And fun. So I'll note that the list entertaining and diverse and contains most of the movies you'd expect and a few you might not. Examples. I was surprised by the enormous attention given to Pascal Laugier's Martyrs, although it's arguably the most thoughtful of the "torture porn" wave and inarguably the most assaultive. Conversely, the silence surrounding Craven's meta-slasher Scream is deafening. I assumed we all understood it as a modern classic (what an awesomely incongruous phrase).
The coolest thing about the article is that the Time Out editors made public the individual lists from people who voted, and sprinkled among the individual lists are some fun insights. Pretty damned cool of Time Out, as it saves the list from the type of vapidity that stinks up comparable site lists (I'm looking at you, IGN and Empire).
Here are some of those insights:
Jose "Coffin Joe" Marica Marins, director of At Midnight I Will Eat Your Soul:
The Dr. Phibes films have a strange power. They allow us to gradually discover the horror in such a way that we know we will not escape. Vincent Price was an amazing actor who set himself in stone with this performance. The character is totally diaboloical and true to his own self and his principles, rather like Coffin Joe himself. I defy those who argue that these films have aged. They are forever.Time Out Rank for The Abominable Dr. Phibes: #83.
Joe Dante, director of Matinee:
Whether you're in the show-the-demon or don't-show-the-demon camp, The Night of the Demon (or Curse of in the US), Jacques Tourneur's beautiful masterpiece proves he learned a lot from Val Lewton. It's one of the smartest and most atmospheric of occult movies (as opposed to cult movies, which this also is.Time Out Rank for Curse of the Demon: #52.
Ruggero Deodato, director of Cannibal Holocaust:
The Spiral Staircase was the first horror-thriller I saw as a child. In its reproducing anxiety for the spectator through the vicissitudes of a mute girl, the film reaches extraordinary peaks.The Spiral Staircase failed to chart on Time Out's list.
Gareth Evans, director of The Raid:
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the only film that, as an adult, has made me have a sleepless night. I saw it in the cinema in Cardiff, after it had been banned. From the moment that Leatherface killed that first guy with the hammer, I couldn't leave the seat. I was trapped. I just wanted the lights to come up so I could leave the cinema.Time Out Rank for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: #3.
Robin Hardy, director of The Wicker Man:
I once liked Hammer horror films for their camp improbability, and also for making me want to cast Christopher Lee in a role worthy of his extraordinary screen presence. But sheer, unbridled horror I don't enjoy. It's like lingering at the sight of a sanguinary accident. I've listed the films that most impressed me, all because they had dimensions well beyond the horrific. Dimensions of pathos, beauty, humour, in short of "real life," which made what was horrific in them palpably more real.Time Out Rank for The Wicker Man: #55.
Guillem Morales, director of Julia's Eyes:
I chose The Unknown because, despite being a silent film, it is 1000 times more hypnotic without any soundtrack than most modern films with a soundtrack. The cruelty of the plot is still absolutely shocking and Lon Chaney makes you feel his excruciating pain in an unforgettable way.The Unknown failed to chart on Time Out's list.
Helen Mullane, talent manager:
The Mist is a classic monster movie, especially in its beautiful black-and-white form, bringing together many of the best qualities of the films that preceded it. A brilliant portrayal of society's moral breakdown in the face of fear, the power of hope and the horror of hopelessness, the film is made by the singularly bleak ending, which reduced me to tears.Time Out's Rank for The Mist: #88.
Debbie Rochon, exploitation actress:
Cemetery Man is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Michele Soavi delivers a zombie film love story, in which a man is willing to give up everything for his love, including his privates, all while keeping a cemetery safe from its own inhabitants. It's a perfect combination of frights, zombies and romance as only the Italians can do.Cemetery Man failed to chart on Time Out's list.
Brian Yuzna, director of Society:
Nosferatu is the only really great vampire movie and is still nightmarish and creepy; and its version of Dracula is the closest to Bram Stoker's literary version - an evil blood-sucking beast, no the matinee idol white bread versions that have dominated the history of cinema.Time Out Rank for Nosferatu: #22.
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