What is your favorite movie?

Greatest Horror Movie (and not only an horror movie) of all time.

David Cronenburg is a brilliant director. This is most likely the most interesting experimental narrative film of all time. James Woods and Debbie Harry deliver some pretty serious characters. It tackled the idea of television consumption before anything else really ever did. Cronenburg needs to be recognized!

Silence was the best movie I have ever seen! When I first saw it, it was on TV on a rainy night at midnight. I remember seeing Clarice walking to Hannibal’s cell and how he knew she was there and was just…waiting for her. I started to consider hannibal the smartest person to the world at the age of 14. I thoguht the relationship between them was romantic in a weird freaky kinda way. i loved picturing them together and when he kissed her in the sequel (even though Clarice didn’t kiss back, though i’ll bet she wanted to) i posetively MELTED!!!

I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, but think Psycho is his best work. The suspense is terrifying, even for todays audiences, and the character of Norman Bates is magnificent. He is one of the greatest movie characters of all time, since he is a murderer, but yet extremely innocent at the same time, since he has been overtaken by “mother”. The acting, plot, and suspense all combine into a movie experience that is a classic, and one of the best ever made.

A true directors masterpiece and an actors dream!

Though like other people I do have other favorites. Yet,’Psycho’, from whenever I first saw it,to this day,I’m amazed! Why?

Not because that it is a great screenplay by Joseph Stefano, that led us through one story then shocked us thirty minutes later to the follow another plot.

That Alfred Hitchcock did not waste one second of film frame in this classic from the beginning titles,to the end. I personally or anyone who loves film, could study each cut that he did and not find a flaw or that empty story hole.

Mr. Hitchcock let the camera be the storyteller which to this day has not been matched. Alfred Hitchcock, who shot a couple of color films prior was very smart to film in black and white. It gave it more depth to both the great characters( as like the unreplacable perfect, Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins)and beautiful settings that was greatly photographed by John L. Russell. Also, I can’t forget the great score by Bernard Herrmann.

Thank you for giving a true masterpiece that can never be duplicated…Alfred Hitchcock was a directors, director… that knew what the film camera was meant to be used for. Which is a lost art in today’s world.
By: Paul Manijak

After 74 years, it is still going strong.

After 74 years, it is still going strong. People are still watching and enjoying it. Even now it is still being used for advertisements, comic strips, editorial cartoons, etc. It is part of the American landscape.
By: Alan Markowitz

So good you don’t need the shark!

Jaws is one of those movies that went beyond being a hit and seemingly forever altered public attitudes. People who haven’t even seen the movie know the music, know the imagery. It absolutely changed the way our society looks at sharks, oceans, swimming.

What I love about it is that it works so well as a horror/adventure thriller and if that’s all you want, it’s simply the best one out there. But beyond that it is a real story with defined characters, complex relationships, and emotional depth. Pretty much every imitator since Jaws has missed this mark completely. There are so many great character moments that I actually think that it could almost work as a great movie WITHOUT THE SHARK! Heck, it might even make a good play!
By: Chris Hamilton

When one thinks about the end of the human race, one usually associates it with global warming or nuclear war. Not pigeons, bluebirds or canaries. That is, I think, the reason that Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The Birds” works so well; it takes something that many people consider harmless and turns it into something terrifying. Tippi Hedren, Robert Taylor, Jessica Tandy and Veronica Cartwright, each fitting comfortably into their roles, are trapped in a house in the small town of Bodega Bay, CA. as all hell breaks loose around them. Along with “Psycho” and “Jaws,” it’s one of the few films that really gave me the creeps.

As the world literally goes to hell in an apocalypse of flesh-eating zombies, four survivors take refuge in a shopping mall and bask in its resources. The result is a mini-manifest destiny, in which the humans migrate from one end of the mall to the other in an attempt to kick out all the zombies and set up house.

Has there ever been a more revealing, stirring, nihlistic, prophetic, grosser, and downright spot-on picture ever painted of the American consumer society? George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” is perhaps the most poignant horror film ever made for the way it constantly pushes the envelope of violence and depravity to eventually make us realize that the true monsters are not measured by their atrocities, but by how society allows itself to respond to them. Tightly edited, cleverly scripted, and ultimately deeply moving; it’s startling how we are eventually numbed to the film’s graphic violence and eventually see ourselves in the faces of the ever-numbing human characters, who become more and more zombie-like and repulsive as their zombie adversaries become increasingly innocent and even pathetic. Which is Romero’s final point: Is there really much difference between hungry zombies wondering around mindlessly in a shopping mall and desperate consumers clambering for after-Christmas sales? Here is America itself, reduced to perhaps its most painfully revealing metaphor.

what is not to like? Amazing acting, cinematography, editing, score, sound,etc…It’s the greatest film of all time.

