Definitive 100 Discussion - Part 1

c - 13

Apologies for the delay, wasnt online much.

So as per the other thread discussion lets try and do it by film grouping. We can try 10 at first and go larger/smaller if required. SO the first 10 film on the list were -

(001) The Exorcist (1973) (c - 13)
(002) Hellraiser (1987) (MudSkipper)
(003) The Shining (1980) (splashthecash)
(004) The Thing (1982) (c - 13)
(005) Nosferatu (1922) (MudSkipper)
(006) Alien (1979) (splashthecash)
(007) Halloween (1978) (beans)
(008) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Necronomicon)
(009) Dawn of The Dead (1978) (Creature)
(010) Last House On The Left (1972) (Nedtheshed)

I'll have to start by saying I've never watched Nosferatu or Last House on the Left

However the other films on the list I cant disagree with, all classics in their own right across a nice range of sub-genres.

I'll watch the other two over the next day or so and come back to this.

Cactus Col

I think Nosferatu most certainly has to stay in. If an 87 year old film can still be influencing films and filmakers then it deserves it's place on that alone. It's also important to show some of the origins of horror cinema.

I was tempted to suggest that either Night of the Living Dead, or Dawn of the Dead should be taken out, as the series only needs one entry. However, I came to realise that they are individually important (and great) films and should be listed.

Kyri

Cactus Col wrote: »

I was tempted to suggest that either Night of the Living Dead, or Dawn of the Dead should be taken out, as the series only needs one entry. However, I came to realise that they are individually important (and great) films and should be listed.

New to this section but long time reader of it. Would have to agree there "....of the dead" would probably be better just as tbh they are all worth watching just a small few are great - silly to use a spot up on sequels.

Haven't seen Nosferatu, orginal last house on the left or Hellraiser (due to scaring as a 6 yr old lol) yet so will get watching other titles are good as a top ten though. Nice one peeps.

MudSkipper

The first ten all deserve to stay for me, below are my comments on each

c - 13 wrote: »

(001) The Exorcist (1973) (c - 13)

What can you say, definitely one of the all-time horror classics...

Linda Blair's spinning head

gave me nightmares... and I don't do nightmares!

c - 13 wrote: »

(002) Hellraiser (1987) (MudSkipper)

I have a soft spot for Clive Barker, and with the creation of Pinhead he's created one bad guy that deserves to be in peoples nightmares

c - 13 wrote: »

(003) The Shining (1980) (splashthecash)

Based on Stephen Kings book (from when he still wrote proper horror) The scene with

the beatiful naked girl / ugly decayed dead body

still haunts me

c - 13 wrote: »

(004) The Thing (1982) (c - 13)

A classic, and an all time favourite of mine.... the only thing that looks dated today is

the computer animation of how the virus will spread

c - 13 wrote: »

(005) Nosferatu (1922) (MudSkipper)

Not forgetting the origins of the horror movie, an unauthorised version of Bram Stokers dracula, this one uses flickering lights and shadows to create an eerie atmosphere. Was remade in 1979 by Herzog / Kinski which I'll need to watch.

c - 13 wrote: »

(006) Alien (1979) (splashthecash)

Another all time classic and also one of my favourites.

The alien chest bursting

scene alone warrants its inclusion

c - 13 wrote: »

(007) Halloween (1978) (beans)

Introduced Michael Myers and created the teen / slasher genre, nuff said

c - 13 wrote: »

(008) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Necronomicon)

Defined the zombie genre, well deserved spot

c - 13 wrote: »

(009) Dawn of The Dead (1978) (Creature)

A sequal to the last entry, but still adds several new twists and deserves to be here.

c - 13 wrote: »

(010) Last House On The Left (1972) (Nedtheshed)

Probably the weakest entry in this lot of 10 (has not aged well), but it is a clear indication of Wes Craven's talent and deserves to stay.

Fysh

It's certainly a good start to the list, the only one I wouldn't particularly want to rewatch is Last House On The Left but that's more about finding it an uncomfortable watch than anything else (which is arguably why it deserves to be on the list in the first place).

Otis Driftwood

Exorcist.
Ive never been a fan of this movie.IMO it has aged terribly.I remember going to the cinema to see it when it got re-released and being bored to tears.

Hellraiser.
Arguably Barkers finest cinematic outing.An outstanding movie.

The Shining.
Great performance from Jack.Its a bit of a slow burner but still worthy of being on the list.

The Thing.
Cant add anything that hasnt already being said.Quite simply a triumph.

Nosferatu.
Still an extremely watchable movie despite the fact its up on 70 years old.

Alien.
More sci-fi than horror if you ask me but still a tension filled piece of cinema.

Halloween.
My favourite horror of all time.IMO the perfect horror movie.

NOTLD.
Romeros original zombie classic.Essential viewing for zombie genre fans.

Dawn of the Dead.
A movie that succeeds where most fail,that is being better than its predecessor.Some excellent effects from Savini and co as well.

