Killer's Moon (Directed by Alan Birkinshaw) 1978

'Killer's Moon' is a nasty little British horror film drenched in atmosphere and a seedy mix of Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange' and Cunningham's 'Friday the 13th.' It's set in the misty Lake District and concerns a bus load of rather scantily-clad schoolgirls who become lost in the wilderness after their coach breaks down. Due to the encroaching darkness the girls take shelter in a remote hotel but are completely unaware that four LSD-induced lunatics have escaped from an asylum and are heading their way with only murder in mind. What sounds like a rather goofy horror flick turns out to be a rather creepy episode that features some rather borderline quotes and despicable death/rape scenes involving the girls. The killers in question look as if they didn't make the final 'A Clockwork Orange' line-up, but are far worse than Kubrick's unholy gang, and they wreak havoc across the misty fens until they are captured, or in some cases killed themselves.

If like me you are a fan of cult Brit films such as 'Fright' and Sam Peckinpah's powerful 'Straw Dogs' then you'll find much to savour in this cult obscurity. Despite garnering quite a following 'Killer's Moon,' for all its atmosphere and chills has never gained the reputation it so deserves, but with countless films being made about people meeting unhinged maniacs in the woods, this low-budget movie is head and shoulders above most. At times this has the feel of a Hammer House of Horror episode but the high levels of nastiness will make sure you don't get the two confused.

The Burning (Directed by Tony Maylam) 1981

I have to admit that I first saw this horrible little slasher film when I was about seven years of age, quite literally the time of its release - complete with x-certificate. Those were the days when most horror films were pre-certificate, and the local video store would stock them in hideous bulgy sleeves, complete with graphic cover art. You just know when a film is worth watching due to the fact it ended up as part of the original 'video nasty' list back in the '80s. Sadly, most of the films that caused controversy back then were pretty poor - most of them banned due to the occasional nasty scene, although for the most part a great deal of the films in question were badly made. 'The Burning' however was different, but only in the sense that it created a degree of suspense although in reality was nothing more than a 'Friday the 13th' styled slasher flick. 'The Burning', despite its simplicity, is one of my favourite horror films, more so due to the fact it scared me as a kid and I found some of the murder scenes rather graphic.

The plot is simple - it's 1976 at Camp Blackfoot and a group of teenagers play a prank on the campus caretaker Cropsy. The youths put a rotten skull, complete with maggots and candles in his room and when he wakes at night, such is his horror at the sight that he knocks it over, causing a terrible fire which almost burns him alive. Fast forward half-a-decade and Cropsy wants revenge on anyone who dares set foot at Camp Blackfoot and so, as usual, we are introduced to another bunch of sex-starved teenagers who one by one are hacked, slashed, cut and ripped by the charred hands of a now cloaked, and rather sinister looking Cropsy.

Effect-wise 'The Burning' is a great horror flick with the killings being wonderfully prepared by gore master Tom Savini. Cropsy, whilst lacking the franchise appeal of Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger, turns out to be a far deadlier yet more realistic fiend - armed with shears and also a black hat. 'The Burning' boasts several scenes of note that have stuck with me forever, and right to its fiery climax this is one clever and atmospheric slasher flick you won't want to miss.

Friday the 13th (Directed by Sean S. Cunningham) 1980

'Friday the 13th' is like one of those old '80s heavy metal albums I own. It's not exactly great but there's something so dark and creaky about it that every time you slap it on it's like visiting an old friend. The first of many (sadly), the first instalment of this long-running saga of slasher films is most certainly the best. It's the sort of film that would spawn a thousand imitators, and most of these were pretty poor, and it's one of only a handful of films to create a legendary movie monster - Jason Voorhess. However, in the first movie of the franchise Jason Voorhees (in fact the hockey-mask wearing maniac doesn't emerge fully masked until the third flick) is nowhere to be seen as we follow our bunch of main teenage actors to Camp Crystal Lake - a seemingly cursed area known for its history of murders and tragedy. Of course, the woods are all too tempting for a bunch of young lovers who only have sex, drugs and more sex on their minds. Of course, like in all good (and bad) slasher flicks, those who loiter in the camp quarters and surrounding woods are bumped off by a mysterious and unseen killer leading us to a rather chilling climax...which I won't give away here in case you haven't seen it!

