Jeff Burk's Blog
September 8, 2020
100 Essential Horror Movies
I hope the slow moving apocalypse that has been 2020 is treating you all well. This year has been a lot of stress and live changes for myself. To give myself an occasionally respite from it all I turn to, as always, horror movies. At some point it popped into my head to attempt a fun little intellectual exercise of creating a list of what I would deem the one hundred essential horror films.
The goal was to create a list of one hundred titles that summed up the entire horror genre – all the major titles that broke ground, the gems that created or summed up subgenres, and titles that may not necessarily be “horror” but still made a major influence on the genre.
This is not the list of my one hundred favorite horror movies nor is this a list of what I believe to be the one hundred best horror movies. There are films here that I actively dislike but my personal opinions of them means nothing to how influential they were on the genre.
I thought about these choices for probably way too long. But, after lots of deliberation, I’m pretty pleased with this list of titles I have compiled. You can see the genre morph and develop over the past century as new artistic movements in the genre come up and what scares us as a society changes. I attempted to include at least film from every subgenre and movement within the genre that I could think of.
This is not the best of the best that horror has to offer but, if you watch every single one of these movies, you will have a broad understanding of the genre as a whole and how it has changed.
Agree or disagree with my choices? Did I overlook some super important titles that you feel should be included? Did I include something you feel has no place being on a list like this? Let me know in the comments.
1920 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1922 – Nosferatu
1929 – Un Chien Andalou
1932 – Freaks
1932 – White Zombie
1933 – King Kong
1935 – The Bride of Frankenstein
1941 – The Wolfman
1942 – Cat People
1944 – The Uninvited
1948 – Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
1954 – The Creature from the Black Lagoon
1954 – Godzilla
1954 – Them!
1956 – The Bad Seed
1958 – Horror of Dracula
1958 – The Blob
1959 – The House on Haunted Hill
1959 – Plan 9 from Outer Space
1960 – Psycho
1960 – Eyes Without a Face
1960 – Village of the Damned
1962 – Carnival of Souls
1963 – Blood Feast
1963 – The Haunting
1963 – The Birds
1964 – Kwaidan
1964 – The Masque of Red Death
1968 – Rosemary’s Baby
1968 – Night of the Living Dead
1973 – The Exorcist
1973 – The Wicker Man
1974 – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1974 – Black Christmas
1975 – Jaws
1975 – Deep Red
1975 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1976 – Carrie
1977 – Suspiria
1977 – Eraserhead
1978 – Halloween
1978 – Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1978 – Dawn of the Dead
1978 – I Spit on Your Grave
1979 – Alien
1979 – Phantasm
1979 – The Amityville Horror
1980 – The Shining
1980 – Cannibal Holocaust
1981 – The Evil Dead
1981 – The Beyond
1981 – An American Werewolf in London
1982 – The Thing
1982 – Poltergeist
1982 – Creepshow
1983 – Videodrome
1984 – Nightmare on Elm Street
1984 – The Toxic Avenger
1984 – Ghostbusters
1984 – Friday the 13th Part 4
1984 – Gremlins
1984 – In the Company of Wolves
1985 – Re-Animator
1985 – Return of the Living Dead
1987 – Hellraiser
1987 – Predator
1988 – The Vanishing
1989 – Tetsuo: the Iron Man
1990 – Jacob’s Ladder
1990 – Tremors
1991 – The Silence of the Lambs
1992 – Man Bites Dog
1992 – Candyman
1994 – Cemetery Man
1995 – Tales from the Hood
1996 – Scream
1997 – Event Horizon
1997 – Cube
1998 – Ringu
1999 – The Blair Witch Project
1999 – Audition
1999 – The Sixth Sense
2000 – Final Destination
2000 – Battle Royale
2002 – 28 Days Later
2004 – Saw
2005 – Hostel
2005 – The Devil’s Rejects
2007 – Paranormal Activity
2007 – [REC]
2008 – Martyrs
2009 – The Human Centipede
2011 – The Cabin in the Woods
2013 – The Conjuring
2013 – The Purge
2014 – Unfriended
2015 – The Witch
2016 – Train to Busan
2017 – Get Out
2018 – Hereditary
May 28, 2019
Horror and Bizarro Books and Rarities For Sale
I need to free up some space and make some money so I’m having a book sale! If you are interested in any of the titles or have questions – contact me at riotmelody at gmail dot com
US only (sorry!) and all prices include shipping.
