Alien (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Horror
Notable cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, and Harry Dean Stanton
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 89
As the franchise spins its ever divisive sequels and now television shows, it all goes back to the sheer paralyzing terror of Ridley Scott’s original Alien. It’s maybe Jaws’ only rival for the title of greatest monster movie of all time, following the spaceship Nostromo as its crew is besieged by a vicious space creature that picks each member off one by one–eventually meeting its match in Sigourney Weaver’s beloved Ellen Ripley. The film’s influential, Giger-inspired aesthetic arguably remains Scott’s biggest visual calling card and one of the high-water marks for his career, which the Academy will finally recognize this year when he receives his honorary Oscar.
Atlantics (2019)
Director: Mati Diop
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Mame Bineta Sane, Amadou Mbow, and Ibrahima Traoré
MPA rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 85
Achingly romantic and fiercely original, Atlantics is a shape-shifting ghost story of sorts that defies simple categorization. Mati Diop’s first feature follows a young woman set to marry a man she does not love, while her lover flees their native Senegal by sea in search of work. Overnight, spirits begin to possess the townsfolk, seeking revenge against an exploitative corporation. Never less than captivating, the film features unforgettable visuals and an arresting blending of themes that make for one of the most daring Netflix originals—and signal Diop as one of the major breakthrough directors of the past decade.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Genre: Horror
Notable cast: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Tom Waits, and Sadie Frost
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Metacritic: 57
Equally fitting for spooky season or Valentine’s Day (well, maybe if you’re a bit of a freak) is Francis Ford Coppola’s operatic and bloody Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Somewhere between the refined precision of The Godfather and the batshit audacity of Megalopolis on Francis Ford Coppola’s filmography, this is a retelling of the iconic horror novel told with the director’s distinct brand of nerve. Gary Oldman stars as the titular count while shellacked with Oscar-winning makeup in different forms, including as a man-sized bat. And Eiko Ishioka’s demonically intricate and maximalist costumes (also Oscar-winning) are a grand spectacle all their own. The film is lush, horny, and entirely high on its own supply. It’s simply one of the most wildly decadent genre films of the past 50 years—and one of the best vampire movies of all time.
