid characters.  But I found _Invasion of the Body Snatchers _to be a very frightening and "believable" story - and it was told without a lot of the cheap horror tropes.


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## Rodders (May 11, 2020)

I still haven’t seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I must address that.


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## Randy M. (May 15, 2020)

I have so many. Even so, I could almost cut and paste Victoria's here.

Silent era, *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari *is excellent, but I lean more toward *Nosferatu*.

Early talkies, I agree with *The Black Cat*, with honorable mention to *The Mummy* and *The Bride of Frankenstein*

1940s: *The Body Snatchers* and the original *The Cat People* (honorable mention to *The Seventh Victim* and *The Leopard Man* - all Val Lewton productions

Big Bug era: *The Thing (From Another World)* and *Them*

_Psycho_logical horror: *Psycho* (Hitchcock's later *Frenzy* is nothing to be sneezed at either)

Supernatural horror: *The Haunting* (honorable mention to *The Autopsy of Jane Doe* and *The Changeling*)

Hammer: *Five Million Years to Earth* (honorable mention, *The Horror of Dracula* ... and probably a bunch of others if I thought about it)

Slasher: *Halloween* -- for whatever reason, I can watch this again and again and be impressed with what an efficient and scary little horror movie it is

Some I've seen in the last 10 or so years I'd watch again include *The Babadook*, *It Follows* and *A Quiet Place.*


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## BigBadBob141 (May 17, 2020)

Just off the top of my head:
 "In The Mouth Of Madness". John Carpenter horror classic with a touch of H.P.Lovecraft.
" The Cabin In The Woods".  Not what it seems, very good, very original and keep an eye out for Sigourney Weaver. Same thing with "Paul", but that's a comedy.
" The Girl With All The Gifts". Excellent acting, very strong story and original ideas.
 "Thirteen Ghosts" (2001). Not that scary but fairly interesting, well worth a view.
And now some goldie oldies:
 "The Night Of The Demon".  Interesting because you see the monster right at the start, very creepy, based off an M.R.James idea.
" Quatermass".
"Quatermass 2".
"Quatermass And The Pit". All worth a view, especially number three.
" Dead Of Night". Don't be a dummy and miss this one!
Also try out for a laugh: "Eight Legged Freaks" & "Evolution" for horror/comedy.
P.S. For creature horror the "Tremors" films aren't bad at all, first three are pretty good!


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## BAYLOR (May 18, 2020)

kythe said:


> I haven't seen that one.
> 
> Overall, I'm not much into horror.  I don't like gore or jump scares, and many horror movies feature very stupid characters.  But I found _Invasion of the Body Snatchers _to be a very frightening and "believable" story - and it was told without a lot of the cheap horror tropes.



Kevin  McCarthy the lead in the 1956 film,  has a cameo in the 1978 film.


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## BAYLOR (May 18, 2020)

*The Four Skulls of Johnathan Drake* 1959  A very good and underrated B horror film.


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## BigBadBob141 (May 21, 2020)

That reminds me, "The Skull" (1965) staring Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee is pretty creepy, I think it's based off a story by Robert Bloch "The Skull Of The Marquis de Sade", well worth a look!


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## Don (May 21, 2020)

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Best supernatural horror:  *The Haunting*



It troubles me to this day to sleep with a palm up, out in the open. This movie continues to top polls of the scariest movie of all time.


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## BigBadBob141 (May 24, 2020)

Have just remembered "Them!" (1954), a cracker of a creature feature, this time with radiation mutated giant ants, finishes in the storm drains of Los Angeles, great stuff  a real goldie oldie.
Of course if ants were made to be that big in real life they would collapse under their own weight (inefficient exoskeleton) and suffocate (inefficient booklungs), however one can but dream (cue the maniacal laughter) !!!!!
P.S. I think "The Haunting" may be based off "The Haunting Of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson.
P.P.S. Not a horror film as such but has a horror element is the classic S.F. film "Forbbiden Planet" especially the scene when the crew battle with the creature, am a real fan of this movie as you can no doubt guess by looking at my emblem!


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## Rodders (May 24, 2020)

I have a fondness for Carpenter's Christine. Surprised that Hollywood hasn't tried to remake it, actually.


