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101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
Whether it be internal demons, real-life vampires, anonymous serial killers, crazed spouses, vengeful ghosts or Satan himself, horror films have gripped audiences and filmmakers alike since the very beginnings of cinema. Prepare to be terrified, fascinated and enthralled as you take this whirlwind tour of the 101 horror films you must see before you die. 101 Horror Films You Must See Before You Die gives you a thorough appreciation of the genre, because it approaches the subject chronologically. You'll move through gothic classics like James Whale's The Old Dark House (1932) and Terence Fisher's Dracula (1958), to zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead (1978) and 28 Days Later (2002). All the sub-genres are covered too, from Eyes Without a Face (mad scientist) and The Howling (werewolf) to Nightmare on Elm Street (slasher) and The Silence of the Lambs (serial killer). And you'll learn that it's not just American teenagers who are horror-film fodder. There are classic horror films from Japan (Onibaba), Russia (Vij), Italy (Suspiria), France (Les Diaboliques), Belgium (Man Bites Dog), Germany (M), and the Netherlands (The Vanishing). Immerse yourself in the most compelling of movie genres. Prepare to be possessed - and whatever you do, don't answer the phone...
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
13 people are currently reading
468 people want to read
About the author
Steven Jay Schneider
37 books38 followersSteven Jay Schneider is a film critic, scholar, and producer with M.A. degrees in Philosophy from Harvard University and in Cinema Studies from New York University. He is the author and editor of numerous books on world cinema, most notably in the horror genre. They include Eurohorror, The Cinema of Wes Craven: An Auteur on Elm Street, Designing Fear: An Aesthetics of Cinematic Horror, Killing in Style: Artistic Murder in the Movies, Understanding Film Genres, and Traditions in World Cinema. He is also a consultant for film, television, and home video/DVD production companies, a curator for world horror film programs, and a staff member in development for Paramount Pictures. Among his recent titles are 501 Movie Stars and 501 Movie Directors, both available in North America from Barron's. Two additional titles from Barron's are scheduled for publication in Spring 09. They are 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die and 101 Sci-Fi Movies You Must See Before You Die.
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October 22, 2012
I love lists, I love horror movies, so when this little baby crossed my path I snatched it up without even thinking about it. As a handy reference guide for the uninitiated, it's almost perfection. For the more discriminating horror veteran, it's laced with lots of glossy extras. Even though the accompanying essays are short, most are meaty, with tidbits and trivia and a little film canon context, enough to help you win your next bar bet anyways. However, spoiler phobes beware -- a few of the essays do reveal some major plot twists (which is a real shame), so watch the movies first before you read the blurbs is all I'm saying.
This 400 page pint-sized gem contains full color reproductions of the original movie posters for all 101 selected films. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed pouring over the details in those. In addition to the posters, there is one movie still per film. Fun! As for organization, this IS NOT a countdown list from 101 to number 1. Rather, each chapter is organized by decade beginning with the 1910's and ending with the 2000's. While it's fun to countdown, I liked this presentation better. Lists can be so subjective and arbitrary at the best of times -- to come at these movies in the context of the decade in which they were made makes way more sense.
On to the list itself:
This is a very respectable selection of films, and as a horror movie buff who has been avidly watching since she was eight years old, I give the editors my stamp of approval, with a few caveats and addendums. First of all, the selections are a nice mixed bag of old and new, foreign and Hollywood. If you're not interested in classic cinema, a lot of these movies probably won't appeal to you. The first six chapters include films to the end of the 1960's. Five movies from 1932 alone. Even for my tastes, which run the gamut, I would have liked to see more emphasis on post-1960 horror cinema (it's come a long way, baby).
I also felt that the selections leaned a little too heavily on the "critical darlings" like Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci and Ingmar Bergman as well as other weird and dated movies that have been sanctified as "must see classics" amongst the snobbish film aficionados. Still, despite some of this pandering, there is a lot of celluloid on this list that if you haven't seen yet, you really must make the time to do so.
I was tremendously relieved to see that Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 made the list; even so, it should not have come at the exclusion of the 1981 original Evil Dead. Both are brilliant, but the original is such an exquisite piece of guerrilla filmmaking on a shoe-string budget and balls-to-the-wall wunderkind genius that to leave it out of the 1980's chapter is more than just remiss, but an actual crime. At least the original gets mentioned in passing as a landmark for the genre. Other "must see" films I was chagrined to see overlooked: Alien (1979), The Changeling (1980), and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Not to mention neither version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Egregious oversights.
So here it is, the complete list of 101 horror movies you must see before you die. I have hyperlinked to the trailer all those near and dear to my heart.
And for an extra added bit of fun to get you in the mood this Halloween season -- watch 163 Horror Movies in 2 1/2 Minutes and 100 Greatest Horror Movie Quotes. Putting the "Fs" in flipping fantastic.
1) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
2) The Golem (1920)
3) Nosferatu (1922)
4) Haxan (1922)
5) The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
6) Dracula (1931)
7) M (1931)
8) Frankenstein (1931)
9) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
10) Freaks (1932)
11) Vampyr (1932)
12) White Zombie (1932)
13) The Old Dark House (1932)
14) Island of Lost Souls (1932)
15) King Kong (1933)
16) The Black Cat (1934)
17) Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
18) The Wolf Man (1941)
19) Cat People (1942)
20) I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
21) Diabolique (1955)
22) The Bad Seed (1956)
23) The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
24) Horror of Dracula (1958)
25) The Tingler (1959)
26) Eyes Without a Face (1959)
27) Peeping Tom (1960)
28) Psycho (1960)
29) Mask of the Demon (1960)
30) The Innocents (1961)
31) Carnival of Souls (1962)
32) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
33) The Birds (1963)
34) The Haunting (1963)
35) Onibaba (1964)
36) The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
37) Repulsion (1965)
38) VIY (1967)
39) Hour of the Wolf (1968)
40) Rosemary's Baby (1968)
41) The Devil Rides Out (1968)
42) Night of the Living Dead (1968)
43) Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)
44) The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
45) Daughters of Darkness (1971)
46) Blacula (1972)
47) The Last House on the Left (1972)
48) Don't Look Now (1973)
49) The Exorcist (1973)
50) The Wicker Man (1973)
51) Deathdream (1974)
52) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
53) Deep Red (1975)
54) JAWS (1975)
55) The Omen (1976)
56) Carrie (1976)
57) Suspiria (1977)
58) Eraserhead (1977)
59) The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
60) Dawn of the Dead (1978)
61) Halloween (1978)
62) Nosferatu (1979)
63) Phantasm (1979)
64) The Brood (1979)
65) Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
66) Friday the 13th (1980)
67) The Shining (1980)
68) Dressed to Kill (1980)
69) The Howling (1981)
70) The Beyond (1981)
71) An American Werewolf in London (1981)
72) Poltergeist (1982)
73) The Hunger (1983)
74) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
75) Re-Animator (1985)
76) The Fly (1986)
77) Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
78) Evil Dead 2 (1987)
79) A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
80) Hellraiser (1987)
81) The Vanishing (1988)
82) Jacob's Ladder (1990)
83) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
84) Man Bites Dog (1992)
85) Candyman (1992)
86) Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
87) Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)
88) Scream (1996)
89) Ringu (1998)
90) The Blair Witch Project (1999)
91) The Sixth Sense (1999)
92) Audition (1999)
93) The Devil's Backbone (2001)
94) The Others (2001)
95) 28 Days Later (2002)
96) A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
97) High Tension (2003)
98) Ju-On: The Grudge (2003)
99) SAW (2004)
100) The Descent (2005)
101) The Orphanage (2007)
This 400 page pint-sized gem contains full color reproductions of the original movie posters for all 101 selected films. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed pouring over the details in those. In addition to the posters, there is one movie still per film. Fun! As for organization, this IS NOT a countdown list from 101 to number 1. Rather, each chapter is organized by decade beginning with the 1910's and ending with the 2000's. While it's fun to countdown, I liked this presentation better. Lists can be so subjective and arbitrary at the best of times -- to come at these movies in the context of the decade in which they were made makes way more sense.
On to the list itself:
This is a very respectable selection of films, and as a horror movie buff who has been avidly watching since she was eight years old, I give the editors my stamp of approval, with a few caveats and addendums. First of all, the selections are a nice mixed bag of old and new, foreign and Hollywood. If you're not interested in classic cinema, a lot of these movies probably won't appeal to you. The first six chapters include films to the end of the 1960's. Five movies from 1932 alone. Even for my tastes, which run the gamut, I would have liked to see more emphasis on post-1960 horror cinema (it's come a long way, baby).
I also felt that the selections leaned a little too heavily on the "critical darlings" like Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci and Ingmar Bergman as well as other weird and dated movies that have been sanctified as "must see classics" amongst the snobbish film aficionados. Still, despite some of this pandering, there is a lot of celluloid on this list that if you haven't seen yet, you really must make the time to do so.
I was tremendously relieved to see that Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 made the list; even so, it should not have come at the exclusion of the 1981 original Evil Dead. Both are brilliant, but the original is such an exquisite piece of guerrilla filmmaking on a shoe-string budget and balls-to-the-wall wunderkind genius that to leave it out of the 1980's chapter is more than just remiss, but an actual crime. At least the original gets mentioned in passing as a landmark for the genre. Other "must see" films I was chagrined to see overlooked: Alien (1979), The Changeling (1980), and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Not to mention neither version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Egregious oversights.
