1896 - 2012: The Official HDC Selection from 100+ Years of Horror Cinema

[_____V_____]

Ghost Busters (1984)

If you weren't old enough to see it in the theatre, you many not be able to appreciate just how original & huge it was. It's a 5-star fantastic film! It's no less a horror film than Son of Frankenstein & Little Shop of Horrors; packed with Horror elements. The ghost scene in the library gave me a fright! - Sculpt

It's the movie that got me into horror!
Many of you older members have defended some of the classics from your youth - movies that left a great impression on you and got you interested in the genre. Well, Ghostbusters might not mean much to YOU, but it was a BIG deal for a lot of us 80s kids, and I know for a fact that quite a lot of horror fans my age started with Ghostbusters. It's not just any movie, it was and still is a pop culture phenomenon.
Personally, I actually find the movie rather creepy in places, especially that library ghost which has been haunting my nightmares for 30 years now!
Each generation has it's classics, and I think it's something that many people tend to overlook or forget applies to the "younger" generations too - and their experiences of being blown away by a movie are just as valid. After all - that's what's keeping the genre alive. - Kandarian Demon

Phenomena (aka) Creepers (1985)

Suggested by _____V_____

Street of Crocodiles (1986, Short)

This is an amazing animated short from The Quay brothers. Its hard to really give a synopsis and the plot is secondary to the experience. This movie really is visual cinema at its best, dripping with bizarre nightmarish imagery it really is a surreal masterpiece. This is a world of decayed porcelain dolls and unknown mechanical contraptions that really needs to be seen to be appreciated. The beautiful stop motion just adds to the surreal nature of the movie. I think its the sort of movie that every fan of surreal cinema needs to see, but equally that so many horror fans will adore. - Straker

Predator (1987)

It has some really brilliant performances, especially by Schwarzenegger. The premise is pretty interesting. Additionally, I find the atmosphere to be perfect. This movie, for some reason, still creeps me out. Of course, one can not forget the brilliant score by Alan Silvestri. Not to mention the fact that the Predator has become a pop culture icon. Some may argue that it is a sci-fi, that is true, but the horror themes are strong, so, unless someone is a horror movie purist, they can not deny that this film is definitely a horror movie at it's core. - metternich1815

Prince of Darkness (1987)

Suggested by _____V_____

The Lost Boys (1987)

Suggested by _____V_____

They Live (1988)

Very original script. IMO, the ending didn't meet the high standards of the rest of film, but it's still a classic by John Carpenter. - Sculpt

The Vanishing (aka) Spoorloos (1988)

Suggested by _____V_____

The Woman in Black (1989, TV) [Full Movie]

It's an intriguing well made horror movie that is very scary despite being a made for TV movie. It doesn't resort to cheap jump scares or have to use gore or other tricks to scare the audience. It pulls you into it's terrifying atmosphere and chills you to the bone. - The Villain

Arachnophobia (1990)

Consider this: director Frank Marshall expertly shot scenes to fully exploit fear of spiders - recall the scene of spiders coming out of the faucets; the spider on the table that keeps facing and moving with every move of the actor; spiders bursting from the pulsating spider sac. Very effective creepiness! - Sculpt

Arachnophobia was a surprisingly good horror film that gave me the "creepy crawlies" after I finished it. I thought the performances especially by Daniels and Goodman were excellent. It was humorous, even silly, but that was the point. - metternich1815

Hiruko the Goblin (aka) Yôkai hantâ: Hiruko (1991)

Its one of the best foreign horrors I've seen. Its very different, creepy, weird, entertaining and bizarre in a good way. - The Villain

Natural Born Killers (1994)

I think it's a perfect representation of how the 90s was not a horror decade -- the genre's theatrics and "simplicity" -- were completely out of fashion, just like new wave and hair metal were replaced by alternative rock. Horror was either satired (Scream) or embedded in other genres, like crime mysteries (Se7en, Silence of the Lambs), drama (Sixth Sense) and comedy (Army of Darkness, the Frighteners). Natural Born Killers is a lot of things, most notably a social commentary, while also being an effective horror movie, especially the scene with the Indian hallucination ritual.

There are two groups of victims in NBK: 1) All the people that get killed (obviously), and 2) Mickey and Mallory themselves, victims of their own degrading psychological conditions.