LHOTL.
It may not have aged well but its still a powerful piece of horror history.On the 3 disc set there is a documentary with cast and crew interviews.Very interesting watch.The guy that plays Weasel was and still is,heavily involved in the porn industry and he hates the movie.The original plan was to show hard core sex during the rape scenes.Thankfully that idea got shelved.

niallon

nedtheshed: That thanks is solely for that comment on Halloween!

I can't find any problem with that first ten. As has been said, LHOTL may not have aged too well but as I always say in regard to LHOTL, it was a film that opened the floodgates and allowed for filmmakers to become more daring and envelope pushing within the genre. Personally I'm not an avid fan yet it is still a film I would suggest every horror fan has to see.

Also, I wouldn't rate Alien as a horror either, personally I only see it as a horror film when compared to the others in the series as they are definitely more sci fi thanks to bigger budgets etc. I suppose for argument's sake though I'd let that one go!

uncleoswald

For me its not just that Last House has aged badly as I don't think it was very good to begin with apart from a couple of scenes. Although it probably deserves a place on the list as a museum piece and for how influential it was.

All the the other movies undoubtedly deserve a place.

spooky donkey

No Zombie movies on that list I noticed. In a top 100 list there must be around 10 zombie movies in the list. I get mixed up with all them DXXXX of the dead movies but they were all good.

And on another note..... while ill not really class it as a horror I still think Zombieland has to be my favroite Zombie movie ever, but its more of a comedy.

niallon

spooky donkey wrote: »

No Zombie movies on that list I noticed. In a top 100 list there must be around 10 zombie movies in the list. I get mixed up with all them DXXXX of the dead movies but they were all good.

And on another note..... while ill not really class it as a horror I still think Zombieland has to be my favroite Zombie movie ever, but its more of a comedy.

Night and Dawn are there!

spooky donkey

OH so they are.... im going blind in my old age....

Necronomicon

Lads, if anyone hasn't gotten their hands on Nosferatu, it's on Sky this week. Can't remember exactly when but you can find it if you're a digital viewer (on Sky Anytime).

niallon

spooky donkey wrote: »

OH so they are.... im going blind in my old age....

That's ok, happens to the best of us!

Cactus Col

Necronomicon wrote: »

Lads, if anyone hasn't gotten their hands on Nosferatu, it's on Sky this week. Can't remember exactly when but you can find it if you're a digital viewer (on Sky Anytime).

I hope it's okay for me to say ... but I think Nosferatu is in the public domain, so can be legally downloaded. (there are websites that specialise in public domain films)

trustno1

nedtheshed wrote: »

Exorcist.
Ive never been a fan of this movie.IMO it has aged terribly.I remember going to the cinema to see it when it got re-released and being bored to tears.

Hellraiser.
Arguably Barkers finest cinematic outing.An outstanding movie.

The Shining.
Great performance from Jack.Its a bit of a slow burner but still worthy of being on the list.

The Thing.
Cant add anything that hasnt already being said.Quite simply a triumph.

Nosferatu.
Still an extremely watchable movie despite the fact its up on 70 years old.

Alien.
More sci-fi than horror if you ask me but still a tension filled piece of cinema.

Halloween.
My favourite horror of all time.IMO the perfect horror movie.

NOTLD.
Romeros original zombie classic.Essential viewing for zombie genre fans.

Dawn of the Dead.
A movie that succeeds where most fail,that is being better than its predecessor.Some excellent effects from Savini and co as well.

LHOTL.
It may not have aged well but its still a powerful piece of horror history.On the 3 disc set there is a documentary with cast and crew interviews.Very interesting watch.The guy that plays Weasel was and still is,heavily involved in the porn industry and he hates the movie.The original plan was to show hard core sex during the rape scenes.Thankfully that idea got shelved.

Would agree to all comments above apart from:

The Shining.. meh.. had its moments but in the book the character of Jack Torrance went slowly insane - whereas Jack Nicholson seems insane from the start.. and Shelley Duvall was woefully miscast - highly annoying.. the kid wasn't that hectic either!.. but after all that - I do think it deserves a place on the list

Hellraiser - love this film, just wish they would re-release it without those awful added graphics at the end when the box is closing.. they cheapen the whole thing..

Alien - its a Sci Fi film and don't think it should be on the list..

LHOTL - haven't seen, must have a look..

Karl Hungus

trustno1 wrote: »

Alien - its a Sci Fi film and don't think it should be on the list..

It's a horror film. Take away the Sci-Fi setting and you've got a film about something that's stalking and killing off the cast 1 by 1, it's pure horror at it's core.

Fysh

trustno1 wrote: »

Alien - its a Sci Fi film and don't think it should be on the list..

By that logic any horror film starring zombies, werewolves, vampires, mutants or any of the staple slasher characters like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and so on would be firmly part of the "fantasy/supernatural" category and thus unsuitable for a horror film.

