#DORK 73: Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen Part 2

The Conjuring 2 Trailer

Horror Franchises

If you have to rank all of the horror movie franchises what would your Top 10 look like?  You have to consider all of the films in the series, including the remakes and reimaginings (I think that's what they call it).  So even if a movie like Halloween (1978) is the best how much does that Busta Rhymes one or the Rob Zombie sequel hurt it?  

Basically all horrors movies are part of franchises so it's all good.  I've been watching a bunch of horror movies this month so I wanted to throw out there the best series.  Did I already do this?  Probably. But here are the best franchises in order. 

1. Halloween

2. Scream

3. Saw

4. Evil Dead

5. Romero's Living Dead

6. A Nightmare on Elm St. 

7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

8. Silence of the Lambs

9. Friday the 13th

10. Final Destination

Horror Movie of the Night: Wrong Turn (2003)

Your horror movie of the night is the sneaky good Wrong Turn. This flick was released 10 years ago and has spawned a bunch of sequels. A basic enough plot, 6 people lost in the woods of West Virginia, and yes those people from Deliverance are real, perhaps even worse in this rendition.  I remember watching this in the theater and thought it was solid then and have seen it a few times since and it's still good. 

Some classic horror movie stuff in it but it's never boring with a satisfying ending.  Plus these two are in it...

Top 10 Tuesday: Horror Movie Franchises

With it being October 1st why not get it going with some Horror Movie stuff?  Not sure what the definition of a movie "franchise" is but let's say it has to have at least 3 movies.  That works.  So this list takes in to account every movie in the series, keep that in mind as you enjoy it.  For example Silence of the Lambs is a terrific movie, but the rest in the batch, no so much. (I also don't include Alien or Jaws as Horror)

Honorable Mention: Child's Play, Candyman, Feast, Wrong Turn, Final Destination 

10. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

9. Friday The 13th

8. Silence of the Lambs

7. Psycho

6.A Nightmare on Elm St.

5. Saw

4. Night of the Living Dead

3. Evil Dead

2. Scream

1. Halloween

Rich Reviews: The Conjuring

The Conjuring combines a good ghost story, an exorcism movie, with a dash of "based on a true story," and the result is a damn good horror flick.  In fact, it's one of the best scary movies of the last decade.  It's not corny, (like so many in the genre), it doesn't rely on "pop-out" scares (although there are some).  It has a solid, intriguing story (based on true events?) and the acting is tops.

Vera Farminga (Running Scared, The Departed, Bates Motel) and Patrick Wilson (Hard Candy, Insidious, Little Children) are paranormal investigators who go around helping out people who might have ghosts, demons, or what not bugging them.

They play Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are real people, and actually investigated the "Amittyville Horror" case.  Small world, right?

But in this film, the Warrens are sought out to help the Perron family.  The Perrons are a big family.  Father, played by Ron Livingston (Office Space, Swingers), mother played by Lili Taylor (The Haunting, Ransom) and their 5 daughters.  The Perrons move into a big old house, and let's face it, they are not alone.

I'd say the movie starts out a little slow, although most suspenseful ones do.  It picks up with some real scares and even a couple "chills" moments.

I recommend seeing this one in the theaters.  I'll go 8/10.

The bigger question is, where does it rank amongst horror movies in the past 5-10 years?

Off the top of my head the only ones better since 2003 are...

The Devil's Rejects (2005)
Saw II (2005)
Planet Terror (2007) (If this even counts as horror.)

That might be it.  Others in the conversation include:

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Scream 4 (2011)
Feast (2005)
The Descent (2005)
Let Me In (2010)
The Strangers (2008)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Why Am I Going To See This?

So my wife wants to see this on Saturday night. I love horror movies, but these ghost ones freak me the hell out. Should help my night terrors...