#701-#800
The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films: #701-#800
701. (-44) 1408
Mikael Håfström
AKA:
2007 / USA / 104m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
John Cusack, Paul Birchard, Margot Leicester, Walter Lewis, Eric Meyers, David Nicholson, Holly Hayes, Alexandra Silber, Johann Urb, Andrew Lee Potts
“Whatever its weaknesses, 1408 holds you captive. The film may seem like a one-room version of THE SHINING, condensed and tight rather than big and sprawling like the Kubrick movie, but Hafstrom does an impressive job of keeping its limited space visually interesting for feature length, and when all else fails the story succeeds on the strength of Cusack’s performance. The actor is allowed to give a virtual one-man show, ranging from funny to fearful, alternating between broad physical action (when the character explodes in rage against the room’s asault on him) with quieter interludes of angst and despair. Forcing the audience to experience his terror with an almost first-hand immediacy, Cusack runs the emotional gamut, delivering a performance as layered and complex as any of the 2007s Oscar nominees. Thanks in large part to his efforts, 1408 comes close to being a character study rather than a horror film – WILD STRAWBERRIES, with ghosts. Unlike too many movies that aspire to more than mere horror, this one achieves its goal without neglecting the fear factor.” – Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter
Genres: Haunted House, Psychological Horror, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Drama, Family Drama, Surrealism, Chamber Film, Time Loop
702. (+12) The Beast with Five Fingers
Robert Florey
AKA:
1946 / USA / 88m / BW / Mystery | IMDb
Robert Alda, Andrea King, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, J. Carrol Naish, Charles Dingle, John Alvin, David Hoffman, Barbara Brown, Patricia Barry
“Curt Siodmak’s screenplay, from a story by William Fryer Harvey, uses a standard but sturdy setup for a supernatural whodunnit. Everybody is a suspect, even the ostensibly innocent Julie. Events go pretty much as expected until Hilary Cummins’ nightmarish scenes kick in, at which time the combined talents of director Florey, the special effects department and Max Steiner’s dynamic music raise the chill factor to the ceiling. Peter Lorre takes the effect the rest of the way, finding a dozen ways of appearing haunted, shaken and finally terrorized by a horrifying hand crawling under its own power. A shocking sight for the 1940s, the hand has been raggedly sawed or chopped off – the stump of a bone is even visible in the wound.” – Glenn Erickson, DVDTalk
Genres:
703. (+7) The Dark Half
George A. Romero
AKA:
1993 / USA / 122m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker, Julie Harris, Robert Joy, Kent Broadhurst, Beth Grant, Rutanya Alda, Tom Mardirosian, Larry John Meyers
“The idea that something real – an absorbed twin, a tumor in the brain – and something fictitious, like a nom de plume, could both be somehow intertwined is a very rare plot-point in cinema, and perhaps the greatest compliment one could give Romero is that, rather than trying to explain it all away or invent a justification through science or medicine, the situation is allowed to be as nuanced and unclear as cinema can be without becoming lazy. If you take away the psychopomps and all other literary flourishes, there is still the story of a man being hunted by something he invented but doesn’t understand; if you take away the blood-lust of the revenge-film hierarchy, there’s still a man at war with himself, or a physical representation of himself. The Dark Half, for all its flaws, is a movie happy to exist in a limbo where reality and fantasy are conjoined and almost inseparable, and that at least is worthy of admiration.” – Adam Balz, Not Coming To a Theater Near You
Genres:
704. (new) Predator 2
Stephen Hopkins
AKA:
1990 / USA / 108m / Col / Action | IMDb
Kevin Peter Hall, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Rubén Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, Robert Davi, Adam Baldwin, Kent McCord, Morton Downey Jr.
“Given Arnold Schwarzenegger and director John McTiernan had declined to return, this sequel to their macho sci-fi rumble in the jungle is surprisingly good. Aussie director Stephen Hopkins, coupled with the original writers, sensibly relocates to an urban setting, a keenly thought out Los Angeles on the not-too-distant horizon cooked by global warming and abused by furious gang warfare… There’s invention too in pitching not a muscle-bound alpha-lug like Arnie against the creepy chameleon skull collector, but a grizzled old cop in the out-of-shape shape of Danny Glover, clearly too old for this shit. He’ll have to use his street-smarts to defeat this unforeseen alien vigilante rather than brute testosterone.” – Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine
Genres:
705. (+24) Hasta el viento tiene miedo
Carlos Enrique Taboada
AKA: Even the Wind Is Afraid
1968 / Mexico / 88m / Col / Mystery | IMDb
Marga López, Maricruz Olivier, Alicia Bonet, Norma Lazareno, Renata Seydel, Elizabeth Dupeyrón, Rita Sabre Marroquín, Irma Castillón, Rafael Llamas
“Shown on Mexican television every Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos… it is also widely considered the best Mexican film of the horror genre. Mexican movie studios did produce a number of horror movies during the 1950’s-1960’s (Mexican Cinema’s Golden Age), but they were largely mediocre movies featuring masked wrestlers. What sets Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo apart from the latter is Taboada’s introduction of 19th century literary gothic motifs in a contemporary setting… Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo is the first in a horror trilogy by Taboada and while Veneno Para las Hadas (Poison for the Fairies) received awards and was more critically acclaimed it’s the former that remains his most popular film.” – Cinema Nostalgia
Genres:
706. (-48) Dead End
Jean-Baptiste Andrea & Fabrice Canepa
AKA:
2003 / USA / 85m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, Alexandra Holden, Billy Asher Rosenfeld, Amber Smith, Karen S. Gregan, Sharon Madden, Steve Valentine, Jimmie F. Skaggs
“Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa’s Grimm fable is hardly blessed with originality, its road trip to hell device being a staple of everything from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the recent Wrong Turn. Moreover, those with even a passing acquaintance with the genre will guess how the movie pans out long before it reaches its abrupt and rather unsatisfying conclusion. Where it scores is in its canny exploration of family dynamics and a jet-black gallows humour that will have you tittering into your popcorn… while there’s ultimately less to Dead End than meets the eye, it remains an ingenious exercise in nerve-shredding tension that makes a virtue of its limited means.” – Neil Smith, BBC
Genres:
707. (-28) Candyman
Nia DaCosta
AKA:
2021 / USA / 91m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Kyle Kaminsky, Vanessa Williams, Brian King, Miriam Moss, Rebecca Spence, Carl Clemons-Hopkins
“While DaCosta ably toys with the usual genre trappings — jump scares, things that go bump in the night, eye-popping gore — the filmmaker, directing only her second feature, effectively adds unexpectedly artful touches. Rife with reflective surfaces, DaCosta cleverly uses every mirror, sparkling window, even a particularly ill-fated compact mirror to show just as much as she wants, just enough to scare both her audience and her characters (hint: it’s usually that goddamn hook). Blood spatters and splotches, even pours down in a dripping sheet, every kill a new way to explore the many ways a human body can be brutalized.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire
Genres: Supernatural Horror, Slasher, Body Horror, Silhouette Animation, Mystery
708. (-19) eXistenZ
David Cronenberg
AKA:
1999 / Canada / 97m / Col / Science Fiction | IMDb
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe, Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie, Christopher Eccleston, Sarah Polley, Robert A. Silverman, Oscar Hsu
“Probably the wildest ride [Cronenberg’s] given audiences since 1992’s “Naked Lunch.” It also features a well-timed message about video-game violence and addiction, which helps this oddball science-fiction thriller to be his best, most resonant work in more than a decade. Having said all that, however, the film will still probably turn off most moviegoers — at least those who aren’t accustomed to Cronenberg’s peculiar style of storytelling, which often includes gooey, gory special effects, distorted sexuality and indecipherable plotting… An alternatingly creepy and seductive performance from Leigh certainly helps, and Law is appropriately naive. Character actors Ian Holm and Willem Dafoe also have scene-stealing supporting roles that just add to the fun.” – Jeff Vice, Deseret News
Genres:
709. (-36) À Meia Noite Levarei Sua Alma
José Mojica Marins
AKA: At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul
1964 / Brazil / 84m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
José Mojica Marins, Magda Mei, Nivaldo Lima, Valéria Vasquez, Ilídio Martins Simões, Arildo Iruam, Genésio de Carvalho, Vânia Rangel, Graveto, Robinson Aielo
“Because it is inextricably tethered to a madman, At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul envisions the world as a skewed and nightmarish place. In terms of production design, Zé’s apartment looks as if were decorated by a mental patient; creepy hand sculptures jettison out from nearly every wall, reaching out as if they were lethal extensions of their owner. The film’s editing style is completely fragmented by insane transitions, including wipes that spin the frame upside down and animated cross-dissolves. Not only is the narrative under Zé’s control, it appears that the filmmaking process has been hijacked by him as well. Taking this into consideration, it’s clear that Marins wants to blur the line between artistic form and character, inhabiting both with the same tenacious verve for the grotesque.” – Glenn Heath Jr., Not Coming To a Theater Near You
Genres:
710. (new) Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro
AKA:
2025 / USA / 149m / Col / Gothic | IMDb
Guillermo del Toro, Mary Shelley, Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen
“Del Toro has always had an eye for the ways beauty and brutality weave themselves together in human life, and “Frankenstein” is an ideal text for that interest. But the movie also spotlights something he understands intuitively: the difference between the destruction of life — nasty, brutish and quick, as when an unhinged act of violence results in the twisting of limbs or the cracking of bones or a bullet to an eyeball — and the heartbroken and lovely form that life can take at its end. There are some images so stunning I could barely look at them in “Frankenstein,” and some I blinked away from for exactly the other reason. ” – Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times
Genres: Science Fiction, Gothic Horror, Period Drama, Gothic, Melodrama, Body Horror, Psychological Drama, Epic, Tragedy
711. (+84) El vampiro
Fernando Méndez
AKA: The Vampire
1957 / Mexico / 95m / BW / Vampire | IMDb
Abel Salazar, Ariadna Welter, Carmen Montejo, José Luis Jiménez, Mercedes Soler, Alicia Montoya, José Chávez, Julio Daneri, Amado Zumaya, Germán Robles
“The movie is enveloped in an all pervading atmosphere of gothic fantasy: cobwebs glisten in artificial moonlight and luminescent mist enshrouds the dilapidated hacienda which is ensconced in permanent shadows. The film has a surprisingly expensive look to it. Although the turn toward horror and fantasy in fifties Mexican cinema was largely inspired by the decline of the industry, the superior production values of it’s heyday in the forties are still very much in evidence in “El Vampiro”. The film is loaded with exceptional moments of directorial brilliance and great imagination – and the camera often moves with a Bava or Argento-like mind of it’s own.” – Blackgloves, Horrorview
