Just Keep Telling Yourself It's Only a Thread: Talking Time's Top 50 Horror Movies!

[Issun]

Pretty sure I've never actually seen this movie, but I do remember that quote being thrown around on the playground around that time.

 

[Rascally Badger]

If I hadn't forgotten it existed entirely, The Monster Squad would have made my list. Its a lot of fun.

 

[Octopus Prime]

If you mentally snip out the problematic bits, it stands out as the top of the heap in the Kids v. Monsters subgenre (Gremlins 2 is excluded from this listing since there's nobody under the age of 25 in it).

It's got easily my favorite Movie Dracula ever, and second favorite overall. Guy is just *over it* with dealing with these children, and starts hucking dynamite at them. You can tell he just wants to yell "I'm frickin' Dracula, ya morons!" at everyone who disrespects him, and there's an uninterrupted shot of him walking through a street knocking police officers out without even breaking his stride.

 

[Torzelbaum]

If you mentally snip out the problematic bits, it stands out as the top of the heap in the Kids v. Monsters subgenre

I had considered Monster Squad for my list but was not able to snip out the problematic bits.

edit:
Not worth it just for a dumb joke.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

The shot of Dracula working his way through the cops is pretty good.

BTW, the masterlist is caught up with this list, links and all. Its going to get locked up again at the end of the weekend so I'll wait a month or so to update it again (BTW, if any previous host hasn't sent me a list of a previous list you hosted, please do if you can. It will help a lot until the TT archive comes back up).

 

[Issun]

The shot of Dracula working his way through the cops is pretty good.

BTW, the masterlist is caught up with this list, links and all. Its going to get locked up again at the end of the weekend so I'll wait a month or so to update it again (BTW, if any previous host hasn't sent me a list of a previous list you hosted, please do if you can. It will help a lot until the TT archive comes back up).

You can also ask Mogri to look the lists up.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

He said there's no convenient way for him to find the info and I don't want to have him pour over the lists. Seems like a pain. Also, Bulgakov sent me his list. I'll add it the next time I update.

 

[Kishi]

I watched Monster Squad just a few years ago, but my only lasting memory of it is the sheer tonal whiplash of the scrappy kids consulting some elderly neighbor who says something like, "I know...monsters are real..." and then rolls up their sleeve revealing a concentration camp tattoo. Good lord.

[no]

Hey, please don't post the R-slur without at least putting it behind a warning.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

then rolls up their sleeve revealing a concentration camp tattoo. Good lord.

Pretty sure this was also a decision in Flash Gordon.

 

[Dracula]

No. 44 TIE
The Others (2001)
Points: 69 | Lists: Zef (#9); Johnny Unusual (#20); Bulgakov (#13)
“Are you mad? I am your daughter.”

The Others (Spanish: Los otros) is a 2001 English-language Spanish gothic supernatural psychological horror film. It was written, directed, and scored by Alejandro Amenábar. It stars Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, Eric Sykes, Alakina Mann and James Bentley. The film follows a woman who lives in her darkened old family house with her two photosensitive children and becomes convinced that the home is haunted.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Points: 69 | Lists: Issun (#18); Kirin (#12); Bulgakov (#12)
“Forgive me, Mr. Claus. I believe I’ve made a terrible mess of your holiday.”

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced and conceived by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, the King of "Halloween Town" who stumbles through a portal to "Christmas Town" and becomes obsessed with celebrating the holiday. Danny Elfman wrote the songs and score, and provided the singing voice of Jack. The principal voice cast also includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Ed Ivory.

Drac’s Notes: For this tie, I have a lot to say about one, but not much to say about The Others. The latter is a film I haven’t yet seen, don’t know much about, and apparently totally ignored when it was in theaters. Johnny Unusual sez:

Despite having a twist that has been done many times before, its a film that earns it and is a powerful and touching ghost story.

So far this is the first movie on the list that is basically unknown to me. In fact I had it confused with some Shymalan movie!

