Rebuilding Rob

I’ve said it before elsewhere and I’ll say it again: Halloween is my favorite “holiday” of the year, probably even more so than Christmas. Whereas Christmas is a time of enormous pressure for an adult, particularly a father, Halloween is just plain fun: some costumes, carve some pumpkins, get some candy and watch some scary movies.

As somebody who fancies himself as an aspiring writer, myself, I’ve always said that one of the two hardest genres to write is horror. Writing horror means you have to ask yourself the question “what is scary?“ And more than that, you have to determine what is scary for your audience.

With that in mind, here is my list of my top 10 horror movies of all time. You’ll notice that many of them are on here because they are a unique twist on the horror genre…

Halloween (1978) – simply the GOAT of slasher movies! I never saw this masterpiece until I got into college in the mid-1990s. Crazy, I know. So many horror movie tropes were born in this movie: people getting killed at the most vulnerable moment – naked, in bed and the famous last words “I’ll be right back” began here. These days, I’m almost more interested in the story about the making of this movie than I am the story itself. Definitely you have to be willing to watch with your 1978 glasses on.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)- this may not be the first “found footage “horror film, but it is arguably the very best. The fact that relatively unknown were cast, and encouraged to improvise their parts in the woods, compounded by some brilliant use of the Internet made audiences wonder whether or not this was actually a real story.

Psycho (1960)- Admittedly, Alfred Hitchcock‘s original Psycho appears dated next to some more recent horror films. But moviegoers in 1960 must’ve been absolutely petrified by the infamous shower scene. Even today, there are a few scenes in movies quite like it. Complemented by a memorable score, composed entirely of strings, the world wasn’t ready for this movie.

Scream (1996) the movie that reinvigorated the horror genre in the 1990s while cooking fun at it with sincere reverence. What’s your favorite scary movie?

Alien (1979) – arguably the greatest tagline in movie history “in space, no one can hear you scream” set the stage for this science-fiction horror hybrid. Here, outer space is cold, silent, and humanity is in way over its head.

Jaws (1975) – Jaws maybe is one of Hollywood’s greatest examples of “less is more”. John Williams‘s timeless score invoked more fear in moviegoers that any rubber shark could ever do. Jaws also gave birth to the summer blockbuster movie as we know it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Nightmare… might be considered more of a “slasher” movie but the notion of killer-turned- supernatural figure named Freddy Krueger killing young people in their sleep was a radical concept for 1985 movie audiences

Saw (2004) – another movie that made this list for me simply because it was such a neat concept for a horror story. And no, I haven’t bothered seeing any of the sequels or prequels.

Friday the 13th (1980) – as a Gen Xer, this movie was, in many ways, my gateway into the horror/slasher genre. But even as a young kid, the “ch ch ch, ah ah ah” audio became a dead giveaway that Jason was about to strike. 

Se7en (1995) – This one may not technically be considered a horror movie, but it is a suspense thriller with some gory elements in it. Like so many other movies on this list, the seven deadly sins is a very unique approach to a serial killer Yes I know I wrote the title in that cutesy way with the number 7.

As Ghostface would say in Scream, What’s your favorite scary movie?

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related (and perhaps, not-so-related) posts:

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• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article“Rob’s Top 10 Scary Movies“ first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.