Genres:
712. (-16) The Ritual
David Bruckner
AKA:
2017 / UK / 94m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton, Paul Reid, Matthew Needham, Jacob James Beswick, Maria Erwolter, Hilary Reeves, Peter Liddell
“The Signal director David Bruckner’s deft adaptation of Adam Nevill’s acclaimed novel is an effective serving of woodland terror laced with psychological depth and eerie creature-feature spectacle, and proves old-school horror can be upgraded in a chillingly relevant way. After the violent murder of their best friend, four mates go on a hike of remembrance in northern Sweden’s mountain terrain. Taking an ill-advised shortcut through dense forest, they stumble on a derelict cabin where their pagan nightmares truly begin. Commandeering imagery from The Wicker Man, Troll Hunter and the Blair Witch franchise, Bruckner pulls off merciless tension between the well-played-out bickering to get up an uncommonly spooky head of scream.” – Alan Jones, Radio Times
Genres:
713. (-49) Krampus
Michael Dougherty
AKA:
2015 / USA / 98m / Col / Comedy | IMDb
Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Stefania LaVie Owen, Krista Stadler, Conchata Ferrell, Allison Tolman, David Koechner, Maverick Flack, Queenie Samuel
“it never takes itself too seriously, yet plays its ridiculousness completely straight, sending out legions of killer toys, evil gingerbread men, and even an evil Christmas tree angel to torment the family at its center (scored with eerily retooled version of familiar Christmas tunes by Douglas Pipes). Krampus himself is an ingenious creation, using practical effects and puppetry rather than relying on CGI, giving the film the feeling of something out of the 1980s. It’s refreshing throwback to see a modern horror film that’s so creature heavy use CGI so sparing, but it really pays off, making Krampus a much more tangible (and frightening) figure in the film.” – Matthew Lucas, From the Front Row
Genres:
714. (-44) Cat People
Paul Schrader
AKA:
1982 / USA / 118m / Col / Thriller | IMDb
Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O’Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr., Scott Paulin, Frankie Faison, Ron Diamond, Lynn Lowry
“Cat People contains long, seemingly endless stretches where little happens. It has many horror-movie cornerstones, but it’s paced like an art movie: slow, deliberate, and with pronounced emphasis on mood and tone over action. The film is punctuated by brief intervals of explicit, unusually effective gore, but it works best as a mood piece. Moroder’s icy electronic score adds to the aura of sex, violence, and mystery surrounding the film, but it would flatline without the remarkable performances of Kinski and McDowell, whose menacing otherworldliness has seldom been so deftly employed.” – Nathan Rabin, The Dissolve
Genres:
715. (-10) ParaNorman
Chris Butler & Sam Fell
AKA:
2012 / USA / 92m / Col / Zombie | IMDb
Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland
“”ParaNorman” creeps and crawls out of the mind of writer/co-director Chris Butler, a storyboard artist who honed his skills on Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride” and Henry Selick’s “Coraline.” It’s no wonder, then, that when Butler receives free rein to tell his own story, he comes up with a spooky, creature-infested campfire story laced with valuable lessons about teamwork, responsibility, courage and the celebration of our inner outcast… After a creaky start, “ParaNorman” comes to life once the dead rise. Zombies stomp, trees throw dagger branches, purple-faced clouds loom, and this roller-coaster ride through an expertly crafted house of terrors culminates with an unfortunately busy finale” – Sean O’Connell, Washington Post
Genres:
716. (-42) Witchboard
Kevin Tenney
AKA:
1986 / UK / 98m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Todd Allen, Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols, Kathleen Wilhoite, Burke Byrnes, James W. Quinn, Rose Marie, Judy Tatum, Gloria Hayes, J.P. Luebsen
“”Witchboard” is cheesy goodness in all the right ways. Mid-1980s hair and fashions look rather silly nearly thirty years removed from the era, but if nothing else it serves as an amusing stylistic time capsule. Moving past this, the film is largely well-made, building upon a creepily enthralling backstory and full of savvy atmospheric touches… That director Kevin Tenney takes the time for his characters (including Kathleen Wilhoite’s supremely offbeat jokester psychic Zarabeth) while never losing sight of the movie’s genre roots helps the outcome immeasurably. The possession climax is perhaps too campy for its own good, but before this third-act guffaw, “Witchboard” holds one in rapt, chilling attention.” – Dustin Putman, TheFilmFile.com
Genres: Supernatural Horror
717. (-42) Species
Roger Donaldson
AKA:
1995 / USA / 108m / Col / Science Fiction | IMDb
Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, Marg Helgenberger, Natasha Henstridge, Michelle Williams, Jordan Lund, Don Fischer, Scott McKenna
“Boasting a solid cast (Michael Madsen, Ben Kingsley, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Alfred Molina, and, in her debut, Natasha Henstridge) and a few rather cool sci-fi concepts, Species is as slyly smart as it is silly, and the flick delivers a clever idea that’s wedged in between some rather slick action scenes. All in all, a very good time for the genre fans, and the original Species turned out to be a mildly bigger hit than anyone really expected.” – Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk
Genres:
718. (-23) Freddy vs. Jason
Ronny Yu
AKA:
2003 / Canada / 97m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Monica Keena, Jason Ritter, Kelly Rowland, Chris Marquette, Brendan Fletcher, Katharine Isabelle, Lochlyn Munro, Kyle Labine
“Two dead horror franchises and two one-note jokes combine their burnt-out story lines and collective myths in “Freddy Vs. Jason,” and the result is a horror movie that’s better than it has any right to be… The Jason (‘Friday the 13th’) and the Freddy Krueger (‘Nightmare on Elm Street’) series were limp self-parodies long before they went dormant. But something in the combination of the two villains wakes things up. The presence of Freddy liberates this Jason entry from the monotony of a guy lumbering about with a ski mask and a sword, while the presence of Jason liberates this Freddy film from the monotony of the usual endless dream sequences… Director Ronny Yu… keeps it as light as possible.” – Mick LaSalle, SFGate
Genres:
719. (-21) Alone in the Dark
Jack Sholder
AKA:
1982 / USA / 92m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau, Dwight Schultz, Erland van Lidth, Deborah Hedwall, Lee Taylor-Allan, Phillip Clark, Elizabeth Ward, Brent Jennings
“Director Sholder borrows from many of Carpenter’s storytelling staples, even including the slaying of a sexy babysitter, but for all intents and purposes, those derivations are forgiven. Because, it all sums up as a harrowing glimpse into madness, that becomes a wonderful variation on “Straw Dogs.” Folks like Jack Palance and Martin Landau give utterly menacing performances, as they dive into the personalities of these pure animals, and we’re aware that like it or not, Dr. Potter will have to fight them off eventually. What begins as a revenge film then transforms into a definite survival horror picture in the vein of “Night of the Living Dead” as Potter and his family must fend off the foursome of murderers and attempt to seek help from local police.” – Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Genres:
720. (+40) The Dark and the Wicked
Bryan Bertino
AKA:
2020 / USA / 95m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Marin Ireland, Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Lynn Andrews, Tom Nowicki, Michael Zagst, Xander Berkeley, Charles Jonathan Trott, Ella Ballentine, Mel Cowan, Mindy Raymond
“Although it’s filled with dread, Bertino maintains a slow-burning tempo that avoids most tropes. His themes involve isolation, depression, elderly neglect, all lined within the scope of political and religious allegories. These complex ideas are often explored through basic everyday household objects. The phone keeps ringing but it’s usually an apparition of their mother on the line commanding them to “get out and go away.”” – Eamon Tracy, Irish Film Critic
Genres:
721. (-18) Upgrade
Leigh Whannell
AKA:
2018 / Australia / 100m / Col / Science Fiction | IMDb
Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen, Abby Craden, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie, Richard Cawthorne, Christopher Kirby, Richard Anastasios, Kenny Low
“The latest sneak attack from genre kings Blumhouse is an unusually patient, detailed and visceral cyber-thriller that plays like a Black Mirror rethink of The Six Billion Dollar Man, and may be the closest any mainstream production is likely to get to Japan’s cult Tetsuo movies… at its best – in a boundless chase round a hackers’ hangout, and a high-speed freeway pursuit – Upgrade is as fluid and exhilarating as anything the Wachowskis signed their names to in the days when they were brothers: the kind of nifty, sometimes nasty surprise our multiplexes sorely need.” – Mike McCahill, Guardian
Genres:
722. (-37) Poltergeist II: The Other Side
Brian Gibson
AKA:
1986 / USA / 91m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O’Rourke, Oliver Robins, Zelda Rubinstein, Will Sampson, Julian Beck, Geraldine Fitzgerald, John P. Whitecloud, Noble Craig
“If I’m being as objective as possible, I know that the movie just doesn’t measure up to the truly classic first film. There’s no doubt about that… But this doesn’t matter. Poltergeist II is fun, not just the usual, so-bad-it’s-good variety of horror film fun — though it is that, occasionally — but actual fun. You can’t help but enjoy how ridiculously far out it’s willing to go while still remaining completely straight-faced. What other film features a tequila worm monster, killer braces, a levitating chainsaw, and the wackiest failed doomsday prophet this side of Harold Camping?” – Casey Broadwater, Blu-ray.com
Genres:
723. (-35) C.H.U.D.
Douglas Cheek
AKA:
1984 / USA / 88m / Col / Science Fiction | IMDb
John Heard, Daniel Stern, Christopher Curry, Kim Greist, Laure Mattos, Brenda Currin, Justin Hall, Michael O’Hare, Cordis Heard, Vic Polizos
“Director Douglas Creek does a great job building up the anticipation of the monsters. We barely see them at all until the third act, building the up the terror little by little, disappearance after disappearance. It’s not the same, but this could have easily been an episode of The X-Files. Ok, so the plot gets a little messy the longer it goes and things end up a bit too standard issue by the end, but C.H.U.D. is a stupidly great example of what a quality B movie can be: gory, overtop, and socially aware.” – Ryan Doom, Arrow in the Head
Genres:
724. (-40) Frozen
Adam Green
AKA:
2010 / USA / 93m / Col / Natural Horror | IMDb
Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, Ed Ackerman, Rileah Vanderbilt, Kane Hodder, Adam Johnson, Chris York, Peder Melhuse
“Adam Green’s fun 2006 horror film ‘Hatchet’ revelled in the art of self-aware pastiche, but it is in his second major work that he has found a legitimately great concept out of which to wring more nuanced thrills… If anything, Green suggests here that is likely a much better director than a writer; especially exciting is an overhead shot of the lift as a wolf darts by in the distance. The lean nature of the narrative dictates that the small things count, and as such, Green chooses to focus on them – frostbite scabs, the barely-threaded bolts on the ski-lift, and the frayed steel wires holding them precariously in place – to chilling effect.” – Shaun Munro, What Culture
Genres:
725. (-23) Plan 9 from Outer Space
Edward D. Wood Jr.
