Box Office Theory's Top 100 Horror Movies: Vol. 2 | #1 has been revealed!

[WrathOfHan]

9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) (125 Points)

Previous Ranking: #12 (+3)

 

Director: Tobe Hooper

 

Screenwriters: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper

 

Starring: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen

 

Synopsis: Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.

 

Box Office: 30.9M

 

Critical Reviews: 89% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 13

Average Position: 23rd

#1 Placements: 1

Top 5 Placements: 3

Top 10 Placements: 8

 

 

The first new entry in the Top 10 is Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which just missed the Top 10 in 2018. Hooper captures the desolation of rural America and ramps it up to a frightening level. The isolation traps the main characters into hell with no safety in sight, creating a terrifying picture. Texas Chain Saw is a no holds barred slasher that gets straight to the point and stands as one of the most uncomfortable films in American history.

 

Texas Chain Saw Massacre beat Get Out by a single point. Thank you @Plain Old Tele! With over half of the film’s submissions in Top 10s, TCM has one of the highest averages in the countdown.

 

[Krissykins]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre deserves top 10. Iconic. Get Out is fantastic, but not top 10 of all time material. 
 

I’m relieved that Scream is top 10, phew. 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Krissykins

[WrathOfHan]

8. The Fly (1986) (130 Points)

Previous Ranking: #24 (+16)

 

Director: David Cronenberg

 

Screenwriters: Charles Edward Pogue, David Cronenberg

 

Starring: , Geena Davis, John Getz 

 

Synopsis: A brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.

 

Box Office: 60.6M

 

Critical Reviews: 93% on RT

 

Won Best Makeup at the Academy Awards

 

Submissions Received: 15

Average Position: 27th

Top 5 Placements: 4

Top 10 Placements: 5

 

 

David Cronenberg’s The Fly sees a gigantic increase from the 2018 countdown, moving up 16 spots into the Top 10. The Fly is body horror at its finest from the craft’s master. Featuring intricate makeup and prosthetics, Jeff Goldblum’s transformation scared audiences back in 1986 and continues to do so today.

 

The Fly received six more submissions than it did in 2018 and quadrupled its number of Top 5 placements. This is the final film on the countdown to receive no #1 placements.

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

7. Scream (1996) (150 Points)

Previous Ranking: #10 (+3)

 

Director: Wes Craven

 

Screenwriter: Kevin Williamson

 

Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore

 

Synopsis: A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game.

 

Box Office: 173M

 

Critical Reviews: 79% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 17

Average Position: 22nd

#1 Placements: 1

Top 5 Placements: 3

Top 10 Placements: 4

 

 

Wes Craven’s fifth and final film on the countdown is Scream, seeing a nice bump from the 2018 countdown. Scream rejuvenated the horror satire by tackling the genre’s tropes with effective, violent kills. Craven’s masterful direction and Williamson’s witty script complement each other equally well, keeping Scream balanced between its scares and laughs. Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott has become a favorite genre protagonist among audiences as the character’s backstory adds depth to a role that could feel generic, which is one of Scream’s greatest assets. Unlike other horror franchises, Scream has been able to maintain its quality throughout most of its sequels thanks in part to Craven and Williamson retaining control. Scream led an exciting period for the horror genre and remains a classic today.

 

Scream received two more submissions than it did in 2018, giving it a rise in the Top 10. The average position only went down five spots, and Scream would’ve tied with #6 if it kept the same total of points with one more list.

 

[Plain Old Tele]

Again, I didn’t do a list so my opinion is worthless, but Scream being this high seems insane to me. 

[WrathOfHan]

6. Halloween (1978) (150 Points)

Previous Ranking: #3 (-3)

 

Director: John Carpenter

 

Screenwriters: John Carpenter, Debra Hill

 

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P. J. Soles, Nancy Loomis

 

Synopsis: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.

 

Box Office: 70M

 

Critical Reviews: 96% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 18

Average Position: 17th

#1 Placements: 1

Top 5 Placements: 5

Top 10 Placements: 7

 

 

Coming in with a drop out of the Top 5 is John Carpenter’s Halloween. Although Halloween Kills didn’t set the world on fire and return interest to the original film like 2018 did, Carpenter’s breakout hit remains one of the best slasher films of all time. Compared to other horror films, part of Halloween’s appeal comes from a powerful force like Michael Meyers intruding upon suburbia. The film’s everyday environment enhances the scares from a serial killer, bringing it close to many viewers. Many sequels in the franchise failed to capture that same idea, but the original never gets old. Some would say Halloween is Carpenter’s best film, but the forums say he has a superior work…

 

Halloween had the same number of submissions as it did in 2018 but fewer #1 and Top 5 placements, causing it to slip out of the Top 5. The average stands as one of the highest on the countdown.

