Psycho vs The Shining

...it’s definitely *The Shining*... I mean, sure, I watched it ages ago back when I was just a kid (which probably explains why I still have those sleepless nights), but I truly believe it hits every single beat a great horror movie needs...

...and you can't ignore the fact that the first film actually took home two Oscars, which says everything you need to know...

Bob, for sure. I didn't really connect with The Shining—it just never quite clicked for me

Look, The Exorcist is just way more intense—it’s a direct, heavy-hitting horror movie through and through. Rosemary's Baby feels more like a psychological thriller where the ending hits you like a freight train, so comparing them head-to-head feels like a bit of a reach to me.

If I had to pick two movies to actually pit against each other, I’d go with The Omen versus The Exorcist.☕

@Patrick Martin/">@@Patrick Martin

You're spot on, man.

cosmiclynx57 said:@Patrick Martin/">@@Patrick Martin

Man, you're trippin'. Rosemary's Baby is straight-up psychological horror, pure and simple.

Nah, I get where you're coming from, but I don't think it's like that. I was talking more about the whole visual vibe. Like, The Exorcist has those much darker shots, you know? It’s got way more explicit violence thrown at you. The actual look of the movie is just... grittier, more aggressive.

In Rosemary's Baby, almost everything happens during the day, and it’s got that specific urban atmosphere going on.

That's really what I meant.

When it comes to horror movies, nothing—and I mean absolutely nothing—touches The Exorcist for me. It’s in a league of its own. That movie genuinely rattled my bones and stayed with me way longer than I'd like to admit! Now, don't get me wrong, I think Rosemary's Baby is a fantastic psychological thriller—it really gets inside your head in that slow, creeping way—but I wouldn't necessarily label it a pure horror flick. It just hits different, you know?

The Exorcist. Man, it’s just on another level. Honestly, it’s my favorite horror movie—period. I don't think any other film, past or future, will ever hit an audience as hard as when The Exorcist first came out.

Both movies are absolute masterpieces of cinema, especially within the horror genre. For me, Rosemary's Baby takes the win and hits harder on the fear factor. It’s because of what someone else already pointed out: for most of the runtime, you’re left wondering if there’s actually a Satanic conspiracy happening or if she’s just losing her mind.
Honestly, even when the truth comes out at the end, I found it a bit underwhelming. Sure, it makes sense narratively, but wouldn't it have been better to leave it as an open question even after the credits roll? You also have to appreciate that there aren't any gross-out scenes or cheap jump scares; yet, it still manages to nail that creeping sense of dread and anxiety felt by the lead.
The Exorcist is a top-tier film too, but it's just a hair behind for me.
I saw some people bringing up The Omen and The Shining due to similar themes, but I’d also highly recommend Angel Heart—that one actually left the biggest impression on me out of this whole bunch.

I guess I personally prefer Rosemary's Baby.

Samuel Bennett60 said:...
I’d also throw Angel Heart into the mix—it’s easily the most impactful film on this list for me.

Yeah, same here.
A total mindfuck, isn't it?

I agree. 🙂

I recently rewatched Angel Heart, and it truly is an excellent film. 🙂

I also recently revisited Rosemary's Baby, but I simply don't have the stomach for The Exorcist right now. In my opinion, that one is definitely the scarier film. 😁

Look, I’m not trying to offend anyone or strip anyone of their personal taste, but claiming that Rosemary's Baby is a "better" horror movie than The Exorcist? Honestly, give me a break.

I’m not saying someone can’t prefer one over the other—subjectivity is a thing—but we really need to bring some rational judgment to the table when comparing what these movies actually are:

As great as Rosemary's Baby is (and it absolutely is), it’s practically a joke compared to The Exorcist in terms of pure horror impact and everything that film did to the media and the masses when it first hit theaters.

I don't care if you want to talk about Rosemary's Baby or Angel Heart—they're all fantastic films, no argument there—but The Exorcist is in a league of its own. It was a revolution. No other movie has ever triggered that level of visceral shock upon release.

And it wasn't just because of the era it came out in; the sheer way it affected people is an undeniable fact—you can go check the archives on YouTube if you don't believe me.

People were literally fleeing the theaters. Some were vomiting, others were fainting, and some actually ended up seeing psychiatrists after watching it. There were even serious televised debates about whether The Exorcist should even be allowed in theaters given how many people were being terrified, passing out, or getting sick. You have to consider the historical context, sure, but even regardless of the time period, comparing it to Rosemary's Baby—and then having the audacity to call Rosemary's Baby "better"—is wild. Seriously, go splash some cold water on your face right now. A cold shower might help.

No offense intended to anyone.

Ethan Martin said:Look, I’m not trying to offend anyone or tell people what they can or can't like, but seriously? Claiming that Rosemary's Baby is somehow a "better" horror movie than The Exorcist? Give me a break. Are we actually doing this right now?

Look, I’m not saying someone else can't find that movie more enjoyable or even better than I did. But we really need to apply some actual logic here. We need a rational judgment on what constitutes quality versus... whatever this is.

Look, as much as I love Rosemary's Baby—and trust me, it’s a fantastic movie—it’s honestly a total joke when you stack it up against The Exorcist. We aren't even talking about the scares; I'm talking about the sheer cultural earthquake The Exorcist caused. Remember how the media lost its mind? Or how people were actually terrified to walk into theaters? It was pure chaos. Can Rosemary's Baby even compete with that kind of impact? Not even close.

