Im a fanatic of old school horror. I've been building a dvd collection for years now. What are some of your favorites? And what are some titles on your to-see list?

Here's my top ten favorite old school horror films.

10. Night of the Demons ('88)
9. Return of the Living Dead
8. Friday the 13th part 4: The Final Chapter
7. Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer
6. Bad Taste
5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
4. The Gate
3. Creepshow/Creepshow 2
2. Night of the Living Dead ('68)
1. Evil Dead 2 (all time favorite movie)

These are my all time favorites but there are so many more i love. Phantasm 1 & 2, Re-Animator, House by the Cemetery, Demons, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Howling, The Lost Boys, Slaughter High, House, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Class of Nuke 'Em High. I could go on for days. haha! And feel free to comment on some of these titles i've listed. \m/

bye the way, sorry if this has been posted before.

Make sure you get people to give their reasons why they like these movies, otherwise this topic will eventually be locked for being a list thread

Probably Cannibal Holocaust. I know it's not really a unique choice since alot of people like it, but oh god is it funny, good, cheesy fun. It's like the first Evil Dead, not scary in any way, but just classic and ultra-cheesy horror fun. I mean, a group of cannibals captures this so called civilised man, and then decapitates his penis off and eats it. There is no way anyone can take that seriously or even offensive haha. So yeah, I'd say that.

okay. Why do you dig these movies you are going to list?

I've never seen this, why is it good enough to be your all time favorite movie? I was under the impression this sequel wasn't good as the first or Army of Darkness, but maybe I really do need to see it.

Hellraiser 1, 2.

These two are really great. The whole idea of the Cenobites and the puzzle box is really well done. The acting is also really good with the characters getting a surprising amount of depth to them. The second movie is a very good sequel directly following off the first and goes a little more into the world of the cenobites which is pretty cool. The third movie is watchable but a big step down and the 4th is where it all began going to crap.

Friday 13th part 6.

Pretty much 1 through 5 were fairly weak filled with plot holes and crappy acting but the 6th is where the formula all came together.

Nosferatu, the original. One of my all time favourite horror films, and if you can get a hold of it, worth a place in any collection.

I'm not a horror movie veteran, I've seen stuff like The Exorcist, The Omen etc, but all were great. I'm interested in getting my hands on Cannibal Holocaust, can anyone point me in the right direction?

My own favorites from my limited experience:

The Exorcist
The Omen
The Evil Dead
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Unfortunately I don't have much knowledge for that. Anyone can recommend me good stuff?

Jaws and The Shining were always two of my favorites. Two of the only movies that truly terrified me.

I like ridiculous horror movies that can get a laugh out of the viewer or are just completely over the top- so The Evil Dead and Near Dark are right up there as favorites too. And some of the Italian horror films: Bava's Black Sunday, Argento's Suspiria, Fulci's Zombie and several other films of the Giallo genre. Over the top writing, acting, and gore. Silly but funny too.

Alien is another favorite, but many consider it Science Fiction and not horror. Still scary as hell the first time you see it.

I'd say The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I saw it at a friend's house which was still in the process of being finished so most of the walls were not even up yet giving me one hell of a setting to watch this freaky flick. I've watched it so many times that I'm practically disensitized by now but when I first saw it I was like I had just travelled from Houston to south Texas the previous week so the long stretches of empty highways were still fresh in my mind. There's so many scenes in that flick that'll sure make you shit your pants as a kid, and even as an adult will make you think twice about stopping in the middle of a road trip to take a leak. The whole thing looks creepy as fuck. I've always wondered if there are really any cannibal families out there.

Sci-Fi and Horror are two genres that I think go together, really. Perhaps much more so than Sci-Fi and Action.

I got my copy from goood old Amazon.com!

I dig nearly all cheaply-made 50's-60's horror flicks! It will be unfair to mention a few since every single one is a little gem on its own right! For some reason I am very attracted to the ridiculous special effects and the bad acting.... so enjoyable!
On a more serious note, I dig all Classic Hammer Horror films. Again I wouldn't like to mention some cause all I have even seen are great cinematic experiences. I guess the atmosphere, the nice locations and the glory of actors such as Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing etc made them so special...

Why?

