100 Greatest Horror Movies Of All Time
34. Life
Props to the horror that can actually execute on a unique creature design. Far, far too many movies, books, video games etc. pull off the build-up, the discussion of said creature or investigation, only to fall down when the light is shone their way.
Not so in Life, an out-of-nowhere formulaic-looking alien creep-a-thon that should be thought of as The Thing in space.
The very reason this works comes from aping John Carpenter’s masterpiece, but the moment-to-moment thrills are routed to a creature whose powers, abilities and understanding nobody knows. Its very shape changes and adapts across the movie, and at no point do you feel as though either the humans or the creature are fully in control.
It’s that battle of wits - and thankfully, the writing of characters in a way that uses logic, rational thinking and appropriate methods of containment - that make this an entertaining jump-fest with an inventive core all should see.
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33. The Wicker Man
Perhaps evermore horrifying in our socio-politically divided times, the notion of the “other”; of an entirely human force of indoctrinated belief that differs from your own, is The Wicker Man’s takeaway chill down the back of your spine.
Naturally, it’s more routed in religious belief, and post-60s hippy culture, the idea that pockets of society could still be clinging to various “old ways”, to the point of becoming murderous or blackhearted, yet not even realising it.
Explored by way of Edward Woodward’s Christian police officer travelling to a remote island to look for young Rowan Morrison, the script effortlessly twins a wider commentary on differing faiths clashing violently against one another, with iconic final shots that still drop jaws to this day.
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32. The Innocents (1961)
Everyone loves a good ghost story and they don't come much better than this 1961 adaptation of Henry James' classic novella The Turn Of The Screw, renamed The Innocents for the big screen. A little lost among the lurid appeal of the Hammer movies that defined the decade, this was nevertheless one of the most terrifying and expertly crafted ghost story movies ever made.
Deborah Kerr stars as the inexperienced governess who is hired to take care of an orphaned brother and sister in a remote country estate - but is disturbed both by the children in her charge and the presence of something ominous on the property. Nothng's as simple as the ghost story set-up though and there's the kind of depth here that really gives good horror movies weight.
It also helps that it remains absolutely gorgeous.
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