85 - Peeping Tom (1960)
A truly chilling tale of a shy studio cameraman who spends his nights filming call girls as he kills them with the spiked leg of his camera tripod. Audiences were repulsed by this premise alone, but the killer�s refinement of attaching a mirror to the front of his camera so his victims could watch themselves dying marked Peeping Tom as a thriller beyond the pale. Notwithstanding the fact that film making duo Powell and Pressburger had delivered a string of classics from A Matter of Life and Death to Black Narcissus the film was butchered by ten minutes and then eventually pulled. Michael Powell�s career never recovered. Martin Scorsese restored a print in the early 80�s and when the film was re-released the critics hailed it as a classic.
more » Buy this on DVD » 84 - Cape Fear (1961)
A psychopathic rapist, out on parole, seeks out the defence lawyer who he says betrayed him, and targets him and his family for terrifying revenge. Martin Scorsese's blockbusting 1991 version of this film, starring Robert De Niro as the ex-con out for revenge, has already become a modern classic, but it is J Lee Thompson's 1961 original that still, even now, offers the greatest thrills and shocks. Defiantly violent, and oozing with psychological horror, the film was years ahead of its time when it was released, and, in Robert Mitchum, uncovered the most menacing psychopath ever to appear on screen.
more » Buy this on DVD » 83 - Whistle And I'll Come To You (1968)
This black and white Jonathan Miller adaptation of an MR James ghost story had an eerie sense of foreboding throughout as we saw an eccentric professor (Michael Hordern) spend a holiday in Norfolk. The ultimate horror occurs when Hordern wakes up one night and the bed sheets on the spare bed in his room stiffen and move as if possessed by a spirit. The professor's not sure whether it is a ghost or whether he's gone mad.
more » 82 - Captain Scarlet (1967)
Sometimes the scariest thing is not what you see on TV, but what you don't see. The Mysterons are the ultimate example. Kept invisible by creator Gerry Anderson because he didn't want them to appear 'wrong' if life were ever found on Mars, this alien race struck terror into children from Bolton to Bognor without ever being seen. A mere flash of light and the phrase "This is the Voice of the Mysterons" was pant-wettingly frightening to kids in the Sixties. If only they'd known that the man behind the voice would later star in Emmerdale Farm, that warm trickle of fear might have been avoided.
Buy this on DVD » 81 - Brookside (1995)
Nearly 9m people tuned into the moment in January 1995 when Eddie Banks and Jimmy Corkhill discovered the gruesome remains of Trevor Jordache's body whilst digging up the Jordache's patio in search of a mysterious source of water coming into Eddie's back garden. If Ena Sharples having a go at someone in the Rovers had been the scariest
soaps had got in the past, this plot took it to a completely new level. Soap would never be the same again.
80 - Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
One of the all-time great Disney animations, and an unexpectedly resonant story, with oh-so-demure Snow White brilliantly counterpoised by the Wicked Queen and those great character 'actors' - the Dwarfs. The Queen's quest is to rid herself of Snow White forever so that she can become "the fairest of them all" once again. Of course, this being Disney, she fails to bump Snowy off and it is she who comes to a painful end. So painful, in fact, that the scene in which she morphs from witch to harmless old woman was cut by the censors when the film was first released so that it could receive a U rating.
more » Buy this on DVD » 79 - 1984 (1954)
On 12th December 1954 George Orwell's controversial play was transmitted, live from the BBC, to an audience of 9m people. Never before in the history of television had so much fuss been caused by one programme. Even today, few other programmes have been as controversial and 1984 stands as a landmark in scary TV history. The Daily Express reported that a woman had collapsed and died whilst watching the play and MPs complained about the level of "sexual and sadistic tastes" in the programme. So what caused all the fuss? Rats. Torture. Mind control. Remember the scene with Peter Cushing and the rats and, even 50 years later, you might be prompted to write a stiff letter of complaint yourself.
