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

[WrathOfHan]

74. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (33 Points)

 

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Frank Oz

 

Screenwriter: Howard Ashman

 

Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, Levi Stubbs, James Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray

 

Synopsis: A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.

 

Box Office: 39M

 

Critical Reviews: 90% on RT

 

Nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song at the Academy Awards

 

Submissions Received: 6

Average Position: 52nd

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Little Shop of Horrors has been a cult classic for decades. Frank Oz assembled an all star cast of comedy actors as musicals were making a comeback in the 80s. With music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman right before their stretch at Disney, the film had all the right ingredients for a smash hit. Although it made decent money at the box office and received good notices from audiences and critics, its budget was ultimately too high for a profit in its first run. Of course, the film has become a staple for several genres, including the horror comedy. Little Shop of Horrors takes tropes from B-movies and creature features and gives them a comedic spin. Additionally, the film features some of the most impressive puppetry of its time, which should hardly be surprising with a Muppets veteran behind the camera. All the right seeds are planted in Little Shop of Horrors for an entertaining ride.

 

Little Shop of Horrors appeared on a good number of lists around the middle. However, one top five placement gave it a healthy boost into the 70s. We are approaching the point on the countdown where Top 5 placements are helping films that would’ve been between 90-120 otherwise, including the next film and #71.

 

[Eric Atreides]

You're welcome for putting this in the top 75 btw

[WrathOfHan]

73. The Host (2006) (33 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Bong Joon-ho

 

Screenwriters: Bong Joon-ho, Ha Won-jun, Baek Chul-hyun

 

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Go Ah-sung

 

Synopsis: A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.

 

Box Office: 89.4M

 

Critical Reviews: 93% on RT

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 84th on Top 100 Foreign Films

 

Submissions Received: 7

Average Position: 38th

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Speaking of creature features, Bong Joon-ho’s The Host is another innovative horror film on the countdown. Bong brings some of his frequent collaborators on board, including Song Kang-ho in another memorable leading role, but this film stands apart from the rest of his filmography with its genre. The director approaches the creature feature with his trademark commentary on capitalism and governing systems, which harkens back to older monster films such as Gojira. The Host is regarded as one of the 2000s best films by many critics and filmmakers, and as Bong continues to create standout films, it is sure to be a classic for years to come.

 

The Host had numbers on its side as a Top 5 placement was able to balance out two placements in the 80s and 90s.

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by WrathOfHan

[baumer]

Never understood the love or appreciation for The Host.  Found it to be quite boring and not really much of a horror film.

[WrathOfHan]

72. The Invisible Man (2020) (33 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director and Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell

 

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

 

Synopsis: When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

 

Box Office: 143.2M

 

Critical Reviews: 93% on RT

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 10th on Top 25 of 2020

 

Submissions Received: 9

Average Position: 53rd

 

The last great hit before COVID became a real horror story, Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man is one of the first successful monster remakes in a long time. Anchored by yet another great performance from Elisabeth Moss, Whannell carefully approaches domestic abuse without being shallow or offensive. Overcoming victim shaming is central to Ceclia’s arc, and the film’s final scene leaves an important message lingering on the way out. Beyond The Invisible Man’s important social relevance, scenes with the titular monster are filled with impeccable direction and piercing sound design. Seeing this with a full audience on opening weekend was a blast, and The Invisible Man is the type of theatrical experience horror films were made for.

 

The Invisible Man is now the film with the most submissions so far at 9. However, it has the second lowest average position and only received three placements above 40. There were just as many placements below 80, balancing out the average.

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

71. mother! (2017) (34 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director and Screenwriter: Darren Aronofsky

 

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Kristen Wiig

 

Synopsis: A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

 

Box Office: 44.5M

 

Critical Reviews: 68% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 5

Average Position: 40th

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

After four years of campaigning endlessly for this film, mother! finally gets its due on a BOT countdown. Darren Aronofsky throws everything in an unbraced kitchen sink and lets his rage burn on screen. From biblical allegories to warnings on climate change, mother! is a no holds barred nightmare. Jennifer Lawrence gives the performance of her career as the camera never veers away from her pain and suffering. We the audience are helpless bystanders like mother as her paradise is desecrated by unruly house guests, zealot worshippers, and even a firing squad. Aronofsky presents an endless cycle of violence, and while general audiences detested the film, many were on board with the film back in 2017 and continue to marvel at its brashness. mother! is an experience unlike any other.

 

Although mother! has one of the lowest submission totals in the 70s along with Ready or Not, it has the fourth highest average bolstered by a Top 5 placement from yours truly. We did it, Joe!

