Horror Thriller Movie Favorites
by nxrabill | created - 08 Mar 2011 | updated - 02 Apr 2011 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Session 9 (2001)
R | 97 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.
Director: Brad Anderson | Stars: David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Josh Lucas
Votes: 62,843 | Gross: $0.38M
I've seen this movie probably 20 times since 2001. Watched it again a couple weeks ago. I notice something new everytime I watch it. That's a good movie.
2. The Jacket (2005)
R | 103 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A Gulf war veteran is wrongly sent to a mental institution for insane criminals, where he becomes the object of a doctor's experiments, and his life is completely affected by them.
Director: John Maybury | Stars: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Daniel Craig, Kris Kristofferson
Votes: 119,220 | Gross: $6.30M
Don't be fooled by the silly image on the cover. This is a beautiful movie. I cried the second time I watched it. Keira Knightley is wonderful as always. Adrien Brody too. Jennifer Jason Leigh. All perfect.
3. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 849,328 | Gross: $1.48M
Another movie I've seen 20 times at least. Could be interpreted different each time. Great soundtrack too.
4. Stay (I) (2005)
R | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A psychiatrist attempts to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Kate Burton
Votes: 85,958 | Gross: $3.63M
Every scene, image, sound is beautiful. So many layers of meaning it's pointless to even attempt to explain. Ryan Gosling and Naomi Watts are wonderful. But Ewan McGregor was miscast for this movie and role. Sorry Ew.
5. Mulholland Drive (2001)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 383,421 | Gross: $7.22M
David Lynch at his best. Naomi Watts at her best. Both are favorites. This is Lynch's best or near-best work. Lost Highway a close second. It goes round and round and round...
6. Lost Highway (1997)
R | 134 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Anonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, John Roselius, Louis Eppolito
Votes: 153,047 | Gross: $3.80M
Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette are wonderful together. Both at their peaks. I love Bill Pullman. This role was made for him.
7. The Ring (2002)
PG-13 | 115 min | Horror, Mystery
A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.
Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, David Dorfman
Votes: 374,665 | Gross: $129.13M
Naomi Watts is wonderful here. Great story. Atmosphere and setting are amazing. No, the original Japanese version is NOT better. Without Naomi Watts it would have been a different movie.
8. Triangle (2009)
R | 99 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Five friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained.
Director: Christopher Smith | Stars: Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor, Michael Dorman
Votes: 129,611
Beginning to see a pattern here. It goes round and round and round....Melissa George is wonderful. You'll need to see it more than once. Don't read about beforehand, but do (re)read about the story of Tantalus.
9. The Machinist (2004)
R | 101 min | Drama, Thriller
An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity.
Director: Brad Anderson | Stars: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian
Votes: 415,190 | Gross: $1.08M
There's that pattern again.... Another great movie from Brad Anderson (Session 9). Christian Bale is so emaciated its hard to look at him. He lived on tuna and apples for like a year for this role. You might hear something about the Spanish version, but don't be tempted. Christian Bale IS The Machinist.
10. The Strangers (2008)
R | 86 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants.
Director: Bryan Bertino | Stars: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward, Alex Fisher
Votes: 143,407 | Gross: $52.60M
I love Liv Tyler. (Only good thing Steven Tyler ever did, assuming it really wasn't Todd Rundgren). I love the music in this movie (Joanna Newsom). Great atmosphere, mood, setting. Great house.
11. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
R | 102 min | Drama
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans
Votes: 897,691 | Gross: $3.64M
Almost to intense to watch. Jennifer Connelly is amazing as always. A masterpiece. Sorry, but Black Swan is nothing compared to this.
12. The Road (I) (2009)
R | 111 min | Drama, Thriller
In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall
Votes: 253,977 | Gross: $0.06M
Read the book. It's the scariest book I've ever read. Gave me nightmares for weeks. Then read the book again. Then maybe watch the movie if you can. The movie does add a little to the book, the imagery and sense of dread. But it's all about the book.
13. The Thing (1982)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur
Votes: 465,982 | Gross: $13.78M
Some call it sci-fi, some say it's horror. It's both. Probably the best horror movie ever.
14. Martyrs (2008)
R | 99 min | Horror
A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
Director: Pascal Laugier | Stars: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin, Robert Toupin
Votes: 106,271
Only one on the list I only watched once. As has been said before, if you watch this movie, you can't unwatch it. So choose wisely. There are scenes that will be with you the rest of your life. And I've seen a LOT of movies. You've been warned.
15. The Grudge (2004)
PG-13 | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall, William Mapother
Votes: 150,790 | Gross: $110.36M
Great atmosphere, sense of dread. Bill Pullman while he lasts.
