28 Days Later (2002)

One of the heaviest hitters of any Horror film, ’28 Days Later’ is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror movie directed by Danny Boyle. Depicting the breakdown of society following the release of a highly contagious virus, it focuses upon the struggle of four survivors to cope with the destruction of the life they once knew and became a massive hit, credited with reinvigorating the zombie genre of horror fiction.

Watch ’28 Days Later’ On Streaming/ VOD

Deranged (2012)

‘Deranged‘ is an inventive 2012 South Korean science fiction / horror mystery film directed by Park Jung-woo. Former doctor Jae-hyuk tries to find a cure after his wife and children come down with a mysterious infection that causes people to spontaneously drown themselves. As the bodies pile up and chaos reigns, a conspiracy surrounding the cure marries the medical thriller and horror genres together for a supremely satisfying watch.

Watch ‘Deranged’ On VOD

The Crazies (2010)

The Crazies is a 2010 remake of the 1973 Horror film of the same name by George A. Romero, who also produced. The surprisingly good reboot lands in the fictional town of Ogden Marsh …the “friendliest place on Earth”…..whose town water supply is accidentally infected with the “Trixie” virus. After an incubation period of 48 hours, this virus gradually transforms the mental state of the infected into that of cold, calculating, depraved, bloodthirsty killers …and all hell gloriously breaks loose.

Watch ‘The Crazies’ on Streaming/VOD

REC (2007)

REC is a 2007 Spanish horror movie, co-written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, and the first in a 4 part series. One of the few great “found footage” flicks, REC sees TV host Angela and her cinematographer following fire services on a call to an apartment building for a normally mundane newscast. But once Spanish police seal off the building after an old woman is infected by a virus which gives her inhuman strength, things really get gruesome.

Watch ‘REC’ on VOD

Pontypool (2008)

Ultra low-budget 2008 Canadian horror movie ‘Pontypool’ is a strange one. Directed by Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo) and adapted from Tony Burgess’ novel Pontypool Changes Everything, it stars ‘Come to Daddy”s Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy, a DJ who barricades himself in the booth of a local radio station and tries to figure out a way to warn his now bloodthirsty listeners about a new deadly virus and its unlikely mode of transmission: the English language.

Watch ‘Pontypool’ on Streaming / VOD

Infection (2004)

A rare 2004 Japanese horror movie, ‘Infection‘ (Kansen) is directed by ‘Tales of the Unusual”s Masayuki Ochiai, where in a run-down hospital a doctor’s mistake unwittingly creates dark consequences for all. After being ignored for far too long, a patient with an unknown disease is being kept in isolation and though he is still alive, his body mass is liquefying into green goo. As the staff battle the secretive head surgeon to find the cause, things spiral into surreal madness and it’s everyone for themselves as the infection spreads.

Buy ‘Infection (Kansen)’ on DVD

The Omega Man (1971)

The Omega Man is possibly the funniest, funkiest Zombie / Horror movie ever and an absolutely awesome watch. Charlton Heston plays a doctor / scientist / soldier / baddest motherfucker left alive after a bio-engineered plague wipes out the world and must defend his home from a cult of murderous survivors known only as “the family”. One of the 70’s most classic b-movies and by far the best ‘I Am Legend’ adaptation of the three, it’s got it all: Guns, Gore, the awesome outfits of Rosalind Cash, Heston in a nazi costume (?!), some sweet 70s boobs and great cinematography of an abandoned Hollywood.

Watch ‘The Omega Man’ on VOD

Ebola Syndrome (1996)

The goofy, gruesome and totally over the top  ‘Ebola Syndrome’ is a bloody Category III sleazefest from Hong Kong director Herman Yau and has earned its considerable reputation among gorehounds and Asian horror cultists as among the most cringe-inducing films of its kind. A serial rapist and killer contracts Ebola on the run in Africa and after some mild cannibalism and necrophilia returns to Hong Kong to spread terror on a virus fuels killing spree in this anything but feel good feature packed with off-colour racism, needless brutality and bizarre acting.

