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UK Science Fiction and Horror Magazine SFX have recently published a Horror Special, in which they include a "Top 20 Countdown" of the greatest horror movies ever made. When judging eligibility they marked on impact and how influential the film has been over the years. Here's the countdown (with a few comments of my own)

20 The Devil Rides Out

It's ironic that the only Hammer film showing in this top 20 should be uncharacteristic of the Studio That Dripped Blood, indeed there is barely a splash of scarlet to be seen…

2099 says: I've never seen this film, but it's modern day setting, combined with devil worshipping undoubtedly influenced other, much better films, such as Roesmary's Baby and The Wicker Man.

19. The Masque of the Red Death

Cinema's unholiest trinity? How about Edgar Allen Poe, Roger Corman and Vincent Price? They all made significant individual contributions to the genre. Occasionally two of them would 'team up' to produce superior celluloid scares. But when all three came together, the widescreen witchcraft unleashed was a force indeed…

2099 says: Actually this film is rather poor. It really hasn't dated well at all, and I don't think it actually belongs on this list. Still, Vincent Price is superb (as always).

18. Don't Look Now

Nicolas Roeg's stylish masterpeice is an experience in paranoid awareness. It's like watching a film that's been filtered through the mind of someone for whom there's no such thing as casual coincidence, only a network of patterns. At the end when all the fragments of information fall into place, you feel as if the blinkers have been removed…

2099 says: Masterpeice is not too strong a word for this film. It is an amazing piece of cinema. It's one of those films that fills you with dread from the very beginning and it is actually quite hard and uncomfortable to watch, but you end up riveted to the screen. Should have been in the top 10.

17. Peeping Tom

Most works of art swell in importance with age. But some start from a place of such impoverishment, their propulsion into the artistic stratosphere is nothing short of astronomic…

2099 says: Well, I have seen this a few years ago, and it left no impact on me at all. Many cite it as the first serial killer film, but that's nonsense – films like The Lodger in the 1920's dealt with serial killers (but of course, they weren't titled as such then). But it probably did influence later films greatly.

16. Dawn of the Dead

Americans love shopping. In a 1985 survey of American teens, 92% named shopping as their favourite leisure activity. Only 7% chose spending time with their friends and family…

2099 says: I have not seen any of Romero's "Dead" trilogy. [Hangs head in shame]

15. Suspiria

Critics can't help discussing Argento using musical terminology. His films are described as "operatic" or "balletic", as "symphonies" or "arias" of outrageous violence…

2099 says: Not seen this either. But Argento is known for his gore, so I'm not sure I particularly want to.

14. Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes? Without A Face?)

Les Yeux Sans Visage remains the crowning achivement of the almost forgotten director Georges Franju, a film that plays hard with art in a genre that is so often anti-art…

2099 says: Never even heard of this before. Sorry if my English translation is a little off, but I'm convinced it's true in sprit.

13. An American Werewolf in London

"Well, it is a marvellous night for a moondance…" Ah, those musical moon jokes that litter the soundtrack… not since Grease has a film made more effective use of the song 'Blue Moon'; never has lycanthropy sounded better…

2099net: While other films already in the list have flirted with comedy to some extent (such as the satire in Dawn of the Dead) An American Werewolf in London is the first film that is just as much a comedy as a horror film. Comedy has always partnered horror well, it helps to relieve the tension. Something James Whale knew as early as the 1930's. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This is an excellent film, and the transformation, despite being totally practical effects with no CGI still impresses and disturbs today.

12. The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead is a threat to civilised values, literally an evil film. At least that was the opinion of many back in 1984 when it fell foul of the hysteria about the dangers of 'video nasties'…

2099 says: Yes. This film was banned for untold years in the UK. Of course now it is freely available and has even been shown uncut on the television. After all the hype when finally seeing it I wondered what the problem was. Its so OTT that I doubt it could corrupt anyone. A landmark film, but Evil Dead II is streets ahead – again through its use of humour.

