In our ongoing recap of last week's Ultimate Horror Poll — in which over 100 genre experts helped determine the 100 greatest horror movies of all time by voting for their personal “ten best” — the time has come to take stock of every honorable mention and clarification given by the survey's participants that weren't included in the original piece.
To be clear, voters weren't asked for honorable mentions specifically; but a handful felt strongly enough about their “bubbling under” choices to list them anyway (which proved extraordinarily useful in helping break ties on the Top 100). See below for a full listing, as well as explanations from Bloody-Disgusting founder/editor-in-chief Brad Miska and director Corin Hardy (“The Hallow”) on why they voted the way they did.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Barbara Crampton (Actor, “Re-Animator”)
Dracula (1931)
Jaws (1975)
Nosferatu (1922)
Poltergeist (1982)
Vampyr (1932)
Brad Miska (Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Bloody-Disgusting.com; Producer) — SEE FULL EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Beetlejuice (1988)
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
The Brood (1979)
Dead Alive, a.k.a. Braindead (1992)
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Jaws (1975)
The Ring (2002)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Caroline Williams (Actor, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2”)
(in order of preference)
11. The Grudge (2004)
12. Hellraiser (1987)
Carter Smith (Director, “The Ruins”)
High Tension (2003)
The Snowtown Murders (2011)
Cassandra Peterson, a.k.a. Elvira (TV host, “Elvira's Movie Macabre”)
Nosferatu (1922)
David Weiner (Executive Editor, Famous Monsters of Filmland)
The Blob (1958)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Dracula (1979)
Fright Night (1985)
The Mole People (1956)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Poltergeist (1982)
Psycho (1960)
Return of the Fly (1959)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
The Mole People (1956)
Glenn Hetrick (Special Effects Makeup Artist/TV Personality, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974)
The Thing (1982)
Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974)
Jack Ketchum (Novelist, “The Girl Next Door”)
Alien (1979)
Ken Foree (Actor, “Dawn of the Dead”)
Inside (2007)
Michael Dougherty (Writer/Director, “Trick 'r Treat”)
It”s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Mad Monster Party? (1967)
Over the Garden Wall (2014)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Paul Harris Boardman (Writer, “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”)
Poltergeist (1982)
Sean Decker (Journalist/Horror Expert, Writer/Director)
Hellraiser (1987)
High Tension (2003)
Hostel (2006)
Martyrs (2008)
These Final Hours (2013)
Hostel (2006)
Stuart Gordon (Writer/Director, “Re-Animator”)
(in order of preference)
11. Jaws (1975)
12. Audition (1999)
13. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
14. The Howling (1981)
15 The Stendhal Syndrome (1995)
16. A Serbian Film (2010)
The Stendhal Syndrome (1995)
CLARIFICATIONS/EXPLANATIONS:
Brad Miska (Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Bloody-Disgusting.com; Producer) on his Top 10 and honorable mentions:
Asking me to pick my all-time ten favorite genre films is a near impossibility. Each and every year I catch dozens of new movies, while also revisiting the classics that have been my rock for 30 years. It takes years for something modern to earn the “classic” status, yet some of the classics lose a bit of their magic with each passing year, while others get even better. My favorite ten aren't marked in cement, and are continually changing. I think what makes this even more difficult are the horror films that are so iconic that there's no way to not include them. Turning in a list of just ten is an impossible feat. There is no way to avoid leaving out films that truly deserve to be mentioned. But this is not that list, it's one that tells HitFix readers my personal favorites. So, here we go (in no particular order).
1973's 'The Legend of Hell House' has always been a personal best of mine as it's both haunting and colorful. When I see the trailers for 'Crimson Peak' it reminds me of the unique and vibrant settings of John Hough's classic. Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' is easily one of the most frightening films ever made, with most of the tension created through atmosphere and score. Bernard Rose's 'Candyman' hasn't aged well, but it's still one of my favorite horror films because of the urban setting and chilling performance of Tony Todd. 'Poltergeist' is a no-brainer as it's the one move that scared me so badly my parents had to buy me a bed that touched the floor so the clown wouldn't get me. John Carpenter's 'Halloween' is lightning in a bottle between the title, theme, and simplicity of Michael Myers' (original) origins.
Ridley Scott's 'Alien' and James Cameron's 'Aliens' belong in the same pool, as they're the perfect one-two punch of horror and action. Together they may just be my favorite films of all-time. John Carpenter's 'In the Mouth of Madness' channels H.P. Lovecraft in a way no other film has ever done. Its concept on reality is absolutely frightening, yet I'd still read Sutter Cane. 'The Exorcist' is another that has to be on the list being that it is the scariest movie ever made, and is, in my opinion, untouchable. Lastly, I'm throwing 'Rosemary's Baby' in the mix as I'm a cult fanatic, and this adaptation is one that gets better and better as I get older. I can only imagine how terrifying it will be when (and if) I ever have my own kid.
