Top Ten Thursdays: Horror Films

With Halloween fast approaching it seems like a decent enough time to devote a top ten list to horror films.  Sadly, I am rather lacking in cinematic knowledge of horror so my list may seem a bit bizarre.  Despite this I am offering up a humble list and welcoming all varieties of suggestions for film to watch in the expansive genre.  I should also note that I have withheld some of the obvious classics, not because they are undeserving, but because to me they border more on the genre of psychological thriller.  So do not be upset that this list lacks any Hitchcock.

10.) A Bucket of Blood (1959)

One part schlock horror and one part beatnik criticism, A Bucket of Blood is bizarrely suspenseful for being just under an hour long.

9.) Paranormal Activity (2007) 

Paranormal Activity picks up where The Blair Witch Project left off with found footage horror films.  I have a longer review that explains my opinions on this film.

8.) Dawn of the Dead (1978)

George Romero is the father of the zombie film, and his 1978 critique on capitalist consumption is his finest offering.

7.) Eraserhead (1977)

The mind of David Lynch is a horror film all its own, but his early study on the loss associated with abortion is grotesquely disturbing.

6.) Videodrome (1983)

Videodrome is perhaps the most philosophical horror film ever made, and my review on Cronenberg's work helps explain why.

5.) House on Haunted Hill (1999)

This remake is not particularly brilliant, but I remember loosing sleep over it when I watched it over ten years ago.  Perhaps I need to revisit the film, but damn if it did not scare the crap out of me the first time around.

4.) Carnival of Souls (1962)

Easily the most poetic film on my list, Carnival of Souls is surrealist horror that is disturbing in its minimalist nature and experimental cinematography.

3.) 28 Days Later...(2002)

This is my favorite zombie film bar none and it is a lesson in editing in the horror genre.

2.) The Shining (1980)

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."












1.) Session 9 (2001)

I once stated that this is the only horror film that matters.  I still believe this to be true, because it manages to be eeire and disturbing without relying on very much on screen violence.

Honorable Mention

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Saw (2004)

The House of the Devil (2009)

Zombieland (2009)