The Shining and Carrie are both Stephen King....there is one King ommission i'd have put in which is The Mist...although its not a brilliant film it has one of the most effed up endings that is really horrific!

I think Psycho at number 1 is fair enough....surprised at Blair Witch though....what a load of rubbish that is!

I am not surprised. Although it is not the most horrifying film ever made, it was the most influential particularly in English speaking films. Prior to Psycho, most were based on monsters. It is fair to say the Psycho was the pioneer of the slasher movie with a psychotic human.

In the same year that Psycho was made, Michael Powell made Peeping Tom (10 on the list). Both films are based on a psychotic killer. But for Hitchcock Psycho was one of nis main commercial successes whereas the hostility which greeted Powell destroyed his career. Credit should be given to Martin Scorcese for supporting Powell in his later years.

On a different note, I have just noticed a slightly surprising omission from the Sci Fi list. Where is the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Surely it should rank ahead of Starship Troopers.

I've just realised....the horror has not got the best ever film in it...

No Dusk till Dawn!!

The Radio Times has also been ccarrying out a survey on greatest horror films. This is their top 25:


1. The Exorcist (1973)
2. The Shining (1980)
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
4. Alien (1979)
5. Psycho (1960)
6. The Omen (1976)
7. Halloween (1978)
8. The Birds (1963)
9. The Wicker Man (1973)
10. Saw (2004)
11. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
12. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
13. The Thing (1982)
14. Carrie (1976)
15. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
16. Poltergeist (1982)
17. Hellraiser (1987)
18. The Evil Dead (1983)
19. Salem's Lot (1979)
20. Aliens (1986)
21. 28 Days Later… (2002)
22. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
23. The Blair Witch Project (1998)
24. Ring (1997)
25. Candyman (1992)

Quite a lot of differences. Don't Look Now (3 in Guardian) comes in at 32. The only ones which are in the top 10 on both are The Exorcist, The Shining, Psycho and The Wicker Man.

I love Carrie, I bought it a couple of years ago and settled down to watch it with my son, I couldn't wait for the end (when the hand shoots up out of the grave) to see how high he would jump.  He didn't flicker 

I know I junped when I saw this film at the cinema, as did everyone else. There are few films which make me jump like that. There is Les Diaboliques with the famous bath scene (it was shown on Film 2010 last night). And then there is the French film "A Man Escaped" (1956) from Robert Bresson. This is not a horror film but is a true story of one man's escape from a Nazi POW prison. A great film but as far removed from the likes of The Great Escape as it is possible to be. The tension built during the film is amazing - if you ever get the chance, see it.

Love that movie.  I'll keep an eye out for the other one, cheers.

A recognition of the skill of the film editor (although I believe some directors like to have full control.)

Interesting to compare the 2 lists.

Thanks for posting the Radio Times list at links El Loro. Very helpful.

The editor was Paul Hirsch who has also worked on other Brian De Palma films.

And as a trivial bit of information re Carrie - apparently Sissy Spacek insisted on doing the grave scene for authenticity.

I will rate each of the top 10s from the first post

10 best family films

1, Up - 7.5/10
2, Clueless- Never seen it
3, A Matter of Life and Death- 8/10
4, Addams Family Values 6/10
5, Babe- 3/10
6, Bambi- 7/10
7, Bugsy Malone- Not seen it
8, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid- 8.5/10
9, Carr on Up the Khyber- Not seen it
10, Chicken Run 6/10

Action and War 
1, Apocalypse Now-8/10
2, North By Northwest - 10/10
3, Once Upon A Time In The West- 9/10
4, The Wild Bunch- Not seen 
5, Deliverance - 8/10
6, City Of God- 9/10
7, Paths Of Glory 8.5/10
8, Wages Of Fear 10/10
9, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon- Not seen
10, The Thin Red Line- Not seen

Comedy
1, Annie Hall - 8/10
2, Borat- 6/10
3, Some Like It Hot - 10/10 
4, Team America- 4/10
5, The Lady Killers - 8.5/10 (If its the original)
6, Dr Strangelove 9/10
7, Duck Soup- Never seen it
8, Rushmore- 7/10
9, Kind Hearts and Coronets 8.5/10
10, Life Of Brian - 8/10

Romance
1, Brief Encounter - 10/10
2, Casablanca- 10/10
3, Before Sunrise- 10/10, Before Sunset - 9/10
4,  Breathless (A Bout de Souffle) - 7/10
5, In The Mood For Love- 9/10
6, The Apartment - 10/10
7, Hannah and Her Sisters - 8/1-
8, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind 9/10
9, A Room With A View- Have not seen it
10, Jules And Jim- 9/10

Crime
1, Chinatown- 9.5/10
2, Touch Of Evil 7/10
3, Vertigo- 10/10
4, Bandlands- 10/10
5, Rashomon 10/10
6, Double Indemnity - 9/10
7, Get Carter - 8/10
8, Pulp Fiction 9/10
9, Hidden 8/10
10, Goodfellas- 9/10

Hi jackassfan - long time no see - welcome back.
I reckon you must have about 1000 films to post on the What was the last film you saw thread and reckoned you must see more films every day than anyone else outside professional film critics and video shop workers (though you may be one).

Hi 

I have seen 100s of films since i last posted in that thread, i am not a film critic or video shop worker though
I Will have to get back to posting in that thread again

the horror movie that scared me the most was The Howling... i know its not normally rated but that bit in the log cabin, when the werewolf reaches out over the girls shoulder to take a file from her............................................. fair had me shitting my pants