First, the obvious, random victims. Do we care about them, and are we as viewers supposed to be scared or shocked when they are pursued? I'll just use one scene as an example, but there are plenty of others to choose from: The scene in the cafe, where Mickey and Mallory go on a killing rampage. The feeling I got while watching that scene was almost identical to the billards bar scene in Near Dark, and in both cases, I found it scary. Why? It's not just because people got violently killed. It's due to Oliver Stone's (and Kathryn Bigelow's) direction -- we learn just enough about these characters to relate to them and care for their well being. We've all been those people -- the waitress putting up with snotty customers, the guy playing pool wanting to protect his girlfriend. Watching those scenes, we know that each one of those people is doomed, and we can only hope that someone can get away or be spared. It doesn't hurt the case that each was killed in such violent fashion.

Secondly, Mickey and Mallory as victims of their own minds. Do we care about them? Yes, because they're the protagonists. This movie happens to have villain protagonists, but they're protagonists nonetheless.

So then are we supposed to be scared? Let me start by saying, psychological horror, I believe, is perhaps the most misunderstood of the horror genres. ("If there's no blood, it's not horror.") By my definition, a film is psychological horror if the "deadly force" is the characters' own minds, and the film is scary because we fear for the well-being of either the psychologically-affected characters themselves. In the Indian ritual scene, we see the horrors inside Mickey's mind. Forget what does and does not scare you, personally; this scene is clearly intended to be scary. At multiple points, we see Mallory's flashbacks to her abusive family and the continuing deterioration of her mental state. At the same time, we fear for those around them -- the Indians, who are there to help, but we fear are at risk in doing so. Also, the guy who is seduced by Mallory on the car hood while she experiences her flashbacks, causing her to lose control. In my book, this is psychological horror at its best. The tension is built, not due to something creeping around in the dark, but due to the building chaos in the mind of someone capable of inflicting harm.

Bottom line, I think there are a lot of reasons why it's easy to miss the horror in Natural Born Killers -- either due to the wide variety of styles, including black humor, action and drama, or because of the non-horror social themes, both overt and subtle. But if you peel away some of the complexity and diversion, IMO the film is horror, even at its core. - Giganticface

The Cell (2000)

Ambitious and magnificent display of psychological and subconscious horror. - Sculpt

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Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

The premise alone makes this a top 20 flick, doesn't it? Awesome flick, which needs to be better appreciated. Its tongue in cheek dark humour, but it also has some weight behind it asking how far our creative minds will push boundaries to create art. Willem Dafoe puts in a career best performance and Malkovich is typically menacing as the obsessive Murnau. Just an all-round quality movie. - Straker

Pulse (aka) Kairo (2001)

Great premise, lots of atmosphere, much better than lots of the more popular flicks out there! - Straker

Session 9 (2001)

This film does creepy, surreal atmosphere about as well as two of my favorites: The Shining and Jacob's Ladder. The location is almost a character in itself, and some of the imagery and sounds are as memorable and spine-tingling as that in The Changeling. The slow-burn creep-out storyline is as good as it gets, and has a rewarding ending. - Giganticface

Ju-on: The Grudge (original) (2002)

Suggested by _____V_____

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

If you've seen it without distraction, I think you'll know what I mean -- I wasn't expecting much from this movie, and instead it packs a powerful punch of adrenaline and lingering mood effects, thought was quite effective and interesting story. - Sculpt

The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

Suggested by _____V_____

Grindhouse (2007)

I think for all practical purposes, it's two separate movies, and most people will watch them (and evaluate them) separately, but good point that Tarantino and Rodriguez intended them to be watched in as a single, complete experience, simulating a double feature. Plus it has all those awesome fake trailers.
Both Grindhouse movies are good, but also quite different. Tarantino and Rodriguez have pretty different styles. The intent was to pay homage to (or really, almost recreate, but with some satire) exploitation films of the 70s. Both directors did a great job of adding pops, noise and graininess to the picture, complete with "bad" editing, etc. Really fun to watch. - Giganticface

They are definitely both worth watching, though I've always preferred "Planet Terror" to "Death Proof" as the latter was riddled with too much dialogue. However, to it's credit, Kurt Russell gives one of his best performances as Stuntman Mike.
They are both pretty good flicks, especially if you are fond of exploitation flicks from that era. I think you would really appreciate all the work that was put into making them seem like authentic pieces from the period. - xX_StarChild_Xx

Despite being both great, I will say that I preferred Death Proof. It had a great performance by Kurt Russell, while also being a very thoroughly entertaining movie. Planet Terror was good, but certainly much more humorous and over-the-top compared to Death Proof. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed both films in Grindhouse. - metternich1815

The Signal (2007)

