One of the things I love about James's lists and Monster Madness videos is that he is clearly able to think for himself, and won't mindlessly praise a film or name it number one just because the rest of the Internet insists that he does so.
same with video games which is why he's become an idol of sorts to me as far as being proud of my own opinion and trying to inspire others to think for themselves as well ❤
I love that Pumpkinhead got a shoutout. I'm surprised The Thing (John Carpenter version) was neglected to just a shoutout though, since it has some of the best special effects of all time.
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown" ― H.P. Lovecraft There's a lot horror films I like in 80s, The Thing is definitely in top 3. Besides the top notch gore effect, something that able to BE you that really frightens me.
"Bronze age" referring to the 70s and 80s collection of horror movies is something James made up. If you wanna follow suit, then be my guest. But don't be surprised if no one else knows what you're talking about.
The Shining is more than just a great horror film, it's the masterwork of a master artist. Kubrick was a certifiable genius, and the level of depth he built into each shot of that film is so full of detail that you can watch it a dozen times and *still* not fully comprehend all that there is to see in the movie.
@@joshprendiz71 That movie just never did anything for me. I feel like if you are going to have Nicholson start out as a pretty normal guy, and then snap, there needs to be a better explanation. Either something in his back story that made him prone to cabin fever or some defined supernatural element. An example of a better movie is Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows. The characters in that movie were a little unhinged to begin with, then they face supernatural forces, then they snap. I have loved other movies Kubrick has done. With 2001, he had minimal dialogue and left a lot up to the imagination, but the execution was spot on and it worked with the subject matter. The Shining just didn't measure up.
Jason lasusa . Thanks for commenting ,But clearly you do not know the way Kubrick does films,,Blair witch is garbage and has nothing to do with what i was talking about,Someday it will make more sense ._lol._GG.
I realize that this list ( especially the 70's movies ) it totally subjective to personal preference. And although that I do not totally agree with these lists, I do appreciate the time and effort that goes in to making these videos. Great job James.
Everybody else hearing James' daughter upstairs on the background in the beginning of Nightmare on Elm Street? Well I have and listen with headset on so I heard more clearly.
Second best. There were more original concepts born in the 70s and most of the all-time classics were from the 70s. Ask people what the best sci-fi horror film is and most say Alien (1979), best slasher? usually said to be Halloween (1978), best zombie movie? usually said to be Dawn of the Dead (1978), etc. The 80s had tons of great, original horror movies. But it was also swamped in shitty slasher movies that served no purpose other than to show blood, gore and tits. Now don't get me wrong, I like those things, but it certainly wasn't as artful an era as the 70s.
+Vatsala काली Jhaveri What are you talking about? Everyone knows the best era for Sci-Fi were the 1930's. You can't get more Sci-Fi than Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon.
"Return of the Living Dead" is an alternate sequel to "NOTLD." Some of the dialogue explains that the original movie is based on actual events, but the military wouldn't allow all the actual facts to be revealed. That's part of the fun of a very fun horror movie.
Is it really a sequel though? It doesn't take place in the same universe as Night of the Living Dead, but says that movie was based on a true story. ROTLD is following that "true story", not universe where people were trapped in the farmhouse. These zombies run and eat brains. In my opinion that's not so much a sequel. But ROTLD is my favorite zombie movie of all time.
@@faz6877 Like I said, that brilliant explanation connects the 2 films as does the John Russo affiliation as co-writer of both films. And I said "alternate sequel." Nit-pick if you will, but I stand by my words.
Nice Top20! Glad to see some Dario Argento in there. 70s and 80s were amazing times for the italian horror/thriller genre. Such great directors and screenwriters for the likes of Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Pupi Avati, Michele Soavi, Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato, etc.
Kinda, for what I heard, he had meat by an Animal under his trousers, where the chainsaw cut. Beneath that was a metal Plate which went hot, because of the friction by the chainsaw and burned him.
Tbf, Evil Dead 2 isn't really a remake, it's just that they couldn't get the rights to the original movie, forcing them to reshoot scenes for the flashbacks.