Now as for The Nightmare Before Christmas, I’m sure this movie needs no introduction. This movie is right at about Maximum Tim Burton, even though the movie wasn’t directed by him. It’s an aesthetic feast, and it’s the type of film that can define certain people’s identities, if you know what I mean. I’m the type of person who decorates for Halloween year-round, which means TNBC is very close to my heart. Jack Skellington is the type of weird skinny loner common to Burton stories that resonated strongly with kids who grew up as weird skinny loners, like me. But I think this movie manages to outgrow its association with misunderstood teenagers. It’s a good one. Selick went on to direct two other creepy stop-motion masterpieces, James and the Giant Peach and Coraline.

Is there a sequel to this Nightmare movie? I want to see Jack go to all the other holidays. Where’s my Jack Skellington cinematic universe!?

Let's see the Oogie Boogie Man hunt down all of the infinity stones.

The real horror is that the movie we're describing doesn't exist.

 

[Octopus Prime]

The eternal debate continues;

Is Oogie a pile of bugs, wearing a sack, or a living sack full of bugs?

 

[Lokii]

He's a boogerman Octo.

Don't worry, L'il Skeleton, the Nightmare sequel you're pining for does indeed exist.

A year after the film, Jack Skellington once again feels Halloween has become dull and repetitive. He talks with Dr. Finkelstein improving the next Halloween with new scares and discoveries. The doctor gives Jack the "Soul Robber", a green, whip-like weapon. He then leaves to look for new frights; remembering his lesson from before, Jack searches solely in his world. Equally bored Lock, Shock, and Barrel revive Oogie Boogie, who brainwashes Dr. Finkelstein into creating minions for him. Oogie also kidnaps five of the seven Holiday World leaders. Oogie plans to become the "Seven-Holidays King" once he takes control of Christmas Town. But on December 23, Sally manages to send a magical paper airplane to find Jack to warn him of what has happened.

 

[Zef]

The Others is a work of art. Sure, it has its "twist", but the true strength of the film is the development of the family, how dreary and desolate their existence is in their isolation, and how tightly they hold on to one another and to whatever small bits of self-determination they can find. While the kids get most of the film's attention, Nicole Kidman's character is the real focus and her performance shines brighter and brighter as things unravel all around her. And, of course, it's a brilliant rewatch once you know what's really going on. But the sheer artistry of the film, from the set design to the score to the direction, is what makes it so special, far beyond a simple ghost story or drama.

 

[Kirin]

Nightmare combined those unmistakable Burton/Elfman aesthetics with Disney family-friendliness that gave them a huge audience. But also, Henry Sellick is a figgin' genius and gave the whole thing life.

 

[Daikaiju]

I have watched and enjoyed TNBC but I honestly wouldn't have even considered placing it on my, as previously stated, very short list.

 

[ShakeWell]

Nightmare Before Christmas is one of those things that I actually do like, but the fanbase is so totally obnoxious about it that I'm kinda fine with it just hanging out in the periphery for the rest of my life. Years of hanging out in spooky bars/nightclubs in my 20s led to it being pretty inescapable, whether via a wealth of merchandise or the film itself getting played on the TVs in said establishments on repeat basically between October 31st and the end of the year.

Which is too bad, because I really do like the visuals and the songs and the performances.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

So far this is the first movie on the list that is basically unknown to me. In fact I had it confused with some Shymalan movie!

I would watch an aliens vs. ghosts movie. But not aliens who are ghosts. YA BURNED ME, FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN!

 

[Daikaiju]

Nightmare Before Christmas is one of those things that I actually do like, but the fanbase is so totally obnoxious about it that I'm kinda fine with it just hanging out in the periphery for the rest of my life. Years of hanging out in spooky bars/nightclubs in my 20s led to it being pretty inescapable, whether via a wealth of merchandise or the film itself getting played on the TVs in said establishments on repeat basically between October 31st and the end of the year.

Which is too bad, because I really do like the visuals and the songs and the performances.

The eternal conundrum. "Dammit why is there so damn much merch for thi- Oh hey, that is a sweet mug/statuette/poster/geegaw"

 

[Ixo]

You know you’ve made it when Sora & Company come a visitin’.

 

[Octopus Prime]

That’s why people look to Chicken Little with so much affection to this very day!

