 THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES
1971 / d. Robert Fuest
  
Vincent Price strikes another chord of terror in this delightful tale of a mad doctor’s revenge. Horribly disfigured, Anton Phibes goes out executing a team of ten surgeons, physicians whom he blames for the death of his beloved wife. But plain homicide doesn’t meet Phibes’ macabre standards; instead, he draws inspiration from the Biblical Ten Plagues of Egypt. One by one the doctors drop off like flies, whether they have their heads crushed by frog masks, their faces eaten away by locusts, impaled by golden unicorn statues, or have all the blood drawn from their bodies in agonizingly slow fashion. This movie is a ghoulish delight for those who are connoisseurs of the weird and demented. Price is at his best as he revels in the delicious villainy of his role, able to emote the subtlest expressions even under the ghostly mask he wears of his own likeness. The cinematography and art deco scenery are a feast for the eyes and compliment the gory proceedings in an absolutely diabolical fashion. Not to be missed by fans of old school horror. [JC]
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 AFTERMATH
1994 / d. Nacho Cerda
A film not for the weak of stomach or heart. The scenario is simplistic but all-too disturbing: a medical examiner fondles and defiles the corpse of a young woman who is the victim of a car accident. Cerda doesn’t let up on the realistic gore in this unsettling picture. We watch the clinical dissection of cadavers, all brains and slobbering intestines included. The real horror starts when we realize what the perverted examiner is up to. Despite showing the rotting and squashed carcass of a dog as well as the blending of a heart and vicious stabbing of a female’s private area, AFTERMATH still possesses an air of profound beauty. The fascination with death becomes our own and soon we find we cannot look away from the screen, no matter how disgusting and vile the acts may be. Watch this if you’re looking for something to challenge yourself with. (JC)
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 ALIEN
1979 / d. Ridley Scott
Bleak and claustrophobic sci-fi/horror that owes much of its memorability to the concept art of the legendary H.R. Giger. When the crew of the ship Nostromo receives a mysterious S.O.S., they travel down to the planet to investigate -- ultimately setting in motion a horrifying series of events that has them fighting for their very survival. Tight cinematography, well designed sets, and director Scott's genuine knack for effective filmmaking come together in making what has become a genre classic. Followed by the equally excellent -- if not arguably better -- ALIENS, and additional sequels of varying quality.
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 AN AMERICAN
WEREWOLF IN LONDON
1981 / d. John Landis
Although famed for turning out comedy classics like ANIMAL HOUSE and THE BLUES BROTHERS, director John Landis was also the man behind one of the most revered werewolf films of all time. This movie blends horror and comedy in a beautiful synergy that can hardly be beat. One minute we’re shivering in terror from the mind blowing special effects of makeup wizard Rick Baker and the next we’re laughing ourselves silly as the ever-ripening remains of Griffin Dunne chide David Naughton into suicide. The instantly classic transformation scene in the film still has the power to drop jaws and the full wolf monster, though slightly less paralyzing, is still a fearsome creature to behold. Add to that the eerie and jump-inducing dream sequences that are randomly sprinkled throughout the movie and you have one unforgettable romp into the hairy world of lycanthropy that is sure to have you howling at the moon for more. Sequel: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS. (JC)
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 ANTICHRIST
1981 / d. Lars von Trier
ANTICHRIST, according to director von Trier, was created out of a simple desire to create a horror film. What resulted, however, is a fantastic, surreal, and devastating picture which burns itself into the pysche of anyone who witnesses it. Stellar performances by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, who star as a husband and wife who retreat to a remote cabin in the woods, in hopes of restoring peace to their minds and their marriage. Lurid, explicit, terrifying, sexual -- words can scarcely prepare you for the sights that await you.
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 ARMY OF DARKNESS
1992 / d. Sam Raimi
Listen up you primitive screwheads! Bruce Campbell returns in the third part of the EVIL DEAD series. Reprising his role as Ash, he finds himself transported back in time to the year thirteen hundred A.D., where he must fight a hoard of demons known as Deadites -- the army of darkness -- and find his way back home with the aid of the Necronomicon. Enormously entertaining with a high replay value, ARMY OF DARKNESS is a staple in any horror collection.
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