Box Office Theory's Top 50 Horror Movies (2018): THE REVEAL | The countdown is complete! Full list in the first post

[kitik]

3 hours ago, FantasticBeasts said:

I was surprised by how low it was 

 

 

Aliens is legit in my top 5 all time. But I didn't include it on this list. Because I don't think of it as just horror.

 

It's pretty much a perfect movie.

[WrathOfHan]

20. 28 Days Later (2002) (58 points)

 

Director: Danny Boyle

 

Screenwriter: Alex Garland

 

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston, and Megan Burns

 

Synopsis: Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.

 

Box Office: 85M

 

87% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 on Metacritic

 

Submissions Received: 11

Average Position: 22^nd

 

One of Danny Boyle’s best films makes the countdown with 28 Days Later. Known for its fast zombies, this film is a post-apocalyptic film that examines how different factions respond to a zombie outbreak. It is a film with striking landscapes, heartbreaking moments, and most importantly, terrifying sequences. This is one of my favorite horror films, and I am glad to see it so high on the countdown.

 

28 Days Later did not receive many extraordinarily high placements, but unlike other films, nearly all its votes came from lists with more than 25 films. More importantly, 8/11 submissions were between 10-25.

 

[Cap]

On 10/30/2018 at 11:08 AM, WrathOfHan said:

26. Night of the Living Dead (1966) (53 points)

 

WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY TOO FUCKING LOW.  

 

 

It's only one of the most culturally important films of all time.

[baumer]

Culturally important will take you so far. It's a great film but there are others that are better. 

[75Live]

20 minutes ago, Dr Loomis baumer said:

Culturally important will take you so far. It's a great film but there are others that are better. 

 

take that back

 

 

 

lol

 

kidding, I agree completely but just wanted to use the gif  😛 

[WrathOfHan]

I have a bit of homework to do, but I plan on getting into the Top 15 today and as close to the top 10 as I can.

[The Panda]

Aliens never felt much like a real horror movie to me

[FantasticBeasts]

That's the troublig part about those lists that it's difficult to agree on what to include.

Imo, it is wrong for everyone to decide themselves. If a movie is elgible (Aliens) you shouldn't lti it out simplu becausw tou didn't think of it as horror.

[TalismanRing]

1 hour ago, FantasticBeasts said:

That's the troublig part about those lists that it's difficult to agree on what to include.

Imo, it is wrong for everyone to decide themselves. If a movie is elgible (Aliens) you shouldn't lti it out simplu becausw tou didn't think of it as horror.

Who's going to decide which movies are eligible in the 100+ years of releasing movies?  It's an impossible task.

[TalismanRing]

3 hours ago, PANDA said:

Aliens never felt much like a real horror movie to me

Agreed.  Alien is filled with dread and suspense.  Aliens plays out more like a sci-fi action packed monster movie.  One might as well include the multiple King Kongs and Godzillas then.

 

But to each their own.

[WrathOfHan]

19. Carrie (1976) (60 points)

 

Director: Brian De Palma

 

Screenwriter: Lawrence D. Cohen

 

Starring: Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Nancy Allen, and Betty Buckley

 

Synopsis: Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after

being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.

 

Box Office: 33.8M

 

93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 85 on Metacritic

 

Nominated for 2 Academy Awards: Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress

 

Submissions Received: 10

Average Position: 17^th

Top Five Placements: 1

 

The first Stephen King film is also the first of his adaptations to make the countdown (and certainly not the last). Carrie skyrocketed many careers. For King, this introduced many people to his already popular novels, particularly one that would be adapted into a movie not long after Carrie (and is somewhere on the countdown). The film was a huge boost for Brian De Palma’s career, especially after coming off another box office hit that year with Obsession. Likewise, Sissy Spacek finally broke into the mainstream with her lauded performance as Carrie, and John Travolta also got good notices right before his smash hit Saturday Night Fever the next year. Even as Stephen King novels continue to be adapted onto the big screen, Carrie still remains one of audiences’ favorites.

 

Carrie ended up having a nice string of four votes starting at fifth and ending at eighth. The rest of the votes were not as high, but most still remained above 25^th.

 

[WrathOfHan]

18. It (2017) (63 points)

 

Director: Andy Muschietti

 

Screenwriters: Chase Palmer, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman

 

Starring: Jaeden Lieberher and Bill Skarsgard

 

Synopsis: In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.

 

Box Office: 700.4M

 

85% on Rotten Tomatoes, 69 on Metacritic (nice)

 

16^th on Box Office Theory’s Top 25 of 2017

 

Submissions Received: 13

Average Position: 24^th

Top Five Placements: 1

 

I told you guys Carrie wasn’t the last Stephen King movie on the countdown! What is there to say about It that we have not discussed already in the past year? I just rewatched It last night for Halloween, and It still holds up on a rewatch. The bond between the Losers makes It such a fun watch even if the jumpscares are not effective. I cannot wait to see what is in store with the sequel next year. As for when the next Stephen King film will land, you will have to wait a bit…

 

It benefitted from having lots of submissions. Only about half of the votes were in top twenties, and five were towards the bottom of lists.

 

[WrathOfHan]

17. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) (64 points)

 

Director and Screenwriter: Roman Polanski

 

Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, and Ralph Bellamy

 

Synopsis: A young couple moves in to an apartment only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins to control her life.

