As I stated in the first part of this list, it is difficult to determine the five best
of anything, let alone horror movies, a genre that is so vast that you’re bound to miss
a gem here or there. However, let’s focus primarily on stats, the movies that weren’t
most adored and acclaimed by critics and fans alike. So today on Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m
going to be counting down our list of the Top 5 Highest Rated Horror Movies Of All Time
- Part 2. Before we begin though, be sure to stick around until the end of the video
where I’ll be responding to some of your comments, and with that, let’s jump in.
5 Rosemary’s Baby Rosemary’s Baby is a 1968 psychological
horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the novel Rosemary’s
Baby by Ira Levin. The film stars Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Clay Tanner and chronicles
the story of a pregnant woman who suspects that an evil cult wants to take her baby for
use in their rituals. The film instantly earned universal acclaim from film critics and won
a slew of awards and nominations in the process, being deemed: “culturally, historically,
or aesthetically significant.” Today the film is widely regarded as a classic,
with it having an approval rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the general consensus
reading: “A frightening tale of Satanism and pregnancy that is even more disturbing
than it sounds thanks to convincing and committed performances by Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon.”
However, not everyone agreed. Renata Adler from the New York Times wrote: “The movie
-- although it is pleasant -- doesn’t seem to work on any of its dark or powerful terms.
I think this is because it is almost too extremely plausible. The quality of the young people’s
lives seems the quality of lives that one knows, even to the point of finding old people
next door to avoid on lean on. One gets very annoyed that they don’t catch on sooner.”
Despite this, the film has a long lasting legacy, with it igniting a trend of movie
focusing on Satan worshippers including: The Brotherhood of Satan, Mark of the Devil, Black
Noon, and The Blood on Satan’s Claw. Not to mention, the scene in which Rosemary is
assaulted by Satan has been ranked #23 on Bravo’s The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
The film went on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a nomination
for Best Adapted Screenplay.
4 Psycho Psycho is a 1960 psychological horror film
directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, and written by Joseph Stefano. It stars Anthony
Perkins, Janet Leigh, John Gavin, and Vera Miles and was based on the 1959 novel of the
same name by Robert Bloch. The movie itself centers on Marion Crane, who ends up at a
secluded motel after stealing money from her employer, and the motel’s owner-manager,
Norman Bates, and it’s aftermath. Psycho was initially seen as a departure from Hitchcock’s
previous works, such as North by Northwest, with Psycho being filmed in black-and-white,
and by a television crew. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews, however, as the
years passed and with outstanding box-office returns Psycho was nominated for four Academy
Awards, including Best Supporting Actress and Best Director. Psycho is now considered
to be one of Hitchcock’s best films and is praised as a major work of cinematic art
by film critics and scholars. It is often ranked among the greatest films of all time,
as it set a new level of acceptability for violence, deviant behavior and sexuality in
American cinema. It was, upon its release, the prime example of the type of film that
appeared in the United States during the 1960s after the erosion of the Production Code.
It was unprecedented in its depiction of sexuality and violence, right from the opening scene
in which a man and a woman are seen in bed together. In the Production Code standards
at the time, unmarried couples shown in bed together would have been taboo. Criticism
aside, on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% with the general
consensus reading: “Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to
the horror genre. Because Psycho was filmed with tact, grace, and art, Hitchcock didn’t
just create modern horror, he validated it.”
3 Get Out Get Out is a 2017 horror film written and
directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. The movie stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison
Williams, and Catherine Keener, with the movie following a young African-American man who
uncovers a disturbing secret when he meets the family of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage.
