1. "Hausu" (1977) pictured above
I always try to sell this as like "The Evil Dead" before there was "The Evil Dead". Basically you have a fun loving group of Japanese school girls that go visit one of the girl's elderly grandmother. However after a while they slowly start disappearing and one of them thinks the grandmother is involved. "Hausu" is fantastic because of it's mix of the beautiful, the horrific, the funny and the bizarre. Nobuhiko Obayashi was a veteran commercial director known for his surreal and very different visual style. "Hausu" is like a psychedelic, experimental ghost story that ought to be seen by anyone with even the smallest interest in film; be it horror or other.
2. "Eyes Without a Face" (1960)
A wealthy French man hires a doctor to restore his daughters beautiful face using an untested and radical type of plastic surgery. A perfect example of slow burn, suspense based horror.
3. "Manhunter" (1986)
Before Jonathan Demme and Anthony Hopkins took Hannibal Lecter and turned him into the infamous film villain we met in "The Silence of the Lambs", Michael Mann did it with Brian Cox in the first adaption of "Red Dragon". Brett Ratner's remake is pretty close to Mann's version which I why I think they both work on their own and need no comparison mostly. However I feel "Manhunter" does display a certain level of eeriness that "Red Dragon" lacked. Mainly steaming for the way Mann shoots during key scenes and from Tom Noonan's depiction of Francis Dollarhyde.
4. "Road Games" (1981)
Directed by Richard Franklin, a student of Alfred Hitchcock; "Road Games" is a paranoid, Australian road thriller for the motormouth generation. Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis have great chemistry which is evident throughout the film. Franklin directs the film in ways that would make his teacher proud, however concludes the film as typical B-aussie thriller form might dictate. Not a bad thing either.
5. "Lost Highway" (1997)
I always want at least one David Lynch film on these lists so this year it'll be his surrealistic noir film. Bill Pullman is a jazz musician with a dark history, Patrica Arquette is wife who's frightened by these video tapes she's being sent that show someone taping their house and then someone taping them while in the house. Robert Blake (the guy who probably murdered his wife) plays the mystery man that's behind it... probably. "Lost Highway" is pure, unfiltered Lynch. It's scary, bizarre, erotic and complex.
6. "Let Me In" (2010)
I reviewed Matt Reeves remake of "Let the Right One In" earlier this month and said that I felt his version as a whole worked a lot better and made the story much more engrossing and atmospheric than the original work. I stand by all of that. The performances and the relationship between this boy and girl are what drive the entire film. Reeves directs the film with effortless style and beauty. Sadly at this point I'm pretty certain we can call it a box office flop. However if it's still in your area I'd highly recommend seeing it.
7. "Shallow Grave" (1994)
Danny Boyle's film debut. Also his first example of how to make generally dis-likable people likable. The only time I feel he failed with that is "Sunshine", but here it's done perfectly. Three shitty roommates interview various people for a room they're renting out. They finally pick a guy that suits them and after a few days he dies. However when they search his room they discover a suitcase full of money. Thus begins the long and dark conflict among the three friends.
8. "The Magician" (1958)
First off you can't go wrong with Bergman. Second here is a beautifully shot and unraveling battle of wits between a potion selling magician and a royal doctor that seeks to break down his abilities. A great piece of dramatic creepiness.
9. "Next of Kin" (1982)
This is one of those hard as shit to find ones, BUT if you can it's pretty great. You can a daughter that reads her mother's diary and soon after the bizarre events within it start happening to her. It's got a lot in common with "The Shining" and is made with A LOT of impressive, occasionally surrealistic style.
10. "Shutter Island" (2010)
It's hard not to love Scorsese films sometimes. I saw this theatrically a few times and each time I found something else I loved about it. Robert Richardson's photography, DiCaprio's hard ass, gum shoe attitude, the musical choices, Michelle Williams performance... fuck just the overall tone of the film. And yeah I stand by that I think it does hold up with the given ending, but I also feel it's all in how you choose to see it. When really listening to what a lot of characters have to say often times you can spin it either way. Personally I hate going into mysteries and thinking 'well let's figure this out'. Honestly there's no point to seeing it if that's your mind set because it closes you off to pretty much anything else is has to offer. All your brain is doing is collecting evidence.