HARDBACKS
J.F. Gonzalez and Wrath James White – The Killings – Signed by both authors – Sinister Grin hardback edition number 140 of 150 – dust jacket shows some wear – $60.00
Edward Lee – Header 2 – Camelot hardback edition limited to 400 copies – signed and numbered “PC” – in near mint condition – $30.00
Monica O’Rourke – What Happens in the Darkness – Sinister Grin hardback – dust jacket shows minor wear – $30.00
Cameron Pierce and Jim Agpalza – Fantastic Earth Destroyer – Signed Sinister Grin hardback – in near mint condition – $40.00
Shane McKenzie – Drawn and Quartered – Signed “hard rain” hardback edition limited to 99 copies from Thunderstorm Books – in near mint condition – $50.00
Wrath James White – Prey Drive – Sinister Grin hardback – in near mint condition – $30.00
PAPERBACKS
Adam Cesare – Tribesmen (OOP) – Deadite Press – In near mint condition – $25.00
Jeff Burk – Shatnerquake German edition (OOP) – Voodoo Press – in near mint condition – $20.00
Jase Daniels – The Grubby End (OOP) – Crossing Chaos – book shows shelf wear and is in very good condition – $30.00
Nate Southard – Lights Out (OOP) – Deadite Press – in near mint condition – $25.00
Nate Southard – Red Sky (OOP) – Deadite Press – in near mint condition – $25.00
Sam W. Aderson, Shane McKenzie, and Erik Williams – Escape from Shit Town (OOP) – Deadite Press – in near mint condition – $40.00
CHAPBOOKS
Ash Lomen – Swallowed by the Horizon – Bucket ‘O’ Guts Press – $10.00
Cody Goodfellow and Mike Dubish – The Electric Eye – Perilous Press – $10.00
David Kopaska-Merkel – Results of a Preliminary Investigation of Electrochemical Properties of Some Organic Matrices – Eraserhead Press – $10.00
David W. Barbee – The Wrestlorcist – Self-released – $10.00
G. Arthur Brown – Chapbook 2014 (short stories) – Self-released – Spin has some stains – $5.00
G. Arthur Brown – We Tape the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and other tales of media terror – the Straight Edge – $5.00
Garrett Cook – Coming Down in Three Part Harmony – Dunhams Manor Press – Cover has minor crease in the top corner – $10.00
Garrett Cook – handmade, college poetry construction paper collection – signed by Garrett Cook – $15.00
John Wayne Comunale – John Wayne is Dead issues 1 and 3 – Self-released – $5.00 for both
Patrick Wensink & MacKenzie Haley – Sex Dungeon for Sale: the Coloring Book – Self-released – $5.00
Scott Cole – Two More Short Stories – self-released mini-chapbook – $5.00
Splatterpunk Zine #1 – OOP – Featuring Jeff Strand, Tim Curran, Jack Bantry, WD Gagliani & Dave Benton – First Printing – Spine has minor creases – $25.00
Splatterpunk Zine #2 – OOP – Featuring Barry Hoffman, Jeff Strand, Ronald Malfi, and Shane McKenzie – $10.00
Splatterpunk Zine #3 – OOP – Featuring J.F. Gonzalez, Ryan C. Thomas, Robert Ford, and Nathan Robinson & Jack Bantry – $20.00
Splatterpunk Zine #7 – OOP – Featuring Jeff Strand, Adam Cesare, Kristopher Rufty, and Garrett Cook – $10.00
Sydney Leigh – Baby’s Breath – Villipede Publications signed and numbered #34 – $10.00
Ramsey Campbell, Bentley Little, and Ray Garton – Cut Corners Vol. 1 – Sinister Grin – $10.00
Really want something but don’t like the price I’m asking? Send me a message, maybe we can work something out.
May 24, 2019
New Releases from Deadite Press
In the past few months, the final batch of books I selected for publication at Deadite Press have been starting to come out. Right now you can read:
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“This is a serial cannibalistic killer’s wet dream come true. The author Wrath James White had written something beyond dark, beyond morbid.”
– John Rizo, HorrorNews.Net
“The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White the kind of novel that can unsettle even the most hardened gore fanatic. White writes the kind of horror that gets under your skin, and reading his brand of hardcore fiction may have the unintended side effect of making you feel…wrong. Seriously wrong.”
– I.E. Lester, Dark Scribe Magazine
Fifteen years ago Joseph Miles was abducted, tortured and almost killed by a serial killer with the taste for blood, but Joseph got away. He is the only survivor. Now Joseph has a problem – he is convinced that his torturer passed a virus on to him. A sickness that will turn him into a serial killer. Joseph must find a cure before the woman he loves – the woman who is currently chained to his bed – becomes his next victim.
Click here to get the paperback
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“Lakehouse Infernal is the coolest, ball-bustingest, most outrageous, and most ENTERTAINING horror novel you’re likely to find in a long time.”
