Shadow of the Vampire. It features a classic horror film within a stylish horror film with great actors (perhaps not acting so greatly but still fun and scary).
Night of the Living Dead is my favorite. Even after all these years and all the copycat flicks, the original '68 version still holds it's appeal and originality. The only more modern horror films I like are Interview with a Vampire and Dusk til Dawn.
Definitely 'The Thing' for me. Also, don't exclude modern horrors entirely. Though its reputation has been sullied by its numerous and inferior sequels, the original Saw was a great film, that both scared me and made me question what I would do in such a situation. Others include 28 days later, The Descent and Eden Lake. Also, I challenge anyone to find an more original take on the horror genre than Joss Whedon's cabin in the woods - you've never seen anything like it before.
Spoiler Alert! Even though I absolutely loved Cabin in the Woods, it was a combination of homage to The Evil Dead and H.P. Lovecraft. The main difference being that instead of possessing the kids, the evil is manifested in physical beasts. The feeling of complete hopelessness from saving the world from the Gods is taken right from Lovecraft's playbook. If you notice in the "lobby scene" there is a giant tree monster. Although, the twist is really what makes the movie so awesome. On a slightly unrelated note, I would, however, like to see Whedon pick up Firefly again. It has such a following now that it wouldn't have a problem being picked up by a network.
There used to be a fantastic independent cinema in London called The Scala. I remember going to an all-nighter there to see five Vincent Price films. I think it was: The Haunted Palace/Scream and Scream Again/ both Dr Phibes films/Madhouse. Mind you, I also sat through ten horror films there in an all-day and all-night session. It included: Dawn of the Dead; The Evil Dead; The Excorcist; The Toolbox Murders; The Slumber Party Massacre etc. I was a little dazed towards the end.
back to the main questions: Dawn of the Dead (1978) - I saw it on the first day it showed at my local cinema and I was blown away: I had never seen anything like it. The rather bleak ending was unlike any other film I had seen at that time. And yes, it could be remade succesfully. I know it may not be the critics choice, but I also adore the remake.
I don't have the words to describe how I feel about Firefly. I absolutely loved that show, though it'll never be picked up again (at least not with the same cast). Fillion is attached to castle, Baccarin to Homeland, not to mention [***SPOILERS***]two of the key characters are dead[***SPOILERS***]. Maybe we could have a Jayne Cobb spinoff though! Adam Baldwin is free now Chuck has finished...... I think however, another movie is not outside the realm of possibility, especially now Whedon has shot to the top of the Hollywood A-List, he can pretty much write his own ticket.
Saw that late at night on a tiny b/w TV in my bedroom when I was about 17(?). Believe it or not, it wasn't edited, and it scared the proverbial pants off of me...The Abominable Dr. Phibes also got my goosebumps going...
Much as I love a good zombie flick, for sheer dread and atmosphere you can't beat the BBC's 1968 version of M.R. James' 'Whistle and I'll Come to You'. Careful what you pick up on the beach...
The Shining (the Kubrick version, of course) Alien (enjoy the other main Alien movies, as well as Prometheus, but the first is the best) The Thing (Carpenter version) Dawn of the Dead (Romero version) Death Proof (the first half at least - love the whole movie, but the second half drops the horror/slasher feel to intentionally give the impression that a seperate filmmaker added his own story to an older horror film) I'm hoping one day that Paul Thomas Anderson directs a horror movie, you can be sure it would have the same quality and tone as The Shining.
Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter Just the right amount of euro-cheese and Caroline Munro in a peasant blouse. Nothing more needed.
^^Ha, ha. I remember when that came out; it was playing double-billed with another horror flick, the name of which escapes my memory, although I didn't catch them.
Freaks 1932. It was on TCM the other night and a movie you will never forget. One of my favorites. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=vJVXTKkjsxA&desktop_uri=/watch?v=vJVXTKkjsxA
Almost any zombie movie. Even the bad ones are fun. I'm also a big fan of vampire movies. I loved the Christopher Lee Dracula films as a kid.
"Unknown" (1927) with Lon Chaney Sr. and Joan Crawford and "The Black Cat" (1934) with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.