#1 Night of the Living Dead
Yes, this movie is more than 40 years old.
 
Yes, it's in black and white.
 
But this is the movie that started it all. George Romero created a new monster, a new myth, with this film. The modern zombie. A living dead flesh eating ghoul.
 
Think about that for a moment. Vampires, werewolfs, ghosts all existed in mankind's mythology. George Romero created the Living Dead. Without this movie there would be no zombie video games, Walking Dead comic or tv show, or any of those other movies I have mentioned.
 
Not only was he first, but with Night of the Living Dead he created a compelling story about a group of ordinary people faced with an unstoppable and horrific menace. The horror he creates is unrelenting as we are faced with a young couple burning to death, a child dying and reanimating only to eat her parents, and finally the sole surviver of the zombie assault being shot dead by the people coming to rescue him. All of this was in a time when the camera used to break away when the horror happened. Romero shows us the horror and makes us feel it.
 
All of this from an independent film with a low budget. George Romero demonstrates that a good story and good direction are far more important than a big budget and flashy special effects. With Night of the Living Dead he creates a new American horror.
 
This makes Night not just the best zombie film of all time, but also one of the greatest movies of all time.
 
So, Happy Halloween. Enjoy a good zombie flick. And don't worry, that scratching sound you hear outside? That's just a squirrel on the roof.
 
Probably.