'Friday the 13th' works for most of the time, and it's great to see young burgeoning actors such as Kevin Bacon appearing...and then getting slaughtered! Much of the 'Friday the 13th' franchise has a cult following but it's only this movie, and parts of the sequel which deserve any sort of attention from horror fans. The simple effects - in the gore and music department - are impressive, the acting better than average, and whilst the plot now seems stagnant and cliché, this movie was certainly slightly ahead of its time and has not dated too much considering the amount of other slasher flicks that followed in its wake. It IS a shame that 'Friday the 13th' has become such a joke, but if you want to watch a real slasher film then I'd suggest you grab yourself a copy of the original.

Basket Case (Directed by Frank Henenlotter) 1982

Some horror films are just strange. 'Basket Case' is one of those sordid and downright seedy splatter flicks that I just had to include in my Top 100. There's nothing classy about 'Basket Case,' it's b-movie bubble-gum horror straight from the gutter - the sort of film littered with so many flaws and inept effects and yet time and time again it's weirdness prevails. It tells the story of a chap named Duane who, as people tend to do, likes to carry his mutant Siamese brother around with him in a wicker basket case. Of course, Duane's monstrosity of a sibling is a tad murderous and so, after their reluctant separation at birth - the duo go on the rampage, seeking revenge on those that tried to keep them apart. Of course, the murders are pretty grisly, but it's the sight of Duane's brother that leaves little to the imagination as the pink blob emerges from the case to wreak havoc on the community. The use of stop-motion animation works at times, but those who constructed this vile piece of trash clearly had no intention of winning any Oscars, and so for the most part 'Basket Case' is classic drive-in '80s horror that sits nicely alongside Abel Ferrara's dirty 'The Driller Killer' and Henelotter's other oddity 'Brain Damage'. Thrown in a few hookers, drug dealers and downtown sleaze and 'Basket Case' is nigh on the modern equivalent of David Lynch's bizarre 'Eraserhead,' only less serious and with lashings of gore.

Just imagine the displeasure of the hideous half-formed brother when Duane begins to fall for a local nurse and that's when 'Basket Case' takes an even filthier turn for the worse. So, 'Basket Case' is an acquired taste, one part comic oddness, the other grimy splatter-flick, but either way it's essential horror for those who don't take the genre too serious.

Whistle And I'll Come To You (Directed by Jonathan Miller) 1968

Okay, so some of you horror movie buffs might snort that this is not a film - and you'd be right, this was a short adapted and directed by Jonathan Miller from the works of classic ghost story writer M.R. James. The original story was first published in 1904, but this adaption for the BBC was first broadcast as part of 'Omnibus', and like so many of these type of shorts, it has stood the test of time, and remains far more chilling and atmospheric than a majority of horror/supernatural movies that have been made. I had no hesitation in including 'Whistle...' in my Top 100 because as a short, black and white film it inspires such as dread and tells the story of an academic chap, a Professor Parkin (played brilliantly in bumbling fashion by Michael Horden) who, whilst on a visit to the English coast, stumbles upon an old type of whistle partly submerged in the sand. When Parkin returns to his hotel he cleans the whistle up and gives it a blow, not realising of course that somewhere, out in the wilderness of the mind, he has evoked some type of spectre that decides to come looking for him - cue several eerie scenes of Parkin being pursued along the windswept beech by an unnerving wraith.

From then on Parkin is plagued by the ghoul, especially at night as he attempts to rest, only to hear the sound of the adjacent bed, in his room, being disturbed as if someone else is sleeping in it. Due to being academically minded Parkin is keen to scoff at such an entity until again he is pursued along the beech. So tormented is he by his nightmares that he believes that surely he must be dreaming only to have a disturbing experience when some type of phantom accosts him in his room. The night terror is only relieved from him when another hotel guest barges into his room wondering what the commotion is.

'Whistle...' is without doubt one of the best ghost stories ever to be adapted, and its slow pace and the wonderful yet oaken presence of Horden gives it an antiquarian charm. The horror, just as in James' original, is fleeting, a menace out of the corner of the eye that eventually leaves us asking whether it existed in the first place outside of Professor Parkin's busy mind. For me, this is a true ghost story that oozes atmosphere, and proof that those set in the past are far more atmospheric than any of today's garbage. People expecting a bump in the night fest' will be sorely disappointed, but those in the know will find this to be extremely chilling in its suggestion.

