Derek Adams

Derek Adams is a Film Writer at Time Out London and a globetrotting rock ‘n’ roll drummer. Take a look at his mullet during a 1980s appearance with Dream Academy on Saturday Night Live and you’ll understand the true meaning of horror.

1. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
2. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
3. The Omen (Richard Donner, 1976)
4. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
5. Wolf Creek (Greg McLean, 2005)
6. Black Christmas (Bob Clark, 1974)
7. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez, 1999)
8. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
10. House of Wax (André De Toth, 1953)

Chris Alexander

Chris Alexander is the editor-in-chief of the world’s finest horror magazine, Fangoria.

1. Dawn of the Dead (George A Romero, 1978)
2. Angel Heart (Alan Parker, 1987)
3. Nosferatu the Vampyre (Werner Herzog, 1979)
4. Daughters of Darkness (Harry Kümel, 1970)
5. The Devils (Ken Russell, 1971)
6. Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)
7. House of Dark Shadows (Dan Curtis, 1970)
8. Fright Night (Tom Holland, 1985)
9. Horror of Dracula (Terence Fisher, 1958)
10. City of the Living Dead (Lucio Fulci, 1980)

'Dawn of the Dead is Romero’s masterpiece. This epic and repellently gory satirical tragedy has haunted me since I first saw it at the tender age of 10. I still watch it once a month. Full of pathos, humour, great music, Tom Savini’s go-for-broke effects, bone chilling terror and kick ass action, for me, it’s not only the greatest American horror movie of all time, it’s one of the greatest American movies, full stop. Underneath its garish horror veneer, the wonderful Daughters of Darkness is really an elegant and perverse comedy of manners. Visually arresting, cheeky, and voyeuristic, it’s my personal favourite vampire film. Antichrist is simply one of the most devastating movies I’ve ever endured, though one filled with typical von Trier style, poetry and subtext. Not for the faint of heart, parents, suburbanites etc. And House of Dark Shadows is the theatrical film version of the TV series Dark Shadows. Pure gothic, romantic delirium with great Dick Smith FX, amazing performances, PG-straining levels of violence and a grim, serious tone that still shocks.'

Clive Barker

Clive Barker spearheaded the renaissance of British horror with his Books of Blood short story series and his remarkable 1987 debut as a writer-director, Hellraiser. He hasn’t directed a film since 1995’s Lord of Illusions, but his stories remain a treasure trove for horror directors, from Candyman to the still ongoing Hellraiser franchise.

(In no particular order)
1. Cannibal Holocaust (Ruggero Deodato, 1979)
2. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
3. Education for Death (Dir unknown, 1943)
4. Ataque de Panico (Fede Alvarez, 2009)
5. A Serbian Film (Srdjan Spasojevic, 2010)
6. Saló (Pier Palo Pasolini, 1975)
7. Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973)
8. High Tension (Alexandre Aja, 2003)
9. Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1959)
10. Le Sange des Betes (Georges Franju,1949)

Anne Billson

Anne Billson is a film critic, novelist and photographer. Her books include studies of John Carpenter's The Thing and Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In, as well as horror novels Suckers, Stiff Lips and The Ex.

(In chronological order)
1. Dead of Night (Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Deardon, Robert Hamer, 1945)
2. Night of the Demon (Jacques Tourneur, 1957)
3. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961)
4. Black Sabbath (Mario Bava, 1963)
5. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
6. The Fury (Brian de Palma, 1978)
7. The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
8. Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1982)
9. Pulse (Kairo) (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2001)
10. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Anton Bitel

Anton Bitel is a film critic and horror expert who has written for UK publications Sight & Sound, Little White Lies andTotal Film.

1. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
2. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
3. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
4. Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999)
5. Pontypool (Bruce Mcdonald, 2008)
6. Dark Water (Hideo Nakata, 2002)
7. The Signal (David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush, 2007)
8. Lake Mungo (Joel Anderson, 2008)
9. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
10. Long Weekend (Colin Eggleston, 1978)

Michael Blyth

Michael Blyth works in the festivals department at the British Film Institute. He is a gentleman of impeccable taste and breeding.

1. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
2. Creepshow (George A Romero,1982)
3. Tenebrae (Dario Argento, 1982)
4. Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992)
5. Ms .45 (Abel Ferrara, 1981)
6. Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973)
7. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski , 1981)
8. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
9. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
10. May (Lucky McKee, 2002)

‘A top ten horror list with no Bava, Fulci, Carpenter or Cronenberg? Seems somehow inexcusable, so here's ten more that deserve a mention, if only so I can sleep at night: Anguish (Luna, 1987), The Beyond (Fulci, 1981), The Fog (Carpenter, 1980), Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931), Les Yeux Sans Visage (Franju, 1960), Onibaba (Shindo, 1964), Shock (Bava, 1977), Stagefright (Soavi, 1987), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper, 1974), Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1983).’

Emily Booth

Actress Emily Booth is best known for her roles in Pervirella, Cradle of Fear, Evil Aliens and the BAFTA-nominated short Inferno. She appeared in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez's Grindhouse. She is also a presenter on The Horror Channel.

