THE FILMS

Below is a list of roughly one hundred fantasy/horror films tied together by their time and their excellence. All were released during the period 1950-1980, and all of them seem to me to be particularly interesting in one way or another; if I may say so without sounding like an Academy Awards presenter, all of them have contributed something of value to the genre. You will find my own personal favorites marked with an asterisk ( * ). Special thanks are due to Kirby McCauley, who provided invaluable help with the list.

TITLE DIRECTOR YEAR The Abominable Dr. Phibes Robert Fuest 1971

*Alien Ridley Scott 1979

Asylum Roy Ward Baker 1972

The Bad Seed Mervyn LeRoy 1956

The Birds Alfred Hitchcock 1963

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage Dario Argento 1969

*Black Sunday Mario Bava 1961

*The Brood David Cronentberg 1979

Burnt Offerings Dan Curtis 1976

Burn Witch Burn Sidney Hayers 1962

*The Cage Walter Graumann 1961

*Carrie Brian De Palma 1976

The Conqueror Worm Michael Reeves 1968

*Creature from the Black Lagoon Jack Arnold 1954

*The Creeping Unknown Val Guest 1955

*Curse of the Demon Jacques Tourneur 1957

The Day of the Triiffids Steve Sekely 1963

*Dawn of the Dead George A. Romero 1979

The Deadly Beer Freddie Francis 1967

Deep Red Dario Argento ?

*Deliverance John Boorman 1972

*dementia-13 Francis Coppola 1963

Diabolique Henri-Georges Clouzot1955

Doctor Terror's House of Horrors Freddie Francis 1965

Don't Look Now Nicholas Roeg 1973

*Duel Steven Spielberg 1971

*Enemy from Space Val Guest 1957

Eraserhead David Lynch 1978

*The Exorcist William Friedkin 1973

The Exterminating Angel Luis Bunuel 1963

Eye of the Cat David Lowell Rich 1969

The Fly Kurt Neumann 1958

*Frenzy Alfred Hitchcock 1972

The Fury Brian De Palma 1978

Gorgo Eugene Lourie 1961

*Halloween John Carpenter 1978

*The Haunting Robert Wise 1963

The H-Man Inoshiro Honda 1958

Horrors of the Black Museum Arthur Crabtree 1959

Hour of the Wolf Ingmar Bergman 1967

The House that Dripped Blood Peter Duffell 1970

Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte Robert Aldrich 1965

*I Bury the Living Albert Band 1958

The Incredible Shrinking Man Jack Arnold 1957

*Invasion of the Body Snatchers Don Siegel 1956

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Philip Kaufman 1978

I Saw What You Did William Castle 1965

*It Came from Outer Space Jack Arnold 1953

It! The Terror from Beyond Space Edward L. Cahn 1958

*Jaws Steven Spielberg 1975

The Killer Shrews Ken Curtis 1959

Last Summer Frank Perry 1969

*Let's Scare Jessica to Death John Hancock 1971

Macabre William Castle 1958

*Martin George A. Romero 1977

The Masque of the Red Death Roger Corman 1964

Night Must Fall Karel Reisz 1964

*The Night of the Hunter Charles Laughton 1955

*Night of the Living Dead George A. Romero 1968

Not of This Earth Roger Corman 1956

No Way to Treat a Lady Jack Smight 1968

Panic in the Year Zero Ray Milland 1962

*Picnic at Hanging Rock Peter Weir 1978

The Pit and the Pendulum Roger Corman 1961

*Psycho Alfred Hitchcock 1960

*Rabid David Cronenberg 1976

Race with the Devil Jack Starrett 1975

*Repulsion Roman Polanski 1965

*Rituals ? 1978

*Rosemary's Baby Roman Polanski 1968

Salem's Lot Tobe Hooper 1979

Seance on a Wet Afternoon Bryan Forties 1964

Seizure Oliver Stone 1975

*The Seventh Seal Ingmar Bergman 1956

*Sisters Brian De Palma 1973

*The Shining Stanley Kubrick 1980

The Shout Jerzy Skolimowski 1979

Someone's Watching Me John Carpenter 1978

The Stepford Wives Bryan Forties 1975

Strait-Jacket William Castle 1964

Suddenly Last Summer Joseph L. Mankiewicz 1960

*Suspiria Dario Argento 1977

*The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Tobe Hooper 1974

*Them ! Gordon Douglas 1954

They Came from Within David Cronenberg 1975

*The Thing Christian Nyby 1951

The Tomb of Ligeia Roger Corman 1965

Trilogy of Terror Dan Curtis 1975

Village of the Damned Wolf Rilla 1960

*Wait Until Dark Terence Young 1967

*What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Robert Aldrich 1961

When Michael Calls Philip Leacock 1971

The Wicker Man Robin Hardy 1973

Willard Daniel Mann 1971

*X-the Man with the X-Ray Eyes Roger Corman 1963

X the Unknown Leslie Norman 1956