The Rocky Horror Picture Show might be one of the best known cult classics out there, but it's not the only great one. The Hollywood Reporter is your source for breaking news about Hollywood and entertainment, including movies, TV, reviews and industry blogs.
The 100 Best Horror Movies of the 1990s! They say the 1990s were a bad decade for the horror genre, but these one hundred movies prove them wrong. The First Teaser for American Horror Story: Cult Tells Us Nothing, But It Sure Is Full of Creepy-Ass Clowns. We spoke to Athene, as well as his friend and right-hand man Dries Leysen, to find out how deep this particular rabbit hole goes. Almost as long as there has been cinema there have been horror movies. While the genre is often branded with the stigma of being low-brow, cheap, and only for.
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The 3. 0 Best Horror Movies Of All Time. Almost as long as there has been cinema there have been horror movies. While the genre is often branded with the stigma of being low- brow, cheap, and only for hardcore fans of jump scares and gore, it is also responsible for some of the greatest films of all- time, and certainly many of our favorites fall somewhere along the horror spectrum. Just as there are trashy, forgettable, throwaway horror films every year, there are also those that that play upon our greatest fears to create tension, an ominous atmosphere, and to terrify us to our very core. The history genre is full of monsters, both human and otherwise, horrific events, and chilling scenarios that thrill us, scare us, keep us on the proverbial edge of our seats, and stick around to haunt our nightmares long after we leave the theater. The list that follows is Cinema Blend’s definitive, once- and- for- all comment on the greatest horror movies ever made, though we can’t help but wish there was room for 5.
Will you agree with all of our choices? Probably not, but we’re willing to bet that some of your favorites made the cut.
Friday The 1. 3th. A franchise most known for it’s hulking, un- killable, hockey- mask- wearing, machete- wielding villain Jason Voorhees, it’s easy to forget that this iconic antagonist isn’t really a part of Sean Cunninghams’s 1. Along with the likes of Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 1. Full of tension and shocks and a very young Kevin Bacon getting speared through the neck, Friday the 1. Shaun Of The Dead. Shaun of the Dead is the one movie on this list that works as a comedy first and as a horror second, but it does both so exceedingly well that there was no way this slice of fried gold could be ignored. From the minds of star Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright, 2.
Shaun of the Dead gave the zombie genre the . With homages galore and weapons ranging from rifles to cricket bats to the Batman soundtrack on vinyl (but not Purple Rain), the movie wisely balances the narrative spotlight between imaginative zombie kills and the pub- loving Shaun fighting to keep his life from spiraling away. As quotable as it is blood- soaked and hilarious, Shaun of the Dead is boosted by a stellar supporting cast of talented Brits, including Bill Nighy, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield and Lucy Davis (among many others). Fuck- a- doodle- do, this movie is fantastic. Suspiria. With the giallo subgenre, Italian filmmakers put their own unique, memorable stamp on horror. None of them left quite the mark that Dario Argento did, and none of his impressive body of work stands quite as tall as 1. Suspiria. When an American ballet student enrolls in prestigious German dance academy, she finds much more than she bargained for, as sinister supernatural forces leave a trail of violent, grisly murders.
Glossy and blood- spattered, Suspiria is visually stunning—a virtual nightmare captured on film—violent, shocking, and with a score by the legendary prog rock band Goblin, the finished product is a hallucinatory sensory overload. And I mean that as the highest compliment.
Repulsion. With movies like Knife in the Water and Rosemary’s Baby, Roman Polanski has shown that you don’t necessarily need monsters and jump scares to make a truly terrifying film. Case in point: his first English- language feature, 1. Repulsion. Starring Catherine Deneuve, the story follows her character, Carol, a woman repulsed by all things sexual, who, when her sister leaves her alone for a holiday, comes unwound, sinks into a depression, and is tormented by horrific visions and hallucinations, all of which culminate in shocking real- world violence. Repulsion is widely regarded as one of the all- time greats in the realm of psychological horror, and that acclaim has rightly remained for more than half a century. Don’t Look Now. When a married couple (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie), attempting to come to terms with the death of their young daughter, travel to Venice, they’re haunted by a series of mysterious occurrences and reminders of death after an encounter with two elderly sisters comes with warnings from beyond.
Clearly wearing Hitchcockian influences on his sleeve, Nicolas Roeg’s 1. Don’t Look Now employs occult sensibilities, explores the impact of grief on a relationship, and delivers a chilling, menacing story, tinged with melodrama and the supernatural, that sticks with you long after watching. Psychologically and thematically dense, it’s an examination of the human psyche as filtered through the lens of a tense, tight horror thriller. The Thing. Like many great horror movies, the ones that endure over the years, John Carpenter’s 1. The Thing From Another World, The Thing, was initially dismissed by most critics as being nothing more than an excessive gross- out schlock film. However, in the decades since its release, it has been reappraised and become recognized as one of the great offerings of the genre.
