Assault on Precinct 13
John Carpenter's loose remake of Rio Bravo is a masterclass in intensity and edge-of-your-seat thrills. This 1970s thriller sees an under-staffed police station fend off a siege from a huge gang that's trying to break in and kill one of its enemies. Carpenter fans will notice early signs of the dark, relentless action and style that would come in later films like Escape From New York, The Fog and The Thing. A true classic that's infinitely superior to its own remake, which would come decades later.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
One of the most notorious horror movies of all time, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the best examples of pure horror ever committed to celluloid. It's been named one of the 250 best films of all time by the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound magazine, and a print of the film is even part of New York City's Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. This drive-in classic sees a group of youngsters terrorised by a family of redneck cannibals, in particular, by a heavyset, chainsaw-wielding madman known as Leatherface. The fact that this film was shot on a shoestring budget with (mostly) first-time actors just makes the whole thing feel more terrifyingly real.
Halloween
Of course we have to start by picking the definitive movie to watch this time of year, John Carpenter's Halloween. Though it didn't create the American slasher sub-genre (that honour goes to Bob Clark's holiday horror, Black Christmas), Halloween was the first hugely successful movie of its kind, spawning several sequels and countless imitators. The film sees escaped mental patient Michael Myers stalk and kill a number of babysitting teens on Halloween night. Will fresh-faced teen Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) be able to survive this night of terror?
Watch Halloween on SBS On Demand
Lost Highway
One of David Lynch's most mind-bending thrillers, Lost Highway sees a saxophonist (Bill Pullman) framed for the murder of his wife (Patricia Arquette) and sent to prison. In true Lynchian style, things get incredibly weird, with the man inexplicably turning into a different person (Balthazar Getty) after a violent encounter, eventually leading to a new life as a mechanic. Though he may be a new man (literally), it's not long before his old life catches up to him. With a killer industrial soundtrack produced by Trent Reznor that features Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, The Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie and, of course, Nine Inch Nails, Lost Highway is dark, twisted thriller that you won't soon forget.
