Gallery: 25 Awesome Horror Films You Probably Haven't Seen (But Really Should)
01son-of-dracula
*Son of Dracula* (1943) ----------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ This count may be even jowly-er than Bela Lugosi but for my dime, he's a stronger, sadder and more interesting [Universal ghoul](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_horror). (This) romantic and moody horror film never gets enough love. __Bekah McKendry:__ An atmospheric script and beautiful set design \[make\] it easy to see why this film should be among the Universal greatest hits. __Justin Beahm:__ Lon Chaney Jr. takes his sole turn as the mythic Transylvanian bloodsucker in this moody haunt. Possibly the darkest of all the Universal classics, it has a complexity that belies the cycle it is associated with. __Fun fact:__ *Son of Dracula* was the first film to show the Count's transformation from man into bat on screen!
02angel-heart
*Angel Heart* (1987) -------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Mickey Rourke's greatest pre-boxing performance as a seedy 1950s gumshoe tangling with the devil is a full-blown masterpiece. If you have not seen this horror noir, stop reading this damn list and do so immediately. Thank me later. __Bekah McKendry:__ The stark, bleak filming style is accented by Rourke's moody performance. Plus, this flick features *Cosby* kid Lisa Bonet, who learned that nothing will get you booted from the Huxtable home faster than prancing around nude with a dead chicken. __Justin Beahm:__ Lisa Bonet. __Fun fact:__ *Angel Heart* director Alan Parker had a song on the *Halloween III* soundtrack called "Time Goes By."
03messiah-of-evil
*Messiah of Evil* (1973) ------------------------ __Chris Alexander:__ Brought to you by the couple that wrote *American Graffiti* and *Howard the Duck*, this shuddery abstract curio is a mess, but an eerie, dreamy and genuinely weird mess that has long been a very secret cult handshake due to its obscurity. It's now widely available on DVD so you have no excuse not to watch it in the dark with someone you trust. __Bekah McKendry:__ The first time I watched this movie I was so frustrated because I had no clue what was going on and nothing was ever explained. Upon a second viewing, I realized that may be the point. Watch with an open mind and enjoy the head trip. __Justin Beahm:__ Once referred to as "the American *Susperia*" (by Tim Lucas), *Messiah* is a chilling nightmare that moves slow but haunts the viewer. Dig the movie theater sequence! __Fun fact:__ Director Willard Huyck went on to write *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom* 11 years after *Messiah*.
04bloody-pit-of-horror
*Bloody Pit of Horror* (1965) ----------------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Mariska Hargitay's buff dad Mickey doesn't just chew the scenery in this '60s Italian exploitation gem, he dry-humps it, whips it, spanks it and crushes it in an iron maiden. The best homoerotic camp sleazeball film I've seen ... not that I've seen many. __Bekah McKendry:__ A horror torture film with a splash of "Lucha Libre" style blended in. Based on the notorious Marquis De Sade, if the hilariously inept hero doesn't pull you into the film's charm, the overly complicated torture devices will. __Justin Beahm:__ The Crimson Executioner shall have his revenge! Classic Italian schlock shocker about a 17th-century maniac avenging his own death (they explain it) by abusing pinup girls with various implements of devastation. __Fun fact:__ The makeup effects were done by Carlo Rambaldi, who designed the werewolf costume in 1985's *Silver Bullet*.
05vampyres
*Vampyres* (1975) ----------------- __Chris Alexander:__ The cornerstones of horror are sex and death, and this U.K./Spanish sleaze classic has both in bucketfuls. Two gorgeous bisexual vampires have threesomes in their castle and always end up eating the addendum. And not in a good way! __Bekah McKendry:__ Spanish erotic lesbian vampire film. Why aren't you watching this right now? __Justin Beahm:__ Erotic, sweaty and frantic, *Vampyres* is the godmother of the vamp-lez subgenre. __Fun fact:__ The exterior location used for the house is actually Oakley Court, also employed as the mansion in *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*.
