It's something I've often wondered to myself. It seems that I like less and less new horror films being released this days. Is it just me or did horror movies used to be better? Well I've made a quick piece of analysis to investigate. I've taken IMDB's 50 top ranked Horror movies, sliced and diced the stats and come to some firm conclusions.
The Time Trend
A quick grouping shows that 1960-1969 was the golden age of horror. IMDB users rating 14/50 (28%) in the Top 50. In comparison 1940-1949 has just one entry (Dead Of Night).
2000-2010 produced just 6 of our top 50. That's less than half of 1960-1969. So on the surface it does seem that there was a distinct period in which horror films were better than today. When averaging out the scores (excluding 1960-1969) it seems that 2000-2010 fared reasonably well against with 6 top movies vs 5.14 average.
So What's so Special About 1960-1969
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
Kwaidan (1964)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Onibaba (1964)
Peeping Tom (1960)
Psycho (1960)
Repulsion (1965)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Birds (1963)
The Cremator (1969)
The Haunting (1963/I)
The Innocents (1961)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
One thing is very notable in the list. It's the variety of movies. "Night of the Living Dead" is considered as the first of it's kind and any Zombie movie lover will have to reference this one as a best in class. There's also a Hunted House entry with "The Haunting" which I reviewed recently, again it is a classic with great production values and solid directing. There's also Hitchcock's "The Birds" and Psycho", these too are often widely referenced as Hitchcocks style was something a little bold and new. Finally there's a couple of others that broke the mould, "Peeping Tom" caused outrage over its content and "Rosemary's Baby" that showed a new spin on demon possession. I can't be more specific why this era produced such a number of great movies but it does seem that many movies were being produced around this time in a variety of styles. It's also the era that the post war baby boomers would have been teenagers in so it could be that users are rating these movies highly as they would be prominent memories at this time of life.
Greatest Horror Movie Period: Quantity or Quality?
So 1960-1969 wins hands down for quantity but how about overall quality?
Interestingly based on average ratings it is 1980-1989 that scores as our highest decade. I have to say I'm pleased as these were my childhood years and always believed that there was some good work going on. Only 3 movies 1980's movies make it in to the Top 5.
Evil Dead II (1987) 7.80
The Shining (1980) 8.50
The Thing (1982) 8.10
Looking at these titles it's easy to see what gave the 80's a small edge, all three movies are certainly in my collection. Raimi, Kubrick and Carpenter are all household names in the horror world. It's interesting that we have a slightly wacky Demon movie, a Psychological thriller and a Monster movie. It's always nice to have a variety.
Psycho (1960) takes the overall top spot with an 8.7 rating. This surprises me a little. Although it is a Hitchcock I wouldn't rate it as his best work, I may have to re-watch this one to see if I change my mind.
2000-2010 produces the lowest overall average of 7.7 making it the lowest rated decade by a wafer thin 0.03 difference between the 1940’s and 1950’s. Statistically this is insignificant taking in to account the data source. However, it is an interesting take on how the viewer’s think about modern horror. My prediction is that we will actually see the 7.7 of the 2000’s creep up a little over time as more people discover the gems in there. Overall there is a slight positive trend from 1920 to present indicating no sudden crisis for the horor movie industry.
So, in conclusion. If you are looking for quantity try the 60’s, if you are looking for quality you may find what you are looking for in the ‘80’s. On another slant though it’s worth noting that 4 of the top 10 movies are pre-1940.
However we cut this one I think it’s safe to say that horror films are in no dramatic decline in quality no matter how much some of us believe. Styles change as do audiences and the opportunity to be innovative and fresh will be a constant challenge. I can happily pick a decent movie from every decade of the last 100 years of horror.
Happy hauntings, Jiblet.
See below for the full IMDB Top 50 Horror List. Agree with the list? Are they missing your favourite? What's your favourite Horror decade? I'm interested in your thoughts, please leave a comments below.
