1. Repulsion

Repulsion
Roman Polanski, 1965

A fragile, repressed young woman goes very, very mad when left at home alone for a couple of weeks.

I was initially unwilling to include this in the October countdown, because it didn't seem appropriate, genre-wise - however, it did show up on Rotten Tomatoes' list of 50 best-reviewed horror movies, so I gave it a shot. After watching it, I'm still not completely convinced, but I can certainly see understand the argument - there are some really unsettling moments. Either way, the one thing that can't be disputed is that it's terrific, all around. From Catherine Deneuve's edgy performance to the stellar sound design, I can't think of a single element that was sub-par. Probably the greatest stroke of genius was the creation of a second set for the apartment that was used for dream sequences. It's similar to the real one, but much, much larger, and that break with reality just gave me chills. Definitely the best of Polanski's so-called apartment trilogy (also including Rosemary's Baby and The Tenant).

8/10