Martin Scorsese once picked the 11 greatest horror movies of all time
Martin Scorsese, a filmmaker synonymously linked with the ‘New Hollywood’ wave of cinema, is perhaps one of the most influential filmmakers of the modern age. Crafting a range of impressive titles in the cinematic world, the movie maestro has become one of the foremost names in the art of filmmaking. As such, his words are as valuable as gold, and it means when he gives a nod to a certain movie, then it deserves all of our collective attention.
Thankfully, the icon has never been afraid of sharing his opinion on great films. He has picked his favourite British movies, the best films of the 1990s and so on. And, for those who like to sit behind the sofa and watch scary films, he even once created an emphatic list of his all-time favourite horror movies.
Scorsese, whose work on the likes of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and more has led him to become one of the most significant and influential filmmakers of all time, is also a keen historian of the art of cinema and is an avid student of film.
“I prefer the escapism of fantasy, rather than the escapism of incredible sentimentality,” Scorsese once said of his storytelling ability. “What I’m afraid of is pandering to tastes that are superficial. There’s no depth anymore. What appears to be depth is often a facile character study… But they’re making a product, and a product’s gotta sell.”
“Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things,” he added. “They take us to other places, they open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our lifetime, we need to keep them alive.”
With a career spanning more than 50 years, Scorsese’s frequent use of slow motion, long tracking shots and running a trend in his lead female actors has also included nods to some of his cinematic idols such as Alfred Hitchcock and more. Tending to stick closer to the genres of crime thrillers and verging away into thrillers which, at times, lean towards psychological and drama themes, Scorsese has successfully cracked the area of biographical sports features with huge critical and box office success.
One area Scorsese has yet to enter is the field of horror, a sub-genre of cinema that dates back to the 1890s and a period of time that is relative to the beginning of the history of film. As aforementioned, Scorsese is a keen historian and has tracked the genre closely throughout his life.
As part of an interview with Daily Beast, Scorsese was asked to pick 11 of his favourite horror films of all time. Perhaps predictably, Hitchcock’s 1960 effort Psycho makes into the pile, as does work from Stanley Kubrick, Lewis Allen, Robert Wise and more.
“Kubrick made a majestically terrifying movie,” Scorsese commented before adding: “Where what you don’t see or comprehend shadows every move the characters make.”
Scorsese is a director who has made a name for himself in the art of subtlety. His movies are rarely brash or bolshy but rely heavily on the understated comedy, menace or sorrow of his subject. That can be reflected in his list of favourite horror movies, which not only showcases some of the finest aspects of the genre but triumphs over the very nature of filmmaking.
Martin Scorsese’s 11 favourite horror films:
- The Haunting – Robert Wise, 1963.
- Isle of the Dead – Val Lewton, 1945.
- The Uninvited – Lewis Allen, 1944.
- The Entity – Frank de Felitta, 1983.
- Dead of Night – Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer, 1945.
- The Changeling – Peter Medak, 1980.
- The Shining – Stanley Kubrick, 1980.
- The Exorcist – William Friedkin, 1973).
- Night of the Demon – Jacques Tourneur, 1957.
- The Innocents – Jack Clayton, 1961.
- Psycho – Alfred Hitchcock, 1960.
