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

[Plain Old Tele]

Since I’m sure it’ll show up ranked high on this countdown, here’s The Hollywood Reporter’s original 1978 review of HALLOWEEN. 

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/halloween-1978-film-review-745577/

[baumer]

49 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

Since I’m sure it’ll show up ranked high on this countdown, here’s The Hollywood Reporter’s original 1978 review of HALLOWEEN. 

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/halloween-1978-film-review-745577/

 

This is a real movie?  Halloween?  Sounds pretty silly.  Maybe I'll check it out sometime.  😋

[Krissykins]

341. Sinister (2012)

343. Final Destination 3 (2004)

345. Jeepers Creepers (2001)

350. The Crazies (2010)

351. The Shallows (2016)

360. Ghost Stories (2020)

381. Trick 'r Treat (2007)

383. Vacancy (2007)

386. The Loved Ones (2009)

388. 1408 (2007)

400. Hocus Pocus (1993)

416. Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

418. 30 Days of Night (2007)

 

 

Some really good films in here, some I forgot to include. 
 

Interesting that Monster Squad, Lost Boys and Hocus Pocus are so low, I’m guessing because they’re entry level horror. I didn’t include them but I love Hocus Pocus. Seeing it tomorrow night in the cinema. 

[baumer]

I know in the past we've done this countdowns my favorite horror movie of all time, Friday the 13th the final chapter, has always been on the peripherals. I'm kind of thinking it's not going to make it again but I'm really hoping it does.

 

[WrathOfHan]

69. Peeping Tom (1960) (35 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Michael Powell

 

Screenwriter: Leo Marks

 

Starring: Carl Boehm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey, Maxine Audley

 

Synopsis: A young man murders women, using a movie camera to film their dying expressions of terror.

 

Box Office: N/A

 

Critical Reviews: 96% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 4

Average Position: 27th

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

 

Michael Powell’s influential Peeping Tom launched an exciting decade for horror in the 1960s. Released only a few months before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Powell’s exploration of voyeurism within the genre stirred worldwide controversy and censorship for its disturbing subject matter. Although audiences were accustomed to and enthralled by voyeurism in cinema, Peeping Tom takes a much darker approach to the concept than some of Powell’s contemporaries, and the risks taken effectively killed the director’s career. The film’s controversies overshadowed its rich themes and ideas beyond the slasher elements. Critics and scholars today use Peeping Tom as a point of reference when talking about the horror genre’s history, and it remains a classic today.

 

Peeping Tom is the final film on the countdown that will appear with only 4 submissions. Three submissions were high, giving it a massive point boost. If the film had 2-3 more lists, it likely would have made the top 40.

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

68. In the Mouth of Madness (1994) (35 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: John Carpenter

 

Screenwriter: Michael De Luca

 

Starring: Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jurgen Prochnow, Charlton Heston

 

Synopsis: An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.

 

Box Office: 8.9M

 

Critical Reviews: 58% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 6

Average Position: 48th

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

John Carpenter’s first appearance on the countdown is his meta horror In the Mouth of Madness. The film departs from Carpenter’s leaner horror flicks by critiquing the creative process. Sam Neill plays the protagonist and unreliable narrator John Trent, who is tasked with uncovering the disappearance of author Sutter Cane. As Trent spirals into insanity, so does the audience. In the Mouth of Madness remains an underrated if not divisive entry in Carpenter’s filmography, but the film continues to grow its fanbase.

 

In the Mouth of Madness has one of the biggest disparities between higher placements and lower placements so far. The higher four placements are in the 20s or higher while the lower two are in the high 60s/mid 70s.

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

Very pleasantly surprised by that last one.