 

 

 

[Eric Duncan]

10 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

Again, I didn’t do a list so my opinion is worthless, but Scream being this high seems insane to me. 

Well you should have voted then. 💅

 

(btw, vote in my Scorsese countdown or you smell)

[WrathOfHan]

5. The Thing (1982) (180 Points)

Previous Ranking: #5 (=)

 

Director: John Carpenter

 

Screenwriter: Bill Lancaster

 

Starring: Kurt Russell

 

Synopsis: A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

 

Box Office: 19.6M

 

Critical Reviews: 86% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 16

Average Position: 19th

#1 Placements: 5

Top 5 Placements: 7

Top 10 Placements: 10

 

 

John Carpenter’s final appearance on the countdown stays flat with its 2018 ranking: The Thing. Widely panned upon release, The Thing broke past its cult classic status to become a genre staple. The grotesque imagery differs from the rest of Carpenter’s filmography, yet its central ideas and themes fit right into the director’s wheelhouse. For a year full of great effects, The Thing’s visuals stand out from other films released in 1982, and its craft has influenced countless body horrors over the years. The Thing was ahead of its time, but now, many consider it to be the quintessential John Carpenter project.

 

The Thing received the most #1 votes of any film on the countdown with 5. If one of the top 5 placements was on a full list, The Thing would’ve been fourth.

 

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

7 minutes ago, Eric loves Ajak said:

 

(btw, vote in my Scorsese countdown or you smell)

I’m not voting in any countdowns at the moment. 😘

[Tower]

Happy to have been part of getting The Fly to make a leap in this list, I saw it since the last list and it is incredible. Another incredible film is The Thing with a well deserved top 5 placing being crowned the best Carpenter film (which it very much is).

[WrathOfHan]

4. Psycho (1960) (189 Points)

Previous Ranking: #6 (+2)

 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

 

Screenwriter: Joseph Stefano

 

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Janet Leigh

 

Synopsis: A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.

 

Box Office: 50M

 

Critical Reviews: 96% on RT

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 49th on Top 100 Films of All Time (2020)

 

Nominated for Best Director, Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh), Art Direction, and Cinematography at the Academy Awards

 

Submissions Received: 18

Average Position: 14th

#1 Placements: 1

Top 5 Placements: 6

Top 10 Placements: 10

 

 

Alfred Hitchock’s Psycho breaks into the Top 5 as the highest ranking slasher film on the countdown. With Psycho, Hitchcock displays his filmmaking in full force,  confidently showing a story structure unlike anything else in his filmography. The film often shifts its focus despite starting off with an obsessive focus on Marion Crane, and by refreshing the protagonist across its three acts, the director’s signature voyeurism persists through multiple characters. Hitchcock successfully renewed his style for a drastically changing film landscape, and if a flawless film ever existed, Psycho brings forth a compelling case for that label.

 

Despite receiving one less submission than it did in 2018, Psycho increased two spots on the countdown. The average dropped a mere four spots, and this year, it ties Les Diaboliques for the highest average so far. Will any of the top three have a higher average?

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by WrathOfHan

[WrathOfHan]

Point totals for the Top 3:

 

#3: 198

#2: 209

#1: 210

 

A single list could have drastically changed the order of these three, especially the top 2. Will Jaws get revenge on The Shining, or will Alien jump up to claim the crown?

[Krissykins]

1 hour ago, Plain Old Tele said:

Again, I didn’t do a list so my opinion is worthless, but Scream being this low seems insane to me. 

[WrathOfHan]

3. Jaws (1975) (198 Points)

Previous Ranking: #2 (-1)

 

Director: Steven Spielberg

 

Screenwriters: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb

 

Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton

 

Synopsis: When a killer shark unleashes chaos on beach community off Long Island, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.

