Top 10 Films of All-time

Top 10 Films of All-time

10. Spartacus -

While the director Stanley Kubrick (in defense of his pride) I'm sure would be willing to argue me tooth and nail on this one, Spartacus is without a doubt one of the most significant contributions to cinema of all time. In the age of the Great Epics, with the likes of Ben-Hur, El Cid and the Ten Commandments; Spartacus stands alone. While not to belittle any of the before mentioned, Spartacus achieved a depth and a greatness untouched by the others. It was a darker, more sophisticated glance at the cruelty of man and the triumph of the human spirit. I'm Spartacus!

9. Young Frankenstein -

Mel Brooks once said, "Tragedy is when you cut your finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." This movie will kill you! A spoof on the classic Boris Karloff horror, Mel Brooks gives us his very best with tremendous performances from Gene Wilder and the late and great Marty Feldman. This is not a film you can afford to miss. It is simply hilarious and what's more is it's funny every time you watch it.

8. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly -  

The crowning achievement to Sergio Leone's Man with No Name trilogy, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the greatest Western of all time-- oddly enough, for a genre that is by it's very nature American; it took an Italian filmmaker to reach that status. When asked what makes a good filmmaker, I will quickly tell you a great filmmaker is a filmmaker who never looses control. Tarantino once compared directing a movie to directing an orchestra, in that in order to be great, you must have the ability to make someone laugh, cry or piss their pants at the drop of a hat. Sergio Leone has complete and utter control from start to finish in this film. It's brilliant and certainly one of the greatest of all time.

7. Taxi Driver -

What was at first a small, simple film that wasn't expected to break any soil, push any limits or resonate with such overwhelmingly large audience, Taxi Driver has grown to become one of the best and most important films ever made. While Scorsese is one of the rarest of directors who seems to make an earth shattering contribution every decade (Raging Bull in the 80's, Goodfellas in the 90's, The Departed in the 00's) his 1976 Taxi Driver to this day, remains the golden child. The film is about the psychological breaking down of a man-- his fall into insanity. The film is coated with irony leaving us with a character study of a man who straddles a tightrope between mass murderer and brave hero. This is a film I can get lost in again and again.

6. Seven Samurai -

While I have a great love for foreign cinema, I admit to not being the most saturated source of information when it comes to movies made overseas. Perhaps that is evident in the American dominance of my list. Seven Samurai, however, has managed to transcend my ignorance and find itself on my list of greatest films of all time. This film is masterpiece! I am still amazed by how beautifully and craftily this 1954 film was done. It is the Samurai Epic of all Samurai Epics-- the story of seven men who choose to defend a poor defenseless village of farmers, at the cost of their own lives, all in the name of honor, duty and perhaps love. I love this film.

5. It's a Wonderful Life -

Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings. I was raised in a home where my father insisted that we watch what he considered to be the classics of all time. This was his favorite film and from as far back as I can remember, my Father made me watch this movie every Christmas and I hated every minute of it. One of the things that fascinate me with film is how work can at one point in our lives move us into new place and in other points in our lives have no influence whatsoever. I have gone from loathing this film, to crying at the end of it. This is Frank Capra at his best. In a nutshell, the film is really about what is important in life and what is not.

4. Fargo -

This is what happens when a couple of snooty film rats take years of cinematic brilliance and secrets of the trade, delve into the darkest of human emotions, weave a giant spider's web and try to make you laugh along the way. Fargo is greatest dark comedy ever. It flirts with so many different genres and yet remained detached enough from all of them, not really letting anyone or anything tie it down. The Coen Brothers will one day go down in history as the greatest duet of filmmakers to ever live and this is the proof that is in the pudding.  

3. Chinatown - 

When a film leaves you tossing and turning in bed all night, it is usually because it is really good or really, really bad. This one is the former. While I have previous described this film as the capstone that ended of era in a genre and the start of a new one, Chinatown has remained a important work in the world of film because it has taken the old, combined it with the new and proven to withstand the only true test of a film's worth: time. It is cleaver. It is witty. It is dark. Oh forget it, its Chinatown. 

2. Psycho -

While Hitchcock may have now reached a godhood that will forever cement him as one of if not THE GREATEST film directors to ever live, it was not so in the flesh. I doubt he ever felt that omnipotence while making a film and I'm certain he never received that hallowed praise he deserved even years after while still in this life. Perhaps that is why he never faltered. He remained hungry his entire life and struggled it to the very end, trying to surpass what turned out to be himself. Psycho is the greatest film he ever made and surely only one of six to mold the spirit of American cinema. Psycho not only did things that had never been done before, but left us with styles, techniques and sheer brilliance that has remained in modern cinema ever since. This is the greatest of the greatest. 