Yeah I wanna know too, that movie is one of my least favorite movies ever. It's not scary, not funny, story is just silly, the characters suck, it has no charm whatsoever. I really hate it. First one was good though. And oh, I really hate Creepshow too. The only story that was any good was the last one. Most of the other movies on your list are good, particularly Evil Dead 1 & 2. Those two are among the best movies of all time. They succeed at every pretty much everything that TCM2 fails at.

Indeed, I agree with everything you said. TCM 2 is cancerous ass to the extreme. The only thing worse is the fourth movie in the series...ugh.

If it's worse then the second one I'd rather get aids.

My favorites in no particular order.

Dracula-It was the first one that I ever watched. This is the classic Bela Lugosi version.
Dawn of the Dead-I Like the whole mall setting and all the funny shit they do in it.
The Evil Dead-I saw this one as a kid and the make-up on the possessed characters scared the shit out of me.
Return of the Living Dead-The scenes with the punks are always entertaining and the 80s clichés are funny.
Creature from the Black Lagoon-I was fascinated with the Creature at a young age and the movie never really lost its charm for me.

The first time i saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 i didn't like it at all. I had seen the original and made the mistake of comparing it to it's predecessor. But over the years i have grown to love it more than the first. The first is a lot scarier/creepier and all that. But 2 has a charm to it that has not been matched for me. Bill Moseley's performance alone is worth the price of admission every time. It's a dark comedy. If you have a sick sense of humor like myself you may get it. I just find it very amusing and entertaining. And I think it has amazing re-watch value. Just last week i watched it everyday before i went to sleep. I grew up here in Texas too and i think it really captures 80's Texas quite well.

"lick my plate, you dog dick!"
-Chop Top

I think I "got it" plenty well; just didn't find it particularly funny or endearing. Bill Moseley's performance just annoyed the crap out of me, Dennis Hopper was horrible, the lead girl screamed way too much and the plot with Leatherface being more sympathetic came off as trite and tacky. It seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it movie, but I'm definitely on the hate it side.

My top 10:

1. Halloween - True classic horror, stripped down to the bare essentials - a madman comes into a quiet suburban neighborhood and wreaks havoc and terror. Suburban peace disturbed. A classic and a milestone that hits all the boxes.
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Inhuman, cold, mechanical fury and panic embodied. This is one of the most horrifying films ever laid down. There is nothing in this movie that is even remotely comforting or safe. Immensely affecting.
3. The Thing - The sheer alien horror this movie puts forth is indescribable...all the scenes with the Thing transforming into misshapen and malformed versions of people or animals are unforgettable and terrifying. Out of this world.
4. The Beyond - Surreal, beautiful, artful horror, and one of the best I've ever seen. Transcends its genre and produces a work that envelopes the viewer in a thick and impenetrable atmosphere. Fulci rules.
5. Nosferatu - The classic 20s horror film is great by way of the horrific atmosphere, simple storytelling and insurmountable builds of tension. Wonderful stuff.
6. The Evil Dead - Maniacal and frenzied horror that takes no prisoners as it rips into the viewer like a rabid dog would into a piece of meat. Awesome, energetic power fueled by insane gore and crazy twists all throughout. Ruthless in disposition and wild at heart, this is a classic of the genre that Sam Raimi would never again touch, even though the two sequels are good in their own ways.
7. Pumpkinhead - Cheesy, occult stuff that just rules by way of the pure, fist pumping adrenaline and awesome imagery that goes along with the classic, spooky Halloween-time storyline that will keep you hooked all the way through. Another all time classic.
8. Night of the Living Dead - Zombies! This movie rules because...well, it's Night of the Living Dead! George Romero may suck now but back in '68 he produced a classic for the ages with great suspense, characters and action.
9. Re-Animator - Cheese, cheese, cheese, and the way to make it awesome is to do what this film did and just go all out with the energy and ridiculousness. Hilarious, campy, unforgettable and fun as hell.
10. Session 9 - Mind-bending psychological horror that you will notice new things about every time. This is not The Sixth Sense or Memento - this is one of the big boys of the genre, and along with Jacob's Ladder it is one of the best psychological thriller/horror films you will find.

Runners up would include Pontypool, The Children, Black Christmas, [REC], City of the Living Dead, Child's Play, House of the Devil, The Exorcist...I'll elaborate on all these later when I have more time.