So here it is, the complete list of 101 horror movies you must see before you die. I have hyperlinked to the trailer all those near and dear to my heart.
And for an extra added bit of fun to get you in the mood this Halloween season -- watch 163 Horror Movies in 2 1/2 Minutes and 100 Greatest Horror Movie Quotes. Putting the "Fs" in flipping fantastic.
1) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
2) The Golem (1920)
3) Nosferatu (1922)
4) Haxan (1922)
5) The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
6) Dracula (1931)
7) M (1931)
8) Frankenstein (1931)
9) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
10) Freaks (1932)
11) Vampyr (1932)
12) White Zombie (1932)
13) The Old Dark House (1932)
14) Island of Lost Souls (1932)
15) King Kong (1933)
16) The Black Cat (1934)
17) Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
18) The Wolf Man (1941)
19) Cat People (1942)
20) I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
21) Diabolique (1955)
22) The Bad Seed (1956)
23) The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
24) Horror of Dracula (1958)
25) The Tingler (1959)
26) Eyes Without a Face (1959)
27) Peeping Tom (1960)
28) Psycho (1960)
29) Mask of the Demon (1960)
30) The Innocents (1961)
31) Carnival of Souls (1962)
32) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
33) The Birds (1963)
34) The Haunting (1963)
35) Onibaba (1964)
36) The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
37) Repulsion (1965)
38) VIY (1967)
39) Hour of the Wolf (1968)
40) Rosemary's Baby (1968)
41) The Devil Rides Out (1968)
42) Night of the Living Dead (1968)
43) Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)
44) The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
45) Daughters of Darkness (1971)
46) Blacula (1972)
47) The Last House on the Left (1972)
48) Don't Look Now (1973)
49) The Exorcist (1973)
50) The Wicker Man (1973)
51) Deathdream (1974)
52) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
53) Deep Red (1975)
54) JAWS (1975)
55) The Omen (1976)
56) Carrie (1976)
57) Suspiria (1977)
58) Eraserhead (1977)
59) The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
60) Dawn of the Dead (1978)
61) Halloween (1978)
62) Nosferatu (1979)
63) Phantasm (1979)
64) The Brood (1979)
65) Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
66) Friday the 13th (1980)
67) The Shining (1980)
68) Dressed to Kill (1980)
69) The Howling (1981)
70) The Beyond (1981)
71) An American Werewolf in London (1981)
72) Poltergeist (1982)
73) The Hunger (1983)
74) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
75) Re-Animator (1985)
76) The Fly (1986)
77) Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
78) Evil Dead 2 (1987)
79) A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
80) Hellraiser (1987)
81) The Vanishing (1988)
82) Jacob's Ladder (1990)
83) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
84) Man Bites Dog (1992)
85) Candyman (1992)
86) Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
87) Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)
88) Scream (1996)
89) Ringu (1998)
90) The Blair Witch Project (1999)
91) The Sixth Sense (1999)
92) Audition (1999)
93) The Devil's Backbone (2001)
94) The Others (2001)
95) 28 Days Later (2002)
96) A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
97) High Tension (2003)
98) Ju-On: The Grudge (2003)
99) SAW (2004)
100) The Descent (2005)
101) The Orphanage (2007)
September 10, 2018
Had movies other that what I would consider 'Horror' but was fun to read through and gave my son ideas about the movies to seek out. When you are listing 101, the definition does broaden a little :)
March 16, 2017
I've already read the 1001 versions of books and movies (and slowly going through them), so as a big horror fan I thought I should check this cute little pocket-sized volume. I knew there wouldn't be much left to watch (eleven, turns out), so I was mostly just curious to see which films had been included.
I was pleasantly surprised about the mixture of mainstream and lesser-known stuff, but of course there were, once again, the same films from the 20s and 30s that are always included in every single list, and only one from the 1910s. Which is wrong, by the way, because The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari premiered in 1920 and the shooting didn't conclude until January 1920. How, then, could it have been released in 1919? Besides, aren't there really no good horror films from the 1910s? I just can't believe it, so I must investigate this further.
Steven Katz's essay about Dracula (1931) is refreshingly scathing (Tod Browning is one of my favorite directors, but Dracula is hands down one of his worst films, in addition to being one of the flattest one about the count). Then again, Katz also claims Lon Chaney was in Freaks (1932) (he probably means The Unknown [1927]), which is a mistake that should have been caught during editing. Not an important one, but still. Katz also thinks London is a baffling relocation for Dracula (in the essay about Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), but is it really? It was the Victorian era, an era of prosperity and flourishing trade routes in Britain. Makes sense to me that the count chooses one of the most biggest and influential cities in the world as his new home.
