Despite the critically acclaimed status of many horror classics, only “One Cut of the Dead” and “His House” have achieved a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, bypassing the likes of highly-rated films such as “The Bride of Frankenstein” (98%), “Get Out” (98%), “Jaws” (97%), “Nosferatu” (97%), “Psycho” (97%), and “Halloween” (96%). They also rank higher than the well-regarded but lesser scored “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (89%), “The Thing” (84%), “The Shining” (83%), “The Haunting” (82%), “Scream” (81%), and “The Exorcist” (78%).
While some cinephiles consider many of these aforementioned movies to be without fault, critiques have impacted their scores. For example, critic David Denby harbored unimpressed opinions about “The Shining”, and Mike Massie criticized the comedic elements in “The Bride of Frankenstein”. On the contrary, “One Cut of the Dead” enjoys a rarity of universal acclaim from critics, tallying a perfect score from 97 reviews. The film tells the story of a film crew that inadvertently summons real zombies during a one-take shoot of a zombie thriller, leading to a layered metanarrative. Critics including those from the New York Times, Variety, IndieWire, the Hollywood Reporter, and RogerEbert.com have praised this inventive and comedic zombie flick.
FAQ Section
- What are the two horror movies with perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores?
“One Cut of the Dead” and “His House” are the two horror films with perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
- What score did classic horror movies like “The Shining” and “The Exorcist” receive?
“The Shining” received a score of 83%, while “The Exorcist” scored 78% on Rotten Tomatoes.
- What is “One Cut of the Dead” about?
“One Cut of the Dead” is about a low-budget film crew shooting a zombie thriller in one take, who accidentally raise real zombies and decide to film the ensuing chaos.
- What makes “One Cut of the Dead” stand out according to critics?
Critics have praised it for refreshing meta-narrative jokes and offering a unique take on the zombie genre, as well as for its inventive structure and humor.
- Has any critic expressed dissatisfaction with any of the highly rated classic horrors?
Yes, critics like David Denby and Mike Massie have offered criticisms of “The Shining” and “The Bride of Frankenstein,” respectively, which prevented those films from achieving perfect scores.
Conclusion
In the pantheon of horror cinema, many films are venerated for their craft, storytelling, and impact on the genre. However, when it comes to the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, which aggregates critic reviews into a single percentage score, “One Cut of the Dead” and “His House” stand alone as the only horror films to achieve a perfect score. This does not diminish the standing of beloved classics but highlights how these two films, in particular, have resonated unanimously with critics and potentially represent a new direction or high-water mark for the genre.