 

Box Office: 472M

 

Critical Reviews: 98% on RT

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 11th on Top 100 Films of All Time (2020)

 

Won Best Editing, Score, and Sound and nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards

 

Submissions Received: 15

Average Position: 11th

#1 Placements: 4

Top 5 Placements: 5

Top 10 Placements: 11

 

Staying in the Top 3, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws swallowed up the competition. The director’s breakout film remains one of his most acclaimed to date as it balances exposition and character development in the first half with fierce shark attacks in the second half. The pacing makes the viewer question just how severe the shark concerns can be as Amity argues about a safe Fourth of July celebration, which makes the boat sequence all the more harrowing. As the highest grossing film of all time for two years, Jaws launched a new era of blockbusters.

 

Jaws had the highest average of any film on the countdown this year and is one of the rare films on the countdown to increase its average position from 2018, going from 20th to 11th. It received the second most #1 placements behind The Thing as well. With a few more submissions, it would have claimed the #1 spot by a wide margin, but the power of 20+ lists found in the Top 2 kept Jaws swimming.

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

2.

Spoiler

 

2. Alien (1979) (209 Points)

 

Previous Ranking: #4 (+2)

 

Director: Ridley Scott

 

Screenwriters: Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett

 

Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto

 

Synopsis: After a space merchant vessel receives an unknown transmission as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life form and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.

 

Box Office: 106.3M

 

Critical Reviews: 98% on RT

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 30th on Top 100 Films of All Time (2020)

 

Won Best Visual Effects and nominated for Best Art Direction at the Academy Awards

 

Submissions Received: 20

Average Position: 16th

#1 Placements: 1

Top 5 Placements: 7

Top 10 Placements: 11

 

Ridley Scott’s masterpiece Alien hatched into the Top 3 this time around and once again beat The Thing for the highest ranking sci-fi horror. With its methodical pacing and slowly escalating tension, Alien takes its time to reveal the dangers at hand. Even when the Xenomorph makes itself known to the crew, the creature’s growth from chestburster to adult form occurs gradually, yet thanks to Scott’s excellent direction, the blooming threat feels severe for the entirety of the Nostromo crew’s escape. Alien plays as a haunted house set in space, and nothing has quite captured its magic since.

 

Alien managed to snag a #1 placement this time around, which was its biggest hindrance towards reaching the Top 3 in 2018. The film also received one more submission and a small drop in average from 9th to 16th. It was only one point away from beating the returning champion, but alas, Alien will have to settle for a two spot increase. 

 

 

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

1.

 

Spoiler

 

1. The Shining (1980) (210 Points)

Previous Ranking: #1 (=)

 

Director: Stanley Kubrick

 

Screenwriters: Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson

 

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd

 

Synopsis: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.

 

Box Office: 47M

 

Critical Reviews: 84% on RT

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 50th on Top 100 Films of All Time (2020)

 

Submissions Received: 21

Average Position: 20th

#1 Placements: 2

Top 5 Placements: 7

Top 10 Placements: 10

 

After selecting Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as the greatest horror film of all time in 2018, the forum has not changed its mind, granting the film another victory. Perhaps the reigning champion benefitted from Doctor Sleep releasing between countdowns? The Shining has remained a cornerstone of pop culture and stands apart from the rest of Kubrick’s filmography. Similar to the runner-up Alien, the film keeps its secrets at bay and slowly reveals the horrors inside the Overlook. In one of his best performances, Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance with precise mannerisms that signal the antagonist’s descent into madness. Kubrick’s cold environment amplifies the Overlook’s nightmares, and by the end of The Shining, the viewer will feel the same fear and anxiety than Danny and Wendy endured. The Shining deservedly remains the #1 horror film of all time according to Box Office Theory.

 

Although The Shining reigns supreme, this year’s victory was not as decisive as 2018’s. The film received one less submission, had significantly fewer #1 and Top 5 placements, and saw its average drop from 8th to 20th, one of the lowest in the Top 10. At the same time, The Shining received the most submissions of any film on the countdown with 21, clinching it the win.