Parents (Directed by Bob Balaban) 1989

'Parents' is probably one of the weirdest and quirkiest horror films I've ever seen, and despite being a relative flop upon its release it's the sort of movie that just reeks of cult. The flick is set in the 1950s, and concerns the Laemle family - mum, dad and their rather pale looking son Michael. However, Michael is pale for a reason, because he's always having bizarre nightmares, in turn lack of sleep and strange behaviour at school, but after we literally 'meet the parents' we're firmly on poor Michael's side. It seems that dad (played by Randy Quaid) and mum (Mary Beth Hurt) are spending dinner-time eating some rather juicy yet unappealing meat which, as it so happens, seems to be left overs that dad is bringing home from the local chemical plant - in other words, fresh human meat - the sort that Michael isn't too keen on chomping into. Of course, no-one originally believes Michael's claims, and it's no wonder the poor kid lives in terror of his creepy father - but with that quirky soundtrack, and vintage wallpaper, this is the sort of 'almost' happy movie that leaves a lot to the imagination. It's no wonder fans of David Lynch ('Twin Peaks,' 'Eraserhead' et al) lapped this flick up, because it's the sort of sit-com mockery that could draw in a few people and then leave their jaws hanging loose after it has sprayed them with blood and creeped them out with its surreal imagery.

'Parents' is a brilliant little shocker that's well acted and despite not brimming with blood, the atmosphere alone is enough to have you at once giggling, and then the next gagging. Like all minor horror classics, 'Parents' only runs for about 80 minutes, yet it does enough on the tin to leave you wondering just what your own parents used to cook you when you were young! In a sense 'Parents' is very late '80s in its design and yet equally authentic in its 1950s feel. It's the sort of movie that not many would have included in their Top 100, but for me it's essential viewing and a real stand out experience from a time when horror was dying on its feet.

The Woman In Black (Directed by Herbert Wise) 1989

I've always been of the opinion that a good horror movie should not always necessarily rely on blood, gore and effects to make it a success. 'The Woman In Black' most certainly wasn't a success regards to ratings, in fact it was only shown on television once - back in 1989, on Christmas Eve I believe, and although it is loosely based on the chilling book by Susan Hill, it has been much ignored over the years - especially with the recent, and very awful movie starring Daniel Radcliffe. Whilst the book, and the eerie stage play are very much separate entities and highly recommended, this made for television film is proof that some films work with the power of suggestion.

'The Woman In Black' is an extremely atmospheric ghost story set in the seaside town of Crythin - and a young solicitor is sent to an old, creaky house by his company in order to clear up the estate left by an old widow. The solicitor finds the town and its locals very strange due to their reluctance to discuss the deceased, and they become even more unsettled when the solicitor begins to have several strange experiences, including the sighting of a gaunt woman dressed in black attire.

This film has all the elements of a classic spine-tingler, with the remote location, the creepy house, the ghastly apparition and the bumbling, yet clearly frightened locals, and whilst the scares are not necessarily in your face, the image of the pale spectre in broad daylight is quite unnerving along with those phantom noises on the dreary marsh. The plot does differ slightly from the book, and reaches a chilling climax, but throughout the film there are several eerie and atmospheric scenes which live long in the memory. As you'd expect from a British movie the acting is sturdy, and the film does not give way to Hollywood gimmicks of a daft soundtrack, exaggerated acting and lashings of blood - instead, just like the book and the theatrical version, the 1989 adaption is perfect fodder for ghost story hunters keen to experience flickering candles, fleeting shadows and creaks on the stair.

Although 'The Woman In Black' does lack the panache of some of the BBC M.R. James adaptations, it's still effective in all the right places, and despite the fact that atrocious movies such as 'Paranormal Activity' seem to be taking over the cinema, 'The Woman In Black' symbolises all that is right with the classic British ghost story and it's no surprise, considering that it was written by Nigel Kneale, the man behind such gems as 'Quatermass' and 'Beasts'.