11. "Nosferatu: the Vampyre" (1979)
I decided to use this one over Herzog's "The Enigma of Kasper Houser", although both are great and haunting little films. Personally I love Herzog's remake above the original because of how he decides to spin things nearing the final act. There's an entire piece where the city is slowly becoming engulfed in rats and the black plague. People begin losing their minds. Klaus Kinski's performance is (as it usually is) stellar and Bruno Ganz is an impressive Harker.
12. "The Cove" (2009)
Ok, ok... it's not EXACTLY the perfect fit for this list. However anyone who has seen "The Cove" can attest to it's power, tension and occasionally graphic violence. The idea of having this is to place something more real on the list. "The Cove" isn't simply about a community that kills dolphins. It's about a community that lies to the world about what they're really doing. It's about how they're killing their own people and not telling them. And more importantly it's about people who want to stop it from continuing. So yeah it's not the poster child for Halloween horror film or thriller watching, but it's just as intense, traumatic and unsettling as anything else you're likely to see in the genre.
13. "Hellraiser" (1987)
Honestly I don't think Clive Barker's the shit. BUT "Hellraiser" definitely is. I'm sure many of you have seen it and it's various sequels and know all about Pinhead. But for those who don't... oh boy... quite a flick. I always schedule it in a couple times a year because I love so much of the effects and the vibe of the film. This was Barker's first and in my opinion BEST film.
14. "Dead Ringers" (1988)
CRONENBERG TIME! No one quite does psycho-sexual horror like Cronenberg and "Dead Ringer" might be his finest. Jeremy Irons plays twin brothers who are polar opposites personality wise, but share almost everything else in life. This includes women. The whole film leads to some wild, lurid and creepy as shit places. I will grant you that this goes under the hard to find list, but if you can GRAB IT.
15. "Phone Booth" (2002)
When Joel Schmucher has the right set of circumstances he can really make an impressive film. "Phone Booth" is that. It works within the conversions of a thriller that seeks to break down one shitty person and see if he does still has some morality. Colin Farrell delivers one of his best performances (second only to "In Bruges") as a generally shitty New York agent with a lot of skeletons in his closest. Kiefer Sutherland plays the voice of the caller who's threatening to shoot Farrell (using a high powered rifle) if he doesn't follow his exact directions. I also think this is Schmacher's best film. Yeah that's right, I'm not a fan of "The Lost Boys".
16. "Repulsion" (1965)
Among Roman Polanski's best films and another great psycho-sexually thriller. What we have here is Catherine Deneuve as Carole; a sexually repressed woman who starts fantasizing and/or losing her mind thinking about sex and rape. Polanski's a great mentalist and first the film time in his short career started toying around with a stronger visual style a well. Quite a gorgeously shot and put together film.
17. "Trick R' Treat" (2007)
Warner Brothers really fucked up when they didn't release this in theaters. Written and directed by Michael Dougherty and produced by Bryan Singer this is one of the best episodic horror films since "Creepshow". All of the stories are fun and interesting horror shorts that easily double as good old fashion campfire stories. The effects are well done and the execution is great. I really hope to see Dougherty get another stab at directing soon.
18. John Carpenter's "They Live" (1988)
Quite an interesting sci-fi action, horror, thriller where we get to see aliens that resemble inside out humans, hidden subliminal messages throughout the world and Roddy Piper & Keith David in a classic, brutal back alley fight scene. It's not great Carpenter, but it is one of his last enjoyable and often gleefully goofy films. It was pretty much downhill after this.
19. "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987)
My favorite Elm Street sequel for numerous reasons. A great young cast, creative Freddy kills, fantastic set design and some hilarious one liners.
20. (CLASSIC CHOICE) "Alien" (1979)
Seriously if you've never seen Ridley Scott's "Alien" then... well... shit. You should see Ridley Scott's "Alien". Maybe the perfect example of sci-fi suspense horror. Outstanding designs, effects, performances and overall scope.
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