The Shining The Exorcist The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Night Of The Living Dead Carnival Of Souls Who Can Kill A Child Mill Of The Stone Women Vacancy The Others Trilogy Of Terror Eyes Without A Face Halloween Witchfinder General The House Of The Devil Dracula (1930) I'm sure i've missed some.
I've read Rue Morgue occasionally, but I avidly read the new Fangoria, Drive-In Delirium, Shock Cinema and Videoscope. Diabolique (out of Canada) is great, as well, but not easy to find here, so I often just read the articles published on their website. I also loved Video Watchdog when it was around, though the writing could be very dry and technical. The guy who publishes Drive-In Delirium uses old newspaper ads for horror movies as the graphic design of every issue, and it is a labor of love, incredibly detailed and designed. He only publishes about two issues a year because the amount of work involved, and I think he does most of the publishing himself (it's basically a stapled 'zine, but a great-looking one).
Classic- All the Universal films Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, The creature Modern The Exorcist ( Scared the S**t out of me) David Cronenberg films: Videodrome, Rabid, Crash, Exstenenz etc
Given some of the films in this thread then the third part of Frankenheimers paranoia trilogy, Seconds, definitely counts as horror. Rock Hudson said(with honest and melancholic regret) in his last TV interview that this was the only film the studios would allow him to actually act in. It flopped and that ended Rocks acting career as such. Anyway, he is brilliant. The film has just about the most terrifying ending of all time. It's a scary film throughout.
Nosferatu The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Frankenstein The Mummy The Bride of Frankenstein Freaks Island of Lost Souls Night of the Living Dead The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Phantasm Midsommar
My favorite genre, it can be dark and gritty, it can be cheesy and fun, it can be combined with all other genres. It also has the easiest subtext of all the genres: societal/personal fears. This a chronological list from the beginning up until the grindhouse totally dam broke in 1973. If I go further the list would get unwieldy. Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - so many firsts in a film with the most copied twist ever. Nosferatu - still the scariest vampire. White Zombie - a glorious mood piece. King Kong - never sure where to put this. Included or not, the most influential film of all-time IMO. The Black Cat - so many perverse things in this quickie. Bride of Frankenstein - the highwater mark for Universal. Cat People - Lewton bus and great subtext. The Seventh Victim - very poetic, many themes. The Scarlet Claw - Holmes vs. a slasher. House of Frankenstein - Universal's most fun straight horror movie. Weird Woman - it gets buried, but a well done voodoo drama. The Uninvited - big budget horror. Dead of Night - touchstone omnibus. The Body Snatchers - Karloff's best performance. The Spiral Staircase - first POV killer, atmosphere to spare. Them - starts noir then goes killer ants. Dementia - a short weird precursor to Eraserhead. Night of the Hunter - another "sort of" that gets this spot for being so creepy. The Creature Walks Among Us - most would go with the waterlogged first, this one has the best themes. Invasion of the Body Snatchers - an idea already used, but perfected here. Quatermass 2 - the British version of the above, very X-files. Curse of the Demon - noir horror done perfectly. Bucket of Blood - Corman's best funny horror film. Psycho - ahead of its time. Village of the Damned - kids are scary anyway. Brides of Dracula - no Lee allows this to stand out. Carnival of Souls - great no budget mood piece. Comedy of Terrors - cast of all stars, Price has great timing. Black Sabbath - named a band and contains 3 versions of Bava's idea of fear. Onibaba - great atmosphere and location. Strait-Jacket - Castle's most fun film, more of a slasher than Psycho. Planet of the Vampires - sci-fi/horror, and one of the most vivid looking films ever. Island of Terror - well-done, and almost beats The Mist to the (gut) punch. Kill Baby Kill - maybe the best gothic horror film, the first killer ghost girl movie. Quatermass and the Pit - high minded and apocalyptic. Night of the Living Dead - simple but heavy themes, oppressive atmosphere and maybe the most influential movie post 1940's. The House that Screamed - sadly underwatched, an early giallo/slasher with multiple twists. Taste the Blood of Dracula - flawed, but great themes. Bird with the Crystal Plumage - big breakout giallo. Bay of Blood - maybe first slasher, but almost too smart for the title. Duel - the TV horror movie. Blood on Satan's Claw - the natural location really sells this one. Tales from the Crypt - Amicus's highlight film. Horror Express - great atmosphere and a kitchen sink of ideas. Silent Night Bloody Night - why does Black Christmas get all the credit with previous films like this? Tower of Evil - ditto above, but this has the body count and nudity to hammer it in.
