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Monday, October 31, 2011

The 100 Essential Horror Movies




100. - The Monster Squad (1987)

Director:  Fred Dekker
Writers:  Shane Black, Fred Dekker
Genre:  Comedy Horror

Wolfman's got nards!


99 - The Mummy (1932)

Director:  Karl Freund
Writer:  John L. Balderston
Stars:  Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners
Genre:  Monster Movie, Creature Feature

Burn the scroll, man. Burn it! It was through you this horror came into existence.


98 - Creepshow (1982)

Director: George Romero
Writer: Stephen King
Stars:  Leslie Nielsen, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau
Genre:  Creature Feature, Zombies

I took care of it. That's why God made fathers, babe. That's why God made fathers.


97 - Paranormal Activity (2009)

Director:  Oren Peli
Writer:  Oren Peli
Stars:  Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs
Genre:  Ghost Story

You cannot run from this- it will follow you. It may lay dormant for years. Something may trigger it to become more active and it may over time reach out to communicate with you.


96 - Pitch Black (2000)

Director:  David Twohy
Writers:  Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, David Twohy
Stars:  Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Vin Diesel
Genre:  Sci-Fi Horror, Creature Feature

All you people are so scared of me. Most days I'd take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you gotta worry about now.



95 - Blade II (2002)

Director:  Guillermo Del Toro
Writer: David S. Goyer
Stars:  Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman
Genre:  Action Horror, Vampires

Pretty soon, they're all gonna be daywalkers, man. When that happens, I'd rather be a pet than cattle.


94 - Event Horizon (1997)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Writer:  Phillip Eisner
Stars:  Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan
Genre:  Ghost Story, Sci-Fi Horor

 It knows my fears, it knows my secrets! Gets inside your head and... it shows you!


93 - Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

Director:  Wes Craven
Writer:  Wes Craven
Stars:  Heather Lagenkamp, Robert Englund, Miko Hughes
Genre:  Supernatural, Slasher

I guess evil never dies, right? 


92 - Hellraiser (1987)

Director:  Clive Barker
Writer:  Clive Barker
Stars:  Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence
Genre:  Supernatural

You solved the box, we came. Now you must come with us, taste our pleasures.


91 - From Dusk till Dawn (1996)

Director:  Robert Rodriguez
Writer:  Robert Rodriguez
Stars:  George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel
Genre:  Vampires, Action Horror

 All right, vampire killers... let's kill some fucking vampires.


90 - Saw (2004)

Director:  James Wan
Writers:  Leigh Whannel
Stars:  Leigh Whannel, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover
Genre:  Serial Killer, Torture Horror

Congratulations. You are still alive. Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore.


89 - Cloverfield (2008)

Director:  Matt Reeves
Writer:  Drew Goddard
Stars:  Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan
Genre:  Monster Movie, Sci-Fi Horror

My name is Robert Hawkins. It's 6:42 AM on Saturday, May 23rd. Approximately seven hours ago, some... thing attacked the city. I don't know what it is. If you found this tape, I mean if you're watching this right now, then you probably know more about it than I do.



88 - Re-Animator (1985)

Director:  Stuart Gordon
Writers:  Dennis Paoli, William Norris, Stuart Gordon
Stars:  Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton
Genre:  Zombies, Comedy Horror

Who's going to believe a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow.


87 - Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

Director:  E. Elias Merhige
Writer:  Steven Katz
Stars:  John Malkovich, Willem DeFoe, Udo Kier
Genre:  Vampires

This is hardly your picture any longer.


86 - Buried (2010)

Director:  Rodrigo Cortes
Writer:  Chris Sparling
Stars:  Ryan Reynolds
Genre:  Psychological Horror

 I need one million dollars by nine o'clock tonight or I'll be left to die in this coffin!


85 - Gremlins (1984)

Director:  Joe Dante
Writer:  Chris Columbus
Stars:  Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton
Genre:  Comedy Horror, Creature Feature, Dark Fantasy

 So if your air conditioner goes on the fritz or your washing machine blows up or your video recorder conks out; before you call the repairman turn on all the lights, check all the closets and cupboards, look under all the beds, 'cause you never can tell there just might be a gremlin in your house.


84 - Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Director:  Neil Jordan
Writer:  Anne Rice
Stars:  Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas
Genre:  Vampires, Gothic Horror

Her blood coursed through my veins sweeter than life itself. And as it did, Lestat's words made sense to me. I knew peace only when I killed and when I heard her heart in that terrible rhythm, I knew again what peace could be.



83 - Tremors - (1990)

Director:  Ron Underwood
Writers:  S.S. Wilson & Brent Maddock
Stars:  Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter
Genre:  Monster Movie

That's how they git you. They're under the goddamned ground!



