Rosie Fletcher

UK Editor
UK

Voted for

FilmYearDirector
Metropolis1927Fritz Lang
The Night of the Hunter1955Charles Laughton
Carnival of Souls1962Herk Harvey
My Neighbour Totoro1988Hayao Miyazaki
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre1974Tobe Hooper
Raw2016Julia Ducournau
Mulholland Dr.2001David Lynch
Sunset Blvd.1950Billy Wilder
2001: A Space Odyssey1968Stanley Kubrick
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion1997David Mirkin

Comments

Metropolis

1927 Germany

A technical triumph, an artistic wonder and a great story that remains relevant today.

The Night of the Hunter

1955 USA

This film has haunted me ever since I first saw it, it has such extraordinary mood and atmosphere, you can feel the heat. The stand off between Robert Mitchum's Powell and Lillian Gish's Rachel Cooper is one of the most intense sequences in cinema history.

Carnival of Souls

1962 USA

I adore this film, it's so creepy and at the same time so lyrical. It's obviously incredibly influential too, with visuals that are haunting and compelling in equal measure.

My Neighbour Totoro

1988 Japan

This is a gorgeous fantasy adventure with many memorable moments. It's ostensibly a children's film and one of the things that makes it so special is the childlike (and someone dreamlike) logic, so characters and plot points require (and get) no explanation. Watching as an adult the film is mesmerising, it's a moving story infused with pure magic.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

1974 USA

I've seen this film three times and that is quite enough. Not enjoyable, this is however the best example of what it is an example of ever made. Perhaps the result of some extreme serendipity and an ordeal of a shoot, Texas Chain Saw is visceral, terrifying and deeply disturbing without actually including very much gore. It's just perfect from the slow burn opening to the 30 minutes of screaming that rounds the movie out.

Raw

2016 France, Belgium, USA

I have never felt as 'seen' by a movie as this. Raw is such an extraordinary debut and so very distinctive. Though it's a relatively new movie to be included on an 'all time' list I'm including it because it felt like a film that captured the female psyche in a way that I hadn't seen before, and with any luck might encourage more up and coming film makers to take risks like this. And Garance Marillier as Justine is perfect.

Mulholland Dr.

2001 France, USA

David Lynch's most ambitious movie (perhaps) felt like it grew on his amazing work with Twin Peaks. It's dense and rich and full of iconic moments, and it's also a massively rewarding film to pick apart.

Sunset Blvd.

1950 USA

Tragic-comic noir with a smart structure and an unforgettable central performance.

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968 USA, United Kingdom

At risk of stating this obvious this is such a massive film. Almost incomprehensibly massive, not just in its scope and scale but in its ideas and philosophies. It's a genre movie asking the biggest of questions and it has a scary computer to boot.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

1997 USA

While I acknowledge this title will never make the final 100 this is neither token nor ironic. Romy and Michele is one of the smartest and best anti-romcoms ever made. It's a film that brilliant turns on it's head the trope of the girl and the guy getting together and living happily ever after - instead this is a reverse version of Pygmalion where out protagonists attempt to "better" themselves to suit society but conclude that they are fine as they are and they don't give a "flying fuck" what the cool girls think. It's progressive, feminist, subversive, surreal and extremely clever. That this film also happens to be colourful and funny with a banging soundtrack should not be a mark against its true power.