Good concept, excellent characters, strong writing, good tension, and (gulp!) romance? The hand-off between directors for the three parts gave it variety in tone without being too jarring, or feeling like an anthology. I loved the indie feel. Some of the violent scenes were pretty hairy. An enjoyable film all around. - Giganticface

Martyrs (2008)

An utterly one-of-a-kind film for those that are willing to give it the chance it deserves, and can stomach it. As the French are doing, it incorporates existing sub-genre elements, but twists or re-invents them in ways no one has done before. (It's a home invasion movie... wow, that was quick. It's a demon ghost film... or is it? It's torture... a whole new level and tone.) The film is unique in that, like the experiments performed on the protagonist, the viewer becomes the subject of a similar experiment: can you endure more pain than you can imagine, to the point of transcendence to a new level of existence? Okay, maybe the viewer won't reach martyrdom by watching the film, but it will be dizzying ride in the process. - Giganticface

Mum & Dad (2008)

A really savage British horror film and satire on family life. The Christmas scene pushes things way over! - Neverending

Thirst (aka) Bakjwi (2009)

If you haven't watched it, go watch it! - Straker

Black Swan (2010)

In the "Repulsion" film vein, here's an interesting take on the film - "Though it touches on a number of genres and encapsulates several themes, Black Swan is best viewed as a horror movie - a slow creep into insanity that's touching and terrifying in equal measure." Plus the greatest work of music is featured: Swan Lake. - Sculpt

One of the best films IMO across all genres during this time period! - Giganticface

John Dies at the End (2012)

It had fast-paced, semi-narrated, excellent direction. Plot and story was really effectively executed, fascinating, and a lot of fun, serious and humorous at the same time. I thought it was really smart, and played like stream of consciousness, with camera shots conveying a very trippy, original and fun film. Not without flaws, but I thought it was original and notable, sort of a fusion of "Evil Dead 2" meets "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" meets "Pulp Fiction" meets "Next". - Sculpt

So, there you have it.

200 recommendations of the finest films the horror genre has produced over the past 116 years (and counting), 55 Honorable Mentions from each period of horror cinema, 10 of the best documentaries on the history & evolution of horror films, and a special selection of 50 hand-picked films earnestly supported by the HDC members involved in the decision-making process.

That's well over 300 films, all wholeheartedly recommended to add to your viewing pleasure, as you explore the horror genre in it's silver screen avatar - the world of horror films.

May the genre keep expanding and prospering through the years to come. The fans will always be here with open arms.


Happy viewing, folks!

[Straker]

What an incredible effort!

Thanks for putting this together, V. :cool:

[neverending]

It's a thing of beauty, V! Your hard work and dedicastion are much appreciated!

It will bring hours of enjoyment and inspiration to many!

[_____V_____]

LIST OF ALL HDC MEMBERS INVOLVED

Big, heartfelt thanks and a massive shout-out to each member listed below:-

Bizarre

Chronogrl

Despare

Fearonsarms

Ferox13

Fortunato

Giganticface

Hammerfan

Jessieblood

Kandarian Demon

Metternich1815

Natedog722

Nates Vault

Neverending

Newb

Nightmare_of_death

Realdealblues

Roshiq

Sculpt

Slysje

Straker

Swiss Tony

The Flayed One (the originator)

The Ugly Duchess

The Villain

TheWickerFan

Tiberius

xX_StarChild_Xx

...plus many other HDC members behind the scenes who were involved in sending PMs to me and Flayed over the duration of this massive compilation, from 2011 to 2013.

[Giganticface]

Wow, V, unbelievable! You've outdone yourself. Scrolling through the entire history, I was excited from beginning to end. The YouTube videos and Wikipedia links are an awesome touch. Really, really great, man. Thank you!

[The Villain]

Incredible work V. Can't wait to see it in all its completion and begin watching all those movies.

[hammerfan]

Incredible job, as always, V! We appreciate all of your hard work on this!

EDIT: Now that I've had a chance to look through the entire thread: Wow!!! I'm speechless, V! This is amazing. I'll be returning to this list again and again so I can cross movies off my list as I see them. This has shown me that there's a LOT of movies I haven't seen. And I need to correct that!

Thank you so much, Avi! Really incredible!

[metternich1815]

I agree with everyone else, V, great job. I do not know how you found the time to do the amount of work required for this project, but I am happy with the result. Now, I will have to add films that I have not seen on my must-watch list. Anyway, thank you V for all the hard work!

[realdealblues]

Thanks V for all you do!