Dracula (1931)

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Dracula is the first of its kind. This was the movie that started the Universal movie monsters craze that swept the 30s and 40s. I want to say I do like this movie quite a bit, though not as much as Frankenstein. The reasoning behind that is simple. The Frankenstein movie took a lot of liberties from a source material I didn’t like very much. Dracula took a great deal of liberties from a source material I absolutely loved. The most memorable and entertaining aspect of this movie for me was Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. This did lead to a similar problem that I had with Frankenstein. The rest of the cast wasn’t very memorable, and lacked the charm and charisma that Lugosi maintained through the entire movie. I remember pieces of scenes here and there, but never full scenes. I understand that this is a horror classic, but, for me, I like the book better. Again, keep in mind, I don’t think it’s a bad movie at all. I think it’s good enough that I could find something in the movie to enjoy. I appreciate what it started, but I can’t count it among my favorite horror films.   

8 / 10 

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

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Silence of the Lambs remains one of the darkest, grittiest, most disturbing, realistic horror films of all time. It is the first, and as far as I know, only horror film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. The movie, and Anthony Hopkins’s Performance helped make Hannibal Lecter an iconic character. Few people seem to remember Ted Levine’s terrifying portrayal of Buffalo Bill. The character is frightening, especially with how much he feels like an actual serial killer. The film is well-written, and the tension really builds. The building tension is perhaps best utilized through the movie’s climax. The movie also understands the importance of less is more. When Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling is shown a picture of what Lecter did to a nurse, we the audience never really see what she sees. We just know it’s horrible. Couple that with the bone-chilling line “His pulse never got above 85.” Like the film Seven, much of the movie’s violent images seem to be a backdrop, until the conclusion. Spectacular direction, an all-around fantastic cast, and superb writing make for film that is great to watch on Halloween, but can easily be viewed any time of the year. 

10 / 10 

Scream (1996)

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Scream is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s one of the first horror movies to balance dark laughs that poke fun at the cliches in slasher flicks of the 70s and 80s, and good fun scares that pay homage to them. The opening brings a lot of tension to the table, as does the film’s climax. Many of the deaths contained within the film are swift and brutal. As a mystery fan, I like the whodunit aspect, and the way the movie utilizes it. Actor Jamie Kennedy is an actor I don’t normally like. Here, I think he is amazing, and I can’t think of another actor who could possibly play the role of Randy. This is the movie that made an icon out of Ghostface, with a slick look and the terrifying possibility that anybody could be him because he is a Halloween costume. Neve Campbell is very good in the movie as the character of Sidney, as does Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers, doing everything in her power to break the Monica Gellar type-casting. This is the  first horror movie I ever saw, and the movie that made me fall in love with horror movies.  

10 / 10 

The Brood (1979)

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The Brood is a movie that did something few horror movies do to me. It left me speechless for several minutes. At first, certain plot elements seemed to be unimportant. Then, the climax put everything into perspective. Director David Croenenberg helms what may just be a masterpiece of horror. The last ten minutes were absolutely terrifying, as were several other points of the film. The film is very well acted. The children in the film are absolutely terrifying nightmare fuel, and the tension building in the movie is incredible. It took a while, but in the end, the ultimate reaction I came to in relation to this movie was that I love it, and see why it is considered a horror classic. The makeup effects are really good, and the titular brood look like evil little beasts that seem to come straight from Hell. Some moments in the movie will absolutely confuse you, and I think that might just be a good thing with a movie like this There are certain moments in the movie that are just disgusting enough that they’ll make you cringe. This is one movie that will definitely make you reconsider the decision to have kids.     

