Adapted from Anthony Burgess's slim best-selling novel written in the invented street slang Nadsat, A Clockwork Orange tells the story of Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his thug friends, addicted to mindless acts of violence, killing tramps and raping women. Equally violent is the state's aversion therapy Alex is forced to endure to cure him of his addiction. A Clockwork Orange became infamous in 1973, not because of the extreme violence on show, but for director Stanley Kubrick's decision to withdraw the movie in the UK, because of copycat acts of violence blamed on the film.

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A triumph of style and atmosphere, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is without doubt one of the most influential horror films of all time. Inspired by the murders of real life killer Ed Gein, the film follows the fates of a group of hippies after they fall prey to a murderous family. Leatherface, the apron wearing skin-masked butcher of the family, emerged as one of cinema's most original screen killers. Nothing can prepare the virgin viewer for the first appearance of this highly-strung character, as he lunges into view clutching his slaughter sledgehammer.

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Self-proclaimed as "the ultimate experience in gruelling terror", this was the blood-spurting, flesh-tearing surprise hit of the 80s that launched Sam Raimi's career and spawned two successful sequels. Bruce Campbell and friends find the Book Of The Dead, whilst staying in a cabin in the woods, and unwittingly awaken a demonic force. A relentless and unforgettable excess of blood and guts erupts. The scene in which a girl is raped by a tree remains notorious. The Evil Dead is one of the few horror films that are as fierce today, as it was on its release.

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The most successful adult horror film of all time, which, despite being made 30 years ago, still has the power to shock. When a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair) is possessed by a demonic force, it's up to priests Max Von Sydow and Lee J Cobb to save the day. The truly disturbing subliminal images, the emetic effects and the still startling profanities uttered by the pubescent Regan all make this a horror film like no other. You won't be left wondering what all the fuss was about after watching it.

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There's no room left in hell, so the dead walk the earth in George A Romero's second zombie masterpiece. Zombies now outnumber the living and it's looking pretty bleak for society. Fleeing in a stolen helicopter, a group of people decide to hideout in a shopping mall in the hope that they can outlast the plague. Romero uses the set-up to pose questions about a mindless, consumer led society, in which the dead behave in a very similar way to the living. Pile on some fantastically gory, well-realised effects care of former Vietnam combat photographer Tom Savini and this is both a fine straight-up horror and an archly sly satire.

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