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Horror films are something you have to prepare for. Whether it's gripping the seat or shielding your eyes or ears, or wrapping yourself up in a world full of tension and menace, great horror movies are much more than jump scares. Utilizing the sound of floorboards, the movement of shadows, the unpredictability of mist, horrific or hilarious (or hilariously horrific) deaths, or a tingling film score—this genre is always playing with the audience. The greatest horror films can be heady and philosophical, slapstick or serious—in short, if you're a fan of horror, most likely you're a fan of cinema. No other genre best represents how the moving image can affect us—by using every filmmaking tool in the shed.
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Horror cinema has seen historic highs; the best horror movies never really leave your mind for good. But which of the genre's finest are the very, very best? Below are the greatest, the most unforgettable—and indeed the most frightening—horror movies ever made, ranked from great to greatest.
100 'The Last House on the Left' (1972)
Directed by Wes Craven
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"To avoid fainting, keep repeating: it's only a movie, it's only a movie..." The Last House on the Left is one of the more infamous films in all of horror to this day. Loosely based on Ingmar Bergman's far more restrained The Virgin Spring from 1960 (Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film), Wes Craven's debut feature follows (at first), two teen girls who are abducted, sexually violated, tortured and killed by serial criminals, perpetrators who unwittingly seek shelter in one of the girl's parents' home for the night mere hours later.
Craven was green in 1972, and the picture is not without its flaws (some of the acting just isn't very good, and woefully misjudged comedy sequences should have never, ever, been a part of this film), but it's an essential part of the horror conversation, with a raw and gripping power that holds up over a half-century later. The horror genre wouldn't be anything like it is without Craven, and The Last House on the Left stands as deeply unpleasant proof that shock exploitation cinema can be more thoughtful and incomparably more impactful than a lot of prestige-seeking awards bait. - Samuel R. Murrian
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The Last House on the Left
R
Horror
Thriller
- Release Date
- August 30, 1972
- Director
- Wes Craven
- Cast
- Sandra Peabody , Lucy Grantham , David Hess , Fred J. Lincoln , Jeramie Rain , Marc Sheffler
- Runtime
- 84
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Wes Craven , Ulla Isaksson
- Tagline
- It rests on 13 acres of earth over the very center of hell...!
99 'Near Dark' (1987)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
After spending the previous decade in sexploitation films, vampires re-emerged in the 80s as postmodern leather-clad punks. And that look gave filmmakers a lot of new angles to play with: gangs, bikers and junkies. All of those groups run in packs and engage in more dangerous behaviors than the old-fashioned singular vampires of old. These were a new breed of terrorizing clans and sorry (not sorry), Lost Boys, but Kathryn Bigelow‘s Near Dark is the best of the 1980s vampire movies. She puts them in a hybrid of both the neo-Western and the road movie that became popular in the 70s and she also seems to call bullsh*t on eternal love.
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These vampires are modern bandits. They roll down our sleepy highways. In the best scene, they pick a bar fight. The epically named Severen (a wild Bill Paxton) has blades at the tip of his cowboy boots, an addition that removes the need to bite, and thus removes the intimacy of feasting that most vampires previously engaged with their victims. But there is still an intimacy in Near Dark. It’s a young love that starts at a convenient store (between Adrian Pasdar and Jenny Wright). — Brian Formo
Near Dark
R
Horror
A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter.
- Release Date
- October 2, 1987
- Director
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Cast
- Adrian Pasdar , Jenny Wright , Lance Henriksen , Bill Paxton
- Runtime
- 94 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Eric Red , Kathryn Bigelow
98 'The Substance' (2024)
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
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If Demi Moore making a universally well-received career comeback in one of the best, boldest, funniest and grossest body horror movies ever made wasn't on your bingo card for 2024, you're not alone; that's a blow-by-blow of exactly what transpired, though. The iconic actress gives the performance of her career as Elisabeth Sparkle, a TV fitness personality who's devastated enough by her 50th birthday to accept a Faustian bargain that puts her at odds with a young, gorgeous and alluring parasite (Margaret Qualley, also splendid here).
