Dr Kingsley Marshall’s top horror films of the year, and of all time

My pick of the year so far, however, is the unnerving Sky Peals, directed by Moin Hussain. It’s a story of alienation set in a familiarly wyrd and uncanny non-place – the motorway service station – where Faraz Ayub’s Adam brings something unique to the story. It’s like a British version of Close Encounters.

All of these films are on streamers now for your Halloween month watching.

Of course, I need to mention colleague Dean Puckett’s The Severed Sun as one to watch for next year’s list. Not just because I spent an enlightening day on set as a cult member, being directed by second unit director Laura Canning (BA Film course leader) and our brilliant students and graduates who made up the crew, but it’s also a great take on the folk horror genre by Dean. There’s a little crease in the story that I absolutely love, and it’s definitely a film you need to watch a couple of times to fully understand. It’ll be in cinemas in 2025, but you can watch the trailer (cut by one of our students, here in the School of Film and Television) here.

In terms of all-time classics, this is a bit of a movable feast for me. There are so many great films out there, but this would be my list for today.

I’ve happened to rewatch some of these in the last few weeks, so they’re fresh in my mind. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was put on by my friend Pat Kelman as part of his brilliant Pat’s Film Club in cinemas this summer and remains as terrifying as it was on release. Pat screens classic movies in cinemas across the South West and has A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Shining (1980), the underrated Constantine (2005), and Fright Night (1985) all coming up over Halloween this year as part of his horror season. As an aside, Pat will also be hosting some action cinema screenings with School of Film & Television staff on the Q&As later in the autumn

Another rewatch was Don’t Look Now (1973). An adaptation of a short story by Cornish novelist Daphne du Maurier, it comes up a lot in conversation in the school and remains both frightening and desperately sad, as the couple at the centre of the story wrestle with their grief.

I enjoyed the new Alien movie Romulus (2024), but in the run-up had watched the first three films in the franchise—Alien, though ostensibly a sci-fi, is a masterclass in the craft of horror cinema.

Two filmmakers who have visited Falmouth University in the past, also have horrors in my all-time top ten. Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio (2012) really captures the sonic spirit of Giallo movies from the 1970s, his features The Duke of Burgundy (2014), In Fabric (2018) and most recent Flux Gourmet (2022) are also deliriously brilliant.

Another longstanding friend of the school, Alice Lowe, is releasing a new movie Timestalkers (2024) soon. I can’t wait to see it, but in anticipation, I’m popping her brilliant Prevenge (2016) in this list. She’s incredible in the leading role, but also wrote, directed, and produced the film. Alice is an inspirational filmmaker and a font of horror film knowledge; she’s been down to speak tour students in the past and is an absolute powerhouse.

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