[WrathOfHan]

67. Gremlins (1984) (35 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Joe Dante

 

Screenwriter: Chris Columbus

 

Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holiday, Frances Lee McCain

 

Synopsis: A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

 

Box Office: 212.9M

 

Critical Reviews: 85% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 8

Average Position: 43rd

 

Coming in 15 spots higher than its sequel, the original Gremlins was bound to appear on the countdown. Joe Dante’s crowd pleaser is a cornerstone of 80s pop culture full of memorable scenes and lines. Nearly 30 years later, it has remained one of the highest grossing horror films of all time and been referenced in countless other films and commercials. Even Letterboxd uses Gremlins for its weekly crashes! Gremlins’ story remains as accessible as ever and can be enjoyed during Halloween, the holidays, or any other time in the year for a good reason.

 

Although Gremlins appeared on double the lists as The New Batch, its average position of 43rd is nearly half of its sequel’s 22nd. Removing one or two lists would’ve made it a much closer match between the two.

 

[WrathOfHan]

66. Let the Right One In (2008) (36 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Tomas Alfredson

 

Screenwriter: John Ajvide Lindqvist

 

Starring: Kare Hedebrandt, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Ika Nord, Peter Carlberg

 

Synopsis: Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.

 

Box Office: 11.2M

 

Critical Reviews: 98% on RT

 

Nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language at the BAFTAs

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 91st on Top 100 Foreign Films

 

Submissions Received: 5

Average Position: 31st

Top 10 Placements: 2

 

 

Thomas Alfredson’s international breakout Let the Right One In immediately captivated audiences upon release. Considered to be one of the best horror films of the new millennium, Let the Right One In reinvents the vampire story by focusing on the relationship between its two central characters. The film’s drama is perhaps even more intense than its violence and scares, and the two extremes blend together superbly. Alfredson has created a truly universal horror romance; even the American remake was well received (though a ways away from making the countdown).

 

With two Top 10 placements, Let the Right One In had lots of passion from the sample of submissions it received.

 

[WrathOfHan]

65. The Omen (1976) (36 Points)

Previous Ranking: #28 (-37)

 

Director: Richard Donner

 

Screenwriter: David Seltzer

 

Starring: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw

 

Synopsis: Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?

 

Box Office: 60.9M

 

Critical Reviews: 86% on RT

 

Won Best Original Score and Nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards

 

Submissions Received: 7

Average Position: 38th

 

 

The late Richard Donner left the world with many great classics, including The Omen. Although the film arrives at a steep drop from the 2018 countdown, The Omen remains influential to the horror genre. Damien stands as one of the most memorable villains in cinema history and set the bar for creepy child performances in horror. Donner paces the film with great precision alongside Jerry Goldsmith’s Oscar winning score, allowing for The Omen’s true powers to be revealed.

 

Similar to how it fell in position on the countdown, The Omen had less passion than it did in the 2018 countdown. The average position dropped from 17th to 38th, and the film did not receive a top 5 placement like last time. Even one top 10 placement would’ve helped the film fall less severely.

 

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

64. A Quiet Place (2018) (36 Points)

Previous Ranking: #38 (-26)

 

Director: John Krasinski

 

Screenwriters: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski

 

Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski

 

Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.

 

Box Office: 350.3M

 

Critical Reviews: 96% on RT

 

Nominated for Best Sound Editing at the Academy Awards

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 12th on Top 25 of 2018

 

Submissions Received: 9

Average Position: 52nd

 

 

With a hit sequel and spinoffs on the way, A Quiet Place is currently the horror franchise to beat. The film changed John Krasinski’s career and garnered awards attention after 2018’s countdown, and the forum still holds the original fondly. This no-frills horror takes a basic concept and efficiently creates an intense environment from it. The Academy Award nominated sound design is the star here as it reminds us what the audial experience contributes to genre films. A Quiet Place is short, precise, and one of the best studio horror films in recent years.

 

Although it dropped a decent amount from the 2018 countdown due to recency bias, having a well received sequel this year helped A Quiet Place compared to It (AQP2 appeared on 5 lists and was somewhat close to the Top 100; keep this in mind for the year end countdowns). A Quiet Place received one more submission than it did in 2018, but its average position fell from 22nd to 52nd.

 

 

[Chrysaor]

Ah, finally. I've been looking forward to the update all day. Thank you for the level of care you put into each of the write-ups. This really feels like a gold standard for how "slideshow" style countdowns should be done and certainly feels much more professional than the level of effort I see many paid employees on professional sites put into theirs. 

