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#20 |
SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004) |
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CAST
NICK FROST, SIMON PEGG, KATE ASHFIELD, LUCY DAVIS, DYLAN MORAN, BILL NIGHY
DIRECTED BY
EDGAR WRIGHT
A loving ode to all things George Romero, Shaun of the Dead was the first feature film collaboration from Brit geek comedy trinity of Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. A funny as it is scary, Shaun of the Dead takes on popular zombie conventions and makes them their own with laughs countering bloodshed courtesy of a cricket bat.
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#19 |
REC (2007) |
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CAST
MANUELA VELASCO, CLAUDIA FONT, CARLOS LASARTE, PABLO ROSSO
DIRECTED BY
JAUME BALAGUERGO, PACO PLAZA
The scariest found footage horror movie released thus far, REC saw those gifted Spaniards show the rest of the world how it’s done, with intense violence and tension filled scares shown through the POV perspective of a news cameraman covering a zombie (?) contagion in an apartment complex. The last 20 minutes of this film alone will have many crapping in their pants.
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#18 |
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) |
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CAST
DAVID NAUGHTON, JENNY AGUTTER, GRIFFIN DUNNE, JOHN WOODVINE
DIRECTED BY
JOHN LANDIS
Comedy director John Landis’ foray into horror resulted in one of the scariest and funniest werewolf movies. An American Werewolf in London focused on two yanks (David Naughton and Griffin Dune) whose tussle with a werewolf results in one wondering the earth as a living corpse, and the other damned to howl at the moon. Great acting and Landis’ unexpectedly brilliant direction result in a one of a kind horror experience, with Rick Baker’s ground breaking make up effects the cherry on top of this howling good werewolf flick.
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#17 |
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004) |
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CAST
JIM CAVIEZAL, MAIA MORGENSTERN, CHRISTO JIVKOV, FRANCESCO DE VITO, MONICA BELLUCCI
DIRECTED BY
MEL GIBSON
Mel Gibson’s passionate take on the last moments and crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a moving and repulsive biblical horror movie of the highest standard. Released during a time where the only way to get a rise through violent imagery is to do so in an extreme way, The Passion of the Christ added gothic imagery and a heavy dose of the supernatural (depiction of Satan etc.) to its often bloody depiction of Christ’s sacrifice for mankind. The end result is an unsettling and unforgettable movie experience.
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#16 |
ALIEN (1979) |
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CAST
SIGOURNEY WEAVER, TOM SKERRITT, JOHN HURT, HARRY DEAN STANTON, IAN HOLM
DIRECTED BY
RIDLEY SCOTT
The tagline of “In space, no one can hear you scream” was a hint and a half for the deep space horrors which Alien unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Directed by visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott and featuring Sigourney Weaver in her breakthrough role of survivor/warrior Ripley, Alien weaved tense thrills, excellent production design and one supreme monster with a short fuse and acid for blood. Numerous sequels followed, yet none could much the original.
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#15 |
GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)
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CAST
DAN AKROYD, BILL MURRAY, HAROLD RAMIS, ERNIE HUDSON, RICK MORANIS, SIGOURNEY WEAVER
DIRECTED BY
IVAN REITMAN
The greatest horror comedy of all time, Ghostbusters juggled supernatural thrills with witty comedy to make for always watchable movie that many have tried to emulate (Evolution, anyone?) yet none can match. Featuring brilliant performances from Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Sigourney Weaver, as well as the innovative use of a large marshmallow monster, this is a staple of ‘80s cinema that will never cease to entertain.
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#14 |
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)
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CAST
DONALD SUTHERLAND, BROOKE ADAMS, JEFF GOLDBLUM, VERONICA CARTWRIGHT, LEONARD NIMOY
DIRECTED BY
PHILIP KAUFFMAN
A remake of the 1950s classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a classic in its own right. Directed by Philip Kaufman and starring the likes of Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum and Leonard Nimoy, this sci-fi horror tale about aliens cloning the human race also featured a nice does of 1970s paranoia and an ending sure to shock.
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#13 |
THE THING (1981) |
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CAST
KURT RUSSELL, KEITH DAVID, WILFORD BRIMLEY, RICHARD MASUR, T.K. CARTER
DIRECTED BY
JOHN CARPENTER
The best film from horror maestro John Carpenter, The Thing was a dark, edgy monster movie that expertly combined sci-fi thrills with gross out horror, the effects work of Rob Bottin a masterpiece in practical effects wizardry. Carpenter stawart Kurt Russell stared as one of several American personal trapped in an Antarctic military base station, where an unearthed alien literally rips through, consumes and impersonates them. The line “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” still stands as one of the best uttered in horror cinema.
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#12 |
BLACK SWAN (2010) |
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CAST
NATALIE PORTMAN, MILA KUNIS, VINCENT CASSSELL, BARBARA HERSHEY, WINONA RYDER
DIRECTED BY
DARREN ARONOFSKY
Darren Aronofsky’s horrific look into obsession and perfection saw Black Swan win much applause and star Natalie Portman a well deserved Oscar for her turn as the dedicated yet inhibited ballet dancer Nina. Weaving reality with fantasy and sexual lust with disturbing violence, Arronofsky created a psychological horror movie of the highest quality.
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#11 |
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) |
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CAST
JODIE FOSTER, ANHTONY HOPKINS, TED LEVINE, ANTHONY HEALD, SCOTT GLENN
DIRECTED BY
JONATHAN DEMME
Directed by Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs mixed police procedural, gothic horror and psychological thrills. While it was not the first film to feature monstrous serial killer Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector (Michael Mann’s underrated Manhunter takes those honours), as portrayed by Anthony Hopkins the character seared the minds of many a movie goer, with Hopkins creating a calm, collected and psychotic horror figure whose homicidal lust is equalled only by his supreme intellect.
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