[johnboy3434]

Well, "classics" may be too strong of a word for some of the series listed below, but they are some of the most popular and/or influential horror series since the 1950s (plus some I just like). I've always been fascinated by the difference between the opinions of "professional" critics and the views of the lowly masses, so I put this together. What I did was rank the films in each series based on their Tomatometer score on RottenTomatoes.com (the "critics") and their User Rating from IMDb (the "audience"). Yes, I know these are not infallible measurements, but I believe they can reflect at least some remote level of consensus. Besides, I really didn't feel like hiring a professional statistician and performing hundreds of hours of research to come up with a more accurate list.

So, if you read the topic title, this leaves "You." What do you do? Well, you can comment on the rankings here provided, or you could put up your own personal ranking (feel free to add other series into the mix, since I'm sure I've overlooked several big ones, having listed all these series from memory). Basically, talk about the movies' merits until you're blue in the face.

The Critics (out of 100)

The Thing
1.) The Thing from Another World - 88%
2.) The Thing - 76%
3.) Horror Express - 25%

Body Snatchers
1.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - 100%
2.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - 97%
3.) Body Snatchers - 65%

The Fly
1.) The Fly (1986) - 91%
2.) The Fly (1958) - 91%
3.) Return of the Fly - 36%
4.) The Fly II - 27%

Note: There are no reviews on RottenTomatoes for the 1965 film "The Curse of the Fly."

Psycho
1.) Psycho (1960) - 98%
2.) Psycho III - 55%
3.) Psycho II - 43%
4.) Psycho (1998) - 37%
5.) Psycho IV: The Beginning - 0%

Note: There was another made-for-TV movie named "Bates Motel" that aired in 1987, but there wasn't a single review for it on RottenTomatoes. As such, I didn't list it.

Of the Dead
1.) Night of the Living Dead (1968) - 100%
2.) Dawn of the Dead (1978) - 97%
3.) The Return of the Living Dead - 85%
4.) Day of the Dead - 79%
5.) Dawn of the Dead (2004) - 78%
6.) Land of the Dead - 74%
7.) Night of the Living Dead (1990) - 69%
8.) Return of the Living Dead III - 33%
9.) Night of the Living Dead 3D - 33%
10.) Zombi 2 - 29%
11.) Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave - 25%
12.) Return of the Living Dead Part II - 0%
13.) Children of the Living Dead - 0%
14.) Zombi 3 - 0%
15.) Day of the Dead 2: Contagium - 0%

Note: There were no reviews on RottenTomatoes for the 2005 film "Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis."

Exorcist
1.) The Exorcist - 86%
2.) The Exorcist III - 67%
3.) The Ninth Configuration - 63%
4.) Exorcist II: The Heretic - 14%
5.) Exorcist: The Beginning - 11%

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1.) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - 87%
2.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 - 47%
3.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) — 36%
4.) Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III - 23%
5.) The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 17%
6.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - 14%

Jaws
1.) Jaws - 100%
2.) Jaws 2 - 58%
3.) Jaws 3-D - 15%
4.) Jaws: The Revenge - 0%

Omen
1.) The Omen (1976) - 79%
2.) Damien: Omen II - 46%
3.) The Omen (2006) - 26%
4.) The Final Conflict - 20%
5.) Omen IV: Awakening - 0%

Carrie
1.) Carrie (1976) - 90%
2.) The Rage: Carrie 2 - 11%
3.) Carrie (2002) - 0%

Dario Argento Trilogy
1.) Suspiria - 91%
2.) Inferno - 56%

Evil Dead
1.) Evil Dead II - 100%
2.) The Evil Dead - 100%
3.) Army of Darkness - 77%

Halloween
1.) Halloween - 100%
2.) Halloween H2O: Twenty Years Later - 51%
3.) Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 22%
4.) Halloween II - 15%
5.) Halloween: Resurrection - 11%
6.) Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers - 7%
7.) Halloween 5 - 6%
8.) Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers - 5%

Phantasm
1.) Phantasm - 62%
2.) Phantasm II - 31%
3.) Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead - 38%
4.) Phantasm IV: Oblivion - 14%

