My Favorite 20 Horror Films

Just for the hell of it (and because I'm strapped for blogging ideas), here are my top twenty horror films of all time. A few rules to keep in mind while reading the list: 1) I have to have actually seen the film, naturally 2) It might not be fair to lump older films in with newer ones, but ultimately both have attendant strengths and weaknesses so this list will be a mixture and 3) the films are being judged on their ability to scare the audience, as well as all the other elements normally deemed necessary for a successful theatrical film; an interesting, original plot, strong characterization and at least some sort of underlying theme.

With all that out of the way, let's get to that list!

In no particular order...

1) "Jaws" - I really have always seen "Jaws" as a horror film. You can call it "suspense" or "drama" or "thriller" or even "adventure" I suppose, but it really contains all the elements of a classic horror film; a monster that seems unstoppable and possessed of nearly supernatural powers, a slate of horrific murders, innocent victims, and a band of unlikely heroes who try to thwart the menace.

"Jaws" is really one of those films that's almost perfect to me. From the music, the scene selection, the acting, the writing, the moments of humor, the chair gripping attack scenes; it all comes together to produce a truly masterful work of modern horror that really only benefits from repeated viewings. And I will dispute anyone who contends that the antiquated special effects of 1975 have diluted the film's power. Any true horror fan knows that what scares us most is not what we see, but what we don't see and imagine, and "Jaws"s shark is onscreen a precious little amount of time. The theme of man vs. nature that "Jaws" so vividly depicts is a timeless one, just as relevant today as it was in 1975. We're still hopelessly ignorant of what the oceans really contain, and that ignorance fuels the mystery that is at the heart of "Jaws"s horror, i.e. "what if there are things in the water that are large and fierce enough to devour us whole, and how could we ever defeat such creatures?"

2) "The Son of Frankenstein" - Unlike many sequels, (particularly those past the first), this 1939 film is every bit as frightening (if not moreso) than the original. This film benefits tremendously from the Frankenstein myth created by the first two films ("Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein"). The very name Frankenstein is now associated with blasphemy and murder, so before the fabled creature even shows up on screen we have a gradually mounting sense of dread. Add to this the beautifully Gothic setting of the castle, and the once-in-a-lifetime casting of Boris Karloff, Lionel Atwill (as the one armed sergeant who was maimed as a child by the creature), Basil Rathbone as the arrogant, obsessed but somehow still heroic Frankenstein, and a truly brilliant turn by Bela Lugosi as the creepy, vengeful Igor (broken neck and all).

3) "Night of the Living Dead" - Like "Jaws", so much has been written about this film that it's difficult to say something original. For me, this film more than any other brought home the true horror of the zombie phenomenon. Unlike most classic monsters, the zombies had no shred of humanity left in them. They were not innocent victims of werewolf or vampire bites, they had no redeeming human consciousness to mitigate their evil. They were just shambling, flesh eating machines (not unlike sharks actually) that would not shirk for one second from devouring the brains of their own former loved ones. Add to this notion the black and white film, which made the whole effort seem more real, and the selection of heretofore unknown actors and you have a film that has the look and feel of of a documentary. This technique would be used again (albeit more knowingly) over thirty years later in another hugely successful horror film, "The Blair Witch Project".

More of the list tomorrow!