Basically, it’s FRIENDS meets NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a down-on-his-luck T.V Salesman and a recent dumpee who spends all his spare time in a pub with his slobbish but good natured best friend Ed (Nick Frost.) As if life coud not get any worse, there’s a plague that turns people into flesh eating zombies. The films has a great supporting ensemble cast, including Kate Ashfield as Shaun’s girlfriend and Bill Nighy as his dad (excuse me, step-dad,) but it’s Pegg and Frost, with their Laurel-and-Hardy like chemistry on screen that makes this film as funny as it is.

1.Jaws(1975)
2.The Sting(1973)
3.Once Upon A Time In America(1984)
4.Bridge On The River Kwai(1957)
5.Raiders Of The Lost Ark(1981)

Betty Davis and Joan Crawford are amazing together in this film. I am totally captivated during the entire movie, as if I were the one imprisoned. I just want to jump into the picture and rescue Blanch. It is an extreme exaggeration of sibling rivalry, but they manage to make it all seem so believable. Although it has been years since I last saw it, I can recall the scenes with great clarity, as if it were only yesterday.

One of the great underappreciated gems of 80s MTV-influenced cinema. Yes, the premise is absurd. But, then, so is the premise of JAWS. And like JAWS, RAZORBACK rises above its B-movie premise with skillful filmmaking. Director Russel Mulcahy uses editing and sound to make you believe that a ferocious razorback is raising hell, when, in fact, you rarely get more than a glimpse of the beast. And like JAWS, RAZORBACK is weakest when it lingers too long and explicitly on its fake monster.

By far the greatest thriller ever made, it is not defined by that genre alone. The acting, writing, and direction of the picture is pure genius, making this one of the best and most real films I’ve ever seen.

Where to begin?

This is absolutely the most terrifying film ever made, rivaled only by The War of the Roses (no joke). It is not at all frightening in the way that horror movies are meant to be, or even most thrillers for that matter. It’s scary because of how real it is. As you watch it, you realize that people like Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill exist; Buffalo Bill is, in fact, a mixture of real-life serial killers. Clarice is led to him by Hannibal, who knows Bill’s identity, and she finds him. However, it’s essentially all luck that Bill is found. It’s luck that there is someone who knows who Bill is; it’s luck that Clarice realizes who he is before it’s too late. It’s luck that the latest victim is not yet dead when Clarice gets there, and it’s luck that Clarice gets Bill in the end. Is there anything more frightening in reality than the thought that some creep might kidnap and kill you, perhaps torturing you, perhaps skinning you or worse? Actually, there is. It’s that those things could happen to you while you’re only chance for survival rests on the FBI being incredibly lucky.

Also, the film manages to chill you right to the bone with almost no shocking images. So many horrors and thrillers are based around scaring people by showing them horrid things that they wouldn’t even want to imagine. The gore in The Silence of the Lambs is essentially limited to one scene, and that serves to make it all the more effective. I cannot think of one scene from any movie that better serves it’s purpose. The particular scene that I speak of is that of Hannibal’s escape, which serves as a reminder that he is a monster, that the world is full of them, that things nearly unimaginable to most can and do happen, that the people who do them are those who you undoubtedly would not suspect.

Hannibal Lecter, when with Clarice, comes across as a gentle and decent human being. Were you to meet him on the street, unaware that he was a psychopath, the worst thing you might think of him is that he’s stuck up. If you got to know him, you might even think he’s the nicest guy you ever knew. As the movie progresses, you see that Clarice develops a certain affection for him, even though she knows what he is. Buffalo Bill, too, is shown to be a man who could be your friend, albeit in a more subtle way. We don’t see much of him outside his insane killer persona, but we see the pictures of his first victim. She let him take pictures of her without clothes; they were close friends. She would have never pegged him to be what he is.

