TOP 100 HORROR MOVIES II                  

100. Manhunter (1986 Directed by Michael Mann)

99. Fright Night (1985 Directed by Tom Holland)

98. Child's Play (1988 Directed by Tom Holland)

97. IT (1990 Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace)

96. The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954 Directed by Jack Arnold)

95. Willard (1971 Directed by Daniel Mann)

94. The Lost Boys (1987 Directed by Joel Schumacher)

93. Silvet Bullet (1985 Directed by Daniel Attias)

92. Fear dot com (2002 Directed by William Malone)

91. Don't say a word (2001 Directed by Gary Fleder)

90. Children of the Corn (1984 Directed by Fritz Kiersch)

89. The Blob (1958 Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and Russell S. Doughten Jr. (uncredited) )

88. April Fools Day (1986 Directed by Fred Walton)

87. The Stepford Wives (1975 Directed by Bryan Forbes)

86. Creepshow (1982 Directed by George A. Romero)

85. Dracula (1992 Directed by Francis Ford Coppola)

84. Nightmare on Elm Street 7 - Wes Craven's New nightmare (1994 Directed by Wes Craven)

83. Invasion of the body snatchers (1956 Directed by Don Siegel)

82. Fallen (1998 Directed by Gregory Hoblit)

81. Day of the Dead (1985 Directed by George A. Romero)

80. Children of the damned (1963 Directed by Anton Leader)

79. The invisible Man (1933 Directed by James Whale)

78. When a Stranger Calls (1979 Directed by Fred Walton)

77. Halloween 7: H20 (1998 Directed by Steve Miner)

76. The Wolf Man (1941 Directed by George Waggner)

75. House of Wax (1953 Directed by André De Toth)

74. From Dusk till Dawn (1996 Directed by Robert Rodriguez)

73. The Mummy (1932 Directed by Karl Freund)

72. Alone in the Dark (1982 Directed by Jack Sholder)

71. The Haunting (1963 Directed by Robert Wise)

70. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 Directed by Robert Wise)

69. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984 Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr.)

68. Candyman (1992 Directed by Bernard Rose)

67. 13 Ghosts (2001 Directed by Steve Beck)

66. The Blair Witch Project (1999 Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez)

65. People under the stairs (1991 Directed by Wes Craven)

64. Salem's Lot (1979 - Directed by Tobe Hooper)

63. Urban Legend (1998 Directed by Jamie Blanks)

62. Return of the Living Dead (1985 Directed by Dan O'Bannon)

61. House of 1000 Corpses (2003 Directed by Rob Zombie)

60. Pumpkinhead (1989 Directed by Stan Winston)

59. The Phantom of the Opera (1925 Directed by Rupert Julian, Ernst Laemmle)

58. The Fog (1980 Directed by John Carpenter)

57. Pet Semetary (1989 Directed by Mary Lambert)

56. Mimic (1997 Directed by Guillermo del Toro)

55. Cujo (1983 Directed by Lewis Teague)

54. Rosemary's Baby (1968 Directed by Roman Polanski)

53. Nosferatu (1922 Directed by F.W. Murnau)

52. Saw (2004 Directed by James Wan)

51. King Kong (1933 Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack)

50. Scream (1996 Directed by Wes Craven)
Scream 2 (1997 Directed by Wes Craven)
Scream 3 (2000 Directed by Wes Craven)

49. Jeepers Creepers (2001 Directed by Victor Salva)

48. I know what you did last Summer (1997 Directed by Jim Gillespie)

47. House on Haunted Hill (1959 Directed by William Castle)

46. The Fly (1958 Directed by Kurt Neumann)

45. Hannibal (2001 Directed by Ridley Scott)

44. Christine (1983 Directed by John Carpenter)

43. Joy Ride (2001 Directed by John Dahl)

42. Return of the Living Dead 2 (1988 Directed by Ken Wiederhorn)

41. Frankenstein (1931 Directed by James Whale)

40. Demon Seed (1977 Directed by Donald Cammell)

39. Final Destination (2000 Directed by James Wong)

38. Hellraiser (1987 Directed by Clive Barker)

37. Deranged (1974 Directed by Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby)

36. Red Dragon (2002 Directed by Brett Ratner)

35. Dawn of the Dead 2004 (2004 Directed by Zack Snyder)

34. Puppet Master (1989 Directed by David Schmoeller)

33. Fire Starter (1984 Directed by Mark L. Lester)

32. The Omen (1976 Directed by Richard Donner)

31. The Ring (2002 Directed by Gore Verbinski)

30. Cabin Fever (2003 Directed by Eli Roth)

29. Bride of Frankenstein (1935 Directed by James Whale)

28. Resident Evil (2002 Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson)

27. Underworld (2003 Directed by Len Wiseman)

26. The Amityville Horror (1979 Directed by Stuart Rosenberg)

25. 28 Days Later (2002 Directed by Danny Boyle)

24. Seven (1995 Directed by David Fincher)

23. Prom Night (1980 Directed by Paul Lynch)

22. Jaws (1975 Directed by Steven Spielberg)

21. Night of the Living Dead (1968 Directed by George A. Romero)

20. The Evil Dead (1981 Directed by Sam Raimi)

19. The Hitcher (1986 Directed by Robert Harmon)

18. The Birds (1963 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock)

17. Re-animator (1985 Directed by Dennis Paoli)

16. Aliens (1986 Directed by James Cameron)

15. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 Directed by Tobe Hooper)

14. Poltergeist (1982 Directed by Tobe Hooper)

13. The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971 Directed by Robert Fuest)

12. Alien (1979 Directed by Ridley Scott)

11. Darkness Falls (2003 Directed by Jonathan Liebesman)

10. Friday the 13th (1980 Directed by Sean S. Cunningham)
Friday the 13th 2 (1981 Directed by Steve Miner)

9. Carrie (1976 Directed by Brian De Palma)

8. Halloween (1978 Directed by John Carpenter)
Halloween II (1981 Directed by Rick Rosenthal)

7. Phantasm (1979 Directed by Don Coscarelli)

6. Silence of the Lambs (1991 Directed by Jonathan Demme)

5. Psycho (1960 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock)

4. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 Directed by Wes Craven)

3. Misery (1990 Directed by Rob Reiner)

2. The Shining (1980 Directed by Stanley Kubrick)

1. The Exorcist (1973 Directed by William Friedkin)

TOP 100 HORROR MOVIES III

100. Return of the living Dead 2 (1988 Directed by Ken Wiederhorn)

99. Silver Bullet (1985 Directed by Daniel Attias)

98. Mimic (1997 Directed by Guillermo del Toro)

97. April Fools Day (1986 Directed by Fred Walton)

96. Deranged (1974 Directed by Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby)

95. Cabin Fever (2002 Directed by Eli Roth)

94. Fright Night (1985 Directed by Tom Holland)

93. Pumpkin Head (1989 Directed by Stan Winston)

92. House of Wax (1953 Directed by André De Toth)

91. Creepshow (1982 Directed by George A. Romero)

90. Cujo (1983 Directed by Lewis Teague)

89. The Blob (1958 Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and Russell S. Doughten Jr. (uncredited) )

88. Christine (1983 Directed by John Carpenter)

87. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996 Directed by Robert Rodriguez)

86. House on Haunted Hill (1959 Directed by William Castle)

85. House of 1000 corpses (2003 Directed by Rob Zombie)

84. Children of the damned (1963 Directed by Anton Leader)

83. Manhunter (1986 Directed by Michael Mann)

82. Children of the Corn (1984 Directed by Fritz Kiersch)

81. Resident Evil (2002 Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson)

80. People under the stairs (1991 Directed by Wes Craven)

79. Alone in the Dark (1982, Directed by Jack Sholder)

78. Candyman (1992 Directed by Bernard Rose)

77. The Fog (1980 Directed by John Carpenter)

76. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984 Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr.)

75. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954 Directed by Jack Arnold)

74. Phantom of the Opera (1925 Directed by Rupert Julian, Ernst Laemmle)

73. Child's Play (1988 Directed by Tom Holland)

72. The Hitcher (1986 Directed by Robert Harmon)

71. IT (1990 Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace)

70. When a Stranger Calls (1979 Directed by Fred Walton)

69. The Ring (2002 Directed by Gore Verbinski)

68. Return of the living dead (1985, Written & Directed by Dan O’Bannon)

67. Final Destination (2000 Directed by James Wong)

66. Nosferatu (1922 Directed by F.W. Murnau)

65. Frankenstein (1931 Directed by James Whale)

64. Scream (1996 Directed by Wes Craven)

63. Dracula (1992 Directed by Francis Ford Coppola)

62. The Lost Boys (1987 Directed by Joel Schumacher)

61. Pet Semetary (1989 Directed by Mary Lambert)

60. The Wolfman (1941 Directed by George Waggner)

59. The Mummy (1932 Directed by Karl Freund)

58. Darkness Falls (2003 Directed by Jonathan Liebesman)

57. Seven (1995, Directed by David Fincher)

56. Don't Look Now (1973, Directed by Nicolas Roeg)

55. The Birds (1963 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock)

54. Event Horizon (1997, Directed by Paul Anderson)

53. the Stepford Wives (1975 Directed by Bryan Forbes)

52. Salem's Lot (1979 - Directed by Tobe Hooper)

51. Prom Night (1980 Directed by Paul Lynch)

50. Puppet Master (1989 Directed by David Schmoeller)

49. R-eanimator (1985, Directed by Dennis Paoli)

48. The Grudge - Ju-On (2004, Directed by Takashi Shimizu)

47. Phantasm (1979 Directed by Don Coscarelli)

46. Polterguist (1982 Directed by Tobe Hooper)

45. Amityville Horror (1979 Directed by Stuart Rosenberg)

44. The invisible Man (1933 Directed by James Whale)

43. The Omen (1976 Directed by Richard Donner)

42. Rosemary's Baby (1968 Directed by Roman Polanski)

41. Misery (1990 Directed by Rob Reiner)

40. Day of the dead (1985, Written and directed by George A. Romero)

39. Cemetary Man (1994, Directed by Michele Soavi)

38. Hell Raiser (1987 Directed by Clive Barker)

37. Bride of Frankenstein (1935 Directed by James Whale)

36. Ginger Snaps (2000, Directed by John Fawcett)

35. Hostel (2005, Directed by Eli Roth)

34. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971 Directed by Robert Fuest)

33. Dawn of the dead 2004 (2004, Directed by Zack Snyder)

32. The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988, Directed by Wes Craven)

31. Saw (2004, Written and Directed by James Wan)

30. Feast (2005, Directed by John Gulager)

29. 28 Days Later (2002 Directed by Danny Boyle)

28. Black Christmas (1974, Directed by Bob Clark)

27. Silence of the Lambs (1991 Directed by Jonathan Demme)

26. Audition (1999, Directed by Takashi Miike)

25. The Thing (1982, Directed by John Carpenter)

24. Aliens (1986 Directed by James Cameron)

23. High Tension (Directed by Alexandre Aja)

22. Suspiria (1977, Directed by Dario Argento)

21. Jaws (1975 Directed by Steven Spielberg)

20. Zombi 2 (1980, Directed by Lucio Fulci)

19. The Eye (2002, Directed by the Pang Brothers)

18. Frailty (2001, Directed by Bill Paxton)

17. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 Directed by Tobe Hooper)

16. May (2002, Written and Directed by Lucky McKee)

15. White Zombie (1932, Directed by Victor Halperin)

14. Carrie (1976 Directed by Brian De Palma)

13. Shaun of the Dead (2004, Directed by Edgar Wright)

12. Friday the 13th (1980 Directed by Sean S. Cunningham)

11. Dead Alive (1992, Directed by Peter Jackson)

10. Evil Dead (1981 Directed by Sam Raimi)

9. Psycho (1960 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock)

8. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 Directed by Wes Craven)

7. The Shining (1980 Directed by Stanley Kubrick)

6. Night of the living Dead (1968 Directed by Dean Lachiusa George A. Romero)

5. Halloween (1978 Directed by John Carpenter)

4. Dawn of the Dead (1978, Written and Directed by George A. Romero)

3. The Descent (2005, Directed by Neil Marshall)

2. Alien (1979 Directed by Ridley Scott)

1. The Exorcist (1973 Directed by William Friedkin)

TOP 100 FILMS C-F I

001 - Viaje a la Luna (Le Voyage dans la Lune). Francia 1902. D: Georges Méliès.

002 - París dormido (Paris qui dort). Francia 1923. D: René Clair.

003 - Aelita (Aélita). URSS 1924. D: Jacob Protazanov.

004 - El mundo perdido (The Lost World). USA 1925. D: Harry O. Hoyt.

005 - Metrópolis (Metropolis). Alemania 1926. D: Fritz Lang.

006 - La mujer en la Luna (Frau in Mond). Alemania 1928. D: Fritz Lang.

007 - El hombre y el monstruo (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). USA 1932. D: Rouben Mamoulian.

008 - El hombre invisible (The Invisible Man). USA 1933. D: James Whale.

009 - La vida futura (Things to Come). RU 1936. D: William Cameron Menzies.

010 - Muñecos infernales (Devil Dolls). USA 1936. D: Tod Browning.

011 - Doctor Cyclops. USA 1940. D: Ernest B. Schoedsack.

012 - La mujer y el monstruo (The Lady and the Monster). USA 1944. D: George Sherman.

013 - Con destino a la Luna (Destination: Moon). USA 1950. D: Irving Pichel.

014 - Cuando los mundos chocan (When the Worlds Collide). USA 1951. D: Rudolph Maté.

015 - El enigma de otro mundo (The Thing... from Another World). USA 1951. D: Christian I. Nyby.

016 - Ultimátum a la Tierra (The Day the Earth Stood Still). USA 1951. D: Robert Wise.

017 - It Came from Outer Space [tv: Venidos del espacio]. USA 1953. D: Jack Arnold.

018 - El monstruo de los tiempos remotos (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms). USA 1953. D: Eugene Lourié.

019 - La mujer y el monstruo (The Creature from the Black Lagoon). USA 1953. D: Jack Arnold.

020 - La guerra de los mundos (The War of the Worlds). USA 1953. D: Byron Haskin.

021 - Invaders from Mars [tv/vd: Los invasores de Marte]. USA 1953. D: William Cameron Menzies.

022 - La Humanidad en peligro (Them!). USA 1954. D: Gordon Douglas.

023 - Japón bajo el terror del monstruo (Gojira). Japón 1954. D: Ishiro Honda.

024 - Tarantula [tv: Tarántula]. USA 1955. D: Jack Arnold.

025 - This Island Earth [tv: Destino: la Tierra]. USA 1955. D: Joseph Newman [y Jack Arnold].

026 - El experimento del doctor Quatermass (The Quatermass Xpreriment). RU 1955. D: Val Guest.

027 - La invasión de los ladrones de cuerpos (Invasion of the Body Snatchers). USA 1956. D: Don Siegel.

028 - Planeta prohibido (Forbidden Planet). USA 1956. D: Fred MacLeod Wilcox.

029 - Earth Versus the Flying Saucers [tv/dvd: La Tierra contra los platillos volantes]. USA 1956. D: Fred F. Sears.

030 - El increíble hombre menguante (The Incredible Shrinking Man). USA 1957. D: Jack Arnold.

031 - Twenty Million Miles to Earth. USA 1957. D: Nathan Juran.

032 - Quatermass II [tv: El experimento del Dr. Quatermass II; dvd: Quatermass 2]. RU 1957. D: Val Guest.

