CAST
OSCAR REDDING, ARTHUR ANGEL, PAUL ASHCROFT, MARK LEONARD WINTER, TORQUIL NELSON

DIRECTED BY
JONATHAN AUF DER HEIDE

A Darwinian horror movie, Van Deimen’s Land told the true story of infamous cannibal convict Alexander Pearce with great visuals and the performances to match. Directed by Jonathan Auf Der Heide, Van Deimen’s Land is a film which is breathtakingly beautiful in its imagery and repulsive in its content, made even more horrific by the fact that it is a true story.

CAST
JOHN AMPLAS, LINCOLN MAAZEL, CHRISTINE FORREST, ELYANE NADEAU

DIRECTED BY
GEORGE A. ROMERO

Known more for his zombie infested “Dead” series, George A. Romero also knew how to make a great vampire movie with Martin a highlight in the sub-genre. The film focuses on a deluded young man who thinks he is a vampire. Making matters worse is his older cousin, who buys into the delusion and plots on killing the wannabe vamp. Amongst the thrills Romero adds commentary about religious fundamentalism and the economic struggles of the time.

CAST
KARE HEDEBRANT, LINA LEANDERSSON, PER RAGNER, HENRIK DAHL, KARIN BERGQUIST

DIRECTED BY
TOMAS ALFREDSON

With the world stuck in Twilight madness, salvation came for vampire fans in Swedish film Let the Right One In which told the touching yet disturbing relationship between child vampire Eli (Lina Leandersson) and bullied schoolboy Oskar (Kare Hedebrant). Director Tomas Alfredson created a moody, bloody and eerie vampire tale which has yet to be bettered. An American remake came out shortly afterwards, yet proved itself a trepid carbon copy.  

CAST
BRIONY BEHETS, JOHN HARGREAVES

DIRECTED BY
COLIN EGGLESTON

A classic Australian horror movie, The Long Weekend had a unique monster: Mother Nature herself. When an estranged couple venture out into the wild for some R&R, little would they know that there careless treatment of the environment would mark their doom, making this not only a chilling horror movie but a socially conscious one of well.  

CAST
WILLIAM RAGSDALE, CHRIS SARANDON, AMANDA BEARSE, RODDY MACDOWALL

DIRECTED BY
TOM HOLLAND

Essentially a 1980s version of Rear Window but with vampires, Fright Night was an effective horror film which brilliantly made fun of vampire conventions while becoming a solid entry in the sub-genre. Satirical humour and excellent monster makeup sit comfortably together, with Fright Night still holding up very well in an over saturated market which included an unnecessary remake.

CAST
KEVIN McKIDD, SEAN PERTWEE, EMMA CLEASBY, LIAM CUNNINGHAM

DIRECTED BY
NEIL MARSHALL

Werewolf movies are not the most reliable of the horror sub-genres, yet Dog Soldiers remains one of the few exceptions to the rule. Directed by gore hound Neil Marshall, Dog Soldiers takes a group of special elite soldiers and throws them up against a family of werewolves hungry for human flesh. Much blood, guts and killer one liners feature.

CAST
MIA FARROW, JOHN CASSAVETES, RUTH GORDON, SIDNEY BLACKMER

DIRECTED BY
ROMAN POLANSKI

Second part in director Roman Polanski’s “apartment” series (which also includes Repulsion and The Tenant) is also the best, with Rosemary’s Baby a chilling thriller about horrors unseen and the paranoia of Satanism featured during a time when such things were feared. Dedicated performances by Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon sold the realism of its horror, while its ending still stands as one of the best in the horror genre.

CAST
GENE WILDER, PETER BOYLE, MARTY FELDMAN, TERI GARR, MADELINE KAHN, CLORIS LEECHMAN

DIRECTED BY
MEL BROOKS

The king of satire Mel Brooks took on the Universal horror classic Frankenstein and created one of the best satires in Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder stars as the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein who eventually follows the family tradition of bringing the dead back to life, this time to hilarious results.

CAST
DEBORAH KERR, MEGS JENKINS, MARTIN STEPHENS, PAMELA FRANKLIN

DIRECTED BY
JACK CLAYTON

A dark and eerie ghost story, The Innocents featured Deborah Kerr at her best and also starred Village of the Damned brat Martin Stephens in another creepy kid role. Loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew, the film focuses on the new governess of a wealthy estate (Kerr) who finds that the children she is taking care of have been conversing with malevolent spirits beyond the grave.

CAST
JOHN MALKOVICH, WILLEM DAFOE, UDO KIER, CARY ELWES, CATHERINE McCORMACK

DIRECTED BY
E. ELIAS MERHIGE

This satirical “behind the scenes” look at the making of iconic horror movie Nosferau starred Willem Dafoe in an absorbing performance as Max Shreck / Count Orloff, a real life vampire hired by German director F.W. Manau (John Malkovich) to star as a vampire in his new movie. This revision of cinema history is as creepy as it fascinating.