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Flick Critique: Best horror movies of all time

Spooky season is here, with the scariest holiday of the year just a couple days away. Just in time for Halloween, here is a list of the six best horror movies of all time.

Starting off the list is perhaps one of the most well-known horror classics of all time, “The Exorcist.” While the spider-crawl scene on the stairs may not be as scary by today’s standards, this movie revolutionized the film industry with its release. Often regarded as the scariest movie of all time, “The Exorcist” was banned in several countries and resulted in paramedics often showing up to movie theaters during the movie’s release due to people fainting or going into hysterics. Clearly, the impact “The Exorcist” had not just on audiences, but on film history overall, is a serious feat no other horror film has managed to accomplish since the movie’s 1973 release.

Next on the list is “The Ring.” While the American version was a remake of the original Japanese “Ringu,” no one can forget the creepy little girl calling people on the phone and telling them they only have seven days to live. This movie shook audiences from its release, quickly becoming one of the highest-grossing horror movies ever. The special effects, eerie atmosphere and terrifying plot all make this one of the scariest movies of all time. However, when audiences learn the nature of the video, they cannot help but wonder if the little girl, Samara, is nothing but a victim of her environment and if the only guilty party is the people around her. Nonetheless, having someone crawl out of a well is enough to scare audiences into never answering a strange call ever again.

Throw it back to 1960 with Alfred Hitchcock’s most iconic film, “Psycho.” The Bates family has become infamous, as the movie tells the story of a man whose “best friend is his mother.” This chilling tale has gone down in history as one of the best films of all time, even as a horror movie. This cult classic is recognizable by everyone, even if they have not seen the movie, further proving how this film will go down in history as one of the greatest pieces of cinematography ever.

The 1990 TV movie “It” with Tim Curry is another classic. While the 2017 remake still received great reviews from audiences, nothing compares to the original Stephen King adaptation. While maybe not everyone hates clowns, everyone can agree Pennywise is the scariest clown of all time, preying on kids’ and adults’ greatest fears. However, this movie does teach audiences the power of unity. While alone, no one was able to face It, once the Losers unite to battle It, they are finally successful.

The newest among the rest of the movies on this list is “It Follows.” This 2014 movie made the news for doing what many recent horror movies had failed to do: actually scaring audiences. While preying on people’s fears is nothing new in the horror genre, “It Follows” is often interpreted as a metaphor for the spreading of STIs — a fear often overlooked but always looming in today’s society. Mirroring the previous movie on the list, “It Follows” largely resembles “It” in many ways — the name, sexual undertones, a single group coming together and fighting off evil. The many similarities seemed to work. However, as “It Follows” proved to be one of the most highly rated horror movies released in the past couple of years and has managed to become an instant cult classic for many.

No other movie can finish off this list better than John Carpenter’s “Halloween.” While this movie may not necessarily be the best among this list of movies, there is a certain je-ne-sais-quoi about Michael Myers that has to make him one of the most iconic horror villains of all time. “Halloween” exemplifies the quintessential Halloween movie with its villain, main characters and, of course, the immediately recognizable theme song.

Scary movies will always make up a core aspect of more than Halloween, but films in general. While many movies try, not all succeed in evoking such a visceral response such as fear from audiences. However, the ones that prove to be victorious in such a challenging task reap the benefits of becoming immortalized in film history — not just for being frightening, but for their overall artistry.





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My name is Victoria Lara and I am a sophomore Biomedical Engineering student on the Pre-Medical track. I love watching films and I am passionate about social change. Follow me on Twitter @victoriaa_lara.

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