100 FAVORITE METAL ALBUMS

For my second act of nerdness, I bring forth my “100 Favorite Metal Albums”.  It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I am a metal head, though oddly after all of the dumb lists that I have made in the past, I have actually never tallied the best albums of the most headbanging of musical genres until now.  Similar to the Time Out London list that inspired my previous horror one Decibel magazine just recently put out a their “Top 100 Death Metal Albums of All Time”.  The timing was rather cosmic as I was already committed to my own metal list awhile before, so Decibel did not give me the idea this time around.  Honestly, their list is so utterly shitty anyway that I will not even bother linking it here, (that’ll learn ‘em).

When it came to deciding what was metal enough to include, I had the similar problem when deciding what was horror enough to include on my horror list.  Once again, I had to undergo much splitting of hairs.  Though there is no denying that Black Sabbath practically invented the metal riff, they have always been a classic rock band to me, even up to the Dio era.  Maybe that is because their first album came out in 1970 which seems too early for metal to officially exist.  On that note,I basically began with post-New Wave of British Heavy Metal stuff. 

As will become rather obvious, I tend to lean towards the extreme end of things.  Black and especially death metal-tinged stuff makes up a staggering majority of this list.  My time spent in my first death metal band where we all kept inspiring each others CD purchases has certainly contributed to my tastes being what they are.  I do dig some power, stoner, and doom metal, as well as the classic thrash and traditional stuff, but what can I say; at the end of the day I am a blood-curdling screaming and cookie monster vocals kind of guy.

Now there was other questionable stuff that also came up like pop music with really heavy guitars (System of a Down, Korn), or virtuoso prog metal, (Dream Theater, Fates Warning), and I opted not to include any of the above.  In the case of Dream Theater who were damn near my one time favorite band, albums like Images and Words and Awake would take up the top two spots on my list if I included them and saying either is the best metal album ever made just does not sound right.  So whatever; my list, my rules.

Now this time around I was lazy and a, just posting it as a list to read, sans the essays.  Lame I know, yet hopefully I have made up for this with including a link for each album, naturally to said album's most bomb-ass track.  Anyway, enough of this, on to the headbanging…

100 FAVORITE METAL ALBUMS

100.  TRANSYLVANIAN HUNGER (1994) - DARKTHRONE
99.  GRAND DECLARATION OF WAR (2000) - MAYHEM
98.  DESTROY ERASE IMPROVE (1995) - MESHUGGAH
97.  HELPING THE WORLD TO SEE (2004) - VEHEMENCE
96.  REVELATIONS (2002) - VADER
95.  WARP ZONE (2000) - MARYTR
94.  THE AUTOPHAGOUS ORGY (2002) - LORD GORE
93.  UNDER THE SIGN OF THE BLACK MARK (1987) - BATHORY
92.  CLOSE TO A WORLD BELOW (2000) - IMMOLATION
91.  THE BLEEDING (1994) - CANNIBAL CORPSE

90.  KING OF ALL KINGS (2002) - HATE ETERNAL
89.  BENEATH THE REMAINS (1989) - SEPULTURA
88.  DEICIDE (1990) - DEICIDE
87.  ONCE WAS NOT (2005) - CRYPTOPSY
86.  HUMAN (1991) - DEATH
85.  EVANGELION (2009) - BEHEMOTH
84.  THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED (2004) - MEGADETH
83.  DECHRISTIANIZE (2003) - VITAL REMAINS
82.  PIERCED FROM WITHIN (1995) - SUFFOCATION
81.  DEAD HEART IN A DEAD WORLD (2000) - NEVERMORE

80.  WORDS THAT GO UNSPOKEN, DEEDS THAT GO UNDONE (2005) - AKERCOCKE
79.  MELISSA (1983) - MERCYFUL FATE
78.  THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (2009) - HEAVEN & HELL
77.  AMONGST THE CATACOMBS OF NEPHREN-KA (1998) - NILE
76.  BLOODTHIRST (1999) - CANNIBAL CORPSE
75.  13 (2005) - SIX FEET UNDER
74.  THE SHAM MIRRORS (2002) - ARCTURUS
73.  FEAR, EMPTINESS, DESPAIR (1994) - NAPALM DEATH
72.  PAINKILLER (1990) - JUDAS PRIEST
71.  THE HAUNTED MADE ME DO IT (2000) - THE HAUNTED

70.  PIECE OF MIND (1983) - IRON MAIDEN
69.  WAGES OF SIN (2001) - ARCH ENEMY
68.  TORTURE (2012) - CANNIBAL CORPSE
67.  CAUSE OF DEATH (1990) - OBITUARY
66.  THE GREAT MISDIRECT (2009) - BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME
65.  BELUS (2010) - BURZUM
64.  HEARTWORK (1993) - CARCASS
63.  NONE SO VILE (1996) - CRYPTOPSY
62.  LA SEXORCISTO:  DEVIL MUSIC, VOL. 1 (1992) - WHITE ZOMBIE
61.  WOLVERINE BLUES (1993) - ENTOMBED

60.  INDIVIDUAL THOUGHT PATTERNS (1993) - DEATH
59.  EPITAPH (2004) - NECROPHAGIST
58.  SOUTH OF HEAVEN (1988) - SLAYER
57.  OCTOBER RUST (1996) - TYPE O NEGATIVE
56.  IN THEIR DARKENED SHRINES (2002) - NILE
55.  GATEWAYS TO ANNIHILATION (2000) - MORBID ANGEL
54.  STILL LIFE (1999) - OPETH
53.  THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL (1996) - PANTERA
52.  ABIGAIL (1987) - KING DIAMOND
51.  DOMINATION (1995) - MORBID ANGEL

50.  THE BLACKENING (2007) - MACHINE HEAD
49.  LEVIATHAN (2004) - MASTODON
48.  BLACK SEEDS OF VENGEANCE (2000) - NILE
47.  THE MANTLE (2002) - AGALLOCH
46.  ANOMALIES (2005) - CEPHALIC CARNAGE
45.  THE SOUND OF PERSEVERANCE (1998) - DEATH
44.  ASHES OF THE WAKE (2004) - LAMB OF GOD
43.  MORNINGRISE (1996) - OPETH
42.  COWBOYS FROM HELL (1990) - PANTERA
41.  REIGN IN BLOOD (1986) - SLAYER

40.  THE WRETCHED SPAWN (2004) - CANNIBAL CORPSE
39.  AS THE PALACES BURN (2003) - LAMB OF GOD
38.  IX EQUILIBRIUM (1999) - EMPEROR
37.  FAR BEYOND DRIVEN (1994) - PANTERA
36.  RIDE THE LIGHTNING (1984) - METALLICA
35.  DIABOLUS IN MUSICA (1998) - SLAYER
34.  THE JESTER RACE (1996) - IN FLAMES
33.  MONUMENSION (2001) - ENSLAVED
32.  SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1986) - IRON MAIDEN
31.  THE GATHERING (1999) - TESTAMENT

30.  ASTRO CREEP:  2000 (1995) - WHITE ZOMBIE
29.  BLOOD MOUNTAIN (2006) - MASTODON
28.  SACRAMENT (2006) - LAMB OF GOD
27.  IN DARK PURITY (1999) - MONSTROSITY
26.  AMONG THE LIVING (1987) - ANTHRAX
25.  REISE, REISE (2004) - RAMMSTEIN
24.  CRACK THE SKYE (2009) - MASTODON
23.  DEAD AGAIN (2007) - TYPE O NEGATIVE
22.  COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION (1992) - MEGADETH
21.  BELOW THE LIGHTS (2003) - ENSLAVED