Alien
1.) Aliens - 100%
2.) Alien - 97%
3.) Alien: Resurrection - 52%
4.) Alien³ - 33%
5.) AVP: Alien vs. Predator - 21%

Friday
1.) Friday the 13th - 76%
2.) Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI - 53%
3.) Freddy vs. Jason - 40%
4.) Friday the 13th Part 2 - 30%
5.) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday - 25%
6.) Jason X - 19%
7.) Friday the 13th: A New Beginning - 18%
8.) Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter - 17%
9.) Friday the 13th Part III - 13%
10.) Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood - 8%
11.) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhatten - 0%

Gremlins
1.) Gremlins - 79%
2.) Gremlins 2: The New Batch - 64%

Nightmare
1.) A Nightmare on Elm Street - 90%
2.) New Nightmare - 81%
3.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - 71%
4.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master - 57%
5.) Freddy vs. Jason - 40%
6.) A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child - 27%
7.) A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge - 21%
8.) Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare - 13%

Hannibal
1.) The Silence of the Lambs - 96%
2.) Manhunter - 94%
3.) Red Dragon - 69%
4.) Hannibal - 38%
5.) Hannibal Rising - 16%

Predator
1.) Predator - 75%
2.) Predator 2 - 25%
3.) AVP: Alien vs. Predator - 21%

Hellraiser
1.) Hellbound: Hellraiser II - 67%
2.) Hellraiser - 57%
3.) Hellraiser: Bloodline - 30%
4.) Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - 29%
5.) Hellraiser: Hellworld - 20%
6.) Hellraiser: Deader - 17%
7.) Hellraiser: Hellseeker - 0%
8.) Hellraiser: Inferno - 0%

Child's Play
1.) Child's Play - 67%
2.) Bride of Chucky - 45%
3.) Child's Play 3 - 38%
4.) Seed of Chucky - 27%
5.) Child's Play 2 - 22%

Pumpkinhead
1.) Pumpkinhead - 50%
2.) Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings - 33%
3.) Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes - 0%

Note: The most recent installment, 2007's "Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud," has yet to be reviewed on RottenTomatoes.

Candyman
1.) Candyman - 78%
2.) Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh - 40%
3.) Candyman: Day of the Dead - 13%

Leprechaun
1.) Leprechaun in the Hood - 40%
2.) Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood - 40%
3.) Leprechaun - 33%
4.) Leprechaun 4: In Space - 0%
5.) Leprechaun 2 - 0%
6.) Leprechaun 3 - 0%

Ring
1.) Ringu - 100%
2.) The Ring - 72%
3.) Ringu 0: Bâsudei - 50%
4.) The Ring Two - 21%
5.) Ringu 2 - 0%
6.) Rasen - 0%
7.) The Ring Virus - 0%

Note: The original Ring adaptation, a 1995 TV movie called "Ringu: Kanzen-ban," has not been reviewed on RottenTomatoes.

Scream
1.) Scream - 86%
2.) Scream 2 - 81%
3.) Scream 3 - 40%

I Know What You Did Last Summer
1.) I Know What You Did Last Summer - 40%
2.) I Still Know What You Did Last Summer - 7%
3.) I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer - 0%

Ju-on
1.) Ju-on: The Grudge 2 - 100%
2.) Ju-on - 62%
3.) Ju-on: The Grudge - 56%
4.) The Grudge - 40%
5.) The Grudge 2 - 11%

Note: The 1998 TV movie "Gakkô no kaidan G," which features two brief segments set in the "Ju-on" universe, has not been reviewed on RottenTomatoes. The same goes for the second feature-length installment, 2000's "Ju-on 2."

Jeepers Creepers
1.) Jeepers Creepers - 44%
2.) Jeepers Creepers II - 22%

Rob Zombie Duology
1.) The Devil's Rejects - 53%
2.) House of 1000 Corpses - 15%

Saw
1.) Saw - 46%
2.) Saw II - 36%
3.) Saw III - 28%

Notable Standalones
The Shining - 85%
Misery - 92%
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - 76%