 

Box Office: 33.4M

 

99% on Rotten Tomatoes

 

Nominated for 2 Academy Awards, winning for Best Supporting Actress

 

Submissions Received: 10

Average Position: 17^th

Top Five Placements: 4

 

Rosemary’s Baby is one of my favorite films period. It is a movie that has so much suspense and leaves you asking questions as you go along your first watch until you reach the horrifying conclusion. The final scene of Rosemary’s Baby has such a damning tone to it, and you simply feel deflated by everything that happens. However, this is a great feeling! The film largely rests on Mia Farrow, and she plays Rosemary Woodhouse excellently. So much of her performance relies on being anxious and paranoid, and when that final scene comes, her performance explodes with extreme terror. Rosemary’s Baby is the type of film that gets under your skin and what horror films should strive to be.

 

Rosemary’s Baby has the most top five placements of any film on the countdown so far. Half of its votes were in the top ten, and although the average position is dragged down a little bit by two submissions that were only worth a single point, 17^th is still a very strong average.

[WrathOfHan]

I'll stop here for tonight just so I can space out the films that missed a tiny bit (I have the energy to keep going lol). Actually, it's good I'm stopping here, because the next film on the countdown is directly related to one of the films below! (140 received 8 points from 3 votes, 141-44 had 8 points from 2 points, 145-157 had 8 points from 1 vote, 158-67 had 7 points from 2 votes, 168-74 had 7 points from 1 vote, 175 had 6.5 points from 1 vote, 176 is 6 points from 3 votes, 177-80 are 6 points from 2 votes, and the rest are all 6 points from 1 vote)

 

140.  Happy Death Day

141.  I Am Legend

142.  Prometheus

143.  Ringu

144.  The Wailing (2016)

145.  H20: Halloween 20 Years Later

146.  Blood on Satan’s Claw

147.  Day of the Dead

148.  Friday the 13^th Part IV

149.  Jeepers Creepers

150.  The Last House on the Left

151.  Night of the Demon

152.  A Nightmare on Elm Street 3

153.  Open Water

154.  Pan’s Labyrinth

155.  Thirst

156.  The Uninvited

157.  Young Frankenstein

158.  Friday the 13^th (1980)

159.  From Dusk till Dawn

160.  Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

161.  Jennifer’s Body

162.  The Legend of Hell House

163.  The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

164.  Phenomena

165.  Scanners

166.  Sleepaway Camp

167.  Sweeney Todd

168.  Friday the 13^th Part III

169.  Gates to Hell

170.  I Spit on Your Grave

171.  Life

172.  The Mummy (1932)

173.  Perfect Blue

174.  The Voices

175.  Blade 2

176.  Deep Red

177.  Blade

178.  Deliverance

179.  Hostel

180.  Insidious

181.  The Blob (1988)

182.  Creature from the Black Lagoon

183.  Dead of Night

184.  Deathgasm

185.  Dracula (1979)

186.  Drag Me to Hell

187.  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

188.  Frankenweenie

189.  Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Meyers

190.  House of Haunted Hill

191.  Idle Hands

192.  Insidious Chapter 3

193.  The Purge

194.  Se7en

195.  The Skin I Live In

196.  Urban Legend

197.  Witchfinder General

198.  Wolfen

 

 

[Krissykins]

Recent films seem to definitely be benefiting a bit for being recent.

 

It is fantastic though but top 20 of all time is a shock. Glad people enjoy it so much. 

Edited November 2, 2018 by Krissykins

[baumer]

Friday Final Chapter is way way way too fucking low.  

[Krissykins]

2 hours ago, Dr Loomis baumer said:

Friday Final Chapter is way way way too fucking low.  

Yeh so is Dream Warriors. I don’t think I kept it in mine but not top 100 is a shock. I think if this was a strictly horror forum they’d be higher and there would be less votes for Blade and Prometheus lol. 

[WrathOfHan]

16. The Ring (2002) (64.5 points)

 

Director: Gore Verbinski

 

Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger

 

Starring: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, and Brian Cox

 

Synopsis: A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.

 

Box Office: 249.3M

 

71% on Rotten Tomatoes, 57 on Metacritic

 

Submissions Received: 12

Average Position: 21^st

Top Five Placements: 1

 

The Ring is one of the big horror phenomenon of the early 21^st century. Based off the Japanese film Ringu (see above for where that placed), Gore Verbinski’s remake introduced the concept to a much wider audience while also giving his career a gigantic boost right before the Pirates franchise began one year later. This film was Naomi Watts’ second major role after Mulholland Dr. and solidified her as a rising actress. Even as the franchise has continued with subpar sequels, The Ring remains a favorite among horror fans.

 

The Ring appeared on many lists. The average position of 21^st is close to the median score; submissions were spread out pretty equally.

 

[WrathOfHan]

15. Evil Dead II (1987) (66 points)

 

Director: Sam Raimi

 

Screenwriters: Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel

 

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, and Richard Domeier

 

Synopsis: The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.

 

Box Office: 5.9M

 

98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 69 on Metacritic (wow aa you lucked out nicely here)

 

Submissions Received: 9

Average Position: 9^th

Top Five Placements: 2

 

The Deadites have succeeded in getting the entire trilogy onto the countdown! Evil Dead II is generally considered to be the best film in the franchise. The film keeps the gory fun from the first while stepping more into the comedic realm. Critics enjoyed the film a lot upon release, and audiences enjoyed it as well. The film had a small release like the first despite being rated R instead of X/NC-17, but like the entire franchise, it has lived on in its cult following. Now the real question is where Ash vs. Evil Dead would have landed if TV shows were included in the countdown…

 

As suggested by the average position, Evil Dead II was a gigantic passion pick. 7/9 submissions were in top tens with the next vote being right outside and the last one above 25^th. Groovy.

 

[aabattery]

Groovy.