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## BAYLOR (May 24, 2020)

BigBadBob141 said:


> That reminds me, "The Skull" (1965) staring Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee is pretty creepy, I think it's based off a story by Robert Bloch "The Skull Of The Marquis de Sade", well worth a look!



Ive seen that one, Its a very good film.


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## BAYLOR (May 24, 2020)

Rodders said:


> I have a fondness for Carpenter's Christine. Surprised that Hollywood hasn't tried to remake it, actually.



Christine is one of my favorite John Carpenter films.  

My favorite film by him *The Mouth Of Madness .   *Definitely more hone a few nods to H P Lovecraft with that  one.


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## Night_Eternal (Jun 2, 2020)

I'm glad to see all the people here referencing In the Mouth of Madness. That movie is a slab of pure genius, a living nightmare with Lovecraftian entities oozing all around and just a bit out of full sight, which I think adds to their power since you see them just enough. When I saw this thread, I immediately thought of this movie. And, of course, John Carpenters other great achievement, The Thing, is a close second for me, and even a good metaphor for these covid times in a way since the creature acts like a giant virus and is difficult to detect.

Also Hellraiser, since it captures a solid hunk of Clive Barkers brilliant worlds behind worlds. The second one might even be better in some ways with it's full on view of Hell and the showing of how a cenobite is made. Sure, Hell looks like a big ol' matte painting (because it probably is), but in the context of the film, it hints at a pretty unsettling environment since it defies human logic.

I'm a fan of the Ginger Snaps series too since it presents the werewolf "curse" as a metaphor for the female menstrual cycle, along with the terrors of growing up (and sometimes apart from) people you may have once been close to. Plus Katherine Isabelle is hot.

And, A Nightmare on Elm Street, which features the hero we all want and need in the neverending fight against nasty, disobedient teenagers, Mr. *Frederick Charles Krueger!* There's a reason I've been the guy for four years straight on Halloween (maybe even five soon!)

Also, the Evil Dead series, especially the second film and Army of Darkness. They also showed us that horror can be funny! Plus Ash is so quotable. To this day, I still say "It's a trick, get an axe!" when something seems too good to be true.

Yeah, I love horror. My bedroom is actually horror movie themed, in fact......


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## Randy M. (Jun 2, 2020)

Night_Eternal said:


> I'm glad to see all the people here referencing In the Mouth of Madness. That movie is a slab of pure genius, a living nightmare with Lovecraftian entities oozing all around and just a bit out of full sight, which I think adds to their power since you see them just enough.



Yeah. I've only seen it once but it left an impression. I was annoyed with myself I'd forgotten it when I saw it mentioned after I posted.



> I'm a fan of the Ginger Snaps series too since it presents the werewolf "curse" as a metaphor for the female menstrual cycle, along with the terrors of growing up (and sometimes apart from) people you may have once been close to. Plus Katherine Isabelle is hot.



I liked the first one and haven't seen the others yet. Just an FYI: see if you can find a collection or anthology with "Boobs" by Suzy McKee Charnas. It predates _Ginger Snaps_ by quite a few years.



> Yeah, I love horror. My bedroom is actually horror movie themed, in fact......



No, no, not at all creepy, that. 

Randy M.


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## BigBadBob141 (Jun 9, 2020)

"Boobs" is a good story if it 's the one I think it is, didn't like the bit where the girl gets her nose broken, as I was raised never to lay a finger on a woman!!!


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## BAYLOR (Jun 13, 2020)

Im surprised no one  had mentioned  the Film *Black Sabbath * 1963.  An anthology horror movie with  three really wonderful  segments *The Telephone*,  *The Wurdalak*  , and *The Drop of Water.  * They really don't make films like this anymore.


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## CriticalCarrot (Jun 14, 2020)

Definitely Videodrome


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## BAYLOR (Jun 14, 2020)

CriticalCarrot said:


> Definitely Videodrome



One one David Croeneberg's most underrated films.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jun 15, 2020)

BAYLOR said:


> One one David Croeneberg's most underrated films.



I prefer *The Brood *myself, although -- and maybe because -- it's very depressing.  My reaction to *Videodrome *was mostly confusion.


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