 

It's always both refreshing and and disheartening to see how many others (and yet on the other hand, how few) vote for the same films as oneself. I thought about gaming my list by simply stacking the personal favorites that I worried would otherwise get overlooked at the top, but decided I'd try my best to maintain a semblance of objectivity and rank them in order of what I truly felt were the best. As has been pointed out (and the list so far clearly demonstrates) there certainly is an element of recency bias (which is to be expected, of course it's going to help for a film to still be fresh in the public consciousness). However, overall, I'm really happy to see such a balance between old and new films.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Chrysaor

[WrathOfHan]

63 (TIE). Prince of Darkness (1987) (37 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director and Screenwriter: John Carpenter/Martin Quatermass

 

Starring: Donald Pleasance, Lisa Blount, Victor Wong, Jameson Parker

 

Synopsis: A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.

 

Box Office: 14.1M

 

Critical Reviews: 58% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 5

Average Position: 36th

Top 5 Placements: 1

Surprise! The countdown’s second tie includes another John Carpenter film. Prince of Darkness is one of the last movies Carpenter wrote himself, and similar to In the Mouth of Madness, has become a cult classic. Although its critical reevaluation might not be as notable as the last Carpenter film that appeared, Prince of Darkness delivers on shocking imagery and pulpy storytelling. The focus on religious themes particularly contrasts with Carpenter’s other ideas of evil, giving the film a unique edge in the director’s filmography. Prince of Darkness is also the second film in Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy between The Thing and ITMOM. Will The Thing retain its top 5 position from 2018? Only time will tell.

 

Prince of Darkness had one fewer submission than ITMOM, but its average position was over 10 spots higher with a Top 5 placement.

 

 

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

1 hour ago, WrathOfHan said:

64. A Quiet Place (2018) (36 Points)

Previous Ranking: #38 (-26)

 

Director: John Krasinski

 

Screenwriters: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski

 

Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski

 

Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.

 

Box Office: 350.3M

 

Critical Reviews: 96% on RT

 

Nominated for Best Sound Editing at the Academy Awards

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 12th on Top 25 of 2018

 

Submissions Received: 9

Average Position: 52nd

 

 

With a hit sequel and spinoffs on the way, A Quiet Place is currently the horror franchise to beat. The film changed John Krasinski’s career and garnered awards attention after 2018’s countdown, and the forum still holds the original fondly. This no-frills horror takes a basic concept and efficiently creates an intense environment from it. The Academy Award nominated sound design is the star here as it reminds us what the audial experience contributes to genre films. A Quiet Place is short, precise, and one of the best studio horror films in recent years.

 

Although it dropped a decent amount from the 2018 countdown due to recency bias, having a well received sequel this year helped A Quiet Place compared to It (AQP2 appeared on 5 lists and was somewhat close to the Top 100; keep this in mind for the year end countdowns). A Quiet Place received one more submission than it did in 2018, but its average position fell from 22nd to 52nd.

 

 

I didn’t realize this was the list of “decent to good” horror movies. 
 

 

(I know, I know, I didn’t vote.)

[WrathOfHan]

63 (TIE). The Devil’s Backbone (2001) (37 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Guillermo del Toro

 

Screenwriters: Guillermo del Toro, David Munoz, Antonio Trashorras

 

Starring: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Inigo Garces

 

Synopsis: After Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.

 

Box Office: 6.5M

 

Critical Reviews: 92% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 5

Average Position: 36th

Top 5 Placements: 1

The other film in this tie is Guillermo del Toro’s second and final appearance on the countdown with another gothic horror, The Devil’s Backbone. Similar to Prince of Darkness, The Devil’s Backbone is the middle entry in a thematic trilogy centered around troubled childhoods with Cronos and Pan’s Labyrinth. As one of Guillermo del Toro’s more fantastical films, it takes place during the Spanish Civil War and uses the historical context to further the main child’s challenges and story, not dissimilar to the final film in the thematic trilogy. Although The Devil’s Backbone might not have the cultural relevance as the rest of the director’s filmography, it is one of Guillermo del Toro’s finest and most innovative works.