What even is the point of bringing up Rosemary's Baby or Angel Heart? Look, I get it—those are great movies, no argument here. But The Exorcist? That’s on a whole different level. It was a total revolution. Honestly, has any other movie ever caused that kind of absolute shock when it first hit theaters? Not even close.

Weather aside, you can't deny how much that hit the audience. The reaction was real. Just head over to YouTube and see for yourself.

People were literally fleeing the theater. Some people were vomiting, others were passing out, and plenty ended up in a psychiatrist's office after seeing it. You have to consider the era it came out in to understand that kind of impact, but honestly? Even regardless of the context, comparing it to Rosemary's Baby—and then actually having the nerve to claim Rosemary's Baby is "better" than The Exorcist? Please. Go wash your face with ice-cold water right now. Better yet, get in the shower. Make it cold. Now.

No offense intended to anyone.

If I’m not mistaken, we’re actually discussing the quality of the movie here—which is subjective, by the way—not just how much hype surrounded it at the time. Because if we’re measuring based on pure hype, then Star Wars would be the greatest Sci-Fi films ever made, better than Odyssey, Alien, Blade Runner, and pretty much everything else. Chill out a little...

Samuel Bennett60 said:If I’m not mistaken, we’re actually here to discuss the quality of the film—which is a subjective metric—rather than just the massive amount of hype surrounding it at the time. If we were going strictly by hype alone, then *Star Wars* would be the greatest Sci-Fi film ever made, easily outranking *2001: A Space Odyssey*, *Alien*, *Blade Runner*, and plenty of others. Just take a breath and cool it a little...

Look, my apologies if I stepped on any toes here—I’m just speaking purely from my own perspective as a fan.

While *Rosemary's Baby* and *Alien* both nail that sense of dread, nothing quite compares to *The Exorcist*. It maintains an absolutely unmatched horror atmosphere from the very first frame to the final shot—it’s masterful. It’s one of those rare films where the tension feels so thick you could practically reach out and touch it, or even smell that mystical, unsettling energy hanging in the air.

Then the music kicks in during The Exorcist—honestly, I’m speechless. Just pure respect.

The acting, the direction, the plot—everything just clicked. It was absolutely seamless.

For me, there’s been one horror film that stands at the absolute top of the list—forever and always.

Is The Exorcist just a brutal, dark, and freezing descent into pure hopelessness?
Even now, whenever I catch a glimpse of dim lighting in a room, my mind immediately drifts back to that bedside lamp and the dread of The Room.

To me, > possesses a far more biting atmosphere and a superior narrative arc. Beyond that, unlike >, this film builds its entire sense of dread through pure atmosphere rather than leaning heavily on special effects.
However, I simply cannot stomach Mia F. (who is an excellent actress) and her portrayal of the character Rosemary. When I watch her stumbling while running, those feeble attempts to articulate her views, the fluttering, the stuttering, and worst of all, that total submissiveness to men, I feel a desperate urge to reach through the screen and shake her.
Perhaps because I am watching from the perspective of the 21st century, that specific female helplessness is utterly unacceptable to me.
And that is why, despite being a masterpiece, the film remains difficult for me to sit through. I can only hope that her character—since I haven't delved into the deep analysis of it—is more of a parody of feminine roles at the time rather than a reflection of >'s actual stance toward women back then.

Now, > is good—it’s still significantly better than 90% of the horror fare released over the last two decades—but it hasn't aged particularly well.
It quite simply fails to evoke even a fraction of the same impact upon a second or third viewing as > does.

It’s got to be >. Seriously, the first time I sat through that, I was just totally speechless. It was such an absolute blast to watch... though I gotta say, > just didn't do anything for me. To me, it felt kind of dragged out, maybe even a little boring at times? Like, you catch a glimpse of those baby eyes for a second and then—boom—that's it. You're just sitting there constantly waiting for something big to actually happen, but then nothing. The atmosphere and the soundtrack aren't exactly heavy hitters either, but I feel like they could have been way more intense.

☕

Man, how did I miss Angel Heart? That’s going straight onto my watchlist!

And honestly, regarding The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby—it feels a little weird trying to put them in the same bucket. Don't get me wrong, they're both absolute masterpieces, but they hit you in totally different ways. To me, they just aren't really comparable at all.

Someone feel free to come for me now, but I’m standing by my opinion: I think Rosemary's Baby is overrated.

At least, it's overrated if we're judging it strictly as a horror movie—it just doesn't reach those terrifying heights of something like The Exorcist or even The Omen...

No way.

Look, Rosemary's Baby is a fantastic Drama-Mystery-Horror, but I’d only put it in the "horror" category as an afterthought. Honestly, I feel like it gets mentioned far too often in horror discussions just because people feel obligated to include it at the top of their lists.

To me, it’s definitely overrated.

If we’re really talking about the horror genre, I actually think Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is a MUCH BETTER horror film than Rosemary's Baby.

Ethan Martin said:If we’re really going to debate the horror genre, I’d argue that Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is actually a BETTER horror film than Psycho.

Honestly, that specific version was one of the most tedious movies I've ever sat through; after that, I had zero interest in touching the rest of the franchise. And look, the baby isn't overrated—it's a top-tier film, even if I'll admit it isn't pure horror. Personally, I find The Shining to be a better horror flick, though it's hard to judge purely on genre. Back in its day, The Exorcist probably hit people harder, whereas today, Psycho might actually be more shocking.