25. The Ring
Gore Verbinski, 2002
One of the few cases where a remake improves on the source (you’ll see a couple more later in the list), The Ring pales in comparison to Ringu only in the visualization of the infamous climax. That lapse is forgivable, however, since it comes with stronger characters, a better-fleshed out backstory, and the fact that this time, every second character in the movie is not a psychic. There’s also a really tremendous feeling of sadness and regret hanging over the movie, giving it a lot more emotional resonance than I would have expected. It turned out to be a real, honest, character-driven movie, so the fact that (SPOILER) isn’t as scary as in the original hardly even matters.
24. The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Jack Arnold, 1954
By the fifties, the gothic horror boom that birthed the classic Universal stable of monsters had run its course, replaced with scientific horrors – aliens, giant bugs, you name it. Nonetheless, they managed to squeeze out one final creature worthy of standing amongst the greats, combining the pathos of Frankenstein’s monster with a more modern background and what is probably the greatest black and white monster design ever committed to film. The story is, basically, an old standby – people go exploring and find a monster, monster falls in love with the girl, people have to rescue the girl from the monster – but the details make it sing.
23. Re-Animator
Stuart Gordon, 1985
Re-Animator is best known for the infamous naked girl/zombie head scene, as referenced in American Beauty. While that bit definitely typifies the tone of the movie, it would be a shame to reduce it all down to that moment. You’d miss out on the slyly clever script, the (rest of) the exquisitely crafted gore, and most of all, Jeffrey Combs’ career-making, brilliantly twitchy performance as Dr. Herbert West. It may be the least Lovecraftian of all the H.P. Lovecraft adaptations out there (it’s debatable), but when it’s this good, who cares?
22. Black Sabbath
Mario Bava, 1963
If you only have a half hour and you want to watch something from this list, watch the third segment (or the first segment if you’re watching the American dubbed/re-edited version, which I have not seen) of this film, “A Drop of Water.” The rest of the movie is great as well – perhaps a tad workmanlike, but still enlivened by Bava’s unmatched visual instincts and use of color – but it’s all about “A Drop of Water.” There is no more terrifying short subject out there.
21. Stagefright
Michele Soavi, 1987
Sleek and stylish, Stagefright manages to be incredibly surreal without ever disrupting the sense of reality. There’s never a point where you actually question what you’re seeing (at least until the very end. . . maybe), but it still feels very bizarre – after all, it’s about an avant-garde acting troupe trapped inside of a theater with a killer wearing a giant owl head. The English dub is a tad over-baked (just listen to Giovanni Lombardo Radice’s utterly ridiculous gay stereotype), although there are those who would claim that it makes it better.
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