1. DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979)

Romero. Zombies. '70s. Cinematic brilliance. My favourite film of all time. Enough said.

2. FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)

An old favourite. While not a great film by most standards, this film just does something for me. Maybe it’s the great low-budget feel, the real summer camp locale, the fantastic effects courtesy of Mr. Savini, or perhaps it’s seeing young Kevin Bacon in a pair of Speedo’s. Whatever the reason, no other film entertains and brings back so many childhood memories as this one. And it’s quite creepy to boot.

3. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)

The '70s are my absolute favourite decade for films, and this is one of the classics. Gritty, grainy, sweaty, claustrophobic, violent…and scary as hell! No film has kept me awake at night except for this one. Really well made and acted. A pseudo-documentary ball breaker that puts nearly every horror film to shame!

4. JAWS (1975)

The best fun-scary film of all time. Scores full marks on thrills and chills, while still managing to create some genuine characters and some awesome suspense. The trio of Scheider, Dreyfuss and Shaw still rank as one of the finest ensemble acting. Great direction by Spielberg and that score…

5. PSYCHO (1960)

The master is at it again. A true classic and one of the great films in history. Made by Hitch’s television crew, Psycho has the flavour of a low-budget film, but the class of a big-budget Hollywood production. Perkins gives one of the most memorable performances in all of cinema. Dark, moody and elegant.

6. THE EVIL DEAD (1982)

One of the goriest films of all time, as well as scariest, The Evil Dead marked the debut of the amazing talents of Sam Rami and cult actor Bruce Campbell. The best in the trilogy and one of the best horror films of the '80s. Good gooey fun!

7. THE SHINING (1980)

Most who love King’s book hate this movie; then there are the minority that love the movie. I happen to be in the super-minority that loves both the book and Kubrick’s film. While it’s not a blow-by-blow adaptation of the book, it does capture its claustrophobic mood and is one of the more terrifying horror films. Concentrates on the psychological angle rather then the ghost, and Nicholson is one of the most insanely horrifying maniacs. Exceptionally creepy stuff.

8. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

Stark B&W picture that still manages to raise the hairs. Ultra low-budget zombie gut-cruncher (the first to portray zombies as flesh-eating killers) that rises above its sometimes dodgy acting to become the cult classic that it is today. Scary and intense, with the best ending to a film that I can think of. The first film in George Romero’s legendary zombie saga.

9. THE LOST BOYS (1987)

Rocking '80s horror film. Fantastic soundtrack, slick photography and direction, this is another child-hood fave. I’m not a huge vampire fan, but this movie is just so fun and exciting, with an awesome cast that includes Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Dianne Wiest, Jami Gertz (yummy!), and of course, the two Corey’s. Sleep all day and party all night — a must-see '80s classic.

10. POLTERGEIST (1982)

Sensational Spielberg/Hooper film that contains some of the best special effects (including today’s CGI nonsense). Typical Spielberg suburbs is the setting for this super-fun thrill ride that’s scary as well as funny and charming. Your parents were right when they told you not to sit too close to the TV set.

11. THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977)

Very effective Wes Craven movie, my personal favourite. Another one of those low-budget wonders, this is an intense little shocker, grainy and very realistic. Featuring a mean and grotesque bunch of cannibalistic killers (including the magnificent Michael Berryman), this warped commentary on the traditional family unit is one not to be missed.

12. MANIAC (1980)

Okay, here is probably one of the dirtiest and vilest movies ever made — a depressing and serious look at the life of a serial killer — you’ll want to take a shower after having watched it. But, for all those reasons and more, it’s one of the most effective horror films ever made. Joe Spinell is scary in his portrayal of a seedy, slimy loser who just happens to like stalking and scalping women. Amazing effects by the maestro Tom Savini. Disturbing, authentic, and totally successful.

13. SUSPIRIA (1977)

My favourite film by great Italian director Dario Argento. Doesn’t make all that much sense — but with so much style and brilliantly creative death scenes, who need a plot? Argento is indeed a master at colour and design, all his films are amazing to look at, and this is certainly one of his most sumptuously photographed films. Eerie and oh so stylish (did I already mention that?). Love that Goblin score, too.

14. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)

My second favourite Wes Craven film, this is a classic modern horror film about some guy in a dirty red and green sweater and brown Fedora hat who wears a knife-adorned glove. Can’t remember the guys name…Bill someone? Anyway, doesn’t matter. Dark, scary and very creative script dealing with the blurring of dreams and reality. Great, bloody death scenes helped make this a winner — oh yeah, and then there’s that killer…Harry Frankenflopher?

15. BRAINDEAD (1992)

Officially (I think) the bloodiest film ever made. Also one of the funniest, this Peter Jackson zombie opus is a scream from start to finish and is reminiscent of the Evil Dead films in terms of its kinetic style and black humour. The scene in which the main character takes the zombie baby to the park had me in stitches! The climax will have you staring wide-eyed at the screen — you won’t believe the amount of blood and intestines gushing out.

16. AUDITION (1999)

The Face called this ‘stunning cinema’ and I agree with that assertion whole-heartedly. Truly an experience and best watched cold, this is one intense film. Purposely deliberate during the first half of the film, the second half had me glued and amazed at what I was watching. But then came the climax…wow, I’m still trying to get over it. Beautiful and disturbing film about the female role in Japanese culture.

17. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1979)

Along with Pasolini’s Salo this is the most infamous and controversial film of all time. And with much reason. Extremely graphic film that contains real animal violence (something that I don’t agree with), it is nonetheless a very well made film that uses a pseudo-documentary style (which is exceptionally well done) to tell its story of cannibals in the Amazon jungle. What sets it apart from the scores of cannibal exploitation films, aside from its solid directing, acting and story, is its social commentary and moral questioning about our so-called ‘civilised’ world, as compared to the ‘savage’ primitive tribes (even if it is rather heavy-handed and simple in its execution). Brutal, confronting and difficult to watch.

18. FREAKS (1932)

Unsettling film by Dracula director Tod Browning. Made using real freaks, this is one weird movie, but there’s a surprising amount of pathos and drama. Raises a lot of interesting questions while scaring the proverbial shit out of the viewer. Does so by great, moody directing. A real one-of-a-kind movie.

19. BATTLE ROYALE (2001)

The Japanese are currently leading the way in original, exciting and thought-provoking cinema, and the country’s horror output is no exception. This, one of the most outrageously thrilling films I’ve seen in a long time, is simple in story, but thick with style and blood-curdling violence. A no holds barred roller coaster of a film, this has great performances, beautiful locale and puts nearly all modern American action/horror films to shame. Plus it has Beat Takeshi — what more could you want?

20. DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)

While not as a great as the first two Romero zombie films, this still boasts some nice performances, interesting characters, a wonderfully dark and dank setting, some of Tom Savini’s best effects work and among the best and nastiest zombies ever created for film. While Romero couldn’t get the backing to make the film he truly wanted (an unfortunate result — the ending is abrupt and silly), there is enough skill involved to make this a solid '80s horror film. Cool apocalyptic feel adds to the overall seriousness of the film.