A List of my Favorite Horror Movies

I've written on horror movies before, but now I'm going to present a list of my favorite ones.  As you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of modern gore and I also like a little camp in my scary thrills.  Maybe I just don't like being too scared!

28 Days Later (2002) – an incurable virus spreads through the UK, causing zombies that only spread the contamination further.  Though I’m not a fan of “fast zombies”, behind the horror lies a good road-trip movie.

Alien (1979) – a science-fiction alien vehicle that is really a slasher-monster movie.

An American Werewolf in London (1981) – Two American tourists are attacked by a werewolf.  One dies while the other starts to have strange animal behavior.  There isn’t really that much of a plot here, but the FX are great as are the imaginary conversations that David, the main character has with his deceased friend.

Black Christmas (1974) – one of the original slasher movies, Black Christmas is the story of a mysterious killer who is slowly "removing" the members of a sorority house.  From this idea, many movies were sprung, but Black Christmas did it first.

Brides of Dracula (1960) – Peter Cushing plays Van Helsing who must battle Baron Meinster, a disciple of Dracula.

Captain Kronos (1974) – A soldier-of-fortune and his hunchback assistant battle the soul-sucking power of the vampire.

The Changeling (1980) – A historic mansion is being haunted by an ill-tempered ghost who is seeking revenge.  Perhaps one of the creepiest haunted-house movies ever made.

Dawn of the Dead (1978) – George Romero’s classic zombie is chocked full of action and 'biting' social commentary.

Dead Alive (1992) – A Sumatran rat-monkey causes an infection that turns people into zombies.  Part love-story, part gore - Dead Alive will keep you laughing and scrambling for the barf-bag.

Dead and Buried (1981) – mobs of villagers are committing murders against harmless tourists.  With a surprise ending too.

The Devil Rides Out (1968) – Black Magic, The Devil, and Christopher Lee make this movie a gem to watch.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) – Dracula tries his revenge against the man who has locked him out of his castle.

Evil Dead 2 (1987) - a very campy horror movie filled with slapstick comedy.

The Fly (1958) – though not scary in modern terms, the original “The Fly” has a certain creepy charm.

Fright Night (1985) – when the next-door neighbor turns out to be a vampire, what is a teenager supposed to do?

Halloween (1978) – the first unstoppable slasher gets points for originality.

Horror of Dracula (1958) – lush and dramatic Victorian sets with Christopher Lee playing Count Dracula.

The House that Dripped Blood (1971) – four mysterious stories that all involve the same unoccupied home.  Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee also make appearances.

The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – this brooding and claustrophobic movie captures a subtle and horrific alien invasion perfectly.

Let the Right One In (2008) – a bullied 12-year old finds friendship with the next-door vampire, a little girl who feasts on blood.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – George Romero’s groundbreaking zombie film.

The Omen (1976) – so your son is the anti-Christ – what is a man to do?

The Plague of the Zombies (1966) – the local Lord and mine owner needs workers.  Zombies don’t have a very good union.

Re-Animator (1985) – dead tissue is re-animated with horrific results in this campy horror movie.

The Stepfather (1987) - imagine an after-school-special about a daughter who accept her new dad - except her father really does have a terrible secret.

Tales from the Crypt (1972) -  a group of tourists gets lost in an underground crypt where they come across a monk who foretells their horrific future.  With Joan Collins(!) and Peter Cushing.

Them! (1954) – the best of the gigantic creature genre, Them! is creepy and wonderfully campy too.

The Thing (1982) – a shape-shifting alien terrorizes a base in the Antarctic.  The SFX here are particularly impressive with enough gore to turn my stomach.

Are there any other horror movies that you consider a must-see?

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