06martyrs
*Martyrs* (2008) ---------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Indefensible and ingenious full-throttle horror from French Canada, this nihilistic, obscenely cruel and merciless shocker is one you may not want to revisit, as one viewing should sufficiently destroy you proper.... __Bekah McKendry:__ This movie not only hits the nail into your head gore-wise, but it also has a deliciously putrid mental side that will leave you questioning your own miserable existence. __Justin Beahm:__ Unrelentingly intense tale of abuse and revenge that makes *I Spit On Your Grave* look like *Ernest Goes to Camp*. Not literally, but you get the idea. __Fun fact:__ Actress Isabella Chasse ("La Créature" here) was a performer with Cirque du Soleil before *Martyrs*.
07the-prowler
*The Prowler* (1981) --------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Slasher movies were a dime a dozen in the '80s but this one ... this one ... this one is the best of the lot. And not only because a young Tom Savini gooses it with some of the grossest kills ever. __Bekah McKendry:__ A slasher in a cool World War II getup killing people with a pitchfork. Plus, there is a sweet *Scooby Doo*-style killer reveal. __Justin Beahm:__ Joe Zito sets the stage for all slashers to follow in this effective, atmospheric and graphic shocker showcasing some jaw-dropping effects from Tom Savini that belie his youth at the time. The shower scene is worth admission in itself (not for the reasons you'd think). __Fun fact:__ Savini has said in numerous interviews that his work on *The Prowler* is his best.
08martin
*Martin* (1976) --------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Hey, I have the tattoo from *Martin*'s U.S. one-sheet on my bicep, so yeah, I totally endorse this, George Romero's best non-*Dead* film. __Bekah McKendry:__ This vampire indie flick is not as much about vampirism as it is a troubled young man's battle to find himself in light of his uber-religious kooky surroundings. Think *Catcher in the Rye* with a vampire. __Justin Beahm:__ Romero's finest hour is sad, stunning and still shocking. John Amplas' approach to the titular character is dark, frantic, mysterious and wonderful. Bloody masterpiece. __Fun fact:__ *Martin* marked the first time Romero and legendary special effects master Tom Savini teamed up.
09antichrist
*Antichrist* (2009) ------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ A towering, open sore ... a primal scream.... This film, yet another example of Lars von Trier's fascination with the anguish of women, is like a Boschian portrait of hell vomited on screen but with genuine emotional wallop and hugely upsetting visuals. Charlotte Gainsbourg is a goddess and this movie is a landmark horror film. __Bekah McKendry:__ This is not a good date movie. It's been called misogynist, but it seems the only people being tortured here are the viewers. The torture is so beautiful and lyrical that you won't be able to look away. Plus, there is an assortment of cute furry woodland critters and a fuck tree. __Justin Beahm:__ One of the most visceral, disturbing and mind-bending films of the last decade, *Antichrist* leaves you speechless. Willem Defoe and Gainsbourg boil humanity down to muscles, twisted limbs, intense convulsions and manic abuse in von Trier's parable about man's role in nature and in relationships and how it can all go so wrong for the wrong reasons. You will never forget it. __Fun fact:__ Because of starkly graphic content, *Antichrist* went to theaters unrated.
10begotten
*Begotten* (1990) ----------------- __Chris Alexander:__ If you really want to seek therapy, try watching this expressionist audiovisual dream on a double bill with David Lynch's *Eraserhead*. Send *Wired* the shrink bill. __Bekah McKendry:__ A weird little experimental film where God disembowels himself (yeah, you read that correctly). The imagery is disturbing, and the filmmaking is breathtakingly beautiful — creating a potent combination that no horror fiend should miss. __Justin Beahm:__ \[Director\] E. Elias Merhige's bleak and bizarre cinema experiment was shot and processed via methods, machinery and lenses all of his own making. No dialog, no score, no narrative as we know it, this is the story of the birth of the Earth through a dark and brilliant vision. __Fun fact:__ Marilyn Manson was so infatuated with this film that, while recording his seminal masterwork *Antichrist Superstar*, he mandated that *Begotten* be on 24-hour loop in all studio rooms from the album's start to its finish.
11the-brood
*The Brood* (1979) ------------------ __Chris Alexander:__ David Cronenberg got divorced and had a custody battle and made a movie about it. Yet the presence of homicidal midgets and mothers that birth children from external wombs make you wonder where the truth lies. Another early bio-horror masterpiece form Canada's pride and joy. __Bekah McKendry:__ Cronenberg made a movie about killer kids. I don't know why I have this unhealthy fear of killer children, considering I have proven time and time again I could beat the crap out of any middle-schooler. __Justin Beahm:__ You'll never look at a little kid in a hoodie the same after this masterstroke from Cronenberg that features one of the most unforgettable final shots in horror cinema history. __Fun fact:__ Cronenberg stepped in front of the camera when he played "Dr. Wimmer" in *Jason X* (2001).
