Rashid’s Rankings: The 30 Greatest Horror Films (THE FINAL FIVE)

5: Psycho (1960)
“Psycho” contains the most well known and one of the most of the most horrifying scenes in horror history (the “shower scene”), and has one of the greatest plot twists ever. The acting by Anthony Perkins (as Norman Bates) is the greatest ever seen in a horror film. This ranks as one of Hitchcock’s greatest movies (just behind “Rear Window” and “North by Northwest”).

4: Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
“Bride of Frankenstein” has elements of dark comedy (though not in the same vein as “Evil Dead II”), and is the first movie to feature The Creature (Boris Karloff) actually speak. The sets and makeup are stunning, and looks good compared to movies even made today. I consider “Bride of” to be an example of the perfect sequel. It took everything the original had, and improved upon it greatly without losing its charm. Forget about “Empire Strikes Back” and “T-2”, THIS is the greatest sequel in film history.

3: The Shining (1980)
I understand Stephen King’s dislike for this movie, and I admit it never stayed “true” to the novel. In a way it surpassed the novel (and “The Shining is one of my favourite books ever). Stanley Kubrick made a horror film like none other. It doesn’t rely on “jump” scenes, violence, a haunting soundtrack, or the supernatural. It’s about a family isolated in a large hotel, and the father goes insane and tries to kill his wife and son. “The Shining” doesn’t scare you. Instead, it brings out your own fears in you, and that is what makes it the greatest horror film in over 30 years.

2: The Exorcist (1973)
‘The Exorcist” still makes people jump out of their seat in fright. After a slow 10-20 minute prologue it picks up, and contains scene after scene of shocking horror.
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And Finally,
The #1 Greatest Horror Film
Of all time
Is,
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1: Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
All horror movies I watch today I compare to “Rosemary‘s Baby“. This is the pinnacle of horror. It’s about the slow breakdown of a women who fears her soon-to-be-born child is the spawn of Satan and she loses trust in everyone she knows. Around the 40 minute mark up until the very end I found this to be a very intense film. While the movie didn’t “scare” me in the sense that most horror films attempt to do, it did leave me with a sick feeling in my stomach and on the verge of crying. That’s how powerful this underrated gem of a movie is. While it is a slow movie and does have a long running time (roughly 2 hours 15 minutes) I recommend anyone to watch it and pay very close attention to everyone that’s going on. Get lost in the experience. Appreciate what real horror is.

Hope you enjoyed my list. I appreciate comments.