THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1978)
If you’re compiling a list of the top ten most iconic horror movies of all time, Tobe Hooper’s lo-fi 1978 shocker is going to be on there. After an introductory voice-over warns us of the atrocities to come, Hooper rachets up the tension as a group of road-tripping teenagers gets side-tracked on a rural Texas highway. To reveal more would risk ruining the delightful surprises to come, but it’s probably not spoiling anything to say that, yes, some unconventional use of a chainsaw does take place. Great stuff.
THE WITCHES (1990)
Horror films for kids do exist – and The Witches is proof positive. Based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book, Nicolas Roeg’s tale of wickedness hidden in plain sight hits the perfect level of scariness for an eight- or nine-year old, and it’s so well-made that their parents won’t mind watching along too.
When a young boy and his grandmother visit the seaside for a holiday, he uncovers evidence that the annual meeting of the RSPCC, apparently taking place in their grand hotel, is actually a cover for something far, far more sinister.
BONE TOMAHAWK
Genres get sliced and diced as much as the unfortunate characters in S. Craig Zahler’s brutal debut, which starts out like a Western but gradually unfolds into a nightmarish horror flick – albeit one with some great comedic dialogue and character moments.
Kurt Russell heads a killer cast as the upstanding sheriff who assembles a small posse to track down tribe of cannibalistic kidnappers. There’s an old-school nastiness about Bone Tomahawk not often seen in modern movies, not to mention a refreshing tendency to take its time, allowing you to get properly acquainted with its characters and its world.
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
Adapted from the short story by cosmic horror master H.P. Lovecraft, Richard Stanley’s movie (his first since being fired from the famously storied set of The Island of Dr. Moreau in 1996) relocates the tale to modern day New England but retains the same sense of existential dread in the face of incomprehensibly alien forces.
Nicolas Cage plays a man struggling to keep his father’s old farm working and his quarrelling family happy. But his everyday problems recede into the background when a curiously coloured meteorite crashes into his property, seemingly affecting (or infecting?) every living thing in the vicinity. It’s fairly standard b movie stuff, yes – but the brilliant visuals, moody soundtrack and intense pacing make it a diverting watch.
THE MONSTER SQUAD
Something of a 1980s cult classic, The Monster Squad is The Goonies meets Ghostbusters – a rollicking b movie horror-comedy in which a bunch of misfit kids take on Dracula and other assorted beasties in their small town. Co-written by Shane Black (creator of the Lethal Weapon franchise, and director of The Predator and The Nice Guys) and featuring special effects from the legendary Stan Winston, this is enjoyable for far more than simple nostalgia value.
PSYCHO (1960)
It’s nothing short of iconic – a film that well deserves its spot in the annals of modern horror, and one that spawned a bunch of bad sequels, a decent TV series and a bizarre shot-by-shot remake starring Vince Vaughn. But does the black and white Psycho still have the power to shock and scare almost 60 years after it was first released?
While the ketchup-like gore and the psychological horror may have lost their edge in this age of Saws and Hannibal Lecters, there’s still something deliciously creepy about Norman Bates, his motel and his dear old mother. Not to mention Alfred Hitchcock’s use of misdirection and twists, which may still wrong-foot modern-day audiences who’ve somehow managed to avoid spoilers.
GOODNIGHT MOMMY
This Austrian indie movie’s chills come more from its relentlessly creepy atmosphere than gore or jump scares, as twin boys in a remote house react to the return of their mother – apparently from some kind of reconstructive surgery. But is it really her under those bandages? If you prefer your scares served cold, with a side order of existential dread, Goodnight Mommy deserves a spot on your Amazon watchlist.
SCANNERS
Scanners might be best known for that famous shocking scene early on (if you’ve seen it, you’ll know the one), but David Cronenberg’s psychological (and psychic) thriller is a great piece of early 80s cinema, all bad haircuts and doom-laden synths. A shady corporation seeks to turn “scanners” – a growing number of powerful psychics – into living weapons, but somebody appears to be murdering them just as fast as they can be found. When one particularly powerful scanner goes on a killing spree, the corporation sends its latest recruit to hunt him down – but things don’t go to plan.
LIFE
A team of astronauts on the ISS rendezvous with a satellite carrying soil samples from Mars, and are delighted when they discover microscopic signs of life within. Joy quickly turns to concern when the organism, dubbed “Calvin”, turns out to be intelligent, resourceful, capable of rapid growth and absolutely determined to stay alive – no matter the cost to its hosts. It’s b-movie stuff at heart, but with a strong cast (including Ryan Reynolds, Jack Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson), superb visual effects and some disturbing twists and turns, this tense creature feature doesn’t disappoint.
THE BABADOOK
“If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook.” Honestly, this Australian indie flick is going to stick with you for some time. In addition to all the thrills and chills you'd expect from a standard horror movie, The Babadook has something extra hidden in its basement under the stairs: smarts.
Yes, this film will fray your nerves like wool dragged across a barbed wire fence, but it's also a powerful meditation on loss and trauma. Can single mother Amelia finally lay the repressed memory of her dead husband to rest and save her son Samuel in the process? You’ll simply have to watch this modern classic to find out.