033 - I Married a Monster from Outer Space [tv: Me casé con un monstruo del espacio exterior]. USA 1958. D: Gene Fowler Jr.

034 - It! The Terror from Beyond the Space / It! The Vampire from Beyond Space [tv: El terror del espacio exterior]. USA 1958. D: Edward L. Cahn.

035 - La mosca (The Fly). USA 1958. D: Kurt Neumann.

036 - Caltiki, il mostro immortale [vd: Caltiki, el monstruo inmortal]. Italia 1959. D: Riccardo Freda [y Mario Bava].

037 - Batalla en el espacio (Uchu daisenso). Japón 1959. D: Ishiro Honda.

038 - La hora final (On the Beach). USA 1959. D: Stanley Kramer.

039 - Viaje al centro de la Tierra (Journey to the Center of the Earth). USA 1959. D: Henry Levin.

040 - Village of the Damned [tv/vd: El pueblo de los malditos]. RU 1960. D: Wolf Rilla.

041 - El tiempo en sus manos (The Time Machine). USA 1960. D: George Pal.

042 - The Day the Earth Caught Fire [tv: El día que la Tierra se incendió]. RU 1961. D: Val Guest.

043 - The Last Man on Earth / L'ultimo uomo della Terra. USA / Italia 1961. D: Sidney Salkow [USA], Ubaldo Ragona [Italia].

044 - La isla misteriosa / En la isla misteriosa (Mysterious Island). RU 1961. D: Cy Endfield.

045 - El planeta de las tormentas (Planet Bura / Planet Bourg). URSS 1962. D: Pavel Klushantsev.

046 - King Kong contra Godzilla (Kingu Kongu tai Gojira). Japón 1962. D: Ishiro Honda.

047 - Matango. Japón 1963. D: Ishirô Honda.

048 - El hombre con rayos X en los ojos (X / X-The Man with X Ray Eyes). USA 1963. D: Roger Corman.

049 - Estos son los condenados (The Damned). RU 1963. D: Joseph Losey.

050 - Los pájaros (The Birds). USA 1963. D: Alfred Hitchcock.

051 - ¿Teléfono rojo? Volamos hacia Moscú (Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned To Stop Worring and Love the Bomb). USA 1963. D: Stanley Kubrick.

052 - Punto límite (Fail Safe). USA 1964. D: Sidney Lumet.

053 - Terror en el espacio / Terrore nello spazio. España / Italia 1965. D: Mario Bava.

054 - El mundo bajo el terror (Daikaiju Gamera). Japón 1965. D: Noriaki Yuasa.

055 - Viaje alucinante (Fantastic Voyage). USA 1965. D: Richard Fleischer.

056 - Lemmy contra Alphaville (Alphaville). Francia / Italia 1965. D: Jean-Luc Godard.

057 - Queen of Blood / Planet of Blood [tv: Planeta sangriento]. USA 1966. D: Curtis Harrington.

058 - Fahrenheit 451 (Fahrenheit 451). RU / Francia 1966. D: François Truffautt.

059 - Plan diabólico (Seconds). USA 1966. D: John Frankenheimer.

060 - King Kong se escapa (Kingu Kongu no gyakushu / King Kong Escapes). Japón / USA 1967. D: Ishiro Honda.

061 - ¿Qué sucedió entonces? (Quatermass and the Pit). RU 1967. D: Roy Ward Baker.

062 - 2001: Una odisea del espacio (2001: A Space Odyssey). RU 1968. D: Stanley Kubrick.

063 - El planeta de los simios (Planet of the Apes). USA 1968. D: Franklin J. Schaffner.

064 - THX 1138 [tv/vd: THX 1138]. USA 1970. D: George Lucas.

065 - La amenaza de Andrómeda (The Andromeda Strain). USA 1971. D: Robert Wise.

066 - Naves misteriosas (Silent Running). USA 1971. D: Douglas Trumbull.

067 - Solaris (Solyaris). URSS 1972. D: Andrei Tarkovski.

068 - Cuando el destino nos alcance (Soylent Green). USA 1973. D: Richard Fleischer.

069 - Sucesos en la cuarta fase (Phase IV). USA 1974. D: Saul Bass.

070 - Engendro mecánico (The Demon Seed). USA 1977. D: Donald Cammel.

071 - La guerra de las galaxias (Star Wars). USA 1977. D: George Lucas.

072 - Encuentros en la tercera fase (Close Encounters on the Third Kind). USA 1977. D: Steven Spielberg.

073 - Supermán, la película (Superman, the Movie). USA 1978. D: Richard Donner.

074 - Alien: El 8º pasajero (Alien). RU 1979. D: Ridley Scott.

075 - Stalker (Stalker). URSS 1979. D: Andrei Tarkovski.

076 - Star Trek, la película (La conquista del espacio) (Star Trek, the Motion Picture). USA 1979. D: Robert Wise.

077 - Atmósfera Cero (Outland). USA 1980. D: Peter Hyams.

078 - Scanners (Scanners). Canadá 1980. D: David Cronenberg.

079 - El Imperio contraataca (The Empire Strikes Back). USA 1980. D: Irvin Kershner.

080 - 1997: Rescate en Nueva York (Escape from New York). USA 1981. D: John Carpenter.

081 - Blade Runner (Blade Runner). USA 1982. D: Ridley Scott.

082 - La cosa (The Thing). USA 1982. D: John Carpenter.

083 - E.T. el extraterrestre (ET the Extraterrestrial). USA 1982. D: Steven Spielberg.

084 - Dune (Dune). USA 1984. D: David Lynch.

085 - Terminator (The Terminator). USA 1984. D: James Cameron.

086 - The Fly (La mosca) (The Fly). USA 1986. D: David Cronenberg.

087 - RoboCop (RoboCop). USA 1987. D: Paul Verhoeven.

088 - Están vivos (They Live!). USA 1988. D: John Carpenter.

089 - Desafío total (Total Recall). USA 1990. D: Paul Verhoeven.

090 - Doce Monos (Twelve Monkeys). USA 1995. D: Terry Gilliam.

091 - Mars Attacks! (Mars Attacks!). USA 1996. D: Tim Burton.

092 - Contact (Contact). USA 1997. D: Robert Zemeckis.

093 - Gattaca (Gattaca). USA 1997. D: Andrew Niccol.

094 - Starship Troopers (Brigadas del espacio) (Starship Troopers). USA 1997. D: Paul Verhoeven.

095 - eXistenZ (eXistenZ). Canadá / RU 1998. D: David Cronenberg.

096 - Pi (Pi). USA 1998. D: Darren Aronofsky.

097 - El protegido (Unbreakable). USA 2000. D: M. Night Shyamalan.

098 - X-Men (X-Men). USA 2000. D: Bryan Singer.

099 - A.I. Inteligencia Artificial (A.I. Artificial Intelligence). USA 2002. D: Steven Spielberg.

100 - Minority Report (Minority Report). USA 2002. D: Steven Spielberg

TOP 50 HORROR MOVIES

1. "Psycho," 1960. Alfred Hitchcock's shocking masterpiece, starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, was revolutionary because it switched the emphasis of horror films from the supernatural to the psychological. Bernard Herrmann's moody score greatly enhances the terror. Perkins reprised his Norman Bates role in three sequels. They were interesting failures.

2. "The Bride of Frankenstein," 1935. Boris Karloff's Frankenstein monster is the most tragic figure in horror history.  In this film, he tries to threaten his maker into creating a mate for him. In some ways, the effeminate Dr. Pretorious functions as a mate for the doctor, and gives the film a clever gay subtext. Better than the 1931 "Frankenstein" in every way. "Gods and Monsters," the biopic about the film's director, sheds some light on the making of the film. This film was brilliantly parodied in "Young Frankenstein."