78 - The Incredible Hulk (1970s)
The Incredible Hulk was adapted from the Marvel comic to become one of the seminal images of Seventies TV from across the pond. Dr David Bruce Banner � two names, two personalities � was a fugitive scientist exposed to gamma rays and who became the jolly green giant known as the Incredible Hulk when under stress. With the fantastic line, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry", his clothes ripped from his body, he developed muscles that would put Arnie to shame and he turned bright green � and into a different actor, Lou Ferrigno, multiple Mr Universe winner.
Buy this on DVD » 77 - The Twilight Zone (1963)
The Twilight Zone was the brain-child of writer/presenter Rod Serling and set the standard for sci-fi series to come. This cult phenomenon was an anthology series with a different setting, story and characters each week. One of the scariest episodes was called Nightmare at 20,000 Feet and featured William Shatner, terrified by the sight of a goblin through his plane window. Strangely, no one else can see it sabotaging the plane.
Buy this on DVD » 76 - Children Of The Stones (1976)
Children's ITV drama broadcast in 1977 about a village held in the grip of psychic forces. The series centred around a father and son who came to live in a quiet English village called Milbury, which featured a rather spooky stone circle. They discover that everyone seems to be under the influence of strange psychic forces and for that reason the series is often referred to as The Wicker Man for children. Children of the Stones starred Gareth Thomas before he went on to fame in Blake's 7.
Buy this on DVD » 75 - Lonely Water (1973)
You'll remember it when you see it. Who could forget the black-hooded ghoul threatening kids? This was the scariest of all the Public Information Films inflicted on schoolchildren in the 70s by an obviously sadistic government who delighted in striking fear into the hearts of every kid in the country. Even more scary than boys electrocuted by pylons or being cut to ribbons by glass on a beach, no young 'un went within spitting distance of a pond, lake or quarry after seeing this. Voiced by Donald Pleasance, this ad featured the faceless, hooded 'spirit of dark and lonely water' dragging children to their deaths in ponds full of old bikes and shopping trolleys. And the chilling catch-phrase, "I'll be baaack!" has spawned a rather famous copycat.
Buy this on DVD » 74 - The War Game (1964)
Peter Watkin's chilling drama documentary about a nuclear attack on Kent exposed the nation's Civil Defence programme and gave the public a grim realisation of the consequences of such an attack. Made for the BBC, it was banned from television broadcast for 20 years because of the disturbing scenes. However the ban did not stop its cinematic distribution and it went on to win four major film awards, before being broadcast on the BBC in 1985 as part of a nuclear war After The Bomb strand.
Buy this on DVD » 73 - Alice Cooper
Despite recent attempts to steal his crown by acts such as Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper must still rank as the scariest pop star ever. Sharing his stage name with a 17th century witch, the man born Vince Furnier almost single-handedly invented 'shock rock'. To accompany hits like School's Out and Elected, his shock-horror stage show - alongside child-unfriendly TV appearances on Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test � featured coiled snakes, giant spiders and bleeding, beheaded babies (dolls, of course!).
72 - Frankenstein (1931)
The finest screen adaptation of Mary Shelley's Goth classic, this story of the hulk-like being given life and then mistreated by his creators became the definitive monster horror film. The most famous scene is the one where Frankenstein befriends a girl by a lake and then throws her in and accidentally drowns her, a scene tinged not just with horror, but tragedy. Much of the success of the movie must be attributed to Boris Karloff's outstanding performance, who with the slightest of gestures hinted at the humanity beneath the monster.
more » Buy this on DVD » 71 - Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
As Michael Jackson and his girlfriend take a shortcut through the graveyard on the way home from a date Jacko turns into a werewolf, then a zombie, and gets down and funky with the undead. Filmed way back when Jacko's face wasn't the scariest thing about him, this seminal eight-minute video was the first � and some say best - scary pop video. Millions stayed up late to watch its first showing on Channel 4 and weren't disappointed. Made by the team behind An American Werewolf In London and featuring the voice of horror legend Vincent Price as the 'rapper', its special effects were stunning.