Dejan Ognjanovic, in turn, has a disparaging view of pulp literature (at least it sounds like it, when he calls Dennis Wheatley's novel The Devil Rides Out (1934) his "usual sensationalistic meandering pulp"), yet he seems to have no problem with pulpy horror, because he likes the Hammer adaptation of Wheatley's novel. Mikel Koven has a pretty firm idea about those who dislike torture porn: "What media pundits who got their liberal knickers in a twist over the so-called "torture porn" controversy seem to forget is that what made these films so disturbing in the first place was that they were actually pretty good". First of all, you don't have to be liberal to dislike torture porn. Secondly, does Kaven mean that despite the disturbing aspect of the films in the subgenre he thinks they're good, and it's somehow wrong to dislike them? My taste good, your taste wrong.
The thing I have the biggest issue with are the spoilers. As far as I recall, 88 texts out of 101 (I decided not to read about the eleven films I haven't seen when I realized they might contain spoilers as well) managed to avoid spoilers (and it really isn't difficult to go round a plot point or the ending). The Sixth Sense (1999) and The Vanishing (1988) were another story (there were actually a few more that I now see other reviewers spotted, as well as a few other mistakes). Ok, knowing the ending of the former might dilute the second viewing (I don't like it that much anyway), but in the case of the latter...
The Vanishing is just as powerful after multiple viewings, but the first time is everything. Everything that occurs before that sickening moment of realization at the end is of course stellar in its subtleness, but the film as a whole relies on gripping the viewer by the throat. There isn't anything that hints what might happen, so one can't use the old "but it's great to see the journey that leads to the ending, and wait when it will happen and whether it's foreshadowed" -thing as an excuse (for me, that's something that reminds me of a rewatch or reread; Agatha Christie might occasionally be an exception, if I remember the murderer), and that's what makes the movie brilliant. Making sure a whole experience isn't ruined from those who don't want it is simply polite, even if you're okay with spoilers. It should also not be presumed that every single person in the world knows the ending of every single classic film or book out there, because it's not about the age.
Regardless, 101 Horror Movies shows pretty well the progress of horror cinema since the beginning of the 20th century. The essays are mostly of good quality, and a few inspired me to rewatch my old favorites and those that I've considered mediocre at best. I'm also extremely excited to have found out that there's an actual name for films featuring older women becoming mentally unstabled: psycho-biddy (also referred to, according to Wikipedia, as Grande Dame Guignol, Hagsploitation, and Hag horror). Makes it so much easier to search for more films belonging to the subgenre. Bette Davis is my queen, and she's amazing in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), but I'm convinced there are more gold pieces waiting for me out there.
I was pleasantly surprised about the mixture of mainstream and lesser-known stuff, but of course there were, once again, the same films from the 20s and 30s that are always included in every single list, and only one from the 1910s. Which is wrong, by the way, because The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari premiered in 1920 and the shooting didn't conclude until January 1920. How, then, could it have been released in 1919? Besides, aren't there really no good horror films from the 1910s? I just can't believe it, so I must investigate this further.
Steven Katz's essay about Dracula (1931) is refreshingly scathing (Tod Browning is one of my favorite directors, but Dracula is hands down one of his worst films, in addition to being one of the flattest one about the count). Then again, Katz also claims Lon Chaney was in Freaks (1932) (he probably means The Unknown [1927]), which is a mistake that should have been caught during editing. Not an important one, but still. Katz also thinks London is a baffling relocation for Dracula (in the essay about Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), but is it really? It was the Victorian era, an era of prosperity and flourishing trade routes in Britain. Makes sense to me that the count chooses one of the most biggest and influential cities in the world as his new home.
Dejan Ognjanovic, in turn, has a disparaging view of pulp literature (at least it sounds like it, when he calls Dennis Wheatley's novel The Devil Rides Out (1934) his "usual sensationalistic meandering pulp"), yet he seems to have no problem with pulpy horror, because he likes the Hammer adaptation of Wheatley's novel. Mikel Koven has a pretty firm idea about those who dislike torture porn: "What media pundits who got their liberal knickers in a twist over the so-called "torture porn" controversy seem to forget is that what made these films so disturbing in the first place was that they were actually pretty good". First of all, you don't have to be liberal to dislike torture porn. Secondly, does Kaven mean that despite the disturbing aspect of the films in the subgenre he thinks they're good, and it's somehow wrong to dislike them? My taste good, your taste wrong.
The thing I have the biggest issue with are the spoilers. As far as I recall, 88 texts out of 101 (I decided not to read about the eleven films I haven't seen when I realized they might contain spoilers as well) managed to avoid spoilers (and it really isn't difficult to go round a plot point or the ending). The Sixth Sense (1999) and The Vanishing (1988) were another story (there were actually a few more that I now see other reviewers spotted, as well as a few other mistakes). Ok, knowing the ending of the former might dilute the second viewing (I don't like it that much anyway), but in the case of the latter...