 

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

70. It (2017) (34 Points)

Previous Ranking: #18 (-52)

 

Director: Andy Muschietti

 

Screenwriters: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, Gary Dauberman

 

Starring: Jaeden Leiberher, 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: 701.8M

 

Critical Reviews: 86% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 10

Average Position: 48th

Top 10 Placements: 1

 

 

The highest grossing horror film of all time returns to the countdown, but It experiences the worst drop of any film in the Top 100 by going from 18th to 70th. Although It lost a bit of its buzz from the much more mixed Chapter Two, the first part remains one of the better studio horrors in recent years. With great chemistry among the cast of kids and Bill Skarsgard’s memorable turn as Pennywise, It offers the right dose of nostalgia and scares. An R-rated horror film grossing over 700M worldwide is a near impossible feat, yet It managed to hit the mark. Will we see another horror film gross this much again? Maybe not for a while.

 

It has the most submissions but the second worst average yet only ahead of Black Christmas. The one top ten placement it received was on a list with the 75% penalty. Only two other lists had It above 40.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by WrathOfHan

[Jamiem]

46 minutes ago, baumer said:

Never understood the love or appreciation for The Host.  Found it to be quite boring and not really much of a horror film.

I was the one with it in my top 5 (I did boost my foreign entries as it seemed like mostly US films were getting love from everyone.)

 

That said I adore the film as you see from the GIF used they weren't afraid to show the monster in broad daylight (and in a big crowd) so even with it's not great CG it was awesome to see it tear through a group of people. I also appreciate the horror of someone having to see a loved one get caught/killed it is much more impactful than a horny teenager getting killed while skinny-dipping or whatever for me personally. Although at times I do like seeing awful people get killed, like other films that have shown up already Ready or Not and mother!, that can be super gratifying. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Jamiem

[baumer]

2 minutes ago, Jamiem said:

I was the one with it in my top 5 (I did boost my foreign entries as it seemed like mostly US films were getting love from everyone.)

 

That said I adore the film as you see from the GIF used they weren't afraid to show the monster in broad daylight (and in a big crowd) so even with it's not great CG it was awesome to see it tear through a group of people. I also appreciate the horror of someone having to see a loved one get caught/killed it is much more impactful than a horny teenager getting killed while skinny-dipping or whatever for me personally. Although at times I do like seeing awful people get killed, like other films that have shown up already Ready or Not and mother!, that can be super gratifying. 

 

Yep, different strokes different folks.  Horror appeals to different people in different ways.  I appreciate your love for the film, I just don't share it.

[CoolioD1]

IT was top 20? that's crazy and i wonder if it would've dropped so much if part 2 didn't suck ass.

[baumer]

As I've mentioned way too many times here, Stephen King's It is far and away my favorite book of all time. I personally think it's the greatest piece of fiction that's ever been written. I was really looking forward to part one and although I don't think any film is ever going to be able to do justice to the book I think this was a really really good effort as it really established the camaraderie with the kids.

 

It was also pretty gory at times, quite scary and overall a movie I really enjoyed. I didn't care for the second part all that much but the first part is really well done

 

[FilmFincher]

The Invisible Man really was one of my favourite horrors from recent years. Elizabeth Moss is incredible, so much of the film rests on her performance and the sound design is top notch. The choice of perspective is really what makes this standout, you never know in any scene if you're truly alone. To the point where I think even your mind starts playing tricks on you in terms of what you're seeing on screen. It taps into something primal. 

 

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

The Others and The Invisible Man I both enjoy a lot. Excellent leading performances in both movies and tension managed effectively. Still find it humorous that classic Brit physical comic Eric Sykes managed to be in a huge box office triumph just before he passed on. The Host isn't really for me, don't know why, I just found it duller than it makes any sense to be.

 

Yes Little Shop!!!!! Just goes up and up in my estimation over the years. Perfect stage to screen adaptation which is so difficult with any musical. 

 

It is so hard to appraise since the quality of the second was sacrificed to make the first as good as possible - changing the book's structure and de-emphasising the effects Pennywise has on the town overall all assisted the first movie but utterly compromised the sequel which, at one point, literally repeats the exact same scene 5 times back to back to back. I generally evaluate films exclusively on their own merits but it's essentially impossible in that case. 

 

I could write an essay on why I find mother! to be extremely poor - which to be fair is at least indicative that there's lots to say about it and it's interesting, but in short the representational nature of the movie is so obvious that reading the movie at anything even approaching face value is stakesless. I can't care for characters when they so obviously aren't characters and are just semiotic puzzle pieces, especially when the semiotic puzzle isn't hard to crack, and what the film ends up saying is frankly simplistic.  I can only assume those who enjoy the movie are able to crack into a suspension of disbelief and read the characters as characters and it becomes a Kafkaesque living nightmare thing. Or I'm missing something.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Ipickthiswhiterose

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

(Edit: Quoted myself rather than edited myself)

Edited October 25, 2021 by Ipickthiswhiterose

[baumer]

@Ipickthiswhiterose I'm with you on mother!  I find it to be an abomination.  I'd rather watch a grade Z horror movie where a bigfoot rips off a man's dick for no reason than this mainstream piece of poop.  But we all have different appreciation of different films.  I try not to comment all that much on how I think it's kind of bogus that so many recent films are on this list and so many of the films from 20-30-40-50 years ago aren't.  But no one cares lol.  So, the list is just a fun way to see where the temperature of this site is when it comes to horror or any genre.  I love that @WrathOfHan puts it all together and counts it down.  Great October thing to do for sure.