A jagged sci- fi thriller that continually creates a tense, taut atmosphere of paranoia and doubt, The Thing follows the rugged crew at an isolated Antarctic research facility as they’re besieged by an alien presence that can assume the form of anything it touches. Playing to gut- level fears and using grotesquely memorable practical creature effects, this is Carpenter, one of the masters of horror, working at the very top of his game. And the ambiguous ending is still the subject of great conversation and debate. Days Later. No one can argue that George A.
Romero is the godfather of zombie movies, but with 2. Days Later, director Danny Boyle became the cool uncle of zombie movies that would show up with a case of beer and a couple of sledgehammers. Headed by Cillian Murphy at his most hypnotic, and from a script penned by future Ex Machina filmmaker Alex Garland, 2. Days Later technically replaced the undead kind of zombies with fast- moving abominations fueled by a rage virus, but it still fits into (and sits near the top) of the subgenre. What starts as a stunning and contemplative look at a London mostly devoid of people turns into a rapidly worsening slide into terror as Murphy’s Jim and his fellow survivors come face to face with the somewhat predictable but still hideous outcome of such a population- depleted planet. Winning performances from Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston only add to its superiority.
Scream. In the current landscape, it’s practically impossible to have a horror movie that doesn’t have meta, self- referential elements. You can thank horror master Wes Craven and his 1. Scream for that. As annoying as this trope has become in recent years, as handled by Craven, Scream was a game changer.
Using comedy, a whodunit- style mystery, and every slasher clich. Beyond any academic praise you want to heap on the film, at the same time Scream is all of these things, it’s also a great horror film, one that is inventive and funny and harrowing all at the same time.
The Blair Witch Project. Similar in spirit (if not style) to producer/director William Castle’s attempts in the 1. The Blair Witch Project was bolstered by fairly extensive pre- release buzz that sold the central story of three missing documentary filmmakers as genuine truth. It’s safe to say that approach was effective, as the film eventually grossed almost $2. At that point, . By choosing indirect and abstract scares to keep viewers unsettled, and letting . Rarely has a less- is- more strategy panned out so successfully.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. An argument can be made that only bad films should get the remake treatment, but 1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a monolith of an exception. Perhaps it isn’t better in every way than the 1. Jack Finney’s novel), but it’s one hell of a lot more effective as a horror film.
Best Cult Classic Movies Of All Time. Earlier this month, we got the first real look at the remake of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and it got some mixed reactions. While some loved seeing Laverne Cox as Dr Frank- N- Furter (and knowing that the original star, Tim Curry, would be back as the criminologist!), others felt that the remake is unnecessary.
After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! And the original Rocky Horror Picture Show is most definitely not broken. In fact, it remains one of the best- loved cult films of all time, with cities the world over hosting midnight showings – extravaganza productions where fans dress up, sing, dance, and generally celebrate the awesomeness that is this classic movie. While other big name “cult” films have crossed over into the mainstream as accepted classics (such as Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Donnie Darko and A Clockwork Orange), Rocky Horror remains gloriously niche – perhaps it’s just a little too weird to be anything else. Although Rocky Horror will always be king of the cult, there are plenty other amazing films with a dedicated fanbase that deserve to be watched.
Withnail and I (1. This bleak British comedy focuses on two out of work actors, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and “I” (Paul Mc. Gann). The pair live together, drink together, do drugs together, and bemoan their failing careers together – although Withnail is definitely the worse off of the two. When they decide that they need to take a break from their squalid London flat, the pair go to the country cottage of Withnail’s Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths). The humor may be very dark, but it is razor sharp throughout, and the acting is superb.
Withnail & I is a morose look at the kind of low- income bohemian lifestyle that many pretended to aspire to (although few actually wanted it), and represents some of the best of British cult cinema. The Genetic Opera (2.
Set in a dark, dystopian future where a worldwide epidemic has led to giant (evil) corporation Gene. Co financing organs, Repo! As a result of Gene. Co’s work, many can survive. If not, the dreaded repo man will come to reclaim the organs in the most brutal way possible. Others are addicted to surgery and the painkillers that are used for it, including Amber Sweet (Paris Hilton), the daughter of Gene.
Co’s CEO. Amber and her two brothers battle it out for control of Gene. Co as Shilo (Alexa Pena.