AKA:
1957 / USA / 79m / BW / Science Fiction | IMDb
Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Duke Moore, Tom Keene, Carl Anthony, Paul Marco, Tor Johnson, Dudley Manlove, Joanna Lee, John Breckinridge
“When it comes to naming the worst film ever made, there is an almost unanimous candidate that gets pegged for that sorry title: Edward D. Wood Jr.’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” But to be perfectly frank, I could never understand why this weird little movie has generated so much enthusiasm for allegedly being the single worst endeavor in screen history. Even in the realm of legendary bad movies, “Plan 9 from Outer Space” is far removed from the excesses of awfulness… First, “Plan 9 From Outer Space” falls in the category of “so bad it’s good” – a film whose cluelessness is so overwhelming that you cannot help but laugh at its many mistakes. It is clearly a very entertaining movie, if only for the wrong reasons, and one can easily come away from the film with a hearty (if slightly guilty) smile. Can a film that makes you feel good really be the worst of cinema?” – Phil Hall, Film Threat
Genres:
726. (-2) Full Circle
Richard Loncraine
AKA: The Haunting of Julia
1977 / Canada / 98m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Mia Farrow, Keir Dullea, Tom Conti, Jill Bennett, Robin Gammell, Cathleen Nesbitt, Anna Wing, Edward Hardwicke, Mary Morris, Pauline Jameson
“A couple years ago, I laid out a subcategory of 70s horror called “Melancholy Horror,” describing it as “a sub-genre of especially artistic horror/thriller/supernatural drama films that fill half of you with genuine scares, and the rest with a genuine sadness– or at least a sense of overwhelming alienation… They always make the most of their budgets, however, and come across as very impressionistic, hypnotic, and dreamlike; the 1970s film stock often lending sunlight, candlelight, and fall colors a special ethereal prominence.” THE HAUNTING OF JULIA is no masterpiece: it’s not as good as DON’T LOOK NOW or THE CHANGELING or AUDREY ROSE, three films that it resembles thematically. But in Melancholy Horror, atmosphere often trumps narrative quality, and JULIA has atmosphere in spades” – Sean Gill, Junta Juleil’s Culture Shock
Genres:
727. (-26) Strait-Jacket
William Castle
AKA:
1964 / USA / 93m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, Howard St. John, John Anthony Hayes, Rochelle Hudson, George Kennedy, Edith Atwater, Mitchell Cox
“It’s tempting to enjoy Straight-Jacket for all the external reasons; there’s a compelling perversity in watching the movie and knowing that Joan Crawford’s real daughter wrote a book accusing her mother of being a monster that tried to ruin her life. It’s also enjoyable to know that William Castle was over the moon working with names like Robert Bloch and Joan Crawford, thinking that he was finally creating that elusive A-picture. But I love Straight-Jacket for just being what it is: a cooky 1960s shocker that makes absolutely no sense and is full of great moments. That alone would guarantee at least a few fingers. But having Joan Crawford, wig askew and gams on full display, in the center of it all easily elevates this one to FIVE FINGER-ed classic status.” – Tower Farm Reviews
Genres:
728. (+74) Oddity
Damian Mc Carthy
AKA:
2024 / Ireland / 98m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Carolyn Bracken, Gwilym Lee, Steve Wall, Joe Rooney, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Johnny French, Ivan de Wergifosse, Shane Whisker, Joshua Campbell
“”Oddity” is genuinely and consistently unsettling. Instead of relying on cheap jump scares, McCarthy goes for mood—a much harder thing to pull off, but he does exactly that. “Oddity” has a cold, unpredictable aesthetic that makes it equally riveting and tense. The economy of characters and storytelling allow McCarthy to deliver in terms of craft, turning viewers into residents in a remote Irish home in the middle of the night, a place where the skeletons in the closet might be literally deadly.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Genres:
729. (-29) Crawl
Alexandre Aja
AKA:
2019 / USA / 87m / Col / Natural Horror | IMDb
Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Morfydd Clark, Ross Anderson, Jose Palma, George Somner, Anson Boon, Ami Metcalf, Tina Pribicevic, Srna Vasiljevic
“Clocking a little under 90 minutes, he also keeps the pace lean and tight while finding efficient time to establish the estranged daughter-father relationship between Kaya Scodelario’s Haley and Barry Pepper’s Dave without stalling the momentum. It also helps that both of them each give above-average performances, which are actually saying a lot for this kind of genre movie… Kudos also go to Aja for staging some of the effective yet well-timed suspenseful moments, particularly the way he executes close calls and near-death experiences during the few encounters with one or sometimes more alligators. Several jump scares are also employed in this movie but thankfully, Aja does not utilise them for the sake of cheap thrills just to evoke the viewers’ reactions.” – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania
Genres:
730. (+114) Funny Games
Michael Haneke
AKA:
2007 / USA / 111m / Col / Thriller | IMDb
Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Devon Gearhart, Boyd Gaines, Siobhan Fallon, Robert LuPone, Susi Haneke, Linda Moran
“This transposed Funny Games registers more strongly than the original as a film about privileged white people… Next to their Austrian equivalents, Corbet and Pitt seem less outwardly presentable, more outlandish and fey… While both iterations of Funny Games are schematic to a fault, their anti-illusionism opens up a Pandora’s box of unanswered questions. Haneke scolds us for our bloodlust, yet leaves us wondering how the suffering of a fictional character can carry any weight at all. As onscreen narrators employed to articulate these puzzles, Peter and Paul could be cousins to the Joker in The Dark Knight or Javier Bardem’s smiling assassin in No Country For Old Men.” – Jake Wilson, The Age
Genres:
731. (-54) Stoker
Chan-wook Park
AKA:
2013 / UK / 99m / Col / Thriller | IMDb
Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, David Alford, Matthew Goode, Peg Allen, Lauren E. Roman, Phyllis Somerville, Harmony Korine, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich
“Park Chan-wook’s long-awaited English-language debut is a gorgeously mounted family mystery dressed up as a gothic fairytale. The atmosphere is suffocatingly effective, and if the scarcity of shocks leaves some viewers feeling cheated (Park created the South Korean Vengeance trilogy after all), this misdirection is also one of the movie’s great strengths. Stoker is a puzzle. Its lush visuals, allied with Clint Mansell’s eerily dynamic score, are MacGuffins to some degree. After Sunday night’s world premiere at Sundance, Chan-wook spoke of his admiration for Alfred Hitchcock and homage courses through Stoker like, well, blood… Literary references and symbolism abound in Stoker. You can get tied up trying to figure out who is what. That is the idea. All the clues are there. You just have to look closely.” – Jeremy Kay, The Guardian
Genres:
732. (+94) Rang song
Banjong Pisanthanakun
AKA: The Medium
2021 / Thailand / 130m / Col / Found Footage | IMDb
Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sawanee Utoomma, Sirani Yankittikan, Yasaka Chaisorn, Boonsong Nakphoo, Arunee Wattana, Thanutphon Boonsang, Pakapol Srirongmuang, Akkaradech Rattanawong, Chatchawat Sanveang
“Despite its generic title, The Medium not only understands how to maximize the striking power of the found footage style, but its pacing, balance, and grounded execution make it one of the most terrifying films of the year. It’s a film that works on the surface as a slow-burning story of possession but also manages to embed a thematic religious layering that deepens the experience in some fascinating ways.” – Matt Reifschneider, Blood Brothers
Genres:
733. (new) Heart Eyes
Josh Ruben
AKA:
2025 / USA / 97m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Josh Ruben, Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, Michael Kennedy, Alex Walker, Lauren O’Hara, Latham Gaines, Alex McColl, Karlton Laing, Amy L. Workman
“Heart Eyes walks the fine line between a ’90s slasher with a modern savage edge and a romcom with rare, white-hot chemistry without ever feeling novel or gimmicky. It’s simply a breathlessly entertaining ride that leaves you cheering for love and creative kills in equal measure. Heart Eyes doesn’t shake up the slasher or romcom formulas but seamlessly marries the two and puts its characters first. It’s arguably the best mashup of two seemingly disparate genres yet, and this charming, violent, and romantic slasher feels all but destined for sequel status. ” – Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting
Genres: Slasher, Romantic Comedy, Horror Comedy, Police Procedural, Black Comedy, Satire
734. (-26) Jungfrukällan
Ingmar Bergman
AKA: The Virgin Spring
1960 / Sweden / 89m / Col / Drama | IMDb
Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg, Gunnel Lindblom, Birgitta Pettersson, Axel Düberg, Tor Isedal, Allan Edwall, Ove Porath, Axel Slangus, Gudrun Brost
“The collision between the kindly spirit of the New Testament and the pent-up savagery of paganism runs as a leitmotif through the entire film. The heathen world and its superstitions are symbolized by the sinister old man at the ford, who cherishes his box of relics and terrifies Ingeri, and by the rapist’s furious trampling on the gleaming white candles that tumble from Karin’s bag. The pagan significance of fire, earth, and water emerges in several scenes: from the opening shots of Ingeri blowing alight the morning fire at the farm to the close-ups of a sparkling stream in the forest and, finally, of the water that flows from beneath Karin’s corpse as Töre lifts her head in sorrow.” – Peter Cowie, The Criterion Collection
Genres:
735. (+93) Late Night with the Devil
Colin Cairnes & Cameron Cairnes
AKA:
2023 / Australia / 93m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, Josh Quong Tart, Steve Mouzakis, Paula Arundell
“While none of it reaches the traumatising, ghoulish levels of Jimmy Fallon’s fake laugh that haunts our current TV screens, the Cairnes’ already strong direction becomes even more effective once the film begins to add panic into the mix. The ramp-up of tension and body horror jolts that happen during the actual show are impressively visualised and they don’t rely on cheap tricks even if sceptics would like to believe so. Despite some unintended irregularities that happened during my screening experience (which might fit the ”uncovered tapes” aura), the resourcefulness concerning both the practical—such as Marie Princi and Russell Sharp’s makeup work—and digital visual effects is noticeable and admirable.” – S.J., After Misery
Genres: Supernatural Horror, Analog Horror, Chamber Film, Satire, Black Comedy, Found Footage Horror, Halloween, Mockumentary, Psychological Horror, Period Drama, Surrealism, Body Horror, Folk Horror, Postmodernism
736. (-24) Dr. Phibes Rises Again
Robert Fuest
AKA:
1972 / UK / 89m / Col / Comedy | IMDb
Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Valli Kemp, Peter Jeffrey, Fiona Lewis, Hugh Griffith, Peter Cushing, Beryl Reid, Terry-Thomas, John Cater
“Like any good sequel, ‘Dr. Phibes Rises Again’ builds on the first film, recycling what worked while adding some new elements…. If there is a weakness, it is that the sequel tends to emphasize the campy humor at the expense of the horror. With Phibes now nominally the hero, the audience is not really expected to be frightened by him; instead, we are invited to identify and laugh along with him as he polishes off everyone in his way. Still, this is a small price to pay for the faster-paced plot and many imaginative and amusing touches that make this an extremely entertaining fantasy adventure, if not a very scary horror film.” – Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
Genres:
737. (-6) La sindrome di Stendhal
Dario Argento
AKA: The Stendhal Syndrome
1996 / Italy / 120m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Leonardi, Luigi Diberti, Paolo Bonacelli, Julien Lambroschini, John Quentin, Franco Diogene, Lucia Stara, Sonia Topazio
