My 13 Favourite Horror Movies

MY 13 FAVOURITE HORROR MOVIES

The leaves are falling, the skies are grey, there's a chill in the air and the nights are closing in. It's Halloween, the very best night of the year - a night when horror fans alike gorge themselves silly on popcorn, chocolates and some of the most violent, depraved and disturbing movies ever made. But what are the best? What are the films that send my spooky senses tingling? Well, as it is the greatest day in the calender, I'm taking this opportunity to do the seemingly impossible and count down my 13 favourite horror movies of all time.

Note - these aren't necessarily the horror films that I think are the best. Rather, these are the horror films I find the most entertaining or the ones that resonate with me the most.  

13) HALLOWEEN III : SEASON OF THE WITCH (1983) -

It may not have franchise regular Michael Myers in it and it may have been a total flop upon its initial release but Tommy Lee Wallace's non-canonical sequel is a hugely inventive and entertaining shocker complete with a number of surprisingly gruesome deaths, a genuinely intriguing narrative and more than enough Halloween imagery to set the perfect Autumnal mood. Don't forget the big give away at 9!

12) THE OMEN (1976) - 

Who would have guessed the anti-Christ could be so adorable? Richard Donner's satanic classic has many things in its favour; Gregory Peck, instantly quotable dialogue, a heart-pounding finale and the best on-screen decapitation in cinema history.

11) THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) -

It's rare when a sequel outstrips its original but James Whales' monochrome stalwart not only lives up to the legacy of his 1931 predecessor but improves on it in almost every way possible. Karloff is as always fantastic in the role of the increasingly sympathetic Monster but it is Elsa Lanchester who steals the show in her short but extremely memorable turn as the titular bride. deliciously macabre and darkly comic, 'The Bride Of Frankenstein' is not only one of the greatest horrors, it is one of the greatest movies ever made. 

10) THE DESCENT (2005) - 

Not many movies manage to scare me but Neil Marshall's  claustrophobic hit gets me hiding behind the sofa every time I watch it. Telling the story of a cave-diving trip home very wrong, 'The Descent' is not a film for those faint of heart.

9) THE HORROR OF DRACULA (1958) -

It was hard to pick only one Hammer movie for this list ('The Curse Of Frankenstein' almost made the cut). However , it is hard to deny the power and  lasting impact this film has had on popular culture. Introducing the world to the best cinematic Dracula since Bela Lugosi in the form of Christopher Lee and faithfully sticking to Bram Stoker's novel, 'The Horror Of Dracula' is compulsory viewing for vampire fans of all ages.

8) A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) -

If you're looking for someone to spend Halloween with, then Freddy Krueger is the man of your dreams. Well, that is if your dreams involve evisceration and dismemberment.  While he  may have been turned into a caricature as the franchise stretched on over the decade, in Wes Craven's influential original, Krueger is a truly nightmarish creation and there is little doubt that the many psychological scars caused by his murderous antics have yet to heal. Lock your door, grab your crucifix and stay up late because if  you don't, you may never sleep again.

7) THE WICKER MAN (1973) -

Widely considered to be the best British horror movie ever made, Robin Hardy's May Day classic pits Edward Woodward's devout Christian cop against the pagan inhabitants of a remote Scottish island. With two extraordinary performances from Woodward and Christopher Lee and ending with one of the most shocking finales in 70's cinema, 'The Wicker Man' is an intensely creepy and genuinely upsetting journey into the darkest recesses of the psyche.

6) THE EXORCIST (1973) -

Released only 20 days after 'The Wicker Man', William Friedkin's head-spinning masterpiece 'The Exorcist' would horrify audiences in ways cinema hadn't dared to before. Testing the very limits of human endurance and stamping its way into popular culture with some of the most indelible imagery in horror cinema, Friedkin's Oscar-winning adaptation of William Peter Blatty's story is still as incendiary as it was 45 years ago. 

5) SWEENEY TODD : THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007) -

Director Tim Burton is no stranger to the sensibilities of the gothic and nowhere is that more obvious than in his beautifully bloody 2007 adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's stage hit. Johnny Depp has never been better as the vengeance-seeking barber while Helena Bonham Carter is simply splendid as the love-struck Mrs Lovett who turns Todd's unfortunate victims into meat pies. Gruesome, funny, shocking and desperately tragic, 'Sweeney Todd' is, in my opinion, Burton's magnum opus.

4) BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) -

It may be odd talking about the yuletide during October but no list of my favourite horror movies would be complete without a mention of Bob Clark's festive classic. Laying the groundwork for what would eventually become the slasher movie, 'Black Christmas' is a chilling and incredibly disturbing watch that manages to turn the most wonderful time of the year into the most terrifying. 

3) LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2009) -

A vampire film for a modern generation, Tomas Alfredson's haunting pre-teen drama is both a full blooded horror and a deeply moving and tome about bullying and childhood angst. Unfortunately, like so many of the movies mentioned in this list, 'Let The Right One In' has been severely undermined by a reductive remake - in this case an English language retelling by the aforementioned Hammer Studios that destroys everything that made the Swedish original so special. 

2) THE SHINING (1980) -

Is it about the genocide of native Americans? The moon landings? The holocaust? Who knows? What I do know is that this sinister and intensely claustrophobic adaptation of Stephen King's snowbound literary classic is not only my second favourite horror movie but it is also, in my opinion, the greatest film Stanley Kubrick ever made. 

1) JAWS (1975) -

It should come as no surprise that my favourite horror movie of all time also happens to be my favourite movie of time. Some may argue that it isn't a horror film but anyone who saw it at the same impressionable age I did will know that this one of the scariest movies ever made. It's fast-paced, it's expertly directed, it's performed by the greatest trio ever to grace the silver screen, it's got one of cinemas most iconic soundtracks, it's 'Jaws'. What more needs to be said?

With over a century of cinema behind us, it was very hard to pick only 13 films from the hundreds of horrors I've seen over the last 27 years. Other films considered include 'The Thing' (1982), 'Dracula' (1931), 'Suspiria' (1977), 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' (1957), 'Evil Dead 2' (1987), 'The Devil's Backbone' (2001), 'Final Destination 2' (2003), 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' (1931), 'Theatre Of Blood' (1973), 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974), 'The Fly' (1986), 'Dawn Of The Dead' (1978) and even some recent releases such as 'IT' (2017) and this year's own 'A Quiet Place'. But that is the truly wonderful thing about horror. There is so much variety out there. What films make your October complete? Let me know below and let's celebrate the magic of the season together. 

Happy Halloween everyone!