Brainbugs Top 50 Best Horror movies of all time - Baumer's top 50 starts on page 18

[baumer]

Starting to feel pretty good about my Suspiria guess.

[Brainbug]

Number 17:

 

 

The Evil Dead (1981)

 

Director: Sam Raimi

Box Office: 29,4 Million

 

Story: 6/10

Tension: 8/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Rewatchability: 9/10

 

 

Plot Synopsis:

 

You all shoud know the drill. Five students go to a remote cabin in the woods and they just shoudnt have gone there lol.

 

The original Evil Dead is just remarkable. On the one hand, yes, it really shows its age. The performances are...how should i put this...well, they are performances. And watching the english version, i just noticed how hilariously afwul the german dub is. Thats a good thing though for me. It makes this insanity all the more entertaining.

Because back when it came out, The Evil Dead surely was terrifying. Today, its hilarious, but for all the right reasons. The effects might be old, but they are just so damn great to witness nonetheless, in all their gory brutality. Because you can see how much hard work was put into them, into all of this. This was a passion project from Raimi and the others and you feel it all the way through, and thats a huge plus for me. It also has something that wont age any time soon: The atmosphere.

The first Evil Dead has one of the greatest and haunting atmospheres of the whole genre. Its the voices, the constant state of agony, the pure terror we see in the faces of our protagonists - and all of that gets elevated by the insane camerawork in this film. The camera here often goes into the perspective of the demons and gives us such a unique perspective of things that i just cant get enough of it. It might look a little shop-soiled, but its as entertaining as ever.

 

Now, like i said, this movie has a hilarious censorship history in Germany. When it came out in 1981, the FSK (Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft, in english: Self-Regulatory Body of the Movie Industry, our motion picture rating system), thought that the film would stand against their moral concepts, but the film was shown anyway, since - so the lawyers at first - the violence in the movie was concentrated on demon bodies and not human ones, so there was no problem to be found (LOL). Later, the film got banned anyway in the whole of Germany by the district court Munich and for years, the lawyers and the press argued, that the film would stand fundamentally against human dignity. Only in 2017 - 36 years after its release - was the uncut version of the movie released legally in Germany with a FSK-rating of 16.

I dont think i have to say that way earlier, ive found a way too watch the uncut version anyway

 

What the film doesnt have though is a memorable soundtrack that i could post here.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Brainbug

[Brainbug]

Tomorrow will see entrys 16-11. I will try to post the entire Top 10 on Sunday

[L Silverman]

2 minutes ago, Brainbug said:

Number 17:

 

 

The Evil Dead (1981)

 

Director: Sam Raimi

Box Office: 29,4 Million

 

Story: 6/10

Tension: 8/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Rewatchability: 9/10

 

 

Plot Synopsis:

 

You all shoud know the drill. Five students go to a remote cabin in the woods and they just shoudnt have gone there lol.

 

The original Evil Dead is just remarkable. On the one hand, yes, it really shows its age. The performances are...how should i put this...well, they are performances. And watching the english version, i just noticed how hilariously afwul the german dub is. Thats a good thing though for me. It makes this insanity all the more entertaining.

Because back when it came out, The Evil Dead surely was terrifying. Today, its hilarious, but for all the right reasons. The effects might be old, but they are just so damn great to witness nonetheless, in all their gory brutality. Because you can see how much hard work was put into them, into all of this. This was a passion project from Raimi and the others and you feel it all the way through, and thats a huge plus for me. It also has something that wont age any time soon: The atmosphere.

The first Evil Dead has one of the greatest and haunting atmospheres of the whole genre. Its the voices, the constant state of agony, the pure terror we see in the faces of our protagonists - and all of that gets elevated by the insane camerawork in this film. The camera here often goes into the perspective of the demons and gives us such a unique perspective of things that i just cant get enough of it. It might look a little shop-soiled, but its as entertaining as ever.

 

Now, like i said, this movie has a hilarious censorship history in Germany. When it came out in 1981, the FSK (Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft, in english: Self-Regulatory Body of the Movie Industry, our motion picture rating system), thought that the film would stand against their moral concepts, but the film was shown anyway, since - so the lawyers at first - the violence in the movie was concentrated on demon bodies and not human ones, so there was no problem to be found (LOL). Later, the film got banned anyway in the whole of Germany by the district court Munich and for years, the lawyers and the press argued, that the film would stand fundamentally against human dignity. Only in 2017 - 33 years after its release - was the uncut version of the movie released legally in Germany with a FSK-rating of 16.

I dont think i have to say that way earlier, ive found a way too watch the uncut version anyway

 

What the film doesnt have though is a memorable soundtrack that i could post here.

 

"...the film would stand fundamentally against human dignity."  HAHAHAHAHA, AWESOME!!!  I could only wish that if I ever made a movie, it would get such a ringing endorsement!

[Brainbug]

Oh, but i can give a hint for the next one i guess: It has lots and LOTS of screaming.