Running entirely on immersive dream logic, and feeling about half its 140-minute runtime, The Substance is a stunning piece of technical bravado that's rooted in pathos, an unmitigated triumph for a Hollywood legend whose acting chops have long been underappreciated, ironically enough, because of her beauty. Coralie Fargeat makes good on the promise shown in 2017's electric Revenge, but it's important to note there's a reflective quality Moore brings to this that really makes the film so substantial. - Samuel R. Murrian
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The Substance
R
Horror
Drama
A fading celebrity, Elisabeth Sparkle, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth. The drug temporarily creates a younger version of herself, named Sue, who quickly ascends to the fame Elisabeth once craved.
- IMDb ID
- tt17526714
- Release Date
- September 20, 2024
- TMDB User Rating
- 0 .0
- Director
- Coralie Fargeat
- Cast
- Demi Moore , Margaret Qualley , Dennis Quaid , Gore Abrams , Hugo Diego Garcia , Olivier Raynal , Tiffany Hofstetter , Tom Morton , Jiselle Burkhalter , Axel Baille , Oscar Lesage , Matthew Géczy , Philip Schurer
- Runtime
- 140 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Coralie Fargeat
- Studio(s)
- Working Title Films , A Good Story
- Character(s)
- Elisabeth Sparkle , Sue , Harvey , Oliver , Diego , Alan , The Stylist , The Doctor , Girl , The Photographer , Troy , Bob Haswell , Mr. Scream
97 'Cannibal Holocaust' (1980)
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Directed by Ruggero Deodato, the undeniably disturbing Cannibal Holocaust centers on a professor (Francesca Ciardi) who discovers lost footage from a missing documentary crew while on a rescue mission into the Amazonian rainforests. Cannibal Holocaust was notably homaged in Eli Roth's technically impressive, rather immature and cloying The Green Inferno.
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No doubt, Deodato's arguably most notorious film is extremely uncomfortable to sit through; for the most part, this has to do with the amount of gore, explicit sexual assault, and the onscreen depiction of animal death that it features. Still, the controversial horror provides a valuable social commentary on journalism and the exploitation of South American countries. — Daniela Gama
Cannibal Holocaust
r
Horror
During a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew.
- Release Date
- June 21, 1985
- Director
- Ruggero Deodato
- Cast
- Robert Kerman , Francesca Ciardi , Perry Pirkanen , Luca Barbareschi
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Writers
- Gianfranco Clerici
96 'Final Destination' (2000)
Directed by James Wong
Originally envisioned as a simple spec script for the then-thriving X-Files, Jeffrey Reddick, James Wong and Glen Morgan's clever, tense and frightening Final Destination was generally dismissed, unjustly, by critics of the day (Roger Ebert's "thumbs up" being a notable exception); the supernatural slasher is aging very well, and spawned a long-running franchise that's at once one of horror's most underrated and best-loved by diehard fans.
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Devon Sawa gives a terrific, Saturn Award-winning turn as Alex, a teen who has a violent premonition of his classmates being incinerated on flight 180 to Paris. The classmates escape, the plane actually does blow up, and death itself isn't finished with Alex and his friends. It's such a simple, malleable, great premise, and Final Destination is truly a cut above the vast majority of what Ebert would call "dead teenager movies." The series has seen highs and lows (a sixth installment is expected in 2025), and the original film is still the very best and most satisfying. -Samuel R. Murrian
Final Destination
R
Horror
Mystery
- Release Date
- March 17, 2000
- Director
- James Wong
- Cast
- Devon Sawa , Ali Larter , Kerr Smith , Kristen Cloke , Daniel Roebuck , Roger Guenveur Smith
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Jeffrey Reddick , James Wong , Glen Morgan
- Tagline
- Website
95 'What We Do in the Shadows' (2014)
Directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waitti
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Finally, someone breathed new life into the vampire genre.What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary about four vampire flatmates and it takes an absolutely delightful approach to exploring creature clichés in a deadpan, reality show-like manner.
