Back in August, I wrote an article listing the top 20 horror films of the past 20 years. After creating the list, I wasn't entirely happy with it and neither were a lot of you that read it. So just in time for Halloween, I revised the list and came up with one I'm relatively satisfied with. Hopefully we can agree it's at least an improvement over the original list,
which can be read here. I tried to get rid of the films that were more fantasy, sci-fi, or drama over horror from the previous list. So without further adieu, here we go:
20.
Gozu (2003)
Takashi Miike is notorious for his bizarre films and is usually associated with the fact that his films are usually incredibly weird and spectacularly violent. While his filmography does have more to offer than that, films like
Ichi the Killer and
Audition fall into that category and are probably Miike's most popular films to date. Most lists like this include
Audition, but
Gozu had more of an impact on me. While Miike shines with films dealing with over the top gore like
Ichi, his yakuza (Japanese mafia) films are just as good. Gozu is kind of a mix between Miike's
Rainy Dog and
Visitor Q films, but the ending alone thrusts
Gozu into the horror genre much like
Audition did. The film's finale would probably sound ridiculous on paper, but is pulled off rather well and stays in the back of your brain long afterwards. The cow headed demon is also something worth seeing.
19.
The Frighteners (1996)
I'm actually one of the few people who prefer
Peter Jackson's horror films over his long, epic films like
Lord of the Rings and
King Kong. This may actually be viewed as a guilty pleasure more than anything, but after watching the film again recently I have to say it's still one of my favorite horror films. Somewhat underrated, the film has some pretty spectacular special effects; a trait that would become standard for the films Peter Jackson became involved with. The film felt kind of like
Dead Alive with the cinematography and some of the humor, but had Marty McFly in the lead role.
18.
The Descent (2006)
The cinematography in this is where the film shines. Scenes during the cave exploration captured claustrophobia to near perfection. The feelings of dread and panic were easy to succumb to after viewing those scenes. That along with the fact that the entire cast was made up of women who not only had a good head on their shoulders, but were generally all around strong characters. One of the first horror films of the past two decades to have a strong female cast.
17.
Nightbreed (1990)
Often overlooked and butchered by the MPAA, this film is incredibly underrated. It's based on a
Clive Barker novel, so even if it's edited to hell you know it'll still deliver when it comes to blood.
David Cronenberg as Dr. Philip K. Decker might just be the best reason to sit through this film. His character sticks with you long after the credits roll. That and the make-up effects are above-par considering how old it is.
16.
Braindead/Dead Alive (1992)
One of the craziest and goriest zombie movies ever, the film's lawnmower scene escalated it into cult classic territory. While the film could be considered cheese to some, its dark humor and massive amounts of blood really make it a fun watch.
15.
From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
Another film that's often overlooked, it gave us a taste of how great of a team
Robert Rodriguez and
Quentin Tarantino really are. It was a vampire film full of wit, dark humor, and plenty of bloody graphic violence. Boasting quite a cast that included
George Clooney,
Harvey Keitel,
Juliette Lewis, and even horror make-up effects legend,
Tom Savini, this was a horror film that contained all the right ingredients found in a cult classic.
14.
Event Horizon (1997)
Before
Paul W.S. Anderson gave us the
Resident Evil franchise, he brought us quite a nice little horror film set in space. As terrifying as it is memorable,
Event Horizon is best described as a sort of
Hellraiser in space (if it didn't suck and wasn't like
Bloodline). I remember watching this when it first came out on VHS when I was younger and it just haunted me for weeks. A horror film that is able to accomplish that deserves to be mentioned.
13.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie VernonOne of the most original and intelligent horror films I've ever had the pleasure of sitting through. While establishing his own origin, Leslie Vernon also dissects the basic formula for most famous slasher films. He seems so charming and funny that as you're watching him, you grow to like him and forget that he's actually having people shoot a documentary as he continues his quest to become a horror icon. I found it interesting that horror legend,
Robert Englund, basically played the Dr. Loomis character from
Halloween in this. Interesting choice.
12.
1408 (2007)
One of the best
Stephen King adaptations of the past few years, this was all
John Cusack. Cusack really carried the film and put in an incredibly strong performance. Considering it's just him alone in a hotel room for about an hour, the fact that Cusack not only makes that time bearable but also entertaining is a feat in itself.
11.
Session 9 (2001)
There's nothing like a psychological horror film that delivers. A film that sticks with you long after it's over and makes you want to watch it again because other pieces of the puzzle only seem to unravel in multiple viewings of the film.
