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#10
THE WICKER MAN (1973)
The Wicker Man poster

CAST
EDWARD WOODWARD, CHRISTOPHER LEE, DIANE CILENTO, BRITT EKLAND, INGRID PITT

DIRECTED BY
ROBIN HARDY

Paganism, folk music and a gripping mystery combine in The Wicker Man, an unsettling horror musical set on an island village where a straight laced police detective and Christian (Edward Woodward) investigates the disappearance of a missing girl. Instead he unravels a conspiracy and…well, you’ll have to watch to know the rest.

Directed by Robin Hardy and featuring British horror legends Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt in villainous roles, The Wicker Man still stands as a frightening and weird horror movie, with its image of a giant wicker man statue in flames a highlight in horror iconography.


#9
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES (1994)
Interview with the Vampire poster

CAST
TOM CRUISE, BRAD PITT, KRISTEN DUNST, ANONTIO BANDERAS, CHRISTIAN SLATER

DIRECTED BY
NEIL JORDAN

There are some horror films which change the sub-genre they are associated with. Halloween did it with the slasher movie. The Silence of the Lambs did it with the serial killer movie. Interview with the Vampire did it with the vampire movie, changing long held conventions while making new ones.

Epic in scope and dramatic in story, Interview with the Vampire told the story of centuries old vampire Louis (Brad Pitt) and his maker, the homicidal Lestat (an excellent Tom Cruise) as they feed through the ages. Director Neil Jordan spared no detail in giving life to the writings of Anne Rice, creating a vampire movie that is as visually lush as it is horrifying.   

 

#8
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (1975)
Picnic at Hanging Rock psoter

CAST
VIVEAN GREY, DOMINIC GUARD,JOHN JARRET,ANNE-LOUISE LAMBERT,HELEN MORSE

DIRECTED BY
PETER WEIR

An eerie horror mystery based on the supposed true life disappearance of three schoolgirls and a teacher in the Australian outback, Peter Weir’s critical breakthrough Picnic at Hanging Rock is as chilling a mystery as they come.

Blending period detail with paranormal activity, the dread in Picnic… is palpable as no resolution is given for what happened to these people, who presumably vanished in thin air as Weir forces us to use our imagination and draw our own conclusions. Yet the most distressing thing of all is that no conclusion can be formed.

 

#7
THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
The Sixth Sense poster

CAST
HALEY JOEL OSMENT, BRUCE WILLIS, TONI COLLETTE, OLIVIA WILLIAMS

DIRECTED BY
M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN

Believe it or not, there once was a time when M. Night Shyamalan was considered a bright star in horror/thriller filmmaking, and that was due to his breakthrough film The Sixth Sense.

A ghost story with heart to go along with its spooky thrills, The Sixth Sense starred young Haley Joel Osment as a tortured kid who could communicate with the dead. A child psychologist (Bruce Willis) attempts to help, while dealing with his own personal problems. Shayamalan creates a moody, scary and moving supernatural thriller while also evoking career best performances from his cast.

 

 

#6
SE7EN (1995)
Seven psoter

CAST
MORGAN FREEMAN, BRAD PITT, GWENYTH PALTROW, R. LEE ERMEY, KEVIN SPACEY

DIRECTED BY
DAVID FINCHER

Continuing down the path that The Silence of the Lambs built, Se7en is in itself a gripping crime thriller that delves into the dark recesses of serious horror in its story of two detectives (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt), trying to track down a serial killer who uses the Seven Deadly Sins as inspiration for his grizzly crimes.

A dark movie which will have many on a permanent down after the credits role, Se7en was the first film to truly show the filmmaking talents of director David Fincher, after he stumbled with his debut Alien 3. Since then Fincher has returned to serial killer territory, yet none can match Se7en in regards to its darkness and horror.

 

 

#5
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000)
Requiem for a Dream poster

CAST
ELLEN BURSTYN, JENNIFER CONNELLY, JARED LETO, DAMON WAYANS

DIRECTED BY
DARREN ARONOFSKY

A dark and disturbing anti-drug movie, Requiem for a Dream delves into the deep dark pit of drug addiction in its portrayal of four lost souls haunted by their selective poison.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky and featuring career defining performances by Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly, this is an urban horror movie which portrays the destruction of mind, body and spirit, with its last 20 minutes sure to induce nightmares in the most jaded of horrorphile.

 

 

#4
NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (1922)
Nosferatu psoter

CAST
MAX SCHRECK, GUSTAV VAN WANGANHEIM, GRETA SCHRODER, ALEXANDER GRANACH

DIRECTED BY
F.W. MURNAU

Although vampire films are essentially a genre unto their own, the 1922 originator Nosferatu still stands as the creepiest, darkest and innovative vampire movies to haunt the screen.

Based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula (legal reasons saw many a character name change) and directed by F.W. Murnau, Nosferatu is a silent film classic that proves a picture can deliver a thousand scares and features one of the great performances in Max Schreck’s monstrous Count Orlock.

 


#3
THE SHINING (1980)
The Shining poster

CAST
JACK NICHOLSON, SHELLEY DUVALL, DANNY LLOYD, SCATMAN CROTHERS

DIRECTED BY
STANLEY KUBRICK

Stephen King may not have thought much of this adaptation of his work, yet The Shining still remains a visceral and psychological horror masterpiece.

Starring Jack Nicholson in all of his unhinged glory as a hotel caretaker gone made and directed by Stanley Kubrick, The Shining effectively mixed supernatural thrills and homicidal violence, with plenty of nightmare inducing imagery to boot.

 

 

#2
JAWS (1975)
Jaws psoter

CAST
ROY SCHEIDER, RICHARD DREYFUSS, ROBERT SHAW, LORRANIE GRAY, MURRAY HAMILTON

DIRECTED BY
STEVEN SPIELBERG

On top of ushering in the summer blockbuster and introducing Steven Spielberg to the masses, Jaws is also a blood curling monster movie that made people think twice before stepping into the ocean.

Part psychological thriller, part adventure, and all around masterwork of horror, Jaws is also filled with great performances from Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and especially Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint.

Most impressive is Spielberg’s direction and never give up attitude, which saw this tale of a great white shark chomping on the populace of a popular seaside town, into a horror/thriller/SFX monster mash and iconic piece of cinema.

 

 

#1
THE EXORCIST (1973)
The Exorcist poster

CAST
ELLEN BURSTYN, JASON MILLER, LINDA BLAIR, LEE J. COBB, MAX VON SYDOW

DIRECTED BY
WILLIAM FRIEDKIN

The key to a great horror movie is to successfully unearth a confront evil in its many varied forms. While some films opt to exploit evil as entertainment, others approach the subject in a much more serious way. The Exorcist is one of those films.

Based upon the novel by William Peter Blatty (which in turn was loosely based on true events), The Exorcist told the story of a 12 year old girl (Linda Blair) possessed by a demonic entity. Parallel to that is the story of a Jesuit priest (Jason Miller) who is asked to confront this evil, while dealing with demons of his own.

Directed by William Friedkin (who had just won an Oscar for The French Connection), The Exorcist is a film filled with heavy themes based around faith of the Catholic variety. It also chronicles the repulsive transformation of a child into a monster of unspeakable evil, doing so in a stark, realistic manner where the supernatural invades the real world and no one can hide behind the veil of “logic” while doing so.

Its effect was instant. Film lovers were – and still are – repulsed by its horror. Yet so too are they moved by its conclusions, where sacrifice and heroism by men representing good better than scourge of evil.

 

 

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Created and Edited by Matthew Pejkovic / Contact: mattsm@mattsmoviereviews.net
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