Dawn of the Dead (1978)

If all things were equal, George A. Romero's Dead trilogy (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead) would be considered an achievement equal to that of the first Star Wars trilogy and the Lord of the Rings films. Few, if any, other trilogies have been so perfectly sustained from the first film to the last. The second film in Romero's trilogy has been re-released on DVD in Anchor Bay's new "Divimax" format, timed with the theatrical release of the 2004 remake. read more...

Search for streaming:

• Stalked/Terrorized ▶ Yes please
• Viewed as Monsters ▶ Yes please
• Anxiety Level ▶ I like my stomach in knots
• Optimistic ▶ No thanks
• Moralistic ▶ Yes please
• Boldness ▶ Bold, aggressive, unrepressed, cathartic or expressive actions
• Innocence ▶ Seasoned, Savvy, Streetwise
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Looking at Philip Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers once more, I became convinced that it's not only the best of the four films based on Jack Finney's story, but also one of the best films of the 1970s. (It may also be the greatest film shot entirely in San Francisco.) The film begins with a deliberately organic version of an alien invasion, with flowers, spores and pods making their way silently, unnoticed, to earth. read more...

Search for streaming:

• Stalked/Terrorized ▶ Yes please
• Viewed as Monsters ▶ Yes please
• Anxiety Level ▶ I like my stomach in knots
• Optimistic ▶ No thanks
• Moralistic ▶ Yes please

Land of the Dead (2005)

Stanley Kramer (The Defiant Ones, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?) made films about society's social ills and won widespread critical acclaim. George A. Romero also makes films about society's social ills, except that he incorporates zombies, bikers and vampires. As a result, his films and his career have been unfairly marginalized. read more...

Search for streaming:

• Stalked/Terrorized ▶ Yes please
• Viewed as Monsters ▶ Yes please
• Anxiety Level ▶ I like my stomach in knots
• Moralistic ▶ Yes please

Black Sabbath (1963)

Because of the success of Black Sunday, American distributors re-titled Bava's I Tre volti della paura (1963) (or, The Three Faces of Fear), as Black Sabbath. Boris Karloff stars as a kind of host to this trilogy of short pieces, and also appears in the second one, "The Wurdalak." The other segments include "The Drop of Water," about a nurse hired to prepare a corpse for burial, and "The Telephone," set entirely in a basement apartment. Bava's striking use of colors and strange spaces is at its peak here. I'm not easily scared, but this one gave me chills. One of Bava's best. (Of course, the famous heavy metal band borrowed their name from this movie.) read more...

Search for streaming:

• Stalked/Terrorized ▶ Yes please
• Viewed as Monsters ▶ Yes please
• Moralistic ▶ Yes please
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Martyrs (2008)

Pascal Laugier's Martyrs is one of the most brutal films ever made, and one of the best arguments for the existence of the "torture" subgenre of horror. This movie actually has some real thought and some intriguing ideas going on behind its bloody facade. read more...

Search for streaming:

• Stalked/Terrorized ▶ Yes please
• Viewed as Monsters ▶ Yes please
• Theater of Blood ▶ Make me cringe
• Anxiety Level ▶ I like my stomach in knots
• Optimistic ▶ No thanks
• Moralistic ▶ Yes please
• Carnality ▶ Strong animal desire, hunger or desperation
• Rules ▶ Rigid or strongly constrained
• Comfort Level ▶ Distressed, disturbed, unsettled or unresolved
• Overall Depth ▶ Deep or penetrating
• Takes itself Seriously ▶ Yes please
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time