Entertaining 1974 gorefest the Texas Chain Saw Massacre has secured top spot in a Total Film poll of the best horror films ever, pipping Halloween to the post in a top ten which includes The Shining, Rosemary's Baby and the splendidly-titled Cannibal Holocaust.

Agreeably, UK classic The Wicker Man is honoured at seven, although it's debatable whether this is for its chilling depiction of the unwholesome shenanigans on Summerisle or Edward Woodward's truly terrifying Scottish accent.

Total Film said of the laureats: "Some are terrifying, some are horrifying, some are just plain gross. But all make up the greatest horror movies of all time." ®

That top ten in full:

1. Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
2. Halloween (1978)
3. Suspiria (1977)
4. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
5. The Shining (1980)
6. Psycho (1960)
7. The Wicker Man (1973)
8. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
9. Don't Look Now (1973)
10. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

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