More Halloween week lists from Mighty Lists. Are you looking for something to set the mood for a spooky Halloween evening? Well, warm up the DVD player and go to your Netflix queue - here are 13 of the scariest horror movies of all time...
Invasion of the body Snatchers (1956)
A great thinking mans thriller from the mid 50’s, when most other “horror” movies involved atomically altered insects or flying saucers from Mars. A classic not to be missed. (Be sure to bypass the cheesy 80’s remake with Donald Sutherland!)
Misery (1990)
Many may disagree with inclusion of this film, but this really is a great horror movie, solely on the strength of co-star Kathy Bates as the kidnapped authors “number one fan”. This is the second best movie ever made from a Stephen King book - you will be squirming throughout. My ankles are hurting just thinking about this one!
Psycho (1960)
This movie has the guts to kill of its star less than 30 minutes in - at that point you know this horror movie is something special. Norman Bates is a classic character in horror movie history, and this film is yet another example of Hitchcock’s genius. For my money the first truly great horror film.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Sure, it’s got the fantastic surprise ending that made you analyze it frame-by-frame at your second time (or third or fourth) viewing, but there is so much more that is so damn spooky. The scene where he hides under a blanket-tent brings back memories of nightmares I had as a kid. A great Halloween treat.
The Thing (1982)
An American team of Artic researchers come are alone and cut off from the world with a shape shifting “thing”. You never know who is real and who is the thing. This movie has true jump-from-your-seat scares and surprises!
Se7en (1995)
Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt is a classic horror movie? I wouldn’t have believed it either, but holy crap this is one truly shocking and creepy movie. The ending cannot be missed!
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Debonair and deadly, you can’t take your eyes off Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lechter. The greatest horror villain of all time, hands down.
Audition (1999)
This is not film you will enjoy in any sense, but it will scare the hell out of you. This is one sick puppy of a movie. If you’re a fan of physical and psychological horror films this is one not to be missed.
Jaws (1975)
This film was the first to create a mass hysteria of a real creature. I was one of those kids who was afraid to go into a natural body of water after seeing this for the first time, or for that matter even my swimming pool! And the scene in which Quinn describes being one of the survivors of the torpedoed USS Indianapolis’ crew, floating for days in the ocean while so many around him are being taken down one-by-one by sharks, is worth the price of admission alone.
Ringu (1998)
This is a Japanese film about a cursed videotape that will cause anyone who watches it to die a week later. Sounds pretty tame, right? Go ahead and watch it – I dare you. This is one seriously scary ghost story.
The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick is a film genius, and this film is a masterpiece, largely due to the performance of Jack Nicholson. Based on a Stephen King novel, this movie is brilliant and disturbing. It revolves around a family snowed-in for the winter at a huge mountain hotel they have been hired to take care of. Let’s just say it gives new meaning to the phrase “cabin fever”.
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott is one of my favorite directors, largely because he creates such a perfect sense of atmosphere in his films, and Alien is just dripping with atmosphere! The film takes place in a dark and dank space ship that feels very real and very scary. And this movie has one of the most seriously bad-ass movie monsters you will ever meet.
The Exorcist (1974)
You want freakin’ scary? Brother, this has it in spades. A sweet little girl is possessed by a demon, and the pure evil that she exudes is frightening beyond belief. You will sleep with the lights on for a week after seeing this, if you can sleep at all!
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