My own choices for these two decades: 1970s: 10. Phantom of the Paradise 9. Taste the Blood of Dracula 8. Carrie 7. Suspiria 6. The Exorcist 5. The Wicker Man 4. Jaws 3. Halloween 2. Alien 1. Dawn of the Dead Honorable mentions: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Salem's Lot, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Nosferatu the Vampyre, The Vampire Lovers, Zombi 2, 1980s: 10. Near Dark 9. Return of the Living Dead 8. Monster Squad 7. Evil Dead II 6. Evil Dead 5. The Lost Boys 4. The Thing 3. Gremlins 2. Day of the Dead 1. An American Werewolf in London Honorable mentions: Aliens, Creepshow, Fright Night, Nightmare on Elm Street 1 and 3, Friday the 13th 4, 6 and 7, Halloween II, The Howling, The Burning, City of the Living Dead
Was near dark about the family of vampires that are traveling around and even blacking out the windows of cars so they could drive in the sun? Also had a young boy vampire in the family. If so that's one I'd love to see again. I use to watch it on HBO as a kid a bunch back in the day.
City of the Living Dead ? man, that movie suck ass, the zombies-ghost idea is so original, but barely appears on the entire movie, and ending is fucking horrible, is not a bad movie.. but not to even put as honorable mention
Wait, American Werewolf is too much of a comedy, but Evil Dead 2 and Return of the Living Dead are on the list? Return is fucking HILARIOUS. I quote that fucker all the time.
I guess Evil Dead 2 is just too much of a cult movie to leave out, and Return of the Living Dead... well... let's face it, if you're an old-school zombie fan you cannot not include that film in a horror movie list...
These last few years smaller studios like Blumhouse and A24 have been releasing some absolute bangers... Hereditary, The Witch, It Follows etc... hope we get your opinions on some of these modern classics James.
It's both. It definitely has elements of a slasher film. You're always anticipating when the shark is going to strike next. And, much like in slasher films, its victims are mainly teenagers and tourists.
Yeah its not horror anymore for sure but you have to remember back then when it came out it was the scariest thing ever for a lot of people. So eh, horror so-so.
the shining is a bit overrated in my opinion. the cinematography is amazing like most of kubrick's movies, but it seems like it's missing a ton of story.
I felt really uncomfortable with Jaws being no.1 70s horror, just like I did with King Kong being the top 30s horror, they just seem the wrong genre entirely. I would definitely put Alien as being the top 70s horror and the Thing as the top 80s, but its evident that James values his splatter gore stuff, so it's not too surprising that didn't happen- but not even having Thing in the top 10 at all is perplexing.
The Thing, The Blob, The Fly, The fucking 80's rule. My favorite though is Day of the Dead, which I got introduced to from a while ago from Monster Madness. So glad you put it on this list. Thanks so much for the past 10 years... Groovy.
Just a quick note - wanted to thank you for all your work over the years - really great content, and I think you are doing a service exposing the internet generation that was not brought up in the era of pre-cable and VHS rentals to the treasures of the past.
I went and seen Tom Savini at a seminar at Univ of South Alabama back in the mid-2000's. He told us about the scene where Captain Rhodes is torn apart by the zombies at the end of Day of The Dead. If you look closely at the face of Joe Pitalo- The actor that plays Rhodes, he has the most convincing facial features of pure shock and disgust as hes being dismembered. The reason is because hes really about to pass out and vomit at the same time, because the special effects gore is actually sheep, pig, and cow intestines and they had them stored in a reefer unit. Well the night before the shooting of that scene the reefer unit completely broke down and they were out of time and money and had to use the intestines anyways and he said they had started turning and rotting and had the worst smell hes ever smelled. And this is coming from a Combat Medic in Vietnam. He said that he wasnt able to participate in the original Night of The Living Dead because he had to go to Vietnam. So Romero let Tom Savini have complete control of the 1990 remake as tribute to all of Savini's hard work and dedication in all of Romeros other films and the fact he wasn't able to participate in the original. Tom Savini was a very nice and interesting person. I wish I could've been able to afford to go to his special effects school.
The movies James left out for me are Henry: Protrait of a Serial Killer. A lot of people thought that was a real, leaked snuff film at one point. Puppet Master and Razorback.