To each they're own. Im on the "love it" side. But i guess that's one of the reasons they call them cult films. Not everyone is gonna like or get them. The opening slaughter scene with leatherface wielding the chainsaw from the back of a truck the the body of nubins (the hitchhiker from the first film) strapped to his front gets my blood rushing every time. The film is over the top and goofy but that's what i love about it. I don't think of it as a true sequel to the original but as a film onto itself. At least as far as the overall difference in tone this one had.

Top Savini's special effects were incredible. The entire set decorated with human bodies and skeletons in the third act was amazing. It's the closest thing to hell i've seen on screen. I thought all the characters were great. The relationship between LG and Stretch i found very endearing. The arguments among the sawyer family were hilarious. "Big CRAAAAZY booger! Let's haul butt, bro!" haha! "Don't rattle you're grandpa, damn it! You're balling up his shit!" This stuff just tickles me. As hilarious as i found Dennis Hopper's crazy cowboy character, I found him to be a very interesting and complex character. A man who was so obsessed with taking revenge for the murders of his nephew and niece that he was driven to set others to die just to get to the killers.

Chop Top is one of my all time favorite movie characters. Bill Moseley brilliantly took what Edwin Neal created with the hitchhiker and brought a whole new level of fun to the role of his twin brother. Bill moseley helped compound a very cartoony element to this film. Bill Moseley was the most memorable part of the film to me when i came away from it the first time i saw it. I found the love interest between leatherface and stretch absolutely hilarious. Especially after seeing the first one. Leatherface as a romantic lead is pure comedy gold! I don't think of him as being sympathetic in this film but a sexy girl in front of him stirred up a lot of different feelings in him that he didn't know how to deal with.

And the chainsaw battle between Dennis Hopper and Leatherface was epic as hell.

As for the leading lady screaming too much. Well this is a horror movie and the girl is being terrorized by a family of psychotic chainsaw killers. The screaming is kind of unavoidable.

But i think the truth of the matter is that a lot of people with never come down off their thrones and admit that they can't look beyond the first film and see this form the demented masterpiece it is. If it stood on it's own, it would be as accepted and loved as Re-animator, which i don't find nearly as charming or entertaining. Re-Animator is great don't get me wrong. But i think TCM2 is far better.

I know there are a lot of people out there that love it too, but even if i were the only TCM2 fan in the world, i still say this movie rules!

"Dog will hunt"
-Chop Top

I never really make these top 10, or numbnered lists of any kind but i can rattle off some films that i really, really like in the genre:
Inferno, Suspiria, Profondo Rosso, Buio Omega, The Dead Pit, The Gate, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, The Crazies, The Thing, The Fly (80s Remake), Them!, Salem's Lot, Demoni, Shock! (70s), Black Sunday, Black Sabbth, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Return of the Living Dead, The Omen, Damien: The Omen II, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Driller Killer, Maniac, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo) (1970), The Cat o' Nine Tails (Il gatto a nove code) (1971), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche di velluto grigio) (1971), Tenebrae (aka Unsane) (1982), Zombie (1979) (aka Zombi 2, aka Zombie Flesh Eaters, aka Island of the Living Dead), City of the Living Dead (1980) (aka The Gates of Hell, aka Fear in the City of the Living Dead), The Beyond (1981), The House by the Cemetery (1981) , From Beyond, Trick or Treat, Phantasm.

Sorry it's just a list but i have posted/written reviews of some of these before and to elaborate on them would either result in an insanely lengthy post no one would read, or would just be far to breif to have any value. I'd be happy to converse on any of these though. Yes, i have a lot more favourites, but that's really just off the top of my head.

This is kind of an easy one for me, but let me qualify this by saying I am not a horror freak/buff. I'm not even much of a movie buff TBH. But my favorite horror film, and it's a recent discovery, is The Last House On The Left, the 1972 original. I actually used this film, as well as Bloodsucking Freaks (another excellent selection) as my gateway into horror/exploitation. To me, Last House is not really much of a horror film more that it is a suspense/thriller, and I say this because as you watch it, there's an unsettling sense of realism to it-you really get the feeling that this could happen to anyone at anytime. There's no element of fantasy (i.e. monsters, aliens, unrealistic scenarios/situations); this is truly something you might read about in the daily newspaper.

