Rotten Tomatoes List The Top 75 Horror Films Of All Time

[Mitch Henessey]

Rotten Tomatoes many different lists can be fun to look at, and I usually take a look at their horror lists each year. It's Halloween season, and this list does include some of the most famous horror films ever, but some of the choices on this list are mind-boggling.

Here's the list:

#75- The Exorcist (1973)
#74- They Live (1988)
#73- The Sixth Sense (1996)
#72- The Blair Witch Project (1999)
#71- An American Werewolf In London (1981)
#70- Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986)
#69- The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1969)
#68- Poltergeist (1982)
#67- Horror Of Dracula (1958)
#66- The Dead Zone (1983)
#65- Phantom Of The Opera (1925)
#64- The Shining (1980)
#63- Near Dark (1987)
#62- 28 Days Later (2003)
#61- The Devil's Backbone (2001)
#60- Misery (1990)
#59- Cronos (1993)
#58- Eraserhead (1977)
#57- The Wicker Man (1974)
#56- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
#55- The Fly (1986)
#54- Fright Night (1985)
#53- Re-Animator (1985)
#52- Let Me In (2010)
#51- Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
#50- Carrie (1976)
#49- I walked With A Zombie (1943)
#48- The Mummy (1932)
#47- Cat People (1942)
#46- Zombieland (2009)
#45- Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1931)
#44- Village Of The Damned (1960)
#43- House On Haunted Hill (1958)
#42- Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu the Vampyre) (1979)
#41- Suspiria (1977)
#40- Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
#39- Halloween (1978)
#38- Peeping Tom (1960)
#37- Ringu (Ring) (1988)
#36- Theater Of Blood (1973)
#35- The Fly (1958)
#34- Martin (1978)
#33- House Of Wax (1958)
#32- The Wolf Man (1941)
#31- A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
#30- Drag Me To Hell (2009)
#29- Don't Look Now (1973)
#28- The Innocents (1961)
#27- Dracula (1931)
#26- Dead Of Night (1945)
#25- The Birds (1963)
#24- Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
#23- The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
#22- Freaks (1932)
#21- Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
#20- Evil Dead 2 (1987)
#19- Deep Red (1975)
#18- Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
#17- Eyes Without A Face (1962)
#16- Let The Right One In (2008)
#15- Vampyr- Der Traum des Allan Grey (1931)
#14- The Night Of The Hunter (1955)
#13- Jaws (1975)
#12- Rosemary's Baby (1968)
#11- The Evil Dead (1981)
#10- Aliens (1986)
#9- Alien (1979)
#8- Frankenstein (1931)
#7- The Invisible Man (1933)
#6- Repulsion (1965)
#5- Nosferatu, a symphony of horror (1922)
#4- The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)
#3- The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
#2- Psycho (1960)
#1- King Kong (1933)

If you want to take a look at the cool movie posters and the critics consensus for each film, the entire list is presented here, and Rotten Tomatoes explains their method for the formula they used to create this list: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/horror_countdown_2011/

Of course, a lot of people are pissed off about The Exorcist landing the bottom spot. But to tell you the truth, this doesn't bother me too much. I'll admit the #75 ranking might be a little harsh, but I've always thought The Exorcist was one of the most overrated films ever. It's not a bad film at all, because The Exorcist can feel genuinely scary and eerie most of the time. But a lot of people will praise this film as the king of horror, and I've never been able to buy into this.

As far as King Kong grabbing the number one spot goes, I can't say I agree with this. Really, I think this is just one of those controversy selections. They know this pick will drive true horror fans nuts, and this will pull that "ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" reaction out of them. This pick will make people talk, and this pick will create a heated discussion.

I'll admit, I haven't seen every film on here, but this list does have some questionable picks. I enjoyed Drag Me To Hell, and I love Sam Raimi, but this film wasn't that good. I thought it was average at best, and this film doesn't compare to any of the Evil Dead films. Also, I can't believe The Sixth Sense snagged a spot. Yes. I do hate M. Night Shyamalan, but I will give the man some credit. All of his films aren't horrible, and The Sixth Sense doesn't belong on his shit list, because it isn't a bad film at all. But Scream (1996) could've been a very suitable replacement for this film.

And don't be too surprised at the Saw hate here. No Saw films made the list, and this doesn't surprise me, because the majority of the reviews that are posted on Rotten Tomatoes always trash the Saw films, and these critics HATE the Saw films with a passion, and none of the Saw films have a positive overall rating.

Do you agree with this list?

Did some films receive unfair treatment here?

If you had a choice, which film or films would you pick to add to the list?