20.  CHAOS A.D. (1993) - SEPULTURA
19.  GHOST REVERIES (2005) - OPETH
18.  MASTER OF PUPPETS (1986) - METALLICA
17.  COLORS (2007) - BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME
16.  HERZELEID (1995) - RAMMSTEIN
15.  BLACKWATER PARK (2001) - OPETH
14.  SONS OF NORTHERN DARKNESS (2002) - IMMORTAL
13.  WHORACLE (1997) - IN FLAMES
12.  POWERSLAVE (1984) - IRON MAIDEN
11.  ISA (2004) - ENSLAVED

10.  WATERSHED (2008) - OPETH
9.  SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON (1988) - IRON MAIDEN
8.  SANCTUS DIAVOLOS (2004) - ROTTING CHRIST
7.  MUTTER (2001) - RAMMSTEIN
6.  8-BIT APPOCALYPSE (2006) - MAGGOT TWAT
5.  VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER (1992) - PANTERA
4.  BLOODY KISSES (1993) - TYPE O NEGATIVE
3.  ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988) - METALLICA
2.  RUST IN PEACE (1990) - MEGADETH
1.  SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL (1995) - AT THE GATES

100 FAVORITE HORROR FILMS 10 - 1

10. KILL LIST (2011)
Dir - Ben Wheatley

"Do they know who you are?"

That whole “not knowing anything about a movie before seeing it” thing I mentioned in the forward has probably never produced a more satisfying result for me than last year’s Kill List.  My brother told me to watch it and not a word else was spoken before I did just that.  I did not look up a single thread of information about it before I did so and only had a sneaking suspicion that it was a horror movie in the first place.  With fly-on-the-wall direction, (lots of hand held camera work, ala documentary style), the film unfolds like a low-key, gripping crime drama, with both intense and humorous moments here and there.  Something odd is happening though; some sinister underlining.  The words “thank you” have never been more chilling or absorbing.  When the title hit at the end and the credits rolled, a type of excitement I rarely experience yet am always looking for overcame me.  As everything slowly began to sink in, all I could think was, “Holy fuck, that was brilliant!”.  I can really give no further details as such ignorance going into the film was paramount in my enjoyment of it.  The only other thing I can say is what my brother did; everyone needs to see this like now.

9. THE THING (1982)
Dir - John Carpenter

"I know I'm human"

I have no excuse whatsoever to only having experienced John Carpenter’s The Thing for the first time all the way through only just this year.  I mean, I love John Carpenter, I love Kurt Russell, and I love monster movies.  What the fuck?  Now that I have though, rest assured, it is great.  Like great, great.  Like seriously one of the best movies ever made great.  Halloween understandably gets the honor of Carpenter’s best film in most circles, but I, (and the Time Out film pole both), have to give that title to The Thing.  I mean, I am still quite partial to Big Trouble In Little China, but I digress.  Everything about this movie whoops-ass, from the utterly desolate setting, to Rob Bottin’s phenomenal make-up and creature effects, to the excellent though rarely-not-penned-by-Carpenter-himself score, and finally to the ambiguous ending.  Most of all though, the increasing tension is brilliantly paced as each of the Antarctic team members grows unbearably paranoid which peaks in that utterly memorable blood testing scene.  Stupendous stuff I say.

8. SUSPIRIA (1977)
Dir - Dario Argento

Rise of the Mother's Three

I got into Dario Argento somewhat late in the game, (early twenties, at least “late” for a horror buff such as I).  In a pretty short amount of time though, I had gone and seen all of his films up to that date.  The one I started with was Suspiria and there can be no denying that this is the man’s masterpiece.  I pretty much made up my mind I was an Argento fan about twenty seconds into this movie.  The bright colors and surreal camera work and narrative coupled with the man’s usual flair for outlandishly gory death sequences find the perfect tone here.  The film is as beautiful looking as it is gruesome. That said, we cannot by any means forget the best score ever composed for a horror film.  Goblin’s soundtrack is actually my favorite movie soundtrack ever and rarely has the music complimented a film as flawlessly as it does here.   A wonderful silver lining is that a Suspiria remake was in development hell for some time before the gods intervened apparently and stopped it from happening.  It would make as much sense and go over about as well as a Godfather remake so low and behold, justice has been served.  For now.

7. JACOB'S LADDER (1990)
Dir - Adrian Lyne

"Something weird is going on here"

A head-trip of epic proportions, Jacob's Ladder threw me for a mighty loop the first time I saw it several years back.  I have since been able to make “sense” of it just fine but man, what a spine-chilling ride it all is.  This is the only movie at all like this in Adrian Lyne’s filmography, who has dealt almost solely with sexually-charged dramas, (Fatal Attraction, Flashdance, Indecent Proposal).  You would never know it by the looks of things though as Jacob’s Ladder is as masterfully directed and suspenseful as a horror film can get, with some genuinely disturbing and seriously creepy imagery thrown at us along the way.  Tim Robbins is utterly outstanding in the performance of his career as the mentally tortured Vietnam vet Jacob Singer and the world he lives in is all kinds of terrifying, (that hospital scene is one for the books).  The Silent Hill game series was heavily inspired by the film, (which is one more reason to check it out), and I would be lying if I said I did not secretly wish every horror movie I ever watch would be just as good and basically just like this.

6. THEY CAME FROM WITHIN (1975)
Dir - David Cronenberg

"I had a very disturbing dream last night"

David Cronenberg’s full-length debut is by far my favorite of his films besides Crash, but that one is not a horror movie so we need not go there.  I first saw They Came From Within, (or Shivers in most markets, I just prefer the longer, more pretentious title), about ten years ago.  It was one of the first Cronenberg movies I remember seeing where I was aware of the director.  It was also at a time when I was beginning to take films more seriously.  This is a very different kind of horror, certainly for its time.  Monsters, zombies, vampires, and ghosts were proven classics and for the most part, they were all about killing you in gruesome ways.  The enemy here works far more disturbingly though.  It is a fitting critique of the complacent, excessive decade of the 70s as the film sets itself in an ultra-modern, luxury apartment complex which is located on its own island, there taking out its rather convenience-seeking residents.  The film grows increasingly creepy as it unfolds and Cronenberg gives it the perfect tone and mood throughout.  Outstandingly impressive for an up-and-coming filmmaker to say the least.

5. DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
Dir - George Romero

Hell runneth over

George Romero’s first and by far best sequel in the Dead series in Dawn of the Dead is THE zombie film to judge all others by.   As much a masterpiece as Night of the Living Dead is, Dawn scores infinite guts tokens by having arguably the best setting ever for a zombie movie.  Throwing our protagonists in a fully stocked abandoned mall is all kinds of genius, least of all because it gives the always social critic Romero the ideal means to blatantly parade his flesh-eating hoards around as mindless consumers.  Also, having a huge fucking mall to yourselves is just plain cool, so it eases the audience in to be more accepting of the intended commentary.  Sex machine Tom Savini deserves nearly as much credit as Romero for delivering genre-defining gore.  I still have to turn my head when they rip that biker’s stomach open.  Out of the three available versions of the film, the Dario Argento-edited European one with a Goblin soundtrack may be the tightest, but the two and a half-hour director’s cut is for the real zombie purist.

4. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
Dir - George Romero

Barbara is doomed

The groundbreaking game-changer that Night of the Living Dead is certainly provides a reason that I put it just above its possibly-even-better sequel Dawn of the Dead.   Back in 1968, horror movies simply were not made like this, big budget or not.  Monsters, supernatural entities, space aliens, or just giant creatures running amok were still very much the norm.  Even zombies beforehand had simply been depicted as mindless slaves controlled by some voodoo priest.  The flesh-eating, re-animated corpses with no real origin story to speak of were birthed here.  The film’s utter bleakness, documentary-style look, and realistic gore further took the horror film where it had never gone before.  It is indeed quite admirable that George Romero and co shot it so cheaply ($114, 000, after only an initial $6,000 from the production company did not cut it), and that the entire cast and crew got behind it so vigorously with everyone pitching in with post production and whatnot.  Romero’s work obviously was not done yet, but even if he never made another film after this, his reputation would still most certainly be sealed.

3. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007)
Dir - Oren Peli

As Dan Aykroyd would say, "Wanna see something REALLY scary?"

Movies do not scare me.  This may sound a bit daft, especially this close to the completion of a list of horror movies.  Honestly though, I can count the number of times one of these entries have kept me awake at night on less than one hand.  I knew of Paranormal Activity’s existence for less than a week when I saw it with a group of people the night it was released in wide distribution.   I think I heard a Blair Witch comparison and that it got exceptional reviews at least for a horror movie, but that was about it.  As probably the most effective slow boil I have ever seen just continued to grow, I kept expecting something groan-inducingly stupid to happen which would send the whole film off its rails.  Such a moment never happened though.  Instead, by “Night 21” the unthinkable occured as I was utterly giddy over how fucking scared I was.  This was a sensation I reckon I will never experience again.   After repeated viewings since obviously I now know what is coming, I have an easier time sleeping when it is all done.  Yet for those first few, I donno, weeks after first seeing it for the first time, that was something else entirely.  I went as far as the next two installments in the series and each one took away more and more from the original.  As viewed as a stand-alone entity and in the simplest of terms though, Paranormal Activity is the scariest movie I have ever seen.

2. THE HAUNTING (1963)
Dir - Robert Wise

"We who walk here...walk alone"

The absolute pinnacle of black and white, supernatural horror can be found without question in my mind in Robert Wise’s masterpiece The Haunting.  Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, (for which the film is very faithfully based), brought forth arguably the greatest haunted mansion in all of fiction in the form of Hill House which was built “ninety odd…very odd…years ago” before the movie takes place.  The small group of guests who go to the abode, (especially the star of the show Eleanor), are treated to some ghostly spectacles that would turn one's pubes white.  Yet the film’s brilliance lies in how we the viewer experiences it all.  Lighting, camera angles, and the occasionally deafening soundtrack coupled with how much is never shown, (including any ghosts at all), produce such effectively terrifying results that it almost makes all other horror movies look like they have no idea what they are doing.  There are moments in The Haunting that simply define “chilling”, with “Who’s hand was I holding?” and the bedroom door “pushing” in trumping them all.  Perhaps the craziest thing is that this is not even the best haunted house movie ever made because, well…

1. THE SHINING (1980)
Dir - Stanley Kubrick

"Come play with us Danny"

…THIS is the best haunted house movie ever made.  It should come as no surprise to anyone who has talked horror with me that Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is my favorite horror movie.  So if this final unveiling seems underwhelming, then I guess an apology is in order.  Nevertheless, I mean, c’mon; who doesn’t like The Shining?  First off, Stanley Kubrick is the greatest director who ever lived so if anything else, it makes all the logical sense that his one and only horror movie would be the best one there is. The Stephen King source material is probably by all accounts the man’s best novel, (Carrie and Salem’s Lot are right up there too. most would agree).   Having this as a groundwork could really only have produced such brilliance.  The premise is as perfect as you can possibly have for a horror story.  Guy and his family get snowbound in an enormous hotel for the winter, spooks run wild.  Fuck…yes!  It has always been humorous to me that King dislikes the film so much because all of his complaints towards Kubrick’s changes are for the most part my favorite parts.  The axe instead of the crochet mallet, the twins in the hallway, (possibly the most terrifying scene in film history), and the maze that gives us a far superior ending are all elements nowhere to be found in the book.  Jack Nicholson has had so many iconic performances over the years but of course, I gotta go with his batshit crazy Jack Torrance as my favorite, (his Joker a very close second), and Shelly Duvall’s Wendy is so hysterically terrified that it looks like she is about to have a heart attack for the last half hour of the movie.  This rather unfortunately proves that Kubrick very much knew what he was doing in tormenting the shit out of her during filming, (seriously, look it up).  There are so many more reasons why The Shining is at the top of this list and so much more to discuss, but we do not have all night so I guess that will do it folks.

100 FAVORITE HORROR FILMS 20 - 11

20. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)
Dir - Philip Kaufman

"That woman's husband is not her husband"

One of the more well-respected remakes out there I actually prefer the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the also excellent and also on this list 1956 version.  This mostly has to do with my leaning towards the horror end of things ten times out of ten and Philip Kaufman's take on it is certainly more horrific, (that dog will surely make you piss in your seat).  Donald Sutherland, Brook Adams, and Jeff Goldblum and co face off against a hopeless kind of paranoia here, where everyone, (including a wonderfully creepy Leonard Nemoy of all people), is out to get them.  Though not as much a commentary on 70s excess as the Cold War-era original was on the 50s Communist scare, this Invasion ultimately seals its superiority in my books with easily one of the strongest endings to any horror movie ever.  I remember being not just thoroughly creeped out by it, but grinning from ear to ear at how utterly awesome that last moment truly was.

19. THE MUMMY (1932)
Dir - Karl Freund

Doesn't look a day over 3,000

For the third straight time in a row, Universal once again struck pay dirt.  This time it was with 1932’s The Mummy.  Re-hiring screenwriter/playwright John L. Balderston who had penned both the previous year’s Dracula and Frankenstein respectfully, (as well as cinematographer turned director Karl Freund who had shot Dracula), Universal and producer Carl Laemmle Jr. certainly had the right men for the job.  Freund’s German Expressionist inspired direction is as excellent as any of the non-James Whale helmed Universals and Balderston’s script, (which is basically Dracula Part II), more than gets the job done.  This is all not even taking into account the legendary Boris Karloff who is back to create his second most iconic movie monster in the Ancient Egyptian High Priest Imhotep.  Finally given the chance to speak some dialogue, Karloff and his slow, trademark lisp are in stellar form which is further coupled by Jack Pierce’s top-notch make-up.   I mind it not at all that our only glimpses of Karloff in full-on mummy bandages are just a few quick glances in the first few minutes, as the more “presentable” look of his unearthed features for the rest of the film are still utterly effective.  Karloff’s soul-piercing eyes, (or “boo eyes” as my daughter would call them), are most creepy as well.

18. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)
Dir - Herk Harvey

Dance of the macabre

A public domain gem that has been released on DVD probably half as many times as Night of the Living Dead, (and yes, that is a lot), my cousin turned me on to Carnival of Souls years ago and it has remained one of my very favorites ever since.   Made independently with almost a non-existing budget, ($33,000 actually), and released in 1962, Carnival is a stark, ultra-spooky trip into the otherworldly realm between life and death.   Leading lady Candace Hilligoss spends the entire movie walking around as if she cannot remember if she left the oven on, coldly set apart from what may or may not be happening in the real world.  The Man, (director Herk Harvey himself, see above), is the creepiest and most memorable thing in the movie and there is a good chance that even if you have never seen the actual film, you have probably seen his ghoulish mug somewhere down the line.

17. ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)
Dir - Roman Polanski

All of dem witches alright

I first saw this movie as a teenager and foolishly expected something petrifying the likes of The Exorcist which at that point I was still very much afraid of.  So initially I was therefore disappointed by Rosemary’s Baby in that it is a quite different beast.  I am pretty much on the same page as everybody else with the movie at this point, which is to say that I love it.  What could have easily been ruined in the hands of a shock-laden hack of a director, Roman Polanski handles the material perfectly.  The evil plot unfolds gradually as Mia Farrow's Rosemary Woodhouse grows more and more terrified and alone.  This makes the film’s best and most famous moments, (the impregnating “dream” sequence and of course that iconic and quotable ending), all the more chilling.  The film's liberal length is quite appreciated as repeated viewings reveal more and more sinister clues.  I plan on reading the book someday, but the film works more than beautifully enough as a piece of horror cinema and as an entry into Polanski’s consistently excellent filmography.

16. THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
Dir - James Whale

It's still alive...as is she

One of the very best and surely rare examples of a sequel surpassing the original, The Bride of Frankenstein is another must-see classic from the glorious Universal monster cannon.  Most of the cast and crew returns for round two, including of course the great James Whale directing and Boris Karloff as the monster.  Plus the new additions of Elsa Lanchester, Una O-Connor, and especially Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius make the cast as pitch-perfect as can be.  Though Karloff very much wanted Frankenstein’s creation to stay a mute, the monster’s childlike dialogue and delivery help make the iconic character all the more benevolent and effective.  Of course most of the film’s greatness lies in the perfectly controlled, comedic tone that Whale gives it all.  Just as the original Frankenstein set the standard for so many future clichés in horror cinema, Whale is very subtlety parodying them a mere four years later here.  A Golden Age high water mark to be sure and damn near the greatest horror sequel ever made.

15. THE EVIL DEAD (1981)
Dir - Sam Raimi

"Join us! Join us!"

I do not like Sam Raimi, sorry.  Darkman is great and Evil Dead 2 is fun, but also really, really silly.  All the rest of his major films which include Spider-Man 2, Army of Shit, and Drag Me to Garbage pretty much suck in my eyes.  That being said, I saw the first Evil Dead way back in Jr. High without knowing or caring who the fuck Sam Raimi was and I have continued to thoroughly enjoy it ever since.  It uses the simplest of premises, (bunch of students rent a cabin for the weekend, demons are raised, hell breaks loose), and most of the humor here revolves around horror clichés and conventions that Raimi is clearly toying with such as “gotcha” scares, characters doing illogical and moronic things, bad acting, occasionally wearing the film’s budget on its sleeve, etc.  As opposed to the later films in the Evil Dead series which suffered, (at least in my opinion), by going full into slapstick comedy, the original Evil Dead very much remains a creepy-ass horror movie all the way through.  Making the camera itself the eyes of the demons is brilliant and this has the best unholy moaning and cackling in any film.  Each character’s transformation and demise is utterly memorable and gory as shit.  I can continue to heap as much praise on this one as I can complain about his others, but I will give Raimi his due; this movie fucking rules.

14. DRACULA (1931)
Dir - Todd Browning

All hail Béla Lugosi!

Well, eleven Universal monster movies in and there had to be one that trumped them all.  I may not have the very most popular opinion here, but the movie that kick-started the whole shebang is my absolute favorite of the bunch, 1931’s Todd Browning directed Dracula.  A tremendously huge reason for this is simply that Béla Lugosi’s Dracula is probably the greatest performance in horror movie history.  Along with Christopher Lee’s interpretation, (which is actually more evil and akin to the novel), Lugosi is my favorite undead Count.  More than any other actor in any role in the genre, Lugosi absolutely owns the part.  On top of that, the Alice Cooper honored Dwight Fry also delivers the performance of his career as the Count’s bug-eating, flipped-his-wig servant Renfield.  Then of course there is the first act in Transylvania and the Count’s castle which is arguably the finest cinematic horror ever put on screen.  Karl Freund’s cinematography and the gloriously Gothic set designs are as influential as anything James Whale would produce in Frankenstein the same year.  Dracula was Universal’s first monster movie hit, making it the granddaddy of the greatest run of horror films from any studio in history.  What more praise do you want?

13. THE WICKER MAN (1973)
Dir - Robin Hardy

NOT not the bees

I surprisingly did not catch this one until fairly recently and more surprising still was that I went thirty years without finding out a goddamn thing about it.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself the whole way through Robin Hardy's outstanding The Wicker Man, wondering with much anticipation what exactly these crazy, naked, dancing pagan hippies were up to.  By the time the credits rolled and my questions had been answered, I quickly came to the realization that I had just witnessed one of the greatest things I had ever seen.  One cannot really discuss the film’s greatness without going into the ending, but lets just say that the inhabitants of Summerisle make for some of the most uniquely sinister villains in movie history.  Christopher Lee was always a man with impeccable taste and he even waved his fee for making the film as he was such a fan of the material.  Perhaps Nic Cage should have gone a similar route and maybe used his paycheck for the remake to put towards burning all of the prints of it.  Eh, woulda-coulda-shouda.

12. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999)
Dir - Daniel Myrick/Eduardo Sánchez

Go stand in the corner

I was eighteen when The Blair Witch Project came out and proudly got caught up in the hype surrounding it, eagerly telling everyone I knew that they absolutely HAD to see it.  I have more-or-less been a fan of the “found footage” genre ever since and though I know it is the hip thing nowadays, many an excellent horror movie have utilized the groundwork set up here.  Of course nothing like Blair Witch existed before, (though the wretched Cannibal Holocaust technically was the first “found footage” film nearly twenty years earlier).  It was seen as such a breath of fresh air for a horror film to come out that boldly and in this case very effectively changed the game.  Simply throw a bunch of unknown actors into the woods with a camera and then proceed to scare the living shit out of them at night.  The actors had no idea what they were in for when making this movie and it shows, as their utterly petrified reactions sell it through and through.  Those “what the fuck is that?” tent scenes are skin-curdling, but it is really the pants-shittingly terrifying and low-key climax that puts this film near the top of the heap as damn near the scariest of all time.

11. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992)
Dir - David Lynch

"The stories that I wanna tell you about..."

Only two David Lynch movies made it on to this list for the simple reason of saving room for other movies David Lynch did not direct.  Eraserhead’s inclusion should be somewhat confusing enough, but I also went with Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me because if anybody else made a movie with an evil red room, a demon named Bob, and David Bowie disappearing while a midget talks about cream corn backwards, then that person would be high and that movie would certainly be a horror one.  This prequel to the Twin Peaks TV series, (which derailed and got cancelled after the reveal of Laura Palmer’s killer midway through the second season), was panned by both critics and Lynch fans alike when it hit theaters in 1992.  I for one cannot for the life of me understand why though.  It has SOOOO much of what makes David Lynch films great, (i.e. really high, really moody, and really fucking awesome stuff), and the aforementioned Bowie scene is still my favorite moment from any David Lynch film.  I unfortunately saw this before ever laying eyes on anything in the TV series and as this explains whole initial mystery that made that show so intriguing in the first place, needless to say the show was rather spoiled for me.  I can hardly complain though as this is still one of the many examples of Lynch at his very best.

100 FAVORITE HORROR FILMS 30 - 21

30. HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)
Dir - William Castle

"Would you like to see one of those heads?"

