The 25 Greatest Horror Movies Ever, Part 1

Since it is Monster Fest here on YDKS Movies, I figured it was the perfect time of year to work on a countdown of what I consider the 25 greatest horror movies of all-time. Although you may not agree with my list, it is my opinion based on the large amount of horror films that I have consumed over the years. Unfortunately, there still are some "classics" I have yet to see such as Rosemary's Baby and Jacob's Ladder. Because of that, these titles will not appear on the list. However, all of the horror films on this list are nothing but solid films and, if you haven't seen them already, you should check them all out.

Part 1 of 5

25. The Blair Witch Project

I don't know why a lot people seem to rip on this movie so much. It may be simple, extremely low budget and lacking much of a plot but, in the end, The Blair Witch Project is a very effective film. The documentary gimmick actually works to the film's advantage, making the situation that the three filmmakers get into seem very real. Slowly, you begin to care for these kids and what happens to them. The film also has some of the most effective uses of sound that I've seen in a horror film. The scenes where they are in a tent in the middle of the night and start to hear strange noises outside while the camera is not even rolling footage are very creepy and quite clever.

For me, the creepiest part of the film is the ending. To this day, there are people that still do not understand the ending or its significance. In fact, I read a horror film countdown list on a professional site to get ready for this one and the writer talked about how this scene was his favorite even though he didn't understand what was happening. The reason for this is simple- no one these days can watch a movie, listen to everything that is said and then bring all that knowledge together for a deeper meaning. If you listened to one of the interviews at the beginning of the film, the ending makes perfect sense... in fact, it makes what is happening absolutely horrifying. 

I've embedded that scene below but, unless you've seen the whole film you won't get it. Still, it's pretty creepy as it is. 

Overall, a misunderstood horror film.

24. Audition

Audition may be an unlikely entry on this list but it deserves its spot. This movie works a vast amount of ways. It tricks you by working as a fairly effective drama about lonely people in Tokyo for a while before suddenly turning into this insane torture film. This movie has one of the most disturbing final thirty minutes that I've ever seen put to film. The hard part is that you really care for the characters and do not really know what to think of what is occurring. 

Let's face it- there's nothing more disturbing than a little quiet Japanese girl that happens to keep a mutilated Japanese man in a bag and feeds him her own vomit out of a dog bowl. Yeah, that happens in this movie. What is more horrifying than that?

You can watch that scene below. I don't think I have to warn you... it's awful.

23. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of those movies that has been remade about four times (most recently in a crapfest entitled The Invasion starring Nichole Kidman and Daniel Craig). Believe it or not, the first time it was remade, the result was actually pretty good. If you ask me (and many other horror fans), this 1978 remake is actually better than the 1950's original version. The reason this remake is so effective is that it manages to be so paranoia-fueled, has some great special effects and has a great cast (Donald Sutherland is the man; any movie with Jeff Goldbum is scary). It also manages to employ the 1970's psychology movement and how that just made the silent invasion that much worse. It's really a frustrating movie to watch as seemingly everything is against our heroes and there is no way out.

The film also features a hybrid dog / hobo creature which is honestly one of the scariest things I've ever seen. You can see that picture above.

However, for me, the movie reaches epic proportions via it's insanely bleak ending. If you don't want to know more, stop reading now... but, for me, it's important to discuss this aspect of the film. 

In the ending, we think that Donald Sutherland's character is going on acting like a pod of himself (which he had been doing earlier in the film). We see him walking towards the capital building when Veronica Cartwright's character approaches him, believing that he is still human. However, he turns around, points at her and gives the most God awful alien scream I've ever heard. It turns out he's actually one of the pod people. This scene gives me chills every time. You can watch it below.

Note: Start this at 5:00 for the scene I'm talking about.

22. The Omen

Richard Donner's 1970's horror film is very effective for one reason: it's very simple. A couple adopts a child that happens to be the spawn of Satan. Then, really horrible things happen. This movie is so unbelievably creepy. And, to Donner's credit, it feels very, very real. Yes, I know that all of this is kind of Biblical in regards to the book of Revelation (and I am Christian myself) but, in the hands of another director, this could have felt like an overblown Hollywood effort (just look at John Moore's recent over-stylized remake). Plus, the fact that you got acting legend Gregory Peck as the leading man means you have a really solid horror film with some major credibility. 

Another thing that really adds to this film is the scary score by Jerry Goldsmith and the shocking scenes when Damien (the anti-Christ) has someone killed. Anybody who's ever seen this movie talks about the infamous beheading scene. I was thinking about using it in one of my Monster Fest Videos of the Day but, hey, what better place to showcase it than here.

21. Night of the Living Dead

I'll be honest- Night of the Living Dead has not aged well. Still, with that said, the film manages to be very effective. The zombies are still pretty creepy, the scenes with them eating body parts and bugs is still very gross, and that scene with the little girl zombie killing her mother with a garden shovel still bothers me in ways I cannot explain. George A. Romero definitely created something very important with this film. He not only managed to make the first zombie film but managed to make a horror film that was filled with social commentary (racism, mob rule, etc). Plus, how awesome was it that he cast the leading male as an African American? Keep in mind, this film was made in the 1960's.

While the film is a little more boring and cliche by today's standards (the character of Barbara is way too much of a damsel in distress- the scene when Ben smacks her is so wrong and satisfying at the same time), it still remains an incredibly important benchmark in the horror genre. One of the reasons for this is its absolutely devastating, bleak ending. 

Watching the ending for this movie for the first time was literally like getting kicked in the testicles. I really was just bummed out but happy that Romero wasn't treating me like a child. I've embedded the ending below. Beware, obviously, it's a big spoiler.

I hope you have enjoyed the list so far. Be sure to check out the rest of the list in the coming days. I will have the whole thing up by Halloween.

Artwork Source: Sean D. Omega