“Dario Argento’s The Stendhal Syndrome from 1996 is among one of his finest gothic/slash/occult/slash/horror and gore films and the first [Italian] film to use CGI. In this film his own daughter Asia Argento takes the blows, as opposed to his former partner Dario Niccolodi… Dario Argento tries to make a connection, as in all of his films, to the irresistible pull of the supernatural that captivates people and makes them prisoner despite premonitions of danger or perhaps because of them. At least as spectators we know that the danger is out there but when it’s going to hit is an unknown… a compelling film that doesn’t get vulgar or cheap, but stays in some kind of respectable depravity.” – Moira Sullivan, Movie Magazine International
Genres:
738. (+9) The House on Sorority Row
Mark Rosman
AKA: House of Evil
1982 / USA / 91m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Janis Ward, Robin Meloy, Harley Jane Kozak, Jodi Draigie, Ellen Dorsher, Lois Kelso Hunt, Christopher Lawrence, Michael Kuhn
“The score by Richard Band is victorious in setting the mood, deploying an orchestral warmth that carries the movie to a richly cinematic level, while [the] editing concentrates on smooth transitions and tension, building the picture into a legitimately effective chiller, even with a few pokey spots of exposition. Rosman takes cues from the suspense masters and infuses “The House on Sorority Row” with traditional stalking sequences and mysterious happenings, most tied to court jester imagery. The helmer also makes good use of the location, working through basements and bedrooms, while the pool area plays a critical part in the story. The feature is unexpectedly competent, providing refreshing attention to the stages of fear, while allowing for some college student stupidity to open up the viewing experience, with most of the male characters complete oafs, reinforcing the strong feminine viewpoint of the movie.” – Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray
Genres:
739. (-35) A Dark Song
Liam Gavin
AKA:
2016 / Ireland / 100m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Steve Oram, Catherine Walker, Susan Loughnane, Mark Huberman, Nathan Vos, Martina Nunvarova, Breffni O’Connor, Sheila Moloney
“Fans of Ben Wheatley’s oeuvre will recognize a certain amount of that director’s offbeat influence… but ultimately Gavin’s debut is its own brand of nightmare. Walker and Oram are perfectly cast here. It’s impossible to figure out who’s the madder one, so driven by their collective need to break the bounds of reason. The harsh, atonal score by composer Ray Harman is a masterpiece of hair-raising instrumentality that’s every bit as grand and discomfiting as the images onscreen, and cinematographer Cathal Watters’ use of natural light – or the lack thereof – is profoundly distressing, in the best possible way.” – Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Genres:
740. (-2) Sangue per Dracula
Paul Morrissey
AKA: Andy Warhol’s Dracula
1974 / Italy / 103m / Col / Vampire | IMDb
Joe Dallesandro, Udo Kier, Vittorio De Sica, Maxime McKendry, Arno Juerging, Milena Vukotic, Dominique Darel, Stefania Casini, Silvia Dionisio, Inna Alexeievna
“Outrageous, over the top in the sex, skin and gore department (the film was rated X when it came out, and I doubt it would get any rating at all today), Blood for Dracula is at once a horror film and a spoof—but it’s also something more. A strange, lingering sadness hangs over the film in its depiction of the end of an era. There’s a somber quality to Kier’s Dracula and also to the eldest daughter of the house, Esmeralda (Milena Vukotic)—a quality that lasts long after all the blood spurting, severed limbs and sex have passed. It’s a strange film—sometimes a beautiful one—but it’s also the textbook definition of “not for everyone.”” – Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress
Genres:
741. (-24) Gau ji
Fruit Chan
AKA: Dumplings
2004 / Hong Kong / 91m / Col / Comedy | IMDb
Pauline Lau, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Bai Ling, Meme Tian, So-Fun Wong, Miriam Yeung Chin Wah, Miki Yeung
“A refreshing change from the usual lank-haired ghost stories of extreme Asian cinema, this Hong Kong horror trades on nausea rather than nerve-jangling. Cooked up by mysterious medicine woman Bai Ling, the titular delicacy takes years off desperate housewife Miriam Yeung thanks to a sinister special ingredient. It’s a blackly comic comment on society’s obsession with appearance… Fruit Chan’s movie is an expansion of his 37-minute contribution to 2002 omnibus Three Extremes. At times there’s a sense that it should’ve stayed in its shorter form; the plot treads water in places, especially in the lead-up to the final sick-trigger surprise. On the other hand, you can never have too much of ace cinematographer Chris Doyle’s (Hero, In The Mood For Love) lip-smacking work.” – Matthew Leyland, BBCi – Films
Genres:
742. (+15) Môjû
Yasuzô Masumura
AKA: Blind Beast
1969 / Japan / 86m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Eiji Funakoshi, Mako Midori, Noriko Sengoku
“Given the rather static nature of the mise-en-scène, Masumura must be admired for stretching out such an elementary idea to feature length, yet the most overwhelming impression of this film is its deliciously overwrought visual style, conjuring up such a vivid and endlessly interesting, self-contained cinematic world inside the claustrophobic confines of Michio’s studio. Yes, The Blind Beast really is as outlandish as it sounds, and must rank as one of the most powerful and potently disturbing horror films ever conceived.” – Jasper Sharp, Midnight Eye
Genres:
743. (+32) Deep Rising
Stephen Sommers
AKA:
1998 / USA / 106m / Col / Action | IMDb
Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, Anthony Heald, Kevin J. O’Connor, Wes Studi, Derrick O’Connor, Jason Flemyng, Cliff Curtis, Clifton Powell, Trevor Goddard
“”Cheese Rising” might have been a more apt title for this Giant Monster from the Depths throwback. Despite its obvious drawbacks, however, this patently silly horror show is good, stupid fun if you can just manage to leave your intellect at home for a while… the film manages the look and feel of something far more than the sum of its many-tentacled parts… despite Deep Rising’s off-the-scale cheese factor, it’s still a rollicking good time, frequently poking fun at itself and assorted horror film conventions… While the film is essentially Aliens aboard a luxury liner, Sommers keeps thing fast and loose, negotiating some splendid action set-pieces within the cramped confines of the mammoth ship” – Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Genres: Action, Horror, Giant Monster, Splatter
744. (-11) Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
John Harrison
AKA:
1990 / USA / 93m / Col / Anthology | IMDb
Deborah Harry, Christian Slater, David Johansen, William Hickey, James Remar, Rae Dawn Chong, Matthew Lawrence, Robert Sedgwick, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore
“Director John Harrison doesn’t do too much wrong here, but he’s helped immensely by three decent stories, a fun wraparound, and a collection of great actors in the main roles […] There’s plenty of dark humour, there’s just enough gore to keep fans of the red stuff happy, and there are some enjoyable practical effects (some enjoyable for being good, and some enjoyable for being amusingly fake). It’s also perfectly paced, coming in at about 90 minutes, therefore preventing any one tale from outstaying its welcome.” – Kevin Matthews, For It Is Man’s Number
Genres:
745. (-30) Signs
M. Night Shyamalan
AKA:
2002 / USA / 106m / Col / Science Fiction | IMDb
Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones, M. Night Shyamalan, Patricia Kalember, Ted Sutton, Merritt Wever, Lanny Flaherty
“What makes Signs such an odd but enthralling film is the way its story is open to interpretation. Taken literally, it’s War of the Worlds populated with characters carrying a lot of baggage. At the same time, it’s a metaphor for faith and an examination of how beliefs shape reality. In fact, the surreal and detached atmosphere offers debate for what exactly is “real” in this movie. Enough peculiarities pop up here and there to make you wonder… If you’re not interested in symbolism with your cinema, rest assured that Signs also boasts a good deal of thrills at face value. Tension and unease abound, and the movie has its fair share of sudden jolts and monsters in unseen places.” – Andrew Manning, Radio Free
Genres:
746. (-37) The Beast Within
Philippe Mora
AKA:
1982 / USA / 98m / Col / Werewolf | IMDb
Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, Don Gordon, R.G. Armstrong, Katherine Moffat, L.Q. Jones, Logan Ramsey, John Dennis Johnston, Ron Soble
“While at times excessively slow-moving and ultimately over-thinking the building of its mystery a little too hard, overall THE BEAST WITHIN is a smart, effective film about all-too-human evil, especially the sort one finds in extremely small, close-knit communities where blood ties are stronger then the rule of law, manifesting itself as a superhuman evil, while at the same time providing an excellent twist on the werewolf theme that was popular in horror in the early 1980s and a deliciously visceral take on the old canard about “the sins of the father.”” – Bill Adcock, Radiation-Scarred Reviews
Genres:
747. (-41) The Nanny
Seth Holt
AKA:
1965 / UK / 91m / Col / Thriller | IMDb
Bette Davis, Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett, James Villiers, William Dix, Pamela Franklin, Jack Watling, Maurice Denham, Alfred Burke, Harry Fowler
“THE NANNY is a bit of an oddity, even amongst the rest of the studio’s Hitchcock/Clouzot output: most of the horror is implied rather than supplied (not that that’s a bad thing- it did Jacques Tourneur proud until the producers got their hands on him) and most of the suspense, save for one or two visual sections, is actually executed through conversation rather than action. Furthermore, whilst it may have a central (juvenile) male protagonist, who in turn has a close female ally, it has absolutely no hero or heroine. Rather, it relies on the simultaneous subtlety and immenseness of Bette Davis’ performance (OK, and Pamela Franklin’s legs) to carry the viewer through.” – Drewe Shimon, Brit Movie
Genres:
748. (-14) Malignant
James Wan
AKA:
2021 / USA / 111m / Col / Thriller | IMDb
Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jean Louisa Kelly, Susanna Thompson, Jake Abel, Jacqueline McKenzie, Christian Clemenson, Amir AboulEla
“And it’s all paced with a wonderfully delirious sense of escalation. By and large it seems like the story of a young woman who has some kind of mysterious psychic link to a killer, and it continues along in that vein until the last act, when everything gets more grisly before going utterly apeshit. It gets much weirder and much bloodier than everything preceding it without getting any more serious in tone, blending the giallo-style flashbacks that reveal exactly how everything really happened with some classic body horror. Like everything else about this film, it swings for the fences and I found my jaw in my lap at how melodramatic and audacious the whole thing ended up being.” – Cliff Evans, A Lifetime in Dark Rooms
Genres: Mystery, Horror, Body Horror, Police Procedural, Slasher, Action, Splatter, Psychological Thriller, Supernatural Horror
749. (-31) The Neon Demon
Nicolas Winding Refn
AKA:
2016 / USA / 118m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Charles Baker, Jamie Clayton
“For all its shimmery surface modernity, this story about the commodified consumption of youth is as old as the hills, a carefully choreographed carnival of voyeurism in which corruptible beauty is “the only thing” and every look comes with daggers. Motel rooms are stalked by beasts both real and metaphorical (Keanu Reeves giving good creep) and photographers are indistinguishable from serial killers (shades of Eyes of Laura Mars). But while Jesse may faint like Sleeping Beauty, with rose petals falling around her goldie locks, it’s her own image that grabs her by the throat. Mirrors are everywhere, to be stared into, scrawled upon, kissed and smashed. And the more Jesse looks, the more she sees nothing but herself…” – Mark Kermode, Guardian
Genres:
750. (-1) Dans ma peau
Marina de Van
AKA: In My Skin
2002 / France / 93m / Col / Body Horror | IMDb
Marina de Van, Laurent Lucas, Léa Drucker, Thibault de Montalembert, Dominique Reymond, Bernard Alane, Marc Rioufol, François Lamotte, Adrien de Van, Alain Rimoux
“It’s mostly the suggestion of what Esther is doing to herself that worms its way into your mind and won’t leave you alone, and that’s what people were finding so uncomfortable that they couldn’t continue to watch the film. Being confronted with a sudden boundary between “me” and “my body” isn’t something many of us have dealt with, and our innate inclination for self-preservation tells us to run from the suggestion that such a thing is possible. That might make In My Skin the ultimate horror movie, one the proposes that, given the right stimulus, we ourselves could be our own worst mortal danger.” – MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