Alien is an awesome film that blends science-fiction and horror very well. It definitely deserves a place on the list.

MudSkipper

Karl Hungus wrote: »

It's a horror film. Take away the Sci-Fi setting and you've got a film about something that's stalking and killing off the cast 1 by 1, it's pure horror at it's core.

Came in to defend Alien's inclusion, but could not have said it better than Karl

spooky donkey

On what classes as a horror film, think of it this way would you let your kids watch it? I showed Zombie lant to my kids and they thought it was cool.

Regarding Noxfattu bring in the public domain I think catus col is right in that it is so old that its no longer protected by copyright, but I may just check this to be sure....

trustno1

spooky donkey wrote: »

On what classes as a horror film, think of it this way would you let your kids watch it? I showed Zombie lant to my kids and they thought it was cool.

Regarding Noxfattu bring in the public domain I think catus col is right in that it is so old that its no longer protected by copyright, but I may just check this to be sure....

Yes - I have let my kids watch Alien and my son has all the books, figures etc.. I absolutely love the film, but personally - I still wouldn't class it as a horror.. although I do see why everyone else would.

trustno1

Karl Hungus wrote: »

It's a horror film. Take away the Sci-Fi setting and you've got a film about something that's stalking and killing off the cast 1 by 1, it's pure horror at it's core.

Would you call Predator a Horror? , as its the exact same thing... 'stalking and cast getting killed off one by one..'

Cactus Col

Alien is easily a horror film, and I can't see why people would feel any need to justify it as such.

Bram Stocker's Dracula is a horror film, even though it is set in the past, and has elements of costume drama.


Also I don't think the "would you let your kids watch it" test passes muster. I'd let my kid (if I have one) watch Poltergiest, as I watched it as a kid, but that doesn't make it any less of a horror film.

Shaun of the Dead and American Werewolf in London are comedies, but that doesn't mean they're not horror films either.

MudSkipper

trustno1 wrote: »

Would you call Predator a Horror? , as its the exact same thing... 'stalking and cast getting killed off one by one..'

How would you class 'the thing' then, seeing as that too is some outerworldly being stalking and killing humans one by one bit like Alien really

Cactus Col

MudSkipper wrote: »

How would you class 'the thing' then, seeing as that too is some outerworldly being stalking and killing humans one by one bit like Alien really

Or Jason X for that matter ... which is based in the future, in space.

trustno1

Cactus Col wrote: »

Alien is easily a horror film, and I can't see why people would feel any need to justify it as such.

Bram Stocker's Dracula is a horror film, even though it is set in the past, and has elements of costume drama.


Also I don't think the "would you let your kids watch it" test passes muster. I'd let my kid (if I have one) watch Poltergiest, as I watched it as a kid, but that doesn't make it any less of a horror film.

Shaun of the Dead and American Werewolf in London are comedies, but that doesn't mean they're not horror films either.

I don't know why everyone feels the need to justify it - I can see why it was a) nominated and b) put on the list, as this is a discussion, I was simply saying that I personally wouldn't class it as a horror as a) its a Sci-Fi and b) when I watched it I didn't find it frightening - which to me, is how I would define a horror.. The Thing on the other hand was frightening as the thoughts of something entering your body and taking over you is a horrifc thought, and not knowing who was infected - and those scenes with the poor dogs were extremely well done.. as was the head scene. I do appreciate Alien, it would definitely be on my top 50 films of all time - but just sitting in the sci-fi pile!.. And as I am clearly on my own with this one it will be quite rightly staying on the list!!!!..

trustno1

Cactus Col wrote: »

Or Jason X for that matter ... which is based in the future, in space.

Ah come on.. we all know that Jason X is a comedy... (:D)...

niallon

So how do we all stand on the first ten then? All films seem to have been given a thumbs up except for Last House which has sparked some debate and Alien which is still in a genre war! But looking at the bigger picture, this is a FIRST ten, not a TOP ten. So both of those films not still deserve spots in the overall 100?

MudSkipper

yep all 10 deserve to be in the 100

beans

Looks like these discussion threads should throw up some interesting perspectives on just exactly what IS horror. I have to say, scanning through the list and educating myself on the ones I've not seen yet, there's a few in there that are sketchy at best! Some absolute stinkers, too.

Speaking of which, shall we discuss the next ten now? It looks like we're all in agreement so far

spooky donkey

beans wrote: »

Looks like these discussion threads should throw up some interesting perspectives on just exactly what IS horror.

not a bad idea, i was thinking the same myself. I went to see what I thought was a Sifi movie " THe foruth Kind " and it turned out to be one of the scariest movies I had ever seen. Sent real chills up my spine, as oposed to the laugh I get watching the exorsist.

Just on another note where does this list top100 films come from is it from a suevey or just some film critic?

c - 13

spooky donkey wrote: »

Just on another note where does this list top100 films come from is it from a suevey or just some film critic?

Put together by members of the forum - Thread