Telekinesis/ Mind Control Horror
Carrie (1976)
"“They’re all going to laugh at you!”
Sure high school was tough, but none of us had it as bad as young Carrie White. Made to feel insignificant by her bible-thumping mother (played deliciously by Piper Laurie) and relentlessly picked on by the cool kids in school, Carrie is the walking definition of pitiful... until she realizes she has the power to control objects with her mind. When a dream date to the prom turns into a nightmare of humiliation, Carrie snaps and uses her powers to exact revenge in vibrant DePalma color.
This is one of those rare films that truly transcends the genre and is a great piece of cinema enjoyed by old and young alike." -
Roderick Usher
Scanners (1981)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari aka
Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (1920)
"Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist subject Cesare are an attraction at a carnival. The Doctor claims his subject can answer any question. When Alan, a visitor at the carnival asks Cesare when he will die, Cesare predicts he will die the next morning at dawn. And he does. It turns out that Caligari is the head of a local asylum and is obsessed with the story of an earlier Caligari who used a somnambulist subject to kill people.
What's astounding about this picture, in addition to Conrad Veidt's portrayal of Cesare, is the art direction. Painters Walter Reimann and Walter Röhrig provided expressionist sets full of twisted angles and creepy shadows that greatly contributed to the unsettling impact this film still has today. It seems to be set in a nightmare - or the mind of a madman." -
Neverending
The Fury (1978)
White Zombie (1932)
"Lays claim to being the first zombie film EVER, and also one which mines the zombie beliefs of Haiti the most accurately. If you're one who needs steady doses of action to keep you interested, this film isn't for you, but if you thrive on atmosphere, this is Heaven.
Lugosi turns in a menacing performance as Murder Legendre, the owner of a sugar plantation who happens to posses an army of zombies to work the plantation. Some of the shots of these zombie minions are truly scary - particularly the scene with zombies working the mill. Trouble comes when Lugosi fancies the fiance of a visiting couple and decides to make her a zombie as well.
Slow and ponderous, but also sureal and chilling." -
Neverending
Honorable Mentions:
Firestarter (1984)
The Devil Doll (1936)