*Spoiler Alert*
Nothing is scarier to me than silence. You never hear the doom coming. In No Country for Old Men, you see an unsuspecting Carson Wells walking into a hotel and going up the stairs. There is no movie score, there is only his footsteps. Up until this moment Carson Wells is the would-be savior. Coming in to clean up the mess of someone else. A job that he was good at. He was picked for the job because of this. He will save Llewelyn Moss. He will end the horrific reign of Anton Chigurh. Mr. Wells is walking up the stairs. The camera is always in front of you. As he climbs higher, Anton comes from the right and right into view. Only the footsteps are what Carson hears. It’s too late. It’s over. “Hello Carson” Anton looking pale and menacing. They both live(d) by a code. Finality is scary. That scene still gives me goosebumps. No Country for Old Men will not be on my list of my top Horror Films. It could be, but it is not a Horror film. That will be saved for Modern Westerns or Existentialism. Art is subjective.
Every film on this list has a great score. I have included certain theme songs and tracks within the body of the essay.
Honorable Mentions: X, The Exorcist, Hereditary, Return of the Living Dead, Us, Misery, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead 1 & 2, The Descent, Doctor Sleep, Night of the Living Dead and Final Destination.
I have rewatched all the films on this list. They are all exceptional. I will say my favorite rewatches were 28 days later, The Shining, Midsommer.
I tried to not spoil any of these first five films. But as a warning.
*Spoiler Alert*
In the Number 10 spot will be Cabin in the Woods.
“I thought there’d be stars.”
It was 2012 and movies were starting to change. Creativity and Originality were dying. We were at the precipice of comic book fever. We only had one Avengers film. We had 5 marvel movies. 5. We sit at 30. 30 marvel films. 30. All gripes aside, there have been some good ones. In the spring of 2012, Drew Godard directed and co-wrote Cabin in the woods with Joss Whedon. It centers around a group of college students, and you guessed it, they take off to a cabin in the woods. You see rituals in blood.
Best cold openings of a film I’ve seen. Bradley Whitford of west wing fame and Richard Jenkins of being a fictional bad dad fame, are in a break room. They are dressed in white shirts with black ties and black slacks. They are talking about liberating cabinets with a power drill. Walking and talking which Whitford is used to. Thank you, Aaron Sorkin. Then bam! Opening Credits in blood red. Cabin in the Woods. Introducing us the archetypal horror character tropes, the athlete, the whore, the fool, the scholar and the virgin. There will be two other films on this list that will have the archetypes. I love originality and for 2012 it was a revelation. It takes some humor and some of the stereotypes and makes it original. Also, Chris Hemsworth is in it. So no brainer.
One of the chances I wish Drew Goddard would have taken, would have been in his 2018 Bad Times at the El Royale film. I think he could have brought this and reworked the idea of the cabin in the woods.
In the Number 9 spot will be 28 Days Later.
“Infected with what?”
On my list of things not to do in my lifetime. Near the top, never wanting to wake up in a hospital naked and alone. Written by Alex Garland and directed by Danny Boyle, 28 days later is a zombie film that isn’t one. Rewatching it, it becomes clear that it’s not a zombie film. Jim played by Cillian Murphey, wakes up in a hospital 28 days after the initial outbreak. Weak, naked and alone. He gathers himself and investigates why London is empty. Jim finds out the hard way and must elude the infected. Trekking across London alone, he eventually meets Selena. Being forced to rely on each other, decisions need to be made. Where do we have the best chance of survival. The idea of being the last man on earth is horrifying. Realizing you’re not alone, with an enemy you do not understand, where would you turn? Very gritty filmmaking. Danny Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle would go on to win Best Picture and Best Cinematography for Slumdog Millionaire. While being completely different films, they are about survival. My two favorite things from this film are the musical score and the existentialism. This is also a contrasting point. The music is depressing. I am not sure which would be harder in this world. Knowing that it is never going to get better. Obviously, not in the way that we once were. Taking that optimism to believe that we are going to restart society. While having the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. The scariest part is thinking that we would be able to not make the same mistake twice. Our hubris will always be our biggest enemy.
There is a great follow up film called 28 weeks later, that establishes a certain future. There is also a great comic booking following events of this film. I highly recommend both. As with any good rewatch, you notice things with each different viewing. As of writing this, this has been my favorite rewatch. With us going through a pandemic, it’s a reminder that society, will not be okay. We are too selfish. But maybe that’s just the cynicism from this film talking.
The films score was composed by John Murphy. His instrumental below is called In the House, in a heartbeat. This will not be the most iconic piece of music on this list. It however is iconic.
I look forward to seeing Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s Film Oppenheimer. He is amazing in Sunshine, Batman Begins and in the recent A Quite Place 2.
As for Danny Boyle. Trainspotting, Slumdog, Sunshine and Steve Jobs. He takes great British actors and shares their talents with us.
In the Number 8 spot will be The Shining.
“ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY”
Iconic words from an iconic actor. Stephen King has gone on record to condemn the film and director Stanley Kubrick. Per Stephen King “That’s what’s wrong with [Stanley Kubrick’s] The Shining, basically…the movie has no heart; there’s no center to the picture. I wrote the book as a tragedy, and if it was a tragedy, it was because all the people loved each other. Here, it seems there’s no tragedy because there’s nothing to be lost.” Stephen King is a fantastic writer, I see his point and he might not be wrong. He did make maximum overdrive. Sniff, Sniff. I think maximum overdrive is rad. On the other hand, I have never written a book, nor a book as good as Stephen King writes. Following Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of Jack Torrance into the mouth of madness is fascinating. Shelley Duvall being driven mad by Kubrick is fascinating. It’s a tragedy. Jack Torrance is offered a job to be a hotel caretaker at the Overlook Hotel. He is having a difficult time writing and hopes that this will give him the inspiration he needs to right the track. In tow, his wife and son follow. The hotel itself is a mystery. Jack, Wendy and Danny uncover it.
The musical score builds the suspense. Each new scene the score gets more sinister. There is nothing but dread. With the film being 2 and half hours, it is a long watch. It is worth it. Seeing Jack Torrance climb into the mouth of madness is fascinating. The way that Jack Nicholson is enveloped by the darkness of the overlook hotel is amazing. You hear the ferocity in his voice, “I’m not going to hurt you, Wendy, Darling, Light of my life, I’m not gonna hurt ya. You didn’t let me finish my sentence.” The tickling strings grow during this four-minute scene. The exactness of the score, the way the camera centers Wendy and Jack, the edits back and forth. [1] Exceptional acting.
On a technical standpoint, Stanley Kubrick would be considered the best filmmaker of all time. Every movie he created has a unique point of view. While having a different focus on the framing of each film. His other great films are 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket. Each film takes different themes, and he delivers it with sheer precision. No shot is wasted. Every scene is beautiful.
In the Number 7 Spot will be The Thing.
“We’re not getting out of here alive. But neither is that thing.”
John Carpenter was making fantastic films for 10 years. From 1978 to 1988 he went on a tear, Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Christine, Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness and They Live. What an incredible run. You may be thinking to yourself, I haven’t seen a lot of those. Do yourself a favor and watch a few of them. Great times will be had. I’ve watched Prince of Darkness twice this year. A ton of fun. What you will also notice is that the great Kurt Russell was in three of these films. Escape from New York, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China. What a run.
The Thing will be categorized under Sci-Fi Horror, and it will be the only one on this list. Alien and The Fly could easily make it on the list. I do not think they have a bigger impact than the Thing. I’d be remised if I didn’t say Alien, is a great film.
The thing theme song is a collaboration with John Carpenter and Ennio Morricone. It is a departure from Morricone’s style, he previously did music for spaghetti westerns.
Every film so far has had mysterious openings. This one is no different. You are blinded by bright snow. You are in Antarctica, and you are in a helicopter. Two men are speaking Norwegian. They are chasing a dog and shooting at it. You are dropped in without having any clue to what is happening. Unless you speak Norwegian, and they keep saying the dogs the enemy. I don’t know. I don’t speak Norwegian. They land at the research base and continue to shoot at the dog. One of your coworkers gets shot and then the leader of the base, shoots the Norwegian. Full circle. The mystery continues, following the origin of their helicopter, in search of answers, you find that their base has been burnt down and they find a burnt corpse that is not fully human. Heading back to the base, the dog is put in the kennel. I do not want to give anything else away. Trust no one.
In the Number 6 Spot will be Midsommar.
“Think happy thoughts”
No one is safe from a bad break up. Rejection is a fact of life.
With a beautiful landscape and with angelic Scandinavian music playing. You’re transported to the horrific sound of a home phone ringing. You know something is wrong. Dani has been manically calling her sister and her parents. Florence Pugh plays Dani Ardor. Dani loses her family to murder/suicide. It is a graphic depiction of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. As I write this, I can see the image burnt into my mind. The colors, the tears, the lifeless hope, the dead eyes. It is all I can see. It’s all that she sees. Her boyfriend Christian played by Jack Reynor, is on the fence with breaking up with her. How could you break up with someone that suffered this type of tragedy? You can’t. However, you invite her to go on a sojourn to a midsummer festival in Sweden. I am finding it hard to want to give anything away in these films. Florence Pugh is amazing. She was snubbed from the 2020 academy awards. Ari Aster is an amazing filmmaker. Incredibly well written. If you do watch this film, I want you to look at how precise it is. There are hundreds of extras in the background. The continuity is beautiful. I also suggest watching it with subtitles. You can hear people talking the background. Studying at the Santa Fe film school, he wrote and directed his first studio film Hereditary. It should be on this list; it did not affect me like Midsommar did.
The music in this film is unique. While it is ominous, and anxiety driven. It is a combination of damnation and renewal. The score mirrors Dani’s journey. In her mind and the actions that are happening on screen you see that its her internal score. No matter whatever happens in her future, the score is her life.
The more I watch this my heart breaks for Dani. Each time, I empathize with her and what she goes through. The ending is open for interpretation and each time I watch it, my thought grows and changes.
This was my favorite rewatch. The society that they build upon the Scandinavian paganism is interesting. The lore, the toxicity of family and relationships. It reaffirms the new gen vs old gen ideology argument. How can we have progress if we can not start acknowledging that neither of us are right.
Art is subjective. This would be considered elevated horror. The more I watch it, it is not horror, it is life. This film is unlike all other films on this list.
Where to Watch
Midsommar – Showtime
The Thing – Peacock
The Shining – HBO Max
28 Days Later – HBO Max
Cabin In the Woods – Rental
[1] So far each of these movies have pivotal stair scenes. Just an observation. The end of cabin, Selena and Jim in 28 days and Jack and Wendy at this pivotal scene.
Lemonworld 
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