100 Greatest Horror Movies Of All Time
99. Peeping Tom
It is one of cinema’s great injustices that Michael Powell was reviled for Peeping Tom, one of the first ever slashers released in 1960.
The film itself focuses on a serial killer who uses a camera to capture his victim’s dying moments. Though this may be par for the course in today’s horror movies, at the time it was extremely controversial, and saw Powell’s career suffer accordingly.
Today, however, Peeping Tom has rightly been reappraised as one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and should be watched by movie lovers whether they like horror or not.
[Ewan Paterson]
98. The Hallow
A British-Irish production that will surely prove why going outdoors is to be avoided at all costs, trespassing on a certain Irish forest means it will trespass right back. A young family learn this the hard way when they don’t heed the locals warnings of creatures who don’t like company, accidentally incurring the wrath of the Hallow when they move next door to the woodland.
Created with horrible practical effects and some quite literally eye-watering sequences, the Hallow prove themselves to be a vindictive bunch as the night plays out. The film is short, and anything but sweet, a perfect example of tight filmmaking in a classically scary context. That director Corin Hardy threw in his own disturbing creations and brought a dark fairy tale to life makes it all the more enrapturing.
[Ash Millman]
97. Eden Lake
If there's one word that perfectly describes Eden Lake, it's "nasty". Dropping during the boom of hoodie fearmongering in Britain, James Watkins' flick swapped out monsters lurking in uncharted caves for teenagers you'd find hanging around on street corners. The only difference is these kids would sooner tie you to a tree, set you on fire or shove a stanley knife in your mouth than stick two fingers up and run away.
Following couple Jenny and Steve who are tormented by a gang of youths, Eden Lake shows the extremes of peer pressure and gang violence, all acted out by young kids who are a product of their parents' own behaviour.
It hits far too close to home, helped in no small part by one of the most devastating endings in any horror movie ever.
[Josh Brown]
96. The Sixth Sense
The film that turned writer/director M. Night Shyamalan into a sensation, and including many of his favourite tricks before the world grew weary of them, the Sixth Sense showcases everything he does so well.
The story of a boy who can see dead people, and the psychologist who tries to help him, the film manages to chill you to the core while also dazzling with its style.
It’s become iconic for the “I see dead people” line and its absolute jaw-dropper of a twist, which alone makes it worth watching, but even beyond its most famous and parodied aspects, there’s a smart, layered, and thoughtful story here that established Shyamalan as a master of his craft.
[James Hunt]