Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 9. \u201cThe Blair Witch Project\u201d (1999)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 8. \u201cThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre\u201d (1974)<\/strong><\/p>\n Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 7. \u201cShaun of the Dead\u201d (2004)<\/strong><\/p>\n Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 6. \u201cHalloween\u201d (1978)<\/strong><\/p>\n Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 5. \u201cDawn of the Dead\u201d (1978)<\/strong><\/p>\n Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 4. \u201cA Nightmare on Elm Street\u201d (1984)<\/strong><\/p>\n Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 3. \u201cThe Evil Dead\u201d (1981)<\/strong><\/p>\n Budget:<\/em> Plot:<\/em> Why it\u2019s amazing:<\/em> 2. \u201cNight of the Living Dead\u201d (1968)<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Paranormal-Activity-550x363.jpg\" "\\"Paranormal")
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\n$15,000<\/p>\n
\nIn an attempt to capture footage of the supernatural entity they suspect is haunting their lovely suburban home, a young couple decide to film their everyday lives with a camcorder, with bloodcurdling results.<\/p>\n
\nThis super-low budget found-footage chiller from writer-director Oren Peli traumatised movie-going audiences the world over. Its deliberately slow pacing allows for a nail-bitingly tense mood as the supernatural goings-on (from doors moving to demonic possession) gradually become worse and worse. The film has become something of a phenomenon, having earned almost $200 million worldwide and spawned two incredibly successful sequels (so far). \u201cParanormal Activity\u201d is hailed as one of the most effectively frightening horror flicks of recent years, though there are of course a bunch of hyperactive loudmouths who complain the film is \u201cbooorriiinnggg.\u201d Oh, do be quiet, restless children!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Blair-Witch-Project-550x345.jpg\" "\\"Blair")
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\n$20,000-$750,000 (figures vary)<\/p>\n
\nThree student filmmakers venture out into the Burkittsville woods to film a documentary on the local legend of the Blair Witch, but unfortunately find themselves lost, scared, hungry and being hunted by someone, or something.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe Blair Witch Project\u201d is the film that kicked off the modern age of the found-footage subgenre (which is sort of a good thing, sort of a bad thing). Receiving just under $250 million worldwide, the film is one of the most financially successful independent films the world has ever seen. Akin to \u201cJaws,\u201d the film holds off on showing its villain, in this case a wicked witch (presumably), resulting in a suspenseful and mysterious experience for the viewer. The film very quickly became an iconic piece of horror cinema, if only for the scene in which a petrified Heather tearfully and booger-nosedly apologises to the camera (as seen above). Oh, and it\u2019s also a little bit terrifying, especially for those who suffer from motion sickness.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Texas-Chainsaw-Massacre-550x309.jpg\" "\\"Texas")
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\nLess than $30,000<\/p>\n
\nA group of friends travel through the sweaty state of Texas to visit the dilapidated old family home of two of the group, only to be greeted by a family of cannibalistic murderers, one of whom has a keen liking for a certain power tool.<\/p>\n
\nTobe Hooper\u2019s guts-and-all horror flick is, frankly, disgusting; this is precisely why it\u2019s so gosh darn effective. The very controversial film was rather expectedly met with repulsion from many viewers upon release but, funnily enough, the actual on-screen violence is quite limited; still, the implied violence is nauseating to think about. Iconic for creating the chainsaw-wielding nutcase known as Leatherface, \u201cThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre\u201d is a wonderfully crafted and surprisingly well-acted splatter horror from a very talented filmmaker. However, one wonders if it did good or bad for the Texan tourist industry.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Shaun-of-the-Dead-550x360.jpg\" "\\"Shaun")
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\n$5,000,000<\/p>\n
\nShaun, a slacker salesman living in London, is utterly horrified when his girlfriend, Liz, dumps him. Waking up the next morning with a horrendous hangover, he determinedly sets out to go to Liz and win back her heart. Meanwhile, flesh-eating zombies take over the world.<\/p>\n
\nPromoted as the world\u2019s first ever rom-zom-com, director Edgar Wright\u2019s feature-film debut is one of the most drop-dead hilarious films of the last decade. Making household names out of its two main stars, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the film is, fair enough, more comedy than horror, but still, it has a shitload of flesh-devouring zombies in it; isn\u2019t that enough? Armed with a script that\u2019s dripping with wit, heart, brains (mmmm, brains\u2026) and general hilariousness, \u201cShaun of the Dead\u201d is an incessantly brilliant and highly comical British satire of the zombie subgenre that just keeps getting funnier and funnier every time you watch it; I should know, I\u2019ve seen it like a gazillion-bajillion times and plan on watching it like a gazillion-bajillion times more.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Halloween-550x331.jpg\" "\\"Halloween\\"")