1. Pulp Fiction - 

How do you top the man who's been universally nominated as the greatest filmmaker of all time? With the greatest filmmaker alive today. Quentin Tarantino is the Hitchcock of our day. Unlike almost any other director, people watch Tarantino films because Tarantino makes them, not because Brad Pitt, Leo DiCaprio, John Travolta, or Jamie Fox is in it-- and that is extremely rare. Like Hitch, he consistently puts out solid gold and yet still fall short of all the critic's awards-- but enough about him. Pulp Fiction is the greatest film ever made. It is a movie for movie lovers. The script is perfect, the acting is spot on, but what I find most intriguing about this film is its ability to remained untouched. If you've seen the movie before, try and tell me what it's about. Can you? Hard, isn't it? There is really nothing like it. Nothing has even been made before or since to even compare it to. If you haven't seen it yet, forget going out tonight, pull it up on Netflix and strap yourself in-- you're in for one hell of a ride. 

Top 10 Romantic Movies that are NOT Chick-Flicks

When it comes to romantic films, it is unfortunate how many classics are blown off (most particularly by men) as chick-flicks. While it is not entirely socially acceptable for men in our society to express their more tender feelings, wrap up in a blanket with a box of Bonbons and watch the newest Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson Movie there are plenty of Romantic films out there that don't require the checking of a Man Card.

You might rename this list the top ten romantic movies for men, but I have found that all of the films here have really transcended either gender and are simply great films, that just happen to be incredibly romantic.

#10 - Before Sunrise

The first time I saw this film, I was expecting something completely different. The film takes place within the space of 24 hours and revolves around a couple who've just met each other and have decided to spend the whole rest of day together (before he has to go back to America). They fall in love, or at least as close to 'in love' as is humanely possibly possible. And the amazing thing is: we buy it. Like virtually all of Richard Linklater's films, Before Sunrise focuses on plain, ordinary people and their interactions with each other. There is no real plot in the film, but the movie is driven almost exclusively in the development of these two characters.

#9 - Annie Hall

Perhaps the best of Woody Allen's work, Annie Hall is wonderfully witty film about a couple that spend years trying to court each other. Love is not always peddles and chocolates and we see each splendidly imperfect detail throughout the course of this movie. The film has a pace and a style unique to Allen's work. The script is as brilliantly executed. If you've never seen a Woody Allen film, start with this one.

#8 - The Apartment

The only director to have two movies land on this list, Billy Wilder's The Apartment is one of a kind. Jack Lemmon is in top form as C.C. Baxter, an aspiring businessman who looks to gain favor with his fellow executives and rise in the ranks by lending out his apartment as a sleazy sex pad. Things complicate however, as he develops a romance of his own. Every time I see this film, I just wonder why romantic movies today can't be so beautifully simple now.

#7 - Pride and Prejudice

It's hard the screw up perhaps the greatest romantic novel of all time. Joe Wright, who I believe to be one of the most under appreciated visionaries of our day does a brilliant job of adapting this classic into only two hours. The acting is spot on (despite what you may or may not think about Keira Knightley). The cinematography is gorgeous! While most women are likely to tell you that BBC's six hour, Collin Firth special is the greatest of its kind, in terms of shear storytelling, Joe Wright's version is superior.

#6 - Silver Linings Playbook

Certainly my favorite romantic comedy of the last decade, Silver Linings Playbook is the story of two chemically imbalanced misfits who are both trying to put their lives back together. What makes this film so delightfully charming is its brutally honest, 'accept me for who I am' mentality. While mental illness has become an increasingly acknowledged problem in out society, Silver Linings manages to give it an honest portrayal and yet still remain hopefully optimistic.

#5 - I Married a Witch

This is one I was tempted to put on the Halloween list a few weeks ago, but decided that it really belongs here amongst the hopeless romantics. While not as wildly popular or recognized as the Arsenic and Old Lace's of this world, I Married a Witch is just as funny and infinitely less known. This is the original Bewitched and now the standard for romantic comedies today.