If I were to get very selective post 1972 and go with gut favorites it would include the ones I love to watch the most: Jaws Phantasm Tourist Trap Hell Night/Happy Birthday to Me/The Funhouse The Deadly Spawn (cost $25,000) Christine Fright Night Friday the 13th Part 6 Aliens The Blob (1988) Jeepers Creepers 2 Ginger Snaps 2 Final Destination 3 And some that are more serious, therefore occasional watches: TCM Deathdream Carrie The Changeling The Thing Paperhouse Cemetery Man
Frankenstein ('31) is my all time fave. A shout out to Farmer Vincent and Motel Hell ('80). Some good campy fun that one.
Top 15 favorites, more or less chronological... I love these movies: Dracula (1931) Frankenstein (1931) Doctor X (1932) The Mummy (1932) The Old Dark House (1932) White Zombie (1932) Supernatural (1933) The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Son of Frankenstein (1939) The Wolf Man (1941) The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943) I Walked With A Zombie (1943) The Seventh Victim (1943) House of Dracula (1945) One of the fascinating things about the Universal horror cycle, for me: the originals are serious, but the sequels send up the genre to some extent, often with a kind of absurdist quality that works really well, imo. I recently saw I Walked With A Zombie (RKO) again... stunning masterwork imo, pretty much perfect. The Unknown (MGM, 1927) is so unique I don't consider it a genre movie.
I'm a huge fan of The Scarlet Claw, and not strict about genre designations, but it seems more like a mystery, and Sherlock Holmes almost his own genre... That movie doesn't get old. Director Roy William Neill made Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man the year before, which has that same strangely ageless quality, imo. Along similar lines, I love Tod Browning's last film Miracles For Sale (MGM, 1939), mystery with elements of horror... including many past and future Universal horror players: King Baggot (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde [1913, the first Universal horror], The Black Cat [1934]) Cliff Clark (The Mummy's Tomb) Frank Craven (Son of Dracula) Gloria Holden (Dracula's Daughter) Henry Hull (The Werewolf of London) Walter Kingsford (The Invisible Ray) Frederic Worlock (She-Wolf of London)
Having previous dry years (1961, 1967, 1969) from 1972 to 1992 you can find at least one bonafide horror classic per year: 1972 - Last House on the Left 1973 - The Exorcist, Don't Look Now, Westworld 1974 - TCM, Black Christmas 1975 - Jaws, Deep Red 1976 - Carrie, The Omen 1977 - Suspiria, Eraserhead 1978 - Halloween, Dawn of the Dead 1979 - Alien, Phantasm 1980 - The Shining, Friday the 13th 1981 - Evil Dead, AAWIL, Scanners 1982 - The Thing, Poltergeist 1983 - Videodrome, Cujo, Thriller (yeah, a slight cheat) 1984 - Nightmare on Elm Street, Gremlins 1985 - Fright Night, Demons, Re-Animator 1986 - The Fly, The Hitcher 1987 - Hellraiser, The Stepfather/Fatal Attraction 1988 - Child's Play, Pumpkinhead 1989 - Pet Semetery, The Woman in Black 1990 - It, Jacob's Ladder 1991 - Silence of the Lambs 1992 - Candyman
For Barb I already had Re-Animator. For Full Moon and Barb I'd say Castle Freak is underrated. Currently watching The Resurrected (1991) with Chris Sarandon based on the same Lovecraft novel that begot The Haunted Palace in 1963. A noirish ride, with great practical effects and some not great acting (though Chris is great.) One thing I love about the era after 1979 is how many kitchen sink horror movies there were, films that defied easy explanation because they jumped around sub-genres like no one's business. I'd say Phantasm really started that with the dream logic, dwarves, big bugs, portholes to planets, Tall man and the killer ball. Other wonderfully watchable kitchen sink horror: The Visitor, Nightmare on Elm Street series, The Stuff, The Gate, Night of the Creeps, House, Lifeforce, Waxwork, Demon Knight, In the Mouth of Madness, Cabin in the Woods etc.