A few films I really wanted to mention, even though they break out of my top ten are 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey,' which is actually a comedy, Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' a film I consider to be more of a drama, as well as 'The Ring,' 'Dead Alive' (a.k.a. 'Braindead'), 'Evil Dead 2,' 'Beetlejuice,' 'The Brood' and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' I could have made a case for any of the aforementioned to be included, but it is what it is. Get over it.
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
Corin Hardy (Writer/Director, “The Hallow”) on his Top 10:
1. “Evil Dead 2” (1987)
It”s just the ultimate horror movie where something amazing, exciting, gory, scary or hilarious happens every minute of the film. Preferably and normally with a chainsaw involved. The film that opened up my young mind to the infinite possibilities of making horror movies and crazy kinetic camerawork. “Who's laughing now?”
2. “The Thing” (1982)
My favourite monster horror – the chilling Antarctic setting, the mounting dread atmosphere and the underlying paranoid concept of not knowing which man 'The Thing' has chosen to reside inside. And the incredible inventive practical FX of Rob Bottin. I can never watch this film too many times. + The simplistic/iconic Morricone/Carpenter score.. And Kurt Russell. “Mac wants the flame thrower!”
3. “Alien” (1979)
The attention to detail in the design of the movie, the crafts, the H.R. Giger planet and the Alien. It”s faultlessly terrifying biology. People argue its a sci-fi but it's a haunted house movie on a space ship. An inspiration. The Goldsmith score is haunting and epic and the tag line 'In Space No One Can Hear You Scream' is the best there ever was. “How do we kill it Ash? There”s got to be a way of killing it.”
4. “The Shining” (1980)
When a horror movie is also a 10/10 film. The nightmarish look & feel & geography of that hotel, the subliminal frame-cuts of murder and mayhem and the feel of being isolated with a madman for a husband have never gotten more terrifying. What lurks behind door 237 haunts me every time I enter a hotel bathroom. “I”m not going to hurt ya, I”m just going to bash your brains in.”
5. “The Exorcist” (1973)
Another top notch film that is also a horror movie. Subject matter taken seriously and made to exist in a chilling reality. Stand out performances and incredible makeup fx by pioneer Dick Smith. “The power of Christ compels you!”
6. “An American Werewolf In London” (1981)
My teenage self was thrillingly unnerved by the never-bettered balance of dark comedy vs horror. The best werewolf transformation EVER by Rick Baker set to Bobby Vintons 'Blue Moon” is both utterly gripping, painfully heartbreaking and horrifying. “Beware the moon, lads.”
7. “A Nightmare On Elm Street” (1984)
Quite possibly the best original horror concept ever dreamed up. Sleep kills. Imaginative, inventive and heart-poundiogly scary. RIP the master, Wes Craven. “I dreamed about a guy in a dirty red & green sweater…”
8. “Halloween” (1978)
The looping Carpenter score is the soundtrack to my every Halloween. The original masked killer. Love Dean Cundy's widescreen steadicam suburban neighbourhood shots, eking the dread out as Michael Myers' phantom lurks around every hedgerow. The dreamlike wide shot from across the road, pursuing Laurie Strode is my favourite. And when he sits back up in the background… “What was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply… evil.”
9. “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)
Raw. Real. Vicious & Visceral. Who will survive, and what will be left of them?… Stand out performance from Jim Siedow”s maniacal ‘Cook”. “You boys don”t wanna go messing 'round some old house… some folks don”t like it… they don”t mind showing you.”
10. “The Return Of The Living Dead” (1985)
Whilst I should undoubtably include one of Romero”s zombie movies here, as I”m sure many already have, or “Carrie,” or “Don”t Look Now” or “Rosemary”s Baby” or possibly even “Pumpkinhead”…
I always loved this film as a teenager and it”s steadily become one of my favourite films to watch every year on Halloween, so I”m sneakily swapping it in here in 10th place. Its got a hilarious, cartoonish rollercoaster script and some of the greatest practical zombie monster FX, straight out of 50″s EC comics (“Tar-man” is stand out). It”s tremendous cartoon-horror fun if you”re looking for a party movie to watch on October 31st.. “…Send more paramedics”.
Takashi Shimizu (Writer/Director, “Ju-on”) on his No. 1 pick “The Demon” (1978):
“This may not necessarily be a horror but this scared me the most as a film. So this is the No. 1 scary film for me for sure.”