16. Dead Birds (2004)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller, Western
A group of Confederate soldiers hole up in an abandoned plantation after robbing a bank and find themselves at the mercy of supernatural forces.
Director: Alex Turner | Stars: Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Nicki Aycox, Michael Shannon
Votes: 11,129
I love atmosphere and dark houses...and Alabama.
17. Shrooms (2007)
Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
A group of friends are stalked and murdered whilst looking for psilocybin mushrooms in the Irish woods.
Director: Paddy Breathnach | Stars: Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston, Max Kasch, Maya Hazen
Votes: 17,668 | Gross: $0.00M
trip
18. Dead Mary (2007 Video)
Not Rated | 103 min | Horror
A group of friends enjoying a weekend in the woods play a game of "Dead Mary" and summon an evil witch who begins possessing them one by one.
Director: Robert Wilson | Stars: Dominique Swain, Marie-Josée Colburn, Steven McCarthy, Maggie Castle
Votes: 2,521
Yes, I really liked this movie. Thought is was awesome.
19. Below (2002)
R | 105 min | Action, Horror, Mystery
Strange happenings occur on a WW II submarine.
Director: David Twohy | Stars: Bruce Greenwood, David Crow, Matthew Davis, Holt McCallany
Votes: 24,115 | Gross: $0.61M
Great acting, atmosphere...and that guy from "The Hangover."
20. Silent Hill (2006)
R | 125 min | Horror, Mystery
A woman, Rose, goes in search for her adopted daughter within the confines of a strange, desolate town called Silent Hill.
Director: Christophe Gans | Stars: Radha Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Sean Bean, Deborah Kara Unger
Votes: 243,836 | Gross: $46.98M
Excellent horror movie. No, I've never played the game.
21. Resident Evil (2002)
R | 100 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
A special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Ryan McCluskey, Oscar Pearce
Votes: 288,133 | Gross: $40.12M
Love this movie. Seen it 20 times. Never played the game. Big fan of Milla Jovavich.
22. 30 Days of Night (2007)
R | 113 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.
Director: David Slade | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster
Votes: 189,230 | Gross: $39.57M
Vampires speak vampire. How cool is that? Melissa George is awesome.
23. Red (2008)
R | 93 min | Drama, Thriller
A reclusive man sets out for justice and redemption when three troublesome teens kill his dog for no good reason.
Directors: Trygve Allister Diesen, Lucky McKee | Stars: Brian Cox, Noel Fisher, Kyle Gallner, Shiloh Fernandez
Votes: 12,697 | Gross: $0.00M
24. Dog Soldiers (2002)
R | 105 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scottish wilderness.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham
Votes: 65,595
I hope I give you the sh_ts"
25. Paranormal Activity (2007)
R | 86 min | Horror, Mystery
After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.
Director: Oren Peli | Stars: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong
Votes: 255,975 | Gross: $107.92M
pretty creepy, especially the baby powder scene
26. 28 Days Later (2002)
R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer
Votes: 444,957 | Gross: $45.06M
Awesome horror movie. Best zombie movie ever.
27. Let the Right One In (2008)
R | 114 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.
Director: Tomas Alfredson | Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl
Votes: 226,651 | Gross: $2.12M
A refreshing vampire movie, but it's so much more than that. This is the one to see. "Let Me In" is good too but esssentially identical and adds little to the original except it's shot in New Mexico.
28. Magic (1978)
R | 107 min | Drama, Horror
A ventriloquist is at the mercy of his vicious dummy while he tries to renew a romance with his high school sweetheart.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
Votes: 13,430 | Gross: $25.94M
Anthony Hopkins at his best. And Ann-Margret is amazing.
29. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 949,277 | Gross: $78.90M
It don't get no better.
30. Jaws (1975)
PG | 124 min | Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary
Votes: 658,770 | Gross: $260.00M
Saw it in the theatre 1975 while vacationing at the beach. Wouldn' t go near the ocean afterwards. Not even the swimming pool.
31. Event Horizon (1997)
R | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A rescue crew is tasked with investigating the mysterious reappearance of a spaceship that had been lost for seven years.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson
Votes: 196,972 | Gross: $26.67M
Very scary movie. One of the best outer space horror flicks.
32. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery
Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.
Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard, Bob Griffin
Votes: 285,119 | Gross: $140.54M
The scariest part of this movie is the ending. Great scary house. I love scary houses. I've seen it several times and still not sure how to interpret it. That's what makes it such a good horror movie.
33. Halloween (1978)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes
Votes: 306,536 | Gross: $47.00M
One of the best.
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