I fucking love this movie.  Yes it features Vincent Price who I could watch watch paint dry, but it is also a haunted house film which is a sub-genre that I can rightfully call my favorite.  I have always adored the old “Spooky Sounds of the Haunted House” records and the Haunted Mansion in Disney World, (easily still the best thing in any amusement park), and House On Haunted Hill fits nicely into this somewhat lighthearted category.  Though I guess it is a tad more gruesome as there is a severed head, a concealed pool of acid, and a brutal hanging.  Yet as is the case with most of these creepy camp fests, Haunted Hill is more spooky than scary and a whole lot of fun at being so.  So I recommend microwaving some popcorn, (and preferably around Halloween), treating yourself to Lord Price at his black and white best.

29. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
Dir - James Whale

Angry villagers unite!

There is no “best horror movies” list without Frankenstein, pure and simple.  What is crazier is that James Whale, Boris Karloff, and co would even one-better themselves with the sequel Bride of Frankenstein four years later.  For the first go, Whale ushers in so much iconic horror movie imagery that it is impossible to imagine what the genre would look like without the man’s influence.  Mad scientists playing god, crazy lightning powered laboratories, hunchbacked assistants, hulking monsters, and dark, gloomy settings are all conventions through and through and they were all either straight-up invented or perfected here.  Of course, Karloff’s “uncanny” breakthrough performance as the monster is what got him the moniker and Jack Pierce’s legendary make-up forever solidified the flat-topped, bolts-in-the-neck look of the Frankenstein Monster.  There is plenty more to applaud, (excellent performances from both Colin Clive and Edward Van Sloan, the films fortunate lack of a musical score, the monster’s reveal, Whale’s expertly low-key direction of the more horrific scenes, etc), but really, everyone should have seen this by now so I assume I am preaching to the choir.

28. MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964)
Dir - Roger Corman

"There is no other god! Satan killed him!"

The film that Entombed sampled twice in one song, Masque of the Red Death is the very finest Edgar Allan Poe adaptation that Roger Corman and Vincent Price made together in the early sixties.  Price’s Prince Pospero, (try saying that three times fast), is probably the evilest villain that the horror icon ever portrayed.  At the very least, he is certainly the most Satanic.  Speaking of the Lord of Darkness, he is all up in this one.  Both Price and the bosomly Hazel Court act as his loyal servants who keep their wealthy and degenerate guests “safely” locked inside their castle as the Red Death lays waste to the land outside.  Future filmmaker extraordinaire Nicolas Roeg is also on hand as the cameraman, as is Miss-Almost-Paul-McCartney Jane Asher as Price/Pospero’s innocent corruptee’.  There is a little bit of Poe’s “Hop Frog” and Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam’s, (however the hell you say that), “Torture By Hope” thrown in to help flesh-out the rather unfilmable "Masque" story and the whole affair goes down nice and gloomy.  Being the penultimate in the series, Corman and Price were near the end of their tenure with Poe homages and thankfully there was enough awesome left to produce such a classic.

27. THE BIRDS (1963)
Dir - Alfred Hitchcock

They do far more than shit on cars

The Birds has always been my favorite Hitchcock film.  It makes sense really as it checks off more than one preference of mine.  First off, there is no musical score as all we get is cawing, the flapping of wings, and the terrified cries of the bird’s victims during those attack scenes.  The horror is only hinted at at first, but once it takes center stage, the whole mood of the film changes completely and no explanation at all is given as to what we have just seen.  Birds start killing people, that is it.  The fact that rats with wings inherently creep me out anyway may also help the premise getting under my skin nice and proper.  Hitchcock films have been dissected and re-dissected by movie nerds countless times, so I am not going to bother doing that now.  There are plenty of intense, masterfully directed moments here, with the “army” of seagulls gathering their troops at the playground being chief among them.  Overall, this represents a master at his most masterful.

26. HALLOWEEN (1978)
Dir - John Carpenter

Party time! Excellent!

As I stated earlier, I am not a slasher movie fan.  I am also not really a fan of the Halloween franchise, though I have only seen John Carpenter and Rob Zombie’s one and two respectfully, with Zombie’s being two of the worst films in the history of anything.  Also as I have stated earlier though, I am fully able to give credit where credit is due.  The original Halloween was a mother fucker when it was released; an expertly directed, (and scored) classic that has since become unanimously regarded as the be-all end-all slasher film.  After that fantastically unsettling opening scene, (perhaps the creepiest POV camera work ever), the movie gradually kicks back up the tension and body count as Mr. Myers stalks Jamie Lee Curtis and her slutty high school chums all Hallows Eve long.  I am sure everyone has seen this by now, (my dad was the one who introduced me to it back in Jr. High), and though I loathe the sub-genre it forever defined, Carpenter rightfully became a horror legend here.

25. DEEP RED (1975)
Dir - Dario Argento

The slashing is profound

Dario Argento’s Deep Red, (originally titled Profondo Rosso), is the ultimate giallo film.  He had already made three psychological thrillers in that same surreal, deliciously Italian style, (the “animal trilogy” of Bird With the Crystal Plumage, Cat O’ Nine Tails, and Four Flies On Grey Velvet, all of them noteworthy), and he would continue to make many more.  Yet Red is several cuts above the rest, pardon the pun.  Both the acting and script are the best and tightest he would ever work with, contributing leaps and bounds since Argento films have never been known to feature excellence in either category.  One of the best “jump out of your seat” moments of all time is in this film and all the death scenes are the usual high, bloody quality both Argento and giallo movies are generally known for.  This is also the first soundtrack by the mighty Goblin, who provide a typically great, more prog-filled score here then their utterly perfect and bone-chilling work on Susperia.  Along with that said film, Deep Red also ranks as Argento’s high-water mark, proving the mid-seventies was truly the “Italian Hitchcock’s” time to shine.

24. THEATER OF BLOOD (1973)
Dir - Douglas Hickox

Dr. Phibes does King Lear

For the third time in a row, Vincent Price is out to get some bloody revenge.  Theater of Blood recycles the plot from The Abominable Dr. Phibes, (even down to the beautiful assistant, Diana Rigg this time around), but instead of a zombified doctor hell-bent on murdering other doctors, this time it is Edward Lionheart, Shakespearean actor extraordinaire who is out to get all those bastardly critics who denied him a prestigious award.  Yes the premise is that silly and yes it is that awesome.  Whereas his dialogue was sparse and distorted in both the Phibes films, Price fans are in for the ultimate treat with Blood, as the greatest horror actor that will ever be is given a bona-fide buffet of scenery-chewing lines to work with.  Each murder scene is more fiendishly clever than the last and each is based off the famous works of Shakespeare.  Price gives it his all through and through, playing multiple “roles-within-a-role”, (his flamboyantly gay hair dresser is as great as it sounds).  This really is THE Vincent Price role and one that the actor was destined to play as it is rather impossible to see any other performer in the part.

23. THE INNOCENTS (1961)
Dir - Jack Clayton

"Sometimes one can't help imagining things"

Physiological horror has rarely been done better than in The Innocents, an exceedingly atmospheric and triumphant example of the “less is more” approach to the ole spooky mansion movie.  Few if any horror film shows so little yet leaves so much to ponder, constantly having us guessing as to what is “real” and what is imagined by the slowly unraveling psyche of our troubled Governess Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr).  The “innocents” themselves Miles and Flora, (the latter of which is played by Pamela Franklin, who would have a staring turn some twelve years later in another haunted house classic and film on this list, The Legend of Hell House), are both charmingly angelic.  This makes their growingly mischievous and possibly supernatural behavior all the more disturbing.  The film is beautifully shot, (for which we have cinematographer/Hammer and Amicus director Freddie Francis to thank), and expertly chilling, all the while without being the least bit graphic.  It is highly regarded as one of the best British horror excursions ever committed to celluloid and I am highly inclined to agree.