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Only one J-Horror, but 2 comedies in Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland? Wow, that's pretty shocking I have to say. I'm also not totally sure about Aliens being there too. The first is more of a standard horror type plot with one creature slowly taking out the crew, but Aliens seemed to be more of an action-adventure film than a horror.

I don't have a big problem with the majority of the rest of the films being included though. Granted I haven't seen, I'd guess, at least half of them, I was happy to see such films as Night of the Hunter, The Wicker Man and Rosemary's Baby in there. Having said that, I just had a thought... where the hell is The Thing (1980)?

But yeah, not sold on King Kong getting top-spot and The Shining being so low on the list. Not that I'd say The Shining is the number 1 horror film, but it'd be less controversial to see that claim top-spot.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Do you agree with this list?
No way,the rankings must have been done by Ray Charles because the good movies are there just not in order at all. Also I have to say it,so please forgive me to playing into it but ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? King motherfucking Kong? I should print this list out and us it as TP because this shit is insane, I know a Rotten Tomatoes list is nothing to get fired up over and they do tend to lean towards older classics but I am not a fan of this list at all.

Did some films receive unfair treatment here?
Without a doubt, how the hell do you put The Shining or(what bothers me most) Texas Chainsaw Massacre so damn low on the list, but give King Kong #1? Even Silence of The Lambs which was #23 still deserves to be much higher, atleast bordering the top ten.

If you had a choice, which film or films would you pick to add to the list?
Definitely the first that comes to mind is Childs Play, I loved the first and I even enjoyed 2-5 but the first definitely deserves a spot on this list, that's a goddamn classic and I'm very surprised it didn't make the list. The other two are more wishful thinking, I would put Stephen King's IT and Leprechaun down for a spot somewhere around the 30s. Leprechaun is more of a goofy but creepy horror movie that I loved, but IT is a legitimately scary movie aside from the anti climactic ending but the rest of the movie with Tim Curry as Pennywise the clown definitely scared the shit out of me as a kid.

 

[Dagger Dias]

KING KONG!? Really!?

Whoever made this list has no idea what they are talking about. King Kong is NOT a scary movie. I disagree with the list because it has a few films in it that aren't even scary. Shawn of the Dead was a comedy and not scary. Zombieland was too stupid to be considered scary. Both of those I can ignore but King Kong as the number one scary movie? That is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. I would have added some of the Saw movies to it, and perhaps both Paranormal Activity films. Neither series are all that scary but certainly more scary than Zombieland or King Kong.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

Do you agree with this list?

How in the hell does these two compare in terms of horror factor?

[YOUTUBE]H0WpKl2A_2k[/YOUTUBE]

and

[YOUTUBE]Ps8H3rg5GfM[/YOUTUBE]

Whilst I am a huge fan of king Kong it does not deserve the top spot on this list. The term horror may refer to monsters but more importantly to the scares gotten from them. The original King Kong does not really scare you rather entertains you (which is part of the purpose). But in complete honesty I think that Psycho should have has the #1 spot die to being such a thriller. The rest of the rankings are great though I personally would have placed The birds higher. Really though that is only because I used to have a fear of birds pecking people (mostly me) to death. So that was the film that scared the shit out of me.


If you had a choice, which film or films would you pick to add to the list?

Since I agree with the list in general and I already answered #1 above I will skip to this question. If there was only one to add to this list it would probably be an rather unknown horror movie. Men behind the sun will make you throw up in disgust. It is about the war crimes committed against Chinese civilians during World War 2 occupation by Japan. Some of this stuff is not for beginners like the rat scene. I was going to post the trailer of this movie but the only one I could find is in Chinese (or Japanese ).

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Having said that, I just had a thought... where the hell is The Thing (1980)?

It's actually The Thing (1982), Dowds.

But yeah, I agree with you. The Thing (1982) could have made this list. I've always been a huge fan of this film, because The Thing is a disgusting and terrifying film. It's a great horror/sci-fi flick, and The Thing is one of the best remakes ever. Usually, fans of the original film (in this case, The Thing From Another World) trash the remake, but Carpenter's 1982 version doesn't suffer from this problem. In fact, you could say the 1982 version overshadows the 1951 version. This is very rare, and The Thing definitely deserves a spot on the list.

Do you agree with this list?

How in the hell does these two compare in terms of horror factor?

