1. The Mist (2007)
The movie: No one makes Stephen King adaptations like Frank Darabont. The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist are terrifyingly perfect 8rrealisations of King's dark worlds. Based on the master of horror's short novella, this is nothing like the ludicrous The Mist TV show and instead keeps the story trapped, exactly where it should be: in the supermarket of a small town as a fog of horrors envelops the area. And while beasts and Lovecraftian nasties lurk beyond the pane glass windows of the supermarket, real human monsters form inside as panic starts to set in.
Why it's scary: Where The Mist TV series diluted its horror by taking you all over town, Darabont keeps you trapped inside while David Drayton (Thomas Jane) tries to keep his son safe. With plenty of famous famous faces - including The Walking Dead's Carol and Andrea, Melissa McBride and Laurie Holden - The Mist's true terror lies in its performances. The true fear as a trip to the supermarket becomes a shopping experience from hell, tentacles and all. There's also an absolutely scene chewing performance from Marcia Gay Harden as religious zealot Mrs Carmody.
s and all. There's also an absolutely scene chewing performance from Marcia Gay Harden as religious zealot Mrs Carmody.
2. Saw (2004)
The movie: It might have reignited the so-called torture porn genre with its (mostly) truly disgusting sequels but - and this is a huge ‘but’ - the original Saw is nowhere near as gross-gusting as you think it is and happens to be brilliant horror. Yes, the title is about an implement that a depraved killer suggests someone takes their leg off with rather than use a key to unlock a cuff, but Saw is actually remarkably restrained. The ideas at work here are significantly more grisly in your own mind than what you see on screen. Made on a shoestring budget by Leigh Whannell and James Wan, this tale of two men waking up in a bathroom, a corpse between them, is twisted but constantly intriguing.
Why it’s scary: Put simply, we all play Jigsaw’s game along with our heroes. What would we be willing to do to save our own miserable lives? Would we be Amanda, ready to go into a stomach to find a key, or would we sit and wait for an ultra gruesome fate? Throw in the genuine terror of ‘Billy’, Jigsaw’s painted cycling doll, and one of the most terrifying extended jump scare sequences potentially ever, and Saw still manages to pack a barbed wire covered punch.
Read more: Here's how Saw became one of the biggest names in horror
3. The Birds (1963)
The movie: Sure, there’s all that talk about showers and murder - Editor’s note: we know it’s not just ‘talk’ and Hitchcock’s Psycho is a genuine horror masterpiece - but it’s time to talk about the feathery elephant in the room. The Birds, the Master of Suspense’s loose adaptation of a short story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, is scare cinema at its finest. When Tippi Hedren’s Melanie Daniels heads to Bodega Bay to deliver some love birds, she gets far more than she bargained for when the wild winged inhabitants of the town decide that human eyes might taste just as good as discarded chips.
Why it’s scary: Much like Jaws, The Birds preys on your simplest fears. Open water? Not for me, thanks. How about the very idea that the seemingly innocent feathery ones in your surroundings are actually using those tiny skulls to plot to murder you where you stand? Hard nope. If you haven’t seen it, to go further would be spoileriffic. Where The Birds excels is in its gradual, lurking fear; its patience and looming dread. Plus, the genuine panic in Hedren’s eyes as very real birds were thrown in her direction is a truly terrifying sight to behold. Just stay safe in the knowledge that no one makes films quite like this anymore.
The movie: Choosing only one undead Romero offering for a list of the best horror movies of all time is a bit like taking on the shuffling horde with a letter opener: gory and challenging, but not altogether impossible. After much deliberation then, it’s time to go shopping. Romero’s gory attack on the consumerist American dream follows four survivors of the zombie apocalypse as they arrive at a sprawling mall. While they manage to get inside without anything munching on their brains, it doesn’t take long before the beacon of the mall attracts other guests and the defences start to gorily break down.
Why it’s scary: We’ve had more hungry shuffling hordes than we can count since Romero’s initial offering but that doesn’t make the source material any less horrifying to watch. The gentle idea that the zombies are still heading to the mall after death is an insidious one, and the relentless violence of Night’s sequel is an experience that demands your attention. Tom Savini’s delicious practical effects too mean there’s still plenty of squirm for your buck as skin and muscle are ripped from their sticking places. Plus, if you feel like you just can’t watch anything in less than HD, Zack Snyder’s 2004 remake is a surprisingly effective, not to mention creepy, replacement.
5. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The movie: If Scream reignited the joys of the teen slasher movie, the return of good zombies to our screens is all Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s fault. The first in Edgar Wright’s ‘Cornetto Trilogy,’ Shaun of the Dead follows the titular Shaun as he plods his way through his dreary London existence, only to discover (beautifully late) that the majority of the population has been transformed into shambling cannibals while he was asleep. Suddenly realising he needs to be the hero everyone deserves, it’s time to rescue his mum, get his girlfriend back, and make sure everyone is fine in time for tea. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite go to perfectly edited plan.
Why it’s scary: While it slickly plays for laughs, Shaun of the Dead is very much a horror at its gory heart. It plays by Romero’s rules with a slow zombie horde which means that their staggering relentlessness is a constant fear, if one tempered by a brilliant comic script. And these aren’t just disposable characters made to be pulled to pieces in an explosion of O-negative. Everyone matters here, meaning that every zombie encounter does too. Throw in a brilliant soundtrack, excellent performances, and more red than you can throw a cricket bat at, and Shaun of the Dead is a comedy horror masterpiece.
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