Honestly, it shouldn't have been in the list, yes there are some parts in the movie that get you, but when you make a movie and call it a horror, you have to make it scary, not just sprinkle little scary parts, just make it scary, and what ruins the film for me is the story, I felt there was too much, and it was long, and there were scenes that were not necessary, all in all, I still love the movie, it's good in some ways, and bad days, nothing will ever replace it
I think the 'Return' type zombies never took over because they were (with one film exception) invincible. There is no turning them back. Hope can be lost, hope can be betrayed, hope can be illusory, and hope can be frittered away with stupidity. But when the literal nuke just spreads them further still, there is no hope to begin with.
I was more or less behind you with the 1970s list, but we REALLY start parting ways in the 1980's... I find that's the case with a lot of people your age compared to people my age (45 and older) that are horror fans. AAWiL and Creepshow are too comedic to be horror but Return of the Living Dead and EVIL DEAD 2 aren't? Come on now. I will admit that my 1980's list often contains too much Carpenter (I am biased), but I can't see how people can exclude The Thing. No Creepshow? It's EC Comics come to life by some of the best horror names of the time! I also probably would have picked Dawn over Day and Friday the 13th part 2 because it encapsulates the quintessential slasher camp trope that the franchise is known for. I could go on and on... ;)
Return of the living Dead.. ? Overrated Can't kill them, kills the movie.. Zombies speaking a complete sentence.. Ridiculous. No excitement. ROTLD 2 is way better.
Modern age honorable mentions - The ring , The Others, The Orphanage, [Rec], The Conjuring, Saw, The Cabin in the Woods, It Follows ( and i dont know if shutter island is considered to be a horror movie ).
Your Bronze Age lists for both decades was awesome and pretty much the same as mine. I would have mentioned Maniac from 1980. Maniac was filmed in 79 but came out in 1980 and still has that nasty gritty 70’s tone. It also has great practical effects from Tom Savini and Rob Bottin And is a very creepy and disturbing movie. I gotta say that I loved how your number one pick for the 1980’s was Evil Dead 2. That’s my number one pick as well! This was a super fun video to watch and I can’t wait to see the next one!
Thanks for the shout out to Argento's Inferno, James. It's a personal favorite that ranks just behind Deep Red in Argento's canon. I'm tempted to argue that it's underrated, but I can understand how it wouldn't appeal to many viewers considering that narrative goes out the window in favor of stylized set pieces. But those set pieces, along with Keith Emerson's score, are often beautiful and hypnotic.
Long live the New Flesh! Seriously though, that was the weirdest body horror film I've ever seen. Never expected mutations involving videotapes and tvs. There's also a scrapped scene involving a tv rising from the tub like it was Aphrodite.
That's a good point, but I'm pretty sure he appreciate surreal imagery in some case because he seem to like the impressionist era of the silent age of the cinema (Frankenstein, Nosferatu, Dr. Calgari, etc) which share alot of similarity with the surrealism.
The Thing really should've been in there. Oh well. I wish Phantasm got some attention, too. For horror of the past decade or so, SAW and Paranormal Activity have had a number of entries and copycats. And there have been a number of zombie films. Those and movies that fit the Asian horror style pretty much make up horror movies beyond the 90s.
Great point. Most of the Phantasm series is excellent. In some ways The Tall Man is the most iconic of the horror villains. Not sure villains is quite the right word. But he's more frightening than Jason, Freddy....
I love Pumpkinhead almost as much as I love my father. The only difference is that I've never gotten Pumpkinhead killed in a wildebeest stampede. And yeah, leaving The Thing off is pretty bold. Some amazing creature effects there.
the thing is an amazing movie but I wouldnt say its teh best... definitely a top 5 though... for me I agree with his choice of evil dead 2 being number 1 since its one of my favorite movies of all time... I am surprised it didnt make the list though he probably omitted it since he previously put the original on on e of his other lists...
I don't find the Exorcist scary (and I'm a Catholic!), but I find it disturbing...there's nothing traditionally scary about it at all. Great film though. Exorcist III is a great sequel as well!