70 - Quatermass (1950s)
The Quatermass series was the X-Files of its day and set the boundaries of top-notch scary TV to come. In the days before video, pubs and clubs emptied as the nation rushed back to their collective armchair to watch mad scientist Prof Quatermass battle with Martians. Quatermass And The Pit was the third of the series, and the scariest of the lot. When a shell is found during building work in London, the authorities think it's an unexploded bomb. It's far more sinister, containing Martians who visited the earth five million years earlier. But that doesn't mean they�re dead...
Buy this on DVD » 69 - The Tripods (1984)
Alien tripods take over Earth controlling human adult minds � so it's naturally down to a couple of boys to start a resistance. This invading force of giant three legged machines became a sci-fi monster, feeding on the fear of 'man vs machine'.
Buy this on DVD » 68 - Shallow Grave (1994)
Twisted, funny thriller from the director of Trainspotting. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Ecclestone and Kerry Fox star as a trio of flatmates who suddenly find themselves in the money when their new flatmate mysteriously dies in his room, leaving behind a suitcase full of notes. Their new-found wealth corrupts all of them in different ways, but it is Ecclestone's gradual transformation from likeable geek into a dangerous paranoid mess that provides the most thrills, a transformation which begins when he is chosen to hack the body of their deceased flatmate into a pile of easily disposable pieces.
more » Buy this on DVD » 67 - Misery (1990)
Compelling adaptation of Stephen King's novella about an obsessive fan who holds her favourite author prisoner while he satisfies her depraved literary demands. Packed with gripping mind games and sick humour, the film stars Kathy Bates as writer Paul Sheldon's "number one fan", Annie Wilkes. Most stomach-churningly horrific moment? When Wilkes prevents Sheldon from escaping her lair by breaking both his legs with a sledgehammer.
more » 66 - Theatre Of Blood (1973)
Shakespeare has never been so much fun... Vincent Price chews the scenery as the ham actor extracting a bloody revenge on the critics who ended his career. After a very public humiliation at the Critics' Circle awards, pompous Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart hurls himself into the Thames. He hasn�t died however and Lionheart decides to kill each of the critics who scoffed at him in the same manner as in Shakespeare�s plays. One particularly gruesome scene sees him feeding a critic his own poodles.
more » Buy this on DVD » 65 - Fatal Attraction (1987)
A thriller with a scene so unforgettably horrible (particularly if you're a fan of rabbits) that it spawned a new term - the bunny boiler. Michael Douglas is the errant husband who can't resist what he thinks will be a straightforward fling with an alluring Glenn Close. Little does he know that, before long, good old Glenn will have broken into his house and make a tasty stew out of the family's pet bunny rabbit!
more » Buy this on DVD » 64 - Reservoir Dogs (1991)
Quentin Tarantino's groundbreaking bloody heist movie. Undeniably brutal, it's also very funny, the killing interspersed with sardonic asides. But no humour can disguise the delicious horror of the film's famous ear-cutting scene, when Michael Madsen's Mr Blonde, who has captured and tied up a policeman, casually dances around to Stuck In The Middle With You before slicing off the cop's ear with a flick knife.
more » Buy this on DVD » 63 - Armchair Thriller (1978)
Armchair Theatre was ITV's landmark drama anthology series which went out on Sunday night in the Seventies and was a huge success. Sometimes it changed its format and called itself Armchair Thriller when it grouped together mystery and thriller plays. Quiet As A Nun spawned the Jemima Shore Investigates series, the scariest moment of the episode occurring when journalist Jemima Shore climbs up some steps into an old attic and finds a faceless nun is rocking in her chair.