82 - Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Director:  Sam Raimi
Writers:  Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi
Stars:  Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Ruth Livier
Genre:  Occult, Supernatural

I desire the SOUL of Christine Brown. We will FEAST upon it while she festers in the grave!


81 - Shutter Island (2010)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer:  Laeta Kalogridis
Stars:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo
Genre:  Thriller, Psychological

Which would be worse - to live as a monster? Or to die as a good man?


80 - Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Director:  Rowland V. Lee
Writer:  Wyllis Cooper
Stars:  Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Genre:  Monster Movie

My father drew that very lightening from heaven and forced it for his own will to bring life to a being he created with his own hands. Why should we fear anything?




79 - Horror of Dracula (1958)

Director:  Terence Fisher
Writer:  Jimmy Sangster
Stars:  Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough
Genre:  Vampires

I am Dracula and I welcome you to my house.



78 - Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Director:  Adrian Lyne
Writer:  Bruce Joel Rubin
Stars:  Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pena, Danny Aiello
Genre:  Psychological Horror, Thriller

If you're frightened of dying, and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. If you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth.


77 - Carnival of Souls (1962)

Director:  Herk Harvey
Writer:  John Clifford
Stars:  Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger
Genre:  Supernatural, Zombies

It's funny... the world is so different in the daylight. In the dark, your fantasies get so out of hand. But in the daylight everything falls back into place again.


76 - Friday the 13th (1980)

Director:  Sean S. Cunningham
Writer:  Victor Miller
Stars:  Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Kevin Bacon
Genre:  Slasher

You see, Jason was my son, and today is his birthday...


75 - The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Director: Ubaldo Ragona
Writers: Furio M. Monetti, Ubaldo Ragona
Stars:  Vincent Price
Genre:  Zombies, Vampires, Sci-Fi Horror

You're freaks! I'm a man! The last man...


74 - Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Director:  Jack Arnold
Writer:  Harry Essex
Stars:  Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning
Genre: Monster Movie

There are many strange legends in the Amazon. Even I have heard the legend of a man-fish.


73 - Fright Night (1985)

Director:  Tom Holland
Writer:  Tom Holland
Stars:  Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowell, William Ragsdale
Genre: Vampires, Comedy Horror

Welcome to Fright Night! For real.


72 - Frailty (2000)

Director:  Bill Paxton
Writer:  Brent Hanley
Stars:  Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe
Genre:  Thriller, Psychological, Supernatural

Only demons should fear me. You're not a demon are you? The angel said you were. I can't believe that. I won't. You're my son, and I love you more than my own life. You know what's funny about all this? I'm afraid of you.


71 - Candyman (1992)

Director:  Bernard Rose
Writer:  Bernard Rose
Stars:  Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd
Genre:  Supernatural

If you look in the mirror and you say his name 5 times, he'll appear behind you breathing down your neck.


70 - Army of Darkness (1992)

Director:  Sam Raimi
Writers:  Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi
Stars:  Bruce Campbell, Embetz Davis, Marcus Gilbert
Genre:  Zombies, Comedy Horror

Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun.


69 - The Lost Boys (1987)

Director:  Joel Schumacher
Writers:  Janice Fischer, James Jeremias, Jeffrey Boam
Stars:  Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Keifer Sutherland
Genre:  Vampires, Comedy Horror

One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires. 


68 - Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writer:  James V. Hart
Stars:  Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins
Genre:  Vampires, Gothic

She lives beyond the grace of God, a wanderer in the outer darkness. She is "vampyr", "nosferatu". 


67 - American Psycho (2000)

Director:  Marry Harron
Writers:  May Harron & Guinevere Turner
Stars:  Christian Bale, Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Willem DeFoe
Genre:  Psychological, Slasher

I know my behavior can be... *erratic* sometimes.


66 - The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Writers: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard
Genre:  Occult, Supernatural

I was the one who brought them here. I was the one that said "keep going south." I was the one who said that we were not lost. It was my fault, because it was my project. I am so scared! I don't know what's out there. We are going to die out here! I am so scared! 


65 - The Changeling (1980)

Director:  Peter Medak  
Writers:  William Gray & Diana Maddox
Stars:  George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas
Genre:  Ghost Story, Psychological

That house is not fit to live in. No one's been able to live in it. It doesn't want people. 


64 - House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Director: William Castle
Writer: Robb White
Stars: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long
Genre:  Ghost Story, Haunted House

Only the ghosts in this house are glad we're here. 


63 - Near Dark (1987)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writers: Kathryn Bigelow, Eric Red
Stars: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton
Genre:  Vampires

Caleb, those people back there, they wasn't normal. Normal folks, they don't spit out bullets when you shoot 'em, no sir. 


62 - Poltergeist (1982)

Director: Tobe Hooper
Writers: Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor
Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson
Genre:  Haunted House, Supernatural

They're heeeeeere...


