Maxines Top Ten Faves (To Date!)

by Maxine Cox
(Gold Coast, Australia)

Who can resist a horror movie no matter how bad? Sometimes that junky rental DVD turns out to be a little gem…….

1. Don't Look Now -
A beautiful, sexy, and chillingly atmospheric movie. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie's on screen chemistry at its best. A harrowing tale dealing with the loss of a child with the most frightening climax I have ever experienced in a movie.

2. Shadow of The Vampire –
Watch F W Murnau’s ‘Nosferatu’ and then watch this tongue in cheek movie about the making of it, you’ll appreciate it so much more. Willem Dafoe revels in his role as Count Orlock and John Malkovich is great as the obsessed movie director, and the peter pan of actors Cary Elwes also stars.

3. City of Lost Children –
is this a horror? I think so, but hauntingly beautiful performances. Watch it subtitled, the minimal French dialog is pure poetry. I just adore the flea sequence.

4. Hellraiser I & II -
Basically I can’t fault anything Clive Barker, his imagination is amazing – literary and visual. What an in your face nightmarish vision is presented in both one and two. I haven’t watched the others as I know they will have deviated from anything Barkeresque.

5. Hostel Part I –
I thought I’d gone into the wrong movie when I first saw this. It starts off like a frat movie, but then you are dragged into a nightmarish journey revolving around an ‘Art Gallery’. When you realise why ‘you could spend all your money in there’ it chills you to the bone. Wonderful. Don’t bother with Part II there’s nothing new and it’s too glossy for my liking.

6. Saw I, II, III, IV –
This must be the most successful horror franchise ever. Part I and IV are my favorites. They are intelligent and horrible, great contraptions and an opening for more. Keep them coming, I love them!

7. Shaun of The Dead –
According to this movie we are all living our lives like Zombies anyhow! Wonderful British humor, the zombies are just getting in the way of Shaun trying to salvage his disintegrating relationship. A little overlong but the jokes still work after several viewings. A tribute to Dawn of The Dead.

8. The Host –
In the vein of Godzilla, a wonderfully humorous and human take on this genre where a group of Korean citizens battle against a monster that is taking their children and a government that does not put its people first. Good fun but thought provoking.


9. The Keep –
An old Michael Mann effort. Definitely not his best work, disjointed and ridiculous special effects but it holds a spot in my heart. I loved the book by F Paul Wilson (when are they going to film The Tomb?????), the music by Tangerine Dream and the slow action sequences make it very atmospheric.

10. Hammer House of Horror –
The Other Side of Midnight – a family about to start their holiday pick up a hitchhiker during a storm. A disturbing one hour TV episode of the Hammer Series which has always stuck in my mind and is the reason why I can’t stand seeing bad teeth in any movie!