The movie is great because it develops all of it’s characters into three dimensional beings. We come to know the characters; we get a glimpse into the psyche of each. None is defined by any one thing. Hannibal certainly is a cannibal, but that’s not all that he is. Clarice is one of the most human characters ever created in a motion picture. We don’t just learn some random fact about her past and expect that to explain everything as happens in many other films; we learn much, see and know how she feels about things. The performances are amazing, and the Oscars were well deserved on all counts.
By: Patience Bruce

The Shining is the most mind provoking movie of all time!

The Shining is the most mind provoking movie of all time!
What Stanley Kubrick has done is make a horror film that plays with your head instead of just showing something that you associate with being scary. Jack Nicholson is amazing as the psychopathic father; you just can’t take your eyes off him. Danny Lloyd is excellent for his age.
The long winding tracking shots through the hotel and the maze are stunning and hypnotic.
Kubrick’s greatest movie by far - a genius at work!
By: Robert Gallacher

Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest director/writer/producers of all time.

Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest director/writer/producers of all time. He has an amazing ability to tell a story that mezmerizes the audience. The perfect usage of the “steadicam” to make it seem like the audience is running with the characters and Jack Nicholson’s performance as the mentally unstable “Jack Torrence” are two out of many things that make this movie so terrifying and brilliant.
By: Harry Gordon

12 year child of an actress is possessed by the Devil and a priest, questioning his own faith, is called upon to perform an exorcism.

For the love of the horror genre, no other movie is as mesmerizing, spellbinding, frightenly disturbing as THE EXORCIST. Release in 1973, THE EXORCIST shocked millions around the world…frightful images that never leave the public’s psyche. Truly the scariest movie ever made. A very well-made, thought-provoking, jolting experience one can never shake off after the lights come on in the theater. Horror at its very best indeed!
By: Frank Rodriguez

Maybe there is a little devil in all good works.

As a young man, this is one of the movies that first introduced to me the concept that the world can be a harrowing and scary place. As I matured as a creative person and inspiring actor/writer, I often found myself revisiting the film, appreciating the craft and technical effort put in from the creators, from the masterful performances, to the amazing direction. It’s story, told with craft, skill and an inherent love of movies. It gives the viewer the ability to see what is horrific and at the surface and also, what is subtle and understated. How often in life we find ourselves having the same connection in our cerebral and emotional experience. It profoundly moved me then and it still does. It’s a rollercoaster and today, when I still think the world can be harrowing and scary, I pull out so many other things from the film that I also see in the world: The power of faith, redemption and great story-telling. At any age, it’s still fun and exhilarating to be frightened and informed. And maybe there is a little devil in all good works.
By: Matthew Burns

The Exorcist is the ultimate story of good vs. evil. For good to prevail over evil, a sacrifice must be done. The cast were amazing- the best casting in a film. Linda Blair deserved an Oscar.

It is basically the ultimate good vs. evil story. The movie is so touching. What makes the film so scary is not so much of the exorcism itself but the fact that this is happening to a little girl and she has done nothing remotely wrong. These events can happen to us and its freighting. The actual horrific scenes happen thirty minutes close to the end. The real movie or the build up is an hour and a half before when you get to know the characters and see this little girl gradually get sick to the point where her only salvation is God. It showed us that we need God to survive. The Devil is deliberately killing a young child for his own pride and as humans we can not do anything about it but rely on God. It teaches us the power of faith and that there is a God. We are all accountable for our sins and sometimes if we are not careful, the people we love end up cleaning for the sins we made. In life there are repercussions- good and bad, and for Regan to go through something so horrid it gave Damien and Chris McNeil wake up call and an understanding that there is a higher power. That is incredible to just put all of that in a film. We see in the last ten minutes of the film Father Damien Krass finally realizing that God is the ultimate Divine Being and in order for good to prevail there needed to be a sacrificed. He sacrificed his life for of Regan. The film was shocking and original and everything pales to comparison. I love films and as a screen writer and actress myself, I love seeing films that give purpose and meaning. I always add a metaphor- a story behind the actual story. My first published script is called The Arts of Chaos. It is about three teenagers amidst their inner war fight against a girl who gradually in the film becomes this Hitler. As you read it, and understand the villain Kirsten, there is that understanding that she is not bad. People do crazy things when they are in love. Her only crime was that she fell in love with a boy, Ethan. In his rejection, she throws herself to destroy everything he loves including her best friend Vanessa. She replaces them with Jackie who defies her as well. Basically the film is a metaphor for World War II because just like those heroes fighting for the world, these heroes in their own rights fought against Kirsten to save the world from the hypocrisy and shame. The tagline is synonymous with both the generation of World War II and Vanessa, Ethan, and Jackie. “They Didn’t Ask For the Glory. They Defined It.” The teens did not want to do it, they did it because they had to do it, and if not there would not be a salvation in this world. It was their destinies to shed their blood for mankind to be relinquished of the pain and tyranny of the villain. The villain’s only punishment was to die in her prophecy to take down with her, the soldiers; the voices of the generation. Hitler did that, he died but he took down with him our men. It is films like The Arts of Chaos that I owe a thank you to William Peter Blatty and William Freidkin for inspiring to create a movie like my own. The Exorcist taught me an important value in screenwriting and that is to write with meaning, do not write for the sake of writing. The Exorcist was not just a horror film; it is an institution of great films in which we should respect. It is the greatest film and its morals on good and power of the Divinity still holds truth years after its impact. True films are those who shock you and resonate through. It has to inspire you to do something and The Exorcist does that. There are not enough films of this caliber being made today. The Exorcist was horror’s crowning achievement.
By: Jennifer Fumero

