20. Alien
Ridley Scott, 1979
As we progress through this list, you're going to start seeing more and more established classics that should come as no surprise – after all, they're on everyone's lists. This is a prime example of such a movie – a spooky old house movie perfectly transposed into outer space, with sets and creatures designed by a crazy European. There is not a moment that feels wrong (unless you watch the newer director's cut).
19. An American Werewolf in London
John Landis, 1981
This is the movie they invented the makeup effects Academy Award for, and once you see the central werewolf transformation scene, you’ll know why. It’s not all about werewolves, though – there’s a very prominent ghost element as well, which provides most of the funniest moments (although nothing can top “Mummy, a naked American man stole my balloons”), and some random nightmare monsters too. There has never been a better werewolf movie, although to be fair, that's not all that difficult.
18. I Walked with a Zombie
Jacques Tourneur, 1943
The movies of producer Val Lewton are often credited largely to him, creatively speaking. This is not unreasonable, as there is a certain consistency to them, despite the several different directors who worked on them. Still, his collaborations with Jacques Tourneur do displace a certain visual panache that the other films tend not to match. This, then, is not only the best of their collaborations, but also the best of Lewton's films, period. It's a gorgeous, moody piece that somehow, despite its short length, feels almost like a novel, particularly of the gothic era.
17. Dellamorte Dellamore
Michele Soavi, 1996
The first time I was asked to describe this movie, I said it was Dawn of the Dead crossed with Brazil. I'm not a huge fan of describing movies in that way, but it's pretty spot-on in this case. You have Brazil's surrealism, its bubbly, quirky, yet still depressing humor, and its obsession with bureaucracy, coupled with Dawn's social criticism, sense of malaise, and, of course, zombies. It's a potent combination, and makes for an unforgettable movie.
16. The Shining
Stanley Kubrick, 1980
Stephen King wishes he could write a book as good as this movie. Yes, the character arc is truncated compared to the novel. Yes, it skews more in the direction of standard horror tropes than the novel (axe vs. croquet mallet). But it also trims a lot of fat, and those tropes are wielded as surely and effectively as possible. Is there anything that has ever been as nerve-wrackingly creepy as the long tracking shots as Danny rides through the hallways? OR the woman in the bathtub? Plus, hedge maze beats topiary animals any day. King is right about one thing – it's not a good adaptation of the novel. But we're all better off for it.
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