 

The Devil’s Backbone achieved the same exact average position as Prince of Darkness. Its lowest placement was 42nd vs its fellow tie’s 91st.

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

61. Doctor Sleep (2019) (37 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director and Screenwriter: Mike Flanagan

 

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyleigh Curran, Cliff Curtis

 

Synopsis: Years following the events of The Shining (1980), a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.

 

Box Office: 72.3M

 

Critical Reviews: 78% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 7

Average Position: 42nd

 

 

Mike Flanagan, the new horror god, arrives with Doctor Sleep. The director successfully balances Stephen King’s sequel to The Shining with the adaptation the author detests and provides an unexpectedly strong follow-up to one of the greatest horror films of all time (#1 in 2018’s countdown). Ewan McGregor crafts Danny Torrance into an entirely new character from the original, and Rebecca Ferguson shines as the terrifying Rose the Hat. Clocking in at over two and a half hours, Doctor Sleep is a labor of love to King and Kubrick while standing on its own as a winding, gorgeous horror film.

 

Doctor Sleep had two placements in the top twenty with one being right outside the top ten, which helped the film greatly compared to other recent entries. In fact, 6/7 entries were upper half entries, demonstrating passion for the film. 

 

 

 

[WrathOfHan]

60. The Birds (1963) (37 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

 

Screenwriter: Evan Hunter

 

Starring: Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren

 

Synopsis: A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

 

Box Office: 11.4M

 

Critical Reviews: 95% on RT

 

Nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards

 

Submissions Received: 8

Average Position: 44th

 

 

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds capped a remarkable four film run for the Master of Suspense. The film is a slow burn in every sense, transitioning from a calm if not meandering romance to a chaotic creature feature of sorts. Tippi Hedren’s debut stands out from the rest of the cast and gave audiences a taste of what her later roles would bring. The film’s visual effects and attack sequences were innovative upon release, and thanks to Hitchcock’s masterful tension building, they remain enthralling to watch today.

 

The Birds is the first older film on the countdown to benefit from numbers rather than passion. Its average position is the third lowest in the 60s only ahead of A Quiet Place and Gremlins.

 

 

[The Panda]

36 minutes ago, WrathOfHan said:

63 (TIE). The Devil’s Backbone (2001) (37 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Guillermo del Toro

 

Screenwriters: Guillermo del Toro, David Munoz, Antonio Trashorras

 

Starring: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Inigo Garces

 

Synopsis: After Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.

 

Box Office: 6.5M

 

Critical Reviews: 92% on RT

 

Submissions Received: 5

Average Position: 36th

Top 5 Placements: 1

 

The other film in this tie is Guillermo del Toro’s second and final appearance on the countdown with another gothic horror, The Devil’s Backbone. Similar to Prince of Darkness, The Devil’s Backbone is the middle entry in a thematic trilogy centered around troubled childhoods with Cronos and Pan’s Labyrinth. As one of Guillermo del Toro’s more fantastical films, it takes place during the Spanish Civil War and uses the historical context to further the main child’s challenges and story, not dissimilar to the final film in the thematic trilogy. Although The Devil’s Backbone might not have the cultural relevance as the rest of the director’s filmography, it is one of Guillermo del Toro’s finest and most innovative works.

 

The Devil’s Backbone achieved the same exact average position as Prince of Darkness. Its lowest placement was 42nd vs its fellow tie’s 91st.