3. "The Night of the Living Dead," 1968. George Romero's terrifying zombie film captures the authentic feel of a documentary and it inspired countless inferior imitations, including a terrible 1990 remake. The scene involving a zombie girl dispatching her dad is one of the most horrifying sequences in film history. Followed by the worthwhile "Dawn of the Dead" and disappointing "Day of the Dead." The anniversary edition adds newly shot footage, which dilutes and diminishes the film.

4-5. "Nosferatu the Vampyre," 1979 and "Nosferatu," 1922.   F. W. Murnau's silent original makes great use of expressionistic lighting. Max Schreck is the repulsive and most pathetic vamp in film history. Werner Herzog's eerie remake leaves every other modern vampire film in the dust

6. "Rosemary's Baby," 1968. Roman Polanski's dark, funny. tale of  the birth of a demon child has a clear, pro-feminist message. Stars :Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes.

7. "The Innocents," 1961. Classy, psychologically complex adaptation of Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw," stars Deborah Kerr and Michael Redgrave.

8. "The Exorcist," 1973. William Friedkin's horrifying tale of demonic possession of the little girl (Linda Blair) has convincing makeup and terrific special effects. The restored version, released in 2000, adds some terrific scenes but they don't work in the context of the film.

9. "Freaks," 1932. Early horror-film master Tod Browning gathered a cast of real-life sideshow performers for this creepy film about a group of "freaks" who get revenge on the evil, attractive characters. Original version was severely cut in the U.S. and banned in Britain.

10. "Jaws," 1975. I had to cover my eyes the first time I saw this well-acted, suspenseful thriller as a kid. Steven Spielberg directed Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. It won three Oscars, but I liked it anyway

 11. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," 1932. Frederic March's performance as a brilliant doctor and his monstrous alter ego deservedly won an Oscar. The silent John Barrymore version is also worth checking out.

12. "Peeping Tom," 1960. This disturbing and arty horror film caused such a scandal that it almost ended the career of its brilliant director, Michael Powell.

13. "Frankenstein" 1931.James Whale's classic about a man-made monster is certainly less frightening than when it was first released, but it still works as a superb tragedy. Boris Karloff makes an expressive monster, and the under appreciated Colin Clive is outstanding as the maniacal mad doctor (Who could forget his "It's alive!!" rant?) Still it pales in comparison to its sequel "Bride of Frankenstein." One of the most horrifying scenes (involving the drowning of a blind girl) was initially cut then restored in 1987.

14. "The Blair Witch Project," 1999. This heavily improvised pseudo-documentary was the most realistic and memorable horror flick of the '90s. It features a great use of hand held camera and other cinema verite techniques.

15. "Carrie," 1976. Brian De Palma's stylish Stephen King adaptation includes a classic prom scene, which has been endlessly imitated.  It has an early John Travolta appearance, from back when he was still cool. The sequel has some good moments too.

16. "Curse of the Demon," 1958. Jacques Tourneur created this riveting, masterfully orchestrated tale of supernatural suspense.

17. "The Bad Seed," 1956. Mom believes that her mom's murderous tendencies were passed on to her seemingly innocent nine-year-old daughter. Patty McCormick gives one of the most sinister performances in horror history. An important precursor to "Psycho."

18. "The Mummy," 1932. Karl Freund's expressionistic lighting and Boris Karloff's performance make this the only must-see mummy film.  The more adventure oriented 1999 film with the same name seems juvenile and artless in comparison.

19. "Spirits of the Dead," 1969. Three excellent short adaptations of Poe stories by three respected European directors. Federico Fellini's episode, "Toby Dammit" is a surreal masterpiece.

20. "The Wolfman," 1941. Lon Chaney Jr. gained immortality with his role as the hapless werewolf, Larry Talbot, but Claude Rains and Evelyn Ankers also excel in supporting roles. As always, Jack Pierce's makeup is magnificent.

21. "Mr. Vampire," 1986. Chinese monk uses martial arts to battle hopping vampires in this inventive horror comedy, which spawned four sequels.

22. "Dawn of the Dead," 1979. Romero's eerie sequel to "Night of the Living Dead" adds shrewd social commentary to the mix. Since the zombies occupy a shopping mall, the film can be seen as a clever satire of consumerism. Changes in the MPAA code allowed Romero to make this much gorier than the original.

23. "The Last House on the Left," 1972. Wes Craven's most disturbing feature is a devastating revenge story about a couple that gets grisly vengeance on the villains that murdered their children. Based loosely on Igmar Bergman's "The Virgin Spring."

24. "The Wicker Man," 1973. Christopher Lee gives his best performance as the mysterious head of a pagan sect in this English cult classic. A remake is coming.

25. "Texas Chain Saw Massacre," 1974. Tobe Hooper creates a chilling nightmarish atmosphere without wallowing in excess gore. Avoid the recently released remake.

26. "Se7en 1995."-David Fincher's twisted thriller is scarier than most because it leaves so much to the imagination. Morgan Freeman and  Brad Pitt are excellent as two detectives that are tracking a moralistic serial killer. Spacey's performance is one of his best.

27. "Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn," 1987. This ingenuous splatter comedy is the only horror film that's equally influenced by George Romero's zombie films and the Three Stooges shorts. Followed by the worthwhile sequel, "Army of Darkness," which was more of a heroic fantasy film than a horror film.

28. "Repulsion," 1965. Roman Polanski's thriller about a sexually repressed young woman who knocks off all her perspective boyfriends.  It is heavily influenced by "Psycho," and in some ways it almost matches the original. As always, Catherine Deneuve is exquisite and unforgettable in the lead.

29. "The Night Stalker," 1972.  Darren McGavin is terrific as Karl Kolchak, a cynical newsman who stumbles upon a vampire in a modern day Las Vegas. Film creates a marvelous sense of urban paranoia and expertly combines elements of the horror genre with film noir. The literate script was based on a story by Richard Matheson, a frequent contributor to "The Twilight Zone" series. At one point, this was the most watched made for TV film ever.  Robert Aldrich fans take note: this film features an appearance by "Kiss Me Deadly" star, Ralph Meeker.

30.  "A Nightmare on Elm Street," 1984. Robert Englund stars as a murdered killer who attacks his killer's children in their dreams. Works well until the cop-out ending. Surprisingly effective low budget thriller led to eight unnecessary sequels and a TV series. Features an early appearance by Johnny Depp. Heather Langencamp makes a gutsy adversary for Freddie

31. "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" 1962. This wonderful Gothic thriller benefits from terrifically hammy performances by Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

32. "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer," 1990. Morally ambivalent portrayal of a killer is much more terrifying than the more acclaimed, "The Silence of the Lambs."

33. "Vampyr," 1932. Carl Dreyer's classic adaptation of the ultimate lesbian vmpire text, "Carmilla," is as much of an art film as it is a horror flick.  Creative camera work and lighting contribute immeasurably to the ambience of terror.

34-35. "Dracula," 1931 and "Dracula-Spanish version," 1931. Bela Lugosi played the role of his lifetime in this adaptation of the popular Dracula play. This somewhat dated classic has some haunting images and seems almost like a silent film. George Melford's Mexican version was shot on the same sets for a Mexican audience. It is slightly more modern and explicit but it features a less memorable vampire.

36. "Son Of Frankenstein," 1939.  Dr. Frankenstien's son (Basil Rathbone) wrong headededly attempts to rehabilitate his family name by taming the monster. Handsome well-mounted film benefits from a great Lionel Atwill performance as a police chief with an artificial hand.  Rowland V.  Lee's direction does not quite match James Whale's work on the first two Frankenstein flicks, but it comes close enough.

37. "Suspiria," 1977. Dario Argento's violent thriller is shot like an opera, complete with over-the-top music and exaggerated acting. Featuring the creepy and campy music of Goblin.

