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#30 |
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007) |
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CAST
JOHNNY DEPP, HELENA BONHAM CARTER, ALAN RICKMAN, TIMOTHY SPALL, SACHA BARON COHEN
DIRECTED BY
TIM BURTON
Tim Burton’s adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s bloody musical Sweeney Todd saw him tap his usual mob (Depp, Bonham Carter) and a couple of newbies (Rickman, Cohen) to create a dark, macabre and visually appealing horror movie that is heavy in its bloodshed. Depp and Carter also know how to carry a tune, too.
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#29 |
PSYCHO (1960) |
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CAST
ANTHONY PERKINS, VERA MILES, JOHN GAVIN, MARTIN BASLAM, JANET LEIGH
DIRECTED BY
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal horror thriller Psycho laid the ground work for the slasher movie and was also the first film to tap into the macabre legend of Ed Gein (Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs would follow). In Norman Bates (played brilliantly by Anthony Perkins) a new breed of killer was introduced, and in that shower scene was a moment to rival others in horror cinema.
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#28 |
MISERY (1990) |
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CAST
KATHY BATES, JAMES CAAN, RICHARD FARNSWORTH, LAUREN BECALL
DIRECTED BY
ROB REINER
In the annals of horror villains, sweet natured Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) is perhaps the least unsuspecting. Yet like all fanatics there is a twisted psychology that lies underneath, and when she finds her favourite horror writer Paul Sheldon (James Caan) bloody and broken at the side of the road, she will do anything to keep him for herself. Thus begins a tale of true terror, with Misery director Rob Reiner taking a major detour to create one of the best horror movies of the ‘90s.
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#27 |
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) |
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CAST
HEATHER DONAHUE, JOSHUA LEONARD, MICHAEL C. WILLIAMS
DIRECTED BY
DANIEL MYRICK, EDUARDO SANCHEZ
With its faux based on real life premise and hand held cam theatrics, The Blair Witch Project both transfixed and scared movie goers worldwide in its portrayal of three amateur documentarians getting more than they bargained for when searching for the truth behind an urban legend. While most have succumbed to trashing the film over the years, The Blair Witch Project still remains an innovative and frightening experience.
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#26 |
JACOB’S LADDER (1990)
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CAST
TIM ROBBINS, ELIZABETH PENA, DANNI AIELLO, MATT KRAMER, PRUITT TAYLOR VINCE
DIRECTED BY
ADRIEN LYNNE
Director Adrian Lynne has had an eclectic career (Flashdance, Unfaithful) with his best film the psychological horror thriller Jacob’s Ladder. Starring an excellent Tim Robbins as a traumatised Vietnam war veteran suffering monstrous hallucinations (or are they?), Lynne created a unique and frightening exploration into one man’s personal hell inhabited by demons. Yet amongst the horror is also a spiritual salvation which will touch many who make it through the nightmare.
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#25 |
THE ORPHANGE (2007) |
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CAST
BELEN RUEDA, FERNANDO CAYO, ROGER PRINCEP, MABEL RIVERA, MONTSERRAT CARULLA
DIRECTED BY
JUAN ANTONIO BAYONA
Released when Spanish horror was at its apex, The Orphanage is the strongest haunted house flick released in years, weaving credible scares with strong visuals and featuring a strong leading performance from new queen of horror Belen Rueda. Produced by the prolific Guillermo Del Toro and directed by Juan Antonio Bayona (his debut), The Orphanage was a breath of fresh air during a time when horror movies concentrated too hard on grossing people out and too little on tone in story.
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#24 |
LAKE MUNGO (2009) |
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CAST
ROSIE TRAYNOR, DAVID PLEDGER, MARTIN SHARPE, TALIA ZUCKER, STEVE JODRELL
DIRECTED BY
JOEL ANDERSON
Australia’s take on the found footage movie resulted in one of the best Aussie horror movies in Lake Mungo. A film that is as heartfelt as it is genuinely frightening, Lake Mungo looks at your typical middle class family who have to contend with ghostly occurrences after one of their own tragically dies. An American remake is one the way, yet it is doubtful it can match the emotion and chills which writer/director Joel Anderson has created here.
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#23 |
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) |
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CAST
DAVID EMGE, KEN FOREE, SCOTT H. REINIGER, GAYLEN ROSS
DIRECTED BY
GEORGE A. ROMERO
The second part of George A. Romero’s zombie series is also the best, with higher production value and much sturdier direction giving way to better scares and impressive special effects work sure to churn the stomachs of the most seasoned of horror viewer. Hell, even the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead was great!
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#22 |
POLTERGEIST (1982) |
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CAST
CRAIG T. NELSON, JOBETH WILLIAMS, HEATHER O’ROURKE, ZELDA RUBINSTEIN
DIRECTED BY
TOBE HOPPER
Known more for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, director Tobe Hopper found even greater success with Poltergeist. Collaborating with writer/producer Steven Spielberg (many still persist that Spielberg was the actual director), Hopper mixed primal thrills with top grade special effects in his telling of a middle class family kept at ransom by evil spirits who abduct little Carol Anne (cute as punch Heather O’Rourke). A curse supposedly saw many of those involved in the film die in later years, among them O’Rourke who was filming Poltergeist III at the time.
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#21 |
EVIL DEAD II (1987) |
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CAST
BRUCE CAMPBELL, SARAH BERRY, DENISE BIXLER, DAN HICKS, KASSIE DEPAIVA, TED RAIMI
DIRECTED BY
SAM RAIMI
Sequel to the 1981 splatter classic The Evil Dead saw director Sam Raimi build upon his reputation as an entertaining and innovative filmmaker. Part horror, part comedy and all around bad ass, Evil Dead II saw the return of Bruce Campbell as tortured hero Ash, this time with a chainsaw in placed of a severed arm and a shotgun with zombie demons in its sights. Still the only film which can pull off the line “Groovy!” without resorting into some kind of dirty hippie cliché.
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