Genres:
751. (+71) Skinamarink
Kyle Edward Ball
AKA:
2022 / USA / 100m / Col / Experimental | IMDb
Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault, Ross Paul, Jaime Hill
“It’s certainly a film that demands your concentration, a movie that works best if you know nothing about it going in and are willing to get lost in something with strange, unsettling visual language. But it’s also the kind of thing that would work best if somehow a viewer could just stumble upon it in the middle of the night on some obscure cable channel, unsure of what they’re watching but increasingly terrified as they do so, like they’re watching something they shouldn’t see. Ball attempts to recreate that feeling when you wake up at like 2:46 AM and it seems like something is just … wrong. We all know it. We’ve all felt it. And the best parts of “Skinamarink” convey that unsettled space between nightmare and reality that feels legitimately dangerous.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Genres: Analog Horror, Experimental, Supernatural Horror, Psychological Horror, Surrealism, Structural Film, Slow Cinema, Haunted House, Chamber Film
752. (-41) The Crazies
Breck Eisner
AKA:
2010 / USA / 101m / Col / Zombie | IMDb
Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker, Christie Lynn Smith, Brett Rickaby, Preston Bailey, John Aylward, Joe Reegan, Glenn Morshower
“Don’t be afraid of the horror remake stigma here; be afraid of The Crazies’ constant, electric hum of dread. Be afraid of the unpredictable bursts of violence and well-earned jump scares. Be afraid of director Eisner’s unexpected mastery of the material — he seems to have been a standout horror filmmaker-in-waiting all this time, and The Crazies shows that off in a huge way. He understands timing and mood and how important a good score is to a horror film (Mark Isham’s synth score is noticeably great, like a quiet callback to John Carpenter’s way of scoring horror). He gets the actors to take the material seriously, he’s not afraid to go bleak and nasty, and he knows how to build suspense (a talent too rare in studio horror).” – John Gholson, MovieFone
Genres:
753. (new) Together
Michael Shanks
AKA:
2025 / Australia / 102m / Col / Body Horror | IMDb
Michael Shanks, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman, Mia Morrissey, Karl Richmond, Jack Kenny, Francesca Waters, Aljin Abella, Sarah Lang
“Together, the psychological and body horror film from writer-director Michael Shanks, blends relationship drama with creeping dread and visceral transformation in ways that feel both fresh and unsettling. Starring real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, the film starts with the deceptively simple setup of a couple relocating to the countryside. What follows is an increasingly strange and eerie spiral into supernatural territory, where the boundaries between love, identity, and physical self begin to blur. It’s intimate and bizarre in equal measure, offering an experience that feels deeply personal even as it veers into the grotesque.” – Kyle Wolfe, Cinefied
Genres: Body Horror, Romance, Psychological Horror, Supernatural Horror, Black Comedy
754. (-6) Censor
Prano Bailey-Bond
AKA:
2021 / UK / 84m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta, Adrian Schiller, Clare Holman, Andrew Havill, Felicity Montagu, Danny Lee Wynter
“We know now that all those horror movies didn’t warp anybody’s mind, at least not in any kind of mass way. Censor, on the other hand, asks us to suppose that too much consumption of them could impact one’s point of view. Even more chilling is the idea that it could happen without knowledge, thereby plunging a person into a hell they never see coming. Bailey-Bond is smart to marry that concept to the very human element of Enid never fully accepting her sister’s likely fate. It grounds the story, causing us to fear for the character the further she goes on her quest. Atmospherically photographed, effectively edited, and possessing several genuinely shocking moments, Censor is a terrific horror movie about horror movies.” – Mike McGranaghan, The Aisle Seat
Genres:
755. (-34) I vampiri
Riccardo Freda & Mario Bava
AKA: Lust of the Vampire
1957 / Italy / 66m / BW / Vampire | IMDb
Gianna Maria Canale, Carlo D’Angelo, Dario Michaelis, Wandisa Guida, Angelo Galassi, Renato Tontini, Charles Fawcett, Gisella Mancinotti, Miranda Campa, Antoine Balpêtré
“But the most important link between I vampiri and the films to follow isn’t narrative at all, but the fact that it’s breathtakingly beautiful. Bava’s later career as a greatly influential and important director has tended to obscure the reality that he was one of his country’s all-time greatest cinematographers, and the uses he and Freda find for the CinemaScope frame is positively miraculous. There’s hardly a single composition that isn’t packed within an inch of its life with evocative imagery, and even such banal things as a conversation taking place in a two-shot are framed to have depth and layers far beyond the basic need to have two people chatting. The lighting in the film is equally inspired: growing ever darker from the start of the film to the end, but so gradually you can hardly tell, with the noir-inflected shadows growing longer with the greatest subtlety.” – Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Genres:
756. (-40) Mama
Andrés Muschietti
AKA:
2013 / Spain / 100m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash, Javier Botet, Jane Moffat, Morgan McGarry, David Fox, Dominic Cuzzocrea
“Mama proves to be a great horror film for about half of its running time — the half in which we can’t see who or what this Mama character is… unfortunately, the more we learn about Mama, the more it seems as though she’s just malnourished and misunderstood… To make up for the dearth of suspense, there is at least great acting. Chastain toughens up to portray one of those rare heroines in a horror film who isn’t about to walk down to the basement on her own when the power is out… Devotees of this genre should make a point of seeing the film, if only because it’s a great example of how to be creepy without resorting to cliché. But don’t expect any true horror to emerge” – Vanessa Farquharson, National Post
Genres:
757. (-34) Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
James Signorelli
AKA:
1988 / USA / 96m / Col / Comedy | IMDb
Phil Rubenstein, Larry Flash Jenkins, Cassandra Peterson, Damita Jo Freeman, Tress MacNeille, Edwina Moore, Mario Celario, Lee McLaughlin, Bill Swearingen, Charles Woolf
“The film is extremely campy, but anybody who chooses to watch a film centered around Elvira knows this going into it. The real question is can Elvira carry an entire feature length film on her own? The answer to this is fortunately “yes”; although much of it consists of deliberately-bad acting or breaking the fourth wall, the character of Elvira is entertaining enough to make it all fun. It’s a film for a certain type of movie fan. Anybody who is a fan of B-grade horror films — or who simply remembers her late 80s media blitz — should already be acquainted with Elvira, and will know what to expect from the film.” – Morgan R. Lewis, Morgan on Media
Genres:
758. (+23) Evil Dead Rise
Lee Cronin
AKA:
2023 / USA / 96m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Mirabai Pease, Richard Crouchley, Anna-Maree Thomas, Lily Sullivan, Noah Paul, Alyssa Sutherland, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, Nell Fisher, Billy Reynolds-McCarthy
“However, once “Evil Dead Rise” really gets going, it doesn’t let up. This is a loud, giddy, packed-house-at-midnight type of movie, and its premiere at SXSW was accompanied by much hollering, cheering, and genuine screams of fright from the audience. Cronin unabashedly uses both jump scares and “look behind you!”-type of gags to punctuate this pummeling bloodbath, and one scene in particular in the film’s roller coaster of a middle section seems bound to inspire a lot of yelling at the screen in multiplexes around the world.” – Katie Rife, RogerEbert.com
Genres: Supernatural Horror, Splatter, Body Horror, Zombie, Sadistic Horror, Chamber Film, Haunted House
759. (new) Good Boy
Ben Leonberg
AKA:
2025 / USA / 72m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Ben Leonberg, Alex Cannon, Indy, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden, Stuart Rudin, Hunter Goetz, Anya Krawcheck, Max
“GOOD BOY takes a premise that seems almost too simple—experience a haunting through a dog’s eyes—and treats it with a straight face and a careful hand. The result is a lean, tactile thriller where the camera crouches to floor level, the edges of the frame feel unsafe, and every empty corner becomes a question. Ben Leonberg’s film lives or dies by the honesty of that point of view, and it largely lives: not by turning the dog into a human surrogate with quippy inner thoughts, but by building a level of attention—ear twitches, held stares, cautious steps—that the audience learns to read. It’s a clever gambit executed without cheats, and it gives the familiar haunted-house shape a freshness.” – Chris Jones, Overly Honest Reviews
Genres: Pets, Supernatural Horror, Haunted House, Psychological Horror, Family Drama, Mystery
760. (+46) X
Ti West
AKA:
2022 / USA / 105m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, James Gaylyn, Simon Prast, Geoff Dolan
“It is a film that kills both in its comedic sensibility and gruesome inclinations. At my screening, you could both feel the audience release all their pent-up energy and hear them exclaim in joy at these moments. It all reveals how West is completely in control, both narratively and formally, as he wrenches the maximum amount of payoff out of every single moment he can. From the way the headlights of a car change color in an extended violent outburst to a more reserved subsequent scene where a character remains asleep, everything is impeccably attuned to create maximum impact. It makes for one of the most fully realized pieces of horror cinema in recent memory that never sets a wrong foot even as its characters do nothing but. It is a dynamic, deadly work of filmmaking that achieves all its lofty ambitions and then some to become an absolute masterwork.” – Chase Hutchinson, Collider
Genres: Slasher, Hixploitation, Sexploitation, Black Comedy, Southern Gothic
761. (-35) Split
M. Night Shyamalan
AKA:
2016 / USA / 117m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, Izzie Coffey, Brad William Henke, Sebastian Arcelus, Neal Huff, Ukee Washington
“Though the central character of “Split” is a man with a split personality, the film also tells the story of a split in the world. Just as “Unbreakable” suggested the origins of a superhero in a near-death childhood experience, so “Split” shows a young woman able to combat evil because of the strength she has developed from horrific personal trauma. With its crude realization of the shibboleth that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, the movie is more than a story of feminist survivalism; it also makes the perversely tawdry suggestion that a woman’s tragic knowledge—and necessary power—comes with an unbearably high price.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
Genres:
762. (-42) Rare Exports
Jalmari Helander
AKA:
2010 / Finland / 84m / Col / Comedy | IMDb
Onni Tommila, Jorma Tommila, Tommi Korpela, Rauno Juvonen, Per Christian Ellefsen, Ilmari Järvenpää, Peeter Jakobi, Jonathan Hutchings, Risto Salmi
“This is a story about the true meaning of Christmas, old-style. Its 15 certificate is no accident, though unfortunate, as there’s little here that’s really inappropriate for younger viewers – it’s just that it’s so damn scary. There’s a creepiness here from the outset and no amount of dark humour can alleviate it; as the tension escalates grown adults will also find themselves hiding behind the seats. It successfully captures the sense of something otherworldly, mixing snowflakes and fairy lights with something that might have been written by Dennis Wheatley or HP Lovecraft. Yet despite this, it is at its core a classic children’s adventure.” – Jennie Kermode, Eye For Film
Genres:
763. (-20) Count Yorga, Vampire
Bob Kelljan
AKA:
1970 / USA / 93m / Col / Vampire | IMDb
Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Michael Murphy, Michael Macready, Donna Anders, Judy Lang, Edward Walsh, Julie Conners, Paul Hansen, Sybil Scotford
