Horror Movie Checklist
Welcome to my Horror Movie Checklist. They’re not in any particular order, so “1” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better than “2” or so on. If you’re not a regular reader, please consider subscribing. It’s free and one a month I give away a Toyota Camry to a lucky fan.
Starter Pack
This is my best estimation at the 25 movies you need to understand post-1960 American horror. Disagree? What did I get wrong? Please correct me. I’m just a drooling imbecile after all.
Halloween
The Exorcist
The Thing
The Shining
Psycho
Jaws
The Silence of the Lambs
Rosemary’s Baby
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Scream
Alien
The Ring
The Omen
28 Days Later
Carrie
The Sixth Sense
Misery
The Blair Witch Project
Friday the 13th
Amityville Horror
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Evil Dead 2
American Werewolf in London
Spotlight:
The Exorcist (1973): Catholic priests actually ended up embracing this movie with open arms because it frightened people back into churches. Now that’s terror. What other movie can claim that? If you haven’t seen it, go watch it right now and finish this stupid list later.
New(ish) and Noteworthy
People complain a lot about the state of movies these days and I’ll always argue that if you’re searching for original voices, look towards horror. I’m paraphrasing smarter people, but because the cultural expectations of the genre are so low, creators have more lee-way to accomplish fresh and innovative things. But once again, I’m half-moron. I literally have my head stuck between two metal bars right now because I saw a discarded candy apple on the other side of the fence and tried to reach for it.
It Follows
You’re Next
Insidious
Don’t Breathe
Get Out
The VVitch
We Are What We Are (2013)
V/H/S
The Cabin in the Woods
The Invitation (2016)
Sinister
The Conjuring
Mandy
A Quiet Place
Bone Tomahawk
Midsommar
Smile
X
Ready or Not
Creep
Doctor Sleep
Freaky
Nope
Possessor
Green Room
Spotlight:
Creep (2014): Proof that all you need to make a good horror film is a camera. Produced on a shoe string budget, this odd, often funny movie will get you in the end. We’re all just looking for a friend, aren’t we?
Travel Abroad
If the success of Squid Games and Parasite are any indication, Americans are ready to accept subtitles. If that’s the case, have at it, Hoss. Here’s what you’ve been missing.
Audition
Let the Right One In
Wolf Creek
Train to Busan
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Suspiria
REC (2007)
Ringu
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Kill List
Eyes Without a Face
Old Boy (2003)
Deep Red
The Loved Ones
The Host (2006)
Eden Lake
The Vanishing (1988)
Lake Mungo
Ju-On: The Grudge
Raw (2016)
One Cut of the Dead
High Tension
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Dead Snow
Pulse
Spotlight:
The Vanishing (1988): A friend bought me a book on horror movies and a few pages in there was a full page displaying the picture above. It unnerved me before I even knew what it was from. This horrifying Dutch entry had escaped me all my life. I needed to watch it instantly and the film proved to be just as unsettling as the photo. Strange points of view and an inevitable end will leave you wondering what you just witnessed. (Avoid the American remake)
*If you haven’t seen Audition and you’re looking for the scariest movie on this list, it might be that.
Digging Deeper
Do you want something a little weirder? A little more niche? Some characters that might not show up as masks in your local Walgreens? Do you want to actually murder someone? Flee the police? Realize you’ve been using your credit card the entire trip? The police are at your Holiday Inn? Well, you’ve really screwed this whole thing up. Anyway, see if you can stream these in prison.
Don’t Look Now
The Descent
The Dead Zone
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Changeling
Day of the Dead
Candyman
The Exorcist 3
The Mist
Phantasm
Frailty
Dog Soldiers
Trick ‘R Treat
The Lost Boys
Scanners
Hellraiser
Tremors
Ginger Snaps
Session 9
Jacob’s Ladder
Re-Animator
Triangle
Cube
Black Christmas (1974)
Videodrome
Spotlight:
Don’t Look Now (1973): I first heard about this because it’s one of those infamous “they actually had sex on camera” films, and that’s true and awesome, but it’s also so much more than that. Without giving too much away, this is the movie I recommend most to people are past that initial group of horror classics. It will really sneak up on you.
That’s all for me. Like and subscribe.