Watch ‘Ebola Syndrome’ on YouTube

1.) Unfriended (2014)

Unfriended kicks off the “inside-the-computer” style of techno-horror when it unfolds over a teenager’s laptop screen (including Skype, YouTube, LiveLeak and other actual websites), where she and her friends are gruesomely dispatched in the group chat by an unknown entity who’s out for vengeance. Endlessly re-watchable exploitation film fun, Unfriended is hardly high-brow but delivers equal parts gore and guffaws as it’s Swiss-cheese plot careens from screen to screen.

2.) Evilspeak (1981)

in ‘Evilspeak‘ Iconic weirdo Clint Howard plays a tormented military-school nerd (apparently in his mid-thirties!) whose fascination with the occult leads him to feed an arcane tome into his personal computer, translating the writings into actual working spells he uses to exact sweet revenge against his cruel classmates and teachers. Before long, he is able to summon an army of snarling devil-pigs to do his evil bidding and everything goes to hell, literally. An incredibly early techno-horror flick, this one is essentially a gender-bent rip-off of Carrie, but the goofy 80s graphics, hair-metal motifs and a genuinely hilarious turn by Clint Horward make Evilspeak one of the better old-school killer computer movies.

3.) Brainscan (1994)

A pre-rehab Edward Furlong helms this amazingly 90s take on techno-horror where the evil half-goblin half-chicken (?) ‘Trickster’ emerges from the totally radical CD-ROM game ‘Brainscan‘ and forces players to commit mayhem and murder in the real world. Half ‘Lawnmower Man’ half ‘Nightmare on Elm Street” Brainscan holds a special place in our guilty pleasures, as the wildly dated graphics, music and ideas of what constitutes stalking make it a time capsule of grunge goodness.

4.) Demon Seed (1977)

In 70’s techno-horror classic ‘Demon Seed‘ a brilliant scientist’s marriage is strained by his devotion to his latest projection, the creation of an AI supercomputer (has this even been a good idea?). When this tension drives the scientist to move out, the computer, naturally, goes totally fucking nuts. It takes over the house, imprisoning and impregnating the scientist’s wife with a giant polygonal robot tentacle…penis, growing a monstrous mutant baby in the basement before it tries to take over the world. When it comes to ‘Demon Seed’, weird is an understatement.

5.) Pulse (Kairo) (2001)

A sinister spine-tingling techno-horror from Japan whose artistry lies in the power of suggestion rather than a barrage of blood and guts or digital special effects, 2001’s Pulse (Kairo) slipped under the radar in North America during it’s release before an unfortunate American remake buried the superior original in the wake of bigger hits like ‘The Ring’ and ‘The Grudge’. In the film, a website which at first appears to be merely a scary hoax with an irresistible marketing ploy, turns out to be run by a sinister and deadly force. As people repeatedly tap into the site’s frightening images of the dead, the supernatural force begins destroying their lives.

6.) Chopping Mall (1987)

One of our all time 80’s B-movie favourites, ‘Chopping Mall‘ sees group of teenagers (including the incomparable Barbara Crampton!) fighting for their lives overnight against renegade robots programmed to patrol a high-end shopping mall. Completely bonkers, ‘Chopping Mall’ puts everything great (and no so great) about the 80s in one high-energy, logic-free techno-horror blender for a side-splitting midnight movie.

7.) Ghost In The Machine (1993)

in 1993’s ‘Ghost In The Machine’, computer nerd / serial killer Karl is undergoing a CAT scan at the hospital when a surge of lightning courses through the building and Karl’s soul is transformed into electrical energy, freeing him to continue his killing spree by using the power of electricity itself. In this techno-horror rip-off of ‘Lawnmower Man’, Karl offs his victims in increasingly hilarious and unexplainable ways including a flame-throwing hair dryer and an unforgettable ‘final-destination’ style microwave murder all while deliciously dated “VR” graphics swirl across the screen.

8.) Virus (1999)

John Bruno, special effects supervisor on Terminator 2 tried to reinvent the haunted house sub-genre with a techno-horror twist in his directorial debut with 1999’s ‘VIRUS‘, much as Ridley Scott did in Alien, but sadly missed the mark. However ‘VIRUS’ still holds it’s own for sheer gross-out, practical effect insanity, as Jaime Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland and a Baldwin battle mutant robot-human hybrids infected with an alien computer virus on-board a sinking ship. It’s a lot to digest but well worth a weekend watch when you want to see gears, guts and gore galore.