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\n$325,000<\/p>\n
\nThe quiet fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois is in for quite a surprise this Halloween, when homicidal maniac Michael Myers breaks out of his psychiatric hospital and returns to his hometown with his own special brand of trick-or-treating in store.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHalloween\u201d is seen to be one of the first slasher films to hit theatres, thus sparking a whole new subgenre of horror cinema. It not only gave the world of film one of its greatest villains, stalker-slasher Michael Myers, but also launched the careers of director John Carpenter, who went on to make \u201cThe Thing\u201d and \u201cEscape from New York,\u201d and its star, Jamie Lee Curtis, who went on to star with Lindsay Lohan in \u201cFreaky Friday\u201d and show us her tits in \u201cTrading Places;\u201d I kid, she\u2019s a fabulous actress. With nice tits. Anyhoo, \u201cHalloween\u201d is endlessly suspenseful, highly entertaining and rather ground-breaking for its time; it\u2019s very rightfully heralded today as a beloved classic of horror cinema. And Jamie Lee Curtis has nice tits.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Dawn-of-the-Dead-550x298.jpg\" "\\"Dawn")
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\n$500,000<\/p>\n
\nAt a time when the undead are literally consuming the world\u2019s increasingly miniscule population, a small band of survivors horde up inside a gigantic supermarket, which kinda goes a little awry.<\/p>\n
\nGeorge A. Romero\u2019s sequel to his classic \u201cNight of the Living Dead,\u201d one of the world\u2019s first true zombie films, is a little different from its predecessor. For one, it\u2019s not filmed in black-and-white, so all the gloriously grizzly gore can now be seen in vibrant Technicolor. The film is also not quite as serious as \u201cNight of the Living Dead,\u201d instead laugh-out-loud hilarious at several points. It\u2019s a good bit broader as well, but not stupider; it\u2019s very entertaining, very goofy, very tense and very smart. It also carries some important social messages (hmm, people barricading themselves inside a shopping mall filled with warmth and food, not allowing access to the sick and hungry who are loudly moaning outside, hmm..), though Romero has never admitted to them.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/A-Nightmare-on-Elm-Street-550x309.jpg\" "\\"A")
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\n$1,800,000<\/p>\n
\nThe teenagers of Elm Street are beginning to have horrible nightmares in which they are hunted down by a burn-faced psychopath clad in a fedora hat, a stripy sweater and a blade-fingered glove. But they\u2019re just nightmares\u2026 right?<\/p>\n
\nObvious reason: it unleashed Freddy friggin\u2019 Krueger upon the world. Yes, this is the film that started Freddy\u2019s reign of stomach-slashing, flesh-tearing, catchphrase-spewing terror. Mr. Krueger, stripy sweater and all, is now an icon of horror cinema, created by famed screenwriter and director Wes Craven. The film itself, dated as it is, is thankfully worthy of such a magnificently entertaining character, equipped with a clever and original concept, decent acting, a whole barrel of effective scares and a young Johnny Depp being sucked into a bed; that\u2019s always awesome.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Evil-Dead-550x296.jpg\" "\\"Evil")
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\n$350,000-$400,000<\/p>\n
\nFive college students venture out into the woods (never a good idea) for a relaxing vacation in an isolated cabin. Only problem is, they accidentally unleash a whole bunch of vicious demons who are determined to swallow the souls of the poor, stupid teenagers.<\/p>\n
\nInitially dumped in the category of \u201cvideo nasties,\u201d many overlooked \u201cThe Evil Dead,\u201d considering it to be just another dumb, disgusting, pointless splatter flick. However, the film is anything but this — well, aside from the \u201csplatter\u201d bit; that bit\u2019s true. It\u2019s gory, yes, in fact stomach-churningly gory, and on the surface it is indeed a stupid film, but the filmmaking, specifically the direction of up-and-comer Sam Raimi, is so original and so innovative that it could be called ground-breaking. The end result is a film that is eternally entertaining and has rightfully developed a committed cult following over the years. They want you to join them\u2026 join them\u2026 join us\u2026 join us\u2026<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Night-of-the-Living-Dead-550x391.jpg\" "\\"Night")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thisblogrules.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Evil-Dead-2-550x297.jpg\" "\\"Evil")
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