 

 

 

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

And with that, the countdown is finished! Thank you all so much for following along and engaging in great conversations about the films. It felt good to write another countdown, but with double the films this year, I am reminded how exhausting it can get. Volume 3 will happen in 2-3 years. For now, debate to your heart's desire on the results  

 

The full list:

 

Spoiler

1. The Shining (1980)
2. Alien (1979)
3. Jaws (1975)
4. Psycho (1960)
5. The Thing (1982)
6. Halloween (1978)
7. Scream (1996)
8. The Fly (1986)
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
10. Get Out (2017)
11. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
12. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
13. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
14. The Witch (2015)
15. The Sixth Sense (1999)
16. The Exorcist (1973)
17. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
18. Black Swan (2010)
19. Suspiria (1977)
20. Candyman (1992)
21. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
22. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
23. Nosferatu (1922)
24. Les Diaboliques (1955)
25. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
26. The Haunting (1963)
27. Carrie (1976)
28. The Innocents (1961)
29. 28 Days Later (2002)
30. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
31. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
32. Eraserhead (1977)
33. Aliens (1986)
34. Evil Dead II (1987)
35. The Conjuring (2013)
36. House/Hausu (1977)
37. Evil Dead (1981)
38. The Lighthouse (2019)
39. Us (2019)
40. It Follows (2014)
41. Suspiria (2018)
42. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
43. The Descent (2005)
44. Poltergeist (1982)
45. Train to Busan (2016)
46. Hereditary (2018)
47. Midsommar (2019)
48. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
49. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
50. Frankenstein (1931)
51. Godzilla/Gojira (1954)
52. Raw (2017)
53. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
54. Carnival of Souls (1962)
55. The Ring (2002)
56. The Wolfman (1941)
57. Malignant (2021)
58. The Invisible Man (1933)
59. Signs (2002)
60. The Birds (1963)
61. Doctor Sleep (2019)
62. Prince of Darkness (1987)
63. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
64. A Quiet Place (2018)
65. The Omen (1976)
66. Let the Right One In (2008)
67. Gremlins (1984)
68. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
69. Peeping Tom (1960)
70. It (2017)
71. mother! (2017)
72. The Invisible Man (2020)
73. The Host (2006)
74. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
75. The Others (2001)
76. The Babadook (2014)
77. American Psycho (2000)
78. Under the Skin (2014)
79. Ready or Not (2019)
80. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
81. Angel Heart (1987)
82. Gremlins 2 (1990)
83. Scream 2 (1997)
84. Possession (1981)
85. Freaks (1932)
86. Annihilation (2018)
87. Repulsion (1965)
88. Jennifer's Body (2009)
89. Old (2021)
90. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
91. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
92. Pulse (2001)
93. Crimson Peak (2015)
94. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
95. Scream 4 (2011)
96. Black Christmas (1974)
97. Dracula (1931)
98. Coraline (2009)
99. Eyes Without a Face (1960)
100. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

 

[Cap]

#1 Alien ranking? Me! If I had know. I would’ve put Shinning at instead of like 8 LOL. 
 

I also think it’s worth noting that are number one in our number two greatest horror films of all time both got negative to mixed to negative reviews wjen they released initially. 👀👀👀👀😘😘😘😘😘 Maybe somethings just need to be appreciated the time 😇😇😇

 

Great list and thank you for doing this, Han!!

[FilmFincher]

Scream is probably the most formative horror film to me. It was my access point into everything else. I was completely taken by it, rewatched it countless times as a teenager. Just in love with everything about it. Sidney is the best final girl. Excited to get the new 4K where we finally have a decent home media transfer!

 

The Thing has the best practical effects in all of cinema.  

 

Alien is a masterclass in tension and mood. It's one of the most beautiful looking films on this list. The lighting is so atmospheric. The Xenomorph itself is terrifying in this film. The way the handle the encounter with Parker and Lambert will never not disturb me. 

 

 

@WrathOfHan Thank you for doing this! It was amazing to follow along and get to talk horror and see everyone's opinions. As well as giving me some horror recommends that weren't on my radar. Your write-ups were great! Like Baumer said, it's probably the most engaged I've been on these boards. 

 

Thank you to everyone else who's been posting their thoughts!

 

For my fellow horror fans I would highly recommend The Evolution of Horror podcast which explores the evolution of all the different sub genres in horror. It's given me some great recommends and the discussion around the films are really fun. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by FilmFincher

[Krissykins]

1 hour ago, FilmFincher said:

Scream is probably the most formative horror film to me. It was my access point into everything else. I was completely taken by it, rewatched it countless times as a teenager. Just in love with everything about it. Sidney is the best final girl. Excited to get the new 4K where we finally have a decent home media transfer!

It’s an amazing remaster. I got the 4K steelbook. Even the rerelease in cinemas it looked so clear and the audio was incredible. Even I noticed some background dialogue I’d never heard before and I’ve seen the film countless times. 
 

Thank you @WrathOfHan for doing this and including all of your write ups! 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Krissykins