1.) Street Trash (1987)

An absolute legend of goopy, gory and grin-inducing ‘Melt Movie’ madness, 1987’s Street Trash was James. M Muro’s only directorial credit (under J. Michael Muro) before he went on to work as a director photography and cinematographer for some of Hollywood’s biggest films (Crash, The Abyss, and countless others). In the film, NYC hobos begin melting into psychedelic goo after drinking 60 year old liquor, while the psychotic Vietnam vet who rules their junkyard begins killing at random. Packed full of technicolour splatter, ridiculous performances, gross out humour and some inventive, high-energy camera work, Street Trash remains an underground classic from a one time director that you’ve got to see to believe.

2.) Phase IV (1974)

Saul Bass might be the single most accomplished graphic designer in history, but many forget he was a one time director as well. Working in the mid 20th century, when the importance of graphic design was just on the upswing, Bass branded a staggering array of major corporations with his iconic, minimal designs as well as creating some of Hollywood’s most memorable title sequences for films like Psycho, Vertigo and even Goodfellas. But with all this accomplished, the strange, surreal monster movie Phase IV, remains Bass’ only directorial credit.

In Phase IV, Arizona ants overrule the food chain on their way to a desert lab, hoping to kill two scientists and a woman who discovered them in this ultra-rare, ultra-weird bug-out creature feature packed full of stunning microphotography. Upon its initial theatrical release, the film had mixed reviews which likely led Bass to hand up his hat and become a one time director, however in time it’s gained a cult following for it’s ecological-disaster messaged and surreal look and feel. Writer/director Panos Cosmatos has said Phase IV was a very significant influence on the look and feel of his science fiction film Beyond the Black Rainbow,

3.) Man Bites Dog (1992)

Rémy Belvaux, the Belgian actor-writer-producer and one time director, never made a follow-up to his 1992 début film. But since that first feature was Man Bites Dog, a black comedy that became an underground cult classic, his notoriety was guaranteed. For all the film’s brutality, it was clearly the work of someone with a mischievous attitude, and It was in the same spirit of mischief that Belvaux hurled a custard pie at Microsoft’s Bill Gates in Brussels, the 1998 incident leading to his arrest and making news worldwide.

In Man Bites Dog, the mockumentary follows activities of rampaging, indiscriminate serial killer Ben which are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team, who, eventually become his accomplices. The film generated controversy wherever it was shown: The director of the Tokyo Film Festival was fired for booking the film, which was then banned in Japan, It was screened in heavily edited versions in the US and Australia (though it did win awards at TIFF) and in France, the advertising standards authorities demanded the be altered from its blood splattered original. With all the furor you’d imagine Belvaux would ride the hype train to Hollywood, but it was not meant to be. Shortly after Belvaux effectively retreated from cinema, with the exception of the occasional low-key acting job, until moving into a role at French advertising agency Quad Productions where his commercials for the agency won him a number of awards before his death in 2006 from an advanced case of suicide.

4.) Angst

Werner Kniesek from Salzburg, Austria killed three people out of pure, psychotic lust in 1980, a case that rocked the country and became the basis one time director Gerald Kargl‘s only full-length feature “ANGST“. Having made experimental shorts in the 1970’s, Kargl became fascinated with the psychology of serial killers and the Kniesek case in particular, putting himself into nearly half a million euros in debt to make his feature film, which says ruined him for years to come. “ANGST was my first fulltime feature. After this – which I produced completely on my own – I was happy to direct a lot of commercials. Finally I was able to pay back all the money I lost.”, he said in a rare interview.

In ANGST, A killer is released from prison and breaks into a remote home to kill a woman, her handicapped son and her daughter. ANGST was exceptional at the time in Austrian cinema for two reasons: it is both a “true crime” semi-documentary (one of the only true-crime films made at the time), and a highly stylized ‘slasher film’ in the tone of the classic Italian ‘Giallo‘ tradition. With wild, inventive camerawork from cinematographer Zbigniew Rybczynsk, and eerie score from Tangerine Dream’s own Klaus Schulze, Angst remains one of the most brutal, and brutally effective, slashers of all time.

