100 Greatest Horror Movies Of All Time
16. The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari
In many ways, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is responsible for popularising some of horror's most tried and tested conventions. From its man-made monster to its psychological twist ending, though there had been proto-horror movies before this, Caligari was one of the first to really establish what audiences could expect from the genre going forward, even once the industry transitioned into talkies.
It's the German Expressionist style that cemented it as a timeless classic, though, as while a lot of flicks used similarly fantastical sets and chiaroscuro lighting to create imaginary worlds that had no ties to reality, few captured that style with quite the same elegance as Robert Wiene's masterpiece.
Helped by the shoddiness of the film stock and the erratic editing, Caligari is one of those films that feels like it was birthed entirely from a nightmare, rather than made by actual, living people.
[JB]
15. Get Out
Rare is the horror movie that can make a very thought process terrifying. The conversations Get Out starts though? They belong in the now; be addressed and extrapolated, but also reflect racial history across the western hemisphere, particularly in America.
Coming from comedic scribe Jordan Peele, it turns out his sharp mind for cultural jibes was the perfect fuel for an essential piece of painfully relatable fiction. Centred on the mundane setup of Allison Williams’ Rose taking Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris back to meet her parents, their mixed race relationship goes from assumed cringe, to very much cringe, to something altogether far darker.
Like with many mystery-based horrors, Get Out’s full deck of cards is best seen yourself, but the way Peele takes various comments on attitudes between races, generational divides and old-school horror setups, only to roll them together into a wholly original ride, arguably makes this the most important horror in decades.
[ST]
14. The Fly
Jeff Goldblum slowly devolving into a pile of sweaty, sticky flesh with pincers is the ultimate body horror experience that everyone needs to watch. At first, an experiment in teleportation by Goldblum’s own Seth Brundle seems to pass with flying colours - until, that is, Brundle realises the painful duality of that statement. A housefly accidentally flew into the pods and was reconstructed with Brundle’s DNA, amalgamating the two into a creature that’s neither Brundle nor fly. Instead, it’s both.
As the film progresses, Brundle beings to transform from quirky shirtless scientist into crazed fly-man hellbent on creating more horrific monstrosities. Expertly paced and icky in all the right ways, The Fly is a masterclass in Cronenberg’s gross magic - and a must-watch for any and all fans of the genre.
[AM]