The film instantly received praise upon its release, specifically for its screenplay,
direction, performances, and satirical themes. The movie was also chosen by the National
Board of Review, the American Film Institute and Time as one of the top 10 films of the
year. At the 90th Academy Awards, it was even nominated for four awards, including Best
Picture, with Peele winning for Best Original Screenplay. The movie received critical acclaim,
with it holding a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus reading: “Funny,
scary, and thought-provoking, Get Out seamlessly weaves its trenchant social critiques into
a brilliantly effective and entertaining horror/comedy thrill ride.” The film for a period of time
actually held a 100% approval rating, making it the highest rated movie of 2017. Now, despite
the film’s critical acclaim, the movie did divide Oscar voters, with many older members
of the Academy either dismissing the film or just choosing not to watch it at all. One
anonymous Oscar voter even stated: “What bothered me...was that instead of focusing
on the fact that this was an entertaining little horror movie that made quite a bit
of money, they started trying to suggest it had deeper meaning than it does, and, as far
as I’m concerned, they played the race card, and that really turned me off. In fact, at
one of the luncheons, the lead actor, who is not from the United States, was giving
us a lecture on racism in America and how black lives matter, and I thought, ‘What
does this have to do with Get Out?’ They’re trying to make me think that if I don’t
vote for this movie, I’m a racist.” That comment REALLY angered me, more than you know.
That aside, the movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017, and went
on to gross $255 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget, making it the tenth-most profitable
film of 2017.
2 The Exorcist The Exorcist is a 1973 supernatural horror
film directed by William Friedkin and produced and written for the screen by William Peter
Blatty, based on the 1971 novel of the same name by Blatty. The film stars Ellen Burstyn
and Linda Blair with the movie centering on an actress who begins to notice dangerous
changes in the behaviour and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a
young priest begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother’s sickness. On December
26, 1973, the movie was released, with audiences flocking to see it, waiting in long lines
during winter weather. However, some viewers had adverse reactions, often fainting or vomiting,
to specific scenes such as the realistic cerebral angiography which turned out to be very real.
There were even reports of heart attacks and miscarriages; a psychiatric journal carried
a paper on “cinematic neurosis” triggered by the movies events. Newsweek even reported
on the release, stating: On December 26 a movie called The Exorcist opened in theatres
across the country and since then all Hell has broken loose.” Now, considering it was
a horror movie that had gone way over budget and did not have any major stars, folks didn’t
have high hopes for The Exorcist, however, it went on to gross $1.9 million in its first
week, setting house records in each theatre it played. After several reissues, the film
has grossed around $232.6 million in the United States and Canada, which makes it the ninth
highest-grossing film of all time in the US and Canada, and the top-grossing R-rated film
of all time. On Rotten Tomatoes that film has an approval rating of 85%, which is a
little low in my opinion, with the general consensus reading: “The Exorcist rides it
supernatural theme to magical effect, with remarkable special effects and an eerie atmosphere,
resulting in one of the scariest films of all time.”
1 The Shining The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror
movie produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of
the same name, starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd.
The movie follows Jack Torrance played by Nicholson, an aspiring writer and recovering
alcoholic, who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the isolated historic Overlook
Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. Wintering over with Jack are his wife, Wendy Torrance and
young son, Danny Torrance. Danny possesses “the shining” ability, that enables him
to see into the hotel’s horrific past. However, he’s not the only one with his power, the
hotel cook, Dick Hallorann, also has this ability and is able to communicate with Danny
telepathically. On top of that, the hotel is housing some dark secrets, with its previous
winter caretaker going insane and killing his family and himself. Now, after a winter
snowstorm leaves the family isolated, Jack’s sanity deteriorates due to the influence of
the supernatural forces that inhabit the hotel, placing his wife and son in danger. Now, there
were several versions for theatrical releases, each of which was cut shorter than the one
before it, with around 27 minutes being cut in total. Upon release, reactions were mixed,
but none disliked the movie more than Stephen King who criticized the film due to its deviations
from the original novel. However, that didn’t deter fans and critics alike, with the movie
now being regarded as one of the greatest and most influential horror films ever made.
In 2006, Roger Ebert, who was initially critical of the movie, inducted the film into his Great
Movies series, saying that: “Stanley Kubrick’s cold and frightening The Shining challenges
us to decide: Who is the reliable observer? Whose idea of events can we trust?...It is
this elusive open-endedness that makes Kubrick’s film so strangely disturbing.” On Rotten
Tomatoes that film currently holds a rating of 85% with the general consensus reading:
Though it deviates from Stephen King’s novel, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a chilling,
often baroque journey into madness -- exemplified by an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson.”
Well, there we have it! Do you guys agree with our list? Were there any horror movies
that we missed? Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and
perhaps we can do a part 3. Before I go though, I just want to respond to a few comments from
one of our last videos, Top 5
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