#4 - Groundhog Day

Some might argue that this one is neither fish nor fowl. I believe this to be the most morally significant film on the list. A man is essential given all eternity to figure out himself and then woo the woman of his dreams. The movie is really about him and the change in him, but is just as sweet and romantic as any on the list. Bill Murray gives us one of his most memorable performances in what I consider to be his most important film.

#3 - Some Like It Hot

Before Mrs. Doubtfire, Tootsie or those awful Wayne brothers and Eddie Murphy movies (I'm sorry, bad example) there was Some Like It Hot. A brilliantly witty story about a couple of men that are willing to do just about anything to get with a woman (and not be killed by the mafia). The film is hilarious and smart in a way that films just don't seem to reach these days.

#2 - It Happened One Night

Of all the achievements of Frank Capra, this one is the only one that won him a Best Picture. It may be incredibly old fashion (as most all of Frank Capra's films are) but It Happened One Night is truly a gem. A savvy and cutthroat journalist strikes gold when he happens to catch a bus with a runaway heiress. She's a spoiled brat and he's a hard hearted pessimist. I loved every minute of this film.  

#1 - When Harry Met Sally

Perhaps the greatest date movie of all time, When Harry Met Sally is what happens when the sexes decide to come together and talk about sex. Can Men and Women just be friends? I can't think of one thing I don't like about this movie. Meg Ryan is splendid. Billy Crystal is still Billy Crystal. And Rob Reiner brings us his golden child.

      

Top 10 Movies You Haven't Seen

I'm often asked by friends for recommendations on films they haven't seen. Usually, I'll start by pointing them towards lists that have already composed, like the ones from the American Film Institute.

But once they've exhausted those lists and come back to me looking for more, this is when I typically start pointing them in new directions.

These are films I would consider to be classic, but perhaps don't quite get the recognition they deserve. Some, are blockbuster failures-- some are the ugly little sister to a director's golden child.

(Remember, this list is relative and I generally write towards an audience of movie lovers who are only just now starting to expose themselves to classic cinema.)


1. I Confess-

When people talk Hitchcock, there are always the usual suspects that come up in the conversation. Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, Dial M, North by Northwest, to name only a few. He is after all the greatest Director to ever live and has an arsenal of classics attributed to his name.

Then there are the 'I've heard of it, but haven't seen it' movies he's made like Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much and The Lady Vanishes. And then there is I Confess. I Confess is the most underrated film of Hitchcock. It is a character driven plot that focuses on a priest who struggles with the decision of saving his own life or upholding his integrity as a man of God. The Parallels the film makes are wonderfully crafted and make for one of my favorite of all of Hitchcock.

2. Miller's Crossing-

While praised by audiences and critics alike, this 50's gangster film from the Coen brothers was a blockbuster flop that even now has struggled to find an audience. With the same kind of tangled up plots that we've come to love and almost expect from the Coens, this film is a beautifully complicated story that revolves around a wicked smart Irish American gangster who plays the field between two rival mob bosses. What makes his character so interesting is his inability to physically perform the act of killing, despite being deep involved with the act. This is actually one of my all time favorite gangster films.

3. Finding Forester-

A gem of a movie that revolves around a young African American kid from the Bronx with an opportunity to play basketball at a prestigious private college. When it is discovered he holds to a hidden talent of writing, he makes an unlikely friendship with a one hit, world renown author who has secluded himself from society for some forty years. This is a beautiful piece and a personal favorite of mine that went over looked upon its release and still remains somewhat of a diamond in the rough, though it is slowly starting to be appreciated now.

4. La Jetee/Twelve Monkeys-

When Twelve Monkeys was released with the the up and coming star Brad Pitt, audiences where extremely divided on how they felt about this film. This was yet another blockbuster failure that has slowly began to be appreciated now as people have began looking back at the earlier works of now major movie stars. The film is actually an adaptation of a short French film known as La Jetee, which was composed of nothing but still images-- BUT DO NOT LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU! La Jetee is a dark, wickedly smart film that deserves your attention. I suggest watching both.

5. The Blade-

Perhaps its unfair to put a foreign film on a list like this, considering the likelihood of a young, born again film purist's fairly recent exposure to the finest in the craft. But I'm putting it on the list anyway. The Blade is a Kung Fu movie. And a wonderful story straight out of one of the finest of Hong Kong's directors Hark Tsui. For those unfamiliar with the style and the sensibility of Eastern cinema, I think the Blade is an excellent place to start. It's a action packed tale, told with the typical over the top fighting and violence that we've come to expect from the genre. If violence upsets you, look elsewhere-- but this is currently my favorite Chinese film of all time.