61 - The Machinist (2004)

Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Scott Kosar
Stars: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Genre:  Psychological

If you were any thinner, you wouldn't exist. 



60 - Carrie (1976)

Director: Brian De Palma
Writer:  Lawrence D. Cohen
Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving

They're all gonna laugh at you.


59 - Scream (1996)

Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Kevin Williamson
Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
Genre:  Slasher

Now Sid, don't you blame the movies. Movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative! 


58 - They Live (1988)

Director: John Carpenter
Writer: John Carpenter
Stars: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Genre:  Action Horror, Sci-Fi Horror

I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubble gum.


57 - The Omen (1976)

Director: Richard Donner
Writer: David Seltzer
Stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens
Genre:  Occult

The child is dead. He breathed for a moment. Then he breathed no more. The child is dead. Dead. The child is dead.



56 - The Others (2001)

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Writer: Alejandro Amenábar
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan
Genre:  Ghost Story, Haunted House

Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead. 



55 - The Haunting (1963)

Director: Robert Wise
Writers: Nelson Gidding (screenplay), Shirley Jackson (novel)
Stars: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom and Richard Johnson
Genre:  Haunted House

An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there... walked alone.




54 - The Fly (1986)

Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: George Langelaan (short story), Charles Edward Pogue (screenplay), and 1 more credit »
Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz

Genre:  Sci-Fi Horror, Creature Feature

What am I working on? Uhh... I'm working on something that will change the world, and human life as we know it.


53 - An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Director: John Landis
Writer: John Landis
Stars: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne
Genre:  Monster Movie, Comedy Horror

The wolf's bloodline must be severed; the last remaining werewolf must be destroyed. It's you, David. 


52 - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Director: Frank Oz
Writers: Howard Ashman
Stars: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia

Genre:  Creature Feature, Comedy Horrror

Feed me, Seymour!


51 - Predator (1987)

Director: John McTiernan
Writers: Jim Thomas, John Thomas
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Jesse Ventura
Genre:  Action Horror, Sci-Fi Horror

She says the jungle... it just came alive and took him. 


50 - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Writers: Samuel Hoffenstein (screenplay), Percy Heath (screenplay), Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)
Stars: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart

Genre:  Psychological, Sci-Fi Horror, Dark Fantasy

Perhaps you prefer a gentleman. One of those fine-mannered and honorable gentlemen. Those panting hypocrites who like your legs but talk about your garters.


49 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Director: Tobe Hooper
Writers: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper
Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger

Genre:  Slasher

I just can't take no pleasure in killing. There's just some things you gotta do. Don't mean you have to like it. 


48 - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: John Logan
Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman

Genre:  Slasher, Revenge

I can guarantee the closest shave you'll ever know. 


47 - The Golem (1920)

Directors: Carl Boese, Paul Wegener
Writers: Henrik Galeen, Paul Wegener
Stars: Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrück, Ernst Deutsch

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Monster Movie


46 - The Wolf Man (1941)

Director: George Waggner
Writer: Curt Siodmak
Stars: Claude Rains, Warren William, Lon Chaney Jr.

Genre:  Monster Movie, Werewolf

There's something very tragic about that man... and I'm sure that nothing but harm will come to you through him. 


45 - Dracula (1931)

Director:  Tod Browning
Writer:  Bram Stoker (Novel)
Stars:  Bela Lugas, David Manners, Helen Chandler
Genre: Vampires

The spider spinning his web for the unwary fly. The blood is the life, Mr. Renfield. 


44 - The Wicker Man (1973)

Director: Robin Hardy
Writer: Anthony Shaffer
Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento
Genre:  Thriller, Psychological

 You'll simply never understand the true nature of sacrifice. 


43 - Dead Alive (1992)

Director:  Stephen Sinclair
Writers:  Stephen Sinclair, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Stars:  Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver and Elizabeth Moody
Genre:  Zombie, Comedy Horror

They're not dead exactly, they're just... sort of rotting. 


42 - Grindhouse (2007)

Directors:  Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie
Writers:  Robert Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Jeff Rendell, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, Rob Coterill, John Davies, Jason Eisner
Stars:  Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Michael Beihn, Bruce Willis, Kurt Russell
Genre:  Zombie, Thriller

You see, we're both going left. You could have just as easily been going left too and if that was the case, it would have been awhile before you started getting scared. But since you're going the other way, I'm afraid you're gonna have to start getting scared... immediately! 


41 - 28 Days Later (2002)

Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Alex Garland
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston
Genre:  Zombies

If you look at the whole life of the planet, we... you know, man, has only been around for a few blinks of an eye. So if the infection wipes us all out, that is a return to normality. 


