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News / Guides / Best Horror Movies / Comments
Best Horror Movies
October 24, 2008
Discuss Article

Well, would you look at that? It's almost Halloween again. But before you have to fill up the candy bowl and set the plastic cauldron of dry ice out on the porch, your good friends at RT have taken the time to refresh our list of the best horror movies of all time!

What makes a horror movie? The definition is open to interpretation, but if it made a sizeable portion of its audience scream, jump involuntarily, or dive for the covers, then you'll probably find it on this list. (Notable exception: The Hottie and the Nottie.) We've assembled all the usual suspects -- Freddy, Dracula, that cat with the leathery face -- and, as always, have taken care to add a few choices you may not expect.

As you'll know if you've read any of our previous lists, each entry has 20 reviews or more to back up its inclusion here, and the final rankings were devised using a weighted system that takes into account both the movies' Tomatometers and number of reviews.

Now that we've established the parameters and laid out the ground rules, there's nothing left to do but start the scariest countdown of the year!

Back to Guide
Comments (81-100 of 199 posts) | Reply
Wes J.
Wes J. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 11:56 AM

Could someone maybe tell me what movie that last/lowest still-shot is from? The Picture with the guy and him having is face full of blood, someone once told me the name of that guy but I forgot and I never came around of finding that movie.

Oh, and if anyone knows.. is it a good movie?


(Reply to this)
J D.
J D. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 12:19 PM

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in and give it another perspective... Do we really need another horror list with the same 10 movies in varying order?

YES Exorcist was amazing but I see it in every list. I came here to get some more ideas for horror movies that I haven't seen.... I've already seen every movie in everyone else's top 10 horror movies at least 2 dozen times. So I wrote down about 6 from the list and 3 from the comments section that I'll probably check out if I can.

And yes I giggled when I saw King Kong too but come on, it's not like these are the Commandment's or anything...take it with a grain of salt :).

So thank's RT and Commenter's on giving me a few new movies to watch this Halloween.



(Reply to this)
J Linc
J Linc writes:
on Oct 27 2008 12:56 PM

Everyone has their own definition for what qualifies as being of a particular genre and, therefore, anyone's opinion is true for them and it is in the end all up to the eye of the beholder. Art, much like almost anything else, is purely subjective.


Still, I too was a bit surprised by the omissions of such "classics" or benchmarks like "The Exorcist" and "The Shining" among a few others.


How about a list of the most underrated horror films, eh?


(Reply to this)
J Linc
J Linc writes:
on Oct 27 2008 12:57 PM

Everyone has their own definition for what qualifies as being of a particular genre and, therefore, anyone's opinion is true for them and it is in the end all up to the eye of the beholder. Art, much like almost anything else, is purely subjective.


Still, I too was a bit surprised by the omissions of such "classics" or benchmarks like "The Exorcist" and "The Shining" among a few others.


How about a list of the most underrated horror films, eh?


(Reply to this)
indiefilmfan2
indiefilmfan2 writes:
on Oct 27 2008 01:31 PM

I have a whole bunch of new films to add to my queue now. I'm surprised that I'm the first to mention but RT did this list last year also.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/special/2007/top_horror/


Intersting to see Psycho #1 last year but only #14 this year. Repulsion moved up from #10 to #2. Exorcist was #43 last year but dropped off the list this year. It's intersting that a shift in tomatometer of just a 1 or 2% can affect a film's placement that much. The thing I really miss from last year is the editor's commentary that accompanied the top 20 films.

However, there are some improvements over last year, mainly, the inclusion of Alien which was absent from last year's list. I guess some films added can be explained by an increase in the number of reviews from last year, which would bump others like The Sixth Sense off of the list.


(Reply to this)
indiefilmfan2
indiefilmfan2 writes:
on Oct 27 2008 01:42 PM

The biggest mover: The Descent was 22 last year but it's gone now.

(Reply to this)
dgcritic
dgcritic writes:
on Oct 27 2008 02:35 PM

King Kong 1#!!!!!!!!!!!?????????? jajajaja. King kong is the best horror movie?? jaja

(Reply to this)
20DYNAMITE07
20DYNAMITE07 writes:
on Oct 27 2008 02:37 PM

I'm seriously dissapointed with this list!

You've got some absolute classics no doubt, but how could you overlook so many essentials?

Where is John Carpenters "The Thing"
Where is "The Exorcist"
Where is "Mona Lisa Smile"
?