The Vanishing is just as powerful after multiple viewings, but the first time is everything. Everything that occurs before that sickening moment of realization at the end is of course stellar in its subtleness, but the film as a whole relies on gripping the viewer by the throat. There isn't anything that hints what might happen, so one can't use the old "but it's great to see the journey that leads to the ending, and wait when it will happen and whether it's foreshadowed" -thing as an excuse (for me, that's something that reminds me of a rewatch or reread; Agatha Christie might occasionally be an exception, if I remember the murderer), and that's what makes the movie brilliant. Making sure a whole experience isn't ruined from those who don't want it is simply polite, even if you're okay with spoilers. It should also not be presumed that every single person in the world knows the ending of every single classic film or book out there, because it's not about the age.
Regardless, 101 Horror Movies shows pretty well the progress of horror cinema since the beginning of the 20th century. The essays are mostly of good quality, and a few inspired me to rewatch my old favorites and those that I've considered mediocre at best. I'm also extremely excited to have found out that there's an actual name for films featuring older women becoming mentally unstabled: psycho-biddy (also referred to, according to Wikipedia, as Grande Dame Guignol, Hagsploitation, and Hag horror). Makes it so much easier to search for more films belonging to the subgenre. Bette Davis is my queen, and she's amazing in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), but I'm convinced there are more gold pieces waiting for me out there.
August 3, 2018
Those who know me know that I enjoy a good horror film. But, apparently, I have a very different idea of what constitutes "good" than Mr. Schneider. Of the whole 101, I think I found maybe 10 that I would be willing to watch. If it weren't for the inclusion of films like Dracula, The Wolf Man, and Frankenstein, you could have renamed this 101 Slasher Films to See Before You Die and it would have worked.
It is abundantly clear that Schneider's idea of a good horror film involves lots and lots of blood, sadism, Satanism, pornographic elements, and a healthy disdain for the Catholic Church. The more of each of these elements, the better. I guess I should have known better when I flipped through the pages and saw Cannibal Holocaust listed. Anyone who would list one of the most violent, graphic, and quite frankly, disturbing films of all time as a must-watch, clearly has some issues. (In case you're wondering, I'll spare you the details and just say that this film was so graphic, it was believed that it was a snuff film, and the director was actually charged with murder until he could produce his cast and crew alive and well). I'm shocked Schneider didn't include The Human Centipede in here as well. Both have about as much cinematic merit.
It is abundantly clear that Schneider's idea of a good horror film involves lots and lots of blood, sadism, Satanism, pornographic elements, and a healthy disdain for the Catholic Church. The more of each of these elements, the better. I guess I should have known better when I flipped through the pages and saw Cannibal Holocaust listed. Anyone who would list one of the most violent, graphic, and quite frankly, disturbing films of all time as a must-watch, clearly has some issues. (In case you're wondering, I'll spare you the details and just say that this film was so graphic, it was believed that it was a snuff film, and the director was actually charged with murder until he could produce his cast and crew alive and well). I'm shocked Schneider didn't include The Human Centipede in here as well. Both have about as much cinematic merit.
February 8, 2019
There are some minor mistakes and because it's an edited volume every other films seems to be 'one of the most important horror films in history', but otherwise this is a good and intelligent guide to horror movies that combines film studies attention to cinematic technique with (in my view more interesting) analysis of the social and psychological aspects. Recommended.
March 24, 2018
Another fun read through, although like the similar volume on Sci-Fi I have some minor issues with the selections. Some of those included really shouldn't have been and there were a few that were obviously overlooked. Otherwise this is a nice little book that is great for movie buffs and for leaving on the coffee table for conversation starters.
November 1, 2012
A fun little book that I perused a while back and am just now getting around to reviewing. Considering that yesterday was Halloween, the timing seems appropriate.
There are several of the usual suspects here, such as the version of Dracula directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi. Also White Zombie, The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney, the silent-movie version of Nosferatu, etc.
What surprised me was seeing Suspiria, The Descent, Re-Animator, Carnival of Souls (and I just do not understand why it's "groundbreaking"), Audition, The Abominable Dr. Phibes (LURVE Vincent Price!), Hellraiser, Candyman, and more. Also fabulous to see The Haunting in here, one of the most overlooked horror movies of our time, in my humble opinion. And I'm talking about the old black and white version with Julie Harris, not the cringe-inducing "remake" with Liam Neeson.
I must, however, ding this book for the editing. There are the usual little mistakes that I'm willing to let go. But in the review of Hellraiser, the contributor keeps referring to Frank's brother Larry's daughter "Kristy". Anyone who is familiar with that movie and has seen it many times, such as myself, knows that her name is "Kirsty". At first I thought it was just another typo, but no, it's spelled that way the whole review. ARGH! The contributor is listed as "JM" and the book lists that as "Jay McRoy" who has written his own book. I hope he got his facts right in that work.