6. Blow Out-

While I admit to not necessarily being the biggest Brian DePalma fan, I do recognize how loved and cherished some of his other works have been and feel the need to spotlight this not so cute, but still gorgeous middle sibling of a film is. Here, we have a great performance from the young John Travolta who, while working as a folly artist for cheap B reel movie house, records audio of a possible murder. As he puts the pieces together in a not so conventional means of incrimination, we get a great picture about a man who gets in a little too deep on conspiracies he shouldn't.

7. Kingpin-

I'm amazed how many people haven't seen this film. If you're too much of a snob to appreciate the stupid humor of the great Farley brothers, I think it's time you reached in the backside of your pants and pulled that long stick out of your butt. This movie is funny! I am a Farley brothers fan and this is one of their best. With some of the most hysterical performances from Bill Murry and Woody Herrelson, this is one you can't miss. Following the success of Dumb and Dumber, this is one of the few outrages comedies that warrant multiple viewings.

8. Insomnia-

This is another ugly middle child film on our list. This time it's the great Christopher Nolan. Oh, I'm sorry. Should I repeat that? Christopher Nolan made this film. What's that? You've already added it to your Netflix's insta-que. Good. Considering my audience, I think that that may be enough for me to get you to watch it. It's good movie.

9. Blue Ruin-

Being a thespian and a writer, I've naturally found myself drawn to films and books that have an innate capability to entice me with their dialog. I love watching movies with characters who know how to talk and have something interesting to say. This is not one of those movies. What does that tell you about the film? It's a damn good movie. It revolves around a homeless social misfit who seeks revenge for the death of his dad and finds himself trapped in a game of cat and mouse with a homicidal family of hicks. Oh, and he barely says a word through out the film.

10. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels-

This is a movie I've been trying to show my friends since I was eight years old. Some great movies lose their steam in the tumult of the next big thing. This film has become somewhat lost as audiences have forgotten just how funny Steve Martin really was. A couple of con men who wine and dine young, rich heiresses out of their fortunes become involved in a unique contest with each other to solve a dispute over territory. It's smart. It's funny. It's a forgotten classic.    

Top 10 Neo Noir Films of All Time

I once had a Anthropology professor pose an interesting question. She asked the class, "Does art reflect society or does a society reflect art." The more I've thought about this, the more I wonder if the chicken comes before the egg. The answer of course is both, but to varying degrees.

After World War II, American cinema went through a movement known as film noir ('noir' literally meaning black). It was most notably characterized by heavy contrast, shadow, violence and a grim, pessimistic view that cinema had not yet seen before. Men came home after engaging in the most horrific things imaginable and were expected to "fall back into society."

Here, I would argue that the art reflected the society more than the society reflected the art.  

Time, of course went on and a new generation of filmmakers came about who were deeply affected by the noir themes, styles and sensibility. These filmmakers sought to take the ideals of their predecessors and push them into a new age and in a new light. What is interesting to me is that these new films were far darker their 1940's and 50's muses. Why? It's simple. Death is an easy thing to talk about when you've never been asked to kill anyone.

Here, I would argue, that the society reflected the art.

Hence we have this very general movement (we might even get away with labeling it a genre) known as Neo Noir.


#10 - Old Boy

This is the only foreign film on our list. While Film Noir is almost strictly an American movement, Neo noir is not. This Korean film is as dark and as twisted as they come. A revenge flick that will take a stick and poke your head as much as it will poke your stomach. Beautifully crafted, this character driven film does a marvelous job of delving into a dark protagonist you can't help but sympathize and question at the same time.

#9 - The Dark Knight

While the realm of the comic book movie has been dominated by plastic, two demential cut outs, campy dialog, mind numbing explosions and a formulated plot as predictable as the sun-- the Dark Knight may be the one exception to the blockbuster extravaganza. What has made The Dark Knight so successful and ever other comic book film... well, not so much, is its attention to the villain. Despite the deceiving title, Batman is the not the real protagonist. The film lives and breathes through the psychologically tainted lens of the Joker-- the most brilliantly conceived villain of all time.

#8 - The Usual Suspects

What disturbs man about the dark is not the visual nature of darkness itself, but rather the conscious lack of knowledge of what may be lying there within. This delightful mystery/thriller thrives on its ability to leave its audience in the dark and unravel a heist gone terribly wrong. With a cast of crooks as straight as a corkscrew, The Usual Suspects an Agatha Christie book done right. With a limited budget, the film is forced to thrall us with its characters and deeply seeded plot.