[FantasticBeasts]

Silence of the Lambs is my #1.  I fucking love everything about it. Hopkins should be my favourite performance ever.

[Brainbug]

Number 16:

 

 

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

 

Director: Tobe Hooper

Box Office: 30,9 Million

 

Story: 7/10

Tension: 9/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Rewatchability: 8/10

 

 

Plot Synopsis:

 

A family is on their way to visit an old homestead, when they come across another family - who are in fact cannibals and one of them with some leather on his face also likes to use a chainsaw...

 

I know that this is technically a slasher film and that it - similar to Psycho - influenced tons of slasher directors for their movies. But i think the term "terror movie" fits it better. Because this film is just that - pure terror for our victims/protagonists. Ive never seen a film with that much screaming. Most of the time, screaming annoys me very fast, but here it doesnt. Why? Well...because its very much understandable that one would scream when witnessing such horrific events.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is basically agony: The Movie. Its constant peril, our protagonists could always fall victim to Leatherface and Co. in any second and we...we just dont want to see that happen. There are so many other (worse) horror movies where the script and characters are so bad and annoying that we actually root for them to die. Thats not the case here at all. These people here are sympathetic and feel very much so like normal people who have the shittiest day of their lives. And so when things go really bad, we feel for them. Its the empathy that the film provokes that makes it so gut-wrenching. Death or torture scenes are much more effective when we as the viewers care for the tormented victims. And atleast i did in this film.

Tobe Hooper directs the shit out of this movie. Through the excellent camerawork it does often seem like we are in this house as well, witnessing the terror by ourselves. Its disstressing, brutal and captivating. A hellride of a movie and a deserved classic.

 

The film got a remake in 2003 that - surprisingly - wasnt terrible, but very entertaining on its own, i recommend it if you liked the original. Besides that there are many other sequels, prequels and reboots, but nearly all of them suck ass.

 

Theme song:

 

 

Edited June 9, 2018 by Brainbug

[Brainbug]

The rest for today will follow in a few hours

[baumer]

Evil Dead is fucking fantastic! Imagine having the audacity to have a rape scene involving a tree in this day and age? Bit beyond the crazy stuff like that ED is just brilliant for its simplicity. I love that movie.

 

Spoiler alert but Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a bit too low for my liking but I'm just glad that you have it in the top 20. What's amazing about that film is that there's very little blood and yet so much violence. You never actually see anybody get hung on a hook but you feel it and you just know how horrific it is. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an absolute icon in the horror world for sure.

[Krissykins]

9 minutes ago, baumer said:

Evil Dead is fucking fantastic! Imagine having the audacity to have a rape scene involving a tree in this day and age? Bit beyond the crazy stuff like that ED is just brilliant for its simplicity. I love that movie.

 

Spoiler alert but Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a bit too low for my liking but I'm just glad that you have it in the top 20. What's amazing about that film is that there's very little blood and yet so much violence. You never actually see anybody get hung on a hook but you feel it and you just know how horrific it is. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an absolute icon in the horror world for sure.

The remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre is in my top 10 of all time. 

 

Still remember my big brother showing me the original film, which is one of his favourites of all time. 

[Brainbug]

Next up is imo the best horror film of the 2010s so far and one that i appreciate more with  every viewing.

[baumer]

2 minutes ago, Brainbug said:

Next up is imo the best horror film of the 2010s so far and one that i appreciate more with  every viewing.

 

Hmmm. Can't even hazard a guess. But I'll throw a few names out there:

 

Paranormal 2

Annabelle

Ouija

Oculus

Purge

Insidious

[Lucas]

2 minutes ago, baumer said:

 

Hmmm. Can't even hazard a guess. But I'll throw a few names out there:

 

Paranormal 2

Annabelle

Ouija

Oculus

Purge

Insidious

It's The Gallows. 

[baumer]

Unfriended

The Boy

Raw 😎😎

[Lucas]

Fucking love the Evil Dead movies (and obviously the show), and I'm happy to see so far three of them on the list (clearly anticipating the GOAT to join them pretty soon ). I also really like Texas Chainsaw Massacre obviously, both of these two (Texas and the first Evil Dead) are brilliant showcases of what you can accomplish with a dirt cheap budget and some genuine ingenuity in the horror genre. RIP Tobe Hooper.

[Krissykins]

I think my top 10 would be:

 

1. Scream

2. Halloween 78

3. The Blair Witch Project

4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 03

5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 84

6. I Know What You Did Last Summer

7. Paranormal Activity

8. Candyman

9. Final Destination

10. Grindhouse

 

I haven’t included other sequels/franchise entries, but incase anyone is wondering:

 

Scream 2, Scream 4, Halloween H20, Original Texas Chainsaw, Freddy Vs Jason, New Nightmare, Friday 6, Paranormal Activity 3, I Still Know, Final Destination 2 and 3. 