Not included is my all-time fave, The Changeling, starring George C. Scott. This was released in 1980, a perfect mix of spooky/scary ghost story with mystery-thriller tied in. Scott's character is not only haunted but must solve the mystery to help the spirit rest, etc. Very atmospheric, very scary at times, and yet, very little blood/gore. Just a good old-fashioned scary flick that has stayed with me to this day.
And for those who are curious, I've seen approximately 57 of the movies listed. I didn't count some that I thought I might have seen but wasn't totally sure.
There are several of the usual suspects here, such as the version of Dracula directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi. Also White Zombie, The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney, the silent-movie version of Nosferatu, etc.
What surprised me was seeing Suspiria, The Descent, Re-Animator, Carnival of Souls (and I just do not understand why it's "groundbreaking"), Audition, The Abominable Dr. Phibes (LURVE Vincent Price!), Hellraiser, Candyman, and more. Also fabulous to see The Haunting in here, one of the most overlooked horror movies of our time, in my humble opinion. And I'm talking about the old black and white version with Julie Harris, not the cringe-inducing "remake" with Liam Neeson.
I must, however, ding this book for the editing. There are the usual little mistakes that I'm willing to let go. But in the review of Hellraiser, the contributor keeps referring to Frank's brother Larry's daughter "Kristy". Anyone who is familiar with that movie and has seen it many times, such as myself, knows that her name is "Kirsty". At first I thought it was just another typo, but no, it's spelled that way the whole review. ARGH! The contributor is listed as "JM" and the book lists that as "Jay McRoy" who has written his own book. I hope he got his facts right in that work.
Not included is my all-time fave, The Changeling, starring George C. Scott. This was released in 1980, a perfect mix of spooky/scary ghost story with mystery-thriller tied in. Scott's character is not only haunted but must solve the mystery to help the spirit rest, etc. Very atmospheric, very scary at times, and yet, very little blood/gore. Just a good old-fashioned scary flick that has stayed with me to this day.
And for those who are curious, I've seen approximately 57 of the movies listed. I didn't count some that I thought I might have seen but wasn't totally sure.
September 5, 2019
An eclectic set of 101 short essays by various authors covering 100 years of horror films, ranging from The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1919) to It Follows (2014).
BE WARNED: Many of these essays give unnecessary spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film in question, I recommend skipping the essay, just to be on the safe side.
BE WARNED: Many of these essays give unnecessary spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film in question, I recommend skipping the essay, just to be on the safe side.
September 6, 2023
Not worth buying it, you can find better and more complete lists online. I think most of the movies were liked by the author, that’s why they were in the book. Not because they were really good movies.
Don’t read the description of the movies if you don’t want to read spoilers.
Don’t read the description of the movies if you don’t want to read spoilers.
July 19, 2010
Readers beware: The author has included spoilers for The Vanishing and Sixth Sense. It doesn't matter how long a movie has been out, it's still not a good idea to spoil a movie for those who haven't seen it. There may be more spoilers or places where too much plot is revealed, but I just haven't read that far.
OK. Finished. And, yes, there were a couple of more spoilers, but I can't recall the titles. Although there are 101 entries in this fat, little book, each entry is only about two pages long, so it takes no time to make it through 101HMYMSBYD.
After finding some spoilers, I made a point to read only the entries for movies I've already seen. The others I can scan the titles and add them to my TBW list.
I bought a copy to keep at home for reference. Worth a read for fans of horror movies.
OK. Finished. And, yes, there were a couple of more spoilers, but I can't recall the titles. Although there are 101 entries in this fat, little book, each entry is only about two pages long, so it takes no time to make it through 101HMYMSBYD.
After finding some spoilers, I made a point to read only the entries for movies I've already seen. The others I can scan the titles and add them to my TBW list.
I bought a copy to keep at home for reference. Worth a read for fans of horror movies.
November 28, 2011
I think an appropriate subtitle for this book would be 101 horror movies many of which you have probably seen and many more still you have at least heard of. I'm glad that Ingmar Bergmann's Hour of the Wolf was included, but am disappointed that Brian De Palma's Sisters was not. I was expecially disappointed that Wes Craven's They was excluded. How about a film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa instead of the usual obvious J-horror picks. The book seemed to run out of steam after the 1980s. Still I got a few recommendations for my Netflix queue.
December 25, 2019
I think the editor may have confused horrible with horror. 101 Horrible Horror Movies... would make more sense. Why no 1951's (there's an odd chronological gap from 1943 to 1955) "The Thing"? But, instead, the inclusion of pretentious rubbish like "Vampyre" and "Hour of the Wolf", or sadistic pornographic feculence like "Cannibal Holocaust", is material for a horrible horror movie in itself... And isn't "Jaws" a thriller and not a horror movie?
