I love that film but it's Black Christmas, right?

"Nightbreed" (1990), and "Lord of Illisions" (1995) the stories of both movies are the creations of Clive Barker, who at one time was right up there with Steven King as the king of scream.

There's a George C. Scott movie called THE CHANGLING which is pretty damn creepy ... I've heard someone's remaking it, but the original is a fine film.

There's a chilling little flick called CARNIVAL OF SOULS that stuck with me for quite some time. 1962, extremely low budget, but creepy as anything I've ever seen.

Session 9, Session 9, Session 9. Most underrated horror pic of the last decade.

Also, Eyes Without A Face is lyrical, haunting, terrifying and hugely influential.

Does THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES qualify as little known? It has a following, of course, but it doesn't seem too many folks are aware of its existence. It's pure gold.

1. The Shining. 1980. Far and away my favorite. It’s got everything: a plausible and fabulous backstory, rich characters, a chilling set piece, lots of subtext, an unforgettable villain. Soundtrack ain’t bad either!

2. Carnival of Souls. 1962. Probably the best B horror drive-in picture ever made. A woman in a horrific car accident is pulled out a lake, miraculously alive, but now she sees spirits and suffers from mental disturbances. She tries to start fresh in another town but her past only catches up to her… in the Carnival of Souls! The filmmakers crafted a real gem out of a teeny-tiny budget. See it if only for its gorgeous chiaroscuro aesthetic.

3. Paranormal Activity. 2009. Talk about making lemonaid out of lemons. This one’s simple and effective and brings on good scares, particularly in the last half hour. A young married couple film their nocturnal disturbances as they sleep in their new house. Not much of a story, but enough to supply the logic and character motivations. Best part is the spine chilling ending.

4. Don’t Look Now. 1973. I just saw this again the other night. A fresh remastered print. Wow. Wow. Wow. A moody, gloomy, tone piece that follows a couple’s fresh start in Venice after the horrible drowning death of their little girl, whose ghost may have followed them there. A must, even if we have to set aside expectations and wishes for a quicker pace. It was the 70s, relax and slow it down and enjoy being deeply disturbed.

cont...

5. The Host. 2006. Maybe more Sci- Fi then horror, but this creature feature with a pro environmental message really packs a good punch. Lots of scares, lots of tense moments, and unexpected turns. Really gorgeous to look at too with a terrifying monster that just devours everything without mercy. Memorably fun and good and disturbing.

6. The Exorcist. 1975. The original and best of the demonic possession films. What could be worse for a famous movie star then when her sweet little girl plays host to the devil? The original director’s cut included an amazing looking prologue involving an Egyptian archaeological dig. The price Father Karas pays still chills to the bone.

7. Night of the Living Dead. 1968. The ultimate zombie picture. Made outside Pittsburgh on maxed out credit cards. Distributors hadn’t seen it and so paired it up with kiddie cartoons. The kids came home crying, and the rest is history. The year in which is was made, 1968, marked a period of war, uncertainty, daily violence and chaos, and racial tensions in America. The socio-political climate informed this movie. It’s hopeless, despairing, and concerns a few survivor hold outs under siege in a farmhouse from zombies who wish to kill and eat them. In stark black and white and one of the few films of its day featuring a totally sympathetic African American male lead.

8. Alien. 1980. Sci-Fi horror. “No one in space can hear you scream.” Like The Shining, Alien goes beyond genre; it’s simply a wonderful movie, a great story, unforgettable characters, possibly the strongest female lead in film history, and a solid theme of the dangers of human hubris as relates to space exploration. A mind blowing alien civilization awaits in the final frontier, as do some horrific beings who want to kill you.

9. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. 1973. You can’t find this one on DVD, though I understand it’s being remade. A woman inherits a lovely old mansion from a deceased relative only to find it’s plagued by terrifying little creatures that live in the walls, who want the woman to join them, and as I recall finally drag her into their hell in the end. Really scary, if the 70s cheese factor does get in the way from time to time. Overall, this one does hold up -- if you can find it!

P.S. Exorcist: I meant to say Northern Iraq for the dig. And I misspelled Father Karras' name. I just saw it again the other night and it holds up beautifully.