“Count Yorga – Vampire (originally conceived as a soft-core porn film entitled The Loves of Count Iorga) is a nifty little low-budget exploitation effort that uses its resources to good effect. The shocks are crude but effective. Although relatively tame by later standards, the gore has a nasty edge to it, underlining the film’s cynical sensibility and downbeat ending… [it] survives on the strength of its title performance and on the inventiveness of its approach to modern day vampirism. Yorga may not be a very refined film, but it packs a lot of attitude, and there’s no denying that the surprise ending is like a wicked little punch in the face.” – Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
Genres:
764. (-37) Apt Pupil
Bryan Singer
AKA:
1998 / USA / 111m / Col / Thriller | IMDb
Brad Renfro, Ian McKellen, Joshua Jackson, Mickey Cottrell, Michael Reid MacKay, Ann Dowd, Bruce Davison, James Karen, Marjorie Lovett, David Cooley
“Apt Pupil doesn’t pan out as a hunted-Nazi thriller, although Dussander — chillingly interpreted by McKellen, who’s spectacular in every role these days — at one point goose-steps in an old SS uniform. Neither is it a full-tilt Stephen King thriller, particularly after first-time screenwriter Brandon Boyce softens up the violence of the author’s much more murderous text. But absorb “Apt Pupil” as a student-teacher parable, a shaping-of-character tale about an unusual Nazi suspect and an alienated kid as American as apple strudel, and you’re in for a start more disturbing than anything Keyser Söze could provide.” – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Genres:
765. (-40) The Omega Man
Boris Sagal
AKA:
1971 / USA / 98m / Col / Science Fiction | IMDb
Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash, Paul Koslo, Eric Laneuville, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Jill Giraldi, Anna Aries, Brian Tochi, DeVeren Bookwalter
“What “The Omega Man” lacks in serious and heavy handed tone is made up with very groovy and stylish action, suspense and even some character driven frivolity. In other words it’s a deep down 1970’s, balls to the wall, sci-fi cult classic. First there is a lot to love with Heston here, playing up the machismo at times, he conveys capably that he is alone, barely sane and desperate. He is just bad ass from frame one till the very closing of the movie.” – Victor De Leon, Horror News
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Epidemic, Action, Survival
766. (+48) Sugar Hill
Paul Maslansky
AKA:
1974 / USA / 91m / Col / Zombie | IMDb
Marki Bey, Robert Quarry, Don Pedro Colley, Betty Anne Rees, Richard Lawson, Zara Cully, Charles Robinson, Larry Don Johnson, Rick Hagood, Ed Geldart
“Sugar Hill is a compulsively watchable movie; while there’s none of the gore or tits that mark other great exploitation films of the era (and which could have easily fit in here), the general oddness of the proceedings more than makes up for it. The voodoo zombies also feel fresh in our walking dead saturated culture. Most of all I love the idea of Marki Bey’s one at bat being such a fun and diverting movie, filled with surprisingly family-friendly meanness.” – Devin Faraci, Badass Digest
Genres:
767. (-21) Fritt vilt
Roar Uthaug
AKA: Cold Prey
2006 / Norway / 97m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Rolf Kristian Larsen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Endre Martin Midtstigen, Viktoria Winge, Rune Melby, Erik Skjeggedal, Tonie Lunde, Hallvard Holmen
“Roar Uthaug’s debut feature is a conventional but nicely handled slasher pic that makes good use of spectacular mountain range locations. Widescreen lensing format and above-average perfs add a touch of class to the tale of five snowboarders who take shelter in the wrong mysteriously abandoned (or is it?) ski lodge… Likeable characters are given more personality than the usual genre cannon fodder, and, while the basic premise is routine, pic orchestrates its scares with brute effectiveness. The only letdown is the killer himself, a generic “Halloween”-y faceless ghoul in goggles and heavy winter wear.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
Genres:
768. (-40) Puppet Master
David Schmoeller
AKA:
1989 / USA / 90m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Paul Le Mat, William Hickey, Irene Miracle, Jimmie F. Skaggs, Robin Frates, Matt Roe, Kathryn O’Reilly, Mews Small, Barbara Crampton, David Boyd
“The puppeteering while ancient is still rather eye catching as Schmoeller saves time and money by picture most of the puppets through point of view shots and roaming angles through the hotel while relying on stop motion to do the rest of the work vividly painting a picture of the characters and their own innovative defense mechanisms. Including the Tunneler and his steel drill atop his head, and Blade whose own hook and knife combo would become a trademark of the series. “Puppet Master” ends as a fairly Frankenstein-ish film that meshes dream like paranoia with classic monster movie tropes to bring us the first of a lasting money fueling legacy for the Full Moon collective.” – Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Genres: Supernatural Horror, Slasher, Evil Doll
769. (-33) The Reflecting Skin
Philip Ridley
AKA:
1990 / UK / 96m / Col / Drama | IMDb
Viggo Mortensen, Lindsay Duncan, Jeremy Cooper, Sheila Moore, Duncan Fraser, David Longworth, Robert Koons, David Bloom, Evan Hall, Codie Lucas Wilbee
“Ridley’s debut film is clearly reminiscent of Lynch, but the differences reveal more than the similarities. Ridley’s sense of humor is less flamboyant than Lynch; he also tends to handle his bizarre touches with more subtlety. Most significantly, for better or worse, The Reflecting Skin has a literary sensibility missing in Lynch. It feels like a adaptation of an out-there experimental novella. That’s precisely what we might expect from a first time director whose previous career was as a novelist and playwright… What this web of symbols all may mean, if anything, is left to the viewer to decide… Obviously, there is a theme of loss of moral innocence, and also a theme of encroaching age and decay. But, for the most part, Ridley fills the screen with unresolved metaphors that seethe and boil just below the surface of the narrative.” – Greg Smalley, 366 Weird Movies
Genres:
770. (-38) Raat
Ram Gopal Varma
AKA:
1992 / India / 127m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Revathy, Rohini Hattangadi, Om Puri, Anant Nag, Sushant, Jaya Mathur, Master Atit, Tej Sapru, C.V.L., Nirmalamma
“Chances are you haven’t heard of Raat or seen it in your video stores. Whatever the case may be, this indianized version of “The Exorcist” is a slick, well-acted horror flick, a genre you don´t get to see very much in India… The film is reminiscent of many films like Kaun, Aks and even English films like Stir of Echoes and The Sixth Sense… Raat may not be flawless but has enough style, performance power and tight directed sequences for one not to forget. The deadly camerawork and background music make it a must own for fans of the genre and those that have followed up on Ram Gopal Varma’s works.” – Akshay Shah, Planet Bollywood
Genres:
771. (-36) Gritos en la noche
Jesús Franco
AKA: The Awful Dr. Orlof
1962 / Spain / 90m / Col / Thriller | IMDb
Conrado San Martín, Diana Lorys, Howard Vernon, Perla Cristal, María Silva, Ricardo Valle, Mara Laso, Venancio Muro, Félix Dafauce, Faustino Cornejo
“The audio elements of Orlof complement the visuals, combining efforts to keep the audience on their toes. The dizzy musical score by José Pagán and Antonio Ramírez Ángel… Actually, I misspeak – “music” is far too nice a word for the cacophony of percussion and bizarre arrangements that permeate Orlof’s soundscape. Pagán and Ángel’s work is more of a thrumming wakeup call to the senses, a bucket of cold water tossed down the ear. The camerawork and the soundtrack combine to form a general aesthetic of “screw aesthetics,” infusing Orlof with a manic, exhilarating energy that enlivens and rejuvenates the clichés in the script.” – Nate Yapp, Classic-Horror
Genres:
772. (+157) Anaconda
Luis Llosa
AKA:
1997 / USA / 89m / Col / Natural Horror | IMDb
Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, Owen Wilson, Kari Wuhrer, Vincent Castellanos, Danny Trejo, Frank Welker
“To watch “Anaconda” is to get the impression that there is only one snake in the entire rain forest and that it’s been waiting its whole life for a chance to devour Eric Stoltz, Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube. The three play the leaders of the expedition, who are traveling with their crew by barge, looking for the lost tribe. But those actors are mere window dressing for the main attraction of “Anaconda,” Jon Voight, who does to the scenery what the snake does to the supporting players. He plays Sarone, a Paraguayan snake trapper who’s rescued by the crew. Voight gets ethnic in a shameless way reminiscent of Al Pacino in “Scarface.” He turns the corners of his mouth down so far that it’s impossible to tell if he’s smiling or sneering… He is the movie’s all-purpose embodiment of mystery and destruction, and as such he provides some of the most deliriously absurd moments in the picture.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Genres:
773. (-3) Vamp
Richard Wenk
AKA:
1986 / USA / 93m / Col / Vampire | IMDb
Chris Makepeace, Sandy Baron, Robert Rusler, Dedee Pfeiffer, Gedde Watanabe, Grace Jones, Billy Drago, Brad Logan, Lisa Lyon, Jim Boyle
“[T]he make up effects are fantastic with Grace Jones taking on the form of clawed monster with grotesque results, while every vampire has their own distinct personality and form allowing them individual bouts of horror with every lunge at our characters. Sandy Baron is a considerably excellent reluctant hero who becomes a vampire hunter as the film progresses, learning to survive among the rats in the sewers who desperately want to kill him to save their goddess Katrina. “Vamp” is a wonderful trip down memory lane and a horror comedy that still holds up to this day with vampires who were actually horrifying at one point in time.” – Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Genres:
774. (-19) Begotten
E. Elias Merhige
AKA:
1989 / USA / 72m / Col / Experimental | IMDb
Brian Salzberg, Donna Dempsey, Stephen Charles Barry, James Gandia, Daniel Harkins, Michael Phillips, Erik Slavin, Arthur Streeter, Adolfo Vargas, Garfield White
“Few motion pictures have the power to jolt an audience with the fury, imagination, and artistic violence of Begotten, a 1991 tour de force from Elias Merhige currently debuting on home video. This cryptic independent production is a film of eccentric brilliance, skillfully balancing the glorious and the grotesque in an unforgettable work of art. Perhaps the most striking aspect of Begotten is its cinematography. Filmmaker Merhige photographed his work on 16-mm black-and-white reversal film and then rephotographed the footage frame by frame on black-and-white negatives through density filters, a four-year labor that required 10 hours of work for each minute of the 78-minute film. The result is a visual work unlike any other – one that looks like an ancient ritual filmed on the scene thousands of years ago and only recently dusted off for viewing.” – Phil Hall, Wired
Genres: Experimental, Horror, Surrealism, Sadistic Horror, Slow Cinema, Religious Film, Splatter, Gothic
775. (+38) Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly
Freddie Francis
AKA:
1970 / UK / 102m / Col / Comedy | IMDb
Michael Bryant, Ursula Howells, Pat Heywood, Howard Trevor, Vanessa Howard, Robert Swann, Imogen Hassall, Michael Ripper, Hugh Armstrong
“Girly is not the nightmarish blur of sex, color, and violence one would expect judging by the poster. Instead, it is a slow, psychological meditation, a playful look into the disturbing details of suppressed sexuality, morbid isolation, and the notion of insanity by proxy. We are led into a world fully contained within a decaying mansion, but we aren’t met with a parade of bloody horrors and gleefully violent imagery; instead, we are witness to a coy, clever game of cat and mouse, where no action or emotion is ever true. Comically depraved actions and lustful yearnings hidden behind a strange veil of morality are commonplace.” – James Merolla
Genres:
776. (-24) Vampire Circus
Robert Young
AKA:
1972 / UK / 87m / Col / Vampire | IMDb
Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters, Anthony Higgins, John Moulder-Brown, Laurence Payne, Richard Owens, Lynne Frederick, Elizabeth Seal, Robin Hunter, Domini Blythe