 

 

Great movie, wish it was higher

[WrathOfHan]

A look ahead at the 50s:

 

4 movies are post-2000, 2 from 2002 and 2 from the last four years

4 movies are pre-1970

2 films appeared in 2018's countdown, one of which was a Top 20 film last time

 

Here are the films that received 7, 6, and 5 points. As always, titles are sorted by number of lists and alphabetically (#246-59 received 7 points, #260 6.25, and #261-301 6, #302-340 5)

Spoiler

246. Slither (2007)

247. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

248. Arachnophobia (1990)

249. Child's Play (1988)

250. Cloverfield (2007)

251. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

252. High Tension (2003)

253. House of Usher (1960)

254. Inside (2007)

255. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

256. The Dead Zone (1983)

257. The Mist (2007)

258. The Pit & the Pendulum (1961)

259. The Strangers (2008)

260. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

261. The Tingler (1959)

262. Jaws 2 (1978)

263. I Spit on Your Grave (2006)

264. Paranormal Activity 2 (2009)

265. Pieces (1982)

266. Saint Maud (2020)

267. Session 9 (2001)

268. The Exorcist III (1990)

269. The Theatre of Blood (1973)

270. 28 Weeks Later (2007)

271. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 (1987)

272. A Tale of Two Sisters (2002)

273. Apostle (2018)

274. Beetlejuice (1989)

275. Begotten (1990)

276. Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

277. Cherry Falls (2000)

278. Children of the Corn (1984)

279. Deep Blue Sea (1999)

280. Deep Rising (1989)

281. Freddy vs Jason (2003)

282. Frenzy (1972)

283. From Beyond (2007)

284. Halloween (2007)

285. I Am Legend (2007)

286. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)

287. La Llorona (2020)

288. Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

289. Santa Sangre (1989)

290. Seoul Station (2016)

291. Spanish Dracula (1931)

292. Tammy and the T-Rex (1994)

293. The Blob (1988)

294. The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973)

295. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

296. The Tenant (1976)

297. The Vanishing (1993)

298. The Wicker Man (2006)

299. They Live (1988)

300. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

301. Valentine (2006)

302. The Thing from Another World (1951)

303. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

304. The Bad Seed (1956)

305. The Borderlands (2013)

306. The Night House (2021)

307. The Ritual (2017)

308. Abominable Snowman (1957)

309. Antichrist (2009)

310. Berlin Syndrome (2017)

311. Black Christmas (2006)

312. Bride of Chucky (1988)

313. Calibre (2018)

314. Damien: The Omen II (1978)

315. Deathwatch (2002)

316. Dog Soldiers (2002)

317. Dressed to Kill (1980)

318. Friday the 13th (2009)

319. Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

320. Halloween 2 (2009)

321. House of Wax (1953)

322. How to Make a Monster (1958)

323. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in This House (2016)

324. Jack the Ripper (1959)

325. Jason X (2001)

326. Kill List (2011)

327. Kuroneko (1958)

328. One Cut of the Dead (2017)

329. Open Water (2004)

330. Piranha 3D (2010)

331. Pontypool (2008)

332. Run (2020)

333. Tag (2015)

334. The Body Snatcher (1949)

335. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

336. The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)

337. The Masque of Red Dead (1968)

338. The Mummy (1959)

339. Wallace and Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

340. World War Z (2013)

 

 

[DAR]

3 hours ago, WrathOfHan said:

66. Let the Right One In (2008) (36 Points)

Previous Ranking: N/A (NEW)

 

Director: Tomas Alfredson

 

Screenwriter: John Ajvide Lindqvist

 

Starring: Kare Hedebrandt, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Ika Nord, Peter Carlberg

 

Synopsis: Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.

 

Box Office: 11.2M

 

Critical Reviews: 98% on RT

 

Nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language at the BAFTAs

 

Appearances on Other BOT Lists: 91st on Top 100 Foreign Films

 

Submissions Received: 5

Average Position: 31st

Top 10 Placements: 2

 

 

Thomas Alfredson’s international breakout Let the Right One In immediately captivated audiences upon release. Considered to be one of the best horror films of the new millennium, Let the Right One In reinvents the vampire story by focusing on the relationship between its two central characters. The film’s drama is perhaps even more intense than its violence and scares, and the two extremes blend together superbly. Alfredson has created a truly universal horror romance; even the American remake was well received (though a ways away from making the countdown).

 

With two Top 10 placements, Let the Right One In had lots of passion from the sample of submissions it received.

 

 The pool scene is unbelievable