The Thing From Another World - This science fiction classic about some terrifying veggies is a fun time, featuring hard-boiled Hawks dialogue and great ratcheting tension.
The Thing - Remakes are evil! Oh, wait. This, the best John Carpenter movie I've seen, is a great expansion on the 1951 original. The scariest thing about the film is its reliance on ambiguity, and just how dooming mistrust can be.
Rear Window - Next to 12 Angry Men, probably one of the most well-known cinematic chamber plays. I'm not sure there's much I can say that hasn't been said about Hitchcock's brilliant thriller. What strikes me is that the subtextual dialogue in the script is just as intriguing as the central murder plot... we're just as riveted listening to Stewart deflect accusations of wanderlust as we are watching Grace Kelly encountering a murderer.
Knife in the Water - As it is with the rest of his resume, the tension is tangible and gut-wrenching in Roman Polanski's first feature. A battle of wills between an older man and a young drifter escalates logically and with a blistering inevitability.
Duel - Spielberg's entry into the 70's carsploitation trend is just plain cinematic nastiness. Adapted from a Richard Matheson short story, it illustrates the kind of terrible scenario that inhabits a common nightmare: the inescapable aggressor, in the form of a crazed truck driver.
Turn off the lights, tuck yourself in, and enjoy!
-Ben
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