The Thing is a masterclass in creeping suspicion and outright paranoia. John Carpenter proved, with Halloween, that he was a superb horror director but here he completely outdid himself. The rivalry between MacReady and Childs retains the respect amongst rivals that Howard Hawks' original The Thing From Another World achieved so brilliantly but adds to the tension in a way that makes this one of the rare occasions where the remake is better than the original film. The uneasy feeling that Carpenter creates here is enough to make the film retain an air of horror throughout but it's the times when he decides to outright terrify the audience that The Thing is at its best. There is a scene where the character of Norris is being revived through defibrillation when his entire chest just breaks away to reveal a huge set of teeth that will never leave you. Jump scares are usually very cheap in horror but The Thing never succumbs to any cheap or sterile moments, which causes it to be very memorable.
14. Aguirre: The Wrath Of God
If there was ever a film that was able to track the descent into madness in a realistic way it's this one. Klaus Kinski gives one of his many superb performances for Werner Herzog as Aguirre the singleminded adventure who will stop at nothing to achieve his desires. Kinski is well known as an actor who can play "crazy" very well, kind of like Jack Nicholson, but here he goes above and beyond. What makes Aguirre: The Wrath of God so haunting is how real everything seems. There are many moments where Herzog directs the film more like a documentary than a traditional narrative movie, which gives the events an unnerving way of lingering with you.