Favorite Horror Films

A freaky gross-out of a movie. I'm not a gore fan, but something about this film just grabbed me. It was memorable because it was so over-the-top.

This movie is less horror to me than the sad story of a lost innocent let loose in a cruel world. Boris Karloff is magnificent. Why they continued to sully this character by adding sequel after sequel -- without Karloff! -- is beyond me. Timeless. I love this film, even more so than Bride of...I prefer the sensitivity and pathos of this over the comedy in Bride.

Most people like this one better than the original, but I'm partial to the first one...but only slightly. This is still a great film.

A bit stagy and dated, but Bela Legosi is still the best Dracula.

This is without a doubt one of the coolest films I've ever seen. Carl Dreyer weaves a film that seems more dream -- or more likely nightmare -- than film. A loose storyline about vampirism ties together visuals that are mesmerizing. Included are a shadow that walks around without its owner, and a POV shot of a man's funeral -- from INSIDE the casket. Dreyer is one of the great directors and this film is evidence. Not to be missed.

A different kind of vampire movie -- one good, one bad. Filmed in Transylvania.

I didn't like horror films until this one. Totally changed my film viewing habits. The transformation scenes made me want to become a makeup artist. I saw it again recently, and it's not as spectacular as I remember, and even hokey at times. But it still holds a fond place in my memory.

The question to ask yourself -- who are the freaks? The deformed but kind circus people or the sinister but "normal" people who betray them?

This movie kinda spooked me, so I'm not interested in seeing it again, but it had some great camera work and good monsters that makes me almost want to. And it's our first taste of Bruce Campbell, which alone makes it worth seeing.

The first, and arguably the scariest, adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel Dracula. The Stoker estate sued to get this film stopped, so some names and minor plot points were changed, as well as moving the action from England to Germany. But otherwise, it's the same story. The main difference between the film and most of the adaptations that follow is Max Schreck as the vampire. He is not debonair or seductive or even tuxedo-clad. No, he is tall and skeletal, more rat than human. The scene where he is standing in the hallway and walking towards the camera into the doorway spooks me every time, as does the shot of his face peering through the boards of his dilapidated casket in the basement of his home.. Yes, it moves slow at times, but some interesting effects and camera work along whith Schreck's performance still make this one of the classic horror movies of all time for me.

If you believe the Japanese only started making ghost movies with Ringu, think again, and then take a look at this foursome of tales to make your hair stand on end and your flesh creep. Each story stands alone in its spookiness. My favorite is the first -- "Black Hair", in which a man divorces his wife for a younger, richer woman. When he realizes his mistake and returns to the first wife, he slowly discovers that...haha. You'll have to watch for yourself. But all the stories are good in their own right. And the film looks great -- filmed completely on a soundstage, many of the scenes look like paintings come to life. A good film for those who enjoy art films, but also like to have the bejeebers scared out of them every so often.

Awesome film, and still scary even though I've it like 10 times. No comic relief and the downer ending just add to the film.

The inspiration for Night of The Living Dead. When I saw it, I recognized the....ghosts? zombies?... as being in my dreams or nightmares Or maybe I saw it in my childhood and buried the memories. With good reason...even though the phantoms are just in cheap whiteface, they and this whole film still scares the hell out of me.

These are Haitian zombies, not living dead zombies. A dated but still entertaining movie about a man who will go to any lengths to possess the woman he loves, even if he has to kill her. Bela Legosi is fantastic as Murder Legendre, the villianous zombie-maker.