1. An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981)
2. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
3. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
4. The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan, 1984)
5. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1984)
7. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
8. Trick or Treat (Charles Martin Smith, 1986)
9. The Orphanage (JA Bayona, 2007)
10. The Ring (Gore Verbinski, 2002)

Catherine Bray

Catherine Bray is a regular guest presenter on BBC Film 2012, the editor of Film4.com and a member of the London Critics’ Circle. She will watch any film in which a giant whatever attacks something.

1. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
2. The Fly (David Cronenberg , 1986)
3. The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
4. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
5. Scream (Wes Craven, 1986)
6. The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973)
7. The Vanishing (George Sluizer, 1988)
8. Society (Brian Yuzna, 1989)
9. Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1959)
10. Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960)

‘There’s a badass monster. On a spaceship. And you’re trapped with it. It’s just so damn simple. It’s hard to explain why it works as well as it does, but Alien is one of those films I can’t fault on any level. Perfect. And heartbreaking but also scary is a tough mix to pull off, but Jeff Goldblum nails it in The Fly. David Cronenberg’s clinical approach is heaven – you feel that if Cronenberg found himself turning into a fly, this is exactly how he would handle it, documenting the disgusting detail and confusing emotions with a scientist’s objective fascination. The Wicker Man should not work. On paper, it’s completely ridiculous. In practice, it’s that weird thing – a charming horror movie. I would hang out with these people.’

Jurgen Bruning

Jurgen Bruning is a German-born producer, writer and director working in the independent movie scene. His horror credentials include producing insane zombie flicks Otto, or Up With Dead People and LA Zombie for director Bruce LaBruce.

1. Flesh for Frankenstein (Paul Morrissey, Antonio Margheriti, 1973)
2. Nekromantik (Joerg Buttgereit, 1987)
3. Nekromantik 2 (Joerg Buttgereit, 1991)
4. The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)
5. Science of Horror (Katharina Klewinghaus, 2008)
6. Otto, or Up with Dead People (Bruce LaBruce, 2008)
7. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
8. From Dusk till Dawn (Robert Rodriguez, 1996)
9. Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens (FW Murnau , 1922)
10. Blood for Dracula (Paul Morrissey, 1974)

Dave Calhoun

Dave Calhoun is the Film Editor at Time Out London.

1. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
2. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
3. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
4. Les Diaboliques (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)
5. The Tenant (Roman Polanski, 1976)
6. Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973)
7. Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999)
8. Hidden (Caché) Michael Haneke, 2005)
9. Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960)
10. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961)

Antonio Campos

Antonio Campos is part of the Borderline Collective with his fellow writer-director Sean Durkin. His stunning debut feature Afterschool may be a high school drama on the surface, but it’s more shocking and unsettling than most straight horror pictures.

1. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
2. Hour of the Wolf (Ingmar Bergman, 1967)
3. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
4. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961)
5. Black Christmas (Bob Clark, 1974)
6. Angel Heart (Alan Parker, 1987)
7. Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi , 1964)
8. Ju-on: The Grudge (Takashi Shimizu, 2002)
9. Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, Agnes Hranitzky, 2011)
10. The Other (Robert Mulligan, 1972)

‘I really wanted to put together a diverse list of films. I think The Turin Horse is the one that might someone scratch their head at , but to me it was one of the most frightening films I've ever seen.’

Zack Carlson

Zack Carlson has the enviable title of horror programmer for the legendary Alamo Drafthouse cinema in Austin, Texas. He’s also the co-editor of ‘Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film’.

1. Sleepaway Camp (Robert Hiltzik, 1983)
2. Tourist Trap (David Schmoeller, 1979)
3. Dawn of the Dead (Zack Snyder, 2004)
4. Xtro (Harry Bromley Davenport, 1983)
5. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
6. God Told Me To (Larry Cohen, 1976)
7. The Pit (Lew Lehman, 1981)
8. The Abominable Dr Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971)
9. Race with the Devil (Jack Starrett, 1971)
10. Devil Fetus (Hung Chuen Lau, 1983)

Axelle Carolyn

Belgium-born writer-director-actor Axelle Carolyn began her career as a film journalist specialising in horror. She has appeared in Doomsday and upcoming British film The 4th Reich, and is the director of three shorts, most recently The Halloween Kid. Her latest book is It Lives Again! Horror Movies in the New Millennium.

1. The Fly (David Cronenberg , 1986)
2. The Fog (John Carpenter, 1979)
3. The Haunting (Robert Wise, 1963)
4. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, 1962)
5. Re-Animator (Stuart Gordon, 1985)
6. The Mummy (Karl Freund, 1932)
7. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
8. The Wolfman (George Waggner, 1941)
9. Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton, 1999)

Billy Chainsaw

Billy Chainsaw is the film editor for Bizarre magazine. With a name like that, he’d better know a thing or two about horror movies.