Viago (Taika Waititi), Vlad (Jemaine Clement), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and Petyr (Ben Fransham) all turned during different time periods, which leads to some brilliant spins on familiar issues like doing the dishes, getting into nightclubs, adapting to new technology and so much more. The only unfortunate thing about What We Do in the Shadows is that it clocks in at a mere 86 minutes. Between the winning jokes and the wildly charming friendships between the characters, a whole series dedicated to their antics was welcome. — Perri Nemiroff
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
R
Comedy
Horror
In What We Do in the Shadows, vampire housemates navigate the challenges of modern life while mentoring a newly turned hipster on the advantages of vampirism. The film explores their coexistence within the human world, balancing supernatural elements with humorous insights into the undead lifestyle.
- Release Date
- June 19, 2014
- Director
- Taika Waititi , Jemaine Clement
- Cast
- Jemaine Clement , Taika Waititi , Jonny Brugh , Cori Gonzalez-Macuer , Stu Rutherford , Ben Fransham , Jackie van Beek , Elena Stejko , Jason Hoyte , Karen O'Leary , Mike Minogue , Chelsie Preston Crayford , Ian Harcourt , Ethel Robinson , Brad Harding , Isaac Heron , Yvette Parsons , Madeleine Sami , Aaron Jackson , Morgana Hills
- Runtime
- 86 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Writers
- Taika Waititi , Jemaine Clement
- Character(s)
- Vladislav , Viago , Deacon , Nick , Stu , Petyr , Jackie , Pauline (The Beast) , Julián , Policewoman , Policeman , Josephine , Zombie , Katherine , Vampire Hunter , Fix Attendant , Vampire Witch / MC , Morana , Club Bouncer , Child Vampire
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94 'Dead Alive' (1992)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson could have only made this gory, gushy, and occasionally outright repulsive zombie film, and he would still be a kind of legend, if not at the level of the man who brought Lord of the Rings to the big-screen. Dead Alive openly toys with one of horror’s most cherished concepts – repression – and when Lionel’s (Timothy Balme) love for a local girl is no longer held down by his controlling mother (Elizabeth Moody), out come the decaying zombie-like creatures to act as a horrifying expression of momma’s villainous control.
Like Tobe Hooper and Stuart Gordon’s iconic 1980s output, Dead Alive (also known as Braindead) strives for what Hooper called “red humor,” a melding of slapstick and physical comedy with horror, and the result is the most idiosyncratic and zany effort that Jackson produced, complete with zombie-monster momma and rotted ears and noses garnishing a nice Sunday chowder. — Chris Cabin
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Dead Alive
R
Comedy
Horror
- Release Date
- August 13, 1992
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Timothy Balme , Diana Peñalver , Elizabeth Moody , Ian Watkin , Brenda Kendall , Stuart Devenie
- Runtime
- 97
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Writers
- Stephen Sinclair , Fran Walsh , Peter Jackson
- Tagline
- Some things won't stay down... even after they die.
93 'The Conjuring' (2013)
Directed by James Wan
Aside from, say, Let the Right One In and scarce few other standouts, the early 21st century was hardly a hot spot for great horror, mostly ruled by the Saw films and other torture-centric fare. Something shifted in the mid-to-late-2010s with the rise of elevated horror. Saw director James Wan's smash hit The Conjuring factors into all of this, a multiplex popcorn thriller that won fans and critics alike over with a refreshing blend of understatement, classiness, and absolutely unbridled terror.
