Danger Mouse recommends....10 of my favorite horror movies!

[Danger Mouse]

As Halloween draws near, who isn't looking for a good scare? Here are some of my favorites. Some of them you probably (or certainly) have seen, some not. I very strongly recommend all of them. These aren't in any particular order.
Feel free to contribute some of your favorites, too!


10. Night of the Living Dead:
If you're a zombie enthusiast, this is a must. If you're not...it's still pretty good. Playing on Cold War fears, this tale of suspense and paranoia traps a group of strangers in a small house that's under attack from a swarm of bloodthirsty zombies. Well-acted, tense, and with a few twists along the way, this is one of the best.

9. Alien:
An ill-fated cargo ship intercepts a distress signal from a derelict ship and all hell breaks loose. The crew soon find themselves in a desperate struggle to stay alive. Gorgeous soundtrack, tense, deliberate pacing, and a fantastic ensemble cast. When it comes to sci-fi horror, you just don't get much better than this.

8. The Blob (1980's remake):
Stomach-churning remake of a strange little sci-fi movie from the 50's. A strange slimy creature crash-lands on earth and proceeds to devour everything in sight. This film is, in a word, disgusting. The gore is constant, over the top, and a lot of fun. It's hard for me to explain why I like this one...really, it's repulsive. So definitely, check it out with your kids!

7. The Island of Lost Souls:
My favorite 'classic' horror movie. Dark, suspenseful, and moody. Based on H.G. Wells' 'The Island of Dr. Moreau,' this is the first, and probably best, adaptation. Charles Laughton portrays the mad doctor, who has been playing a little too fast and loose with the laws of nature, and Bela Lugosi is one of his pathetic creations. Still has the power to be disturbing after all this time.

6. Re-Animator:
Really, really loosely adapted from a story by H.P. Lovecraft, it tells the story of a slightly crazed medical student who's been experimenting with the resurrection of the dead. Unfortunately, his experiments have...unusual results. Delightfully campy, gratuitously violent, and more than a bit ridiculous, this one's a lot of fun!

5. The Mist:
Quite possibly the best adaptation of a Stephen King story. A mysterious mist rolls over a small town, trapping the locals in the grocery store. They want to leave, but something's out there... This one is downright scary. It's suspenseful, it's unrelenting, and it sounds and looks amazing. Devastating ending is powerful and one you won't soon forget.

4. Return of the Living Dead:
Supposedly the zombie movie that introduced one of the more infamous cliches: 'Braaaaaaains!' This is something of a spoof of the original 'Night of the Living Dead.' More comedic than scary, but it has its moments. The repulsive 'tar man' zombie especially makes the whole affair worth seeing. Definitely see this if you're a fan of the Romero films.

3. Poltergeist:
A hell of a lot scarier than I expected. Hope you like clowns! Seriously, though, this classic 'haunted house' story can catch you off guard at times. I highly recommend it to those who love a good ghost story and never got around to seeing it. You'll never look at a mirror the same way again!

2. The Thing:
Even scarier during the winter. Seriously, watch this on a cold winter's night, in the dark, by yourself, when it's windy. Then just try to sleep afterward. A group of US scientists at an outpost in Antarctica find the remnants of a Norwegian camp. Its inhabitants seemed to have gone crazy and killed each other, but there's more to it than that... This is a classic sci-fi horror tale of suspicious, paranoia, and suspense. It is also has buckets of repulsive gore. 'The Thing' itself is one of the most hideous abominations to grace cinema. It also has Kurt Russel and Wilford Brimley. What more could you want from a movie?

