5. Dawn of the Dead 1978
I was 14 when i first watched this movie. Channel 4, around about the same time the 2004 remake was released. At the time I had a 7″ portable TV and was hidden under the protection of my A-Team duvet. OMG this was a bleak movie. I’ve seen zombie movies before. I’ve definitely seen my fair share of horror movies, but non as morbid as this. To a 14 year old boy, this was terrifying. There was no hope, no rescue, there was nowhere to go. Without spoiling too much, this movie broke my heart multiple times.
4. Night of the Living Dead 1990
Where Dawn of the dead made me fear the urban reality of zombies, it was Night of the Living Dead that was my first exposure to the flesh eating creatures. Friday night, Sky One, right after my weekly episodes of Buffy and Angel, I watched in horror as they came for Barbara. What is now an iconic predicament, a small group of strangers take refuge in a farm house where they take their last stand as the living dead attempt to devour their flesh.
3. Insidious: Chapter 1 & 2 2010 / 2013
I couldn’t sleep for months. Terrifying demons that come for your soul while you sleep. I was in a strange situation at the time, my mental health wasn’t in a good place and I was sleeping for unnaturally long hours. Having heard positive reviews, I decided to check out Insidious Chapter 1 and the much scarier, Chapter 2. For weeks I slept with the lights on, I use to wake up at odd hours in cold sweats, afraid to open my eyes. It’s a curious case of asking a depressed person to use their positive willpower to defeat demonic parasites that are consuming their life.
2. Evil Dead 2013
While evil dead 2 improved on the 1980’s original, it was the 2012 remake that really shocked me. With gruesome action and cringing moments where you had to look away, Evil Dead 2012 was the perfect modern remake of the classic horror tail. I’d like to give an honourable mention to Army of Darkness, with the following clip from High Fidelity that strongly echo my feelings.