Best Horror Movie Ever Poll - Playoff 4 of 8

[Swamp]

Well, Damien put up a good fight, but after trying to work his evil mojo on Dr. Lecter, Hannibal made a slurping noise that sent the little Antichrist running in fear.  Silence of the Lambs will progress.

This week, we have terror in a remote exotic location vs. terror within the "safety" of one's own home.

[Fenrix]

Although I enjoyed The Thing and its nod to The Mountains of Madness, I couldn't bring myself to pick it this round. It leans a little more towards action than visceral fear. It's harder to relate to aliens in Antartica than to a thing inside your home threatening your children.

Granted, The Thing didn't spawn any terrible sequels. And it has Kurt Russel rocking a manly beard. But that's not quite enough to clinch it for me.
 
Although many have held up well, The Thing's effects age less gracefully and more of the film's impact hinges on their effectiveness. Granted I've seen The Thing more recently than Poltergeist, but I remember more scenes from Poltergeist. Poltergeist has better staying power.

Also, Poltergeist had that creepy ass clown doll thing. I would put that up against the thing-dog any day.

[Ocicat]

Oooh, good one!  This is a really hard choice.  Both scary films, both with their flaws.  In the end I gave the nod to The Thing.  Although the alien in the antarctic is, well, alien - the main horror is not being able to tell who's not what they seem.  And that's a pretty basic fear, and the movie works as a metaphor on several levels.  And was creepy as fuck, at least for the time it came out.

[Portrait in Flesh]

* Portrait in Flesh nods in mesmerized agreement with Ocicat's assessment.

Plus, to the guys in The Thing, this place pretty much was their home.

[Sandikal]

This was so tough.  Ultimately, I chose "Poltergeist" because I first saw it in the theater when I was pregnant and hormonal.  To this day, it tears at my mommy heart.

[Swamp]

Wow. Just when I thought a winner was emerging, it goes for a tight finish.  One more day to vote.  (in case you'r wondering--The Thing vs. Poltergeist)