40 - The Thing (1982)

Director: John Carpenter
Writers: Bill Lancaster 
Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David

Genre:  Sci-Fi, Psychological, Creature Feature

So, how do we know who's human? If I was an imitation, a perfect imitation, how would you know it was really me? 


39 - Misery (1990)

Director: Rob Reiner
Writer:  William Goldman
Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth
Genre:  Thriller

I am your number one fan. There is nothing to worry about. You are going to be just fine. I am your number one fan. 



38 - The Birds (1963)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:  Evan Hunter
Stars: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren and Suzanne Pleshette
Genre:  Thriller

Why are they doing this? Why are they doing this? They said when you got here the whole thing started. Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from! I think you're evil. EVIL!  


37 - Zombieland (2009)

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writers: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson

Genre:  Zombies, Comedy Horror

Oh, America. I wish I could tell you that this was still America, but I've come to realize that you can't have a country without people. And there are no people here. No, my friends. This is now the United States of Zombieland.


36 - Ghostbusters (1984)

Director: Ivan Reitman
Writers: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis
Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rik Moranis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, William Atherton
Genre:  Comedy Horror, Supernatural, Ghost Story

Today, the entire Eastern Seaboard is alive with talk of incidents of paranormal activity. Alleged ghost sightings and related supernatural occurances have been reported across the entire Tri-State area. 



35 - The Sixth Sense (1999)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette

Genre:  Ghost Story

Do you know why you're afraid when you're alone? I do. I do. 


34 - Vampyr (1932)

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Writers: Christen Jul, Carl Theodor Dreyer
Stars: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel

Genre:  Psychological, Vampires, Dark Fantasy


33 - The Invisible Man (1933)

Director: James Whale
Writer: R.C. Sherriff 
Stars: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan

Genre:  Sci-Fi Horror

An invisible man can rule the world. Nobody will see him come, nobody will see him go. He can hear every secret. He can rob, and rape, and kill! 


32 - Peeping Tom (1960)

Director: Michael Powell
Writer: Leo Marks
Stars: Karlheinz Böhm, Anna Masse, Moira Shearer

Genre:  Thriller, Serial Killer

Do you know what the most frightening thing in the world is? It's fear.


31 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Director: Don Siegel
Writers: Daniel Mainwaring 
Stars: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates
Genre:  Sci-Fi Horror


They're here already! You're next! You're next, You're next...! 


30 - Freaks (1932)

Director: Tod Browning
Writer: Clarence Aaron 'Tod' Robbins
Stars: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova
Genre:  Psychological Horror

We accept you, one of us! Gooble Gobble! 


29 - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Director: Robert Aldrich
Writers: Lukas Heller
Stars: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono
Genre:  Thriller

But you *are*, Blanche! You *are* in that chair! 


28 - The Evil Dead (1981)

Director: Sam Raimi
Writer: Sam Raimi
Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor
Genre:  Zombies, Supernatural

You will die! Like the others before you, one by one, we will take you. 


27 - Black Swan (2010)

Director:  Darren Aronofsky  
Writers:  Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin
Stars:  Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Genre:  Psychological Horror

I had the craziest dream last night about a girl who has turned into a swan, but her prince falls for the wrong girl and she kills herself. 


26 - Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Director: George A. Romero
Writer: George A. Romero
Stars: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger
Genre:  Zombies

Many have died, last week, on these streets. In the basement of this building, you will find them. I have given them the last rites. Now, you do what you will. You are stronger than us. But soon, I think they be stronger than you. When the dead walk, señores, we must stop the killing... or lose the war. 


25 - The Innocents (1961)

Director:  Jack Clayton
Writers:  William Archibald, Truman Capote
Stars:  Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins
Genre:  Haunted House, Ghost Story

But above anything else, I love the children. 


24 - Deep Red (1975)

Director: Dario Argento
Writers: Dario Argento, Bernardino Zapponi
Stars: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia
Genre:  Psychological Horror, Slasher

There's someone in the house... absolutely trying to kill me, ya'know? 


23 - Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Director:  James Whale
Writer:  William Hurlbut
Stars:  Boris Karloff, Elsa Lancaster, Colin Clive
Genre:  Monster Movie

To a new world of gods and monsters!


22 - Frankenstein (1931)

Director:  James Whale
Writers:  Garrett Fort, Francis Edward Faragoh
Stars:  Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff
Genre:  Monster Movie

Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God! 


21 - Evil Dead II (1987)

Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel
Stars: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
Stars:  Zombies, Comedy Horror

I don't think so. We just cut up our girlfriend with a chainsaw. Does that sound "fine"? 


20 - Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
Stars:  Zombies, Comedy Horror

Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies? 