12caltiki-the-immortal-monster
*Caltiki: The Immortal Monster* (1959) -------------------------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ If you thought that kielbasa you ate last night was giving you gears, try on *Caltiki*, an early Italian monster movie from Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava that sees what looks like a liverwurst destroy the world. __Bekah McKendry:__ The sweet story of a lonely comet and his little friend the bloodthirsty Mayan blob. It's the *Odd Couple* of horror … or maybe the *Grumpy Old Men* of horror. __Justin Beahm:__ Technically made before 1958's similar *The Blob*, but released after, *Caltiki* has all the gore and meaty goo that the Steve McQueen starrer didn't. Another Italian groundbreaker. __Fun fact:__ Horror legend Mario Bava stepped in to finish the film (uncredited) when original director Freda walked away from the project.
13cemetery-man
*Cemetery Man/Dellamorte Dellamore* (1994) ------------------------------------------ __Chris Alexander:__ Forget that recent studio-sanctioned *Dylan Dog: Dead of Night* wank — this Italian horror black comedy is cribbed from the same source author and is the real deal. Zombies, sex and surrealism are expertly combined. __Bekah McKendry:__ One of the smartest zombie films *ever*. The dark humor reigns in this moody head trip. It's like if Stanley Kubrick and Sam Raimi had David Lynch's love baby, and the baby was a zombie. __Justin Beahm:__ Rupert Everett deals with the good (Anna Falci!) and the bad (the cemetery where he slaves away seems to have the habit of seeing its residents resurrected with an appetite). Funny, gory and sexy romp from Dario Argento pal and *The Church* director Michele Soavi. __Fun fact:__ One year after *Cemetery Man*, Rupert Everett starred in the kiddie ape flick *Dunston Checks In*.
14dead-and-buried
*Dead and Buried* (1981) ------------------------ __Chris Alexander:__ One of the scariest pictures this jaded writer has ever seen. Watch it alone in the dark. __Bekah McKendry:__ A superb flick about a town full of murderous mobs and reanimated corpses. Plus, it's so brutal and disturbing that the film made the U.K.'s "Video Nasty" list of banned titles. That guarantees it kicks ass! __Justin Beahm:__ Potter's Bluff is home to some very unusual activity as bodies start disappearing, coffins turn up empty and a most unique zombie story unfolds. __Fun fact:__ Director Gary Sherman kept the color red out of the color palette in this film.
15deathdream
*Deathdream* (1974) ------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Bob (*Black Christmas*) Clark's second film is a 'Nam take on *The Monkey's Paw*; it careens between camp and full-blown terror beautifully and has one of the saddest endings of any horror film. __Bekah McKendry:__ Long before his warnings that we will all shoot our eyes out with Red Rider BB guns, Clark directed this political horror about a dead soldier who comes back from Vietnam. Beautifully directed and sooooo morbid. __Justin Beahm:__ Something is not right about Andy since he came home from 'Nam. At times, *Deathdream* eerily predicts George Romero's *Martin*, which would follow two years later. Hypodermically inclined veteran zombie! __Fun fact:__ *Popcorn* (1991) director Alan Ormsby was a writer on *Deathdream*.
16frightmare
*Frightmare* (1974) ------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Britain's baron of blood, director Pete Walker made sexploitation horror films that critics hated (see *[House of Whipcord](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071628/)*, if you dare) but with his stock acting troupe, genius for pacing and ever-present social commentary, they were then and will always be a cut above the rest of the crap. Sheila Keith is fucking terrifying as the matriarch of a mentally ill rural cannibal clan in this quiet masterpiece. __Bekah McKendry:__ A deliciously twisted cannibal/serial killer/driller/soap opera/family drama/biker flick. __Justin Beahm:__ Director Pete Walker puts subtlety to bed in this garish, oppressive, Brit bleeder. Sheila Keith steals the show as Dorothy Yates, bringing dark humor to the proceedings. __Fun fact:__ This was actor Rupert Davies' last film.