– Edward Lee author of CITY INFERNAL
Lake Misquamicus was an unremarkable lake in Florida, unremarkable that is until suddenly it was filled with six billion gallons of blood, bile, pus, piss, shit and …things… directly from the pits of Hell. First, the public was in shock, then the government built a wall, and as time passed it became another urban legend. But for some, it has become a travel destination. Spring-breakers, drug-runners, and religious nuts. But a weekend getaway on the shores of Hell, may not be the safest idea…
With an introduction by an officially endorsed by splatterpunk legend Edward Lee, LAKEHOUSE INFERNAL is an official entree in Lee’s infamous INFERNAL series. Christine Morgan (SPERMJACKERS FROM HELL) expands on this universe with her own twist of hardcore horror tourism.
“Think Spring Break, only instead of a beach house, it’s a lakehouse, but the lakehouse IS IN FUCKIN’ HELL, that’s right, a chunk of Hell that’s been upheaved and pushed up into our pretty little world–sunny Florida, no less!”
– Edward Lee
Click here to get the paperback
Click here to read on your kindle
You can see the rest of the releases to come here.
And stay tuned very soon for some announcements about my new project, Section 31 Productions.
February 5, 2019
I was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award!
I was shocked to discover that my newest collection, THE VERY INEFFECTIVE HAUNTED HOUSE, was nominated for best collection for the 2018 Splatterpunk Awards to be given at the 2019 KillerCon in Austin, TX. Click here to see all the nominees for all the categories.
The collection has evil toasters, giant monsters, a haunted house that just wants to be an artist, and an essay about how dinosaurs worship Satan, If you haven’t checked it out yet, click here or on the cover below to cop yourself a copy.
I’ve Parted Ways with Eraserhead Press and Deadite Press
In case you missed the news last week.
Here’s my official statement on the situation:
Ten years ago, I started working with Eraserhead Press. In that time, I wrote four books, oversaw the production of over a hundred titles, and worked behind the scenes on dozens of more projects. Today, with a heavy heart, I am announcing that due to artistic and creative differences I am parting ways with Eraserhead Press and stepping down as the head editor of Deadite Press. Thanks to everyone I worked with over the years, everyone I partied with at conventions, and extra special thanks to Rose O’Keefe and Carlton Mellick III for giving me so many chances and opportunities in this highly volatile and difficult industry.
More info on my next publishing project to come soon…
January 6, 2019
Time Again for My Top Ten Movies of the Year
I once again did my annual write-up of my ten favorite movies of the year.
November 6, 2018
Cleaning the shelves book sale!
I need to free up some space in my room so I’m having a book sale! If you are interested in any of the titles or have questions – contact me at riotmelody at gmail dot com
US only (sorry!) and all prices include shipping.
HARDBACKS
J.F. Gonzalez and Wrath James White – The Killings – Signed by both authors Sinister Grin hardback edition number 140 of 150 – dust jacket shows some wear – $100.00
Brian Keene – Apocrypha – Signed Maelstrom hardback edition limited to 260 copies – numbered “BK” from the author’s personal stock – in near mint condition – $70.00
Brian Keene and Steven Shrewsbury – King of the Bastards – Maelstrom hardback edition limited to 260 copies – not numbered or signed – in near mint condition – $60.00
Edward Lee – Header 2 – Camelot hardback edition limited to 400 copies – signed and numbered “PC” – in near mint condition – $50.00
Edward Lee – The Minotauress – Necro hardback edition limited to 400 copies – signed and numbered “PC” – in near mint condition – $60.00
Edward Lee – The Pig and the House – Necro hardback edition signed and numbered 239 of 300 – dust jacket shows minor wear – $60
Monica O’Rourke – What Happens in the Darkness – Sinister Grin hardback – dust jacket shows minor wear – $40.00
Cameron Pierce and Jim Agpalza – Fantastic Earth – Signed Sinister Grin hardback – in near mint condition – $100.00
Shane McKenzie – Drawn and Quartered – Signed “hard rain” hardback edition limited to 99 copies from Thunderstorm Books – in near mint condition – $60.00
Wrath James White – Prey Drive – Sinister Grin hardback – in near mint condition – $60.00
Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road – Sinister Grin limited edition hardback – signed by Brian Keene, Edward Lee, Jack Ketchum, Bryan Smith, J.F. Gonzalez, Wrath James White, Nate Southard, Ryan Harding, Shane McKenzie, and Tom Piccirilli – in near mint condition – $200.00
PAPERBACKS
Jeff Burk – Shatnerquake German edition (OOP) – Voodoo Press – in near mint condition – $30.00
Jase Daniels – The Grubby End (OOP) – Crossing Chaos – book shows shelf wear and is in very good condition – $50.00
CHAPBOOKS
Cody Goodfellow and Mike Dubish – The Electric Eye – Perilous Press – $20.00
David Kopaska-Merkel – Results of a Preliminary Investigation of Electrochemical Properties of Some Organic Matrices – Eraserhead Press – $20.00
Sydney Leigh – Baby’s Breath – Villipede Publications signed and numbered #34 – $10.00
Tiffany Scandal – The End – self-published and comes with “Tiffany Scandal Sucks” cloth patch – $10.00
Ramsey Campbell, Bentley Little, and Ray Garton – Cut Corners Vol. 1 – Sinister Grin – $20.00
Really want something but don’t like the price I’m asking? Send me a message, maybe we can work something out.