19 - The Terminator (1984)

Director: James Cameron
Writers: James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
Genre:  Sci-Fi Horror, Action Horror

You still don't get it, do you? He'll find her! That's what he does! That's ALL he does! You can't stop him! He'll wade through you, reach down her throat and pull her fuckin' heart out! 


18 - Eyes Without a Face (1960)

Director:  Georges Franju
Writers:  Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Jean Redon, Claude Sautet
Stars:  Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli and Juliette Mayniel
Genre:  Thriller, Psychological


The future, Madame, is something we should have started on a long time ago. 


17 - Nosferatu (1922)

Director: F.W. Murnau
Writer: Henrik Galeen
Stars: Max Schreck, Greta Schröder, Ruth Landshoff
Genre:  Vampires

It will cost you sweat and tears, and perhaps... a little blood. 


16 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1922)

Director: Robert Wiene
Writers: Hans Janowitz, Carl Mayer
Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher
Genre:  Psychological Horror

Spirits surround us on every side... they have driven me from hearth and home, from wife and child.



15 - Let the Right One In (2008)

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Writers: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar
Genre:  Vampires

I'm twelve. But I've been twelve for a long time. 


14 - Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Director: Roman Polanski
Writers: Roman Polanski
Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
Genre:  Occult, Supernatural

He chose you, honey! From all the women in the world to be the mother of his only living son! 


13 - Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron
Writers: James Cameron, David Giler
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn
Genre:  Action Horror, Sci-Fi Horror

We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly.


12 - Se7en (1995)

Director: David Fincher
Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Gwenyth Platrow
Genre:  Serial Killer, Thriller

We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common, it's trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example. What I've done is going to be puzzled over and studied and followed... forever. 


11 - Les Diaboliques (1955)

Director:  Henri-Georges Clouzot
Writers:  Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi
Stars:  Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse
Genre:  Ghost Story, Psychological Horror

Die, darling! Die and do it quickly! 


10 - Alien (1979)

Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Dan O'Bannon 
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm
Genre:  Sci-Fi Horror, Monster Movie

Bones are bent outward, like he exploded from inside. 


9 - Pan's Labyrinth (2007)

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López
Genre:  Dark Fantasy

Hello. I am Princess Moanna, and I am not afraid of you. 


8 - Halloween (1978)

Director: John Carpenter
Writers: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
Genre:  Slasher

I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the *devil's* eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... *evil*. 


7 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Director: George A. Romero
Writers: John A. Russo, George A. Romero
Stars: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman
Genre:  Zombies

They're coming to get you Barbara...


6 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Director: Jonathan Demme
Writers: Ted Tally
Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
Genre:  Serial Killer, Thriller

- Is it true what they're sayin', he's some kinda vampire? 
- They don't have a name for what he is. 


5 - Jaws (1975)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb
Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Genre:  Monster Movie

You're gonna need a bigger boat.


4 - Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Joseph Stefano
Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
Genre:  Slasher, Serial Killer

Uh-uh, Mother-m-mother, uh, what is the phrase? She isn't quite herself today.


3 - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Wes Craven
Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund
Genre:  Slasher, Supernatural

One, two, Freddy's coming for you. / Three, four, better lock your door. / Five, six, grab your crucifix. / Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. / Nine, ten, never sleep again. 


2 - The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
Genre:  Supernatural, Ghost Story, Haunted House, Psychological

No sir, YOU are the caretaker. You've always been the caretaker. I ought to know: I've always been here. 


1 - The Exorcist (1973)

Director: William Friedkin
Writers: William Peter Blatty
Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
Genre:  Supernatural, Occult

Especially important is the warning to avoid conversations with the demon. We may ask what is relevant but anything beyond that is dangerous. He is a liar. The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don't listen to him. Remember that - do not listen. 