[YOUTUBE]H0WpKl2A_2k[/YOUTUBE]

and

[YOUTUBE]Ps8H3rg5GfM[/YOUTUBE]

Whilst I am a huge fan of king Kong it does not deserve the top spot on this list. The term horror may refer to monsters but more importantly to the scares gotten from them. The original King Kong does not really scare you rather entertains you (which is part of the purpose). But in complete honesty I think that Psycho should have has the #1 spot die to being such a thriller. The rest of the rankings are great though I personally would have placed The birds higher. Really though that is only because I used to have a fear of birds pecking people (mostly me) to death. So that was the film that scared the shit out of me.

This is what I was thinking as I looked through the entire list for the first time. Norman Bates is one sick and twisted person. He's a disturbed man, and Psycho really does provide some great terror, and the tension in this film can be unbelievable. A lot of people just think about the famous shower scene, when they remember Psycho, but it's a great film that offers so much more.

Kong is an intimidating figure (for obvious reasons), but Kong can also be someone, who can cause awe-inspiring reactions. Kong is larger than life, and in this film, he can be entertaining. Kong's rampages of destruction in this film can leave you speechless, but they don't feel genuinely terrifying. King Kong (1933) is an outstanding film, and its legacy will never die, but I can't buy into it as the #1 horror film of all time.

I could deal with Psycho being at #1, but I still can't buy into Kong as the best horror film ever. I've been thinking about it, and I can't come up with one justifiable reason for Kong being the top dog here.

Also, I still can't believe Drag Me To Hell is ranked so far ahead of Halloween. Drag Me To Hell did feel pretty average most of the time, and A Nightmare On Elm Street deserves better.

And I'm not so sure about Aliens (1986) here. It's a great film, and Aliens is at the top of my list of James Cameron favorites. But this film gives you more action than scares, and Aliens does have that epic blockbuster feeling. Again, Aliens is great, but I don' think it should have a place on a "greatest horror films of all time" list.

 

[badnewzxl]

Hellraiser and Sleepaway Camp didn't make the list, but Zombieland (which is NOT a horror movie) and ReAnimator (which IS excellent, but more goofy than scary. Hell, where's Black Sheep, DeadAlive, and Bride of ReAnimtor then?) made the list? REALLY?

There are some straight up WEIRD movies that'll scare the hell out of you a LOT more than all those old, boring "classics." Look up XTRO and the Incredible Melting Man; Slither's a GREAT modern Horror movie. And where was Jason Goes to Hell? Wishmaster and Wishmaster 2? ANY of the first three Phantasm movies?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

And where was Jason Goes to Hell?

Eh, I don't know if I would put Jason Goes To Hell on any list that featured the greatest horror films of all time. Jason Goes To Hell might be a treat for Friday The 13th fans, but I've always thought this was an awful film. I know some people enjoy this gruesome adventure that is loaded with plot holes, but Jason Goes To Hell is pretty bad. This film shouldn't have a high ranking on any Friday The 13th favorites list, and along with Jason X, this film has always been a strong contender for the weakest film in the entire Friday The 13th franchise.

If anything, Jason Goes To Hell is nothing more than a cult favorite. Fans of the Friday The 13th franchise might enjoy this, but this film doesn't have any sort of iconic status, and other horror films are more deserving of a spot on any greatest horror films of all time list.

 

[Dutchboy241]

I've gone through the list several times and I kind of want to hurt the creator(s) of this. It's really that bad of a list. "The Exorcist" at the bottom of the list?! "The Shining" only at 64?!

However the biggest offense to me is the exclusion of "The Vanishing" (the original dutch version). That had to be one of the most intense and mind numbing horror/thrillers I've seen. That ending rocked my world and I'll always remember that feeling when I first saw it. I have that in my top ten horror films so it's a crime not to see it here.

Actually as I was writing the last paragraph I noticed that the original "Haunting" also wasn't on the list. Seriously! It redefined the ghost movie genre! I've lost so much respect in Rotten Tomatoes. Bravo's list which I thought was good but not great looks like a masterpiece now. RT has made truly awful list.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

The Human Centipide scared me more than half of the films on that list, how the hell can a guy shitting into a girls mouth not be as scary as an ape shaking while locked in chains?

Not too bothered by the list, but I do think its got more than a few errors, none of which I shall comment on as I'll be here all week. But King Kong at number one? Jesus Christ.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

As WZ's expert on all things Euro-horror/-sleaze, it's an absolute joke that RT would rate Argento's Deep Red higher than his Suspiria. Deep Red was a stylish but crappily written giallo whose only legitimate claim to fame was having David Hemmings in the lead. Suspiria was not only stylish but extremely creepy and had a plot that would make any horror auteur green with envy. Suspiria is one of about ten horror films that I can confidently say are perfect.

