The following introduction by Oscar-winning special makeup effects creator and owner of the KNB EFX Group Inc. Howard Berger—whose prolific career has included everything from DAY OF THE DEAD, EVIL DEAD II, and THE WALKING DEAD to BOOGIE NIGHTS, CASINO, and KILL BILL— was recorded in 2024.

Directed by Erle C. Kenton • 1932 • United States
Starring Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams

A twisted treasure from Hollywood’s pre-Code horror heyday, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS is a cautionary tale of science run amok, adapted from H. G. Wells’s novel “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” In one o...

Directed by Jack Arnold • 1954 • United States
Starring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning

In this pulp-horror classic (originally shot in 3D), American scientists on an Amazon expedition get more than they bargained for when a dark tributary turns up a prehistoric man with gills. Hal...

Directed by Terence Fisher • 1961 • United Kingdom
Starring Oliver Reed, Clifford Evans, Catherine Feller

Having found success with their gothic reimaginings of classic movie monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Mummy, Britain’s legendary Hammer studios embarked on their one and only for...

Directed by John Carpenter • 1980 • United States
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins

Long-buried secrets come back to haunt a small town in this triumph of atmosphere and creeping unease from genre great John Carpenter. Drawing inspiration from the moody masterworks of Val L...

Directed by Neil Jordan • 1984 • United Kingdom
Starring Angela Lansbury, Sarah Patterson, David Warner

Adapted from a story by Angela Carter (who cowrote the script), Neil Jordan’s bewitching feminist fairy tale brings “Little Red Riding Hood” and werewolf fables together to haunting effect. A ...

Directed by George A. Romero • 1985 • United States
Starring Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato

In the third film in writer-director George A. Romero’s Living Dead saga (after NIGHT and DAWN), a small group of scientists and soldiers have taken refuge in an underground missile silo, w...

Directed by James Whale • 1931 • United States
Starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles

“A monster science created—but could not destroy!” Considered by many to be the greatest horror film of all time, James Whale’s FRANKENSTEIN tells the at once terrifying and poetic tale of a maniacal scie...

Directed by James Whale • 1935 • United States
Starring Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive

In James Whale’s celebrated sequel to his 1931 horror classic, Mary Shelley’s monster forces his creator, Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive), to make him a mate. Horror icon Boris Karloff reprises his...

Directed by George A. Romero • 1968 • United States
Starring Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman

Shot outside Pittsburgh on a shoestring budget, by a band of filmmakers determined to make their mark, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, directed by horror master George A. Romero, is a great story of...

Directed by David Cronenberg • 1981 • Canada
Starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O’Neill, Michael Ironside

With SCANNERS, David Cronenberg plunges us into one of his most terrifying and thrilling sci-fi worlds. After a man with extraordinary—and frighteningly destructive—telepathic abilities is nabb...

Directed by David Lynch • 1977 • United States
Starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Judith Anna Roberts

David Lynch’s 1977 debut feature, ERASERHEAD, is both a lasting cult sensation and a work of extraordinary craft and beauty. With its mesmerizing black-and-white photography by Frederick El...