I’m planning to spend most of this week drinking, and frankly, that gets in the way of long, rambling, and expletive-filled reviews.  Fortunately, in the seven years Now Fear This has been alive and well, I’ve written a lot of long, rambling, and expletive-filled reviews.  So this Thanksgiving, if you’re looking for something terrifying to watch that maybe you haven’t heard of, browse through this list of (mostly) horror gems.

28 Weeks Later : A lesser film than its predecessor, though it still has plenty to recommend it.

All Cheerleaders Die : A funny and strange take on zombie love.

Angel Heart : A better film than its notorious reputation suggests.

Attack the Block : Aliens attack a London slum, and it’s up to an embryonic street gang to save the day.

The Bay : The ‘80s meets the ‘10s in this disturbing found footage gem.

Bad Milo! : A touching horror comedy featuring a butt monster.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon : A mockumentary on the making of a supernatural serial killer in the tradition of Jason, Freddy, and Michael.

Bone Tomahawk : A great horror-western.

Breakdown : Kurt Russell vs. JT Walsh.  Nuff said.

The Brood : Having kids never seemed so fun and easy in this Cronenberg classic!

Brotherhood of the Wolf : Possibly the finest horror romance period piece kung fu action flick ever made.

Bubba Ho-Tep : Elvis and JFK fight a mummy in a Texas rest home.

Cast a Deadly Spell : Los Angeles, 1948. Everyone uses magic.

Cellular : A fun thriller featuring Captain America and the Transporter.

Centurion : Extremely sexy people battle it out in Iron Age Scotland.

Changeling : A baroque docudrama about the nature of corruption.

The Changeling : A truly creepy and atmospheric ghost story.

Chillerama : Highly offensive and extremely funny horror comedy anthology.

The Company of Wolves : Neil Jordan’s fairy tale phantasmagoria that’s probably his way of dealing with sexual abuse.

Cube : Six people trapped in the world’s strangest prison.

Dark City: Director’s Cut : A new edit transforms a good film into a great one.

Dawn of the Dead : Zach Snyder’s best film.

Death Machine : What we thought the future would be in the ‘90s.

Deep Rising : A creature feature in the tradition of the best b-movies.

The Descent : A modern classic of survival horror so scary it barely even needs its monsters.

Dick : A comedy about Dick (Nixon).

Dog Soldiers : Werewolves hunt British soldiers through the Scottish highlands.

Doomsday : Neil Marshall plays Mad Libs with every ‘80s movie ever.

Drop Dead Gorgeous : A pitch black comedy finally getting its cult due.

Feast : A postmodern creature feature.

Fido : The story of a utopia or dystopia. Or zomtopia.

Frailty : A creepy Southern Gothic tale about God.

Freddy vs. Jason : Two horror icons duke it out.

From the Dark : A simple horror story in the dark.

The Ghost and the Darkness : Building a bridge is tough when you’re dealing with two of the worst serial killers in history who also happen to be lions.

The Gift : A creepy Southern Gothic gem from the minds of Sam Raimi and Billy Bob Thornton.

Ginger Snaps : Lycanthrophy serves as a metaphor for puberty for a pair of gothy Irish twins.

Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed : A symbol-happy sequel with a stunning twist.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch : The anarchic sequel/parody of the horror blockbuster.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters : So much better than it looks.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II : An underrated sequel ramps up the worldbuilding.

High Tension : A French extremism homage to classic horror of the ‘70s

The Hitcher : A stark cat-and-mouse story in the unforgiving desert.

The House of the Devil : An ‘80s homage so loving it’s a wonder I didn’t dream it.

The Innkeepers : A slow and moody film that accurately captures the realities of the workplace.

Ironclad : A group of badasses defend a castle.

Insidious : An eerie gore-free ghost story from the guys behind Saw.

Insidious Chapter 2 : An effective sequel to a true horror gem.

Joe Versus the Volcano : A sweet romantic fantasy about the importance of dreaming big.

Josie and the Pussycats : A fun musical comedy.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space : A cable mainstay with great creature FX.

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau : A great documentary about a terrible film.

May : An indie dramedy gone horribly awry.

The Midnight Meat Train : A solid Clive Barker adaptation.

The Missing : An Apache sorcerer kidnaps a girl to sell her into slavery, Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones to the rescue.

The Mist : Though adapted from a Stephen King novella, this is one of the best Lovecraft movies ever made.

Mute Witness : Hitchcockian yarn about a mute girl targeted for death by Russian snuff film makers.

My Boyfriend’s Back : It’s a one joke picture, but you gotta admit the joke is pretty funny.

Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut : A curiosity becomes a classic.

Outlander : Alien Jesus + Vikings vs. Dragon.

Pontypool : A truly original take on zombies.

Predators : Basically an episode of Deadliest Warrior with fucking Predators.

Pumpkinhead : A Stan Winston film.

The Purge: Anarchy : A sequel that finally fulfills the squandered promise of the original.

Rare Exports : A truly original Christmas horror film.

Ravenous : You are who you eat.

Raze : A bone-crunching exploitation riff on the male gaze.

The Sacrament : A disturbing fictionalized account of Jonestown.

Series 7: The Contenders : An early satire of reality television.

Session 9 : This whole goddamn movie is haunted.

Splice : Why you should never use metaphor with your mutant.

Stake Land : A survival horror movie with indie cred.

Stir of Echoes : An underrated ghost story.

The Strangers : Lock the doors, bar the windows. Doesn’t matter. They’re already in the house.

Streets of Fire : A rock and roll fable.

The Stuff : Are you eating it, or is it eating you?

Teeth : A young woman makes friends with her mutation. Say cheese!

Them! : ‘50s atomic horror classic about giant ants.

The Thin Blue Line : An Errol Morris classic that doubles as a terrifying horror story.

Trollhunter : The best found footage movie ever made.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil : Ingenious hicksploitation parody that gives us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre from Leatherface’s point of view.

What We Do in the Shadows : A hilarious mockumentary about vampires.

The Witch : A primary sourced horror tale.

You’re Next : An inversion of the classic home invasion horror thriller.

Enjoy your terror!

Filed under: Projected Pixels and Emulsion Tagged: 28 Weeks Later, All Cheerleaders Die, Angel Heart, Attack the Block, Bad Milo!, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Bone Tomahawk, Breakdown, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Bubba Ho-Tep, cast a deadly spell, Cellular, Centurion, Changeling, Chillerama, Cube, Dark City, Dawn of the Dead, Death Machine, Deep Rising, Dick, Dog Soldiers, Doomsday, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Feast, Fido, Frailty, Freddy vs. Jason, From the Dark, Ginger Snaps, Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Insidious, Insidious Chapter 2, Ironclad, Joe Versus the Volcano, Josie and the Pussycats, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau, May, Mute Witness, My Boyfriend's Back, Nightbreed: The Director's Cut, Now Fear This, Outlander, Pontypool, Predators, Pumpkinhead, Rare Exports, Ravenous, Raze, Series 7: The Contenders, Session 9, Splice, Stake Land, Stir of Echoes, Streets of Fire, Teeth, The Bay, The Brood, The Changeling, The Company of Wolves, The Descent, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Gift, The Hitcher, The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, The Midnight Meat Train, The Missing, The Mist, The Purge: Anarchy, The Sacrament, The Strangers, The Stuff, The Thin Blue Line, The Witch, Them!, Trollhunter, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, What We Do in the Shadows, You're Next