62 - Suspiria (1976)
From the master of European horror Dario Argento comes a horrifying tale of sorcery, murder and dying waifs in ballet shoes. The first film of his never complete Three Mothers Trilogy, Suspiria is the story of young American dancer Jessica Harper who travels to Europe to enrol at a famous ballet school. She soon discovers that the school is merely a fa�ade concealing a dark world of sinister witchcraft and that a murderer is on the loose. A horror classic full of grand sets, intense visual imagery and death portrayed with aesthetic abandon.
more » Buy this on DVD » 61 - Blue Velvet (1986)
One of David Lynch's best and most controversial films, it gained particular notoriety for its depiction of Isabella Rossellini's dangerously dependent relationship with psychopathic kidnapper Dennis Hopper. In one such scene, Kyle MacLachlan, a playing a teenager drawn into the murky world beneath the surface of a small town, is spying on Rossellini from her cupboard when Hopper suddenly returns home. He then becomes witness to their masochistic, oxygen-fuelled relationship.
more » Buy this on DVD » 60 - Basement Jaxx's Where's Your Head At video (2002)
Video set in a laboratory where crazy monkeys rock out to crazy beats. At first, their performance threatens to be cute, but on closer inspection, the monkeys have human faces, which shocks the spectating manager. Over the course of their performance the monkeys grow more and more agitated, smashing and eating their instruments before attacking the manager. As he flees, we see men with animal faces and animals with human faces, sadistic doctors and scientists, and eventually, their new plan, to transform the manager, who has seen too much, into a monkey 'manimal'.
59 - Tales Of The Unexpected
Everyone of a certain age remembers the dancer in the flames title sequence for Tales of the Unexpected � a continuing series of one-off stories from Roald Dahl with a 'twist in the tale'. It soon became the cornerstone of Sunday evening viewing with more than half of Britain's TV audience tuning into its first programme. One of the episodes that caused a real buzz was Royal Jelly, in which we see Timothy West turning into a bee in front of Susan George's eyes.
Buy this on DVD » 58 - Candyman (1992)
Helen (Virginia Madsen), a graduate student researching urban legends, comes across the disturbing tale of the Candyman, a hook-wielding maniac who will appear and 'cut you in two' if his name is chanted five times in front of a mirror. Of course, Helen is unable to resist putting the legend to the test and sets out to invoke the monster herself. The moment at which she utters the fifth and final Candyman is guaranteed to make your hair stand on end - a masterpiece of terrifying suspense.
more » 57 - EastEnders (2001)
From a seemingly happy marriage, to domestic abuse in the extreme, the tortuous relationship between Little Mo and evil Trevor brought us many scary moments. The most disturbing scenes were seen during Christmas 2001 when Trevor forced Mo's face into her Christmas dinner gravy, made her eat the remains from the carpet and then raped her in the bathroom. It was certainly not everybody's idea of ideal Christmas viewing but was compelling all the same for the 14.5m viewers who watched.
56 - Marathon Man (1976)
Open wide! Idealistic graduate Dustin Hoffman gets kidnapped by ex Nazi Dentist Lawrence Olivier who mistakenly believes the young student can tell him whether or not it's safe for him to go and pick up a hidden stash of diamonds. In one of the most excruciating scenes of torture ever filmed, Hoffman gets asked the same question over and over again, �Is it safe?� Unable to reply Olivier goes to town on Hoffman's molars. As if going to the dentist wasn�t bad enough already�
more » 
Memorably terrifying Dutch tale of abduction, obsession and psychosis. Immaculately crafted, understated and compelling, this arthouse chiller become an enormous cult hit, prompting its director, George Sluizer, to come up with a markedly less effective Hollywood version in 1993. When Saskia is abducted by scientist Raymond Lemorne, her boyfriend Rex engages in a dangerous game of trust with her kidnapper in a desperate bid to get her back. It's a game Rex is destined not to win and Lemorne fashions a truly hideous fate for him - he wakes up from a drugged sleep to find himself buried alive in a coffin, using his last breath in a futile scream for help.