“Modern viewers will indeed be amazed at the level of grue here. Throats are slashed, human beings torn limb from limb by ferocious beasts. Said vivisected bodies are discovered in horrific fashion, and gunshots blow holes in the back of hunky henchmen. This isn’t your pathetic piecemeal PG-13 shocker. From a crucifix to a cutlass, weapons draw gallons of blood here, and Young shows a real flare for fatalistic invention. Indeed, the director is Vampire Circus‘s certified wild card here. While sticking to the storytelling conventions rather well, he adds unique visual elements to the mix, including obvious homages to then arthouse cinema hits and moments of his own unique invention (a pair of aerialists are shot from below as they spin and contort in the air, giving their performance a surreal, hallucinogenic aura).” – Bill Gibron, Pop Matters
Genres:
777. (-47) Bedlam
Mark Robson
AKA:
1946 / USA / 79m / BW / Thriller | IMDb
Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House, Richard Fraser, Glen Vernon, Ian Wolfe, Jason Robards Sr., Leyland Hodgson, Joan Newton, Elizabeth Russell
“This situation feels like it would lend itself rather well to traditional horror film terrors, particularly with director Mark Robson and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca making the inside of the hospital look so despicably dark and forbidding, and there are certainly shots and even entire scenes that click on that level; but ultimately, Bedlam refuses to commit fully to being that kind of horror film, lest it fall into the same trap that it sets for Bowen: namely, talking about how it wants to help the inmates, but secretly being terrified of them. For Bedlam is a full-on message picture about how shamefully we treated the mentally ill back in 1761, and how loathsome was a society that would encourage such treatment just so the rich could keep themselves entertained by exploiting the insane, which is kind of an odd message to sell with quite so much urgency in 1946, but there you have it.” – Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Genres:
778. (-38) It Came from Outer Space
Jack Arnold
AKA:
1953 / USA / 81m / BW / Science Fiction | IMDb
Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson
“It Came from Outer Space stands out from the 50’s alien-invasion-movie crowd in so many ways that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. For one thing, there’s the portrayal of the aliens themselves. These spacefarers are a far cry from the Martians of War of the Worlds or Invaders from Mars, but they are equally far from the stern but benevolent Klaatu of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Of all the movie aliens of the time, I believe these are the most plausibly portrayed, the ones whose actions and motivations most closely resemble what one would expect from intelligent organisms in their position. They are neither villainous conquerors led by a diabolical megalomaniac (think Earth vs. the Flying Saucers) nor beatific missionaries of interstellar peace. They are reasonable beings who have gotten themselves into trouble, and who are willing to do whatever they have to in order to get out of it again. If that means treating the natives a bit roughly, so be it.” – Scott Ashlin, 1000 Misspent Hours
Genres:
779. (-28) The Endless
Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
AKA:
2017 / USA / 111m / Col / Science Fiction | IMDb
Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington, James Jordan, Emily Montague, Lew Temple, Justin Benson, Ric Sarabia, Aaron Moorhead, Kira Powell, Peter Cilella
“The Endless opens with a quote from cult horror author H.P. Lovecraft, whose dread-filled mythos of ancient alien gods and terrifying occult knowledge is a key influence on Benson and Moorhead’s work. But the tone here is more classic low-budget indie drama, restrained and cerebral, than nightmarish horror. Initially, at least… A key future challenge for the duo will be how to bring this fine-grained auteur approach into the commercial mainstream without diluting their strongly original vision.” – Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter
Genres:
780. (-39) House of Dark Shadows
Dan Curtis
AKA:
1970 / USA / 97m / Col / Vampire | IMDb
Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Roger Davis, Nancy Barrett, John Karlen, Thayer David, Louis Edmonds, Don Briscoe, David Henesy
“The soap opera Dark Shadows was Curtis’ baby and it ran on ABC from 1966-1971 hitting the peak of its popularity with the release of this film in 1970. While the show had many long running storylines and even storylines in different eras, Curtis decided that the film version was going to tell the Barnabas vampire tale alone. Audiences were a bit shocked by how much harsher the film version of the show was, with a Barnabas that was much less sympathetic and violence that was, well, violent. With a tightly focused vampire story, Curtis produced a film which has the feel of a classic Hammer film… The film is aided immeasurably in this regard by its location photography in upstate New York and Connecticut.” – Brian Holcomb, Kinetofilm
Genres:
781. (-2) Open Water
Chris Kentis
AKA:
2003 / USA / 79m / Col / Natural Horror | IMDb
Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Michael E. Williamson, Cristina Zenato, John Charles
“Chris Kentis, who wrote, directed, edited, and shot the film (with his wife, Laura Lau), is working with prime pulp material—but he doesn’t have a pulp sensibility. I mean this as a compliment. Shot on digital video and micro-budgeted, Open Water is terrifying precisely because it doesn’t go in for cheesy shock tactics and special effects. (Those sharks are real.) Strictly speaking, it’s not even in the shark-attack genre—it’s more like a black comedy about how things can go horribly wrong on vacation. You think you’re safe, and the next thing you know you’re lost at sea and something’s nibbling your gams. That’s an apt metaphor for a lot more than scuba diving.” – Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
Genres:
782. (-21) Cat’s Eye
Lewis Teague
AKA:
1985 / USA / 94m / Col / Anthology | IMDb
Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan, Robert Hays, Candy Clark, James Naughton, Tony Munafo, Court Miller, Russell Horton
“As a whole, CAT’S EYE is a well-written and well-produced slab of 80’s horror nostalgia, and aside from some of the music and dated special effects, there’s not much that prevents the film from being timeless. There’s a certain amount of black humor present that Stephen King was so good at, and there are brilliant callbacks throughout the film, be it portions of the film referencing earlier segments, or subtle things that reference scenes or bits of dialogue that didn’t initially seem noteworthy.” – Aaron Duenas, The Death Rattle
Genres:
783. (-38) Revenge of the Creature
Jack Arnold
AKA:
1955 / USA / 82m / BW / Science Fiction | IMDb
John Agar, Lori Nelson, John Bromfield, Nestor Paiva, Grandon Rhodes, Dave Willock, Robert Williams, Charles Cane
“Revenge of the Creature is surpassed by its predecessor in all but one regard: the Gill-man becomes a clear victim of circumstance and will thus evoke compassion from those of a sensitive inclination. Specifically, the creature is abducted from his natural environment and put on display for exploitative purposes; therefore, the Gill-man’s savagery in the final act occurs within a decidedly justifiable context—much in contrast to Creature from the Black Lagoon, wherein the ethics of invading an animal’s territory and suffering the consequences thereof are presented through an ambiguous perspective.” – Jon Davidson, Midnite Reviews
Genres:
784. (-15) Wild Zero
Tetsuro Takeuchi
AKA:
1999 / Japan / 98m / Col / Zombie | IMDb
Guitar Wolf, Drum Wolf, Bass Wolf, Masashi Endô, Kwancharu Shitichai, Makoto Inamiya, Haruka Nakajo, Shirô Namiki, Taneko, Yoshiyuki Morishita
“Anyways, for Wild Zero, you can easily see the influences of George A. Romero’s Trilogy of the Living Dead movies throughout this film – from the way the zombies behave and look to some familiar scenes and ideas being thrown up. Unlike Romero’s films, this one does not have any type of satire or social commentary, but just plain craziness, brainless action and Rock ‘n’ Roll! You can expect an abundance of over-the-top action sequences, gore, explosions, tacky situations, lame dialogue, clichés, computerised zombie blasting, dazzling special effects and flamboyant characters! There really is never a dull moment to be had. So just switch off your brain and enjoy the ride!” – Scum Cinema
Genres:
785. (-26) Afflicted
Derek Lee & Clif Prowse
AKA:
2013 / Canada / 85m / Col / Found Footage | IMDb
Derek Lee, Clif Prowse, Michael Gill, Baya Rehaz, Benjamin Zeitoun, Zach Gray, Jason Lee, Edo Van Breemen, Gary Redekop, Lily Py Lee
“To take the handheld genre and some creature mythology and push it forward is fun to witness, especially for a work that simply doesn’t feel like a freshman effort. Showing a surprising understanding of what makes a film like this work, the duo gets us to care for our characters before dragging them through hell and back. Additionally, the use of practical effects helps sell the chaos even more, particularly with a low budget… While the use of the cameras in the found footage genre often feels tacked on, here it’s not only integral to the way it is shot, but the story itself. Every action and shot is so painstakingly planned out that it becomes fascinating to think about how they possibly created the effects they did without the use of heavy CGI sequences.” – Bill Graham, The Film Stage
Genres:
786. (-24) Wai dor lei ah yat ho
Ho-Cheung Pang
AKA: Dream Home
2010 / Hong Kong / 96m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Josie Ho, Juno Mak, Hee Ching Paw, Michelle Ye, Hoi-Pang Lo, Eason Chan, Ying Kwan Lok, Norman Chu, Kwok Cheung Tsang, Chu-chu Zhou
“”Dream Home” is a ghastly, disturbing and, in its depiction of a person who can’t seem to get ahead in a competitive, unforgiving economic climate, surprisingly melancholy horror show. Unspooling out of sequence for a reason, with Sheung’s killing spree interlaced with the telling of the events that have led her to such drastic measures, the film does not condone her actions, but does show how someone could be pushed in such an extreme direction. Indeed, Sheung has a passable apartment as it is, but her obsession with moving up in status turns her into a monster who will stop at nothing to get what she thinks she deserves.” – Dustin Putnam, The Movie Boy
Genres:
787. (-45) Silent Night, Bloody Night
Theodore Gershuny
AKA: Silent Night, Bloody Night
1972 / USA / 81m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Patrick O’Neal, James Patterson, Mary Woronov, Astrid Heeren, John Carradine, Walter Abel, Fran Stevens, Walter Klavun, Philip Bruns, Staats Cotsworth
“With a title like Silent Night, Bloody Night, you may be under the impression that this impressive little horror movie uses graphic violence and gore to get at its audience. That couldn’t be further from the truth, as Gershuny goes to great lengths to give the film an ominous feel that never wears off. He enjoys giving us outside glimpses of the Butler house, standing silently and almost proudly out in the snow, only to cut to the darkened interior where horrible secrets wander the shadows. The filmmakers muster plenty of atmosphere and they divide it evenly throughout the film’s runtime, but the film isn’t bashful about its bloodletting.” – Steve Habrat, Anti-Film School
Genres:
788. (-38) Tôkaidô Yotsuya kaidan
Nobuo Nakagawa
AKA: The Ghost of Yotsuya
1959 / Japan / 76m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Shigeru Amachi, Noriko Kitazawa, Katsuko Wakasugi, Shuntarô Emi, Ryûzaburô Nakamura, Junko Ikeuchi, Jun ôtomo, Hiroshi Hayashi, Shinjirô Asano, Arata Shibata
“Along with the masterful camerawork, the film’s lighting and music play an integral role in selling the dreadful feeling that permeates the entire film. The final moments are scored with traditional Japanese music that grows in driving intensity with the images on-screen, culminating in a stunning, powerful ending that perfectly caps off the film. The violence is surprisingly graphic and still very effective, over fifty years after release. No US film would have ever gotten away with the stuff they do in this film, and as such it feels like a more recent film than 1959. The violence is nothing compared with later films of course, but given the time, it’s incredible. The Ghost of Yotsuya is an amazing, haunting, wonderful horror film that fans of the genre should definitely not miss. It is proof that horror films can be artful and grotesque simultaneously.” – Will Kouf, Silver Emulsion
