Modern Classics: The Critics, The Audience, and You

[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%

[johnboy3434]

The Audience (out of 10)

The Thing
1.) The Thing - 8
2.) The Thing from Another World - 7.4
3.) Horror Express - 6.3

Body Snatchers
1.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - 8
2.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - 7.2
3.) Body Snatchers - 5.6

The Fly
1.) The Fly (1986) - 7.2
2.) The Fly (1958) - 6.9
3.) Return of the Fly - 5.2
4.) Curse of the Fly - 4.9
5.) The Fly II - 4.3

Psycho
1.) Psycho (1960) - 8.6
2.) Psycho II - 5.8
3.) Psycho IV: The Beginning - 4.8
4.) Psycho (1998) - 4.7
5.) Psycho III - 4.5
6.) Bates Motel - 3.1

Of the Dead
1.) Dawn of the Dead (1978) - 7.9
2.) Night of the Living Dead (1968) - 7.9
3.) Dawn of the Dead (2004) - 7.4
4.) The Return of the Living Dead - 6.9
5.) Day of the Dead - 6.8
6.) Land of the Dead - 6.6
7.) Zombi 2 - 6.5
8.) Night of the Living Dead (1990) - 6.4
9.) Return of the Living Dead III - 5.5
10.) Return of the Living Dead Part II - 4.8
11.) Zombi 3 - 4.5
12.) Night of the Living Dead 3D - 4.1
13.) Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis - 3.2
14.) Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave - 3
15.) Children of the Living Dead - 2.6
16.) Day of the Dead 2: Contagium - 2.4

Exorcist
1.) The Exorcist - 8
2.) The Ninth Configuration - 7
3.) The Exorcist III - 5.7
4.) Exorcist: The Beginning - 5.1
5.) Exorcist II: The Heretic - 3.4

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1.) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - 7.3
2.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - 6
3.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - 5.9
4.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 - 4.9
5.) Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III - 4.5
6.) The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 2.5

Jaws
1.) Jaws - 8.3
2.) Jaws 2 - 5.5
3.) Jaws 3-D - 3.3
4.) Jaws: The Revenge - 2.5

Omen
1.) The Omen (1976) - 7.5
2.) Damien: Omen II - 5.9
3.) The Omen (2006) - 5.4
4.) The Final Conflict - 5.2
5.) Omen IV: The Awakening - 3.4

Carrie
1.) Carrie (1976) - 7.3
2.) Carrie (2002) - 5.3
3.) The Rage: Carrie 2 - 4.3

Dario Argento Trilogy
1.) Suspiria - 7.2
2.) Inferno - 6.5

Evil Dead
1.) Evil Dead II - 7.8
2.) Army of Darkness - 7.5
3.) The Evil Dead - 7.5

Halloween
1.) Halloween - 7.9
2.) Halloween II - 6.1
3.) Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers - 5.4
4.) Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later - 5.2
5.) Halloween 5 - 4.3
6.) Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers - 4.3
7.) Halloween: Resurrection - 4
8.) Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 3.5

Phantasm
1.) Phantasm - 6.5
2.) Phantasm II - 5.9
3.) Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead - 5.3
4.) Phantasm IV: Oblivion - 4.9

Alien
1.) Alien - 8.4
2.) Aliens - 8.4
3.) Alien³ - 6.4
4.) Alien: Resurrection - 6
5.) AVP: Alien vs. Predator - 5.4

Friday
1.) Friday the 13th - 6.1
2.) Freddy vs. Jason - 5.9
3.) Friday the 13th Part 2 - 5.2
4.) Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI - 4.9
5.) Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter - 4.8
6.) Friday the 13th Part III - 4.7
7.) Jason X - 4.4
8.) Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood - 4.3
9.) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday - 3.9
10.) Friday the 13th: A New Beginning - 3.7
11.) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhatten - 3.6

Gremlins
1.) Gremlins - 6.9
2.) Gremlins 2: The New Batch - 5.8

Nightmare
1.) A Nightmare on Elm Street - 7.3
2.) New Nightmare - 6.2
3.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - 6
4.) Freddy vs. Jason - 5.9
5.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master - 5
6.) A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge - 4.6
7.) A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child - 4.5
8.) Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare - 4.3

Hannibal
1.) The Silence of the Lambs - 8.6
2.) Red Dragon - 7.3
3.) Manhunter - 7.1
4.) Hannibal - 6.3
5.) Hannibal Rising - 6

Predator
1.) Predator - 7.6
2.) Predator 2 - 5.7
3.) AVP: Alien vs. Predator - 5.4

