Overview of H3 After Dark #111: Ranking Every Horror Movie Ever
This Halloween-themed H3 After Dark episode is a mix of costume banter, horror-movie tier ranking, and off-the-rails side chats. Ethan, Harley, and Kate spend most of the show joking in Batman/Joker costumes, celebrating the start of “Halloween’s Day” (their October Wednesday spooky-special format), and then debating a huge horror movie tier list. Along the way they also touch on Quebec separatism, The Batman / Joker discourse, and a weirdly insightful discussion about movie marketing, genre trends, and why some horror films stick so hard.
Halloween Costumes and Opening Banter
The costume bit
- Ethan appears as “Fat Man” / a Joker-adjacent costume.
- Harley is “Robin” / “Little Gay Robin.”
- Kate shows up in a well-executed Joker costume.
- A lot of the opening is just them roasting each other’s costumes, especially the quality of Ethan’s and Kate’s outfits.
“Joker Baby” running gag
- A big chunk of the episode revolves around the viral “I’m the Joker, baby” video.
- They repeatedly quote it, joke about it becoming canon, and use it as a catchphrase throughout the episode.
Horror Movie Tier List Discussion
The main segment is a long horror-movie tier ranking. They emphasize that horror is a broad genre and that some films are “S-tier” because they transcend horror, while others are great but more genre-specific.
Their broad consensus on top horror movies
They strongly praised or placed near the top:
- Alien
- The Shining
- The Exorcist
- Psycho
- The Ring
- Hereditary
- Get Out
- Carrie
- The Substance
- Jennifer’s Body was mentioned as a major honorable mention even though it wasn’t on the list
Notable mid/high-tier favorites
- Cabin in the Woods: loved for being clever and self-contained.
- Candyman: praised as genuinely terrifying and iconic.
- A Nightmare on Elm Street: admired for its camp, creativity, and dream-logic horror.
- The Conjuring: considered very effective and scary.
- The Grudge / Ju-on: discussed as an iconic supernatural horror entry.
- The Witch and Sinister were brought up as worth watching or rewatching.
- Midsommar: visually admired, but Ethan and Harley had mixed feelings about the story and pacing.
Lower or mixed reactions
- Cloverfield: Harley disliked the motion sickness / handheld style.
- Friday the 13th: seen as influential but less beloved than Halloween or Nightmare.
- Gremlins: liked as a movie, but not considered especially scary.
- Human Centipede: universally treated as disgusting rather than good.
- The Hills Have Eyes and The Blob landed in lower/“B or C” territory depending on version and nostalgia.
Side debate: what makes S-tier horror?
They spent a surprising amount of time arguing about whether S-tier should mean:
- the best horror movies specifically, or
- movies that transcend the genre entirely.
That led to debates over whether films like Cabin in the Woods, Carrie, and The Ring belong in the absolute top category or just “excellent horror.”
Audience Vote / Chat Reactions
They also checked the audience’s tier list, which came from over 600 votes.
Audience favorites
The chat’s strongest consensus was:
- Carrie as the clearest S-tier pick
- Then a group including Alien, The Shining, Get Out, Silence of the Lambs, and Hereditary
Interesting audience differences
- The chat ranked Rocky Horror Picture Show higher than Ethan and Harley did.
- The audience was broadly aligned with the hosts on most major horror classics.
- The biggest discrepancy was probably how high people ranked certain camp or cult films.
Other Major Conversations
Quebec separatism
- Harley brought up Quebec’s renewed separatist push.
- They discussed the province potentially holding another independence referendum.
- The conversation was mostly playful, with Harley jokingly saying the Joker would “take care of it.”
Batman/Joker discussion
They spent a lot of time talking about:
- favorite Batmen and Jokers
- Adam West vs. Michael Keaton vs. Christian Bale vs. Robert Pattinson
- Heath Ledger’s Joker as the high-water mark for many people
- Jared Leto’s Joker as a missed opportunity
- the idea that The Batman worked better as Batman than Bruce Wayne
Movie criticism and genre theory
A few recurring themes:
- Horror movies often decline when studios milk them for sequels.
- A lot of modern horror succeeds when it adds emotional depth or a fresh formal twist.
- They praised movies that made horror feel “serious” or innovative, like Get Out, The Ring, and The Exorcist.
- They also talked about how women-led horror stories and body horror can bring something different to the genre.
Notable Recommendations Mentioned
If you want a watchlist based on the episode, they strongly or casually recommended:
- Jennifer’s Body
- The Blackening
- Lake Mungo
- Sinister
- The Last Exorcism
- Barbarian
- Trick ’r Treat
- The Exorcism of Emily Rose
- The Witch
- The Ring
Final Takeaway
This episode is basically a Halloween hangout episode wrapped around a horror-movie tier list. The horror rankings are the backbone, but the real entertainment comes from the chemistry: nonstop costume jokes, Batman/Joker riffs, and a lot of surprisingly thoughtful horror analysis buried inside the chaos. If you like spooky-season banter, movie debates, and unhinged recurring bits, this one delivers.