Rashid’s Rankings: The 30 Greatest Horror Films (#18-15)

18: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The sequel to “Night of the Living Dead”, and George Romero’s greatest contribution to the horror genre. The zombies are stronger and higher in numbers, and the violence has been multiplied by 10. Instead of a house, this time the group of protagonists find themselves in a shopping mall. There are several instances of dark comedy, yet it's also one of the most intelligent horror films.

17: Nosferatu (1922)
“Nosferatu” was the unauthorized adaptation made of “Dracula”. After a lawsuit, it lost its rights, and supposedly the copies were disposed of. Some did survive (not the best quality though), so this classic can still be enjoyed today. It’s probably one of the easiest movies to find online free. More people probably prefer “Dracula (1931)”, but I find that this film is much creepier in tone. Count Dracula may have been more influential, but Count Orlok is truly frightening, and easily the superior vampire.

16: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
This was the best slasher to come about because of the success of “Halloween”. It introduced a character that is now a legend in modern horror, and brought the killer into the dreams of children (dreams being a place where they are helpless and isolated from the real world). The series did gradually go downhill (5 and 6 were just awful), but the original shouldn’t ever be compared to those inferior attempts.

15: An American Werewolf In London (1981)
John Landis, a director mainly known for his comedy classics (“Animal House” and “Blues Brothers”), surprised audiences in 1981 when he proved he could make excellent horror as well. Two American tourists in England were attacked by a werewolf. And like all werewolf movies, the film shows one of the character’s slow transformation into a lycanthrope.