11. The Wicker Man

Horror musicals aren't as rare as you may think. But the Wicker Man must be the only serious horror musical. Those of you who haven't seen the film are probably getting the wrong impression. It does not feature a chorus line bursting into song…

2099 says: The Wicker Man is another genuine masterpiece. Everything about this film is spot on, and even if the shock ending is known, you can't help a chill running down your spine when it is finally revealed. Acting from all is faultless, its Christopher Lee's best role to date (forget his Lord of the Rings pantomime performance). Should be higher.

10. The Shining

Like many of Kubrick's films, The Shining inspires debate. Some regard it as a satire of horror film making. Some, a metaphor for the treatment of Native Americans. Some, a study of communication breakdown. Some only see it as a classic haunted house mystery. For some it’s a masterpiece, for others a mess…

2099 says: I'm with those who don't particularly like the shining. I think it has some excellent set-pieces and chills, but the sum of the parts just don't add up for me. That said, it has been a while since I've seen it fully.

9. Alien

It's 1979. There's a poster that promises cinematic terror like no-one has ever known before. An egg hangs suspended against a black background. An egg with an unfamiliar underlating surface. At the bottom there's a slit. Some thing green and obviously evil is seeping through it…

2099 says: What can be said about Alien that hasn't already been said for over 7 hours on the Alien Quadrilogy set? Alien is a film that delivered everything the poster promised, and it undisputedly changed the expectations of film audiences over night. But is it really a horror film? I'm not sure myself, and I think perhaps the makers of this countdown weren't either. If it was a haunted house of slasher movie, there's no doubt in my mind it would be placed higher.

8. The Exorcist

Today in 2004, The Exorcist basks in the sunny glow of critical respectability. Not bad for a movie that, only 10 years ago was seen by the enlightened masses as a sleezy bedfellow of sludge such as Zombie Flesh Eaters…

2099 says: … again due to the BBFC banning the film from Home Video (like The Evil Dead). It's now freely available and has been shown on TV uncut. I don't like The Exorcist much, and in all honestly I'm not sure it's influenced later movies much. But I do like The Exorcist III, which to my mind is a much more superior film to the original. (We won't even mention The Exorcist II)

7. Ringu Aka Ring

On its release Ringu became the biggest box office hit in Japanese history; it also became the film that launched a new wave of Japanese horror; and brought it to the attention of Western audiences…

2099 says: Ringu is a superb film, and in many instances it beats the pants off the Dreamworks "reimagining". Sadly, it also falls short of the Dreamworks film several times as well, so it's not fair to call either better or worse then each other. The Sadako of the Japanese film is a much more frightening figure than Samara, and the low budget effects actually help build more atmosphere and horror – I defy anyone not to be freaked out by Sadako's misshapen limbs, jerky walk and the accompanying soundtrack of clicking and snapping bones.

Ringu has influenced a whole range of movies – Dark Water, The Eye, The Grudge. All are excellent Japanese films well worth tracking down (and coincidentally all are in the process of Hollywood "reimaginings"). Also check out Ring 0: Birthday, a fitting prequel to Ringu. Give Ring 2 a miss though – it only confuses matters. Wait for the American sequel, which promises to go in an all new direction…

6. The Bride of Frankenstein

Bride of Frankenstein is the rarest of treasures: a sequel to a great film that surpasses the original. Not only does it contain some of the most dazzling images in cinematic history, but it is also one of the most slyly subversive films of its era…

2099 says: Bride of Frankenstein was not the first horror comedy (Whale himself had made one a few years before – The Old Dark House), but it was perhaps the first to make an impact. This film is another where everything just falls into place, but it is hard to classify. Is it a horror film or is it a dark comedy? Dr. Pretorius is perhaps the best character to come out of the Universal horror cycle, and is played to perfection by Thesiger. He seems comic, but has an air of dark menace underneath, a perfect mirror of the movie.

5. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The film you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother Franklin… For them an idyllic Summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. The events of that day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annuals of American history. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

2099 says: Those words, which opened the film were nothing but rubbish. Such a pseudo-documentary style was used for films like The Last Broadcast and The Blair Witch Project. I've noting else to say, as I've never seen the film (or its recent remake).