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A possession film and one of the most effective haunted house pictures in memory, the film that spawned a franchise inspired by real-life demonologists is excellently performed all-around, but it belongs to the women: Lili Taylor and especially Vera Farmiga deliver generous performances that are many times better and richer than they needed to be. Wide-release, popcorn-munching horror entertainment doesn't really get much slicker or more soulful than this. Even the jump scares are impossible to fault; nothing feels cheap. – Samuel R. Murrian
The Conjuring
R
Horror
Thriller
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
- Release Date
- March 20, 2013
- Director
- James Wan
- Cast
- Vera Farmiga , Patrick Wilson , Lili Taylor , Ron Livingston , Shanley Caswell , Hayley McFarland
- Runtime
- 112
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Chad Hayes , Carey Hayes
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Tagline
- Inspired by the true case files of the Warrens.
92 'Martyrs' (2015)
Directed by Pascal Laugier
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With graphic depictions of violence and gore, Martyrs simply has to be one of the most perturbing movies in the genre. Pascal Laugier's film depicts a young woman's (Mylène Jampanoï) quest for revenge, alongside her equally traumatized childhood friend (Morjana Alaoui), against those who tormented her as a child.
"Combining the psychological and body horror subgenres to terrifyingly effective results, Martyrs is far from an easy watch."
Combining the psychological and body horror subgenres to terrifyingly effective results, Martyrs is far from an easy watch. The 2008 movie is guaranteed to shock audiences with its brutally intense premise and gruesome imagery, two elements that make it one of the most polarizing horrors. — Daniela Gama
Martyrs (2008)
R
Horror
Martyrs explores a young woman's pursuit of vengeance against those who abducted and tortured her in childhood. Accompanied by her closest friend, who shares a traumatic past, the duo uncover a harrowing truth, plunging them into a nightmarish world of cruelty and existential horror.
- Release Date
- September 3, 2008
- Director
- Pascal Laugier
- Cast
- Morjana Alaoui , Mylène Jampanoï , Catherine Bégin , Robert Toupin , Patricia Tulasne , Juliette Gosselin , Xavier Dolan , Jean-Marie Moncelet , Jessie Pham , Erika Scott , Louise Boisvert , Isabelle Chasse , Emilie Miskdijan , Tony Robinow , Anie Pascale , Mike Chute , Gaëlle Cohen
- Runtime
- 99 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Pascal Laugier
- Studio(s)
- Eskwad , Wild Bunch , TCB Film
- Character(s)
- Anna Assaoui , Lucie Jurin , Mademoiselle , Father , Mother , Marie , Antoine , Etienne , Young Lucie , Young Anna , Anna's Mother (voice) , Creature , Torture Victim , Doctor , Woman Executioner , Executioner , Henchwoman
- Distributor(s)
- Wild Bunch
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91 'X' (2022)
Directed by Ti West
Ti West was already a name in horror circles in light of earlier critical successes like The House of the Devil, but X, still arguably the very best and freshest horror movie of the 2020s, saw his reputation rise to that of bona fide genre auteur. Mia Goth stuns in dual performances in the atmospheric, '70s-set and homage-heavy slasher about an adult movie crew who make the fatal mistake of setting up shop in the guest house of a homicidally bitter and resentful elderly couple.
Filmed in secret and set in WWI-era Texas, West's prequel Pearl was a further acting showcase for Goth, and in some ways even more confident and impressive than X. 2024's trilogy capper MaXXXine stumbled a bit in its plotting, but as a technical exercise and artistically vibrant tribute to '80s slashers, it ruled. Together, West's magnum opus is quite possibly the best horror trilogy of all time. — Samuel R. Murrian
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X (2022)
R
Horror
Mystery
Thriller
In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.
- Release Date
- March 18, 2022
- Director
- Ti West
- Cast
- Mia Goth , Jenna Ortega , Brittany Snow , Kid Cudi
- Runtime
- 105 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Ti West
- Studio
- A24
90 'Paranormal Activity' (2007)
Directed by Oren Peli
When young couple Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) move into a new home, they begin to suspect they may be plagued by supernatural events. Hoping to catch something on tape, they place several cameras around their house and reveal something sinister in the process.
While Paranormal Activity is far from the original found footage horror movie, it has had the greatest impact on the genre behind only The Blair Witch Project. Despite such a basic premise, Paranormal Activity became a massive hit commercially and spawned a wave of imitators that all failed to reach the same success. —Ty Weinert
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Paranormal Activity
R
Horror
Mystery
After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.