Genres: Chambara, Kaidan
789. (-23) The Flesh and the Fiends
John Gilling
AKA: Mania
1960 / UK / 97m / BW / Gothic | IMDb
Peter Cushing, June Laverick, Donald Pleasence, George Rose, Renee Houston, Dermot Walsh, Billie Whitelaw, John Cairney, Melvyn Hayes, June Powell
“While many films from the sixties have quickly become dated thanks to modern filmmaking, this film actually seems to be just as fresh as if it were written only last year. Sure, there are some lengthy dialogue passages indicative of the era and a few of the performances have that acting feel common to most films prior to the seventies, but I can think of very few films from that period of time whose script could easily be re-submitted today to a major Hollywood studio and filmed for contemporary audiences just as it appeared on the page. Iím not sure if that has a little something to do with the fact that the film is filled with uncharacteristically large amounts of nudity and violence that were common only to grindhouse films of the time, but it is absolutely amazing how well this film still stands up over forty years later.” – The Deuce Grindhouse Cinema Database
Genres:
790. (-46) The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Yorgos Lanthimos
AKA:
2017 / UK / 121m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Barry G. Bernson, Herb Caillouet, Bill Camp, Raffey Cassidy, Denise Dal Vera, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Nicole Kidman, Drew Logan, Alicia Silverstone
“Lanthimos commands ]the] world with precise craftsmanship, resulting in a crisp aesthetic underscored by unsettling rumbles of bass and strings. All of this congeals into an atmosphere of fragility and natural unease, which escalates into pure dread by the end. While it features little of the blood and spectacle of a studio horror film, Sacred Deer frightens in a more unconscious manner. It introduces a nightmare concept and milks it for every drop of morbid, deeply uncomfortable dread. From the first scenes, Lanthimos tells the viewer that this world is far from normal, as Kidman mimics an unconscious patient for Farrell’s delight, or Keoghan seduces Cassidy with unreadable intent. The strangeness only escalates from there, until it reaches a point of either confusion or terror, depending on the viewer. The film’s anxiety feels closely tied to our country’s current state—the privileged paranoia that an outsider will take your safety from you, leaving you at the mercy of senseless, violent nature.” – Ben Larned, Daily Dead
Genres:
791. (-28) Shock Waves
Ken Wiederhorn
AKA: Almost Human
1977 / USA / 85m / Col / Zombie | IMDb
Peter Cushing, Brooke Adams, Fred Buch, Jack Davidson, Luke Halpin, D.J. Sidney, John Carradine, Don Stout, Clarence Thomas, Sammy Graham
“Director Wiederhorn allows his camera to act almost voyeuristic as it creeps through the trees to spy on the zombies that pop up from the murky water. They are presented as paranormal specters that are silhouetted by the blinding sun reflecting off the water. At times, we see them from an extreme distance, marching in formation and turning to barely acknowledge their gaunt commander as he pleads with them to stop their meaningless slaughter. It was these scenes that made me fall in love with Shock Waves, the film just subtle enough while every once in a while, getting right in our faces so we can see its soggy decay. We never see any scenes of mass carnage, the zombies preferring to drown their victims instead of gnawing at their flesh and sucking on their entrails. That fact that the film remains eerily tranquil throughout, never getting frantic or hurrying is what really makes this film such an effective little adventure.” – Steve Habrat, Anti-Film School
Genres:
792. (+71) I Saw the TV Glow
Jane Schoenbrun
AKA:
2024 / USA / 100m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan, Danielle Deadwyler, Fred Durst, Conner O’Malley, Emma Portner, Madaline Riley
“Far too often, when filmmakers graduate up the ledger, they become conservative, safe, and careerist; it feels like they’re making the current film solely with the mindset of remaining at the budgetary level they’ve just attained. With “I Saw the TV Glow,” the director’s glossy follow-up to their resourcefully executed “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” Schoenbrun films like a director who doesn’t want to live in regret of the shot they didn’t get, the risk not taken, the leap that never left the ground. The earworm original soundtrack, exciting practical effects, intoxicating photography, and risky editing—blending together conscious and imagined worlds—are the big, adventurous swings of an undaunted filmmaker.” – Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com
Genres: Techno-Horror, Psychological Drama, Queer Cinema, Coming-of-Age, Teen Movie, Surrealism
793. (-54) La morte vivante
Jean Rollin
AKA: The Living Dead Girl
1982 / France / 86m / Col / Zombie | IMDb
Marina Pierro, Françoise Blanchard, Mike Marshall, Carina Barone, Fanny Magier, Patricia Besnard-Rousseau, Jean Berel, Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, Véronique Carpentier
“Language aside, Francoise Blanchard dedicates herself to the part of Catherine so completely, that the story works. You’re not scared of Catherine; you’re scared for her – disturbed by the concept of being self-aware enough to realize that you’re dead and that there may be no escape from a life of feeding on other humans. It’s rich material for a horror film, and this is one Rollin movie that’s a more satisfying genre effort than what we’re used to from the director. Typically, Rollin’s films combine gothic horror visuals with avant garde arthouse sensibilities. Living Dead Girl is a more straight-forward, dedicated horror effort – more thoroughly plotted, more exciting, more gruesome, and more unsettling than Rollin’s typical vampire work, while still feeling unmistakably like a Rollin film.” – John Gholson, Horror’s Not Dead
Genres:
794. (-41) Bug
William Friedkin
AKA:
2006 / USA / 102m / Col / Psychological | IMDb
Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick Jr., Lynn Collins, Brían F. O’Byrne, Neil Bergeron, Bob Neill
“Bug is not surprisingly being advertised as being “from the director of The Exorcist,” which says almost as much about the lingering power of that 1973 horror classic as it does about the disappointing nature of Friedkin’s career over the past three decades. The comparison is not just a marketing ploy, though, as Bug allows Friedkin to play on his strengths as a director–namely, managing actors in close quarters. For all the talk about pea soup and head-spinning in The Exorcist, that film was in many ways a chamber piece, with its issues of faith, religion, and the true nature of evil playing out largely within the tight confines of a little girl’s bedroom. By the end of Bug, Agnes’s motel room is as unrecognizable as Reagan’s bedroom was, transformed from a place of ordinary existence into a realm of extraordinary degradation in which two people finding love and acceptance culminates into a literal inferno.” – James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Genres:
795. (-41) The Lords of Salem
Rob Zombie
AKA:
2012 / USA / 101m / Col / Supernatural | IMDb
Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Judy Geeson, Meg Foster, Patricia Quinn, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Maria Conchita Alonso, Richard Fancy
“Movies by Rob Zombie, the goth rocker turned cult filmmaker, aren’t for everybody. But he couldn’t care less. He makes movies exactly the way he wants to, with no thought of pleasing mainstream audiences. They can like it or lump it. His latest effort, “The Lords of Salem,” is true to form… [fans] will want to rush out to see this stylishly lensed work, which references Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” and Dario Argento’s “Suspiria,” Others are advised to look elsewhere for fun in the dark.” – V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Genres:
796. (-32) The Girl with All the Gifts
Colm McCarthy
AKA:
2016 / UK / 111m / Col / Zombie | IMDb
Gemma Arterton, Dominique Tipper, Glenn Close, Anamaria Marinca, Paddy Considine, Sennia Nanua, Lobna Futers, Daniel Eghan, Fisayo Akinade, Anthony Welsh
“This fiercely intelligent British chiller from Scottish director Colm McCarthy, whose small-screen credits include Doctor Who, Sherlock and Peaky Blinders, breathes new life into age-old horror tropes, taking familiar fears of zombies, the apocalypse and eerie children and spinning them in surprising ways. Although writer Mike “MR” Carey’s narrative about a fungal plague that turns victims into cannibalistic “hungries” occupies a post-28 Days Later landscape, the central obsessions explored here are closer to the identity crises of Never Let Me Go (both book and film), with a strong underlying strain of the very British weirdness of John Wyndham.” – Mark Kermode, The Observer
Genres:
797. (-10) Fear Street: 1994
Leigh Janiak
AKA: Fear Street: Part One – 1994
2021 / USA / 107m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Maya Hawke, Charlene Amoia, David W. Thompson, Noah Bain Garret, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Ashley Zukerman, Kiana Madeira, Jana Allen, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald
“But “1994” strikes a great balance between building backstory and tying it into the chaotic present-day: the mythology settles in, and the movie focuses on lean and extra mean thrills that include a couple of excellent slasher set-pieces in the high school and a grocery store, all with an expressive, playful lighting palette. The most fun parts of “1994” display a strong balance of the brutal and the playful, and yet while its energy is a developing charm of the series, it’s the overall tone created by Janiak that’s the most impressive.” – Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com
Genres: Slasher, Supernatural Horror, Teen Movie, LGBTQ, Teen Movie, Romance
798. (-22) Grave Encounters
Colin Minihan & Stuart Ortiz
AKA:
2011 / Canada / 92m / Col / Found Footage | IMDb
Ben Wilkinson, Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko, Merwin Mondesir, Juan Riedinger, Shawn Macdonald, Arthur Corber, Bob Rathie, Fred Keating, Max Train
“The crew for a fake TV ghost-hunting show has an unfortunate brush with genuine supernatural phenomena in “Grave Encounters.” Debut feature for duo Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz, who’ve dubbed themselves the Vicious Brothers (not to be confused with fellow horror helmers the Butcher Brothers), treads by-now-familiar scary-mockumentary terrain… Still, pacing is taut, the setting eerie, and eventual scares are fairly effective if never particularly original. If a somewhat formulaic air hangs over whole enterprise, it’s nonetheless creepier and less cookie-cutter than your average mainstream slasher. Tech/design factors are polished within the faux-verite concept.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
Genres:
799. (-43) Frankenstein
Kenneth Branagh
AKA:
1994 / USA / 123m / Col / Monster | IMDb
Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter, Aidan Quinn, Ian Holm, Richard Briers, John Cleese, Robert Hardy, Cherie Lunghi
“Writers Steph Lady and Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) retain much of the source’s action and all of its spirit, but still make the work speak to our age. Their lines echo modern concerns, from the boundaries of medicine to epidemics even to students on athletic scholarships. The mayhem that overtakes so many versions of Frankenstein doesn’t here. Through all the passion and horror runs a strong philosophical cord, questioning our ability to challenge nature, to remake it simply because we can. The film is ever reminding us there are costs to crossing frontiers, human lives, that must be considered.” – Robert Faires, Austin Chronicle
Genres:
800. (-28) The Toolbox Murders
Dennis Donnelly
AKA:
1978 / USA / 93m / Col / Slasher | IMDb
Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure, Nicolas Beauvy, Tim Donnelly, Aneta Corsaut, Faith McSwain, Marciee Drake, Evelyn Guerrero, Victoria Perry
“Simply put, The Toolbox Murders is everything you’d expect it to be for the first third of the film. The gore might not be enough to satiate the staunchest of gore-hounds, but it is rather blunt and brutal. The rest of the film chooses to be psychologically disturbing and unsettling with a story that engages a viewer just enough. While you might be a bit put off by the change in pace and tone, you should definitely stick with this one.” – Brett Gallman, Oh, The Horror
Genres: