MP-Lily

Doesn't have to be a specific amount. This is just my essay giving my thoughts, you don't have to read it all. Wanted to include The Shining but I haven't been able to watch it in too long to give an honest opinion

1 - The Thing by John Carpenter. So many layers. Creature effects are staggering. Paced just right, never too slow to dull the tension or too fast to feel rushed, the build-up to the creature is thought-provoking, the characters are all memorable (seriously juggling 12 characters is insane), the concept is creepy, the unrest among the cast leaves you guessing and the way deaths are set-up by surprise where you can't be sure when someone got taken over is brilliant, there are discussions to this day over when characters were taken over. The creature itself is gut-wrenching, its noises and transformations are literal hell. Really believable it's an alien parasite, holy shit. The atmosphere is spot on, too, you feel the harsh cold of Antarctica with the howling winds and icy corners

2 - Alien. Simple, straightforward, timeless. The way Alien leaves the creature a mystery makes you think about what could exist out in space. It may have the best use of lighting I've seen. The dark spaceship corners leave you feeling lost in a maze and unsure where the creature could be. Our protagonists feel like real people. Nobody sticks out for you to guess who'll live. This is horror in art form. Only edged behind The Thing for the paranoia and because it IS a wee slow. I understand that's necessary for build-up, but 50 minutes before anything significant happens is a tad excessive. The corporate corruption aspect was a nice twist that gave Alien some depth

3 - The Terminator. This is the best all-around movie here. But I'm talking only horror and 3 is where it comes out. James Cameron fused Halloween and Blade Runner to create a masterpiece. Absolute dread persists throughout the whole film. The idea of machines ending humanity is scary and increasingly real. Perfect pace. The cinematography is jaw-dropping. Every frame has purpose. Gore is treated like candy, there are so many bloody bits it's nuts, down to the T-800 deteriorating over time to its exoskeleton, which is a horrifying antagonist. That droning heartbeat score when it's nearby? It's probably the most relentless killer out of all of the ones from these movies IMO. What makes Terminator special is it emulates a typical slasher format but throws you for a loop with two things: One? It removes the safety net. Slashers before then usually had a moment of relief around authority figures. In Terminator, the entire first 70% is spent shattering that trope. Cops don't just never catch up in time, but when they finally acquire Sarah and Kyle, the precinct gets slaughtered in a bloodbath out of nowhere when it seemed they'd discouraged the machine. That scene was the "oh shit" moment that let you know this was next level. Two, it's a love story. Using time travel to tell a touching message of hope through darkness. The love story elevates Terminator from a typical horror movie into a beautiful tale. In fact, it's such a quality movie, flies so far in the stigma that horror is just cheap gross out, that some don't even consider it in that genre. But yeah, James Cameron did say he made it as a sci-fi horror movie. In conclusion, the only reason it's lower than Thing and Alien for me is, it just isn't as scary. Jumpscares aren't as effective and only a few alone with the killer parts when they had that as half of their runtime

4 - Night/Dawn/Day Of The Dead. Included George Romero's trilogy as one slot since in my mind they're a package. I had to edge this over #5 for establishing all the zombie rules. Night is legitimately one of the scariest movies of all time. Probably the scariest here in my mind, it is nightmare fuel, engaging all the way. Dawn is an action packed swashbuckling thrill ride that perfectly juxtaposes Night, being a commentary on consumerism and telling us there's always a reason to go on, and doesn't remove the tension. Day is fun and drives home the overarching theme of humanity. Zombie effects are top notch and improve with each entry, characters are likable and unlikable whenever they're supposed to be and have surprising depth, love the score, they're thrilling films that tell a moral message. In one word: Iconic

5 - A Nightmare On Elm Street. Such a creative premise. The concept of being attacked in your dreams, and it affecting your real world state, is disturbing, and it goes all out on that idea. The score, funny enough, makes the movie feel like a fever dream, which adds to the surreal atmosphere as a whole. This wasn't just some other throwaway gorefest slasher, it stuck with you. It was intelligent. Freddy Krueger was legit scary. Maybe not so much now as grown adults, but as teens he was the boogeyman. Kept in shadows and mysterious. It isn't enough for the bastard to kill in overly grotesque reality bending ways, he screws with the characters' minds. It does a good job making you want to see him destroyed. When the phone rings after it'd been detached, it was a heart stopper. That first kill? What the fuck. That scene will always be hard to watch

6 - Halloween. What can I say that's never been said about it? There is something indescribably visceral but poetic about how it's shot. This is simplicity at its best. It's a perfect self-contained movie that doesn't need sequels (though I don't mind Halloween 2). I will admit Laurie's friends kinda annoy me on rewatch, I'm sure they're representing party girls of that era, but idk the constant use of "totally" was obnoxious. Did people really talk like that? That aside, brilliant suspense that set the benchmark, love the score, best October film

7 - Jaws. The reason I'm afraid of deep water. Something snatching you from below is a terrifying thought. Like Terminator, there's quality character work here that elevates it above a standard movie of its genre. Superb acting and hiding the shark for shock value is rightfully credited when this movie gets talked about, it really pays off in the final act. It isn't just a great genre entry, it's a great movie period

8 - Jurassic Park. Admittedly, I cheated, as it isn't a full horror film, but I feel its impact on creature features deserves a spot. When we think dinosaur horror, JP comes to mind. We've all had nightmares growing up about that movie. Without JP, there wouldn't be Dino Crisis. So that's good enough. The safari atmosphere is perfect. Great sense of wonder, capturing the grace and terror of nature. The Rex breakout and raptors in the kitchen scenes are heart-stopping, effects are incredible, and relatable characters