10 / 10 

Saw (2004)

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Saw could hardly be called the greatest horror movie ever made. That said, there’s still plenty to like in this movie. I’m just going to look at Saw on it’s own, not base it off what it spawned (torture porn). The first Saw is fun film to watch if you go in blind. This is the movie that birthed the  modern day horror icon that is Jigsaw. It gave us a new director who I think really gets horror. He doesn’t throw out any jump scares. He lets the atmosphere and the mood sink in, something I really have to respect. Unlike the later films, the gore and the traps are simple and take a backseat to the characters. The movie may have it’s share of questionable performances, but I have to give credit to Tobin Bell and Michael Emerson, who really put their all into their characters. The twist ending will leave you with your mouth wide open in disbelief. This is probably the tightest in terms of its story, since as the films continue, the plot holes become more noticeable. It relies on what you don’t see. The movie is a lot of fun, despite some noticeable flaws. 

8 / 10  

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

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It’s been fourteen years since the first Harry Potter movie was released in theaters. I got the chance to see it in theaters again, which was awesome. For the most part, Sorcerer’s Stone does a really good job of following the book. Some of the changes that were made don’t really bother me that much. The actors were all good in my opinion. Alan Rickman was handpicked by author J.K. Rowling to play Snape, and I don’t think a better choice could have been made. The acting, writing, and directing were fantastic. The unfortunate thing about the movie is that a lot of the visual effects haven’t held up too well for me. I could almost always tell when they used a CG version of Daniel Radcliffe. The green screen was pretty noticeable, and some of the creatures don’t look as good as they used to. Looking at the movie now, the fact that the special effects didn’t really hold up unfortunately does take it down a notch for me. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the movie. I do. In every other way, it has help remarkably well. It’s still a fun fantasy movie that deserves classic status. 

9 / 10  

Top 50 Favorite Movies (50 - 41)

#50. Demolition Man: Demolition Man offers up some pretty cool 90s action, and an insane but charismatic villain in Wesley Snipes's Simon Phoenix. The more and more I see it, the more and more fun it gets. 

#49. Trick 'r Treat: I am a huge fan of horror movies. Trick 'r Treat is a more recent addition to the horror genre that packs a pretty equal amount of scares and dark laughs, as well as Sam, one of my personal favorite horror villains. It's a modern Halloween classic, and for good reason. 

#48. Whiplash: The most recent movie on the list for me, Whiplash was one of those movies I started out liking, but when it got to a certain point, from then on I loved it. I've seen it three times now, and I like more every time I watch it. 

#47. Ghostbusters: Ghostbusters is just one of those movies for me that seems to be endlessly quotable. Billy Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis are a great comedic trio. It's a movie that always gets me laughing, or saying one of the lines from the movie without thinking about it.

#46. Armageddon: Armageddon came out around a time when Michael Bay really did seem to have a promising future. Yes, the dialogue is cheesy, but Bruce Willis's heroic sacrifice towards the end of the movie always gets to me. but this is still the one Bay movie I can just enjoy no matter what. I really do miss the Michael Bay of the 90s. 

#45. The Hangover: I'm not sure what it is, but there really is something about The Hangover that I just love. The visual gags just work so well for me, whether it's a stolen tiger waking up in the back seat of a car in an attempt to return it, or the three main characters opening the trunk only to have a naked asian man leap out and start attacking them. 

#44. Aliens: It was really a toss-up deciding between the first two movies, but I chose the second one because it did everything a sequel should do. It ups the ante, the amount of the aliens and the body count. Opting for an action movie approach as opposed to a horror element also works in the movie's favor. 

#43. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Darker, grittier, and more realistic than its predecessor, The Winter Soldier is the movie that seems to have really changed how the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to look and feel. I love the action sequences in the movie, and the chemistry between Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson. 

#42. How to Train Your Dragon 2: I love the attention to detail in the movie's animation, as well as the progression of the characters and their internal and external struggles. The movie introduces a bigger cinematic size and scope that I really cannot ignore. 

#41. Commando: If I were told to choose an absolute favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, it would have to be this one. His one-liners are at their best. His on-screen body count is at its highest. The action scenes get so stupid, I just can't help but love them.