40 Years of Horror Movies

Horror movies have been criticised for their graphic violence and are often dismissed as low budget, B-rated and sensationalist flicks. Nobody seems to care that some highly respected directors and major studios have particulated in the genre.

The genre itself is misunderstood and subject to atracks not dissimilar to those found between the blood-stained curtains on the celluloid. For some, horror films are little better than pornography, focused purely on evoking a reaction – be it terror, disquiet or disgust. For others, it provides the opportunity to share in the fun of someone else’s nightmare and then return comfortably back to real life – not too different to how society operates off social media I suspect.

Horrors remove expectations to exceed on the quality of the written novel. These standards are lowered as a prerequisite for the genre. When the movies do deliver on par to the book form, legendary status is achieved.

For me, the horror movie is about rebellion, non-conformity and vulnerability. It is a legitimate place where the boundaries of moral and social consciousness can be expressed behind the pretense of “it’s only a movie”.

The best horrors are like timeless romance classics – having the ability to blur the lines between real life and on screen possibilities, leaving the viewer with lingering thoughts of “this could be me”.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show doesn’t count.

These are my Top 40 picks.

My Top 40 Horror Movies

In no particular order:

1. Ringu

2. Jaws

3. The Birds

4. The Fly

5. Poltergeist

6. Jacob’s Ladder

7. Angel Heart

8. The Vanishing

9. The Sixth Sense

10. The Others

11. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

12. Misery

13. Fright Night

14. Night of the Living Dead

15. Carrie

16. Les Diaboliques

17. The Silence of the Lambs

18. Rosemary’s Baby

19. Psycho

20. Needful Things

21. Alien

22. The Exorcist

23. The Shining

24. The Omen

25. Audition

26. The Haunting

27. An American Werewolf in London

28. The Grudge

29. Paranormal Activity

30. A Nightmare on Elm Street

31. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

32. The Fog

33. The Mist

34. Halloween

35. Dawn of the Dead

36. The Orphanage

37. American Horror Story (TV series)

38. Devil

39. Nosferatu

40. Thinner

How does does your list compare?

And remember, whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.