(In chronological order)
1. Freaks (Tod Browning, 1932)
2. Mad Love (aka The Hands of Orlac) (Karl Freund, 1935)
3. Night of the Demon (Jacques Tourneur, 1957)
4. Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1959)
5. Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962)
6. Repulsion (Roman Polanski, 1965)
7. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
9. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1976)
10. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)

'Freaks remains a truly fascinating and disturbing film (note: Browning and I share a birthday). Mad Love is a gripping tale of all-consuming obsession which sees Peter Lorre turning in a career best performance – his creepiest too. It doesn’t matter that the storyline is absurd, not when what transpires is such a perfect blend of droll humour and chills. I have fond memories of seeing The Exorcist on the day of its original release with priests walking the queue handing out flyers with details about after-care for those disturbed by the film. Every time there was a shot of Father Karras closing the door inside Regan’s bedroom, the fear that welled up inside regarding what further hideousness awaited me when he turned around was monumental. And yes, I slept with the lights on that night.’

Nick Cheek

Nick Cheek won our horror movie pitch competition with this idea: 'A British guy discovers he was adopted and goes to America to meet his real family. Upon arrival, he discovers his family are crazed cannibal killers. Can he stop them?'

1. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
2. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
3. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
4. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
5. Dellamorte Dellamore (Michele Soavi, 1994)
6. Switchblade Romance (Alexandre Aja, 2003)
7. Tenebrae (Dario Argento, 1982)
8. Society (Brian Yuzna, 1989)
9. The Loved Ones (Sean Byrne, 2009)
10. Evil Dead II (Sam Raimi, 1987)

I love so many horror films that it's almost impossible to choose just ten, so I've gone for a mix of classics and a few close personal 'friends' such as Dellamorte Dellamore, Society and The Loved Ones. The main connection between all the films in the latter group is the seam of black comedy woven within each. As much as I adore pure `horror, leavening it with a little laughter often makes it all the more perfect (and, on occasion, bleak). It's a hard thing to do, but directors like John Carpenter, Sam Raimi and George A Romero make it look so easy.

Paul and Ben China

The China brothers – Paul writes and directs, Ben produces – are the latest horror filmmakers to emerge from Australia. Their slow-burning, low-budget debut Crawl screened as part of FrightFest Glasgow earlier this year.

1. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
2. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
3. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
5. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
6. [Rec] (Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, 2007)
7. Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)
8. A Tale of Two Sisters (Kim Jee-woon, 2003)
9. Evil Dead II (Sam Raimi, 1987)
10. Scream (Wes Craven, 1986)

Cath Clarke

Cath Clarke is deputy film editor at Time Out London.

1. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961)
2. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
3. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
4. The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)
5. Cat People (Jacques Tourneur, 1942)
6. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
7. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
8. Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)
9. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
10. Les Diaboliques (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

Coffin Joe (aka Jose Majica Marins)

Jose Marica Marins invented Brazilian horror with his first two Coffin Joe movies: At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul from 1963 and This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse in 1967. It took him 40 years to complete the trilogy – Embodiment of Evil was released in 2008, by which time the name of Coffin Joe was known across the world.

1. Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)
2. Tower of London (Rowland V Lee, 1939)
3. Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931)
4. Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper, 1982)
5. The Abominable Dr Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971)
6. Dr. Phibes Rises Again (Robert Fuest, 1972)
7. The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)
8. The Masque of the Red Death (Roger Corman, 1964)
9. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
10. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)

‘I think Rosemary’s Baby is remarkable because it allows us to see abnormality beneath the surface of normality, or the subtle nuance of madness tainting our everyday existence. Steven Spielberg’s script for Poltergeist revolutionised fantasy cinema, creating history and taking horror into a new dimension, making a big thing out of nothing. After all, our fear comes from the unknown, from the unseen. The Dr Phibes films have a strange power. They allow us to gradually discover the horror in such a way that we know we will not escape. Vincent Price was an amazing actor who set himself in stone with this performance. The character is totally diabolical and true to his own self and his principles, rather like Coffin Joe himself. I defy those who argue that these films have aged. They are forever.’

Martyn Conterio

Martyn Conterio is a film critic based in London. He’s the man behind the Cinemart website, and also contributes to Little White Lies, Film International, Flux, Scream: the horror magazine, Starburst and Scene 360.

1. The Beyond (Lucio Fulci, 1981)
2. Dawn of the Dead (George A Romero, 1978)
3. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1976)
4. Vampyr (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932)
5. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
6. Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)
7. Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973)
8. Black Sunday (aka The Mask of Satan, Revenge of the Vampire) (1960)
9. Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999)
10. Martyrs (Pascal Laugier, 2008)

‘For those attuned to its dream logic scenario and nightmare sensibility, The Beyond is a masterwork of creeping fear and gory theatrics. Romero's second foray into the world of zombies, Dawn of the Dead is intelligent, satirical and most of all, terrifying.

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is the dark lord of heavy rock, who has used horror movie imagery on stage and in album art throughout his career. We are still a long way from being worthy.

1. Salem's Lot (Tobe Hooper, 1979)
2. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1976)
3. The Haunting (Robert Wise, 1963)
4. Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962)
5. The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981)
6. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
7. Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
8. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
9. 30 Days Of Night (David Slade, 2007)
10. Silent Hill (Christopher Gans, 2006)

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