8) Cube (1997)
Canadian sci-fi horror film Cube has a deceptively simple premise: six strangers awaken from their daily lives to find themselves imprisoned in a deadly labyrinth from which they must escape. Sounds familiar, right? Well, back in the ’90s, this was a pretty refreshing concept.
Vincenzo Natali’s full-length directorial debut went on to become a cult-hit with its claustrophobic, nerve-racking atmosphere, intense set-pieces and mysterious, intriguing narrative. Though Cube’s horrific template has been refined in modern movies like Saw, it deserves praise for its captivatingly focused delivery, B-movie charm and surprisingly smart, tense Twilight Zone-esque narrative that both grips and shocks you in equal measure.
7) Ringu (1998)
This psychological tale of terror is a marvellously memorable fusion of Japanese folklore and modern teen-culture. The movie sharply focuses on a cursed videotape; when an unsuspecting viewer watches it, they are destined to die within seven days at the hands of a sinister girl who crawls straight out from their TV screen in eerie and terrifying fashion.
The Japanese version was so well-received it spawned a trio of Western remakes that never quite topped Hideo Takata’s original vision. The Guardian’s film critic Peter Bradshaw even went on record as calling the original Ring “the most terrifying film of all-time.” In all seriousness, we strongly recommend brown pants while watching this one. You’ll never look at your TV the same way again.