As my last topic dealt with selecting the best film in given decades, I thought I would make this topic much more selective. This is in regards to the best year ever for horror movies. While still a tough answer to decide, because of what goes into a years worth of any genre there is more availiable to make an accurate decision.
My choice goes to 1988
This year had NOES 4 (the best in the series IMHO), the original Child's Play, Friday the 13th 7, Men Behind the Sun (has the most disturbing scene I've ever seen in it and yes I have seen Cannibal Holocaust and Irrevesiable), Halloweeb IV: The Return of Michael Myers, Sleepaway Camp II (Again, best in the series IMHO and in a poll taking by Sleepaway Camp fans), Return of the Living Dead II, and that's just off the top of my head.
Honorable mentions go to 1980, which brought us the Shining and Cannibal Holocaust, also the classic Universal pictures era movies (though I am more of a slasher fan).
So, what's your opinion?
"Men Behind the Sun (has the most disturbing scene I've ever seen in it and yes I have seen Cannibal Holocaust and Irrevesiable)"
Ah, one of the few films I'm unwilling to see on principle. A cat, in quite real life, being eaten alive by rats over about 4 minutes of the film means I'm unwilling to watch it or support its makers. Perhaps silly or naive of me, I don't know, but I find the concept of real animal torture as entertainment/for profit disturbing.
That aside, I actually do think 1988 is one of the best years for horror.
87 might be the best for me - Near Dark, Night of the Demons, The Lost Boys, Elm Street 3 (probably my favorite sequel, discarding FVJ), Evil Dead 2 (one of my all-time favs), and Hellraiser.
I can't get it down to a specific year, but I have narrowed it down to the years 1972 - 1978. Those years brought us (among other movies):
* LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
* TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
* THE EXORCIST
* THE OMEN
* I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE
* THE HILLS HAVE EYES
* DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT
* DAWN OF THE DEAD
* HALLOWEEN
* JAWS
We could extend this backward and forward a couple of years and also include:
* I DRINK YOUR BLOOD
* FRIDAY THE 13TH
* ALIEN
You need to go back to the Universdal monsters of the 1930s and 1940s to find another time period that brought us as many groundbreaking, memorable, and imitated horror (or near-horror) movies.
best year overall? 1985, after that the movies just got way too cheesey.
I'd say 1931 - 35.