22. ALIEN (1979)
Dir - Ridley Scott

Haunted house in space

Outer space is a cold, desolate, and frightening place.  So are gargantuan spaceships.  This setting really should harvest more terrifying results in movies, but it is indeed difficult to be better than Alien.  Ridley Scott, (a man whose career has produced some very uneven blockbusters over the decades), does his best work here, handling the action, the scares, and certainly the pacing impeccably.  The first hour of Alien is pure suspense building, especially by now when we all know that inevitable “chestburster” scene is what really kicks things into full gear.  There is a whole lot of “gotcha” moments along the way, but the slow boil and ultimately sparse use of screen time given the usually camouflaged alien gives the movie its most effective creepiness.  H.R. Giger’s design work and Dan O’Bannon’s script are both brilliant and the recognizable cast is just as wonderful.   Of course Dana Barrett herself Sigourney Weaver would stick around for several of these films, (James Cameron’s Aliens being an action classic in its own right), though she really only gets the spot light for the last supremely awesome twenty minutes or so here.  Not that such a thing is a detriment mind you.

21. THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971)
Dir - Robert Fuest

"Nine killed you...nine shall die! Nine eternities...in doom!"

The first that I ever heard about Lord Vincent Price’s most celebrated film was with its inclusion in one of my favorite childhood board games Creature Features, which is Monopoly with horror movies.  Pretty cool right?  The Abominable Dr. Phibes is the type of horror film that is impossible not to love.  A horridly disfigured former doctor who is long presumed dead hammers away at an organ, eats and talks through a hole in his neck, and spends the entire movie elaborately murdering nine other doctors according to the ten plagues of Egypt.  What is not to love?  This is the kind of campy, ghoulish fun that Price relishes in and he makes Phibes his own, as well as one of the screen's most iconic horror villains.  The formula worked so good here that Price took on two more films with an almost identical premise in the next two years, the following sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again and 1973’s Theater of Blood.  Both are masterworks, but none more than this one.

100 FAVORITE HORROR FILMS 40 - 31

40. THE BODY SNATCHER (1946)
Dir - Robert Wise

You will never be rid of him

I must admit that I am simply not a big fan of hardly any of the RKO/Val Lewton produced horror outings of the 1940s, especially the two most hugely praised ones Cat People and I Walked With a Zombie.  Perhaps then it is the great Robert Wise taking the helm of The Body Snatcher that makes it as good as it is.  Well, that and Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi making it their seventh and final film together, though Lugosi’s role is sadly regulated to a scant few minutes of screen time which still produces one of the pair’s very finest scenes together.  This deters the film not at all though, as Karloff the great is at the top of his game as the grave-robbing scoundrel John Gray, one of his many, many “best” roles.  His performance would be enough to carry the proceedings gloriously along even if the rest of the film was utter jargon, but alas, The Body Snatcher features an astonishingly strong script, especially for such a small budget genre film. The ending is particularly strong, a rarity itself in horror films.

39. THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968)
Dir - Terence Fisher

"Do you believe in evil?"

Though not one of the studio's more well known Gothic monster epics, The Devil Rides Out is nevertheless a largely respected Hammer entry and certainly my favorite film by the legendary company.   You got Christopher Lee of course who is always worth a great deal, an appearance by Satan himself, and a white vs. black magic showdown that conjures up, (amongst other things), a giant spider and the Angel of Death.   Lee actually plays a good guy here and he was such a fan of the film that he has expressed interest numerous times over the decades to remake it, reprising his role as Duc de Richleau.  This would actually work better than one would think as said character was in fact a far older chap and closer to Lee’s current age in the novel the film is based on.  Remakes of great movies are never necessary, but I could not help but be on board for one that was under Lee’s influence.  Regardless of whether they get around to it or not, The Devil Rides Out stands as a hallmark occult film and again for my money, easily the best non-monster movie in the Hammer cannon.

38. SANTA SANGRE (1989)
Dir - Alejandro Jodorowsky

"My hands! My hands!"

With only six completed full-length films to his credit since 1968, French/Chilean madman Alejandro Jodorowsky certainly is not the most prolific of filmmakers.  Yet he is definitely one of the most eccentric.  I fell in love this man’s work after experiencing 1973’s gloriously-on-drugs The Holy Mountain for the first time.  He only made one rather tame outing between that and 1989’s Santa Sangre, making this a comeback of sorts.  Shockingly provocative avant-garde insanity is what Jodorowsky films are all about, though Sangre is slightly more "straight-forward" story-wise than either Mountain or the man’s other famous opus, 1970's El Topo.  It is also his only movie that could fit into the horror genre, admittingly by a stretch mind you.  It is chalk-full of head-scratchingly bizarre scenes, one after the other such as Down's syndrome patients snorting cocaine, an elaborate funeral parade for an elephant, a man who thinks he is both a phoenix and the Invisible Man, and a cult that worships an armless girl.  Think of it as a very twisted version of Psycho, albeit with more clowns, whores, and midgets.

37. [REC] 2 (2009)
Dir - Jaume Balagueró/Paco Plaza

The camera keeps rollin'

Though superhero films often get it right for whatever reason, (The Dark Knight, X-Men Days of Future Past, Batman & Robin, etc), superior horror sequels are a very rare breed.  Rarer still is a superior sequel to an already excellent film and [REC] 2 just happens to be one of those.  Starting immediately where [REC] ended, it makes sense that [REC] 2 plays the same game as its predecessor, only the rules very much have changed the second time around.  Fairly early on here, writing/directing team Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza reveal their ace in the hole and a very different level of creepiness gets heaped upon the already sufficient “zombies on the rampage” formula.  It is a bold move, but it more than delivers in setting it apart from what just as easily and safely could have been a carbon copy of the first film.  Both Balaguero and Plaza have since split up to each take on a separate sequel to add to the franchise, so time will tell if they can continue to hit pay dirt.  With two kick-ass films in a row, they certainly have nothing to prove in my eyes, but they have certainly given me no reason to doubt them either.

36. PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961)
Dir - Roger Corman

"Are you ready now Bartolome?"

The second Roger Corman/Vincent Price Edgar Allan Poe adaptation Pit and the Pendulum may be the quintessential Gothic horror outing.  A gargantuan, dark and spooky castle which is cast upon a mountain top with violent waves crashing about underneath it, also with a history of madness and murder lurking inside its walls, this is prime horror movie real estate we are talking about.  The film treads very similar terrain as the previous year’s House of Usher, (stranger visits a castle, Vincent Price is the weirdo who lives there, there is a beautiful wife/sister, etc.), only everything has been improved upon.  Price goes mad with a vengeance, the always sensuous Barbara Steele wreaks some ghostly havoc, and a Spanish Inquisition torture chamber gets a full work out.  The prolific Richard Matheson, (who I believe has more writing credits on this list than anyone else), penned the screenplay as he did Usher and two more Poe/Corman/Price films in the following two years.   As is the case with each said adaptation, they all use the Poe title and little else in the original story, but one can hardly complain.  As Corman himself put it, “…a two-page short story is not about to give you a ninety-minute motion picture”.  Touché Mr. Corman.

35. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
Dir - Don Siegel

No sleep for you

Your family not being who they say they are?  Not being able to fall asleep, even for an instant?  Afraid you will wake up as a different person?  Freaky shit and all brilliantly realized in nearly everyone’s favorite sci-fi horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Now I am a weirdo and actually prefer the 1978 remake to this one, (which I will get to later on in this list), but there is no denying that both are excellently realized.  Pods from space that turn people into soulless, passionless clones was both a metaphor for the increasingly conforming suburban community of America and for the Communist paranoia of the day, and decades later the film can still resonate on variations of these themes.  All of that aside though, Invasion is just a good goddamn horror movie.  The entire premise is assuredly creepy and Kevin McCarthy’s turn from a calm and charming town physician to a hysterical and desperate man who is all alone against a seemingly unstoppable “monster” is chilling to behold.  A classic through and through.

34. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)
Dir - Dan O'Bannon

"What would be like, the most horrible way to DIIIEEE?"

I can and probably will watch this movie a hundred or so times in my lifetime and to put it simply, no zombie film is more fun than Return of the Living Dead.  Writer/director Dan O’Bannon, (the man who also wrote Alien and did a whole lot of stuff behind and on screen in John Carpenter's amateur-hour debut Dark Star), utilizes none of that Romero-esque social commentary here.  Instead, it is just good ole brain-eating mayhem, served up tongue-very-much-in-cheek.  More silly than anything else, Return nevertheless features the most badass zombies a horror movie has yet to produce.  Impossible to “kill”, running and feasting at full speed, and tossing off one-liners like nobody’s business, the ridiculousness is ever intensified as the situation grows more and more hopeless for the ensnared zombie-meat.   The initial re-animated Tarman they foolishly unleash in the basement is particularly nasty.  Of course, let us not forget Linnea Quigley's naked-punk-chick-stripping-in-a-graveyard scene, surely the single greatest nude moment in cinema history.   Fun for the whole family!

33. THE RAVEN (1935)
Dir - Lew Landers

"Yes! I like to torture!"

Out of the seven Boris Karloff/Béla Lugosi team-ups, The Raven is my personal favorite.   Dracula is Dracula, but I dare say that Lugosi’s turn as the maniacal Dr. Richard Vollin is possibly the best performance the Hungarian legend ever gave.   Universal supposedly offered it to Karloff originally, wanting Lugosi to play the killer-on-the-run Edmund Bateman.  Instead, Lugosi insisted on the two actors switching roles, which was a wise move to be sure.  Karloff got the top billing anyway and the film did little business when originally released, all unfortunately fueling both Lugosi’s jealously over his towering English rival and his declining box office appeal.  If only The Raven and Lugosi got the praise they deserved at the time. Like the also fantastic The Black Cat from the previous year, The Raven is just over an hour and uses an Edgar Alan Poe story for its title.  It also shares a torture theme with said film and Lugosi goes gloriously over the top when it is time to bust out the dungeon toys.  Any Lugosi fan is well aware of this gem, but for the uninitiated out there, make it a priority.

32. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)
Dir - Tobe Hooper

So, how do you feel about leather?

The exploitation “slasher” film to rule them all, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is horror at its most horrific.  I first saw it in high school and it basically fucked with me something fierce.  I refused to watch it again for several years, but by that time I had grown to appreciate the cultural importance and technical aspects of the film.  Its low-budget, grainy, documentary look as well as the in-your-face directness of the violence does oodles to get in your head and stay there. Though the first half kind of slags, shit gets really fucked-up before too long and the dinner scene climax is otherworldly disturbing.  Sally’s non-stop, blood-curdling screams during the final reel may be the most perfect horror ending you can get.  It certainly still packs quite a wallop and though I cannot say that I can joyously revisit this film as much as others on this list, that is probably very much the point or at least very much should be.

31. PSYCHO (1960)
Dir - Alfred Hitchcock

Hello mother dear

I did not intend to put two films very loosely inspired by the same serial killer Ed Gein in a row, but well, here we are.  Though some could split hairs and argue that Psycho is more of a serial killer movie than a proper horror movie, the incredibly famous “shower scene” pretty much settles the score right there in my book.  Really though, those silhouetted murder scenes which build-up to that legendary “twist” in the finale all set this one firmly in the horror camp.  Also, it would inspire countless other genre films.  A pre-curser to slashers in particular, (for better or worse), Psycho was a violent and shocking statement for its day and could easily be regarded as Hitchcock’s finest hour.  Though I can hardly dispute such praise, I nevertheless have one more from the master of suspense on the way.  There is really not much else that can be said about the film that has not already been said countless times already, so if you are one of the zero people who have yet to see it, very much do so already.

100 FAVORITE HORROR FILMS 50 - 41

50. THE WOLF MAN (1941) 

Dir - George Waggner

Even a man who is pure in heart and all that jazz

The legend of Larry Talbot was born here and continued in four sequels for Universal, each one a little sillier than the last)  As opposed to Universal’s other signature horror baddies in Dracula, the Mummy, and the Frankenstein monster who all had different actors eventually portray them in future sequels, the Wolf Man was solely done by the lovable Lon Chaney Jr.  The man would not give up the character and channels his old man’s, (that’s Lon Chaney Senior for those ignorant to film history), willingness to undergo laborious and painful make-up transformations, handled once again by Universal’s ace-in-the-hole Jack Pierce.  Both Béla Lugosi and Claude Rains bring some class to the table, (the former as the gypsy who is host to the werewolf curse, the later as Talbot’s father), as does old school scream queen Evelyn Ankers who would go on to appear in almost as many horror movies as Chaney would.  No list of the greatest horror films can be complete without these Universal monster ditties with The Wolf Man certainly proving my case.

49. HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)

Dir - Terence Fisher

All hail Christopher Lee!

Every Dracula film adaptation has used the Bram Stoker novel as loosely or as faithfully as it wishes, and Hammer’s take is certainly no different. What sets Horror of Dracula apart from all others is Lord Christopher Lee’s uncannily evil performance.  For whatever reason, other actor's portrayal of the unholy, undead Count always seem to steer to the sympathetic.  He is a tortured soul, became a vampire against his will, longs for a lost love, yadda, yadda.  Not Lee’s Dracula though. His is evil-incarnate; an utterly heartless fiend whose cold, sadistic seduction of bountiful maidens is coupled only by his animalistic, psychotic blood-lust for anything with a penis that gets in his way.  For anyone who has actually read the book, this is the character as he was always meant to be.  Lugosi’s Count may still be my favorite and also leans towards the pure evil side, but Lee kicks it up and then some.  Also for some extra in awesome, Peter Cushing naturally does his always admirable job as Van Helsing.  It is a testament to both of these men’s powers that they were able to do an excellent role reversal with Lee playing the sympathetic monster in the previous year’s Curse of Frankenstein and Cushing playing the title role as a deplorable villain.  This, among many other reasons, is why these two men should be on currency.

