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The Golden Age of Splatter

A run of the practical-effects era, roughly 1978 to 1992, when latex, karo syrup and gallows humour turned zombies, cabins, cursed hotels and Times Square flophouses into showcases for effects artists, from Romero's malls to Fulci's gateways of hell to Jackson's lawnmower finale.

These are cult staples and midnight-movie royalty more than film-school canon: beloved, quotable and often very funny, but relentlessly gory, so watch them with friends who like their horror wet rather than subtle.

• The Evil Dead (1982)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• Day of the Dead (1985)
• The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
• Re-Animator (1985)
• Braindead (1992)
• The Blob (1988)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986)
• The Beyond (1981)
• The House by the Cemetery (1981)
• Basket Case (1982)
• Maniac (1980)
• Castle Freak (1996)
• Sweet Home (1989)
• Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)