38. "Halloween," 1978. Well- made teen slasher film helped launch the careers of horror director, John Carpenter and former scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis. "Halloween H20"  in which Curtis reprises her role is the only one of the sequels worth seeing.

39. "Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary," 2003. Guy Maddin's astonishing film is a white, black, and red ballet version of "Dracula."  A marvelous blend of horror, surrealism, expressionism and dance.  It doesn't sound like it should work, but it does. Much more daring and avant-garde than "Bram Stoker's Dracula."

40. " Legend of Hell House, "1973. A dying millionaire hires a man to prove whether life exists after death.  Adult and imaginative ghost film was a critical success and a box office flop.  

41. "Re-Animator," 1985. Stuart Gordon's adaptation is not terribly faithful to H. P. Lovecraft's original story but it works fine as a splatter comedy. Gordon and the film's star, Jeffrey Combs worked together on several other low budget Lovecraft adaptations as well.

42. "Silence of the Lambs," 1991. Jonathan Demme's popular film about a charming cannibal serial killer was quite influential but it's also highly homophobic. Still, Anthony Hopkins does a fine job playing Hannibal Lector, one of the all-time great cinematic villains. This film has plenty of chills and thrills, but it did not deserve the best picture Oscar. The first Hannibal Lector film, "Manhunter" was just as good, but it probably does not qualify as a horror film. Someone once hilariously described this film as the "Masterpiece Theatre" version of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

43. "Habit," 1997. Chilling low budget vampire film about a young man who is either becoming a vampire or an alcoholic. It's up to you to decide. Director, Larry Fessenden went on the direct "The Wendigo" which was nearly astriguing.

44. "Dead-Alive," 1992. New Zealand made zombie flick about a boy who refuses to harm his flesh eating zombie mother.  Film is filled with gore, dark humor, and some slapstick, but it also the script has some Freudian overtones. Director Peter Jackson definitely has a knack for presenting dynamic action scenes. He later went on the do the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

45. "The Sixth Sense," 1999, Intelligent ghost story about a child psychologist who treats a young boy who sees dead people.  Haley Joel Osment was brilliant as the boy, but Bruce Willis was unconvincing as the shrink. I kept expecting him to rescue someone from a building.  More of a supernatural suspense story than a horror film but why quibble?

46. "The Birds," 1963. Alfred Hitchcock's claustrophobia inducing thriller about birds on the attack is not one of his best. Still, it features some heart pounding sequences and a great Bernard Hermann score.  The scene in which the protagonists are trapped in a farmhouse was a big influence on "The Night of the Living Dead." Based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier.

47. "Cat People," 1942. Jacques Tourneuer's thoughtful thriller is not especially terrifying but it is well acted and psychotically provocative. Simone Simon plays a woman who fears that she will fall prey to a mysterious curse that will turn her into a panther when she is aroused. Simone Simon is pure magic on-screen

48. "Audition," 1999. Mikke Takashi's gruesome and sadomasochistic horror film is about a shy businessman who falls for a mentally unstable woman who mysteriously disappears. The last 30 minutes of the film contains one of the most horrifying sequences, ever filmed, but the ending doesn't quite hold up. Available on DVD, in Japanese with English sub-titles at films/a/audition.shtml" http://www.insideout.co.uk/films/a/audition.shtml.

49. "Kill Baby Kill," 1966. Suicide victims are found in a small Transylvanian town town with gold coins in their hearts.  The story is sometimes hard to follow but horror auteur, Mario Bava's direction is wonderfully over the top, gorgeous and highly stylized.

50. "May," 1993. Haunting tale of an alienated young woman who has a sinister obsession with an evil looking doll. She reaches out for love and breaks down when she is rejected.  This sophisticated and well acted film would make a great companion piece to two other disaffected teen flicks: "Ginger Snaps" and Donnie Darko."

Other good horror films/honorable mentions:

American Psycho (2000), An American Werewolf in London (1982), The Black Cat (1934), Black Sabbath (1963), Black Sunday (1961), Blade II (2000), Burn Witch Burn (1962), Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter (1974), Carnival of Souls (1962), Candyman (1992), Cemetery Man/Dellamorte Dellamore (1996), The Company of Wolves (1985), The Conqueror Worm (1968), Creepshow (1982), Cronos (1994), Dead of Night (1946), The Dead Zone (1983), Devil Doll (1936), Dracula's Daughter (1936), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), The Evil Dead (1983), Eyes Without a Face/Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus (1959), Fright Night (1985), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), From Hell (2001), The Gift (2000), God Told Me To/Demon (1976), The Honeymoon Killers (1970), Horror of Dracula (1958), House of Usher (1962), The Howling (1981), Interview With A Vampire (1994), Island of Lost Souls (1932), Junk (1999), Kwaidan (1964), The Last Wave (1977), Legend of Hell House (1973), Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971), Little Shop of Horrors (1960), Mad Love (1935), Martin (1977), The Masque of Red Death (1964),  Murders in the Zoo (1933), The Old Dark House (1932), The Omen (1976), Onibababa (1965), Near Dark (1986),  Nosferatu (1922), The Others (2001), Paperhouse (1988), Phantom of the Opera (1925), Phenomena/Creepers (1985), Poltergeist (1982), The Plumber (1978), Razor Blade Smile (1998), The Reflecting Skin (1991), Return of the Living Dead (1985), The Ring (2002), Salem's Lot (1979), Scream (1996), The Seventh Victim (1943), Sisters (1973), Sleepy Hollow (1999),  The Tenderness of Wolves (1973), The Vampire Lovers (1970),  Wolf (1994)

Guilty Pleasures - Here are ten films with horror themes that can`t be considered good by most aesthetic standards. However, they are enjoyable for other reasons (such as creativity or camp value or social importance.)

"Blacula." 1972.  Dracula (he's pro-slave in the film) makes an African prince into a vampire. William Marschall's performance as the title character helps elevate this film into high quality trash. The ultimate blaxploitation horror flick includes a hysterical disco scene. Followed by "Scream Blacula Scream" which featured an appearance by my blaxploitation icon/goddess, Pam Grier.

"Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman." 1972. Werewolf travels to Europe to search a witch's tomb. He finds that his female companion has turned into a vampire and clashes with her. Paul Naschy was Spain's preeminent horror star. But his films inevitably arrived in the United States in butchered, badly dubbed, atrociously translated versions. Leon Klimosky provides some incomparable images although the story is lackluster. Also called "Bloodmoon."

"The Devil's Nightmare." 1971. Campy and surreal Italian horror film about a succubus (Erica Blanc) that stalks the seven occupants in a castle. The seven deadly sins motif reminded me of "Seven." The film has a weird hypnotic power that makes me come back to it.

"The House of Usher." 1960. This Roger Corman version of a popular Edgar Allan Poe story features a wonderfully hammy performance by Vincent Price.

"I Was A Teenage Werewolf." 1957. Evil hypnotist treats a troubled teen and turns him into a werewolf. The early starring role by Michael Landon was a real howl. Followed by the semi-sequel "How to Make a Monster."

"Lust for a Vampire." 1972.  A sexy reincarnation of Carmilla causes havoc at an all girl school. This rather erotic sequel to the "The Vampire Lovers" has laugh inducing music during the romantic sequences and is even fascinating when it is bad.

"Plan 9 from Outer Space," 1956. Ed Wood's tour de force deals with aliens trying to resurrect the dead. How can you resist any film that features Bela Lugosi, horror hostess, Vampira, and Swedish wrestler, Tor Johnson? The clumsily inserted stock footage, bad dialog, and implausible situations add to the fun.  Either the worse horror film ever made or the best ever, unintentional, horror comedy.

"Resident Evil," 2002. Milla Jovovitch stars as recon team member who fights zombies, uncovers a government conspiracy, and wears slinky clothing.  Kind of like "Tomb Raider" crossed with "Dawn of the Dead." Utterly ridiculous and dumb but miraculously, it works most of the time.