48. SALEM'S LOT (1979)
Dir - Tobe Hooper

Darkness on the edge of town

At just over three hours long, the original Salem’s Lot television mini-series is no doubt a rather long undertaking, but for any Stephen King/vampire/horror movie fan, it is also essential viewing.  Like most of King's works, it takes some time before the “good stuff” starts happening, but that being said, Lot is arguably his best novel and this adaptation chooses wisely what to leave out, what to leave in, and like Stanley Kubrick’s The Shinning, what to improve.  The cast is mostly recognizable and quite strong.  James Mason was never creepier and "Future Miss John McClane" Bonnie Bedelia was never babelier.  On top of that, we are treated to some of the absolute best horror movie scenes there have been, handled expertly by Chainsaw Massacre maestro Tobe Hooper.  Children floating outside of windows, Geoffrey Lewis slowly rocking in a chair, a horde of just-waking-up undead crawling out of their basement tomb, and of course, possibly the most fantastic horror-villain-unveiling in history when “The Master” Barlow finally shows up in town.  Top notch, spooktacular stuff.

47. VAULT OF HORROR (1973)
Dir - Roy Ward Baker

"Night after night...for all eternity"

Perhaps us horror connoisseurs each have a particular favorite Amicus anthology production.  Most would probably say the very first Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors was never topped, (I damn near agree), others maybe pick Tales From the Crypt which is probably the studio's most popular entry.  Vault of Horror, (which was made the follow year as Tales), is obviously a companion piece as each take their title from one of the legendary EC Comics books.  Ironically, none of the stories from this film version of Vault are from the book of the same name, (all but one actually appeared in the "Tales from the Crypt" book, go figure).  The greatest Doctor of all Tom Baker is present in the best of the five stories “Drawn and Quartered”.  As big a fan of classic Doctor Who as I am and particularly Baker’s run, this story's superiority is hardly surprising.  Yet nearly all the other tales are just as strong, “The Neat Job” in particular is rather a riot.  I actually debated having both this and Tales occupy the same spot, but alas, no cheating was allowed.  Really though, all seven of Amicus' anthology movies are not to be missed.

46. THE BLACK CAT (1934)
Dir - Edgar G. Ulmer

Supernatural bologna

Though I have a fondness for two other films starring these two giants of the macabre, the 1934 Black Cat is the first and damn near best Béla Lugosi/Boris Karloff pairing as well as one of Universal’s many horror masterpieces.  No “typical” monsters are present here and Lugosi, (who is fantastic as always), plays sort of a “good” guy.  A "good" guy set on torture and revenge mind you, but a sort-of "good" guy all the same.  Karloff’s Austrian architect Hjalmar Poelzig is damn near his best role and one utterly evil villain to be sure.  Though it is just over an hour in length, there is a whole lot thrown into The Black Cat.  World War I carnage, torture, ailurophobia, (the fear of cats), drug abuse, occultism, and a tense stand-off between two mortal enemies resulting in both a sinister chess game and a gruesome flaying alive scene are all key ingredients.  All the Karloff/Lugosi team-ups are quality though, representing must-see stuff for horror fans of the good ole days.

45. THE FLY (1986)

Dir - David Cronenberg

"Does this look like a sick man to you?"

I am quite the David Cronenberg fan as most people should be and many peg his 1986 remake of the 1958 classic The Fly as his very best horror work.  Though I do not agree 100% with that statement, (stay tuned), The Fly does indeed kick some serious ass.  The 1958 original is decent and stars Vincent Price in a supporting role, but any justifiable remake must have that rare ability to improve on the original in some profound way.  Whereas said original here blew its money shot on one big though highly memorable reveal, Cronenberg’s The Fly’s brilliant decision to go all gradual with the transformation pulled-off just such an improvement.  Spending nearly the entire movie getting to live with and witness Jeff Goldblum’s inner bug man slowly puss its way to the surface, (all the while witnessing Geena Davis torment at witnessing the very same thing), is a horrific, heartbreaking, and even occasionally funny thing to behold.  OF course Chris Walas' Oscar winning make-up effects are stupendously disgusting and effective and both Goldblum and Davis are great in the leads.  Then when you have the mighty Cronenberg leading the whole shebang, you just cannot go wrong I suppose.

44. DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1931)
Dir - Rouben Mamoulian

"Free! Free at last!"

Though distributed by Paramount originally, this 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fits snugly in with the early Universal monster films.  Like Frankenstein and Dracula which were both released the same year, Jekyll and Hyde was based off a famous novel, had at least one, (or in this case, five), previous screen adaptations, and utilized no musical score which is something regrettably rare that I also wholly appreciate.   Russian director Rouben Mamoulian flows the camera around quite daringly, with many long takes, POV angels, and close-ups galore.  Fredric March won an Oscar for the duel lead role and I can certainly see why, (though I am none the expert on the Academy the way others are mind you).  The Hyde transformation make-up technique, utilizing colored filters and “invisible” make-up is still wickedly effective and Hyde’s increasingly sadistic torment over bar wench Ivy (Miriam Hopkins) is as unsettling to watch as anything in horrordom.  The best crack at the Robert Louis Stevenson source material by a mile.

43. THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)

Dir - James Whale

The whole world is his hiding place

Easily the finest non-Alan-Moore-penned version of the H.G. Well’s “Invisible Man” antagonist Griffin is the 1933 Universal classic The Invisible Man.  With horror’s possible finest director James Whale at the helm and the great Claude Rains in the title role, (though we only see his face at the very end), The Invisible Man certainly had the right ingredients and certainly delivers.  As he was wont to do, Whale plays the films main special effects showcase for laughs, as Griffin disrobes and proceeds to terrorize a small village which cleverly underlines his later more savage acts.   It is a splendid balance of horror and comedy all around that Whale would perfect further with The Bride of Frankenstein some two years down the road, (which would again feature everyone’s favorite screaming hysterical woman Una O’Connor).  Rains’ leading man career would kick-start here as well, including future turns in Universal’s The Wolf Man and Phantom of the Opera remake and the film's simple special effects, (using wires and a black velvet body suite and background), are quite pleasantly convincing for the period.

42. VIDEODROME (1982)
Dir - David Cronenberg

"I just can't cope with the freaky stuff"

Here is some more David Cronenberg and an utterly mind-melting one at that.  Staring an excellent James Woods and Blondie’s own Deborah Harry, Videodrome may very well be the quintessential “body horror” film from the man who had very much made the sub-genre his stock-in-trade.   It is strange as hell by design, especially as Wood’s “hallucinations” grow more and more intense and dominate further screen time.  This was a very welcome return to greatness for Cronenberg after The Brood and Scanners, (two very lackluster outings), and Woods turns in an arrogant-turned-panicked performance as the sleazy cable station CEO who delves ever deeper into the snuff-film universe of Videodrome.  Cronenberg certainly has some other exertions into the surreal, (eXistanZ is a phenomenal second cousin to this one and very much worth checking out), and he has also made more straight-ahead horror films, but Videodrome is his finest pairing of both.

41. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)

Dir - Tomas Alfredson

"I'm not a girl"

Some of the best horror movies are really only horror movies on the surface.  It does not take much digging to get to the real tale of an angst-ridden, teenage friendship unfolding in an increasingly horrific setting here.  Best of all, the whole tale is both touching and tragic.  Twelve-year old Oskar and twelve-year old-only-in-appearance Eli become a sympathetic duo and their fate may be forever linked with ongoing, woeful death and the like, yet the feeling that these two are meant to go it together for awhile at least is thoroughly conveyed.  It is merely icing on the cake that Let the Right One In has some of the most gruesome and best horror deaths of all time, (anyone for swimming?), and some truly creepy moments to boot, (Eli’s “true” face briefly emerging is chief among them).  I have yet to see the American remake though I heard it is surprisingly decent.  Such remakes are always unnecessary, but it sounds as if they did not miss the point which is nice as the usual dumbed-down Hollywood debacle would most certainly be a deplorable act where this one is concerned.