Evaluation of Horror Movies
Choose one or two* films from the list below. If you wish to watch a movie that is not on the
list, you MUST get my approval first. Watch the film with this assignment in mind; DO NOT rely
on your memory of the film. Write an evaluation (min. 500 words) that explains how effective
the film is at achieving its goal. What, specifically, makes it a successful horror film? Or,
how/why does it fail? Take into account our discussion of the King and Werner essays as well as
the criteria we generate in class as you evaluate the film.
*If you choose to write about two films, focus on a contrast between the two, explaining which one is the more
successful at achieving its goal.
Note: Highlighted titles are less intense, less graphic in terms of violence and language
Zombie: 28 Days Later, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil, I
Am Legend, Quarantine/Rec, Crazies, World War Z.
Ghost/Supernatural: Paranormal Activity, The Ring, Case 39, The Grudge,
Insidious, Drag Me To Hell, The Omen, The Exorcist, Fallen, The Exorcism of Emily
Rose, The Shining, Poltergeist, Devil, The Woman in Black, Nightmare on Elm
Street (only original), The Others, Dream House, Sixth Sense, Blair Witch Project, 13
Ghosts, The Apparition, Haunting in Connecticut, Final Destination (first one only),
The Conjuring, Annabelle, Jennifer’s Body, Lights Out, Oculus, Sinister, Flatliners
(original only), It Follows, Evil Dead, The Babadook, Session 9, Ouija, The Nun,
Hereditary, Pet Semetary, Mama, Us, 1408, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Truth or
Dare.
Slasher/Lunatic on the Loose: Halloween, Friday the 13th(original only), Hills Have
Eyes, Wolf Creek, Silence of the Lambs, Carrie, High Tension, The Strangers,
Misery, Vacancy, Shutter Island, When a Stranger Calls, Orphan, Scream, I Know
What You Did Last Summer, The Collector, Last House on the Left, The Purge,
Psycho, Split, Children of the Corn, Hush, Don’t Breathe, Get Out, Secret Window,
Disturbia, Seven, The Visit, The Boy, Ma.
Monster: The Thing, Quiet Place, The Ruins, The Cabin in the Woods, It, The
Descent, Alien(s), Jaws, Fright Night, Tremors, 30 Days of Night, King Kong: Skull
Island, Cloverfield, The Priest, The Village, Let Me In, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,
Jurassic Park, Arachnophobia, Red Riding Hood, Tremors, Slither, Underworld,
Blade, Bird Box, Jeepers Creepers (first one only).
Plague: Contagion, Carriers, Children of Men, The Happening, Mulberry Street.
Alien/techno/sci-fi: Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Alien, Apollo 18, Fourth Kind,
Prometheus, Pulse, One Missed Call, The Astronaut’s Wife, Event Horizon, The
Thing, VHS, Sphere, Annililation, Unfriended, Predator, Signs.
Misc: Gerald’s Game, Escape Room, Midsommer