5.) Maximum Overdrive

With over 30 Films and TV Shows based on his books, it was inevitable that Horror legend Stephen King would take up the Director’s chair, and in 1986 he did just that, Directing and Writing his only feature film, the bizarre, hilarious “Moron Movie” (his words) entitled MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE. Based on his own short story “Trucks”, this comedic tale of cosmic horror sees a rogue comet bringing the world’s machines to malevolent life as it passes a bit too close to earth, leading the one and only Emelio Estevez to fight back for survival. The film was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Director for King and Worst Actor for Estevez in 1987,…but both lost against Prince for Under the Cherry Moon. Yikes! While the film was intentionally campy, it was a commercial disaster and King had no desire to go back behind the camera. In a 2002 interview with Tony Magistrale for the book Hollywood’s Stephen King, King stated that he was “coked out of my mind all through its production, and I really didn’t know what the fuck I was doing”.

6.) Death Bed

Death Bed: The Bed That Eats is a surreal 1977 Horror Film written, produced, and directed by one time director George Barry. A passion project of Barry, who grew up in the same neighbourhood as Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi, Death Bed sat unreleased for decades and was almost completely lost to history, while Raimi and company crafted The Evil Dead and became cult icons.

Following the film’s completion in 1977, Barry sought a theatrical release to recoup his $30,000 budget, but failed to find a willing distributor. Barry received an offer from an LA distributor to release the film on VHS in the UK and offered to pay Barry $1000 for a VHS release if he could supply them with a print of the film, complete with credits. Barry, unable to afford the $3,000 that credits would have cost to create, declined, and the print was sent back to him. Despite his knowledge, Portland, an obscure British label, released a pirated VHS of the film from this early print in the UK, without Barry’s knowledge, with the film eventually receiving further VHS releases in Australia, New Zealand and Spain. 

Despite its pirated VHS releases outside of the US and notoriety as one of “the worst movies ever made”, Barry (quietly operating a bookstore in his hometown for 40-odd years) remained unaware that the film had received any sort of release until 2001, when he discovered a forum post about the film by French film journalist Jean-Claude Michel on the website “Scarlet Street”, leading to interviews by journalist Daniel Craddock, who had written a review of the film, and, in turn, author Stephen Thrower, for his book Nightmare USA. As a result of this new found exposure, the film received its first two official releases, with a theatrical showing at the San Francisco Indiefest on February 15, 2003, and DVD release Cult Epics the same year, where Barry, after 26 years was finally able to complete the credits for his only film. 

1.) MISERY – (1990)

In ‘Misery‘, The iconic Kathy Bates steals Stephen King’s story of a famous author rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels. He comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.

2.) THE LAST HORROR FILM – (1981)

A New York taxi driver stalks a beautiful actress attending the Cannes Film Festival as a series of violent killings claim the lady’s friends, in “The Last Horror Film” this rare 1980’s b-movie from director david winters

3.) DER FAN (THE FAN) – (1982)

In 1982’s ‘Der Fan’ (The Fan) a young girl worships a german pop singer named ‘R’…who, after spurning her advances, becomes the target of her obsession in this rare, and totally mental, explotation gem.

4.) PLAY MISTY FOR ME – (1971)

In this classic 1971 proto-stalker thriller, The life of a disc jockey (Clint Eastwood) is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an over-the-top fan, played by, you guessed it, Arrested Development’s Jessica Walter putting on an unhinged masterclass of obsession.

5.) SWIMFAN – (2002)

Another Y2K teen stalker classic, ‘Swimfan’ (2002) follows A high school senior with a promising swimming career when his one-night stand causes deadly consequences. We’ll file this one under “guilty pleasures” next to FEAR and Final Destination.

