Post by Smallstone on Nov 4, 2005 18:27:33 GMT 1
1. Dawn Of The Dead (George Romero 1978)
Ok this would be in my top 3 films as well. Just about the perfect horror/action hybrid. Cast of relative unknowns, Zombie plague, great script, amazing action in the mall etc
The gore has aged well-ish...still looks kinda cheesy but just the right side of brutal. So many different versions of this film around, but the uncut with extra scenes version is pretty damn amazing! Romero at his peak in my opinion. I'd been wanting to see this for years back in the 1980s and when I finally got a promo VHS of the then re-issue it BLEW MY MIND!! Shopping malls, hordes of the un-dead, Swat teams, helicopters, psycho biker gangs! This film has IT ALL!!!
2. The Thing (John Carpenters 1982 remake of 50s horror classic Thing From Another World)
Totally scared the cack out of me when I first saw it. Really claustrophobic and genuinely unsettling. Unseen space shape shifting terror!! Brutal gore! Snow and Ice!! Paranoia!! I remember watching this with a girlfriend when I was about 16 and her complaining that there were no women in it! Like yeah! This is a scientific ice station love!! Who's got the Thing in them? Kurt Russell is a proper lead in this. Totally amazing! Shame Carpenter REALLY sucks these days. Has anyone seen Ghosts Of Mars with Ice Cube? Jesus Christ.... Can you imagine a re-make today? It would star Ashton Kutcher and Kirsten Dunst or some other insipid 20 something 'hunk/honey' teaming and there'd be some kind of love interest, load of whack product placement and a happy ending!! It would suck!!
3. The Exorcist (William Friedkin 1973)
Ok ok - obvious choice but it is a damn scary film. Another film that in the 80s and early 90s was pretty difficult to see unless you went to see a late night special screening at the cinema. I did on Halloween night once back in the late 80s and Jesus did it scare me to pieces!! It starts off innocuously enough but it's really just the calm before the storm. Loads of great performances. Great soundtrack even though it's a bit over-used now (anyone who has this as their mobile ringtone... pls change it). I guess this is pretty well 'spoofed' too. However you can feel the tension in this film!! A classic!
4. Return Of The Living Dead (Dan O'Bannon 1985)
Comedy horror? Shouldn't really work as a genre. But there was a lot of it about in the mid-80s as an antidote I think to the real slick (slick not sick:) slasher films of the time. House, Re-animator (now that's a great film!) etc. This is more 'gonzo' than comedy though. What am I talking about! It's comedy!! This has a great metal soundtrack, has Leanna Quigley in it, which is the mark of quality in my book and has a great plot which doesn't take itself seriously! Is this the first sighting of fast moving Zombies? They move REALLY fast! Hmmm there are a lot of Zombie films in this list....
5. Hellraiser (Clive Barker 1987)
Proper moody 80s Uk horror. Of which there isn't a great deal of!! Token US actors to get the money in but actually lead geezer Andrew Robinson is great in this! Pretty gruesome in parts but an interesting story from master of 80s Horror books Barker. Nightmarish in parts like an Argento film. Argento...he's a great and all that but Susprias not in my top 10 as it's just not my cup of tea.... Anyways Hellraiser. Kinda has the vibe that that Constantine film should have had. Hellblazer comic is good! Moody Brit Horror.... dusty houses, dark shadows, sadomasochism, occult goings on in anonymous suburbs etc. Nice!
6. Evil Dead 2 (Sam Raimi 1987)
To my shame I haven't seen the original but from what I know about it it's basically the 2nd film on a lower budget! More comedy horror... but its still scary and pretty dark!! Bruce Campbell is great though in anything, the old ham that he is!! He was even in Superman the TV show with Terri Hatcher!
7. Night Of The Living Dead (Romero 1968)
2 x Romero films. Day of The Dead would be in here too really. He was just the man for 20 years!! Night is so amazing. Just relentless and bleak. Scary and gory too. Claustrophobic. Grim. You name it. I can't really be having with your Friday the 13ths pointless slasher films. Your Halloweens either and none of I Know What You Did In The Scary Summer Last Destination On A Friday modern ironic horrors. Your Japanese films like Ring are cool. Actually sheesh that could go in here. But none of your Saw or whatever they're called nu metal whack horror films. Fuck off with that weak shit. Aside from #10 which is kinda nu-metallish.....
8. Wicker Man (Robert Hardy 1973)
This is probably the best horror musical set on a Scottish island starring Christopher Lee & Edward Woodward ever made!! The ending... This is sort of a unique film. It IS a musical. The soundtrack is amazing!! It's not a gore fest or even that scary but its kind of got a gothic darkness to it that is so incredible!!
9. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle 2002)
Just 'cos... you know, it's a London thing innit. This kinda scares me 'cos even though I don't really buy the sort of zombie element.... or the rabid kind of bloodlust (actually it's not that far fetched... well ok it is..
I really dig the way this film is put together. The whole deserted London scenario and handycam filming. After the July bombings it was really weird to walk through London on that day and notice the lack of cars, buses etc. People in their 1000s walking to their destinations....If those bombs had been of the dirty variety... Jesus. This kind of plays on that kind of doomsday scenario which isn't necessarily that far from the truth... bit grim I know!!10. Dawn Of The Dead - (Zack Snyders 2004 Remake)
This is only down at #10 as it's a remake so basically Romero's idea re-told/re-packaged for the MTV generation. Is that right? What are teenagers called these days? Aside from teenagers that is.... But.....it's better than Land Of The Dead!!! The first 10 minutes are up there with the best opening of any film I've ever seen - and then when the titles kick in and the music starts up..... I'm not gonna give the games away by ruining it any more if you haven't seen it.... The tension is good, the gore excellent. Performances are kinda cool and believable and its shot really well. It opens up a whole can of worms with the fast zombies vs. slow zombies so some purists don't like it. Each to their own I say:) I love this film!!!
hmmm - I'm a bit of a traditionalist really. This list is pretty tame! I've sat through some horror films like Demons, Suspiria, a bit of Cannibal Holocaust and Texas Chainsaw massacre and not enjoyed them at all. What a pussy I am!! No Cronenburg either.... and I kinda of like Scanners, Shivers, Rabid and all that.
Lets have some of your horror lists!