Shirdi Sai Leela Oct 28.mov

Ancient Parenting Guide




Mother Yashoda and Krishna“Mother Yashoda saw that her child felt sleepy, and to give Him all facilities for sleep, she lay down with the child, and when He was peaceful, she got up to attend to her other household affairs.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.7.5 Purport)
It’s strange to think that you can get advice on parenting from a book written around five thousand years ago. Stranger even yet to get the information from a book which was originally passed on through the hearing process in an assembly focused on meeting the spiritual needs of a dying king. This king wasn’t debilitated in his hearing or moving abilities, but he knew that he didn’t have much longer to live. Pressed for time, to taste the fruit of his existence, to relish all that life had to offer in the remaining hours of his time within his body, he wanted to hear about the most important subject matter, information that would delight his heart both in the moment and in the future. The discussion that resulted became known as the Shrimad Bhagavatam, and its most confidential and heartwarming message could be found in its tenth canto.
Why wait until the tenth section before uncovering the precious gem, the good stuff? Well, is the best part of a movie revealed at the beginning? Is the climax of a frenzied plotline situated at the beginning of the story? As further background information is provided, as familiarity with the characters increases, the audience member’s interest increases, with the story catching hold of their attention. Once that attention is there, the heart of the story can be understood and enjoyed that much more. If we were to walk into a movie theater playing the last scenes of a movie, what could we gain by watching the screen? But later on, if we were to watch the movie from the beginning, the same exact scene viewed by the same exact pair of eyes would provide much more meaning.
Lord KrishnaFor context reasons the “good stuff” about the hero of the Bhagavatam, who also happens to be the fountainhead of all energies and the reason for our existence, for our having a life breath and the ability to express emotion, wasn’t fully revealed until the tenth canto. As good things come to those who wait, one who reaches the tenth canto relishes the childhood pastimes of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the foremost worshipable figure for every person. The atheists will claim that man created God out of a need for coping with the realities of life. Krishna, to them, is just a folk hero, a tribal leader whose qualities were later exaggerated to mythological proportions through storytelling and tradition. Yet regardless of man’s spiritual inclination, the troubles of life will be present. Even if out of ignorance one takes Krishna to be a tribal hero, hearing about Him and following the teachings of those who safeguard the information of the Vedic texts provide benefits. The same can’t be said of the reverse situation.
What does this mean exactly? The atheists will posit their own theories about life and what it should focus on. Since there is no absolute authority figure amongst such speculators, each person’s guess is as good as another’s. By rule, this means that both the thief and the honest man not following authorized spiritual traditions can claim to be correct in their assertions. The thief lives off of stealing while the pious person respects other people’s property. This is just one example of a dichotomy, but with many more people added to the mix, you get a bevy of conflicting systems of maintenance, religions in their own right.
One who is inclined towards spirituality, however, cannot benefit from the recommendations put forth by the gross materialists, those who have no desire to understand God or follow His teachings. The recommendations calling for satisfying the senses through illicit sex,gamblingintoxication and meat eating have no applicability to those looking to hear the sweet nectar that is Krishna-katha, or talks about God. In a similar manner, the opposite end of the materially concocted systems of maintenance, full renunciation, also has no appeal to the devotees of God. One side indulges in sense gratification with relative moral principles, while the other wholly rejects sense indulgence. One side looks for pleasure in a night club filled with smoke and alcohol, while another wants a life akin to seclusion, not having any contact with material nature whatsoever.
Neither of these extremes alone can provide pleasure to the soul, which is always looking for ananda, or bliss. The same atheists will continue searching for that elusive pleasure, the lasting peace of mind so desperately craved. They will keep turning over different stones in the form of new systems of maintenance, only to fail every time by following them. On the other hand, with devotion to Krishna comes knowledge of the ancillary aspects of life, which help to maintain happiness. Both the atheist and the devotee like to praise others, but only the devotee praises Shri Krishna, whose attributes are limitless. Both the atheist and devotee like to eat, but only the devotee eats Krishnaprasadam, food in the mode of goodness first offered to the deity of Shri Krishna. Both parties indulge in hearing, for the mind takes pleasure in learning about the activities others take part in. Only the devotee, however, hears about Krishna regularly and thus finds no limit to the amount of pleasure they can derive, day after day.
Krishna activitiesIn this way, even if the flawed assumption of man creating God is accepted, the path of the devotees is always superior. Man must act after all; he must seek pleasure. This is true regardless of one’s spiritual inclination. Through accessing the sacred texts like the Shrimad Bhagavatam, one purifies the hearing process and remains satisfied within the mind. From bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, comes the ability to remain peaceful, calm, satisfied in eating, healthy, and generally of good cheer. Who isn’t looking for these qualities? Moreover, knowledge of even important topics like child rearing is found through devotion.