August 13, 2020
This little coffee table book was a fun read. Easy book to pick up, and put down. There were a lot of great films mentioned in the book, but I feel like it lacked a lot of influence during portions.
The book was rather fantastic while discussing the early horror cinema, the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. With that said I felt that the 80’s should have been expanded.
With the 80’s being a very influential decade in horror films I felt that Schneider didn’t really capture very many rough gems. Even some big titles were left out, and sequels were nonexistent. In my opinion such entries in franchises like A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter should have been mentioned. Some great films such as The Fog, The Thing, Maniac, and many more were left out.
As far as the end of the era, or up to date, this book was awful. The 90’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s decades were severely neglected. In fact only one entry was made for the 2010’s I believe. Also, in my opinion there has been some great horror films to be released during these decades that were seemingly passed over. The latter decades seemed rushed, and not well thought out.
Overall, I give 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die three stars out of five stars. It was alright, but I could have gone without reading this book. In fact there are many online articles that have better recommendations than this book.
The book was rather fantastic while discussing the early horror cinema, the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. With that said I felt that the 80’s should have been expanded.
With the 80’s being a very influential decade in horror films I felt that Schneider didn’t really capture very many rough gems. Even some big titles were left out, and sequels were nonexistent. In my opinion such entries in franchises like A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter should have been mentioned. Some great films such as The Fog, The Thing, Maniac, and many more were left out.
As far as the end of the era, or up to date, this book was awful. The 90’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s decades were severely neglected. In fact only one entry was made for the 2010’s I believe. Also, in my opinion there has been some great horror films to be released during these decades that were seemingly passed over. The latter decades seemed rushed, and not well thought out.
Overall, I give 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die three stars out of five stars. It was alright, but I could have gone without reading this book. In fact there are many online articles that have better recommendations than this book.
October 24, 2022
The edition of this series I've most been looking forward to (probably because I've already seen 70 of the 101) and it didn't disappoint. It successfully picks out all the classics, it also picks out a few gems even a horror nerd like me had never heard of and successfully manages to summarise them all with some excellent insight and depth for 2 pages per film. A pocket treat this one, perfect timing for Halloween.
August 22, 2017
There is probably no one definitive horror movie list that all gorehounds and ghoulies should gravitate to (uh, at least not one that doesn't even mention The Babadook in passing anyway), but this is a hell of a place to start.
(I find it sad that I saw so many of these when I was 12-13 and forgot everything about them...)
(I find it sad that I saw so many of these when I was 12-13 and forgot everything about them...)
August 5, 2019
Delightful little reference book for all home libraries.
Read
February 4, 2025Took me about 5 years to complete this, but it was definitely worth it. This was such a Gen X ass list lol
June 17, 2012
As a gander at my most recently read list can attest, I'm on a horror bender of late. This book is a great resource if you are looking to separate the art from the crap (which is always a considerable challenge for fans of this genre, as anyone who has sat through Lost Souls, Legion, The Beast Must Die, Motel Hell or Blackenstein can attest. Yep, I've witnessed them all.) This is a good reference written with the film buff in mind: each entry includes the names of the cast, director and cinematographer and is accompanied by a brief but well-written article that provides a plot summary and some context. The selection is ordered chronologically. I was happy to find films as varied as Blacula, Haxan, Carnival of Souls, Ju-On: The Grudge and The Evil Dead 2. One caveat is this book has no compunction about dropping plot spoilers so be forewarned when reading entries about films you haven't seen yet.
Everyone has quibbles with this kind of list but I'm shocked-SHOCKED-the editors mentioned the original and didn't see fit to include John Carpenter's remake of The Thing, still one of the scariest movies I've ever seen with a brilliant bad ass performance by Kurt Russell.
Bonus: the cover picture of demon-infested Reagan McNeil freaked me right out every time I looked at it.
Everyone has quibbles with this kind of list but I'm shocked-SHOCKED-the editors mentioned the original and didn't see fit to include John Carpenter's remake of The Thing, still one of the scariest movies I've ever seen with a brilliant bad ass performance by Kurt Russell.
Bonus: the cover picture of demon-infested Reagan McNeil freaked me right out every time I looked at it.
December 21, 2014
If you love lists and love movies the 101 movies to see before you die is the series to turn to.
This one reviews 101 horror films between 1919 and 2007 in chronological order. What struck me was the wonderfully broad selection of films it really is an excellent introduction to horror - we have werewolves, vampires, Frankenstein, serial killers, demons, zombies, psychological horror, slashers, cannibals, Asian, witches, nightmares.
The reviews themselves are short but comprehensive though do include spoilers so watch the movie first!!! Also includes the film poster and a full page still for each film.