17house-of-dark-shadows
*House of Dark Shadows* (1970) ------------------------------ __Chris Alexander:__ \[Director\] Dan Curtis rode the popularity of his '60s soap opera *Dark Shadows* to wonderful heights in this hyper-gothic romantic horror show, condensing the tale of centuries-old lovesick vamp Barnabas Collins. Watch this — if you can find it — first, before you absorb Tim Burton's deluxe remounting next year. __Bekah McKendry:__ Based on the *Dark Shadows* TV series, this movie is a tasty blend of sex and gore, and it still maintains its bloody bite. __Justin Beahm:__ Morbid soap opera hits the screen and, surprisingly, has been embraced as one of the best vampire films of the '70s. Man, we have lots of vampire films on this list. __Fun fact:__ Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins here) only made one other film after *House*: Oliver Stone's directorial feature debut, *Seizure*, in 1974. (He is, however, credited with a bit part in Burton's upcoming *Shadows* reboot.)
18lifeforce-3
*Lifeforce* (1985) ------------------ __Chris Alexander:__ Tobe Hooper's *other* masterpiece: a demented, operatic intergalactic vampire story that pits Scotland Yard against a hotter-than-hell naked space ghoul (Mathilda May) that is turning London into zombies. Giant budget, big music, wild special effects and psychotic pacing and logic — what's not to love? (Note: Find the obscure TriStar U.S. recut only available on VHS and 35mm; it's tighter, scarier and has amazing Michael Kamen music.) __Bekah McKendry:__ Gotta be honest here; when the guys first recommended putting *Lifeforce* on the list, I protested adamantly, as the film bored me to tears. But, I was convinced to go back and watch it again, and it was seriously good on the second viewing. I discovered there are multiple edits of *Lifeforce*, ranging in time from 128 minutes down to 101 minutes. Check out the 101-min TriStar version. Yes, space vampires! __Justin Beahm:__ Halley's Comet brought more than fast food joint memorabilia and a name for Ace Frehley's post-Kiss solo project. It also turned London into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Worth the trip for Mathilda May alone. __Fun fact:__ *Lifeforce* was written by none other than Dan *Return of the Living Dead* O'Bannon.
19night-of-the-creeps
*Night of the Creeps* (1986) ---------------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Goofy as all get out, but a rollicking good time by a director (Fred Dekker) who got kicked to the curb for no good reason. Two endings exist; stick with the one that climaxes in a graveyard for an extra-nihilistic sting. __Bekah McKendry:__ A fun mix of zombies, slashers and aliens — like a well-done *Plan 9*, but much smarter and with a much better graveyard set. __Justin Beahm:__ One of the best comedy-gore films of the '80s tells the story of a college campus overrun with alien slugs that, once inside their hosts (entering via various orifices), multiply and turn their bodies into stumbling zombies. With nods to classic sci-fi, great-looking contemporary special effects, an endearing duo in protagonists Chris (Jason Lively) and J.C. (Steve Marshall), and ultimate cinematic badass Tom Atkins as a one-liner-spouting cop, *Creeps* belongs in every horror fan's collection. __Fun fact:__ Two different endings were shot, one for the screen and one for television. Both are available on the DVD from Sony.
20phantom-of-the-paradise
*Phantom of the Paradise* (1974) -------------------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Forget *Rocky Horror*; the one-two punch of Brian De Palma and composer/actor/ham Paul Williams makes *Phantom* the most phun horror rock musical ever made. A phlop when released, it just gets better with age — sexy and flamboyant, funny and stylish. __Bekah McKendry:__ This Faustian tale has a killer soundtrack that earned it an Oscar nomination. __Justin Beahm:__ De Palma and composer Williams' love letter to *The Phantom of the Opera* and musical theater is perfect Halloween night viewing on a double bill with *Rocky Horror*. __Fun fact:__ Williams later wrote the music for 1992's *The Muppet Christmas Carol*.