Does the Bhagavatam contain a section on this specifically? No, but through hearing about Krishna such information automatically descends upon those who need it. As the Supreme Lord of all, Krishna comes to earth whenever He sees fit. In the Dvapara Yuga, He came in His original self, while outwardly imitating the growth cycles of an ordinary human being. His childhood years were spent in the farm community of Vrindavana, with Yashoda, the wife of the king Nanda, acting as Krishna’s foster mother.
Yashoda was the ideal mother. She followed the Vedic traditions tied to the rearing of a child. The soul is the essence of identity, and the human form of life is meant for the recognition of that fact. Once we have knowledge of the proper identity, we can act upon it and thus achieve a most suitable end. Every prescribed Vedic regulation is meant to further that goal of enlightenment, to increase the chances that the soul will no longer have to take birth in a temporary realm. At the same time, by following the prescribed guidelines, man will have less hesitancy and find pleasure at every step in life.
Rather than reference a book on how to raise her child, Yashoda just used her knowledge of Vedic traditions and her supreme love for her beloved Krishna, who was the darling of Vrindavana. When young Krishna reached three months old, she held a bathing ceremony in his honor, to mark the first time her sweetheart would leave the house. After the ceremony, she stayed with Krishna until He became sleepy. She lay down with Him and waited for Him to fall asleep. After that, she got up to attend to her household chores.
Mother Yashoda and KrishnaOnly when the child was peacefully asleep, seeing His mother right before closing His eyes, did Yashoda get up to take care of the rest of her duties. It should be noted that this is a standard practice followed by mothers who learn the ropes with their young children, but it’s interesting to see that one can also learn about it from hearing Krishna-katha. The benefit of learning the tips of parenting in this way is that when one has their own child, they can liken their experiences with them to what Mother Yashoda shared with Krishna. By remaining with Krishna until He fell asleep, Yashoda ensured that when she would take on the rest of her work for the day, she would be constantly tied to the Supreme Lord in consciousness. As this is the aim of yoga practice, we can understand that the queen of Vraja was the perfect yogi in every respect.
This incident also shows that Krishna purposefully acts in such a way that the sincere souls are forced into yoga, even if they are not explicitly trying for it. Indeed, Krishna is the order supplier for every type of desire, even those of the atheists. Those desiring to forget the Supreme Lord are cast into the material ocean of nescience, where they get to repeatedly attempt to extract the juice out of tired and decayed activities. The theories of there being no God or God being created by man are also Krishna’s grace, as He is both the forgetfulness and remembrance of man.
“I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.15)
If Shyamasundara can aid the atheists in their intense desire to associate with material nature, why shouldn’t He help the sincere souls who not only acknowledge God’s presence, but look for ways to connect with Him? This brings up a tricky part about spirituality. If we are fortunate enough to know that God exists and that He is all-powerful, what do we do after that? Do we continue with our ways and just try to remember that God is watching? Do we follow perfunctory rituals and regulations and then hope that in the afterlife everything will be alright?
Mother Yashoda with KrishnaThe bhakti-yoga formula allows for constant connection with the Supreme Lord through activities we are already accustomed to. Someone can even act as God’s mother if they should be so desirous. And in that role they will get a son who is perfect in every respect, knowing just how to act to extract the loving sentiments that the mother or father is itching to release. Bhakti begins with the hearing process, where one listens to discourses about the Supreme Lord and His activities from authorized sources, those who themselves follow bhakti as a way of life. Then to continue the hearing process, to stay connected with Krishna in even circumstances where it seems difficult, one can chant the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
Sincerity in purpose does wonders in bhakti. The more one is sincere to remain in yoga, the more they are helped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His representatives. The more desirous one becomes to occupy Krishna’s time through gaining His attention and association, the more knowledgeable they become of how to keep that link going. Mother Yashoda remained in perfect yoga by tending to her beloved young child, who cannot be captured solely by meditation, sacrifice, penance, study of Vedanta, or the acquisition of material opulence. Only through transcendental love offered in full sincerity can Krishna remain within the mind and heart at all times.
In Closing:
Yashoda’s beloved son past three months old today,
Brahmanas came to the house to celebrate the day.
While He falls asleep, Yashoda with Krishna stays,
Remembering His lila and how on field He plays.
She tends to her chores after her son has fallen asleep,
Then vision of the Supreme Lord in her mind does she keep.
As a perfect mother Yashoda sets the example,
Of her endless glories from Bhagavatam we get a sample.
Regardless of your persuasion, to Krishna-katha lend an ear,
Of the Supreme Lord’s activities and bhakti do you hear.
You will benefit even if man created God you think,
Immersed in transcendental nectar your ignorance will sink.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Scientists Measure Dream Content for the First Time: Dreams Activate the Brain in a Similar Way to Real Actions