Through this book I've discovered quite a few gems as well as re-visiting old favourites, and now seriously bulked up my horror collection. It really is a very good overview of the genre.
Now on to their sci-fi list...
This one reviews 101 horror films between 1919 and 2007 in chronological order. What struck me was the wonderfully broad selection of films it really is an excellent introduction to horror - we have werewolves, vampires, Frankenstein, serial killers, demons, zombies, psychological horror, slashers, cannibals, Asian, witches, nightmares.
The reviews themselves are short but comprehensive though do include spoilers so watch the movie first!!! Also includes the film poster and a full page still for each film.
Through this book I've discovered quite a few gems as well as re-visiting old favourites, and now seriously bulked up my horror collection. It really is a very good overview of the genre.
Now on to their sci-fi list...
January 15, 2014
A small book that provides two pages of discussion and some production credits for each film, as well as a color photo of the poster and an image from the movie. Films are arranged chronologically.
The low rating comes from the fact that a lot of the chapters give away major plot points (such as the ending of NotLD and the major twist in High Tension). Since this book is a survey of films that one is supposed to see, it should be assumed that readers have not seen many of them. There's no excuse for that kind of sloppiness, and it caused me to only skim the chapters on the films I had not seen.
Major gripe aside, it's a well-written little book that won't take long to read and gave me some ideas for films to watch.
The low rating comes from the fact that a lot of the chapters give away major plot points (such as the ending of NotLD and the major twist in High Tension). Since this book is a survey of films that one is supposed to see, it should be assumed that readers have not seen many of them. There's no excuse for that kind of sloppiness, and it caused me to only skim the chapters on the films I had not seen.
Major gripe aside, it's a well-written little book that won't take long to read and gave me some ideas for films to watch.
May 26, 2013
As a true horror and cinema fan, reading 101 Horror Films You Must See Before You Die was a must. It's not so much a book you sit down and read as one you own as a guide to the some of the greatest films in cinema history. There are a few odd inclusions (Evil Dead 2, Blackula?) but overall it reads like a history of great horror films, covering the entire 20th century and just beyond. Every page has an eyecatching quote, poster artwork and a photo from each film.
I'm definitely interested in the 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die, and would without question recommend this as a guide to any horror or film fan - new or long time, old or young.
I'm definitely interested in the 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die, and would without question recommend this as a guide to any horror or film fan - new or long time, old or young.
February 6, 2024
It’s a good list. The writing is pretty clunky and doesn’t really flow all that well. Sometimes I would be confused about what the writer was talking about and have to reread the passage again.
Understandably they couldn’t talk about everything about every movie since the entries are so short.
One of my complaints is that quite a few of the films had their endings completely spoiled for anyone who hadn’t seen them. “The Vanishing”, “High Tension”, and “The Sixth Sense” especially (the last I can forgive since it’s so well known anyway).
Understandably they couldn’t talk about everything about every movie since the entries are so short.
One of my complaints is that quite a few of the films had their endings completely spoiled for anyone who hadn’t seen them. “The Vanishing”, “High Tension”, and “The Sixth Sense” especially (the last I can forgive since it’s so well known anyway).
March 16, 2009
Although this looked like a lame-ass coffee-table book that would spew the usual generic horror movie info, it was surprisingly fascinating to read through. It has a lot of interesting movies on the list that I'd never even heard of, and it actual offers up a bit of feminist/theory perspective on some of the movies--they actually mention Clover's Men, Women, and Chainsaws, for example. An interesting book to bump around in for sure.
October 26, 2017
An interesting read, I have found more than a few horror films to look-up. The editors appear to know their stuff, even though they were wrong as far as the plot and/or details of the movie go on several occasions, the one that comes to mind would be "The Orphanage". Worth a read, but not worth owning.
December 26, 2016
A cute little book of horror movies and their descriptions. I'm surprised that i actually saw 29 out of the 101. Some of the movies where classics that I had definitely heard of and most likely seen but couldn't remember. Definitely the older black and white classics. It was a satisfying mixture of U.S and foreign films on the list. So happy that I found this little gem.
April 7, 2015
This was a good solid list of films but I'm afraid I've seen all of them except a handful of the foreign films that made the list. Overall a well compiled book but I wish there'd been some more obscure titles that made the cut.
June 21, 2012
A very comprehensive list that includes classic horror movies from the 20s to today. A nice compilation that wisely avoids ranking them because of inevitable disagreements.
February 4, 2013
This was an excellent reference.. Added a few movies to my list of things to watch for sure
Read
January 8, 2014Lists a lot of great movies but also leaves out some that I personally would have put in.
April 18, 2020
This is a cool little book of horror movies with nice, glossy pictures. It's not a comprehensive list, as in it doesn't have a lot written about each film, just little tidbits.
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