"Swamp Thing," 1982. Wes Craven's sensitively acted horror film about a man who turns into a bog beast has cheesy special effects and a Frankenstein influenced story line. Nowhere near as good or sophisticated as the comic series but it's enjoyable anyway.

"Tromeo and Juliet," 1997. This schlocky, splatterpunk version of "Romeo and Juliet" features tons of gore and slapstick humor.  Decadent, disgusting, cheap, and kind of fun.

Subjects for Future Research - Here are some films that have received great critical acclaim or good word of mouth. I haven't seen them for various reasons (such as laziness on my part or lack of availability.)

"Bubba Ho-Tep." 2003. I haven't been able to catch this current release about Elvis Presley's conflict with a resurrected mummy. But any film with Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis in it can't be all bad.

"Cannibal Holocaust." 1979. Italian cult favorite allegedly was the inspiration for `The Blair Witch Project." Some people prefer it.

"The Devil's Backbone," 2003, This Spanish ghost film is said to have a strong sense of style.

"Evil of Dracula" and "Lake of Dracula." 1974. These Japanese vampire films have some admirers.

"London After Midnight," 1927. Tod Browning wrote and directed this silent vampire film that stars Lon Chaney, Senior. Browning later did a sound remake entitled "Mark of the Vampire." This is considered by many to be the great lost horror film, but legend says there might still be some existing prints.

"Vampire's Ghost," 1945. Legendary film about a vampire in Africa is almost impossible to find. Said to be influenced by Val Lewton's works.

"Ringu," 1988.The original Japanese version of "The Ring" led to several sequels. Friends tell me it's much better than the remake.

"28 Days Later," 2003. Danny Boyle's Zombie flick was the only horror film that was part of the Dogme '95 movement.

"Terror of Frankenstein," 1976. Obscure Irish/Swedish adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel received some good reviews. It's bound to be better than Kenneth Branagh's disastrous version.

WORST HORROR FILMS: "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein;" "The Beyond;" "Curse of the Swamp Creature;" "Dracula vs. Frankenstein;" "Friday the 13th 3-D;" "I Spit on Your Grave;" "Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Next Generation;" "Pigs."

TOP 50 HORROR MOVIES

50. Re-Animator (1985)

Stupid, gory, and fun. Don't watch this if you have a weak stomach and no sense of humor. It's allegedly based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, but it doesn't even approach the mystery and creepiness of Lovecraft, and, well, it doesn't even try to -- it just borrows the premise of the story as a framework for a lot of sick, in-your-face visual ideas.

49. The Lost Boys (1987)

Fun with vampires. Features the two youngest and most earnest vampire hunters ever shown on film . . . . Doesn't do the "Oh, horrors, I'm slowly turning into a vampire"-schtick nearly as well as Near Dark, but worth watching anyway. Very cool.

48. Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)

Sequels don't usually do much for me, although I usually see them just in case they manage to live up to the original idea; and this time, I'm especially glad I did. They managed to make a more expensive, more mainstream film, and probe into the origins of the title character -- all without losing any of the unique appeal of the first film. This movie also kept up a creepy, claustrophobic feeling by putting mirrors everywhere. (Confession time; I realize it's ridiculous, superstitious, and stupid, but it took me years to work up the nerve to bring myself to look in a mirror and say "Candyman" five times . . . . Nothing happened, in case you're curious. Not yet, anyway.)

47. Friday the 13th (1980)

Surprisingly good. As the progenitor of the "mad slasher goes around killing teenagers who were about to have sex" genre, I thought this film would be as bad as the countless imitators that followed. I was wrong. Some fairly decent acting, good pacing, and a few real surprises.

46. John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)

I've been a big fan for years of John Carpenter's action films, like Escape from New York, and his horror films, like the wonderfully creepy Prince of Darkness, and now it finally seems like the two sides of Carpenter's personality have released a collaboration. This film just doesn't stop moving. Okay, on the face of it, it's a macho, posturing, male-bonding buddy flick with a really juvenile sense of humor, but it's a really good one. And I can't remember the last time that one single vampire was portrayed as a real threat. I hope you saw this one in the theatres -- it deserves to be seen full-size and bigger than life.

45. The Dark Half (1993)

This film -- there's no other way to put this -- just simply got to me, for various reasons too personal to get into here. It also has some nice performances, is well-directed, and frankly just looks good. This is a fine example of an extremely rare breed of film; a good movie based on a Stephen King novel.

44. Creepshow (1982)

If you're tired of horror films with pretensions of being serious and artistic, here's your cure. It manages to be frequently campy without losing the edge of horror. (Okay, maybe during the animated sequences.) But this is just plain fun. It's an homage to the horror comics of the fifties, especially the offerings from EC Comics. (The sequel wasn't quite as good, so I can't wholeheartedly recommend it, but if you really enjoy this film, check out the second one.

43. Cemetary Man (1994)

I always think of this movie as Dellamorte, Dellamore, it's Italian title, but I've listed it under it's American release title so you can find it at your local video store. It's a strange one, but I liked it a lot. It's moody, creepy, gory, hysterically funny, and strangely romantic. Don't expect it to make much sense, but it's fun to watch.

42. The Fly (1986)

The first Cronenberg film I ever saw, this one is fairly typical of his work. Not that this movie is typical by other standards; where Dead Ringers gives us a slow deterioration of a relationship, The Fly gives us a slow deterioration of a human body, as we watch a man slowly devolve into a monster. Worth watching just for Jeff Goldblum as the lead character; no one is better at being naturally creepy than Goldblum, and Cronenberg gets an excellent performance out of him.

41. Misery (1990)

When I start getting published, I hope I'll someday have devoted fans -- but maybe not quite as devoted as Kathy Bates' character in this film. Yikes. The scariest part of this movie to me was not the widely-touted scene where she breaks his ankle, but when she makes him set fire to his -- well, that would be telling, but if you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. And why it bugs me so much.

40. The Thing (1982)

Usually, when someone makes a remake of a "classic" film, they completely ruin it. This couldn't be farther from the truth here. The original version of The Thing is, in my opinion, totally boring. This film went back to the original source material, a short story entitled "Who Goes There?" that the first film was based on, and brought back into the plot all the elements that had made the story work that the first film had just completely ignored. Lots of action, a claustrophobic setting, and a wonderfully ambiguous ending make this one memorable.

39. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

If you see just one of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, make it this one. Really. Lots of fun, and neatly manages to get away from the wisecracking, one-liner nonsense that was making Freddy Kruger seem like less of a credible threat with each film. It cleverly takes place in the "real" world, having actors from the first film play themselves, and it plays on the mythology the films have built up. With its reality-bending themes, it would make a good double-feature with In the Mouth of Madness. Go rent both of them.

38. The Crow (1994)

I'm almost reluctant to call this a horror film; it's more like a revenge film dressed up in funeral cerements. But it works. Maybe not on an intellectual level, perhaps -- this film succeeds on a purely visceral level, relentlessly dark, brooding, urban visuals and a driving soundtrack. There's also something a little bit unsettling about watching Brandon Lee, who died during the production of this movie, playing a man who comes back from the dead. Art imitating death.

37. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

I wasn't really expecting much from this movie -- it looked like a cheap knockoff of Night of the Living Dead, and that's essentially true . . . . But if I'm not mistaken, the writer from NotLD actually had some involvement in this movie, and in some respects, was able to improve on his original ideas. These zombies really are (almost) unstoppable -- and it's fun watching the characters try anyway. It's dumb, it wants you to laugh at it, but so much of what it does with the concept is so darn clever that you just have to stop and appreciate the ideas while you're laughing. Also, it's got a really great 80's soundtrack.

36. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Advance publicity for this movie touted it as the first faithful adaptation of Stoker's novel. If that's really what they were trying to do, they failed miserably. I only wish everyone's failures were this interesting to watch. Possibly the most compelling aspect of the film, the love story between Mina and Dracula is completely the invention of the screenwriter. Despite a nondescript performance by Keanu Reaves, the film manages to be beautifully dark and tragic. I also enjoyed the special effects; the filmmakers confined themselves to using only effects that had been in use by early filmmaking pioneers at the time that the novel was written.

35. Dance of the Damned (1988)

A fairly different vampire film. To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely certain just why I like this movie so much; it looks like it was shot for less than the price of a used car, the special effects aren't very, and the acting is occasionally a little off, and the pacing isn't always very good . . . . But despite all these bad points, the movie somehow pulls together to form an entertaining and cohesive whole. (Compare this to all the movies you've seen where there were good effects, crisp dialogue, and the occasional wonderful scene -- but it just didn't add up to make a movie.) I think the best thing about this film is that it presents us with just two characters, and gradually makes us genuinely care about what will happen to them. It also presents an interesting and fairly novel view of what vampires are. There's a movie called To Sleep With A Vampire that, as near as I can tell, is a remake of this film, and it's very clear its makers didn't understand what made this film work; it's about as bad as the title makes it sound. If you're standing around in the horror section at your local Lackluster Video trying to decide between these two seemingly identical films, pick Dance of the Damned.

34. Nomads (1986)

Unsettling and original, this movie really conveys the feeling of a world both darker and larger than our own. Rather than tapping into the same well of old stories that most horror films use, with their demons and vampires and werewolves, this story creates a threat that feels unmistakably urban and modern and real. The movie's slow breakdown of linear logic echoes the mental breakdown of the lead character. And the ending still really haunts me.

33. Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)

My expectations for the original may have been low, but my expectations for this one were even lower -- the first film was cheesy enough, but sequels are always even worse, right? Wrong. This movie is hip, creepy, and clever, and takes the idea of zombie movies and makes it personal as we watch the deteriorating relationship between a woman who is slowly giving into her undead hunger and the man who brought her back from the dead. This movie is perfectly aware of both the real horror and the real absurdity of its premise, and sets tense, dramatic scenes against colorfully-lit, EC-comics-like backgrounds, giving the whole film a surreal and dreamlike feeling.

32. Last House on the Left (1972)

Wes Craven's first film, and easily his single most disturbing. I think this one works so well because he didn't know what he was doing -- it doesn't fall into any safe, predictable patterns -- you never know what's going to happen to any of the characters at any moment. This is not light, fluffy, kiddie-fare -- don't toss this one in the VCR at your next Halloween party if you still want all your friends speaking to you afterward. This one is brutal and nasty, and shot in such a cheap, flat way that it looks like a documentary, or a snuff film; the cheapness actually enhances the realism, just as the badly-placed and -executed comic relief enhances the real horror of the rest of the film -- you find yourself staring slack-jawed at the "funny" scenes as you would at someone who brought a whoopie cushion to a funeral.

31. The Company of Wolves (1984)

I've heard this film described as a "fairy tale for adults," and that's pretty dead-on. There's a lot of creepy, bloody, sexual, chaotic material boiling around under the skin of our culture's fairy tales, and this movie takes that skin and peels it back. This film makes much more sense on an emotional level than it does on an intellectual level; sit back and watch it, wide-eyed and open and receptive as a child, and get ready for nightmares.

30. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

The best John Carpenter film in years. Not that he'd been slacking, or anything, but he really outdid himself this time. This one's a nice homage, partly to Steven King, but mainly to H.P. Lovecraft.

29. Gothic (1987)

Eye candy. I'll admit it. This movie is definitely hip-deep in its pretensions that Something Deep and Important is going on, but as long as you can ignore that -- and not expect the movie to make any damn sense -- it's a great deal of fun, has some nice imagery, a great soundtrack by Thomas Dolby (of all people), and is an account, albeit highly fictionalized, of one of the most interesting evenings in the history of literature, the evening that would lead Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein.

28. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Okay, confession time, again; Interview with the Vampire was the novel that got me interested in horror in the first place. It was something I read just because I was tired of not understanding what everyone else around me was talking about, but I really found it appealing. Now, I'm not quite as -- attached to the book as some people seem to get, so I didn't completely freak when I heard that Tom Cruise was going to play Lestat, but I did have my doubts. They weren't justified. He pulled it off. And the filmmakers managed to pull off realizing the lush, rich, sensual world I always imagined the characters inhabiting. They totally screwed around with the ending, but I think this is well worth seeing anyway.

27. Scream (1996)

Okay, maybe this one isn't really all that scary -- the first five minutes or so had me on the edge of my seat, but the rest of it doesn't really live up to the opening -- but if you're a fan of horror movies, you've got to see this one; it's made with such obvious fondness and affection for the whole horror film genre, and with such style, that it just picks you up and carries you along. It's a lot of fun.

26. The Exorcist (1973)

It's a little hard to judge this movie on its own merits -- its images and ideas have become so firmly entrenched in our culture, and it's been parodied and referenced so many times that's it's hard to separate the film itself from this idea of the film. Although it almost works better as an archetype than as a movie, The Exorcist still has the power to shock and horrify, even by today's jaded standards; and I have to give it proper credit for not going with a "Hollywood" ending.

25. Cat People (1942)

You'd think that a movie this old would seem too dated to scare a modern audience, but this one still really shines. The characters are intriguing and well-acted, and the story and the direction both refuse to give you release from the tension they build up right until the final frames. The film is also beautifully lit and shot, using the black-and-white medium to its full advantage. There was a remake in 1982, that had a great performance from Malcolm McDowell and music by David Bowie and Giorgio Moroder, that still couldn't touch the original.

24. Videodrome (1983)

Yeee-ikes. Creepy, icky, weird, and makes no linear sense. But should a film that shows someone's gradual mental deterioration really have to make linear sense? It's hard to tell, as the film progresses, how much of the action is "really" happening, and how much only takes place inside the protagonist's mind -- but it doesn't really matter.

23. Nightbreed (1990)

I always feel a little sad when I see this now, knowing that it should have been better -- apparently, the studio really cut this one to ribbons, and it shows, with the occasional jump in the plot or gap in logic. But what's left really makes me yearn for the long-rumored director's cut to be released. Nightbreed is the film that finally realizes that the most compelling and even sympathetic characters in horror films aren't the victims -- they're the monsters. And this film provides an entire nightmarish hidden city of them.

22. Martin (1978)

Okay, sure, this is another vampire movie. But I guarantee you that this is not like any other vampire movie you've ever seen. For one thing, you can never really be sure whether the title character really is a vampire, or whether he's just horrifically delusional . . . . One of the creepiest horror movies I've seen, since aside from the flashbacks (which could just be fantasies), there's nothing in this film that couldn't actually happen. This isn't one of George Romero's better known films -- but it should be, dammit.

21. The Ugly (1997)

Disturbing, entrancing, and beautifully shot in a very modern, jerky, and disorienting style, this movie is the life story of a serial killer with a supernatural edge to it. While having an "unreliable narrator" is a common enough technique in prose fiction, I can't remember another film that uses the same technique so well; we're left uncertain whether the events we're seeing are real memories, imagined memories, or simple lies. This movie also has a very distinctive visual style; for example, the blood in this movie isn't red, it's oil-black. That might sound almost cartoonish, but it's incredibly effective -- it draws your attention to the blood in a way that a normal portrayal wouldn't, and underlines the horror of the situation. Simon's victims look soiled and unclean by his acts.

20. Pumpkinhead (1988)

I avoided this film for years, thanks to a pretty stupid title and an unimaginative and cheap looking video cover design. I finally rented it out of desperation one night, when I couldn't find anything else that looked appealing -- and I was blown away by it. Great creature effects from Stan Winston, the man who made the creatures in Alien. An interesting story. And a compelling performance from Lance Henriksen, whom I loved in Near Dark.

