Ellie Stephenson

TOP FIVE HORROR/THRILLER FILMS

Ign.com is a popular website that includes the latest news about gaming, films, television shows and

more. It stands for the International Gaming Network and has an informal, personal tone to its articles. This is the website that I have researched to find the “Top

Five” horror/thriller films of all time.

IGN.COM

5. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Silence of the lambs is a 1991 thriller film starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. It centres around an FBI trainee “Clarice Starling” who goes to “Hannibal Lecter,” a serial killer, to gain information about “Buffalo Bill”, a violent cannibal. Starling tells Hannibal Lecter intimate moments of her life, in exchange for information and eventually, she is able to capture the criminal she has been seeking. This film is known as one of the best thrillers because of the memorable, grotesque images that are shown to the viewers. Also, the character are unforgettable and we feel a mixture of emotions towards each of them.

4. ALIEN

Alien is set in the near future. A commercial crew venture onto an unknown planet and find thousands of strange alien eggs. When a crew member approaches the eggs, he is attacked. However, the rest of the crew take him back to earth and believe that he is unharmed. Nonetheless, an alien creature bursts from his chest and creates terror for the audience. This is a popular riller because of its interesting plot and the suspense that this creates.

3. JAWS

Jaws is a 1975 horror directed by Steven Spielberg. After a girl is killed, police chief “Martin Brody” realises that there is a great white shark in the waters. After a number of other deaths occur, Brody is forced to make a drastic decision to kill the shark. This film is regarded as one of the best thrillers because of its iconic music and the difference in plot to other films.

2. PSYCHO

Psycho is an 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film that sparked controversy as soon as it aired. Hitchcock broke all the traditional rules of cinema to make this film. The iconic ‘shower’ scene has been recognised all over the world. This film is still in the ‘Top Five’ after 53 years after it premiered because it still shocks its audience and excites its viewers.

1. THE EXORCIST

According to ign, The Exorcist is the best thriller/horror film of all time. It centres around a twelve year old girl who becomes possessed by a demon after playing the Ouija board. When is was released, this film stunned audiences and it was even banned in various cinemas. Despite the controversy, this film is still scaring viewers and it is this film that we will have to research in more depth to gain the best results for our video.

This list will benefit us when it comes to making a decision about what plot to base our video on. We will have a film night and pick a selection of the

films on the list and discuss what we felt was effective and what we would wish to avoid.

I am sure that by watching these films we will gain an in depth understanding of what audiences expect

from a horror film. Furthermore, I believe that we will gain the inspirations for our plot, locations and

characters through watching these films and assessing the effectiveness of their openings.

HOW THIS INFORMATION WILL BENEFIT US