The Scariest Things is recording its 100th Podcast Episode soon, and in celebration we are going to host a Horror Movie bracket-style royal rumble to determine the best horror movie of all time and we’d like you to join in on the fun!
But wait, you might be asking us… didn’t you already do a Top 100 Horror Movies of all time? Yep. You can check out our big list HERE. So, what gives? Well, we’ve decided rather than do a survey again, we’d test our model by having an elimination bracket using our results from our survey and running it through a bracket fight!
For those of you who are familiar with an NCAA March Madness bracket, or a World Cup bracket, it will be familiar. We will seed the tournament from strongest, and most likely to succeed, to long-shots who still deserve a chance, and they will pair off in one on one match-ups in a reductive elimination process until a champion is crowned. We are using BRACKET FIGHTS as our model, and you can do the bracket yourself! Click this link to the Horror Movie Championship Bracket.
We will be recording a live run-through of our bracket with the entire TST team, some of our favorite guest hosts and horror media friends, COVID-19 ZOOM style! We would like to invite our Patreon supporters to join us in this effort, so if you want to get in on the action, please donate to our Patreon site and send an e-mail to [email protected] to get in on the ZOOM. Join the fun!
THE HORROR MOVIE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS
So, what movies are in the running? Here are your movies! But wait, where’s your favorite movie? Well, like the NCAA tournament, there will be snubs… movies that just came up short. We also had to make room for some movies of sub-genres that might get left out of the equation. But, if you really love, say, Cabin in the Woods, you can pick that movie to come up from the middle tier all the way to the top! I do suspect there will be some big upsets.
If you haven’t seen one of the movies, what should you do? Pick the movie that you would be most interested in seeing. that’s a good rule of thumb. You don’t have to have seen the movie to make a choice. And, maybe after you fill in your bracket, you can watch some of these movies! (That’s really the whole point of this.)
#1 and #2 Seeds are in this order: (L to R)
These are bonafide all time classic horror movies. They are both critically and popularly successful. They are also the top eight movies on our top 100 movies of all time and are likely to advance far in the tournament. Hard to argue with the seedings of any of these… though I remember being a bit surprised at how highly An American Werewolf in London finished in our top 100.
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1 
1 
1 
2 
2 
2 
2
#3 and #4 seeds.
Still great movies, and super solid classics. Their match-ups will be a bit tougher in the first round. Interesting to see how much esteem Get Out already has. A Nightmare on Elm Street might be a bit under-seeded, but who would you move out of the way instead?
3 
3 
3 
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4 
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4
#5 and #6 Seeds
Now we’re getting into the broader mix of horror films. Respected and much loved, but perhaps not seen by as many people. I would look for a few of these films to get upset, potentially in the first round. Keep in mind, these are still films seeded by rank in our top 100. How many of you have seen Audition? How many of you only know of, but have not watched Psycho? Our first two sequels show up here, in Evil Dead 2 and Exorcist III.
5 
5 
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6
#7 and #8 Seeds
These are the last of the automatic qualifiers. These films will be having even-up matches in the first round. (vs. the #9 and #10 seeds respectively) I love Curse of the Demon, but not a lot of general audiences may have seen this movie. Will Martyrs be hampered by being so visceral and hard to watch? Are It Follows and Hereditary too new?
7 
7 
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8
#9 and #10 Seeds
The #9 seeds feature a couple of iconic movies that for some reason did not crack The Scariest Things Top 100. This is a chance for Carrie and Friday the 13th to prove us wrong. The #10 seeds are all classic horror movies that registered on our top 100 but were not in our top 32. We had to guarantee some of the GOLDEN AGE fare to join the party. But, where’s Dracula? The Count was on the bubble and fell just missed the cut.
9 
9 
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10 
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10
#11 and #12 Seeds
The #11 seeds all no doubt belong in the tourney but aren’t so universally popular to get a higher seed. The #12 Seeds are VERY RECENT MOVIES, all from the last 3 years. Some might say “Too soon!” and thus, the relatively low seeding, but I felt we do have to recognize recent greatness. Just missing the cut for the #12 seeds: Don’t Breathe, The Witch, and Midsommar. Maybe Time will be kind and they’ll make the next tournament.
11 
11 
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12
#13 and #14 Seeds
The #13 seeds are cult favorites. Not universally seen, but those who have seen them, love them. The #14 seeds are all HORROR-COMEDIES. But are these really scary movies? Do they belong on a list like this? Sure! But they will have to battle out of low seeds to make a dent. I rather like the odds of What We Do in the Shadows to pull off an upset or two.
13 
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14 
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14
#15 and #16 Seeds
These are the “happy to be at the dance” movies. The #15 seeds are the last of the at-large films and were probably the hardest movies to pick. The very last movie to make the tournament is Kill List. The #16 movies are pure EXPLOITATION movies. Movies that are not great… or even good… but are so sensational and essential to what makes horror movies horrifying that they had to be included. Are they the greatest horror movies of all time? Probably not, but if you get into the tournament… you have a chance! If your favorite horror movie didn’t get included on this list, you can blame I Spit on Your Grave and Cannibal Holocaust. I actually had a lot of fun adding the 16 seeds into the mix.
15 
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16
When filling out the bracket, I do advise using the Matchup mode, as it will be easier to see the contestants. Also Presentation mode, if you are on a PC will be easier to read. And you can reset the bracket if you change your mind.
You can save your bracket at the bottom of the form. Who will be your champion?