1. Jacob's Ladder:
A Vietnam vet begins to have bizarre, terrifying hallucinations. Was it something that happened to him during the war, or is reality coming apart around him? Full of seriously disturbing imagery, the hospital sequence in particular is nightmarish. Fans of the Silent Hill series of games, take note: this film was a HUGE influence on the creators of the games. If that's not enough of a draw for you, how about cameos by Lewis Black and Jason Alexander? Seriously, check this one out if you haven't already. :hi:

[mvd]

1. Hi, Danger Mouse

I'm with you on Poltergeist. I'm more a fan of ghostly thrills and atmospheric horror movies, and this is one of the best. Paranormal Activity also really creeped me out. I guess it's the way it just builds and builds and builds, and a lot of its scary scenes are in the bedroom, where we go to bed. Do you think I'd like the original Blob more? Interesting fact: the original Blob takes place in Phoenixville, PA, and was also filmed around my area. :hi:

[tigereye]

6. the original Blob is quite entertaining

:hi:

[VioletLake]

2. Didn't expect to see Jacob's Ladder on your list.

But yes...

[Swede]

3. I like your list,Danger Mouse

:toast:

[Dr Morbius]

4. You did not mention my two favorite horror movies:

The Exorcist. 1973, William Friedkin, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair and lots of pea soup. This is nothing less than an exploration of evil and it is still chilling today. Not many horror movies are nominated for best picture; The Exorcist is a classic film.

The Shining. 1980, Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and the Overlook Hotel. Perhaps the most atmospheric horror movie ever, there are iconic scenes to this movie you simply cannot forget... ever.

The original A Nightmare on Elm Street is worthy of note also; damn scary, that one.

[tigereye]

5. what, you don't like the original Blob?

:rofl: :D Interesting list, btw.

[Dappleganger]

7. One of my favorites, The Orphanage.

One of the better horror movies based upon suspense.

[tigereye]

8. have to reply with list of movies we always watch over Halloween!

Shaun of the Dead

The Mummy 1932

Not so much scary as just Halloweeny, I guess. ;)

Ed Wood

Young Frankenstein

Dracula 1931

Fearless Vampire Killers

Evil Dead (the guys watch this, I can't usually get through it)

Plan 9 from Outer Space (best watched while inebriated)

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Wait Until Dark

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Mothman Prophecies (seriously creepy!)

Ghostbusters

[nomorenomore08]

9. "Jacob's Ladder" for the win!

That one is seriously *scary*, and I don't scare easy by any means. Quite possibly the most terrifying atmosphere, and some of the most nightmare-inducing imagery, of any film I've ever seen. Truly a unique and brilliant vision of hell.

Some other favorites of mine:

"Audition" - A widowed, middle-aged Japanese businessman seeks out a new wife, under the guise of a fake audition for a TV show. But just when he thinks he's found his ideal woman, she turns out to be a sadistic psycho with a brutally abusive past. Piano wire and acupuncture needles are used to horrifying effect.

"Videodrome" - A TV producer looking for the next big thing in cable programming stumbles across a pirate channel showing apparently real footage of torture and executions. The power of these images, however, extends beyond the TV screen, and soon our protagonist's life becomes an unending, nightmarish hallucination. Quite obviously Burroughs-influenced, and it predates Cronenberg's adaptation of "Naked Lunch" by a decade.

"The Beyond" - Out of all of Lucio Fulci's low-budget, ultra-gory, often downright silly horror efforts, this one is arguably the best. For once he manages to create a truly creepy, bad-dream-like atmosphere in this (deliberately?) incoherent tale of the restless dead rising from beneath a cursed New Orleans hotel.

"Suspiria" - A no-brainer. Quite possibly the greatest of all modern horror films, "The Exorcist" included. A young American woman enrolls in a Swiss ballet academy, not knowing that the place is secretly run by an ancient coven of witches. A perfect soundtrack, some great gory murders, and an atmosphere of dread, dread, and more dread.

"Inside"/"Martyrs" - In my opinion, the two best films to come out of the much-hyped new wave of French horror. "Inside" has a young widow about to give birth, who receives a sinister visitor in her home. What she doesn't realize at first is that the other woman wants the child for herself, and will go to lethal (and very bloody) extremes to get it. "Martyrs" is a strange, multi-layered, extremely disturbing film about a secret society dedicated to exploring, through pain, the limits of human existence.