Yes, I do realize that this film is incredibly 70's in it's cheesiness, it's extremely low budget, the practically improvised dialogue is tripe, and the acting is borderline terrible. I feel that it adds to it. David Hess as Krug is perfectly grimy (one could easily get the impression that Hess himself is as scummy as Krug), and Sandra Cassel portrays Mari with the right amount of terrorized desperation during the the more lurid scenes (she was allegedly legitimately fearful for her life and well being during the filing). The chest carving/rape scene in particular is especially unnerving for me-I still have a very hard time getting through this scene (Cassel's screaming and the very, very realistic fake blood is what puts it over the edge for me). Couple that with the unbelievably goofy soundtrack and the jarringly absurd "comic relief" scenes with the incompetent police (placed squarely between graphic scenes of torture/rape), and this film still makes me very uneasy-exactly what a good horror film is supposed to do. I haven't checked out the 2009 remake, but I understand that it is decent, but leans towards a Saw/Hostel-like modern "torture porn" approach.

The next film I'm looking to check out, because I understand it to be somewhat similar, is I Spit On Your Grave-the 1978 Day Of The Woman version, not the 2010 remake. The 70's-early 80's films tend to be the best because the low budget nature adds a vivid sense of realism.

I'm also open to taking recommendations for similar 70's-80's horror, exploitation, and rape/revenge films, but I prefer my films to be reality-oriented and not reliant on fantasy/unrealistic characters/situations.

Bad Taste is one of my favourite films of all time, even though it had no budget, the way Peter Jackson (of Lord Of the Rings fame) did it worked really well. I think that guy could make anything fantastic with any given budget to be honest.
I'd be pretty forgiving to anyone that legitimately didn't like this though, it's certainly not for everyone and can seem a little outdated at times but it's just one of those films that really caught me.

Another honorable mention would have to go to Silence Of The Lambs, this is certainly up there with my favourite films too, the way Jonathan Demme was able to portray such a dark and sinister film is beyond me, it's just that great.
Thanks to that film whenever I now hear 'Goodbye Horses' I think of that very disturbing scene with Buffalo Bill.
The world could of done without the sequels to this though, I don't think they really worked at all, it certainly should have been one of those one off classic films.

I'd say my favorite Horror movie would be Psycho (original; Hitchcock), though I can see some argueing that this is perhaps not a horror movie altogether, but ill leave that in the middle. Again it's all about the atmosphere, the music, the creepy images of that house, but especially the plot made me stare at the screen for a good 5 mins. Anothony Perkings puts up an amazing performance and you can't help but feel a lot of sympathy for essentially the bad guy. Incredible!

I also very much agree with whoever put Halloween up there, that movie is truly deserving of that spot. Because of the camera positioning during the murder scenes, it feels like you are the psychopath himself. I also have to put a Christopher Lee movie here; Dracula AD 1972. That movie just is a great laugh and filled with quotes for metal albums and already some bands have caught up on that. Christopher Lee as Dracula is amazing to watch. Another Craven movie The Hills Have Eyes; very raw and somehow I can imagine something like this really happening. Family that turns completely savage due to isolation and impossible living circumstances and attacks bypassers in the middle of a goddamn forsaken desert landscape. The harsh mountains add something really eerie to the whole thing. I'm also going to nominate The Fly, because Jeff Goldblum is just a badass. More recently, I think The Mist is a good candidate. The ending is brutal as all hell, but the it's mostly interesting to watch how the situation, during the attacks, in the supermarket turn out and to what effect religion can be a succesful instrument to divide people. Also, the sense of dread and paranoia of knowing that there's no way you'll be getting out of there and then once you've seen the ending... damn. I also agree with The Last House On The Left being an incredible movie, because it's so realistic and still scary and disturbing like none other.

I've always loved The House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price, i believe it was from the 50's

Count me in as a avid devotee of old-school horror. Fond memories of staying up past my bedtime in pre-adolescence to catch late-night cable airings of Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, discovering Fangoria in middle school, and starting a modest movie collection in my teens. Some of my all-time favorites...

