Films That Horror Fanatics Should See (If They Haven't Seen Them Already).
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- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.The quintessential slasher film. A suspensful score, excellent cinematography, convincing acting, and so many twists. What more could you ask for? This is NUMBER ONE.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.My personal favorite, as it has one of the first masked killers in a slasher film. It shows us that you don't need gore to shock the masses. This is one movie that actually managed to wet my pants.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsEllen BurstynMax von SydowLinda BlairWhen a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.If you didn't flinch or breathe heavy once during the film, you deserve a medal. The special effects are spectacular, and the demon voice is...what else can I say but...scary.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.This is a Kubrick film so the movie will drag, but it pays off with surreal cinematography and excellent direction from Stanley Kubrick. Excellent performances from Jack Nicholson and Scatman Crothers.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.As a fan of H. R. Giger's work, I love this particular film. The design for the xenomorph is hellish and macabre. The infamous scene where the alien bursts through John Hurt's chest will stay in my mind for a very long time.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.This is one of the few films where I prefer the remake over the original. The special effects are bizarre and gratuitous, but that's what I love about this movie. Do not watch if you are especially sqeamish.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.You WILL get nightmares from this movie. Freddy Kreuger is one of the scariest slasher villains in the sense that he can attack you in your most vulnerable state: sleep.
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisDonald PleasenceCharles CyphersWhile Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.**I CONSIDER HALLOWEEN AND HALLOWEEN II THE SAME MOVIE**
Unlike Bates, or Leatherface, Michael Myers is probably the most iconic killer in the slasher genre. He is emotionless, speechless, and thoughtless. He is a madman that will kill his sister (or anyone else) no matter what. He truly is the Boogeyman. - DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.**SEE ABOVE**
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsSissy SpacekPiper LaurieAmy IrvingCarrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.Another movie where I appreciate the style more than I do substance (although I like both). The cinematography is nothing short of inventive, especially the infamous bucket of blood scene. Margaret White is one of the scariest extremists I have met in film.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsMegumi OkinaMisaki ItôMisa UeharaA mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.For those who saw The Grudge, and did not bother watching this, I present to you, the original and superior J-Horror film. I've never seen a ghost story better told than by Ju-On. I found both the remake and original to be pretty scary, but the original is definitely the superior version.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteA year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.This is more of a slasher/horror satire, but this one deserves mention. It satirizes the common clichès of the genre (example: you're good as dead if you leave your friends saying, "I'll be right back"). Scream is not only darkly humorous, but it is an interesting film to watch, especially with friends.
- DirectorDaniel MyrickEduardo SánchezStarsHeather DonahueMichael C. WilliamsJoshua LeonardThree film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.This is one of those "You-either-love-it-or-hate-it" sort of films. I feel I'm stuck in the middle. On one hand, it's terrifying as you never see or really know what the thing that kills off these guys is. On another hand, the acting is less than stellar. I find the 8 mm camera idea very inventive, even if the budget is about as expensive as my car. Overall, you should see it at least once.
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.This one was shocking because no one had ever seen such material like this in a mainstream film (with the exception of perhaps Se7en). The film gets very gory very fast. This is another film with a shocking twist, that will leave you with a dropped jaw.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiA reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.Refer to "Ju-On" and replace "Ju-On" and "The Grudge" with "Ringu" and "The Ring" respectively.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsPeter CushingHazel CourtRobert UrquhartWhile awaiting execution for murder, Baron Victor Frankenstein tells the story of a creature he built and brought to life - only for it to behave not as he intended.This is probably the greatest horror remake ever made. The acting is convincing and the story is very different from the Karloff film.
- DirectorRobin HardyStarsEdward WoodwardChristopher LeeDiane CilentoA puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.Religious cults interest me, and this movie inspired my curiosity. It is insane and the people in the cult will give you the chills. Christopher Lee stars in a great performance as always.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsSandra PeabodyLucy GranthamDavid HessTwo teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.This one is at the bottom because it's not all that memorable except for some of the most shocking content unseen in films up to that point. Some of this content is still offensive even to today's standards, and it is satisfyingly shocking.