#7 - Blood Simple

The Coen Brother's first contribution to the world of cinema is a bloody nightmare-- and you will love every minute of it. While most television and cinema is plagued with characters so trigger happy, you'd think seeing someone shot in America was an everyday thing, Blood Simple pauses to show how painfully hard and how long it takes to actually kill some one. Greed and lust pull these characters down into a hellhole in a beautifully simple, it's hard not to like this dark film.

#6 - Drive

The newest addition to this Neo Noir family almost paints itself into its own Neon Noir genre, comprised of nothing but the work of Nicolas Winding Refn. While it holds the same basic aesthetics needed to recognize it as a member of the Noir family-- violence, sex and gangsters, what makes this little number different is its aesthetically pleasing cinematography, slow and meticulous pacing and utmost trust Refn gives his actors to SHOW their internal conflicts, rather than just tell us. The film brings a new light to dark.

#5 - Memento

One of, if not the best Independent films ever made, Memento hijacks the classic vengeance for my dead wife story, kicks it into reverse (literally) and spits it back out into a thousand broken shambles. Leonard, a man with a sever case of short term memory lose, must employee any means necessary to put the pieces of his mind back together in order to kill the man who killed his wife. While most flaws of the classic noir's protagonist tend to be subtle and self inflicting-- this one so refreshingly blatant and sympathetic, it's hard not to love a character who's going to force to think throughout the duration of the film.

#4 - Blue Velvet

From the crazy, twisted mind of David Lynch, there are few films like Blue Velvet that have been able to seriously and successfully take Hitchcock's advice and "make the audience suffer as much as possible." In fact Lynch is so good at it, there's a good chance that you won't like this film at all, at least the first time you see it. Isabella Rossellini takes the femme fatal to a whole new level and Dennis Hopper gives us a deeply disturbing performance you are not likely to ever forget. You'll cringe from start to finish.

#3 - Se7en

Or the number of seconds it will take you to consider scheduling an appointment with a shrink, because for some reason you enjoyed watching this sadistically dark film. It's rare, that a film can play the religious extremist card without thoroughly annoying the atheist or pissing off the devote Christian. No film has done it as well as Se7en, since Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter. It's the classic detective duo, but unlike Sherlock and Watson, they never have any kind of control. All they can do is "pick up the pieces." This film is a must.

#2 - Blade Runner

One of the trailblazers of the Neo Noir movement, oddly enough it's all in space. It's visually spectacular, but still holds the face of a film that is distinctly noir. While somewhat unappreciated at the time of its release, it has grown significantly in terms of cultural significance and influence after it's video release and new Director's cut. It's kind of a Frankenstein plot, but with a twist. It questions reality and breaks all kinds of ground in the Science Fiction world-- but underneath all the replicants, the space ships and the distant planets, it is at heart a revamped tale of a dedicative B flick.

#1 - Chinatown

The significance of Chinatown is that it marked the definitive end of a movement and the start of another. This is the only film I've ever seen listed as both Film Noir and Neo Noir, though it most certainly belongs in the later. 1950's noir was built on the back of filmmakers who lacked both the money and resources to make flashy A films, and were thus forced to rely on script and cinematic experimentation to entice their crowds. In the end, it was to their advantage, as those less tangible things have proven time and time again to be the more lasting and significant. Chinatown is a beautifully written crime story, executed with exactness by the great Roman Polanski. It gave birth to what we now know and refer to as Neo Noir.    

Top 10 Halloween Films

A special marriage exists between American film and the tradition of Halloween. While the holiday's roots may have sprouted outside American soil, it's devilish sensibility has certainly found new ground in western cinema, flourishing into a horse of different color.

If the Pagans and gave birth to the holiday, the Americans raised it their attic and beat it into the freak it is now.

It started with the Monsters of the 30's, darkened after the war in the 50's, had a psychological break down in the 60's, threw up slashers in the 70's, woke up from a night terror in the 80's and has now evolved into a revolving conundrum of blood, guts, boobs and demonic possession.

The following is not a list of the scariest films, but rather 10 overarching films that have had a heavy hand shaping and defining the American tradition of Halloween. In short, they are the 10 must watch films of October.    


