The top ten:
10. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
9. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
James Whale’s mark is firmly in place of this one. Even though he directed the first film as well, his signature blend of dark comedy and strange themes come full force in this. Its effect may have lessened a bit over the years, but the ‘big movie’ feeling that it evokes makes it easy to watch in the mindset of an original audience member. It’s not hard to let yourself get wrapped up in what almost feels more like an event than a film.
8. Jaws (1975)
7. Halloween (1978)
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
5. Nosferatu (1922)
While filming his remake, Werner Herzog stated Nosferatu is what he believes is the most important film in German cinema. I know I used the ‘creepy old painting come to life’ description for
Haxan, but I’d like to echo it for Nosferatu. Today, Nosferatu might be more famous as an image than an actual film. When thought of, a still of a strangely stiff Max Schreck comes to mind, even without having seen the film. The effect that the actual
motion picture brings is twice as creepy, and the antique quality of the images only accentuates it (similar to the deteriorated visual style of Dreyer’s
Vampyr).
4. Psycho (1960)
3. Alien (1979)
2. Frankenstein (1931)
The best and perhaps most durable horror classic around. The only thing that hasn’t aged well is the dummy falling off the windmill at the end. 1931 may have been the most important year for the horror genre, and Frankenstein was an eminent factor in making it that.
1. The Shining (1980)
I like to think of this as a sort of ‘jack of all trades’ (no pun intended) when it comes to horror films. It goes through a variety of different genres and sub-genres, has plenty of atmosphere, suspense, effectively abrupt shocks, and psychological tension. One of the only things I can’t really call it is a splatter film, though it does have its ‘slasher’ moments. It may be a tad cliché to say this, but it’s often imitated, and never bettered.
I'm still not done with this. I'll post some extra stuff sometime tomorrow.