Cool list. Two movies come to mind.. The "Changeling" with George C Scott and the one that scared the crap outta me as a kid 1973's "The Legend of Hell House"
"As a whole the modern age is not breaking any ground" I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous; there have been a huge number of wonderful horror movies made between 1999 and now. It's just that theatrical distribution is down, movie rental stores were wrecked 10 years ago, and a lot of the horror options on streaming sites are positively septic. SEARCHING for horror movies is harder than it was in the 90s - because you could just go to the video store, grab an armload, and see what's good. But I constantly find recently made hidden gems.
I loved checking out the box art on all the Horror titles of my neighbor hood video store in the mid 80's early 90's. Fright Night was one of my favorites.
Great to see Evil Dead 2 on the top! One of my personal all time favorite! Maybe i have missed some vids but i loves to see reviews on these movies! * Bad Taste * Meet the Feebles * Darkman * Story of Ricky * Inside (À l'intérieur ) * Martyrs (French original version only!)
The second was shit but Blatty returned to do the screenplay and direct Exorcist 3 and I think it is by far the best. You have great acting with George C. Scott and Brad Dourif and the creep factor is way turned up.
Great list, James, although one slight nitpick: Return of the Living Dead is a meta sequel to Night of the Living Dead. The two main characters talk about the film and how it was based on a real event, that's where the canisters come from. John Russo, the writer of Night of the Living Dead, wrote a novel sequel to the film called... Return of the Living Dead. That's what the film is based on. When Russo moved away from collaborating with Romero, he had rights to "living dead" and that's why it doesn't appear in any of the other Romero films. So, in a bizarre way, Night of the Living Dead spawned two completely different series. ~ Mike
Billo1281 "They're Creeping Up in You", was the title...I think. God, those final shots of the segment are disturbing on a level rarely seen in movies. You see people ripped apart, you see things burst out of people...but you rarely see someone torn apart from all the things bursting out of them!
The raft is what did it for me. I'm a diehard horror fan and can sit through most movies unfazed but every time I see people get stuck to the lake blob and start screaming, I'm gibbering like a baby.
Did anyone else hear Jame's kid stompin around at 11:55 saying "daddddyyyy!!!" ?? or is it just me? lol and kinda looks like he reacts to it and keeps on talking.
Top 20 Modern Age (off the top of my head and in no order) As James mentioned... -Misery -Silence of the Lambs -Scream -Candyman But also... -The Descent -[REC] 2007 -The Ring -Let the Right One In -In The Mouth of Madness -It Follows -Don't Breathe -The Babadook -Audition -Trick 'r Treat -28 Days Later -Drag Me To Hell -The Mist -The House of the Devil (Honourable Mentions: The People Under the Stairs, Tremors, Triangle, Splinter, Evil Dead Remake)
Thank you so much for this video James! Finding horror gems thanks to you! Just watched The Return Of The Living Dead, it was fucking awsome! I Don't know how I missed this, since I'm a huge horror fan. It's so sad they can't make movies like that anymore. Anyways, I'm waiting for your 90's list, maybe you'll show me some more cool shit. Love from Hungary.
Honestly I was hoping for an in depth look at The Thing from his perspective. The effects in that movie are outstanding and we all know he loves that side of movies, they're still nightmarish today because they could very easily be real.
I love James but I thought the end was a little pretentious, the 90s was an amazing era for horror and that continued into the mid 2000s. I guess it's just preference. And where's the love for The Thing, should have been number 1 for the 80s, the practical effects are stunning.
yeah i agree. its especially hypocritical when hes doing a modern monday which contradicts his whole statement. also i wouldn't really call the 90s "modern" considering that its 20 years ago now.
But he's right. Most of the horror movies in the 90s didn't invented something new. Most of it was already established and did a spin on it. The only one remarkable in the 90s is, for me, the blair witch project that introduced the mockumentary trend to horror movies, which was copied again in paranormal activity Modern horror is using trends from this age, as clearly seen in It Follows, which is suprisingly aclaimed as the best horror movie in modern years And again, he said that the list shouldn't be taken seriously. They are all good recommendations, numbers don't matter. Special mentions are also there for a reason
Retro-Visor I can think of hundreds of horror movies made well after the 80s that are original, well made and brilliant in general. The descent is one of my favourite horror movies of all time and that was made well into the 2000s. Saying that horror movies became unoriginal after the 80s is ignorant.
Oh that movie. Its great, I like it too, but remember that its another movie about abnormal creatures hunting down humans, while humans have the typical social breakdown, and guess what, it ends with a twist. Evil Dead did that already, but It didn't do it in a cave and with a serious tone
Rewolver I know. That's why I added "a spin on it" Its small changes and few additions, but none had broke the basics of what was already established in this age That's why I mentioned The Blair Witch project as remarkable for its introduction of the mockumentary to the mainstream audience
Top 5 Modern Age The Ring, Silence of the Lambs, Scream, Blairsville Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Only because they each tried something different and attempted to take Horror in a new direction.
Good lists. Personally my favorite of all of these is Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. My mother sat me down and had me watch it one night, but didn't say a word to all the questions I had. It certainly is a psychological horror. I may be more open to the slow pace, but to me it grows the suspense and uneasiness at just the right pace to make a great climax. It is by far my favorite movie of all time, but that's just me.
My dad went to high school with Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi. I remember my sci fi teacher had a clipping from our school paper that Bruce was in back when he went to my school.
Matt Coy that's awesome! just picturing 14 year old Bruce saying "hail to the chief baby!" cracks me the hell up. id LOVE to see his yearbook pictures.
Found footage flicks don't have classic appeal or staying power. It was a cheap gimmick that was used to add artificial realism to low budget horror films.
Like a lot of people, bit shocked that John Carpenter's The Thing didn't make the list, let along get an honorable mention. That movie terrified me back when I saw it in 1998. But it's your list and I can hardly say that anything on it is undeserving.
The thing about The Omen is that it’s meant to be interpreted two different ways. You could accept the fact that Damien is the son of Satan or everything that happens in it could be just a series of strange and unusual coincidences. The deaths that occur in the film have a plausible explanation. If you are a believer in the supernatural or a religious person you could say that the devil is behind everything that happens. If not you would take it as just a random thing that occurs in life such as accidents.
Shit, I'm gonna be "that guy", but I feel it needs to be said... Return of the Living Dead isn't really "totally unrelated" to the other Dead films. For one, it was based on a story originally written by John Russo, who co-wrote Night of the Living Dead with Romero. When they parted ways, he retained the rights to any films with the title "Living Dead" (which is why the Romero films continued with just "of the Dead" in the title). Also, the plot of Return is basically that Night was a film based on a true story, and the Zombie outbreak was covered up by the government... so the film is somewhat of a sequel to Night, but played more like a parody. Having said all that, I feel like I deserve to have Mike mock me with his pedantic geek voice for correcting you.
True, supposedly it has nothing to do with the story, though I haven’t read it . Now which is better? Russo’s Dead sequel? Or Henkel’s TCM sequel? Compared to originals, anyway.
James Miller He’s correct though and this entire list is essentially horror movie facts. James got one wrong, and he’s correcting him. Where’s the issue, guy?
I would argue Evil Dead 2 and Return of the Living Dead are more comedy than horror. Personally, the original Evil Dead was a better horror film than the sequel.
They are definitely horror comedies, but you're saying if you had a video store they would go in the comedy section over horror? I don't think infusing comedy makes these classics any less horror.
Lovely Molly. I know it has mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, but I believe it is one of the stand out great horror movies of the last 20 years. It is definitely a slow burn, but it has just the right mix of pacing, tension, uncertainty, and character development to really deliver a fantastic experience. Unlike many many other horror movies, this one has a fantastic ending which doesn't disappoint by ending on a underwhelming note.
Wait.... Pumpkinhead made the top ten but, The Thing only got an honorable mention?!?! The Thing is easily in the top three of 80’s horror. Personally, it’s my favorite of the decade.
Masked Guy yeah those were the two weakest entries because he was barely in both. I remember being so pumped for Jason Goes To Hell, but was so let down leaving that theatre
"Do you ever wonder about all the different ways of dying? You know, violently? And wonder, like, what would be the most horrible way to die?" I love Trash