[Krissykins]

Release date clearly plays a huge part. “IT” was fresh when the last countdown was down, now it’s fell down. Old, Ready or Not and Invisible Man make first appearances.

 

Glad to see The Others included, I had it much higher. 
 

I know I’m in the minority on The Babadook, but I found it almost unwatchable. I’m not sure there’s a more irritating performance in cinema than that child actor.  

[baumer]

19 minutes ago, Krissykins said:

Release date clearly plays a huge part. “IT” was fresh when the last countdown was down, now it’s fell down. Old, Ready or Not and Invisible Man make first appearances.

 

Glad to see The Others included, I had it much higher. 
 

I know I’m in the minority on The Babadook, but I found it almost unwatchable. I’m not sure there’s a more irritating performance in cinema than that child actor.  

 

 

There's horror films I don't like and then there's horror films I despise.  Babadook is the latter.  I'm with you there.

[FilmFincher]

I'm in the boat that loves mother!. I thought it was gripping, especially the final act. I don't need it to be subtle, I basically looked at it as a straight up adaptation/interpretation but I can see why it's so off putting as well!

Edited October 25, 2021 by FilmFincher

[Krissykins]

2 hours ago, baumer said:

 

 

There's horror films I don't like and then there's horror films I despise.  Babadook is the latter.  I'm with you there.

Phew, I’m not alone haha. 

1 hour ago, FilmFincher said:

I'm in the boat that loves mother!. I thought it was gripping, especially the final act. I don't need it to be subtle, I basically looked at it as a straight up adaptation/interpretation but I can see why it's so off putting as well!

I have seen mother!, but I can’t remember much about it. 

[WrathOfHan]

A look ahead at the 60s:

 

Unlike the 70s, only 4 movies are from post-2000

Two films appeared on 2018's countdown. One had a drop of nearly 40 spots while the other fared a bit better

Two movies are from the last three years

Two international films will appear

#69 will be the final film with 4 lists to appear in the Top 100

#63 will be the final film with 5 lists to appear in the Top 100

 

Here are the films that received 4 and 3 points. Titles are alphabetized by number of submissions received (#341-85 received 4 points, #386-418 3):

Spoiler

 

341. Sinister (2012)

342. Blood and Black Lace (1964)

343. Final Destination 3 (2004)

344. Insidious (2010)

345. Jeepers Creepers (2001)

346. Piranha (1978)

347. Pumpkinhead (1989)

348. Tenebrae (1980)

349. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

350. The Crazies (2010)

351. The Shallows (2016)

352. Alligator (1980)

353. Altered States (1980)

354. Blood on Satan's Claw (1971)

355. Cargo (2017)

356. Creepy (2016)

357. Cujo (1983)

358. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

359. Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002)

360. Ghost Stories (2020)

361. Jacob's Ladder (1990)

362. Lords of Salem (2013)

363. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)

364. Monster House (2006)

365. Night of the Creeps (1986)

366. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

367. Pi (1998)

368. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

369. Resident Evil (2002)

370. Scanners (1981)

371. Stoker (2013)

372. Tetsuo The Iron Man (1989)

373. The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

374. The Devil Doll (1964)

375. The Fourth Kind (2009)

376. The Lost Boys (1987)

377. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

378. The Stuff (1984)

379. Thirst (2009)

380. Threads (1984)

381. Trick 'r Treat (2007)

382. Tyler Perry's BOO! A Madea Halloween (2016)

383. Vacancy (2007)

384. Witchfinder General (1968)

385. Wolf Creek (2005)

386. The Loved Ones (2009)

387. The Purge (2013)

388. 1408 (2007)

389. 1922 (2017)

390. A Field in England (2012)

391. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (1985)

392. Climax (2018)

393. Daughters of Darkness (1971)

394. Dead Ringers (1988)

395. Deliverance (1972)

396. Event Horizon (1997)

397. Fear Street: 1666 (2021)

398. Gothic (1986)

399. Grizzly (1976)

400. Hocus Pocus (1993)

401. Horror Express (1972)

402. Host (2020)

403. Images (1972)

404. Night of the Demons (1968)

405. Return to Oz (1985)

406. Second (1966)

407. The Beguiled (1971)

408. The Black Cat (1934)

409. The Day of the Triffids (1962)

410. The Hidden (1987)

411. The Love Witch (2016)

412. The Monster Squad (1987)

413. The Neon Demon (2016)

414. The Night Stalker (1972)

415. The Stepford Wives (1975)

416. Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

417. Twins of Evil (1971)

418. 30 Days of Night (2007)

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by WrathOfHan