I love the 1960 film "Horror Hotel/The City of the Dead" with Christopher Lee. It has such a creepy atmosphere which is effected marvelously by it being shot in black-and-white. Add in some weird warbling choral voices, strange townfolk, eerie lighting, dry ice, and, of course, Mr. Lee and this one hits a lot of marks for me. Patricia Jessel and Venetia Stevenson are great in their roles too, particularly Patricia...a convincingly ghoulish witch for sure.
I bought a few public domain VHS when I was young and this one from Screen Gems (along with Carnival of Souls, House on Haunted Hill and I Bury the Living) was an instant fave. Horror Hotel is the first Amicus film if I'm not mistaken, and it also possibly did that halfway shock twist just before Psycho did it. When it comes to public domain collections it seems they get collected with little thought due to a salacious title or a star, even if the films don't go together or suck. I've oft dreamt of a public domain collection that played like the history of the sub-genre, for instance using only public domain titles I'm fairly sure of (Plan 9, Hatchet for the Honeymoon, Prom Night, Christmas Evil and Creepers/Unsane were too questionable): 13 SLASHERS And Then There Were None (Agatha's genre roots) Bucket of Blood Dementia 13 The Sadist The House that Screamed Silent Night Bloody Night Home for the Holidays (tv slasher) The Severed Arm Deep Red Savage Weekend Drive-In Massacre Driller Killer Funeral Home 13 ZOMBIES Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (not Zombie, but getting there) White Zombie King of the Zombies (silly, but Oscar nominated!!!) The Indestructible Man I Bury the Living (no Zombies, but should have been) Carnival of Souls Last Man on Earth (Matheson's touchstone novel) Night of the Living Dead Horror Express Messiah of Evil Horror of the Zombies House by the Cemetery Mutant Then in the same fever dream of releasing these (royalty free since they are public domain) in the same old ratty transfers, I gather a bunch of film weirdos together, and everyone gets wasted and provides a loose commentary for each. Seriously, I'd buy that for $10.
Over the years I've become completely ambivalent to horror movies. Just not something I want to see, not impressed by cheap jump-scares, or genre scare flicks. Maybe seeing Night Of The Living Dead back in junior high school finally soured me on them. Oh, I've seen several over the past few years, but, not gonna bite. I've seen maybe 3% of every title listed on this thread...there's just not any that I can point out as a "favorite". More like, "tolerable". I can appreciate the art and craft in films like Us, and Caligari. Alien was quite a satisfying scare, although it's more Sci-Fi and "horror". Loved Coppola's Dracula, Carpenter's Thing. John Housman in Ghost Story; George C. Scott in Changeling. But, no favorites among them, really.
The Birds Pan's Labyrinth Repulsion Videodrome Scream And a number from my favourite horror director Dario Argento Tenebre Opera Suspiria Deep Red The Bird With Crystal Plummage
You're Next (2011) - very good action horror/slasher. Saw it several times and enjoyed I also recently saw Watcher (2022), a little slow, but nice gloomy and creepy atmosphere
Maybe you’re like me and don’t like slasher movies. Blood and guts just grosses me out. I actually like Night of the Living Dead. It’s so cheap-looking that it’s like a bad, scary dream I might have. Maybe my nightmares just have bad production values.