 

[Dracula]

No. 43 TIE

Annihilation (2018)
Points: 70 | Lists: YanghusKhan (#13); Octopus Prime (#14); Adrenaline (#14)
“It's not like us... it's unlike us. I don't know what it wants, or if it wants, but it'll grow until it encompasses everything. Our bodies and our minds will be fragmented into their smallest parts until not one part remains... Annihilation.”

Annihilation is a 2018 science fiction horror film written and directed by Alex Garland, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. It stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac. The story follows a group of explorers who enter "The Shimmer", a mysterious quarantined zone of mutating plants and animals caused by an alien presence.

Ghostbusters (1984)
Points: 70 | Lists: Issun (#14); Torzelbaum (#6); Kirin (#21)
“Ray, when someone asks if you’re a god, you say yes!”

​

Ghostbusters is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, a trio of eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. The film also stars Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, and features Annie Potts, William Atherton, and Ernie Hudson in supporting roles.

Drac’s Notes: Wow, I feel like we’re running something of a theme this week. One horror movie, and one “horror” movie. And just like yesterday, I know a lot about one and nothing about the other. Annihilation is a movie I’ve meant to see for years - I’ve heard some good things about it, but I’m otherwise pretty well ignorant of what goes on except “cosmic horror” and “Natalie Portman.”

Ghostbusters, on the other hand, is yet another movie that needs little by way of introduction. If you’re of a certain age, you’ve probably seen it multiple times, and even if you haven’t, you’ve probably experienced one of its sequels or off-shoots, or you've just been in the orbit of its mountains of merchandise and tie-in material. I could fill several posts blathering on about my experience growing up with the toys and the cartoon, but to keep things brief I’ll try to focus on just the first film. There’s a lot I love about Ghostbusters. The New York setting, the perfect comedic timing of its cast, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, the music, the endlessly quotable lines, the practical effects, Slimer...but probably my overall favorite element, and the thing that keeps me coming back to it time after time, is the aura of authentic weirdness. I love the architecture of the Ivo Shandor building, the mythology of Gozer the Gozarian, and all the names and terminology the characters spout while they unravel the mystery of what’s happening in Dana’s apartment. There are so many dimensions to it that it almost feels like you’re hearing about some real occult myth incidental to the film, but it’s just one more element that contributes to this masterpiece. I love Ghostbusters, what can I say! It’s a problematic fave.

Only one of these two films was a horror movie.

Yeah, Annihilation was really --

No, it was Ghostbusters.

What?

Yeah! If I ran into one of those guys, they'd zap me with a thing, then they'd stash me in laser containment for the rest of eternity! And they'd make a joke about it! I'm horrified!

 

[Octopus Prime]

Like NBC, Ghostbusters didn't *quite* make my final list since it didn't fit my criteria for a Horror Movie but it was a late cut.

Annihilation, on the other hand, was one of the first things on my list and never wavered; it's one of the best examples of the "This is WEIRD AND BAD" genre of horror movies I've ever seen

 

[Patrick]

I think of Ghostbusters as a comedy, so I left it off my list too. Man, it’s a great movie though.

 

[Zef]

Heh, yeah, both films for me start at a baseline "sci-fi" and then diverge into "comedy" and "existentialism", but I suppose Annihilation can definitely fit in the existential dread/cosmic horror category or horror films. The films I put in my list tended towards the "frightful images stay with me for a while and make me jump at noises or shadows in the corner of my eye" while Annihilation makes me think and analyze and digest themes and philosophy for hours.

I'm disappointed no one else commented on The Others, though I always thought it was a high enough profile film to get some recognition, especially with its cast and with the marketing push it got. Hell, it even got a Scary Movie segment. Looks like it's much more obscure than I believed.

 

[Patrick]

I’ve never seen it, but it’s on my list now.

 

[Lokii]

I like Ahillination the film quite a bit. It's a good filmic achievement. And yet the same time the filmmakers are cowards: no tower, no crawler, no mound of journals. An albino alligator hardly compares.

 

[Octopus Prime]

Counterpoint; it's got the Scariest Bear

 

[Lokii]

Well, not the scariest

Spoiler

 

[Octopus Prime]

Couldn't disagree more;

That's a bear that deeply appeals to me and my sense of style.

 

[Zef]

Well, not the scariest

Spoiler

Gen-X Yogi Bear is the scariest thing to ever escape a Trapper Keeper.