Vega), the repo man’s daughter, sneaks out to search for a cure to her genetic disease. The film melds elements of horror and graphic novels with a murder mystery to create a perfect gothic adventure. Oh, and did we mention it’s a musical?
Clue (1. 98. 5)Based on the board game of the same name, Clue is a comedic take on the classic murder mystery, with the game characters trapped inside a Gothic mansion with a murderer – or is the murderer one of them? As well as many call outs to the game (the locations, names and weapons remain the same), the creators also chose to release three different endings to the film. The alternate endings were shown in different theaters – although all three were included with the home release. Starring Tim Curry as the butler, Clue is a comedy first and foremost, with the kind of simple gags that were so popular in similar movies from the ’8. It’s not subtle, but it’s certainly a lot of fun – just like the game that inspired it.
Big Trouble In Little China (1. A Western- inspired modern take on the damsel in distress story, Big Trouble In Little Chinafollows two friends into the magical underworld of San Francisco’s Chinatown. In the course of their adventures to rescue Wang Chi’s (Dennis Dun) fianc. With plenty of camp and some hilariously over- the- top fight scenes, this is a fantastic action- comedy that has become a cult classic despite a terrible original box office showing (and some admittedly less- than- appropriate depictions of Asian culture).
The Warriors (1. 97. A dark journey through the night of New York’s ganglands, The Warriors paints a picture of a city overrun by different gangs, including the Warriors themselves. Starting with a truce called, the Warriors join nearly a hundred other gang delegations at a meeting run by “the one and only” Cyrus (Roger Hill). Cyrus wants to band together to take over the city, and it looks like he will convince the gangs. A cult film for the punk subculture, The Warriors has developed a huge following, with the most famous line in the film (“Warriors, come out to pla- ay”) parodied across pop culture to this day. Can you dig it? 1. Death Race 2. 00.
A gory and pun- filled action flick, Death Race 2. United Provinces is controlled by a single political (and religious) party and headed up by “Mr. President.” Gory “sports” keeps the masses entertained, including the annual death race – where cars compete to get from coast to coast. President when he wins. Download Film Circus Kane (2017) on this page. Action, confusion, romance, and lots and lots of explosions follow in a fantastic cult film that has since spawned a comic book series and a 2. Clerks (1. 99. 4)Still one of Kevin Smith’s best- known films, Clerks has long been a favorite film of the disenfranchised minimum- wage worker (much as Office Space is to the cubicle dwellers of the world).
A classic day- in- the- life format centers on Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), two clerks who work at a convenience store and video store next to each other. Dante is focused on the mess that is his love life – rekindling things with a cheating ex (who happens to have just gotten engaged), dealing with a current girlfriend who is more sexually experienced than he is, and finding out that another ex has just died. On top of his personal life, he has to cope with rude customers, crazy customers, litigious customers, and even a customer who dies in the store bathroom.
Nerdy, funny, and offbeat, Clerks was an incredible first film for Smith. Plus, of course, it introduced the world to Jay and Silent Bob! Labyrinth (1. 98. David Bowie gives a stunningly weird performance as the star of this fantasy musical, and although it was far from his only foray onto the big screen, it remains his most popular. Bowie is The Goblin King, accidentally conjured by a sixteen year old girl named Sarah (Jennifer Connelly). When Sarah is left to babysit her baby brother, she calls for goblins to take him away – never guessing that it could actually happen.
When it does, she is transported to a magical kingdom and must solve a labyrinth in order to free her baby brother and prevent him from becoming a goblin himself. Created by Jim Henson, many of the creatures she meets are Muppet- style critters, giving the film a slightly surreal feel – at times we expect it to fall back on it all being a dream, but it never does.
Blending fantasy, reality, music and the Starman himself, it’s no wonder that Labyrinth has such a cult following. Showgirls (1. 99. The film that took Elizabeth Berkley from wholesome teen star of Saved By The Bell to a full- blown sex symbol, Showgirls is a wonderfully sleazy look at the world of dancers in Las Vegas.
Berkley stars as Nomi, a young woman who hitchhikes her way to Vegas, at which point her suitcase is stolen and she is left with nothing but her wits. She befriends a seamstress, who remains her only true friend as Nomi works her way from the stage of a strip club to the star of a Vegas show.
A very new age version of rags to riches, Showgirls questions whether success is really worth it in the cutthroat world of show business. Of course, there’s also a lot of gratuitous nudity, over the top “sexy” scenes, and some girl on girl kissing. It may be a cult classic, but it’s definitely not classy! Plan 9 From Outer Space (1. One of the original cult films, Plan 9 From Outer Space falls squarely into the “so bad it’s good” category, and has managed to find fans despite being considered by some critics to be one of the worst films ever made.