(Reply to this)
Chris t.
Chris t. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 02:53 PM

I MADE AN ACCOUNT JUST TO SAY BOOO. THIS LIST SUCKED. REALLY ARE ALL THE DRACULA MOVIES REALLY IN THE TOP 50. THAT LIST MADE ME LAUGH USALLY THE TOP 50 HORROR MOVIES HAVE REALLY NEW MOVIES THAT HAVE NO NEED TO BE IN A TOP LIST THIS ONE IS THE OTHER WAY AROUND . MADE ME LAUGH THOUGH.

THAT BLEW


(Reply to this)
tomwaitsjr
tomwaitsjr writes:
on Oct 27 2008 03:37 PM

The bloody smiling face guy in the picture is Bruce Campbell, I assume from Evil Dead 2.

THIS LIST SUCKS. WHO DID IT? They MUST be punished!


(Reply to this)
carl the critic
carl the critic writes:
on Oct 27 2008 03:58 PM

This list is a joke. I thing this Tomatometer is broken or something, because I don't see Frankenstein, The Exorcist, The Fly, The Thing, or An American Werewolf in London. And what the hell is King Kon doing at #1???

(Reply to this)
Racer Z
Racer Z writes:
on Oct 27 2008 03:58 PM

You know, I honestly think they left The Exorcist off the list just to get a rise out of people. At least I HOPE that's why they did because I can't believe that was a legitimate oversight. Besides, I would hardly classify King Kong a "horror" film. For that matter, I don't really consider Aliens a horror film. Alien, on the other hand, IS Gothic horror. Aliens is more straight action.

I'm having a hard time taking this list too seriously.


(Reply to this)
Jeff B.
Jeff B. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:00 PM

Since The Shining is the best horror movie ever made, this list can be scrapped because its not on here. Second point....where's Exorcist??? what ?? come on. Hellraiser or at least Candyman can be mentioned. Carrie is extremely underrated.....it should be top 10. I like Jacob's Ladder too but I can let that go.

King Kong at #1 is a disgrace. I agree with most of these postings. This has to make this site look bad.....


(Reply to this)
Jeff B.
Jeff B. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:00 PM

Since The Shining is the best horror movie ever made, this list can be scrapped because its not on here. Second point....where's Exorcist??? what ?? come on. Hellraiser or at least Candyman can be mentioned. Carrie is extremely underrated.....it should be top 10. I like Jacob's Ladder too but I can let that go.

King Kong at #1 is a disgrace. I agree with most of these postings. This has to make this site look bad.....


(Reply to this)
Jeff B.
Jeff B. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:00 PM

Since The Shining is the best horror movie ever made, this list can be scrapped because its not on here. Second point....where's Exorcist??? what ?? come on. Hellraiser or at least Candyman can be mentioned. Carrie is extremely underrated.....it should be top 10. I like Jacob's Ladder too but I can let that go.

King Kong at #1 is a disgrace. I agree with most of these postings. This has to make this site look bad.....


(Reply to this)
Jeff B.
Jeff B. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:00 PM

Since The Shining is the best horror movie ever made, this list can be scrapped because its not on here. Second point....where's Exorcist??? what ?? come on. Hellraiser or at least Candyman can be mentioned. Carrie is extremely underrated.....it should be top 10. I like Jacob's Ladder too but I can let that go.

King Kong at #1 is a disgrace. I agree with most of these postings. This has to make this site look bad.....


(Reply to this)
Jeff B.
Jeff B. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:00 PM

Since The Shining is the best horror movie ever made, this list can be scrapped because its not on here. Second point....where's Exorcist??? what ?? come on. Hellraiser or at least Candyman can be mentioned. Carrie is extremely underrated.....it should be top 10. I like Jacob's Ladder too but I can let that go.

King Kong at #1 is a disgrace. I agree with most of these postings. This has to make this site look bad.....


(Reply to this)
Jeff B.
Jeff B. writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:00 PM

Since The Shining is the best horror movie ever made, this list can be scrapped because its not on here. Second point....where's Exorcist??? what ?? come on. Hellraiser or at least Candyman can be mentioned. Carrie is extremely underrated.....it should be top 10. I like Jacob's Ladder too but I can let that go.

King Kong at #1 is a disgrace. I agree with most of these postings. This has to make this site look bad.....


(Reply to this)
Racer Z
Racer Z writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:02 PM

Keep in mind folks, that these are the same people who left Frighteners, Devil's Backbone, and The Shining off of their Top Movie Ghost films list a few weeks ago.

(Reply to this)
Racer Z
Racer Z writes:
on Oct 27 2008 04:05 PM

You know, the multiple-posting-of-the-same-comment thing is REALLY annoying.

(Reply to this)
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