- Release Date
- October 16, 2009
- Director
- Oren Peli
- Cast
- Katie Featherston , Micah Sloat , Mark Fredrichs , Amber Armstrong , Ashley Palmer
- Runtime
- 86 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Oren Peli
89 'Funny Games' (1997)
Directed by Michael Haneke
With this 1997 art-house white-knuckler, Michael Haneke honed his occasionally self-serving indictment of audiences who look toward violence, torture, and death for their entertainments to a fine point. Two pleasant-seeming psychotics enter the home of an affluent family and put them through a series of near-sickening games in which their lives are constantly on the line. The psychotic boys intermittently address the audience, and even rewind the film at one point, suggesting that the viewers are in on their cruel activities and are, in a way, rooting for them.
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Funny Games is a stunning criticism that hits like a jackhammer at certain moments, but Haneke cops out in one regard, in that he never faces his own place in the making of films that are mainly built on suffering and death. Still, Funny Games is one of the venerable filmmaker’s most exhilarating creations, right up there with Cache, Code Unknown, and The White Ribbon, and though his moral arguments are muddled, the power of his film’s clinical visuals and menacing plot turns cannot be denied. — Chris Cabin
Funny Games (1997)
Not Rated
Thriller
Crime
Drama
Two violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
- Release Date
- March 11, 1998
- Director
- Michael Haneke
- Cast
- Susanne Lothar , Ulrich Mühe , Arno Frisch , Frank Giering
- Runtime
- 108 minutes
- Main Genre
- Thriller
- Writers
- Michael Haneke
88 'Black Sunday' (1960)
Directed by Mario Bava
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Before Mario Bava would direct the earliest identifiable slasher films in Italy, which genre-lovers loving know as giallos, he made this gothic throwback that could easily stand astride the best of Hammer Films’ output of the previous decade. Black Sunday begins with a stunning and horrific opening sequence that would get the film banned in the UK for years, although it is nowhere near as violent as Bava’s films would become less than half a decade later.
In the opening, Princess Asa (Barbara Steele) is convicted of being a witch and has a bulky and spiky satanic mask nailed onto her face by a massive mallet. She’s buried alongside her lover in a crypt. 200 years later, two doctors discover the tomb, are attacked by a bat and blood is spilled on her casket. They curiously pry the mask off of the Satanic Princess’ face and a curse is unleashed, as Asa takes possession of a virginal woman in town (Steele again) and sets out to unleash her revenge. This is Bava's first great horror. — Brian Formo
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Black Sunday
R
Action
Thriller
- Release Date
- April 1, 1977
- Director
- John Frankenheimer
- Cast
- Robert Shaw , Bruce Dern , Marthe Keller , Fritz Weaver
- Runtime
- 143
- Main Genre
- Action
87 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' (1986)
Directed by John McNaughton
John McNaughton’s squirmy, hard-to-watch serial killer observation in the wild, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, not only makes you confront the psychology of a serial killer, it should make you rethink why you’re okay with certain people dying in horror films but hope that others survive.
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Michael Rooker plays Henry and it’s a brilliant performance. His Henry isn’t an approachable guy who goes dark on you when triggered. His Henry doesn’t have any wildly disturbed tics, either. Something is off, but that thing that Henry is missing is empathy and a conscience (he never knows when he’s going past a personal barrier) and it’s the type of personality dysfunction that usually can’t be picked up on until you’re already a little too close. You don’t watch Portrait of a Serial Killer for excitement and shrieks; you watch it to pass a basic humanity test. If you’re deeply troubled by the film and can’t shake it, you have a conscience. In some miraculous way, Henry will improve your viewing of horror films and shift your attention more to the victims and away from a fixation on the killer. — Brian Formo
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
R
Crime
Independent
Drifter Henry teams up with fellow ex-con Otis for a series of brutal, random murders. As they descend deeper into violence, Otis' sister Becky becomes entangled in their dark world. The film offers a stark, unflinching portrayal of a serial killer's psyche and the disturbing impact on those around him.