The Shining was probably the first horror film I really truly loved. One of the earliest I saw, and subsequent viewings still affect me to this day. The overpowering sense of claustrophobia you get from the Overlook's halls, the sheer exponential bat-shit insanity of Jack Nicholson's performance, and the GODDAMN FURRY SCENE. Those who have seen the film will know exactly what I'm referring to. Gets me every time.

Phantasm probably has one of the weirdest atmospheres in any horror film you will ever see. It's difficult to place, but describing it as a hour-and-a-half long lucid dream from hell comes close. The end scene where you catch a glimpse of the corpse/Jawa creature's home planet really comes as no surprise by that point. Angus Scrimm's performance as malevolence incarnate, Reggie the ice cream man, flying silver spheres of death - no other film comes close to this level of offbeat, delightful surrealism, except perhaps...

Suspiria. The use of color. The soundtrack. The deaths. The opening taxi drive through the black forest really sets a irrevocably terrifying mood for the rest of the film, and the following hour plus exceeds that expectation. The scenes at the ballet academy are somewhat akin to those visual puzzles where there's a picture with one small, key object missing - you get the sense that something isn't right, but you just can't place it. A masterful piece of Italian horror.

The Evil Dead and its sequels are pretty much universally worshipped by horror fans the globe over, and for good reason. From the manic, pulsating bloodlust of the first film, to the full-on Medieval horror comedy of Army of Darkness, each film fits a specific role and mood and runs away with it. Picking a favorite of the three is really tough, as a horror film, the original probably wins out, but the third film is probably one of my favorite movies period, never failing to put a smile on my face.

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives remains, in my mind, both the quintessential Friday and the quintessential slasher film. I'm a big fan of the whole series (The second film is an underrated favorite), but this installment takes everything I love about the series and slashers in general and wields it into one film of awesome. Tommy Jarvis, the crotchety old sheriff, undead superman Jason, the great and numerous kills, the well-utilized humor, the Alice Cooper soundtrack- it's all there.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Yes, the one without Michael. I will defend this film until the day I die. Albeit completely ridiculous (Toy company robot minions? Stonehenge-fueled killer Halloween masks? I'm sold), it actually is a great film, and possesses one of the most Halloween-esque atmospheres of any movie I've seen.

Any Hammer film is a guaranteed good time, especially The Horror of Dracula. The great use of lavish, low-budget sets and the FANTASTIC casting make this my personal favorite Dracula adaptation (although Nosferatu and Bram Stoker's Dracula come close).

I just mentioned a few favorites, but others that come highly recommended from myself include the original Night of the Living Dead, the first three Nightmare on Elm Street movies, the original Frankenstein (and the first Hammer film), The Wicker Man, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Good stuff there buddy. Actually, i want to watch the rest of the Hammer Horror films i haven't seen - aren't they available in cool box sets and collections these days? I thought they were. Nice comments on Phantasm - man that film really does have a spooky dream-like vibe to it - the way things go from scene to scene definitely has some weird dream logic to it. I need to rewatch Army of Darkness again, as i do have it, but just haven't seen it in like years.

+1 for being a long time horror fan. Hard to say the first horror film i loved, i know i was already into them by the time friends and i were celebrating 6th birthdays. We would go to the video store, and i'd stare at the awesome 80s VHS poster art and the big horror posters of like Nightmare on Elm Street and Near Dark on the walls, then we'd each choose a horror film, we'd go and build a sweet fort out furniture in the lounge, drink soda and watch Demons, Dawn of the Dead and Halloween - that was the 80s!

The Exorcist III. The movie is so well done, the photography, dialogues, acting, and some of the most scary scenes ever. I like it even more than the 1st one.

Session 9: Creepy story about guys cleaning an old asylum, where they find some tapes, describing some hypnotic sessions with a little girl who has multiple personalities. While the story develops, the tension among the cleaning crew arises and the sessions turn more and more creepy, unveiling a terrific act. It's more into the psychological horror and it works.


The following are really bizarre stuff, which I find more scary than the whole ghost/zombie stuff:


Begotten: It's about the Genesis with a mix of christian and pagan elements, put in one of the most bizarre and disturbing ways possible.

