After much deliberation then, itвЂ™s time to go shopping. The movie: Choosing only one undead Romero offering for a list of the best horror movies of all time is a bit like taking on the shuffling horde with a letter opener: gory and challenging, but not altogether impossible. Just stay safe in the knowledge that no one makes films quite like this anymore. Plus, the genuine panic in HedrenвЂ™s eyes as very real birds were thrown in her direction is a truly terrifying sight to behold.

Where The Birds excels is in its gradual, lurking fear its patience and looming dread.

If you havenвЂ™t seen it, to go further would be spoilerific. How about the very idea that the seemingly innocent feathery ones in your surroundings are actually using those tiny skulls to plot to murder you where you stand? Hard nope. Why itвЂ™s scary: Much like Jaws, The Birds preys on your simplest fears. When Tippi HedrenвЂ™s Melanie Daniels heads to Bodega Bay to deliver some love birds, she gets far more than she bargained for when the wild winged inhabitants of the town decide that human eyes might taste just as good as discarded chips. The Birds, the Master of SuspenseвЂ™s loose adaptation of a short story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, is scare cinema at its finest. The movie: Sure, thereвЂ™s all that talk about showers and murder - EditorвЂ™s note: we know itвЂ™s not just 'talk' and HitchcockвЂ™s Psycho is a genuine horror masterpiece - but itвЂ™s time to talk about the feathery elephant in the room. Read more: Here's how Saw became one of the biggest names in horror 28. What would we be willing to do to save our own miserable lives? Would we be Amanda, ready to go into a stomach to find a key, or would we sit and wait for an ultra gruesome fate? Throw in the genuine terror of вЂBillyвЂ™, JigsawвЂ™s painted cycling doll, and one of the most terrifying extended jump-scare sequences potentially ever, and Saw still manages to pack a barbed-wire-covered punch. Why itвЂ™s scary: Put simply, we all play JigsawвЂ™s game along with our heroes. Made on a shoestring budget by Leigh Whannell and James Wan, this tale of two men waking up in a bathroom, a corpse between them, is twisted but constantly intriguing.

The ideas at work here are significantly more grisly in your own mind than what you see on screen. Yes, the title is about an implement that a depraved killer suggests someone takes their leg off with rather than use a key to unlock a cuff, but Saw is actually remarkably restrained. The movie: It might have reignited the so-called torture porn genre with its (mostly) truly disgusting sequels but - and this is a huge 'but' - the original Saw is nowhere near as gross-gusting as you think it is and happens to be brilliant horror. If this is what director Rob Savage can make in lockdown without actual face-to-face interaction with his cast, itвЂ™s going to be very interesting to see what he does next. Some truly innovative uses of modern tech deliver perfect 2020 scares and brilliant performances crank the tension into unbearably terrifying territory. Thus, when this group of women lights candles and something arrives where theyвЂ™re meant to be safe, we canвЂ™t help but be dragged along for the ride. Why itвЂ™s scary: Thanks to quarantine, we all speak fluent Zoom and every interaction вЂ“ every joke about parents refusing to stay in and the woes of lockdown вЂ“ is painfully relatable. Host isnвЂ™t the first horror to take place on a computer screen, taking terrifying inspiration from REC, The Blair Witch Project, and Paranormal Activity, yet delivering a dangerously relevant frightmare. What follows is a short, sharp shock of found footage adrenaline in an intimidatingly lean 56 minute run time. Desperately on the hunt for something to do other than endless lockdown quizzes вЂ“ we feel this вЂ“ a group of friends get together for an online mid-lockdown seance. The movie: We knew it was on the way, but post-pandemic horror has already arrived in the shape of a Zoom call gone very, very wrong.

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