Holy crap, where do I begin?
In no particular horror:
1) Excorcist (MUST be the reconstituted version with the "spider walk" scene). I'll tell ya, when that version hit the theaters I went to see it with my bro in law and friends. The spider walk scene came on and I was literally white knuckling the friggin theater seat's arm rest!!
2) Texas Chainsaw Massacre - from what has been said before, those late 60s early 70s horror films had that sense of impending doom that newer movies just can't capture. For this flick, the wide angle shots foreshadowing impending doom for the hapless kids lost in this demented version of Mayberry MD were priceless. The soundtrack, which is a mix of sound effects like heavy machinery and demented violins/glass on glass is spectacular, ratcheting up fear and anticipation! The fact that no one in this film were recognizable as stars was also a master stroke of genius (barring John Laroqquete - spelling massacred - as the voice over in the beginning). The updated Texas Chainsaw remake was a steaming pile of shit in my opinion!
3) Phantasm - what kid's nightmares WEREN'T represented in that film? A big fan of that movie!!
4) Evil Dead 1 (and 2) - the first Evil Dead scared the shit out of me... and I was in my late 20s!!! Sure, the second one is a remake of the 1st with a slightly different plot twist and a lot more humor, but my lord that first one had me shitting bricks. The rape scene by the massive trees surrounding the cabin; the attack of the possessed bodies of Ashes friends. Awesome! Done on a shoestring budget by the magnificent Sam Raimi and Neil Tappert, this is a keeper! The second Evil Dead I list here only because its so friggin funny! I'm a HUUUUUGE fan of Bruce Campbell!
5) Prince of Darkness - a cylinder containing a vortex of vile looking green liquid containing the essence of Satan is found buried deep within the bowels of an abandoned Los Angeles church. A group of college scientists are called by a priest (played by Donald Pleasance) to come and investigate. Toss in one nasty and crazed looking Alice Cooper and you've got one hell of a scary horror movie! Amazing movie that should not be missed!
6) 28 Days - awesome zombie flick!
7) Dawn of the Dead/Night of the Living Dead - awesome Romero classics. I love the remake of the Dawn of the Dead as its a nice mixture of a fully mobile zombie that can tear ass after its victim faster than you can say "dinner anyone?". Savini's special effects are pure genius!
8) Blair Witch Project - finally, in the last decade, one of the new filmmakers got it right, creating a riveting and psychologically terrifying story that doesn't rush to a new level of gore just to get scares. To me a modern classic if there ever was one!
Darren