4. Psycho

It would be fatuous to claim that without Psycho the slasher film would never have existed. Someone, at sometime, would have made a film about a psychopath who stabs people to death. But most likely it wouldn’t have been the masterpiece that Hitchcocks film is…

2099 says: Again, Psycho has been discussed and written about so many times in the past, there's nothing I can really add. Personally I wouldn't rate it as high as Don't Look Now or The Wicker Man. So there.

3. The Haunting

A dialogue heavy black and white film, with zero gore and the barest minimum of effects. Hardly sounds like a contender for the top 5 horror films does it? The Haunting, though is proof that script, direction and acting counts far more than flash visuals, especially when it comes to scaring the daylights out of an audience…

2099 says: I adore The Haunting. It is one of the best movies ever made (a shame Warner didn't treat this to a 2 disc set when it was finally released last year). The soundtrack for the film is absolutely terrifying – and it's only in mono sound! The Haunting is absolute proof that less is more (and the abysmal Dreamworks remake is absolute proof that more is less).

2. Night of the Living Dead

On paper is shouldn't work. One of the scariest movies ever made, a black and white first feature made for $114,000 and in Pittsburgh?…"

2099 says: Not seen. No comment.

1. Halloween

Though it kickstarted that so-often dubious horror sub-gene, the slasher film, Halloween to the surprise of most who'd rather kneecap themselves than go to see a serial killer movie, is almost totally bloodless…

2099 says: Another film made on a shoestring budget that went on to not only be a commercial success, but was generally atmospheric and scary. Halloween also influenced a whole new genre of horror films – from the Friday the 13th series to the Sleepaway Camp series, even to the Scream series. All can trace their origins to Halloween. If you do see Halloween, make sure you get a widescreen version, Carpenter has always been a master of making full use of the cinemascope frame and Halloween is no exception. It looses so much when cropped to a 4:3 format.

I'm not sure about all the selections. I would have included Carpenter's The Thing (a huge influence on animatronic and physical effects) and one of the compilation anthology pictures (perhaps Dead of Night or Creepshow). The scariest movie I ever saw was called Magic about a ventriloquist dummy, which is coming to UK DVD sometime this year (but being as I was only about 10 at the time, it will probably be disappointing on watching today).

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Ok, I couldn't resist this one...

It is an interesting list indeed and I agree with many of the items on the list, but I can't help but feel there are movies that are always going to be included because people think "they should be on there". That is also true for many of the ones I enjoy, but I guess I can help but like what I like.

I'll comment on a few of the ones I have seen and wish to comment on...

Don't Look Now - did genuinely shock me the first time I saw it, and I think it is still one of the few films I can say left me cold in a good way.

Dawn of the Dead - This is a true modern classic, but it is not always the gorefest people expect it to be. Smart, and often slower than your average zombie, however it never lets up on tension, except when Romero wants you to get comfortable so he can shock you again. The reason this is so highly regarded because it is technically good, and has that which zombies crave - brains. The same can be said for Night of the Living Dead - the scares may not be constant, or even that scary now - but they are both still thoughtful films that can't be ignored.

Suspiria- ok, I haven't seen this, but Argento leaves me cold (in a bad way). Like Kubrick, he is a very cold director and expects us to be scared by constantly hitting us over the head with gore. Not a entertaining experience at all (expecially Opera, which is hard to sit through).

The Evil Dead - well, what mroe can I say. Hail to the King, baby. Just the fact it was made for nothing, and the director is now helming Spider-man movies is a testament to how skilled these guys were. No budget, lots of enthusiasm, excellent scares. However, I do agree with 'Net - II is far superior because of the laughs, and is what fans have come to associate with ED movies.

Wicker Man - A recent convert to the cult of the Wicker Man, this may not be what everyone expects. Certainly makes you feel uneasy in parts, but also a beautiful film to watch. Classic ending is still powerful. "You did beaaaautifully!"

Shining - see Suspiria. Left me cold. I find Kubrick so cold and lifeless, with the exception of Dr. Strangelove and Paths of Glory. Didn't do it for me.

Exorcist - I go through phases with this. Certainly an important film. The corruption of innocence is always creepy (see Ringu). The orginal cut is still superior. The Version YOu've Never Seen (until you do) takes a lot of tension out I think...

Alien - I think this is actually the best of the series, despite my leanings towards Aliens. As Alien3 recognized, Alien was all about running around in the dark, which is the basis of good horror. I first saw this at 1am, and I don't think I slept after that. I think this IS a horror movie, but also science fiction of the good kind as well. Whatever you call it, it does have genuine scares.

Ringu - Well, as I said - innoncence being currupted is genuinely creepy, and no-one can deny how creepy Sadako coming out of the TV is. However, also cold in parts - I think a prefect 'Ring' movie would be a combination between the Japanese and US versions.

Texas Chain saw Massacre - another one of those films people seem to have decided is a gorefest, but actually isn't. The scene with the slamming door left me chilled, and I am the proud owner of the entire TCM legacy (yes, even The Next Generation).

Psycho - I can't deny this horror movie classic its status, but Hitchcock films get most of their rep from certain scenes, rather than a dramatic whole. Most people remember the shower scene, and little else about Psycho. The Birds is another great example of this - slow for the first 35 minutes, then a whole bunch of memorable scenes. Still, the modern slasher owes a lot to this.

Halloween - well, my name says it all right? I'm ahuge fan, and I'm not alone. As 'Net points out, it started a whole new genre. Anchor Bay has about a million DVD release of this (and I have a couple). So what is it that makes this so good? The "Killercam" prowling the victims, Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, or the sheer cinematic quality that it - dare I use the cliche - Hitchcockian? How about all of them?

What else would I add for all time best horror films?
Well, more Universal stuff I guess, simply because I'm watching them at the moment. Silent Night Deadly Night is a personal fave, but not what you'd call scary.

Rosemary's Baby did nothing for me, but Polanski's The Tenant is quite disturbing.

Obvious movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th are left off, but I guess that they are more followers than trendsetters.

Finally, I don't think enough can be said for the impact Scream has had on the modern slasher. Sure, it is very heavily influenced by Halloween, but it kickstarted the genre in much the same way that Halloween birthed in back in '78.

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I haven't seen too many from the list, but those that I have (Alien, American Werewolf, The Shining, Psycho), I have enjoyed quite a bit.

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Bride of Frankenstein was excellent and I loved Dr. Pretorias as well as Boris Karloff's playing of the Monster. The only other film from the list I have seen is The Ring which didn't seem scary to me just a litle weird. (Though it might be becuase I saw the edited airplane version first then the unedited one).

And you saw the American version rather than the Japanese original.

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Hmm, the only one I've seen from the list is Bride of Frankenstein & Psycho. As some may know, Psycho is my favorite movie of all time, so of course, if I had my own list, it'd be at the top.

It's interesting you debated calling BOF a "horror film" or a "dark comedy," Netty. When you really think about it, it does seem like a dark comedy - its not really scary or even disturbing, with the monster being sympethetic.

Look Netty! we lured the Loomis!

Dawn of the Dead - Interestingly enough, this movie was filmed at the Monroeville mall... which happens to be my "local" mall. Chances are, if I'm going shopping, that's where I'm going. Anyway, this is one of my favorite movies of all time, without a doubt.

Anyway. I've seen MOST of the movies on that list (don't have time to comment on all of them), but my favorite from them is undoubtedly 'Suspiria.'

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god I hate those stupid ring films.

Carnival Of Souls should be on that list though.

Bumping with this:
http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatur ... -91_1.html

The top 100 Scary moments as voted by the British Public!

Check out no 24!



Yes, anything to plug LoG!

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As a Disney fan, I was quite surprised by #80 !

There are so many I have to see now, but the Top 10 isn't a big "shock".

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20 The Devil Rides Out - haven't seen (hopefully one day, I will)

19. The Masque of the Red Death - have seen and it is simply the best Roger Corman / AIP (American International Pictures) adaptation of any of Edgar Allen Poe's works. After you accept that this is not supposed to be like all the 'new' horror films, you can fully appreciate it. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. The acting quality is superb, the script is very smart, the sets and production design are otherworldly / fantastic / larger than life. I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars.

18. Don't Look Now, 17. Peeping Tom - haven't seen yet.

16. Dawn of the Dead - fairly good film, beats the crap out of the remake. More epic than scary. But very gory. And still quite a rollercoaster of a film. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

15. Suspiria - simply OUTSTANDING. A contemporary classic of cinematic horror. Perhaps the greatest exercise in visual horror stimulai every put onscreen. Hyper-art run rampant. The camerawork in this film is also revolutionary. The plot is confusing but plays second fiddle to the film's awesome sense of style. 5 out of 5 stars!

14. Les Yeux Sans Visage - haven't seen.

13. An American Werewolf in London - another excellent contemporary horror film. One of those movies where everything that's already been said has been. It's strange, wild, bloody, violent, horrific. Not my favorite horror film (because I usually lack the words of appreciation) but a very satisfying film to watch. 4 out of 5 stars.

12. The Evil Dead - the single greatest rollercoaster experience in horror I've ever witnessed. This film will give you a real thrashing!! Terrifying yet silly, ultra-gory yet not explicitly violent (the deaths don't have the least air of sadness nor seriousness to them), imaginative and creative to the endth degree, and camerawork that makes you feel like you're on an amusement park ride! 5 out of 5 stars!

11. The Wicker Man - haven't seen yet.

10. The Shining - overrated to be certain. This one relies a lot on Jack Nicholson's performance and need to present a very convincingly gradual descent into madness... However, he acts the role as though he's significantly lost it from the very second he's in the car driving his family there. So naturally, when he's playing a psycho, his range is blown (like his cover in scenes previous to it) and everything just goes way over the top! However, the film itself has a wonderfully tangible creepy atmosphere about it, gorgeous winter photography (which is what I think most people were responding to when they keep going on and on about how they love it), some excellent camerawork, good work with blood makeup, and some surprisingly tense moments (the typewriter discovery, Jack chopping the bathroom door down). I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

9. Alien - I never really liked sci-fi films, but sci-fi horror does end up growing on me after awhile. The movie has a very boring wind-up process, but when it pitches... It NAILS you right in the gut! The acting quality is slightly better than average considering the fact that we can only imagine their weariness and the claustrophobic tension between their characters, so it's hard to get where they are without that serious suspension of disbelief that comes with trying to follow them the 40+ minutes we see them working their spacecraft/ship/traveling vessel. However, the film has an excellent visual design, the sets remain quite cool to this day, and unforgettable horror scenes. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

8. The Exorcist - I never really talk about this movie if I have to. It's a horror classic, no disputing that. It's immaculately well-acted, and seems very realistic. But it's boring and doesn't exactly permeate every frame with fear. It's really trying to be more of a greatest-movie-ever-made than it's trying to be a greatest-horror-movie-ever-made. But the scenes of actual horror are unmatchable, completely unsettling, and freaky as all getout. I give it 5 out of 5 stars because it's still a good alternative to standard horror.

7. Ringu Aka Ring - I still haven't seen this yet but plan to before year's end. / 6. The Bride of Frankenstein - haven't seen.

5. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - the kind of people that think The Blair Witch Project is so great obviously didn't see this excellent film! The remake again was absolute crap. This film on the other hand is bizarre and disturbing every minute, from the very first to the very last. Some of the greatest scenes in modern horror are here, Leatherface is great, the quality of the film itself (the picture quality) has never exactly been 'fully remastered' because it's supposed to look like a film from the early '70s, which it does. It relies on nothing more than sound effects and pure realistic fear to drive the intensity and it works perfectly. 5 out of 5 stars.

4. Psycho - A very well-made film all around. I enjoy it a lot every time I see it. I just never feel fear from it, instead I spend the whole movie trying to understand what the characters who end up being killed could have done to prevent their deaths. All anyone has been able to come up with really is, don't check into that motel! And that's still very cool. 4.5 out of 5 stars. The death scenes and that conversation scene in the parlor remain very unpredictable and unsettling.

3. The Haunting - I have a very hard time with ghost-story themed movies. They're usually very heavy-handed, hammy, or melodramatic. Because I really don't believe in spirits or hauntings or the afterlife. But this film is a little more effectively atmospheric than most. It even breaks that barrier between human and ghostly contact in that excellent scene where the girls watch their door being broken through by a ghostly force that really shakes up the whole film, using the camerawork to finally make us fear the force of the spirit(s). 3 out of 5 stars; I own the VHS, so I'll give it another spin later this week.