#10) Young Frankenstein-

Blucher! This Mel Brooks classic has had audiences rolling in laughter for decades. Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman are in top form as Brooks pokes fun at the biggest monster of the 30's. What better way to start off a list than to laugh at the trailblazers of the genre?


#9) Stanley Kubrick's The Shinning-

While King may have initially been irate about Kubrick's take on his most popular horror novel, Kubrick's take on King's terrifying genius may prove to be the most lasting. The imagery is compelling, the tone and pace are methodical, Nicholson fulfills a roll he was born to play and while there is little to make you jump in this film, the deeply disturbing unveiling of Jack's psyche leave you unsettled, to say the least.


#8) One of James Wan's Big 3 (SAW, Insidious, Dead Silence)-

                            


Call me a cheater for putting three different films into one, but if the passive observer is curious to know what has become of the genre today, look no further than the work of James Wan. The gore is excessive, the sex is toned back, the music/sfx dictate the tone and let us know when to jump-- but the ultimate success of the film can no longer depend on pushing the evolve. There must be a more deeply rooted theme or fear embedded into the piece-- and each film, in its respective sub genre, does. Saw is the updated slasher, Insidious the embodiment of the demon possession and Dead Silence is latest monster movie.    

#7) 28 Days Later

While Danny Boyle will try and tell you that the zombies in his movie are not actually zombies, let me just start off by telling you that they are, and he has do for zombies what George A Romero did for zombies in the 60's. The Zombie film has become somewhat of a rite of passage for aspiring filmmakers. They're easy to do, but hard to do well. Boyle takes a risk and shoots the whole picture digitally, giving the picture a very raw, gritty feel-- oh, and did I mention that the zombies can run?

#6) The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton's masterpiece has become more than just a cult classic among gothic trannys. It's a nostalgic melody of German expressionism and classic movie monsters. A rare flick that has the ability to capture the attention of children and adults alike. As a whole, this film does more to embody the spirit of Halloween than any other picture on the list (and probably in the world). It's hard to image how we ever experienced a Halloween without this little number.

#5) Alien

Arguably, Ridley Scott's best picture. With art direction from the late H.R. Giger, Alien transcends the genre in a way that has never been done before-- mixing classic sci-fi with true horror. It's been said that a movie is only scary until you see the monster. Not so here. Alien has as much to hide as it does to reveal and does so brilliantly. The movie is terrifying and will captivate you from beginning to end.            

#4) Night of the Living Dead

This film gave birth to a craze that has not died since the late 60's. If you're watching your TV right now and looking for someone to blame for the Walk Dead train wreck, this may be your culprit. But before you cast the first stone, judge the original for yourself. At it's time, it was dismissed as a cheap, trashy gore flick (which, in a way, it was) but after circulating cinemas around the country, it developed a cult following more contagious than the disease itself.

#3) Arsenic and Old Lace

For every decade or so of classic horror pieces, a film must come around to poke fun at  the very things that once terrified us. This popular Broadway play turned Capra-corn is one for the ages. Carry Grant gives us one of his most exhilarating and animated performances ever as he plays the nephew of a pair of aunts who lure in and poison strange men before burring them in their basement. In the careful hands of Frank Capra, Arsenic and Old Lace is a hilarious and cunning comedy, playing off of the theatrical themes of halloween and terror of its day-- and is just as relevant now as it was then.      
#2) The Sixth Sense

It is no secret that the products of this genre have rarely caught the attention of the intrinsically sophisticated. By it's very nature, horror tends to lend itself to the pools of cheap thrill and instant obsession as opposed to the "deeper" explorations of the human condition. Time seems to be the only thing that can save these poor, under appreciate works of art from the pompous snobbery of Tinsletown. However, on occasion, the powers that be will reach down from their majestic thrown to observe what the dog in the corner of the room has done with his bone. The Sixth Sense is only one of two to have been graced with such a nod. It is a ghost story as thrilling as they come, with purpose and a meaning rarely found amongst its peers.

#1) The Exorcist

The top spot on our list has been reserved for what is considered to be the most terrifying movie of all time. While not the first of its kind, The Exorcist lived on a plane of its own, bringing a presence into the theater that hadn't been there since Psycho. The Exorcist delivered a Demonic Possession unlike anything we'd ever seen before and paved the way of the modern horror, which to this day, has not been shaken. Never mind the crazy and supernatural stories that accompanied the making of this film, The Exorcist will terrify you on it's own, making it a must watch come Halloween.