- Release Date
- January 5, 1990
- Director
- John McNaughton
- Cast
- Michael Rooker , Tom Towles , Tracy Arnold
- Runtime
- 83 minutes
86 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' (1979)
Directed by Werner Herzog
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A remake of the original 1922 classic, Nosferatu the Vampyre follows Count Dracula (Klaus Kinski) as the legendary vampire arrives in Wismar and begins terrorizing the local community. He becomes enchanted by Lucy Harker (Isabelle Adjani) and sets out to make the woman his unwilling wife.
One of the best takes on the legendary source material, Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre succeeds courtesy of wonderful direction and terrific performances from the cast. Kinsi in particular offers one of the greatest performances of Dracula. The actor's reputation has taken hit after hit over the years due to off-camera behavior, but his collaborations with Herzog are, like Nosferatu himself, immortal.—Ty Weinert
Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979)
PG
Drama
Horror
Jonathan Harker, a real estate agent, ventures to Transylvania to finalize a property sale with Count Dracula, only to discover that his client is an ancient vampire. Dracula, drawn to Harker's wife, Lucy, relocates to Harker's town, unleashing a wave of death and despair. As Dracula's influence spreads, Lucy finds herself at the heart of the battle against the undead, facing unimaginable horrors to protect her loved ones.
- Release Date
- January 17, 1979
- Director
- Werner Herzog
- Cast
- Klaus Kinski , Isabelle Adjani , Bruno Ganz , Roland Topor , Walter Ladengast
- Runtime
- 107 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Werner Herzog , Tom Shachtman , Martje Grohmann
- Studio(s)
- Werner Herzog Filmproduktion , Gaumon , tZweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
- Distributor(s)
- Twentieth Century Fox
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85 'Onibaba' (1964)
Directed by Kaneto Shindo
Onibaba takes place during a civil war in Medieval Japan and follows a mother (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura). Impoverished because of the war, the two women murder passing soldiers and take their supplies before a new threat comes between them.
"Onibaba regularly shuffles between beauty and terror, often in the same scene."
Towing the line between horror movie and period drama, Onibaba remains creepily atmospheric throughout its runtime. From the sights of reeds blowing in the wind to the images of mutilated bodies, Onibaba regularly shuffles between beauty and terror, often in the same scene. — Ty Weinert
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Onibaba
Drama
Historical
Horror
- Release Date
- November 21, 1964
- Director
- Kaneto Shindō
- Cast
- Nobuko Otowa , Jitsuko Yoshimura , Kei Satō , Taiji Tonoyama
- Runtime
- 102 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Kaneto Shindō
- Studio(s)
- Kindai Eiga Kyokai , Tokyo Eiga
- Distributor(s)
- Toho
84 'Evil Dead II' (1987)
Directed by Sam Raimi
Brace yourself, those who have never tangled with Evil Dead II before! If you’ve already seen The Evil Dead…well, some of this might come off as familiar. And yes, it really, really is all but identical in content to the first film. And yet, that’s what makes its crucial differentiations, the decisive ways in which director Sam Raimi makes this its own gory, glorious movie, all the more impressive. Ash’s second trip to the cabin in the woods promises that he’ll be dead by dawn and that his companions will be decimated.
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Well, the Deadites who made that claim were half right at least. This is where Ash gets his famous chainsaw hand and inaugurates it with the blood of a few white-eyed banshees. It’s funnier, it’s scarier, and to quote Jack Black in Stephen Frears’ adaptation of High Fidelity, "the soundtrack kicks f***ing ass." – Chris Cabin
Evil Dead 2
R
Horror
Comedy
Ash Williams, the lone survivor of an earlier onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits, holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.