"the film opens with a robed, profusely bleeding "God" disemboweling himself, with the act ultimately ending in his death. A woman, Mother Earth, emerges from his remains, arouses the body, and impregnates herself with his semen. Becoming pregnant, she wanders off into a vast and barren landscape. The pregnancy manifests in a fully grown convulsing man whom she leaves to his own devices. The "Son of Earth" meets a group of faceless nomads who seize him with what is either a very long umbilical cord or a rope. The Son of Earth vomits organic pieces, and the nomads excitedly accept these as gifts. The nomads finally bring the man to a fire and burn him. "Mother Earth" encounters the resurrected man and comforts him. She seizes the man with a similar umbilical cord. The nomads appear and proceed to rape her. Son of Earth is left to mourn over the lifeless body. A group of characters appears, carry her off and dismember her, later returning for Son of Earth. After he, too, is dismembered, the group buries the remains, planting the parts into the crust of the earth. The burial site becomes lush with flowers".

The ones who like the Silencer vids will be pleased aesthetically with this one.


Nekromantik: Very transgressing and disturbing, with some very explicit material. The plot is a romantic film based in necrophilia. Must watch.


Saló or 120 days of Sodom: Another disturbing movie, recreating a nasty Dante's Inferno, degradiating the human's values to its lowest.


A Serbian Film: maybe you know it, and it's creepy, disturbing and disgusting in its own way. How long/far can a human being go? How low/wild is the human nature? man, it's a brutal watch.

Martyrs: to give some advance in the plot can ruin the experience, but it's really nihilistic and features an endless torture to obtain really obscure information.

Finally, Takashi Miike's movies:

Ichi the Killer
Gozu
Imprint
Visitor Q.

All of them are really bizarre horror movies, with very explicit material, unpredictable plots and heavy transgression of the most common moral matters, sometimes twisting them to make looking the bizarre as the 'normal' doing.

Straying a little bit from the main topic here, but anyone who is into ridiculous, comical, and insanely gory stuff needs to see Hobo With a Shotgun. It’s hilariously quirky, wonderfully stylized and unflinchingly brutal in its liberal doses of blood and guts. There are some pretty over the top kills, including (but not limited to) a school bus full of children set on fire, a girl dancing in a geyser of blood from a decapitated body, and a dude getting his junk shot off.

Plus with Rutger Hauer as the lead, you really can’t go wrong with this movie. Most entertaining film I’ve seen in a theater for quite some time.

Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural: Old-school horror film about a beautiful young girl who travels to a distant, Innsmouth-like town to visit her dying father. This movie is creepy as fucking hell, and awesome.

Suspiria: Already mentioned, but whoever has not seen this film has not actually lived. Just saying.

Deranged: Based off the life of Ed Gein, this is the most fucked up film I've ever seen. We all know Ed Gein's story, but this is by far the most terrifying and most, dare I say, deranged version of the story!

The Thing: Absolutly disgusting, but overall a very worthwhile film. Great acting, great story, great everything.

House of Wax (1953): Not scary per se, but just a great movie overall, as is anything with Vincent Price.

The Tingler: Another terrifying Price film, this one being much darker and featuring a much more complex plot, centered around an alien being that exists within the skeleton of ever living being, and feeds of our fear, growing in strength as our terror grows until it finally kills us. Our body's only defense mechanism is screaming, which paralyses the being. Suggested to all.

The Beyond: Fuck yes! Lucio Fulci was a genius by any stretch, but this film takes the cake as his best. Every horrifying experience you could ever imagine is contained within this film. Watch and scream!

These are all great films, not all being number one favourites per se, but all are still great.

This is a 60s film that never really gets a lot of credit, and I think it's incredible (and Stephen King agrees with me). But.... The Pit and the Pendulum. It has nothing to do with the Edgar Allen Poe short story, but its still awesome. By the way, I do not believe I saw Night of the Living Dead anywhere, are you KIDDING me? And if you consider the original Phantom of the Opera a horror flick, that's high on my list as well.

I want to disagree with Ichi The Killer. As much as I enjoyed the film I really don't think it fits into the "horror" category unless you consider the insane over the top amount of gore. I believe it's more of a really sick superhero film based on rape, brainwashing and revenge.

Alas I will also say Begotten is just stupid, I read so much positive things about it so I finally sat down and watched it and came to the conclusion it could have been justified as a short film instead of the prolonged hour it took, artistic? Maybe. Boring? Very.

