1. Black Christmas(1974)-- There are few false scares, plenty of disorienting camera angles, and a killer who is never fully explained. Some logical flaws in script, but otherwise the characters are written very sharply, creating characters that dont seem trite, flawed but real human beings. The strain of not knowing who the killer is, or even whether or not it is solvable based on evidence within the film itself, makes this movie a private torment for me. It's a puzzle that can never be solved; truly the stuff of nightmares.
2. Suspiria-- From the frenetic score to the wild pulsing nightmareishly colored sets, this movie pushed the boundries of what a horror film can be like few others. Murder becomes intricate art, for better or worse.
2. Suspiria-- From the frenetic score to the wild pulsing nightmareishly colored sets, this movie pushed the boundries of what a horror film can be like few others. Murder becomes intricate art, for better or worse.
3. Halloween-- Too bad you've seen it too many times for it to still be scary, but this film is a blueprint for how to manipulate and horrify audiences.
4. The Exorcist-- The slow, agonizing transformation of Regan MacNeil is the essence of horror. The dread almost oozes off the screen. And it's a long ass movie.
5. (will shock and suprise) When A Stranger Calls Back-- This is the sequel to When a Stranger Calls, which is a decent horror flick in its own right. But the sequel was for me far more terrifying, and had a lot in common with Black Christmas(1974), in that the killer is so void and empty of personality he reeks of the abyss. He is a ventrilloquist, a sham of a performer, a nonentity. This was a made for TV movie and has nary a curse word to boot. And still manages to be a very effective fright film.
Recently watched The Wicker Man again, and may have to move it up on the list to the 5th spot, bur right now Ill give it an honorable mention. Mini-review soon...
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