So... lets talk about horror films

This is about my current favourite horror films. (Please note that I am notoriously fickle when it comes to favourites so it's very open to change)

I watched 'The Ring' a few weeks ago and it's the best (only?) horror film to come out recently, genuine scares in it. 'The Shining' is cool as fuck and Jack Nicholson is cool as fuck. Those twins are creepy... 'American Werewolf In London' gave me nightmares for weeks when I was a nipper and the transformation was the best bit of special effects for years afterwards. 'Evil Dead 2' is funny as hell and excellently jumpy. I've seen it many times and I still jump. Bruce Campbell is a legend. I always wanted to be one of the vampires with mullets and poodle hair in 'Lost Boys' when I was a zitty teenager. The ultimate 80s film, top soundtrack and a decent horror to boot.

There has to be a John Carpenter film in here and it has to be 'The Thing'. 'They Live' is Carpenter's best movie but I think 'The Thing' is a better horror. Awesome gory effects and a brilliantly paranoid script. Who can you trust..? Next is 'Poltergeist'. Starts off quiet and ends up a little over the top but it scared the shit out of me so it gets included. The preacher dude in the sequels is scary but the actual films are a pile of shash.

No top horror list would be complete without Hitchcock. 'The Birds' is the one the does it for me. It was the first horror I saw and it has definitely left an impression on me. Some say that it's a nonsense film with no plot and dodgy acting but I watched it again recently and there is a lot going on, especially little hints at Hitchcock's humour and plenty of opportunity to 'read between the lines'.

I would have to put 'Alien' in here as well. I think I like 'Aliens' better but it is definitely an action flick and 'Alien' has genuine scares in it. Oh and you get to see Sigourney's undies in 'Alien' :)

Lastly, I think I'll put 'Sleepy Hollow' in there too. It's the perfect film for Tim Burton and it ends up being excellently bizarre. Johnny Depp is a top actor (go and see 'Pirates Of The Caribbean') and the story is a classic. Top goriness and top spookiness.

So, in alphabetical order, we have

Alien
An American Werewolf In London
The Birds
Evil Dead 2
Lost Boys
Poltergeist
The Ring
The Shining
Sleepy Hollow
The Thing