This list took considerable thought, and given my issues with commitment it will surely change any given day. I tried to stay loyal to the films that give me that special feeling when I think about horror throughout my life. Whether it was the joy of sneaking out of bed to watch something I wasn’t allowed, something that gave me nightmares, something thought provoking, or just a great horror flick, I picked the films that make me light up at the mention of horror. It is worth noting some honorable mentions that just missed the cut… Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988), Creepshow 2 (1987), and Wrong Turn (2003) not to mention my undying love for horror comedies such as Young Frankenstein (1974), Beetlejuice (1988), and Serial Mom (1994).
Please enjoy a chronological list of my current favorites (with corresponding descriptions from IMDB)
Black Christmas (1974)
A sorority house is terrorized by a stranger who makes frightening phone calls and then murders the sorority sisters during Christmas break.
Carrie (1976)
A young, abused and timid 17-year-old girl discovers she has telekinesis, and gets pushed to the limit on the night of her school’s prom by a humiliating prank.
Cat’s Eye (1985)
A stray cat is the linking element of three tales of suspense and horror.
April Fool’s Day (1986)
A group of nine college students staying at a friend’s remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool’s day weekend.
Hellraiser (1987)
An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover; demons are pursuing him after he escaped their sadomasochistic underworld.
Pet Semetary (1989)
Behind a young family’s home in Maine is a terrible secret that holds the power of life after death. When tragedy strikes, the threat of that power soon becomes undeniable
People Under the Stairs (1991)
Two adults and a juvenile burglar break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children and can’t escape.
Candyman (1992)
The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster’s myth.
The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
What starts as a poignant medical documentary about Deborah Logan’s descent into Alzheimer’s disease and her daughter’s struggles as caregiver degenerates into a maddening portrayal of dementia at its most frightening, as hair-raising events begin to plague the family and crew and an unspeakable malevolence threatens to tear the very fabric of sanity from them all.
Insidious 3 (2015)
After trying to connect with her dead mother, teenager Quinn Brenner, asks psychic Elise Rainier to help her, she refuses due to negotiate events in her childhood. Quinn starts noticing paranormal events happen in her house. After a vicious attack from a demon her father goes back and begs Elise Rainier to use her abilities to contact the other side in hope to stop these attacks by this furious demon content for a body.
