TOP 10 HORROR FILMS SINCE I'VE BEEN ALIVE: PART 2

1985 - 2009

6. The Sixth Sense (1999) -- Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
This film is one of my other "top three" on the list. I know, I know, I'm dipping into the Thriller bucket again, but this movie freaked me out as a young teenager. I think it has just enough "scary" moments to be considered for this list. Also, The Sixth Sense contains incredible acting, a final twist that was great in its time -- but has been ripped off so much since then that it's lost some of its power -- and a final scene between Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette that captures every inch of my heart. This film is moving, compelling, and masterfully directed by M. Night Shyamalan (before he started making bad movies).

7. The Others (2001) -- Dir. Alejandro Amenábar
This is the last time I'm playing the Thriller card, or at least until I update the list. This film was surprisingly good. It has an M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist, but I felt the movie payed off. The Others -- like some of the other films above -- would have been considered horror film back in the fifties, and that's what this film reminded me of, a 1950s horror film. It had a similar feel to The Haunting (1963), in the sense that you don't see the supernatual villain, you just sense its presence. It doesn't ruin the mood by throwing ghosts or monsters at you, but subtlety is the key ingredient. And this film is overflowing with atmosphere. Director Alejandro Amenábar (Open Your Eyes, The Sea Inside) really knew how to make this picture. The characters were very well developed and there was a reason for all of the horror norms -- darkness for a creepy atmosphere, silence so tension builds, etc. This is one of my favorite movies of 2001, and it is definitely worth seeing.

8. 28 Days Later (2002) -- Dir. Danny Boyle
Here is another great film that, I believe, will last the test of time. From Danny Boyle -- the director that brought you Trainspotting, The Beach, and Slumdog Millionaire -- comes a fresh take on the exhausted genre of the undead. The unique element in this film is that the "zombies" are not dead, but they're infected with the violent, contageous, and rapidly-spreading RAGE virus. Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Inception) plays his starring role very well.

The early scenes of an abandoned downtown London are some of the most beautiful scenes you'll see in this genre. Several scenes in the film were shot on a Canon XL1 digital video camera, giving it a gritty, bleak, documentary feel. I really enjoyed this film.

9. The Descent (2005) -- Dir. Neil Marshall
I must correct an earlier comment above. While 28 Days Later is a beautifully shot film, it doesn't hold a candle to the composition of this modern masterpiece. I hesitate in saying that this may be the most beautiful looking horror film I've ever seen. Neil Marshall's The Descent was a surprise. I expected it to be a typical, blood-and-guts horror flop, but it was quite the contrary. The trailers and other promotional material were terribly misleading because this is my favorite horror film of the new millennium, and it fills the last remaining slot of my "top three" on this list.

I don't know how many people I've talked to say they've never seen this film because, "I always thought it was just some dumb horror movie." This goes to show the ultimately bad marketing strategy the creators used. The Descent goes back to the days where the monstrous creatures don't appear until and hour into the movie; where the intensity is not just developed through loud noises, eerie music, and things jumping out at you, but it has genuine emotion. And this film has a story -- albeit absurd at some points in the second act -- a complete story aside from the creatures that lie in the shadows; they're just the icing on the cake.

I'm not going to say anything about this film because I want you, the reader, to see this the same way I saw it -- knowing nothing. It's much more effective and impressive when you don't know what's about to happen. All you need to know is it's about a pack of female dare-devils who plan a spelunking trip for there friend, Sarah, who, a year prior, went through a terrible tragedy, losing her husband and child. Juno, the pack leader, takes them to an unexplored cave -- not telling them about the "unexplored" part -- and intensity ensues.

I will say two things in conclusion. 1) The lighting is perfect because Marshall used the girls' glow sticks and flash lights to illuminate the caverns, adding a sense of realism to the mix. 2) Everyone knows that when a single person gets separated from their party in a horror movie, they're dead meat. In The Descent, this happens, but instead of killing off its protagonist, the story splits into two parts. I can't think of very many movies that do this, and it impressed me greatly. GO SEE THIS FILM!

10. [REC] (2007) -- Dir(s). Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza
Let me start by saying this movie is the most intense film on this list! My muscles were stiff by the end from being so tightly clenched. I would occasionally realize how flexed I was and relax, but only moments later I would find myself balled up again. The one major element that makes this film so fantastic is that the actors constantly acknowledged that the man holding the camera was not some faceless cinematographer, but a real, tangable person they could talk to and rely on. It's the same thing Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoît Poelvoorde did in Man Bites Dog (1992), and it adds a certain reality lacking in most films, across all genres.

SIDE NOTE: I'm cheating slightly by adding this film, but it is the American remake of [REC], and to be honest, it's equally as good. It is called Quarantine (2008), and it is a shot-for-short reproduction of the spanish original. Jennifer Carpenter (The Excorcism of Emily Rose) delivers one of the most convincing and stunning performances I've ever seen in a horror movie; possibly the best of all time. She out acts Manuela Velasco, the original Ángela, even the Manuela does a fine job. Quarantine is a great film, and you should see them both.

-- Honorable Mentions --
I have listed a few films below that every film lover should, at the very least, give a shot. With the exception of one, I couldn't justify putting the films below on a list of the best of their genre, but they deserve to be mentioned. I try to allot five slots to Honorable Mentions, so here they are:

Evil Dead II (1987) -- Dir. Sam Raimi
This film is actually incredible, and deserves to be on the list above, but there were not eleven slots.

Cemetery Man (aka Dellamorte Dellamore) (1994) -- Dir. Michele Soavi
A fantastic zombie film that is funny, but also genuinely good.

Paranormal Activity (2007) -- Dir. Oren Peli
The first film in probably fifteen years that I found truly terrifying.

The Ring (2002) -- Dir. Gore Verbinski
One of the few American remakes better than the original.

Drag Me To Hell (2009) -- Dir. Sam Raimi
Raimi at his best. He goes back to his Evil Dead roots and creates a humorous horror film again. Despite popular belief, this is not a serious horror film, and not satanic exploitation, like William Friedkin's The Exorcist. It's just good, gross fun.

<<< BACK TO PART 1