Nekromantik is another one (I actually watched it last night) that I would say fits into the "What the fuck did I just watch" category, the romance part does fit into the atmosphere of necrophiliac lust which is the entire premise of the film (obviously the title says it all). More of a gross-out film I would have to say, and the ending scene in my opinion is probably the most fucked up thing I've ever watched in film history.

As for a favorite I'd have to say A Serbian Film ranks up there, sure some scenes are just utterly ridiculous, but how it's played out makes one realize that it indeed is a very legitimate scenario that could possibly happen. Hopefully it never does, but who knows, their are some seriously sick fucks out there.

Phantasm is also another great one that I only recently watched, I liked the whole "new dimension" aspect about it, the acting wasn't atrocious, nor was it the best but I still found it convincing. The tall-man is now my worst enemy, that son of a bitch just won't die. Unfortunately I've only seen the first one and have heard the second was just as good, so that is on my list of to-do things.

On a side note, has anyone watched any of the Vomit Gore films? I have yet to find anywhere to get them, I'm just curious as to what others thoughts are on the whole "puke/gore" fest that lays behind the curtains.

I will always stand fast with my love of the Nightmare On Elm Street flicks (yup, all of 'em, including New Nightmare - and no, it DOESN'T include the shitty remake), simply because they were the first Horror movies that I actually sought out back in the 80's. That, and they're funny, occassionally scary, and it's fucken Fred Krueger.

The Evil Dead's - it's all been mentioned above, but they are THAT good.

The Omen (original) - the sequels are also tits, but this movie gives me chills ever time. Plus, it's all about Satan's offspring - that's Metal.

Night Of The Living Dead/Dawn Of The Dead/Day Of The Dead/Return Of The Living Dead - I'm a zombie fanboy, big time. Romero and Savini kick huge ass with these flicks. I like slow zombies, fast zombies, funny zombies, any fucken zombies. Love the remakes, love Shaun Of The Dead, The Walking Dead - the undead are the business.

Child's Play series - yeah, they're silly, but they are fun. Chucky is cool.

Hellraiser 1/2/3 - Clive Barker is a god. The Cenobites are so evil, and the horror is twisted in ways we hadn't seen before these flicks. Pinhead is iconic for a reason - he's fucken awesome. And he gets all the tasty one-liners.

Trick Or Treat - okay, so it's not a real Horror movie, but it was sold as one, and it has rad tunes by Fastway and cameos by Ozzy and Gene - SOLD!!

Horror Of Dracula - as mentioned, it's Christopher Lee, it's Hammer, and it's vampires they way they should be. Honourable mentions go to Nosferatu, Lost Boys, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Angel, too) for other top bloodsuckers.

Other biggies: Alien series; Silence Of The Lambs; The Shining; Ghoulies; Maximum Overdrive (for the AC/DC soundtrack and laffs); Cannibal Holocaust; The Unholy; The Hills Have Eyes; Last House On The Left; Friday The 13th series (although it did get a little long in the tooth). Loads more, but I can't think right now.

And to end, my two most unsettling and evil flicks are Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre - they really are the top of the food chain when it comes to slasher movies that make you feel really uncomfortable and unhappy about going to the toilet in the dead of night \m/

Last time I wandered into this thread I decided not to post because I didn't feel like typing out "why" I liked each movie.
But here it goes. My top ten horror flicks in no particular order.

Dead Alive - Pure cheese. That is, when it's not pure blood and gore. This movie is so ridiculously gory that it surpasses shock value and just makes you laugh. I love it.

Return of the Living Dead - Not a gore film by any means, in fact theres barely any. But the zombies are so cool and fun that I almost wish I was one of them. It's funny and scary in an almost stupid way. The way they made the zombies look and the way the scenery is stylized it looks exactly how a live action horror comic would look, and even moreso than "creepshow". I love this movie.

Creepshow - Needs no explanation, everybody who's into horror worships this movie and for a damn good reason. This movie embodied what everybody loved about horror in the 80's and still does today.

Ugh.. getting tired of typing. But I can't stop now...

Night of the Creeps - Who doesn't love Chris and JC? And that Cynthia, man she's hot as shit. These are some of the most relatable and likeable characters I've ever seen in a movie. Who can forget officer Cameron? The cast alone makes this movie a winner, and on top of that; it's a badass horror movie about aliens that crawl into your brain and make you walk around until your head explodes. Awesome.