October 31, 2018
31 Days of My Favorite Horror Books – The Complete List
For the month of October, I wrote brief pieces about my 31 favorite horror books.
Here’s every book that I talked about:
1: THE BEST OF H.P. LOVECRAFT by H.P. Lovecraft
2: THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR by Anne Rivers Siddons
3: GENITAL GRINDER by Ryan Harding
4: BOOK OF THE DEAD edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector
5: HELL HOUSE by Richard Matheson
7: THE DRIVE-IN by Joe Lansdale
9: BRAIN CHEESE BUFFET by Edward Lee
10: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H.G. Wells
11: THE STORE by Bentely Little
12: THE BLOODY CHAMBER AND OTHER STORIES by Angela Carter
14: THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum
15: A GOD OF HUNGRY WALLS by Garrett Cook
16: THE BOOKS OF BLOOD VOLS 1-6 by Clive Barker
19: A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS by Paul Tremblay
20: THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS by John Wyndham
21: SUFFER THE FLESH by Monica J. O’Rourke
22: THE RAW SHARK TEXTS by Steven Hall
24: SPLATTERPUNKS 1 and 2 edited by Paul M. Sammon
25: FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley
26: MUERTE CON CARNE by Shane McKenzie
27: HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Z. Danielewski
28: THIS BOOK IS FULL OF SPIDERS by David Wong
31 Days of My Favorite Horror Books – Day 31 – EARTHWORM GODS by Brian Keene
For the month of October, I will be writing brief essays about my 31 favorite horror books.
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Brian Keene is one of the greatest modern pulp horror writers. All of his books are super exciting stories packed with monsters and crazy action. The one that really gets me going is EARTHWORM GODS. The basic premise is that one day it starts raining all over the world and it doesn’t stop, leading to worldwide flooding and also giant man-eating worms coming out of the ground. And if that’s not crazy enough, there’s also mermaids and Cthulhu himself has a cameo.
I first discovered this book when it was published by Leisure Books and it had this ridiculous cover of a bad photoshop of a gummy world bursting out of a city street. I thought the cover was so nuts and stupid that I had to immediately buy it. I ended up adoring the story and little did I know that years later I would be working with Keene and rereleasing the book with a new cover painted by Alan M. Clark (which, just to brag, I own the original painting that Clark made for the Deadite reissue).
And if you’ve already read EARTHWORM GODS or are just looking for more Keene books to read, today is the release of the newest Brian Keene Deadite Press book – WHITE FIRE. This time Keene sets his pulp horror sights on the pandemic story and tells a story about a small town that is overrun with a biological weapon.
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Looking for more Halloween reading? Check out the newest titles from Deadite Press:
NO GIG IS TOO SMALL by Andre Duza
October 30, 2018
31 Days of My Favorite Horror Books – Day 30 – SIXTY-FIVE STIRRUP IRON ROAD by Brian Keene, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, J. F. Gonzalez, Bryan Smith, Wrath James White, Nate Southard, Ryan Harding, and Shane McKenzie
For the month of October, I will be writing brief essays about my 31 favorite horror books.
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I know I said each author was only getting one book and this is a co-authored book featuring nine authors and several of them have already appeared but fuck it. This project came about as a charity effort to benefit Tom Piccirilli who was facing health issues at the time (he has since passed away). In the beginning, it was each author attempting to one-up each other on gore and gross-out scenes (that’s what happens when you let Edward Lee write the first chapter). But as it goes on, the book turns into something very different. The authors themselves enter the story and the book becomes a meta-commentary about why people like extreme horror and why these authors write in the sub-genre.
It started as an effort to raise money for medical bills for a friend and the project turned into a dissection and discussion of one of the most misunderstood parts of horror. As a huge fan of the more extreme end of horror (which should be obvious if you look over my list for this project), I loved reading the biggest and best names in hardcore horror giving their thoughts and insights into why we love such vile and disgusting entertainment.
It also ends on a really hilarious joke to any extreme horror or Deadite Press fan.
Looking for more Halloween reading? Check out the newest titles from Deadite Press:
NO GIG IS TOO SMALL by Andre Duza