IMDB Ranking: 14/09/2011
| Rank | Rating | Title | Votes | Year |
| 1 | 8.7 | Psycho (1960) | 173,329 | 1960 |
| 2 | 8.5 | Alien (1979) | 216,582 | 1979 |
| 3 | 8.5 | The Shining (1980) | 221,288 | 1980 |
| 4 | 8.1 | The Thing (1982) | 99,866 | 1982 |
| 5 | 8.1 | Nosferatu (1922) | 33,157 | 1922 |
| 6 | 8 | Faust (1926) | 5,222 | 1926 |
| 7 | 8 | The Exorcist (1973) | 129,780 | 1973 |
| 8 | 8 | Rosemary's Baby (1968) | 63,889 | 1968 |
| 9 | 8 | The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) | 19,064 | 1920 |
| 10 | 8 | King Kong (1933) | 43,999 | 1933 |
| 11 | 8 | Frankenstein (1931) | 26,065 | 1931 |
| 12 | 8 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) | 14,605 | 1962 |
| 13 | 8 | Bride of Frankenstein (1935) | 17,302 | 1935 |
| 14 | 8 | Dawn of the Dead (1978) | 48,945 | 1978 |
| 15 | 8 | Kwaidan (1964) | 4,992 | 1964 |
| 16 | 8 | Night of the Living Dead (1968) | 45,401 | 1968 |
| 17 | 8 | Shaun of the Dead (2004) | 163,225 | 2004 |
| 18 | 8 | Onibaba (1964) | 4,957 | 1964 |
| 19 | 7.9 | Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) | 16,676 | 1956 |
| 20 | 7.9 | The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) | 4,738 | 1933 |
| 21 | 7.9 | The Innocents (1961) | 8,295 | 1961 |
| 22 | 7.9 | Halloween (1978) | 73,092 | 1978 |
| 23 | 7.9 | Freaks (1932) | 16,152 | 1932 |
| 24 | 7.9 | The Cremator (1969) | 1,988 | 1969 |
| 25 | 7.9 | The Phantom Carriage (1921) | 2,001 | 1921 |
| 26 | 7.9 | The Unknown (1927) | 3,053 | 1927 |
| 27 | 7.9 | The Birds (1963) | 61,205 | 1963 |
| 28 | 7.8 | Repulsion (1965) | 15,533 | 1965 |
| 29 | 7.8 | Eyes Without a Face (1960) | 5,902 | 1960 |
| 30 | 7.8 | Dead of Night (1945) | 3,996 | 1945 |
| 31 | 7.8 | The Man Who Laughs (1928) | 1,710 | 1928 |
| 32 | 7.8 | Evil Dead II (1987) | 51,185 | 1987 |
| 33 | 7.8 | Grindhouse (2007) | 93,309 | 2007 |
| 34 | 7.8 | I Saw the Devil (2010) | 12,900 | 2010 |
| 35 | 7.8 | Peeping Tom (1960) | 11,026 | 1960 |
| 36 | 7.8 | The Invisible Man (1933) | 9,038 | 1933 |
| 37 | 7.7 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) | 4,622 | 1931 |
| 38 | 7.7 | Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) | 3,475 | 1922 |
| 39 | 7.7 | Zombieland (2009) | 126,248 | 2009 |
| 40 | 7.7 | Hour of the Wolf (1968) | 5,535 | 1968 |
| 41 | 7.7 | The Phantom of the Opera (1925) | 6,496 | 1925 |
| 42 | 7.7 | The Haunting (1963/I) | 12,988 | 1,963 |
| 43 | 7.7 | Island of Lost Souls (1932) | 1,718 | 1932 |
| 44 | 7.7 | The Wicker Man (1973) | 23,379 | 1973 |
| 45 | 7.7 | The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) | 4,276 | 1939 |
| 46 | 7.7 | Saw (2004) | 138,373 | 2004 |
| 47 | 7.7 | The Devils (1971) | 3,490 | 1971 |
| 48 | 7.7 | Night of the Demon (1957) | 4,197 | 1957 |
| 49 | 7.6 | [Rec] (2007) | 48,174 | 2007 |
| 50 | 7.6 | Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) | 12,494 | 1975 |
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