Directed by M83’s Yann Gonzalez, the world of “Knife + Heart” bridges the saturated , hyper-sexual 1970’s exploitation era with the detached tones of 80’s new wave. An absolutely gorgeous film, cinematographer Simon Beaufils captures the world of the burgeoning 80’s queer Paris underground as well as the quiet nature of pastoral France, each shot part of an ever growing mystery that draws us into “Knife + Heart’s” tale of tragic love undone by a knife’s edge. A memorable, and necessarily tragic villain, our killer (played with an unhinged lunacy by Jonathan Genet) stalks the city leaving new clues for Anne to decipher with each of his inventive, and phallic, kills, which thankfully shield the film from an unbearable pretentiousness that seems poised to overtake the proceedings at any moment, but never does. But in its bones, this IS a slasher movie, and for fans of the genre it offers a “fine dining” experience unlike any other, with plenty of stylized violence and smirking humour to enjoy.  Itself on a razors edge between parody, homage, exploitation and vanity, “Knife + Heart” manages that delicate dance between lurid and ludicrous, being “believably unbelievable” at all times and above all else, entertaining for its entire run time. There’s gore, but it’s hardly grotesque, and there’s sex but little nudity, keeping things focused more on the mystery then the mayhem.  Complementing the visuals and performances, M83’s score one ups the baroque-synth legacy of Goblin, providing a fresh, but familiar soundtrack that only further enriches the carefully built world of Gonzalez’ mystery.

To dive into “Knife + Heart” you’ll need to suspend some disbelief: this is hardly a literal film. And while It’s not perfect (a little too much time is spent on the goofy “film within a film” moments and their adolescent humour, occasionally introducing tonal speed bumps that jar us from our trance) it succeeds more often than not, with rich visual impact and memorable characters, and most importantly leaves us wanting to see more of Yann Gonzalez directorial visions to come. Currently available on Shudder, check the trailer below for a taste of “Knife + Heart”

“Don’t Go in the House” came out at a time when the horror genre was under attack on grounds of it being misogynistic, and Ellison’s film, along with William Lustig’s “Maniac” made the same year, was called “lurid trash” and “sickening” amongst other things. TV guide gave it “zero stars” calling it a “worthless, repugnant film”. Some critics even went as far to suggest that both the audience and the creators of this film were sick, deranged people. Ellison himself recalled that when he went to a double feature of “Friday the 13th” and “Don’t Go in the House” in New York, the audience screamed and cheered for Jason…they were having a good time. However, when “Don’t Go in the House” was played the audience sat still, not moving. This experience soured Ellison on directing for nearly a decade, and he retired from filmmaking not long after a forgotten second feature some years later. However, Ellison’s strange, seedy little film lives on, having found a new audience in fans like Quintin Tarantino… and of course freaks like you and me.

Donnie (Dan Grimaldi), our main character, was abused emotionally and physically as a boy by his cruel, straight-out-of-Psycho mother, often holding his arms over a gas stove to “burn the evil out”. Due to these traumatic events Donnie’s turned out to be a real weirdo, skulking through life with no friends, a shitty job, and an unfortunate obsession with fire. After a one two punch of a workplace accident and his Mother’s sudden death, Donnie’s left with a “burning” hatred due to the cruelty she inflicted upon him. Strange Voices command him to be free…and to have his revenge. He keeps her death secret and builds a flameproof steel-panelled crematorium in one of the bedrooms, hangs a hook on the ceiling with chains hanging from it, buys a flamethrower and then it’s party time.

Part of what makes “Don’t Go in the House” worth watching it’s the sad, sleazy atmosphere that hangs over the whole thing. There is no cool anti-hero factor to Donnie, he’s actually so pathetic, uncharismatic and awkward that he only manages to pick up his victims out of blind luck. Director of Photography Oliver Wood washes the world of “Don’t Go in the House” is a pallid, blue lights, casting a cold atmosphere in the house and when we follow Donnie on the street, with his murderous pyrotechnics our only warmth. The score from composer Richard Einhorn (who also brought us scores for ‘The Prowler’ and ‘Blood Rage’) brings the eerie, late 70’s synth sounds we crave in our slasher cinema, and while not outstanding, is more than serviceable. However, the same sleazy, exploitation atmosphere often results in poor pacing, atrocious audio and some ham-fisted acting from a anonymous cast that drag this one back from being pretty great to merely pretty good.

“Don’t Go in the House” is definitely not for the casual horror fan, it’s a grim and nihilistic film from the end of the slasher / exploration era that offers a unique take on a very Norman Bates inspired character. However if you’re a genre fan who’s looking for something different, or you want to dive into the world of Video Nasties that you may have missed, this is well worth a watch. Check the trailer below and catch this one on Amazon Prime.