Horror Movies

What is Horror Movies?

Horror Movies are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality.

The Curse of Frankenstein(1957) It was the first horror film in colour, and its critical reception was savage. The Curse of Frankenstein is an incredibly handsomely-made film, made even more stunning when one remembers it was the first of its kind. Prior to the film release, Hammer had dabbled in science fiction horror, but most of their ventures had been in black and white. Even though The Curse of Frankenstein was made on a minimal budget, it certainly doesn't show. The sets, costumes and acting is all top natch. the quality of Hammer's early horror films in part inspired Alferd Hitchcock in making Psycho - the director took it upon himself as a challenge ta create a high grossing horror film made on a low budget.

The 5 Best Horror Movies of All Time

1.Psycho(1960)- Psycho is now considered one of Hitchcock's best films and praised as a major work of cinematic art by international film critics and scholars.

In this film, Hitchcock's gimmicky device, termed a MacGuffin (the thing or device that motivates the characters, or propels the plot and action), is the stolen $40,000 from the realtor's office. Marion Crane becomes a secondary MacGuffin after her murder.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers: Joseph Stefano (screenplay), Robert Bloch (based on the novel)

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Frank Alberston, Patricia Hitchcock, Vaughn Taylor, Lurene Tuttle, John-Anderson, and Mort Mills.

Reviews: IMDb (8.5/10), Roger Ebert (4/4), Metacritic (97%).

2.Rosemary's Baby(1968)- Rosemary's Baby earned almost universal acclaim from film critics and won numerous nominations and awards. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. A young couple moves in to an apartment only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins to control her life

Director: Roman Polanski

Writers: Ira Levin (novel), Roman Polanski (screenplay)

Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassvetes, Ruth Gordan, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans,
Ralph Bellamy, Victoria Vetri, Pasty Kelly, Elisha Cook Jr, Emmaline Henry, Charles Gordin, Henna Hertelendy, Phil Leeds, D'Urville Martin, Hope Summers, Marianne Gordan, and Wende Wagner.

Reviews: IMDb (8/10), Roger Ebert (4/4), Metacritic (96%)

3.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)- A truly terrifying piece of film making that has beautiful cinematography and documentary-style camera work filled with disturbing imagery that creates non stop suspense. The movie’s based on factual material, according to the narration that opens it. For all I know, that’s true, although I can’t recall having heard of these particular crimes, and the distributor provides no documentation.

Director: Tobe Hooper.

Writers: Kim Henkel (screenplay), Tobe Hooper (screenplay)

Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neil, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen, and William Creamer.

Reviews: IMDb (7.5/10), Roger Ebert (2/4), Metacritic (75%)

4.The Shining (1980)- The Shining is 1980 horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane-johnson. The film is based on Stephen king's1977 novel of the same name. A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future. The film waits until its climax to provide the typical catharctic bloody violence of most traditional horror films - and with restraint - only one murder.

Director: Stanley kubrick

Writers: stephen king (novel), Stanley kubrick(screen play)

Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shalley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, Joe Turkle, Anne Jackson, Tony Burton, Lia Beldam, Bille Gibson, Barry Dennen, David Baxt, Manning Redwood, Lisa Burns, Robin Pappas, Alison Coleridge, Burnell Tucker, Jana Shelden, and Kete Phelps.

Reviews: IMDb (8.4/10), Roger Ebert (4/4), Metacritic (63%)

5. The Exorcist(1973)- The exorcist is the sensational, shocking horror story about devil possession and the subsequent exorcism of the demonic spirits from a young, innocent girl (of a divorced family). The film has had significant influence on popular culture. Several publications have regarded it one of the greatets horror films of all time. For example it was named the scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 1999, Movies.com in 2010, viewers of AMC in 2006, and the editors of Time Out in 2014. On janauary 22,2016, 20th Century Fox Television announced that they were developing a television series of The Exorcist. It premiered on september 23, 2016.

Director: William Friedkin

Writers: William Peter Blatty (novel,screenplay)

Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack Macgowran, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, William O' Malley, Barton Heyman, Peter Masterson, Rudolf Schundler, Gina Petrushka, Robert Symonds, Arthur Storch, Thomas Bermingham, Vasiliki Maliaros, Titos Vandls, John Mahon, Roy Cooper, Donna Mitchell, and Mercedes McCambridge.

Reviews: IMDb (8/10), Roger Ebert (4/4), Metacritic (82%)