Is there a more chilling scene in film than Clarice walking down the Mental Hospital hallway, approaching Hannibal’s cell. He already knew why she was there.

I’ve never experienced a more intence thriller the first time I watched it in my entire life
By: Andrew Cooper

A psycho thriller that is an all-time classic.

It’s an intense movie that no matter how many times you watch it, you gain new insight. The gore is minimal but the suspense is max!
By: Julaine George

Hitchcock’s masterpiece got me hooked onto the master and inspired me to direct films.

Psycho introduced me to the world of suspense and real film.. Hitchcock’s masterpiece got me hooked onto the master and inspired me to direct films. I hope to be as famed as he. Psycho, unlike the crappy remake, scares the hell out of you. I saw the film ten years ago and still hate taking showers. I wish more films were made like this and Psycho should be in the top ten at least!
By: Carl Foley

Psycho changed the way I looked at films.

Psycho changed the way I looked at films. I began to take a greater notice of the intricate little things that a director throws in. The use of Black and White and shadow makes the mood more tangible and surreal. I absolutely love it.
By: Ashley Smith

Psycho is by far the most frightening horror film of all time.

Psycho is by far the most frightening horror film of all time because Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates is so non-threatening, and, in fact, quite easy to empathize with. The film opened the doors for all psychological thrillers, and changed how the industry did things.
By: Christina Copes

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”

This movie has it alla great cast with great chemistry. A great script,great photography and a great white shark. It’s scary, suspenseful,funny, heartwarming, and action packed and most of all entertaining. And it’s believable. The perfect film.
By: Mark Voisin

I see it as a landmark in modern horror movies…

The first time I saw Jaws was about 8 or 9 years ago. It scared me stupid in ways I had not previously been scared before. I see it as a landmark in modern horror movies, and also because it made Steven Spielberg the director he is today. The idea of the shark not being projected on screen as much as expected is genius, and has influenced many great modern horror movies to do the same (i.e. The Blair Witch Project [1999]). Because of this movie, I refuse to swim in oceans, lakes, or rivers.
By: Mark Barber

Shark eats people. People act irresponsibly. Shark eats more people. Three unlikely heroes go off to face the beast.

Jaws was the first movie to captivate me. I’d watch it every chance I could as a child. As I grew up and learned to appreciate film and acting, I noticed the perfection in the performances between Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider. The intensity never subsides for the last 45 minutes. It’s inspired. This plus the inventiveness of Steven Spielberg’s direction with all the technical issues they suffered through shows the spirit of traditional American spirit. Succeeding in the face of adversity.
By: Tim Leininger

The biggest blockbuster of all, and unlike those that followed, its actually good.

I just turned 11 years old in the summer of 1975, I begged my parents to let me see it. After 3 months they finally caved. I bought my older brother the tickets, and after it was over I never saw another Disney movie. Brilliant film.
By: John Cummings

Started the Horror Revolution

I am a huge horror movie fan. In my opinion, Halloween started it all. I love how the film doesn’t rely on a lot of gore and nudity (although there was some) and just relies on scares. I also love how Michael Myers personified evil and wasn’t just a man in a mask. I believe John Carpenter is brilliant and that is why this is my favorite movie.
By: Amanda Gragg