19. Near Dark (1987)

Best damn vampire movie ever made. No question. (Even though it never uses the word "vampire" once -- the characters in it don't seem sure what they are.) It's the story of a young man's descent into darkness, and his redemption. Features Lance Henriksen as the lead vampire; he's better known now as the star of television's wonderfully creepy Millenium. Great soundtrack by Tangerine Dream.

18. An American Werewolf in London (1981)

This is a difficult movie to categorize -- it's hard to tell what kind of film you're watching, even from one moment to the next. It manages to be very genuinely creepy, occasionally hysterically funny, and sometimes even both at once. I'm not sure if this movie succeeds, because, quite frankly, I don't know what the hell it was trying to do. But I found it fairly intriguing, even though it's inconsistently paced. Definitely worth seeing just for Rick Baker's werewolf transformation effects, which really pushed the envelope of what was possible to put on the screen. And it has a perfect ending. Personally, I really enjoyed the long-overdue sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris, but I can't honestly say it was a good movie.

17. Phantasm (1979)

This is a very . . . weird little movie. I didn't like it until about halfway through it, when I stopped trying to make sense of it. It has a very creepy, dreamlike feel and structure to it, there are parts of the film that are laughably bad and other parts that are really terrifying, and it doesn't really add up to a cohesive whole -- but you get the feeling that it wasn't trying to, that it was just trying to tow you along as it drifted through a nightmare for a while. And I think it succeeds at that. Also, despite the overall cheapness of the movie, the makers had a good sense of visual style, and the Ball and the Tall Man are compelling images.

16. Candyman (1992)

It's based on a Clive Barker short story, so naturally I had to love this one. It strays a little far afield of the story it's based on, but it does so fairly gracefully. This movie does an excellent job at creating an original supernatural menace, while grounding it so firmly in the context of urban legends that you'd be convinced the character has been spoken of in whispers for years. This movie has a quiet, low-budget look and feel to it that actually helps to enhance the unsettling mood it creates.

15. Jacob's Ladder (1990)

This is, well, a pretty strange movie. I'm not entirely certain I understand what happened in this film, although I have some ideas -- but that's all right, because the main character doesn't understand what's happened to the world around him, either. It's not often I enjoy feeling as confused as the characters I'm watching, but considering some of the themes this movie deals with -- the very nature of life and death -- I suppose a little confusion might be justified.

14. Prince of Darkness (1987)

This one's really unsettling. It's not much like John Carpenter's other work. It's slow and careful and nightmare-like, and takes time to set up really disturbing images and a sense of dread.

13. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

Almost as unheard-of as a good Steven King movie, we have here another another rarity: a well-done sequel. Even though it has a different writer and different director, this movie still dovetails fairly seamlessly onto the end of the first; one can cheerfully watch them back-to-back, if you're willing to ignore the fact that the main character's house seems to un-burn-down between films. Hellbound manages to delve even farther into the mythology established by the first film while still remaining true to the spirit of it. (Just a side note: Don't make the mistake of assuming that because the first two films were so good, the third one will be as well. It's excruciatingly bad. And it's not even bad in an entertaining way.)

12. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Do you really need a recommendation for this one? Well, maybe you do; maybe you'd just as soon avoid any film that spawned a franchise of endless sequels. But, really, the first one was groundbreaking and fun, and really manages to convey the strange logic that nightmares operate under. If you've never seen it, you need to.

11. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

I know what you're thinking. But really, this is not that kind of movie; despite the title, there have been many, many movies that have gone much farther out of their way to splatter blood, gore and intestines up on the screen than this one. This may have been visually shocking in the early seventies, but it's awfully tame to today's jaded thrillseekers, such as myself. It's not tame, however, in its plot and direction; after slowly building up the atmosphere, nearly the last half of the movie is one, long, extended chase sequence. It may sound boring put that way, but it's not. The viewer is made to feel tense, claustrophobic and trapped along with our heroine. Very creepy and unsettling.

10. The Hitcher (1986)

This one is really creepy and unsettling, too, but in a much more cinematic way, so it's a little easier to take. But not much. The perfect movie for people who always thought there was something just a little sinister about Rutger Hauer.

9. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Yeah, okay, this movie received a lot of hype. And it deserves it. How effective you find the film may depend on how likely your imagination is to work against you; if you're like me, you'll find that this movie lodges itself in your brain and ruins your sleep for days. The aftereffects of the film are more unsettling than the actual experience. Kudos to Haxan Films for trying something daring and unusual instead of cranking out yet another slasher flick, and for convincing so many people that their invented legend was real.

8. Carnival of Souls (1962)

I rented this movie on the strength of the recommendations on alt.horror, and now I have to add my own. I love this movie. It's very slow-paced by today's standards, but it's very creepy and effective. (There's a so-called "remake" out there that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the original. Skip it and rent this instead.)

7. Angel Heart (1987)

Written and directed by Alan Parker, who directed my favorite non-horror movie (Pink Floyd: The Wall). It has the voodoo-laden, jazzy, hard-boiled feel that I wish Lord Of Illusions had managed to pull off.

6. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990)

Yeeeesh. When you think you've become jaded, when you think you've seen it all, and that nothing you could possibly see in a movie could bother you -- please, by all means, watch this movie. After seeing hours of stylized, glossy, slicked-up violence dished out by the Jasons and Freddy's of the silver screen, this movie is a real fucking wake-up call. Disturbingly realistic in a flat, stark, almost documentary-like style, there is absolutely nothing glamorous about this movie. It will mess you up bad. Worth seeing, but really, really, unsetlling. See it with a friend who won't hate you for making them watch it.

5. Dead Ringers (1988)

Easily one of the best films by David Cronenberg, the most twisted and messed-up director I know (I love his work). I almost hesitate to call this a horror film; it doesn't have the trappings of a traditional horror film, doesn't have the pacing of one. What it does do is slowly unfold the unsettling, disturbing breakdown of two identical twins, both expertly played by Jeremy Irons with the aid of some flawless split-screen work.

4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

I saw the 1990 remake long before I ever saw the original, and for quite a while, I honestly thought I prefered the remake, at least partly because it has the talents of the incomparable Tony Todd and Babylon 5's Patricia Tallman behind it. But when it came time to compile this list, I realized that only one of the two had really managed to burn its images into my brain, and that was the original. The original may feel a little stilted and dated in some ways compared to the remake, but it's got a power to it that just can't be denied.

3. The Haunting (1963)

What can I possibly say about this movie that could convey the creepy feeling it provides? In some ways, this movie is a little stilted and dated, but no other film has ever really matched its atmosphere of oppression and dread. The characters are well-drawn, neurotic and compelling; the house really feels haunted, with shifting perspectives and weird trappings; and the writers and directors had the sense to know that what we don't see is much, much worse than anything they could put on the screen. (Too bad the makers of the 1999 remake couldn't figure that out. Avoid the remake as if your life depended on it.)

2. Cube (1997)

Damn. I made the mistake of seeing this movie alone when I saw it for the first time, and I couldn't sleep afterwards. Claustrophobic and terrifying, this movie keeps setting up your expectations and knocking them down. Extremely nihilistic in its outlook, this film has a lot to say about the nature of life. Shot on an extremely low budget with amazing special effects provided entirely free of charge by volunteers, this movie proves what you can do with just a handful of actors and one set.

1. Hellraiser (1987)

Nothing else comes close. The directing debut of my favorite author, Clive Barker, Hellraiser is a charming little tale of passions taken too far; it's a movie that isn't afraid to show gore, but does so for a reason. Hellraiser is an intelligent, thoughtful film, that sets up its own logic, its own reality, and its own mythology. Strikingly innovative, it raised the bar for horror films