Five In Focus

Joe R. Lansdale

Joe R. Lansdale is the author of many novels and short stories. He has written for the Emmy award-winning show Batman The Animated Series and has scripted comic books, everything from The Fantastic Four to The Lone Ranger, Jonah Hex, and Conan. He has received many awards for his work. Among them, the Edgar, seven Bram Stokers, the British Fantasy Award. He lives in Nacogdoches with his wife and a spotted hound named Buffy The Biscuit Slayer.

1. |

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)

The original. Dark and strange and disturbing and right on the money. Science fiction and horror and fantasy and social commentary rolled into one creepy ball. Has an ending that was added later and doesn't go with the tone of the film, but other than that, perfect. Let it end in your mind when the protagonist pulls the tarp back on the truck.

2. |

The Haunting (1963)

The original, again. The remake is dreadful. One of the finest and creepiest and less is more films ever made. Does justice to the classic novel, The Haunting Of Hill House, on which it's based. Breathing doors and clutching hands in the dark make this a real chiller.

3. |

The Uninvited (1944)

Again, an earlier film starring Ray Milland. This one has humor and horror and is as creepy as seventies fashion. The ghosts in this one are subtle, but visible, and they get under and on the skin like a venereal rash.

4. |

Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

The original. Nothing subtle here. This one is about as subtle as a train derailment, but there are some really pure creepy moments as well. One of the all time great pure horror films. When I saw this for the first time, I couldn't believe what I was watching. It's been imitated a lot, and maybe outdone by gore and violence, but this black and white chiller is all the more chilly for its noirish look welded to out and out pedal to the metal horror.

5. |

Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

The remake. That's right, the remake. The original is a great film, but this captures all the elements of the original, and in this case less is not more. More is more, and it works wonderfully. Scares the bejabbers out of you while it makes you laugh. Maybe my favorite (and I don't have many) remakes of a classic film. This is one time the remake is better than the original.