2. Night of the Living Dead - I'm told that if you haven't seen Elite's remastered THX DVD versions of the movie, you haven't truly seen it before. Rather the film was available in a horrendous-looking version on a zillion VHS and DVD incarnations forever before 1997 when Elite first released the film on DVD. I've only seen the film on Alpha's VHS and Madacy's DVD, which are not good-looking versions of the movie. So I still think Romero's 1978 sequel outdid this. Though of course the scenes of the mother and the daughter in the basement and Johnny in the graveyard and very scary and cool. Overall, it's not very well acted, the sound quality is terrible, and the actual scenes of zombies attacking are very few and far-between, but when they arrive, they're only okay. Until I see it on Elite's Millenium Edition DVD, I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

1. Halloween - I didn't like this much when I first saw it. However, it really shines on DVD in it's original widescreen version. You really see how revolutionary this is visually in widescreen. A lot of roving, roaming camera shots. An unbeatable sense of atmosphere. Truly spine-tingling! 5 out of 5 stars, there'll just never be another one like it!

I think this list is definitely missing Rosemary's Baby (the most interesting and disturbing horror movie I've seen yet), Carrie, and Twitch of the Death Nerve (which I'm still waiting for Image to release a better version of so I can finally see it! But Leonard Maltin raves, 3 stars, as does every horror fan who's seen it). And I agree with Stashone, the 1962 Carnival of Souls is pure atmosphere, and it's my absolute favorite ghost-themed horror film. It deserves placement in at least the top 25 horror films. I also agree with Scream, that movie is a joltfest (even though it inspired all those bad teen movies to do the same with the constant fake-scares) and very scary (and in the unrated Director's Cut, surprisingly gory).

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There are 8 I have yet to see... I actually own a couple, I just haven't got around to them yet.

I haven't seen many of these, but I have to say that The Exorcist just isn't scare to me. Psycho was the scariest movie when I was younger and my parents had me watch it, but not so scary anymore. I've only seen 1 of the Halloween movies, but I think I might rent them some time to see them all.

I think the only one of those movies to scare me was The Evil Dead. I don't really watch horror movies to scare myself. Because I haven't had a good movie shock since I saw Scream 2 back in 1998 or 1999.

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I think the expectations of horror fans, especially long-term horror fans, have changed over the years to reflect something other than a need for thrills and chills. I do like to be scared, but now that is more from a physical fear such as thrill rides.

Since the 1980s in particular, I think there are a large chunk of people who go to see horror films for body counts, breasts and blood. Of course, the best kind of horror film in that sub-genre is something like Slither: it's gross, it knows it and it is in on the joke. The Evil Dead movies have been in on the joke as well.

Indeed, there are times when I will consciously go out to get a bad horror movie, because I'm wanting to be amused and entertained more than I want to be scared. Similarly, I appreciate the craft that went into making some of the more classic horror films more than being genuinely frightened.

By the same token, I am always thrilled to find something that genuinely chills me. As I mentioned above, The Tenant (a Roman Polanski film) genuinely disturbed me the first time I saw it a few years ago, and when I finally saw What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? this year, I found it similarly disturbing. Those are the best kind of "scares", in my opinion - the ones that leave you unsettled. Any fool can crank up the Dolby Surround and yell the bejesus out of you, after all.

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God, I despise that film. It's completely incomprehensible. Much like Pink Floyd's The Wall or A Clockwork Orange. Which of course weren't exactly thrillers like The Tenant, but are also completely pointless and make no sense. I wasn't disturbed by anything I remember seeing in that movie (or thinking, as is often the cast with some viewers). I prefer my experimental thriller/horror films to have some kind of emotional impact or humor or meaningful character development or excellent special / make-up effects. Anything... The Tenant didn't deliver a thing. Except confusion. It was more the type of movie that just strains on the senses. Did scenes like that guy in his apartment blasting stupid band music or that whole thing with him talking to that whino in that bar have any bearing on the story at all? They were more like annoyances.

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