Vampires (1998)
John Carpenter turns vampire hunting into blue-collar work, with James Woods carrying the whole film on attitude.
Movies
The Shining (1980)
Kubrick’s 1980 King adaptation. Nicholson, Shelley Duvall. Steadicam in the Overlook. King hated it. Everyone else didn’t.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Tobe Hooper’s 1974 verite slasher. Leatherface, sledgehammer dinner, fifteen-thousand-dollar budget. Less violence than implied.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George Romero’s 1968 zombie template. Public domain accident. Black protagonist in 1968. The genre’s foundational document.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
John Landis’ 1981 horror-comedy. Rick Baker transformation effects won first Best Makeup Oscar. Blue Moon, Bad Moon, Moondance.
The Exorcist (1973)
William Friedkin’s 1973 demonic possession drama. Linda Blair as Regan, Max von Sydow as Father Merrin. Highest-grossing horror.
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher template. Michael Myers in mask, Jamie Lee Curtis debut. The Carpenter score. Foundation of every slasher.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Roman Polanski’s 1968 satanic pregnancy drama. Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes. The Dakota apartment building. Coven of nice neighbors.
Don’t Look Now (1973)
Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 Venice grief drama. Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie. Red coat, drowned daughter. The famous sex-scene editing.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
Werner Herzog’s 2010 Chauvet Cave doc. 30,000-year-old paintings. 3D filming. Albino crocodiles coda. Herzog narrates.