The Thing - the first "serious" movie on the list and in my opinion, the scariest. Scary monsters, boss tier special effects and a tense, chilling atmosphere. This movie is a masterpiece.

Nightmare on Elm Street part 3: Dream Warriors - Yeah yeah, "but the first one is the best". While I completely understand why this is the popular opinion, I strongly disagree. Nightmare 3 has everything a Nightmare movie needs. Original, well thought out death scenes, and the epitome of the NOES atmosphere (fans should know what I mean) where dream and reality operate on two different levels, and your biggest fear is falling asleep. Oh yeah, and it has the line "Welcome to prime time, bitch."

Creepshow 2 - Just awesome. It doesn't do the comic book vibe as well as the original, but the stories are great. And one in particular (The Raft) is in fact, my favorite story in the whole creepshow franchise. I love this movie.

Basket case - This is easily the most twisted and mind-warping movie I've ever seen. Extremely creepy man carries his deformed siamese twin around in a basket and plots to murder the doctors who separeted them. Huh...wow.

House on Haunted Hill (1959) - This is easily my favorite Vincent Price flick. This movie is perfect. It's classy as hell, and even after all these years it's still pretty scary. This might be the best horror movie ever made.

And lastly...

Fright Night - Watching this movie always puts a smile on my face. It feels like a Hammer Dracula movie except it's happening in my own neighborhood. You're SO COOL Bruister!
(btw I heard Evil Ed does gay porn now)

Some honourable mentions: Re-Animator, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Horror of Dracula/Has Risen from the Grave, Halloween, Friday the thirteenth 6, Rawhead rex, Maniac, Suspiria, Demons, Demons 2, George romero's "Dead" films...

It's hard to pick 10. I love so many horror movies.

Poltergeist (1982)

Quite possibly my favorite horror film ever, regardless of time period.

not soooo much really into the genre that I have seen a big lot but my faves would surely be:

- (the already mentioned) Fright Night - loved that one when seeing it the first time as a teenager. Clourful, bloody/slimey and just with the right dose of humor

- An American Werewolf In London, another absolute classic. Not only are the SFX awesome for that time but it's so damn black humorous and greatly switches between dreams and reality. Oh, and the ending is so great when "I see a bad moon rising" staarts playing

- Nightmare On Elm Street IV I don't know if this generally is seen as a good or bad episode of the series but this one always had sth special about it for me. Surely it has sth to do with Nunchucks being used and the "comic scene nightmare"

- Lifeforce whoohoo, how I loved that movie back then. I guess I've seen it on a way too young age back then as it scared me really a lot. Re-watched it several times since then and I have to say that this unusual dystopian vampire movie with alien/SciFi elemnts is just fantastic. Quite some bloody scenes, a gorgeous, erotic actress and London's pupils transforming into zombies. It has everything you would ask for as a teenager

edit:

- Prince of Darkness - haven't seen that one for ages but when I saw it in the past it scraed the shit out of me. The scenes with the skinned woman in the mirror (if I remember it corrctly) is damn frightening (or at least was back then)

- They Live, as PoD another Carpenter movie. I love that movie. It's a great scifi/horror movie full of ironic quotes to our society and mass media. And it just has this special 80s action vibe... Great one!

I only saw this a couple of years ago as it has been banned in Oz for so long. Was hyped to see it for Hoppers character, but was mostly let down. Hopper was on way too much gear in those days.

The sequel is much better, in my opinion at least. It was not a sequel so much as a remake of the first, with Army of Darkness being the follow up. It was also the first that started to add the dark comedy elements that would become so prevalent in Army of Darkness and what the series would eventually become a cult classic over. While it is not my favorite movie, Ash is up in my top three (it rotates) for favorite hero. When ever I get the extra money and find a tattoo artist I trust I am getting my quarter sleeve of the cover with his girlfriend hiding behind him and him holding the chainsaw over his head splattered with blood.

I fucking love Hellraiser. Sure it moves a bit slow at times, but Clive Barker always makes awesome stuff. I also love the shitty exploitation films of the 70s and 80s, mainly because I'm a bad movie buff. Zombie films like the Living Dead series are fun to watch, as well as the classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th.