- Release Date
- March 13, 1987
- Director
- Sam Raimi
- Cast
- Bruce Campbell , Sarah Berry , Denise Bixler , Kassie Wesley DePaiva , Ted Raimi
- Runtime
- 84 minutes
- Writers
- Scott Spiegel , Sam Raimi
- Studio
- Tagline
83 'Candyman' (1992)
Directed by Bernard Rose
A grad student searching for a gripping topic for her thesis, Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) believes she has found it in Cabrini-Green, where the legend of a hook-handed man reigns over the locals. Helen finds plenty to write about, but also finds herself grappling with the Candyman (Tony Todd), the boogeyman all the tales center around.
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"Candyman gifted the world with Todd’s legendary performance as the ghostly killer."
One of the greatest slasher movies of all time, Candyman gifted the world with Todd’s legendary performance as the ghostly killer. With his tall, imposing presence and his velvety voice, Candyman works like a modern-day Dracula as he appears to slaughter those foolish enough to utter his name five times. — Ty Weinert
Candyman (1992)
R
Horror
Drama
Thriller
A graduate student researching urban legends discovers the terrifying tale of Candyman, a vengeful spirit with a hook for a hand. As she delves deeper into his history, she unwittingly summons him, leading to a series of gruesome murders. The line between myth and reality blurs as she fights to survive his wrath.
- Release Date
- October 16, 1992
- Director
- Bernard Rose
- Cast
- Virginia Madsen , Tony Todd , Xander Berkeley , Kasi Lemmons , Vanessa Williams , DeJuan Guy , Marianna Elliott , Ted Raimi
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Bernard Rose
- Character(s)
- Helen Lyle , Candyman , Trevor Lyle , Bernadette Walsh , Anne-Marie McCoy , Jake , Clara , Billy
82 'Jacob's Ladder' (1990)
Directed by Adrian Lyne
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Still haunted by his experience in the Vietnam War, postal worker Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) finds his terrifying nightmares becoming a reality. With the disturbing visions becoming stronger with each passing day, Jacob sets out to reveal the truth of his ordeal.
One of the most emotionally draining horror movies, Jacob’s Ladder is effective at placing the audience in Jacob’s shoes as he is worn down by each new disturbing revelation. It's an astute exploration of psychology and trauma as well as a frightening horror film. It proved to be highly influential in the horror genre, beyond just cinema, as the video game series Silent Hill is inspired heavily by the film.— Ty Weinert
Jacob's Ladder
R
Drama
Horror
Mystery
Jacob's Ladder is a horror mystery centering on a mourning father and scarred Vietnam War vet named Jacob that is dealing with dissociation. After his child dies, Jacob struggles to separate reality from his delusions. Jacob's Ladder stars Tim Robbins alongsideElizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven, and Jason Alexander.
- Release Date
- November 2, 1990
- Director
- Adrian Lyne
- Cast
- Tim Robbins , Elizabeth Peña , Danny Aiello , Matt Craven , Pruitt Taylor Vince , Jason Alexander
- Runtime
- 113 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Bruce Joel Rubin
- Tagline
- The most frightening thing about Jacob Singer's nightmare is that he isn't dreaming.
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81 'Videodrome' (1983)
Directed by David Cronenberg
When Max (James Woods), a television producer, discovers a strange broadcast signal that displays snuff films, he sets out to reveal its origins. The resulting journey causes Max to fall down a dark rabbit hole as he begins to question what is real and what is simply part of the show.
Directed by body horror master David Cronenberg, Videodrome is often cited as one of his best films and a pillar of the genre. Despite being three decades old, Videodrome feels just as fresh today, with its analysis of an audience obsessed with sex and violence seemingly ahead of its time. —Ty Weinert
Videodrome
R
Horror
Mystery
Sci-Fi
- Release Date
- February 4, 1983
- Director
- David Cronenberg
- Cast
- James Woods , Sonja Smits , Deborah Harry , Peter Dvorsky , Leslie Carlson , Jack Creley
- Runtime
- 87
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- David Cronenberg
- Tagline
- First it controls your mind. Then it destroys your body.
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