It's Halloween, so time to watch some scary movies and perhaps frighten little kids who knock on your door wearing back-to-front winter coats and crummy plastic masks.
10. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981, John Landis)
"Stay off the moors, lad..."
Two American tourists backpacking across Europe are attacked by a werewolf on the Yorkshire moors. One dies, and becomes a rotting corpse only visible to his surviving friend, who is destined to transform into a werewolf at the next Full Moon.This is one of the most enjoyable horror movies ever made, finely balancing chills and a few chuckles. All of the actors are enjoyable screen presences, particularly Jenny Agutter as a sexy nurse, but the real thrills comes from the chilly 80s atmosphere and some startling special-effects (and yes, it's STILL the best werewolf transformation ever...)
9. THE THING (1982, John Carpenter)
"You gotta be f***ing kidding me..."
A research team working in the Antarctic discover a shape-shifting alien that soon infiltrates their base and hides amongst them...A remake from John Carpenter that oozes with tension and sinister ambience. The actors are all believable, with plausible reactions to the alien menace. Cinema has rarely been so claustrophobic, and the sequences where the extra-terrestrial reveals itself are a highpoint for "body horror" animatronic effects.
8. HALLOWEEN (1978, John Carpenter)
"Laurie... what's the boogeyman?"
A psychotic murderer returns to his hometown to slaughter babysitters at Halloween...Another Carpenter scare-fest, this time setting a template for contemporary slasher movies. It may seem a little hokey in places these days, and the premise has been dulled significantly through sequels, but the original is still a fantastic example of the genre.
7. SAW (2004, James Wan)
"Game over!"
Two strangers wake up in a dilapidated room to find themselves the latest captives of a killer called Jigsaw, who devises sick games for his victims to play...The first Saw is sometimes criticized in some circles, but I've never understood why. This an extremely interesting and well-told thriller that manages to bring something new to the serial-killer genre. A frightening, blood-soaked film with a fantastic twist ending!
6. RINGU (1998, Hideo Nakata)
"Four people died from watching this video-tape!"
A cursed video-tape kills whomever watches it, unless someone can solve its mystery...The US remake was excellent, but the original is somehow more affecting. The visuals are fantastic and the original premise makes this standout from the crowd. Ringu started the whole J-Horror genre and remains one of the greatest horrors of the past 10 years...
5. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991, Jonathan Demme)
"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti..."
FBI Agent Clarice Starling attempts to find a serial-killer called Buffalo Bill with the help of Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter...
A massive hit at the Academy Awards, this is simply a superb film in every respect: amazing performances, particularly from Jodie Foster, and an iconic performances from Anthony Hopkins. Amazing filmmaking and intense moments of horror.
4. ALIEN (1979, Ridley Scott)
"In space, nobody can hear you scream..."
The crew of the spaceship Nostromo answer a distress call and make contact with an alien entity that they bring back aboard...Ridley Scott is an excellent director, and Alien remains one of his masterpieces. The production design is simply stunning and years ahead of its time, while the creature from H.R Geiger is a fantastic monster. There is thick, creepy, atmosphere that builds through the entire film, and some shocking moments -- most memorably when John Hurt is taken ill at the dinner table...
3. CARRIE (1976, Brian DePalma)
"It was bad Mama; they laughed at me..."
A shy teenager, constantly bullied by her classmates, exacts her revenge when her telekinetic abilities are unleashed...This Stephen King story was brought to the big screen by famed director Brian DePalma and contains a truly impressive central performance from Sissy Spacek as Carrie White. This is a brilliantly simple story, masterfully told, with some terrifying moments and plenty of shocking scenes.
2. THE EXORCIST (1973, William Friedkin)
"What a wonderful day for an exorcism..."
A teenaged girl is seemingly possessed by a demon and her family forced to call in an exorcist...Okay, no surprises for this being in my Top 10, but it deserves to be. The film's notoriety sometimes undermines it (can it EVER be as scary as your imagine...?) but that's part of the appeal. If you believe, this is frightening stuff, and if you're a total atheist... you'll still be unnerved at the possibility. What people forget is that The Exorcist contains some excellent performances and exhibits great humanity...
1. THE SHINING (1980, Stanley Kubrick)
"Redrum. Redrum. Redrum..."
A family spend the winter looking after a haunted hotel, where the spirits begin to make an impression of the father and his psychic son...Yes, it's Stanley Kubrick's lesson in horror. This is stunning work from the great auteur, who squeezes fantastic performances from everyone involved through his infamous multi-take philosophy. Jack Nicholson is on excellent form in this iconic role (complete with fire axe!), while Kubrick's genius is on full display with some amazing sequences and punctuations of brilliant horror... spooky, chilling, totally absording...