If you've seen neither Deep Red nor Suspiria, save Deep Red until after you've seen Suspiria lest you want to be turned off from Dario Argento (which would be a travesty given how talented he is and how innovative he once was).

 

[INDYjon22]

There are two things that really stand out to me on this list, which kind of ruins the list for me. One is that The Exorcist is number 75. Despite my personal feelings towards that film, it doesn't belong at the bottom of the list. It really should be a top 10-20 film. It was a trend setting film and greatly impacted the horror genre when it came out. The second is that Halloween ranks lower then Drag Me to Hell. I enjoy both films, but there is no way in hell Drag Me to Hell is a better and higher ranking film then the original Halloween. And, I won't even get started on King Kong being number one, because there are countless other old time, original creature feature/horror films that deserve to be number 1 before King Kong.

 

[GrandSword]

I don't agree with the list either. felt like the writer had something against The Exorcist and came up with filler between it and the top 10...

 

[X]

Um, RT didn't actually write or come up with this list guys. This is just a list of horror films on their site with the highest "fresh" rating, which is the rough average percentage of critics/reviews that are positive about the film. That's kind of how the website works. I thought people knew this. So the fact that this list is so stupid makes perfect sense, because mainstream film critics haven't been kind to the horror genre over the years and there are many films that are "classics" in the horror genre and to horror fans that got terrible reviews from mainstream critics.

So the fact that King Kong is number one doesn't surprise me. It's a universally praised film. This list is a joke and I think even RT realizes that. Halloween not being in the top ten is a joke. Don't take this thing seriously guys.

 

[Dave]

I really don't know, or care to know, how this list was composed. It is my guess that they have not had editors look at the list for what it is. I think that the most likely reason for this shambles of a list, is that it is based off of user reviews and critic reviews. Even then, some of the placings are utterly ludicrous, to be honest.

How King Kong is placed above everything else boggles my mind. I've seen the 1933 version of King Kong and it couldn't scare a toddler. I seriously doubt it was made to be a legitimate horror movie. That said, perhaps a lot of the nuances of the movie are lost on a modern movie audience. I won't accept it but I can try and understand this decision.

However, having Drag Me To Hell placing above Halloween is leaving me shaking my head. Halloween is a lot of people's pinnacle of the horror genre. I perhaps don't feel as strongly as that but it is a joke that Drag Me To Hell is placed above it. Drag Me To Hell was a decent movie but there is simply no way that it even comes close to doing what Halloween did or still does to people. Recently, I have been introducing my girlfriend to the world of Horror movies and Halloween was one of the movies that left her nerves shattered and her senses frayed. Drag Me To Hell, for example, has no such effect.

The list is a sham, there is no question about it. I'm not going to let it get to me because it really doesn't mean much. Such glaring inaccuracies just don't make sense though and completely obliterate any sort of relevance and credibility that this list has on me. I was expecting more from it in all honesty.

 

[LorenzoVargas1977]

I kind of took issue with King Kong being at #1 even though I love that movie.The horror comedys like Shaun of the dead and zombieland also kind of took spots that could have been used for Pieces or Maniac. Makes me wonder just how much whoever did this list knows about horror.

 

[GrandSword]

Um, RT didn't actually write or come up with this list guys. This is just a list of horror films on their site with the highest "fresh" rating, which is the rough average percentage of critics/reviews that are positive about the film. That's kind of how the website works. I thought people knew this. So the fact that this list is so stupid makes perfect sense, because mainstream film critics haven't been kind to the horror genre over the years and there are many films that are "classics" in the horror genre and to horror fans that got terrible reviews from mainstream critics.

So the fact that King Kong is number one doesn't surprise me. It's a universally praised film. This list is a joke and I think even RT realizes that. Halloween not being in the top ten is a joke. Don't take this thing seriously guys.

I thought this also, however if that were the case the Excorsist would be at the top of the list as it was a huge critical success...

No the list is flawed...

 

[poppycock]

I really despise lists like this and never pay too much attention to them. They can never be realistic because they span so many different eras where things change and certain things become less shocking, and more socially acceptable. In 1933 King Kong would have been horrific no doubt but nowdays it's pretty tame...although a classic and a movie I enjoy. What are they going by anyway? Most scary, money making, influential... so many different aspects to consider that it is almost impossible to produce a realistic list. A lot of my favourite films are on that list but a lot have been left off... A list produced by horror fans stating their favourite horror movies and then working out the 75 most popular would be more accurate? Can't we do Wrestlezones top 75 somehow?