21phenomena
*Phenomena* (1985) ------------------ __Chris Alexander:__ Many of us saw this in a shorter form as *Creepers*, and either version delivers the demented goods. There's not enough space to unravel Dario Argento's lunatic plot, but suffice to say a teenage Jennifer Connelly and her insect friends fight matronly serial killers, evil dwarves and schoolyard bullying in Switzerland while a pissed-off chimp runs around with a straight razor is all you really need to know. __Bekah McKendry:__ This is one of Argento's juicer films, where the body fluids flow freely (and oftentimes are flung). This flick has a great plot and stars a very young Connelly as the psychic, bug-loving protagonist. __Justin Beahm:__ With one of the best opening sequences in all of horror, this is Argento at the peak of his game. Atmospheric, scary and full of memorable characters, *Phenomena* is essential viewing (and star Connelly's second film). The music by Goblin, Bill Wyman and Simon Boswell seals the deal. __Fun fact:__ Argento likes to play the killer in his movies and *Phenomena* is no different.
22this-night-ill-possess-your-corpse
*This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse* (1967) -------------------------------------------- __Justin Beahm:__ Brazilian cine-folk hero José Mojica Marins broke taboos and boundaries in this 1967 gem about "Coffin Joe" continuing his quest for the perfect mate, which originally started in 1964's *At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul*. Entirely black and white until you get to hell, where the madness in Marins' art really comes to life. Sadistic, insane and gorgeous. __Bekah McKendry:__ This second installment of Brazil's Coffin Joe series has all the necessary elements to make a great horror film — murder, disfigurements, ghouls, killer skeletons, snakes, poison and a plot that will keep your blood pumping and your fingernails growing. __Chris Alexander:__ Oooooh.... Coffin Joe.... Groundbreaking, cruel, disturbing, outrageous and poetic horror film from Brazil that sparked a wave of Joe love that continues in Latin America to this day. Weird and awesome. __Fun fact:__ The "Coffin Joe" character last appeared in Marins' 2008 return (at 73 years old) to the genre, *Embodiment of Evil*.
23red-white-and-blue
*Red, White, and Blue* (2010) ----------------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Like Gainsbourg in *Antichrist*, this underrated melodrama belongs to its fearless lead, Amanda Fuller, who destroys the screen as a promiscuous woman with a deadly agenda. __Bekah McKendry:__ Whoa! My mind is still writhing from the last 15 minutes of this movie. This moody little art film may begin a little slow, but I promise that the quiet bleakness of the first part only heightens the ultra-disturbing shocks of the latter. __Justin Beahm:__ Noah Taylor joins the ranks of cinema madman legends with his turn as sociopathic Nate, who plucks Erica (a brilliant Fuller) out of a world of promiscuity and neglect, ending in bloody madness. A revenge tale for our generation. __Fun fact:__ Taylor played Mr. Bucket in Tim Burton's *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*.
Photo courtesy Mike Spalding24dracula-spanish-language-version
*Dracula* (Spanish-language version) (1931) ------------------------------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Same set, Spanish cast and crew, shot at night. Bigger boobs, randier vampire. Nuff said. __Bekah McKendry:__ Filmed simultaneously to the well-known English version, the Spanish film is far sexier and more atmospheric than our Universal counterpart and offers a much better build of suspense and mood. __Justin Beahm:__ One-upping Bela Lugosi and Tod Browning isn't easy, but director George Melford did just that with his all-Spanish production. Shot at night on the same sets Browning was employing, the Spanish version of the story drips romance and sexual potency, and is far more interesting than its more celebrated sibling. __Fun fact:__ Melford led his cast and crew without the ability to speak Spanish.
25the-omega-man-2
*The Omega Man* (1971) ---------------------- __Chris Alexander:__ Sure it trashes its masterful source novel (Richard Matheson's groundbreaking *I Am Legend*), but as a vital piece of post-'60s future shock, it's something of a kitschy masterpiece. A haunting Ron Grainer score and Charlton Heston's two-fisted performance are matched by Anthony Zerbe's scary turn as the leader of the post-apocalyptic albino ghouls. I love this movie! __Bekah McKendry:__ Heston beats, shoots and harpoons his way through a world of plague-ridden mutants in this sci-fi flick. There is also a stiff shot of religious commentary thrown in for good measure, and ghouls that look like a lynch mob of albino monks. __Justin Beahm:__ An often unfairly overlooked take on Matheson's *I Am Legend* sees Heston battling a light-fearing horde of the kinda-undead. Riffs in this would later be found in Romero's *Dawn of the Dead* and John Carpenter's *Escape From New York*. __Fun fact:__ Director Boris Sagal is the father of *Married With Children*'s Katey Sagal.
