'The Exorcist' tops poll of best-ever horror films

LONDON: "The Exorcist," William Friedkin's 1973 iconic movie, has been voted the best horror film ever made, according to a new poll of British filmgoers published on Thursday.
     
Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," the 1980 film remake of Stephen King's classic novel, was placed second in the survey, followed by Ridley Scott's 1979 movie "Alien."
     
Four other films in the top 10 were released between 1970 and 1984, "Halloween" (1978), "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984), "The Wicker Man" (1973) and "The Omen" (1976).
     
The three others featuring at the top of the list were "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), "Saw" (2004) and "Ring" (1998).
     
FW Murnau's "Nosferatu" is the oldest film on the list, having been released in 1922, while "The Mist" and "Shutter," the DVD versions of which were released this year, are the most recent.
     
More than 6,000 people were surveyed by entertainment retailer HMV on its website between September 19 and October 20 for the poll.
     
The top 10:
1. "The Exorcist" (1973)-William Friedkin
2. "The Shining" (1980)-Stanley Kubrick
3. "Alien" (1979)-Rifle Scott
4. "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991)-Jonathan Demme
5. "Saw" (2004)-James Wan
6. "Halloween" (1978)-John Carpenter
7. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)- Wes Craven
8. "Ring (Ringu)" (1998)-Hideo Nakata
9. "The Wicker Man" (1973)-Robin Hardy
10. "The Omen" (1976)-Richard Donner