Session 9 is such a film. The setting pretty much tells you right off the bat that things are going to get really ugly, really fast. Once things do take a turn for the worse, however, is when the film truly shines.
10.
High Tension (2005)
High Tension is pretty much the film that garnered the wave of French horror films crashing onto US shores. Some people may prefer other French horror films that have come out in the past few years like
Inside,
Frontiere(s), or
Martyrs, but those films probably wouldn't be available to us if it wasn't for the success of this film and it's for a good reason. The original version of the film was so gory that it was rated NC-17 and was edited down to an R-rating to be shown in US theaters. It set the bar for French horror for many horror fans. Try to look at a concrete saw after seeing this and tell me you don't think of the blood-soaked finale.
9.
28 Days Later (2003)
The atmosphere established in the first half hour of this film is what really made this film for me. Its most notable contribution to horror was taking a different spin on the zombie phenomenon and caused a rather massive debate amongst horror fans about whether "the infected" were zombies or not (they're not, by the way). While some people prefer
28 Weeks Later, it wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for this film. So I have to give credit where it's due.
8.
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Another film that made a lasting impression on me. Its dark atmosphere was the essential ingredient to it making this list. That and I was incredibly pleased with how the werewolves were done. Some of the best I had seen in a long time.
Dog Soldiers was also my introduction to
Neil Marshall's work and immediately made me a fan of his.
7.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Another psychological horror film that really hits it out of the park, this may just be
Tim Robbins best role. The demons Jacob Singer sees, the overall general atmosphere of the film, and the film's cinematography make the film genuinely scary. The violent head shake is easily something that could haunt your nightmares. Any film that gets you thinking deserves a mention, in my opinion.
Jacob's Ladder does just that, especially after the ending.
6.
Grindhouse (2007)
Planet Terror and
Death Proof were two extremely fun horror films created by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino respectively. On their own, the films are good. They both have their redeeming qualities that make them worth owning and require multiple viewings. But the theatrical version of the film with the faux trailers, the way the film was meant to be seen, is something special. A horror extravaganza that seemed to capture everything you loved about horror films of the 70's and 80's. It wasn't a remake or an adaptation. It just paid tribute to the films every horror fan loves yet offered us something new at the same time. That and
Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike was one of his greatest roles ever.
5.
Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Sam Raimi's return to the horror genre, which is pretty much all that needs to be said for some to make a list like this. Raimi brought a horror film to theaters that wasn't a remake in a time where just about everything was a re-imagining or a sequel to a revamp. Not only that, but it was one of the most original horror films to be released in the past few years.
Drag Me To Hell has hints of Raimi's beloved
Evil Dead franchise, but is more enjoyable to me than that franchise as a whole. Not many horror films are able to make me laugh and gross me out at the same time.
4.
Dracula (1992)
Just watched this again recently. I could've sworn I had seen this years ago, but didn't remember a lot of it. The real gem of this film is
Gary Oldman as Dracula. People who have seen the film either love him in the role or hate him, but I fall under the love him category.
Anthony Hopkins was great as Van Helsing as well, but it's Oldman who steals the show and makes me hold this film in such high regard.
3.
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Tom Cruise and
Brad Pitt took unusual turns in their roles, but had fantastic results. Tom Cruise as Lestat and Brad Pitt as Louis are arguably two of the actors best roles. Cruise made you believe that Lestat was rotten to the core and took incredible pride in it while you almost felt sorry for Pitt as Louis since he had come to regret the fact he ever became a vampire in the first place. The film was just incredibly enjoyable from Louis telling
Christian Slater's Daniel Malloy his unbelievable tale to Lestat driving down the highway in Malloy's convertible with Guns N Roses blasting through its speakers.
2.
Zombieland (2009)
This is by far the most fun I've had with a horror film for as long as I can remember. Not only was it laugh out loud funny, but it also managed to breathe life into an exhausted segment of the horror genre. It had felt like everything had been done with zombies and every film that was made concerning them was just rehashed from previous films.
Zombieland came along and made zombies entertaining again. The film was just fun and entertaining from beginning to end and it contained one of the best cameos in a horror film ever.
1.
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
John Carpenter is one of the best horror directors around and
In the Mouth of Madness is one of his finest works. Containing another exceptional performance by
Sam Neill, the story is where this film really shines. All of the monsters and special effects are top notch, as well. Everything looks just as spectacular today as it did in 1995 since they went the practical route instead of CGI. The Lovecraft influence that was there in
The Thing is there again this time around. This might just be my favorite of Mr. Carpenter's extremely impressive resume.