 

Honorable mentions: The Others, Exorcist

 

Horror comedies: Jennifer’s Body, Cherry Falls, Piranha 3D, Jason X, Valentine

 

Foreign: Orphanage, High Tension

 

Remakes: Hills Have Eyes, Black Xmas, Evil Dead, House of Wax, Friday the 13th

 

Modern: Don’t Breathe, You’re Next, Eden Lake, Final Girls, Excision, Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield, Conjuring, Annabelle 2, IT, Vacancy, Strangers, Sinister, Happy Death Day

[Brainbug]

Number 15:

 

 

It Follows (2015)

 

Director: David Robert Mitchell

Box Office: 23,3 Million

 

Story: 8/10

Tension: 9/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Rewatchability: 8/10

 

 

Plot Synopsis:

 

Jay (Maika Monroe), a teenage girl, is pursued by a supernatural and seemingly deadly entity after a sexual encounter and now tries to find a way to escape that entity, before it catches her...

 

I didnt love this film when i first watched it. Its only after my fifth viewing approximately half a year ago, that it skyrocketed in this list. And as of today, i fail to see why i didnt love it as much as now from the beginning. Because i think this is close to a Masterpiece.

The biggest strenghts of It Follows are its constantly creepy atmosphere and the amazing soundtrack. The film pays hommage to the great horror classics of the 70s and 80s (especially Halloween), but it always manages to stand on its own. "It" is an amazing villain. The concept of a constantly slowly walking beeing that just wont stop walking towards you without ever showing even a sign of emotion is terrifying. The film was especially effective for me as it basically mirrors a nightmare i had for years: That of a faceless, huge man just walking towards me and grabbing me without talking. So this personal factor plays a huge role why i place it so high as well.

But this is just all-around a great movie. It looks beautiful, the cinematography is A-class here. The performances are rock-solid and Maika Monroe is indeed nice to look at; the srcipt is very well-written and the choices of the characters feel (for the most part) very rational and logical. They dont have that much depth, but if the atmosphere is so tension-filled as with this one, thats very much forgivable. One could say that the ending cant compete with the 1st and 2nd act especially, but it works nonetheless.

 

What could stop some people from appreciating it more i guess is the pacing. Its slow, very slow indeed, but that just works well with this particular villain in mind imo. And can i just say again how great this soundtrack is?

 

 

[Brainbug]

The next one is the only horror movie - ever - to scare me shitless, mostly because i was 10 when i saw it secretly and the memories are vivid. 

 

 

[4815162342]

Good going Brainbug.

 

I personally wouldn't consider Silence of the Lambs a horror movie but opinions differ.

 

 

 

For It Follows, I always wondered about the full extent of the rules. Like, does the creature always slowly walk no matter what? If you cross an ocean, does it swim across the ocean to follow you? Does it try to walk and end up walking on the ocean bottom or just float with the current?

 

Because at that point avoiding it becomes a simple question of math to avoid it by traveling a long distance in one direction. Take into account average human walking speed (slower in fact since the creature moves almost glacial at times) and you have an general idea of when it will catch up, and simply relocated a decent time in advance to reset the clock. 

 

Of course you could also just find a stranger to have sex with but that's not the point of the exercise!

[Brainbug]

Number 14:

 

 

The Descent (2005)

 

Director: Neil Marshall

Box Office: 57,1 Million

 

Story: 8/10

Tension: 10/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Rewatchability: 7/10

 

 

Plot Synopsis:

 

Six women enter a cave system as part of their extrem sports hobby. Things go very wrong when they're suddenly trapped in the system and dont know the way out. And...well, they might be not alone down there...

 

The Descent isnt a perfect movie by any means. Some of the performances are a bit wonky; some of the dialogue as well; and the first 25 Minutes can drag a little bit. But once the women are inside the caves, this is the depiction of a true nightmare.

The film is incredibly suspensfull, mostly because of the excellent use of its setting; we dont get that many horror films in caves and for a good reason: Theres only so much you can do with the concept. Neil Marshall though (who is also responsible for the very solid Eden Lake) crafts a hellish vision of claustrophobic paranoia. I watched this recently with a friend who actually has a bit of claustrophobia and he wanted to watch the whole film, but just coundt. Because he was way too scared. And that was before the first of the creatures even showed up.

Just the though of beeing trapped in such a scenario is nighmare enough. You have no or only limited light; you have basically no room to operate; and you dont know where you are and where the exit is. And on top of that you have these things around you that cant wait to eat you alive. It doesnt get that much more horrifying than that.

Like i said, i watched it when i was ten and that was a big, fat mistake. For the longest time i was hesitant to give it a rewatch because i was - frankly - afraid to do so. Now, years later and having a bit of knowledge concerning filmmaking in general, i know why it scared me so much. And i love it, i love it as horror film and the memory will always be a part of it for me.

 

Also, the american version has a different ending than the original one. The latter is SO MUCH better. And pls ignore the sequel, its absolutely terrible.