Top: Patient in a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine. Bottom: Activity in the motor cortex during the movement of the hands while awake (left) and during a dreamed movement (right). Blue areas indicate the activity during a movement of the right hand, which is clearly demonstrated in the left brain hemisphere, while red regions indicate the corresponding left-hand movements in the opposite brain hemisphere. (Credit: © MPI of Psychiatry)
Science Daily  — The ability to dream is a fascinating aspect of the human mind. However, how the images and emotions that we experience so intensively when we dream form in our heads remains a mystery. Up to now it has not been possible to measure dream content. Max Planck scientists working with colleagues from the Charité hospital in Berlin have now succeeded, for the first time, in analysing the activity of the brain during dreaming.




















The research is published in the journal Current Biology.
They were able to do this with the help of lucid dreamers, i.e. people who become aware of their dreaming state and are able to alter the content of their dreams. The scientists measured that the brain activity during the dreamed motion matched the one observed during a real executed movement in a state of wakefulness.
Methods like functional magnetic resonance imaging have enabled scientists to visualise and identify the precise spatial location of brain activity during sleep. However, up to now, researchers have not been able to analyse specific brain activity associated with dream content, as measured brain activity can only be traced back to a specific dream if the precise temporal coincidence of the dream content and measurement is known. Whether a person is dreaming is something that could only be reported by the individual himself.
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, the Charité hospital in Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig availed of the ability of lucid dreamers to dream consciously for their research. Lucid dreamers were asked to become aware of their dream while sleeping in a magnetic resonance scanner and to report this "lucid" state to the researchers by means of eye movements. They were then asked to voluntarily "dream" that they were repeatedly clenching first their right fist and then their left one for ten seconds.
This enabled the scientists to measure the entry into REM sleep -- a phase in which dreams are perceived particularly intensively -- with the help of the subject's electroencephalogram (EEG) and to detect the beginning of a lucid phase. The brain activity measured from this time onwards corresponded with the arranged "dream" involving the fist clenching. A region in the sensorimotor cortex of the brain, which is responsible for the execution of movements, was actually activated during the dream. This is directly comparable with the brain activity that arises when the hand is moved while the person is awake. Even if the lucid dreamer just imagines the hand movement while awake, the sensorimotor cortex reacts in a similar way.
The coincidence of the brain activity measured during dreaming and the conscious action shows that dream content can be measured. "With this combination of sleep EEGs, imaging methods and lucid dreamers, we can measure not only simple movements during sleep but also the activity patterns in the brain during visual dream perceptions," says Martin Dresler, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry.
The researchers were able to confirm the data obtained using MR imaging in another subject using a different technology. With the help of near-infrared spectroscopy, they also observed increased activity in a region of the brain that plays an important role in the planning of movements. "Our dreams are therefore not a 'sleep cinema' in which we merely observe an event passively, but involve activity in the regions of the brain that are relevant to the dream content," explains Michael Czisch, research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry.

Building Better HIV Antibodies: Biologists Create Neutralizing Antibody That Shows Increased Potency


The increased potency of a new HIV antibody (green and blue) is explained by an insertion (pink) that contacts the inner domain of the HIV gp120 spike protein (yellow). 
Science Daily  — Using highly potent antibodies isolated from HIV-positive people, researchers have recently begun to identify ways to broadly neutralize the many possible subtypes of HIV. Now, a team led by biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has built upon one of these naturally occurring antibodies to create a more potent version they believe is a better candidate for clinical applications.









"NIH45-46 was already one of the broadest and most potent of the known anti-HIV antibodies," says Pamela Bjorkman, Max Delbrück Professor of Biology at Caltech and senior author on the study. "Our new antibody is now arguably the best currently available, broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies."
Current advances in isolating antibodies from HIV-infected individuals have allowed for the discovery of many new, broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies directed against the host receptor (CD4) binding site -- a functional site on the virus's surface that allows for cell entry and infection. Using a technique known as structure-based rational design, the team modified one already-known and particularly potent antibody -- NIH45-46 -- to target the binding site differently and more powerfully. A study outlining their process was published in the Oct. 27 issue of Science Express.
By conducting structural studies, the researchers could identify how NIH45-46 interacted with gp120 -- a protein on the surface of the virus required for the triumphant entry of HIV into cells -- to neutralize the virus. Using this information, they created a new antibody (dubbed NIH45-46G54W) that is better able to grab onto and interfere with gp120. This improves the antibody's breadth -- or the extent to which it effectively targets many subtypes of HIV -- and potency by order of magnitude, according to Ron Diskin, a postdoctoral scholar in Bjorkman's lab at Caltech and the paper's lead author.
"Not only did we design an improved version of NIH45-46, our structural data are calling into question previous assumptions about how to make a vaccine to elicit such antibodies," says Diskin. "We hope these observations will help guide and improve future immunogen design."
By improving the efficacy of antibodies that can neutralize HIV, the researchers point to the possibility of clinical testing for NIH45-46G54W and other antibodies as therapeutic agents. Understanding effective neutralization by potent antibodies may be helpful in vaccine development.
"The results uncover the structural underpinnings of anti-HIV antibody breadth and potency, offer a new view of neutralization by CD4-binding site anti-HIV antibodies, and establish principles that may enable the creation of a new group of HIV therapeutics," says Bjorkman, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
Other Caltech authors on the study, "Increasing the Potency and Breadth of an HIV Antibody by Using Structure-Based Rational Design," include Paola M. Marcovecchio, Anthony P. West, Jr., Han Gao, and Priyanthi N.P. Gnanapragasm. Johannes Scheid, Florian Klein, Alexander Abadir, Michel Nussenweig from Rockefeller University, and Michael Seaman from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston also contributed to the paper. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the German Research Foundation funded the research.