Hellraiser
1.) Hellraiser - 6.9
2.) Hellbound: Hellraiser II - 5.9
3.) Hellraiser: Inferno - 5.3
4.) Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - 4.9
5.) Hellraiser: Hellseeker - 4.9
6.) Hellraiser: Deader - 4.6
7.) Hellraiser: Hellworld - 4.5
8.) Hellraiser: Bloodline - 4.3

Child's Play
1.) Child's Play - 6
2.) Bride of Chucky - 5.1
3.) Seed of Chucky - 5.1
4.) Child's Play 2 - 4.8
5.) Child's Play 3 - 4

Pumpkinhead
1.) Pumpkinhead - 5.6
2.) Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes - 4.2
3.) Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud - 4.2
4.) Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings - 3.3

Candyman
1.) Candyman - 6.3
2.) Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh - 4.6
3.) Candyman: Day of the Dead - 3.4

Leprechaun
1.) Leprechaun 3 - 4.1
2.) Leprechaun - 3.9
3.) Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood - 3.4
4.) Leprechaun in the Hood - 3.2
5.) Leprechaun 2 - 3
6.) Leprechaun 4: In Space - 2.7

Ring
1.) Ringu - 7.4
2.) The Ring - 7.3
3.) The Ring Virus - 6.6
4.) Ringu 0: Bâsudei - 6.2
5.) Ringu 2 - 6
6.) Ringu: Kanzen-ban - 5.9
7.) The Ring Two - 5.1
8.) Rasen - 5

Scream
1.) Scream - 7.1
2.) Scream 2 - 5.8
3.) Scream 3 - 5.3

I Know What You Did Last Summer
1.) I Know What You Did Last Summer - 5.3
2.) I Still Know What You Did Last Summer - 4
3.) I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer - 3.8

Ju-on
1.) Gakkô no kaidan G - 9.1
2.) Ju-on - 6.7
3.) Ju-on: The Grudge - 6.5
4.) Ju-on: The Grudge 2 - 6.2
5.) Ju-on 2 - 5.8
6.) The Grudge - 5.7
7.) The Grudge 2 - 4.6

Jeepers Creepers
1.) Jeepers Creepers - 5.4
2.) Jeepers Creepers II - 5.2

Rob Zombie Duology
1.) The Devil's Rejects - 7
2.) House of 1000 Corpses - 5.4

Saw
1.) Saw - 7.6
2.) Saw II - 6.9
3.) Saw III - 6.5

Notable Standalones
The Shining - 8.4
It - 6.7
Misery - 7.7
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - 7.2

And there you have it. I spent hours putting this together, so someone please at least comment on it! Contribute, critique, have fun.

[Kane_Hodder]

Much ado about nothing.
I don't want to disappoint you, but you could have put in that much effort into creating a more interesting topic. The figures and statistics of popularity shown here is pretty much well-known within the horror fans community, and often repeated.
Points for the effort though.

[scarecrow666]

I think 100% 10\10 for effort. Having them linked MIGHT be useful though.

[johnboy3434]

Originally Posted by Kane_Hodder

Much ado about nothing.
I don't want to disappoint you, but you could have put in that much effort into creating a more interesting topic. The figures and statistics of popularity shown here is pretty much well-known within the horror fans community, and often repeated.
Points for the effort though.

Truth be told, this was more for me than for anyone else. Once I put the damned thing together, I figured I might want to post it somewhere to see what kind of reaction it gets. No offense taken. Trying to figure out which Dead movies were official was a pain in the ass, though. Just in case anyone does care, though, I'll be updating this as new films come out (there are several on the way in this year alone).

Oh, and I'll link those at some point.

Edit: Wait, are you THE Kane Hodder? As in, the Kane Hodder that played Jason in Ft13 7-10?

[swiss tony]

interesting to see that gremlins crushed exorcistIII and omenII in the ratings. are you sure the gremlins rating is correct? can't believe ju on did so bad. interesting reading. i think it proves what we already knew; the critics know more than the audience and even then they are still way off sometimes. but then i wouldn't listen to a word i say:) i'm not just saying this but the best and most reliable referees are right here on HDC. stick with the top 100's and you can't go far wrong

[johnboy3434]

Yes, strange as it may seem, Gremlins did better than Omen II and Exorcist III with the masses. I have to admit, it was enjoyable.

[swiss tony]

dunno know if enjoyable is good enough to push it's rating up so high. it's stereotypical 80's shite. entertaining but shite. jim henson fans will love it.

[Doc Faustus]

Great effort. Nice set of statistics assembled here. I wish more critics understood Inferno and House of 1000 Corpses.

[swiss tony]

Originally Posted by Doc Faustus

Great effort. Nice set of statistics assembled here. I wish more critics understood Inferno and House of 1000 Corpses.

i understand inferno and love it but that house of 1000 corpses...i bet the house/rejects pairing is universally held up higher than suspiria/inferno with the possible exception of this site. oh, the injustice:D